Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 126 Paying Homage to the Imperial Uncle, the Han Dynasty Cannot Be Without Liu Bei (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
As Liu Bei established his authority by killing people in Xiyuan, Dong Zhuo began to become more amiable, and Yuan Wei also became more amiable.

No one cared about Zhang Kai's death.

Just like Liu Bei's words before killing Zhang Kai, "The Yuan family themselves dare not stand up, but instead use you, their disciple, as a scapegoat," who would mourn for a scapegoat?

Yuan Shao, who should be the protagonist today, is currently being persuaded in a low voice by Yuan Ji, with the same advice given to Yuan Shu.

Phrases such as "We must prioritize the family," "We must learn to abandon short-sighted personal gains and focus on the greater good of the family's future," and "My uncle and Dong Zhuo had a very pleasant conversation."

However, Yuan Shao's anger only intensified.

Why can't I be the one for everyone?
Why can't it be about abandoning the greater good of the family and focusing on my own petty personal gain?
My uncle and Dong Zhuo had a very pleasant conversation, so what about me?

After talking for about half an hour, Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo reached an agreement: Liu Bian would be deposed and made Prince of Hongnong, and the Prince of Chenliu would be installed as emperor. Yuan Wei would continue to serve as Grand Tutor and concurrently as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, while Liu Hong, the Minister of Works, would be dismissed and replaced by Dong Zhuo as Minister of Works and concurrently Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

The commandants of the Western Garden, Northern Army, Tiger Guard, Feathered Forest, City Guard, and Imperial Guard camps will remain unchanged for the time being, but the authority of the Commandant of the Capital Region and the power to hold the imperial tally granted to Yuan Shao by He Jin will not be recognized.

Dong Zhuo originally proposed to appoint Liu Bei, the governor of Yongzhou, as Grand Commandant, so that he could stay away from the court like the former Grand Commandant Zhang Wen. However, Liu Bei declined the proposal, saying that it would be detrimental to his career if he was appointed Grand Commandant before the age of thirty.

In exchange for this condition, Liu Xie must recognize Liu Bei as his imperial uncle.

Upon hearing this condition, Yuan Wei couldn't help but curse Liu Bei's treachery in his heart.

In particular, Yuan Wei, after taking charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, had checked Liu Bei's family genealogy.

Although Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan, during the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, the lineage of Liu Bei's clan was interrupted due to the demotion of Liu Zhen, the Marquis of Lucheng, to a commoner, as well as the war. There were gaps in the records.

Unfortunately, Liu Bei's grandfather Liu Xiong and father Liu Hong were both recommended for their filial piety and integrity, and were confirmed by the clan official and recorded in the clan genealogy as descendants of Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan, who was the son of Emperor Jing of Han.

This leads to a problem: Liu Bei is indeed recorded in the clan genealogy as a descendant of Liu Sheng, the Prince of Zhongshan, Emperor Jing of Han, but it is unknown whether Liu Bei was of the same generation as Liu Hong.

As early as when he was in Zhuo County, Liu Bei discovered this problem when he was looking up the Liu family genealogy in Lousang Village.

Although the clan genealogy in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is fabricated, its purpose is to allow Liu Bei to have the status of "Imperial Uncle" to recruit soldiers and horses, so as not to be constrained by the rule of "holding the emperor hostage to command the princes".
But this gave Liu Bei a new perspective: the broken family genealogy could also give him an opportunity to claim the identity of an "Imperial Uncle".

In order to confirm whether the imperial clan genealogy was the same as the Liu clan genealogy in Lousang Village, Liu Bei even specially entrusted his mentor Lu Zhi to find the clan official to check.

As Liu Bei had predicted, the imperial clan genealogy and the Liu clan genealogy of Lousang Village were consistent, with some gaps in the records.

Since it cannot be proven that Liu Bei was of the same generation as Liu Hong, nor can it be proven that Liu Bei and Liu Hong were not of the same generation, then Liu Bei's demand for the title of "Imperial Uncle" as a condition for their exchange would force Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo to accept it reluctantly.

It's not right for Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo to get all the benefits while Liu Bei gets nothing.

