My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

April.

Yuan Shu's residence.

"Someone! Pour more wine!" Yuan Shu shouted loudly after drinking a few cups of horse urine, his voice carrying a hint of wildness.

The maidservant brought over the wine pot with trepidation, and as soon as it was filled, Yuan Shu drank it all in one gulp.

He drank a few more cups, then suddenly slammed the golden cup on the table and stood up unsteadily.

"Gentlemen!"

He spoke, his voice hoarse yet resonant: "Today, I have an important announcement to make!"

Inside the hall, strategists Yang Hong, Yan Xiang, and Li Feng exchanged bewildered glances.

Generals such as Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui, Lei Bo, and Chen Lan also put down their wine cups, wondering what their lord was up to now.

Yuan Shu staggered into the hall, pointed to the roof, and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha! I am a descendant of four generations of high-ranking officials, destined by Heaven! Today, I will ascend the throne and proclaim myself Emperor, changing the era name to Zhongjia! This world should belong to my Yuan family!"

These words shocked everyone in the room!

Yang Hong suddenly stood up, his expression changing drastically.

He did indeed offer Yuan Shu some plans for becoming emperor some time ago, including finding auspicious omens and creating public opinion, so that a grand ceremony could be held after taking over Yu Province.

But that was to buy time, to stabilize the situation, and to wait until we had enough strength before making any big moves.

Now that Yuzhou has not been conquered, Sun Jian has not been defeated, Cao Cao is eyeing us covetously, and Ji Xuanyuan is dominating the north, wouldn't it be courting death to declare himself emperor at this time?

"My lord!"

Yang Hong rushed forward and knelt down with a thud: "Absolutely not! The time is not right for you to declare yourself emperor!"

Yuan Shu looked down at him, his eyes glazed with drunkenness: "Dezhi, have you forgotten? I said that on the day I ascended the throne, I would appoint you Grand Tutor, granting you the highest honor! What, you don't want that?"

Yang Hong shook his head, his face ashen: "My lord, I do not want the title of Grand Tutor! I only wish that you would rescind your decree! To declare yourself emperor now will make you the target of public criticism and invite attacks from all over the land! Please reconsider, my lord!"

Yuan Shu's smile froze on his face, his expression darkening: "Dezhi, what do you mean?"

Yang Hong knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the earth, his voice choked with emotion: "My lord, I am by nature stubborn. I would rather die speaking out than flatter for glory! My lord, you must not declare yourself emperor at this time!"

Yuan Shu sobered up a bit, his face growing increasingly grim: "Why not?"

Yang Hong raised his head, looking directly at Yuan Shu, and said, word by word, "My lord, the world is in chaos, with heroes rising up everywhere. In the north, Ji Xuanyuan controls six provinces, with an army of 600,000, fierce generals, and strategists as numerous as rain! Cao Cao of Yan Province, though his territory is not large, has well-trained troops and ample supplies, and his subordinates, such as Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu, are among the best of their time! Sun Jian of Yu Province has recently acquired three counties in Jiangdong and has also taken Liu Bei as his ally; his army is strong and powerful, and he is eyeing us covetously! Guan Yu and Zhang Fei of Xu Province, brothers of Ji Xuanyuan, are warriors capable of defeating ten thousand men! Liu Biao of Jing Province controls eight counties in Jingxiang, with 100,000 armored soldiers; how can we underestimate him?"

He paused, his voice growing increasingly impassioned: "My lord, which of these men is weaker than you? To declare yourself emperor now would be to place yourself in a dangerous position! All the feudal lords of the land will surely rise up against you! How will you defend yourself then?"

Yuan Shu listened, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Yang Hong continued, "Your Majesty has lofty ambitions and desires to conquer the world, but haste makes waste! The best course of action now is to first take Yuzhou, then Yanzhou and Jingzhou. Once the south is pacified, we can then contend with Ji Xuanyuan in the north and south. Only then can we declare ourselves emperor, which would be the most secure strategy! To hastily declare ourselves emperor now is tantamount to inviting disaster!"

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed deeply, his forehead hitting the blue bricks with a dull thud.

The hall was silent; everyone was looking at Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

That smile contained sarcasm, disdain, and a hint of arrogance born of lingering drunkenness.

"Dezhi, oh Dezhi."

He shook his head: "You're being too cautious."

He returned to his seat, sat down again, picked up his wine cup, drank another cup, wiped his mouth, and his voice gradually rose: "Sun Jian? He was originally one of my generals! Back when he fought against Dong Zhuo, he relied on me for supplies! He got the governorship of Yu Province because of his merit in saving the emperor, and now he thinks he's something special? He was originally just a dog of my Yuan family! Now he's turned around and betrayed his master, how can I tolerate him!"

