Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 25 Lord Yuan was a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty!
Should the capital be moved to Luoyang?

With Li Jue and Guo Si finally reaching a truce under Zhang Ji's control, Liu Yao had just escaped Guo Si's hostage situation and thought he could finally get a good night's sleep.

As a result, he was mysteriously woken up by Grand Commandant Yang Biao in the middle of the night. Upon hearing the news, he was completely stunned.

Why does this experience in Chang'an feel like a dream?
The political situation in your court changes too quickly; I can't keep up with it at all!
"Lord Liu? What are you standing there for? Quickly pack your valuables."

Seeing that Liu Yao seemed to be half asleep, Yang Biao lowered his voice and urged him on.

"Your Majesty hereby appoints Zhang Ji as General of the Cavalry, enfeoffs him as Marquis of Pingyang, and grants him the authority to act on behalf of the emperor and the privilege of establishing his own government, with the same rank as the Three Dukes."

The General of the Cavalry has now ordered that the Emperor be escorted back to Luoyang overnight, in order to get rid of the two traitors, Li Jue and Guo Si. The officials are passing messages among themselves, all of whom are willing to follow His Majesty back east.

Luckily, I remembered at the last minute that Lord Liu was a member of the Han imperial family and a trustworthy person. Seeing that no one had informed him yet, I hurried to find you.

"Hurry and come with me, or it will be too late if we don't leave tonight."

Liu Yao: "."

I finally made it to Chang'an from Yuan Shu's place, only to be taken hostage as soon as I arrived. Now that I've just been released, you want me to escape to Luoyang with you?

Mr. Yang! It's such a rare and wonderful thing that you still remember me. Should I thank you? Or should I thank you?

"How could the mighty Han Dynasty, the central government, have fallen to such a state?"

With a long sigh, Liu Yao forced a look of gratitude onto his face.

"Thank you, Master Yang. Please wait a moment while I tidy up and will be there immediately."

"Time waits for no one, Lord Liu, hurry up."

Liu Yao left Yang Biao outside for a while, quickly tidied himself up, and then summoned the two soldiers who had accompanied him.

These two men were originally sent by Yuan Shu to escort him to Chang'an for questioning. Little did they know that once they entered Chang'an, it would be like entering a deep sea, and their lives would be out of their own hands from then on.

Liu Yao, considering that they were now all in the same boat, realized that Yuan Shu's original orders to them were no longer applicable. He decided to reward them with gold and silver and take the two of them along as bodyguards.

Ordinary soldiers, after such a turn of events, would have been bewildered and at a loss, but these two were Yuan Shu's loyal followers.

There were eighteen riders who came to Chang'an this time, escorting Liu Yao through the chaos of war, and now only two of them remain.

Besides their ostensible mission of bringing Liu Yao to justice, they secretly had another task. Now that the time was ripe, they couldn't help but recall Yuan Shu's earlier instructions. One of them stood up and said:

"Now that Li and Guo are fighting each other, Chang'an is desolate and the streets are deserted. Even if they flee to Luoyang, they will only be controlled by Zhang Ji!"
Zhang Ji was a traitor to Dong Zhuo, and a scoundrel of Li and Guo.

Moreover, Zhang Ji has taken the emperor and fled east. How could Li and Guo let him go so easily? A great war between the three is about to break out. The emperor is standing on a precarious wall, and the state is as fragile as a pile of eggs. This is why the Han Dynasty is collapsing.

Liu Gong is a member of the Han imperial family, a man of high moral character and esteemed reputation. How can we bear to see our ancestral legacy destroyed like this? It would be better to write a letter and have me deliver it to Yuan Gong.

Lord Yuan is a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty! Upon hearing this news, he will surely lead 300,000 elite troops northward to quell the rebellion, purge the court of corrupt officials, protect the state, restore the Han Dynasty, and return to the old capital.

If this is indeed the case, then the Han Dynasty will be restored! At that time, Lord Yuan will be the Grand General, protecting the emperor and defending him, and Lord Liu will also be able to obtain one of the Three Dukes' positions. Why not do it?

hiss~
Upon hearing this, Liu Yao gasped in shock!

"I never expected that a mere executioner like you would possess such insight?"