Regardless of the circumstances, Liu Bei, who was entrusted with the secret edict by Liu Hong, was the most meritorious official in supporting Liu Xie's ascension to the throne.

The fact that the most meritorious official did not want any promotion or title, but only wanted the title of "Imperial Uncle," does that not prove that Liu Bei was wholeheartedly devoted to the Han Dynasty?

Dong Zhuo, on the other hand, didn't care about Liu Bei's desire for the title of "Imperial Uncle," as he saw it as nothing more than an empty title.

It's better to be ennobled as a marquis or king than to be called an "Imperial Uncle".

After confirming the interests of Yuan Wei, Dong Zhuo, and Liu Bei, the interests of the others must also be taken into account.

Liu Bei then recommended Cao Cao, who had contributed to the establishment of Liu Xie, to be the governor of Yanzhou; Liu Biao to be the governor of Jingzhou; Gai Xun to be the governor of Xuzhou; and Liu Dai to be the governor of Yangzhou, so as to assist the court in punishing corrupt officials in the prefectures and counties and to clean up the bureaucracy.

Yuan Wei then recommended Han Fu, a protégé of Yuan, to be the governor of Ji Province.

Prefects and chancellors also frequently recommended him.

Except for Qingzhou and Bingzhou, which were too desolate and war-torn to attract people, the other prefectures and counties were basically divided up.

In a world where only Yuan Shao was injured, a consensus was successfully reached through friendly negotiations between Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo.

Both Dong Zhuo and Liu Bei deliberately sidelined Yuan Shao, and Yuan Wei also deliberately sidelined Yuan Shao for the sake of "the interests of the Yuan family".

Upon hearing that even Yuan Shu had become the governor of Nanyang, Yuan Shao felt as if his heart and lungs were about to explode with rage!
A bunch of treacherous villains, wicked thieves, and scoundrels—this is intolerable!
However, no one cared about Yuan Shao's attitude, just as no one cared about Zhang Kai's death.

Although Yuan Shao brought 6,000 Xiyuan soldiers, these 6,000 soldiers were not his direct subordinates. Now that Dong Zhuo, Yuan Wei, and Liu Bei had reached an agreement on the division of interests, Yuan Shao had no command over the 6,000 Xiyuan soldiers.

Even if he could command them, it would be difficult to face the combined forces of Liu Bei's two thousand Yongzhou soldiers, Cao Cao's one thousand Dianjun camp, Liu Biao's five thousand Northern Army camp, and Dong Zhuo's three thousand troops.

Yuan Shao had no choice but to obey!

At last.

With the unanimous confirmation of Dong Zhuo, Yuan Wei, and Liu Bei, it was decided that the ceremony for deposing and establishing a new emperor would be held the following day at the Chongde Hall.

With the conclusion of the meeting at the Western Garden, the troops of each camp returned to their posts and went home. The officials of Luoyang had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

The joy of promotion, the sorrow of being dismissed.

"Mengde!"

As he was leaving, Yuan Shao, with a gloomy face, called out to Cao Cao, who was preparing to leave with Liu Bei.

Actually, when Liu Bei and Cao Cao were discussing things privately at the beginning, Liu Bei promised Cao Cao that he would stay in Luoyang. However, after discovering that Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo had started to take a liking to each other, Cao Cao dared not stay in Luoyang any longer and took the initiative to request to be appointed as the governor of an outlying province.

At the same time, Cao Cao also understood the essence of why Liu Bei was so fearless: Liu Bei had a loyal army that was absolutely obedient to his orders!

Cao Cao finally understood why Liu Bei personally taught all the soldiers in his camp to read.

Personally teaching all the soldiers in the camp to read is essentially no different from Zhang Jiao spreading the Way of Great Peace: those who believe in the Way of Great Peace will gather together because of their shared faith, and those who are willing to study under Liu Bei will also gather together because of their shared faith.

In this way, Liu Bei's troops would have a very strong sense of cohesion.

Even if someone tried to seize Liu Bei's military power with an imperial edict, someone would secretly kill the person who delivered the edict or the person who took office.