He put down his wine cup and pointed north again: "And that Cao Cao! What is he? His father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of a eunuch! He, Cao Cao, is the descendant of a treacherous eunuch, the grandson of a lowly commoner! A lackey, a shameless scoundrel! After I destroy Sun Jian, the next one I'll send troops to destroy is him!"

He waved his hand again, as if shooing away flies: "As for Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, they're just butchers and date sellers, I can't be bothered to even mention them!"

He stood up, spread his arms, and laughed loudly, "I am from the Yuan family of Runan, a family that has produced four generations of high-ranking officials! The Mandate of Heaven belongs to Yuan, not Liu! Yuan Shao's ascension to the throne is in accordance with Heaven and the people; who dares to disobey!"

Laughter echoed through the hall, making the window frames tremble.

Yang Hong knelt on the ground, his face pale. He wanted to persuade her again, but Yan Xiang beside him pulled him back.

Yan Xiang said in a low voice, "Dezhi, the lord's mind is made up. There's no use in saying anything more. Let him vent his anger. We can try to persuade him again tomorrow when he's sober."

Yang Hong shook his head and gave a wry smile: "Tomorrow? Tomorrow might be too late."

Before the words were finished, footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

The curtain was lifted, and several civil and military officials filed in. The one in the lead was Yuan Yin, Yuan Shu's cousin.

With a broad smile, he walked into the hall, bowed, and said, "Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord!"

Yuan Shu was taken aback: "What is there to be happy about?"

Yuan Yin proclaimed loudly, "We have heard that our lord intends to ascend the throne, and have come to urge him to do so! Our lord is ordained by Heaven and should swiftly ascend the throne to bring peace to the realm!"

Behind him, more than a dozen civil and military officials knelt down in unison, shouting, "Please ascend the throne, Your Majesty! This is in accordance with Heaven's will and the people's will!"

Yuan Shu laughed heartily and looked at Yang Hong: "Dezhi, listen to this! These are the words of a loyal minister!"

Yang Hong knelt on the ground, saying nothing, only kowtowing deeply.

Yuan Shu waved his hand: "Gentlemen, please rise! My ascension to the throne is settled! Three days later, south of Shouchun City, an altar will be built to offer sacrifices to Heaven, and I will formally ascend the throne and declare myself Emperor!"

He paused, looked at Yang Hong, and a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes: "Dezhi, I will pretend I didn't hear what you said today. When I ascend the throne, I will appoint you as Grand Tutor. You should assist me well and not disappoint me again."

Yang Hong raised his head and looked at Yuan Shu's face, which was flushed with excitement, and felt an endless sorrow welling up in his heart.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

He kowtowed again, his voice hoarse: "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

Three days later, south of Shouchun City.

A high altar was erected, and banners fluttered in the wind.

Yuan Shu, dressed in a royal robe and a twelve-tassel crown, with the emperor's sword hanging at his waist, slowly ascended the altar, surrounded by his officials.

Below the altar, civil and military officials knelt on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor of the Zhong family! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Yuan Shu stood on the high platform, looking down at his ministers below, and a surge of heroic ambition welled up in his heart.

He spread his arms wide, looked up to the sky, and roared: "I, Yuan Shu, today ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor, the state name is Zhongjia! From this day forward, this world belongs to me!"

The sound shook the heavens and echoed over Shouchun City.

Unbeknownst to him, countless messengers were galloping across the streets outside Shouchun City, spreading the news far and wide.

Sent to Shuntian, sent to Xuchang, sent to Qiaoxian, sent to Xiangyang, sent to Chengdu...

Shuntian, Tiance Prefecture.

Ji Xuanyuan was discussing matters with his ministers when a personal guard rushed in and presented him with an urgent secret report.

"My lord! Urgent report from Shouchun! Yuan Shu... Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor!"

An uproar erupted in the hall!

Li Cunxiao abruptly stood up, his eyes wide: "What?! Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor?! Has he gone mad?!"

Ran Min also stood up, his hand on the sword at his waist, his face ashen: "Brother, this scoundrel Yuan Shu dares to usurp the throne and declare himself emperor! This is utterly rebellious! I request permission to lead troops south to punish this traitor!"

Dian Wei, standing to the side, boomed, "I'm going too! I'm going to twist Yuan Shu's dog head off!"

The military officers were filled with righteous indignation and volunteered to fight.