Looking at the soldiers before him, Liu Yao's eyes were deep and thoughtful.

He didn't believe that Yuan Shu was a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty. But if Yuan Shu were summoned, he would know that Yuan Shu was from a family that had held high office for four generations and knew the political rules of court struggles, unlike Li Jue, Guo Si, and Zhang Ji, who were crude and ignorant warriors who only knew how to kill indiscriminately.

From Dong Zhuo to Li and Guo, from Luoyang to Chang'an, the vast capital of the Han Dynasty was burned down twice by them!

It’s tolerable, it’s unbearable!

As for Yuan Shu becoming Grand General and controlling the government, as long as he marries into the imperial family and becomes a maternal relative, it will be in accordance with the rules. In any case, most emperors in history were controlled by Grand Generals in this way, and whether they could rule in their own right after they grew up depended on their own abilities.

If that's the case, then the chaos that began with General He Jin leading the Han Dynasty astray seems to be back on track.
The minor friction between Liu Yao and Yuan Shu earlier would be insignificant in the face of an alliance based on shared interests.

In contrast, when he saw the devastation in Chang'an and the chaos in the central court, Liu Yao never expected that he would now find Yuan Shu to be handsome and virtuous, truly possessing the qualities of a loyal and upright official of the Han Dynasty, in the presence of the real traitors Li Jue and Guo Si.

If all else fails, we can just call someone over to fight Li, Guo, and Zhang Ji. The situation has already deteriorated to this point; it can't get any worse than it is now, can it?
With this in mind, Liu Yao made up his mind, picked up his pen, and wrote:

[To be opened by Mr. Yuan himself; seeing this letter is like seeing him in person.]

He handed the letter to the soldier, instructing him to be careful on his way to Huainan. Liu Yao then went out to meet Yang Biao under the protection of another guard.

Led by Yang Biao and supported by Zhang Ji's troops along the way, the emperor, along with his civil and military officials, once again fled Chang'an overnight under Zhang Ji's coercion, heading east to Luoyang.

However, his good fortune was short-lived, as another shocking event unfolded right before his eyes.

General Zhang Ji, who had vowed to escort the emperor back to the east, became dissatisfied with the distribution of provisions and the struggle for control over the emperor. He also felt that the mission was too risky and the rewards too small, so he abandoned the mission.

Yes, Zhang Ji, who had just become General of the Cavalry, had only led them out of Chang'an for a short time when he abandoned the emperor and his officials and went to the wealthy Jingzhou to attack cities, seize territory, and plunder grain.

Liu Yao: "."

A dignified member of the Han imperial family, a renowned scholar of the Qingliu school, was so filled with hatred that he began to curse.

"Truly a bandit, a thief, a worthless scoundrel, not worth discussing matters with!"

However, while the emperor and his ministers were lamenting their predicament, Guo Si had already realized what was happening and led his cavalry in hot pursuit.

Just as the emperor and his officials were about to be captured again, Yang Feng, who had previously rebelled in Li Jue's army and was later driven away, seized the opportunity to come and protect the emperor, defeating Guo Si.

Liu Yao: ? ? ?
After retreating, Guo Si was still unwilling to give up. He gathered a large number of troops and attacked again, surrounding Yang Feng, the emperor, and the officials. Just when Liu Yao was in despair and knew that he would surely be captured by the enemy, General Dong Cheng led troops to his aid and once again drove Guo Si away.

Liu Yao: "."

The journey was full of twists and turns, with the emperor being fought over and fought between the two sides amidst the chaos of battle. Liu Yao, dressed in rags and staggering, looked up longingly at the distant Luoyang.

He sighed softly.

"Lord Yuan, why are you so late?"

While Liu Yao was suffering, in the distant Jiangdong, his beloved Lord Yuan had just defeated Wang Lang and recovered the counties of Kuaiji.

Seeing Wang Lang being escorted forward, he rushed forward and personally untied him.

"I have long admired the great name of the prince, and today I am fortunate to finally meet him."

　Thank you to "The Kite Runner" for the 5 monthly tickets, and to "Endless Sorrow" for the 4 monthly tickets. Thank you everyone for the monthly tickets you sent, and thank you for every bit of support you have given.

　　Thank you everyone.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)