If Yuan Shao hadn't used the imperial tally to control the troops in Luoyang, but instead the troops in Luoyang only recognized Yuan Shao, then everyone present would have had to submit to him.

After understanding this principle, Cao Cao couldn't wait to leave Luoyang and go to other places to gather an army that truly belonged to him.

Unlike the Western Garden Army, even if one becomes a military captain, it is difficult to make the Western Garden soldiers follow him to the death.

"The Primordial Beginning".

Cao Cao looked somewhat embarrassed.

After all, he had always followed Yuan Shao before, and now he had bypassed Yuan Shao and become the governor of Yan Province. This was a qualitative leap for Cao Cao! "You won't be the governor of Yan Province for long. The prefect and prime minister of Yan Province are all Yuan Shao's protégés and former subordinates." Yuan Shao said harshly and then left, leaving Cao Cao sweating profusely.

Seeing Yuan Shao, who had lost power but still threatened Cao Cao, Liu Bei's lips curled slightly. He walked up to Cao Cao and mocked, "Yuan Shao's protégés and former subordinates, are they so powerful? I only killed one today. Brother Mengde, show the same boldness you had when you were the Northern Commandant of Luoyang and the Chancellor of Jinan. No matter who they are, they must abide by the law. Those who don't, just beat them."

Cao Cao's lips curled into a bitter smile: "Xuande has countless fierce warriors under his command, so naturally he can fight whenever he wants. But I don't even have a single retainer I can rely on, so how can I fight whenever I want?"

"Wanting fierce generals is easy, isn't it?" Liu Bei laughed. "Brother Mengde, have you forgotten what I told you before? The Xiahou and Cao families are both powerful clans, and you are now the governor of Yanzhou. Don't your relatives and friends want to come and seek wealth and a better future with you?"

"What is the Yuan family? Can they compare to the four hundred years of heritage of the Xiahou and Cao families, descendants of the founding heroes? Don't be intimidated by the apparent strength of the Yuan family. Yuan Shao was so arrogant yesterday, but today he has to bow down. In the future, if you see any of the Yuan family's former followers or officials who refuse to submit, beat them one by one until they submit."

Confucius said: "In teaching, there should be no discrimination." This means that when Brother Mengde wants to teach someone how to be a person, he doesn't need to care who the other person is. He can teach bandits and outlaws, noble sons and students of the Yuan family, and former officials and students of the Yuan family. If they refuse to listen to Brother Mengde's reasoning, he can beat them until they listen to his reasoning.

"This is a closely guarded secret of Master Lu. I'm telling you this in secret today, but you mustn't tell anyone else."

Liu Bei patted Cao Cao, who was standing there dumbfounded with wide eyes, and then turned and left, leaving Cao Cao bewildered in the wind.

Liu Bei has already taught Cao Cao how to deal with the Yuan family; whether Cao Cao can learn it depends on his comprehension.

On this trip to Luoyang, Liu Bei has gained almost everything he could: money, fame, and profit. Once the ceremony for deposing and installing Liu Xie is over tomorrow, Liu Bei will also obtain the most important "power."

The title of Imperial Uncle is the best title to deal with those who hold the emperor hostage and command the feudal lords. Since there is an opportunity to obtain it, Liu Bei naturally cannot miss it.

Since the coup caused almost no casualties, Luoyang quickly returned to its former tranquility.

The difference is that Liu Bei's performance in the West Garden was so terrifying that few people dared to walk on the street in front of Liu Bei's camp!
They were afraid that Liu Bei would suddenly say, "Where is my disciple Long?" and then another unlucky guy would be splattered with blood in the street.

"Zhang Kai's death was not my fault. If Yuan Ji hadn't pushed Zhang Kai out as a scapegoat, why would I have killed him?"

"I originally just wanted to make an example of Dong Zhuo and deter him from acting too recklessly after he took power in Luoyang. I didn't expect that this would cause such a commotion."

“Ziyuan, it’s a good thing you’re not with the Yuan family anymore, otherwise you might become their scapegoat in the future.”

Standing at the camp gate, Liu Bei looked at the empty streets and couldn't help but sigh.