Li Cunxiao went even further, saying, "Brother, Yuan Shu has already declared himself emperor, what are you waiting for? Why don't you just ascend the throne and become emperor too! That brat Liu Xie is just sitting there doing nothing! The world was conquered by you, brother, why should that kid reap the benefits?"

These words made the atmosphere in the hall even more lively.

Ran Min nodded: "Eighth Brother is right! Eldest Brother's achievements are unparalleled, what's the point of being appointed as a General of Heavenly Strategy? In my opinion, Eldest Brother should just declare himself Emperor!"

The military officers all echoed this sentiment.

Ji Xuanyuan sat in the main seat, listening to these voices of request for battle, his expression as calm as still water.

He didn't speak, but simply picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then looked at the ranks of civil officials.

Xun Yu's expression was solemn. He stood up and said, "My lord, I believe that it is absolutely unwise to declare yourself emperor at this time."

Ji Xuanyuan put down his teacup and nodded slightly: "Wenruo, please speak."

Xun Yu walked into the hall, looked around at everyone, and slowly said:

"Yuan Shu's claim to the throne is nothing short of courting death. My lord, please look at the current state of the world. Among the three families of Ji, Sun, and Cao, the Ji family is the strongest, followed by Sun and Cao, and then Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu, and others. Although Yuan Shu controls Huainan, he is surrounded by enemies on all sides. To the north is Cao Cao, to the west is Liu Biao, to the south is Sun Jian, and to the east is the sea. To claim the throne at this time is tantamount to inviting fire upon himself."

He paused, then continued, "I predict that Yuan Shu will be defeated within a year. At that time, all the warlords in the land will rise up to attack him. Yuan Shu's territory will be a piece of fat meat in everyone's eyes. If you, my lord, declare yourself emperor at this time, you will become the target of everyone's attacks, just like Yuan Shu. Those warlords who were originally wavering will immediately side with Cao Cao and Sun Jian to fight against you. It will be a loss for you."

Tian Feng stood up and nodded, saying, "Wenruo is absolutely right, my lord. I also believe that it is not appropriate to declare oneself emperor at this time. Yuan Shu is eager to pick the peach before it is ripe. He has only picked a handful of thorns and has become the common enemy of all the lords. I predict that Yuan Shu will be defeated in three years at the longest and a few months at the shortest."

Ju Shou also stood up and said, "Yuan Hao is right. The first bird to stick its head out gets hit first. Yuan Shu's claim to the throne will surely incur the wrath of the people. At that time, all the spearheads will be pointed at him. My lord has always been far-sighted and insightful. At this time, we should take the path of righteousness, observe the situation and wait for the change, and strike after the enemy has made its move. This is the wisdom of my lord."

Guo Jia's peach blossom eyes curved into a smile as he said, "My lord, I think Yuan Shu's declaration of himself as emperor is a good thing for us."

Everyone looked at him.

Guo Jia said leisurely, "If Yuan Shu hadn't declared himself emperor, we wouldn't have had a reason to attack him. Now that he has, he has cut himself off from the world. My lord, you only need to issue an edict in the name of the emperor to punish the rebels and call on all the lords of the world to jointly attack Yuan Shu. Then we can send troops with a legitimate reason. At that time, the land of Huainan will be within our grasp."

He paused, then added, "As for the matter of becoming emperor, my lord, you must not rush it. Wait until the world is at peace and the four seas are united before holding the grand ceremony. That will be the natural course of things."

Pang Tong nodded in agreement: "Brother Fengxiao is right, my lord. At this time, declaring yourself emperor would do more harm than good. Yuan Shu is a cautionary tale. Why should my lord repeat his mistakes?"

As Ji Xuanyuan listened to the crowd's words, his gaze swept over the military generals and then fell upon the civil officials.

The military generals were eager to fight and couldn't wait to send troops out, while the civil officials remained calm and advised him not to act rashly.

He smiled slightly and slowly said, "I understand what you all mean."

He stood up, walked to the map, and his gaze fell on the location of Huainan.

"Yuan Shu's declaration of himself as emperor was indeed courting death; I will not follow his example."

He turned around and looked at everyone with a firm gaze: "Issue the order to issue an edict in the name of the Emperor to punish the rebel, calling on all the lords of the land to join forces against Yuan Shu. At the same time, order Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to gather troops in Xuzhou and prepare to march south. Order Cao Cao and Sun Jian to each send troops to jointly attack Yuan Shu."

He paused, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "As for me, I'll just sit here in Shuntian City and watch how Yuan Shu brings about his own destruction."

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they all clasped their hands in greeting:

"Our lord is wise!"