Xu You scoffed, "Don't be fooled by Yuan Ji's seemingly dignified demeanor and the air of a noble scion of a great family. In reality, he is even more cowardly than Yuan Shao. Only when he is certain that there will be no danger in personally going into battle will he jump out to steal the credit, and then say, 'It's all for the sake of the family.' Yuan Shao often resents Yuan Ji behind his back."

"However, since you have joined forces with Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo today to deliberately prevent Yuan Shao from gaining any benefits, given his nature, he will not be content with that."

Liu Bei also laughed: "It's normal to be unwilling. The Yuan family's power is too great, and it's difficult to break through it by relying solely on external forces. The quickest and easiest way to destroy the Yuan family is to make the Yuan brothers fight amongst themselves."

"After the disciples and former officials of the Yuan family have exhausted each other in their internal strife, it will be time for me to lead the brave warriors of Yong and Liang to conquer the world."

The world will always be in chaos.

The existence of Liu Bei will not necessarily make things better for everyone.

The legacy left by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu had long been riddled with holes by pests during the successive dynasties.

Liu Bei could not protect everyone from the harm of war.

All Liu Bei could do was minimize the damage caused by the war.

Just like the discussions in the West Garden.

If Liu Bei had been wise enough to protect himself, he could have secretly watched the show and reaped the benefits.

But Liu Bei could not do that.

If Dong Zhuo is not deterred, he will act with impunity in Luoyang, and may even set fire to Luoyang and relocate people to Guanzhong, causing devastating damage to Guanzhong.

Relocation is not simply a matter of moving people; it requires money and food to settle them.

Money can be made, but food can only grow from the ground.

Even if relocation is necessary, it should be a relocation that is conditionally controllable.

For example, if Liu Bei released Zhang Rang, and Zhang Rang and his men wanted to transport wealth into Yongzhou, their servants and slaves would inevitably follow them in.

Canceling the enslavement status of these servants and slave farmers would directly increase the registered population of Yongzhou, preventing an excessive number of enslaved people from affecting Liu Bei's various policies in Yongzhou.

As for whether killing someone in the palace will affect one's reputation?

That depends on who sees the reputation.

Moreover, once Liu Bei unifies the world, ends the chaos, and ascends the throne as emperor, great Confucian scholars will naturally come to debate the classics for him.

His merits and demerits will be judged by posterity. Internal strife was not Liu Bei's style; eliminating his peers was.

First and foremost, let's crush that guy surnamed Yuan!
The next day.

Chongde Front Hall.

All officials gathered.

The ceremony of deposing and establishing Liu Bian was presided over by Shangshu Ding Gong in the front hall of Chongde. Grand Tutor Yuan Wei personally helped Liu Bian down from the throne, removed the imperial seal and handed it to Liu Xie, and then helped Liu Xie to formally ascend the throne, granting a general amnesty and changing the era name to Zhaoning.

Subsequently, Dong Zhuo had the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat read out the edict and impeached Empress Dowager He for the crime of causing the death of Empress Dowager Dong, and moved her to Yong'an Palace.

As for Liu Bian, he was moved to the Hongnong Palace, where the newly recruited scholar Li Ru was appointed as the Hongnong King's Chamberlain to monitor him.

After all the ceremonies have been completed.

Liu Bei was the last to step onto the stage, and Liu Xie, in front of all the civil and military officials, addressed Liu Bei as "Imperial Uncle".

Liu Xie looked at Liu Bei with mixed feelings.

Subconsciously, Liu Xie recalled Liu Hong's dying words: "If Jian Shuo fails to kill He Jin, you may not trust anyone, but you must trust Liu Bei. As long as Liu Bei is alive, the Han Dynasty will remain. Even if some villains want to overthrow the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei will surely help my son defeat them."

And that line: If Jian Shuo fails and is killed by He Jin, then only Liu Bei, who has received the secret edict, can help my son. And once Liu Bei gains power, only trust can restrain Liu Bei's heroic ambition.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Xie bowed again: "Today you are the Imperial Uncle. I hope you will not forget the late Emperor's dying wish and will support the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty cannot be without you, Imperial Uncle!"

(End of this chapter)