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

Chapter 29: A Proclamation Sent Throughout the Land, Supporting the Han Dynasty

"Bright words!"

Seeing that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were working together in perfect harmony and that their great undertaking was about to succeed, Lu Xun waved his sleeve and interrupted them abruptly.

"Teacher, absolutely not!"

If you really let him flatter the emperor, once he succeeds, Sun Bofu's name will become famous throughout the world. What benefit will that bring you?
Moreover, it is said that releasing a tiger back to the mountain, or allowing a hidden dragon to ascend to heaven, is a mistake. Ce, harboring lofty ambitions, could easily enter Luoyang, but returning would be difficult. If he were to act as emperor in Luoyang, issuing royal decrees and commanding the entire land, would my teacher comply?

"Lu Boyan! What you're saying is utterly unreasonable!"

Zhou Yu looked up at him and rebuked him:
"Everyone in the world knows that Bo Fu is the adopted son of Yuan Gong. Now, on behalf of Yuan Gong, he enters Luoyang to welcome the emperor, turning the tide and restoring order to the Han dynasty, which was in darkness and has been restored to light."

This great feat of restoring order to the world and revitalizing the Han Dynasty is admired by all. People admire Yuan Gong's loyalty and righteousness, and the people are devoted to him. How can we say that it was not beneficial?

I know you have a long-standing grudge against Bo Fu because of the Lu family matter. Welcoming the Emperor is a matter of vital importance to the people and the nation's well-being. Are you now, before Lord Yuan, willing to let personal grudges interfere with official business?"

As he spoke, he bowed to Yuan Shu and said, "Bo Fu's filial piety is evident to Heaven and Earth!"

If Lord Yuan doesn't believe me, you can detain the entire Sun family in Shouchun as hostages.

Sun Ce also knew that the situation had reached a critical juncture; like fish entering the sea and birds soaring into the sky, this was the final battle!
He feigned a wronged expression, as if he had been misunderstood, and spoke earnestly.

"Boyan, with the mind of a petty person, makes unwarranted speculations and, if he wants to find fault, he will always find a pretext."

My adoptive father has treated me with kindness as heavy as a mountain. I wish I could repay his kindness with my own hands. Besides, the entire Sun family is in Shouchun. How could I leave and never return?
Godfather, do not doubt!

"What nonsense!"

Do I prioritize personal matters over public ones?
Am I being petty?
Lu Xun gritted his teeth and sneered coldly.

"Even if we do manage to bring the Emperor back to Shouchun, I'm afraid you will all become his subjects and no longer regard Lord Yuan."

To obey the emperor's orders and to disobey his commands, to feign loyalty and righteousness to disregard filial piety and brotherly love, to seek life in the face of death, and to find a way out of a desperate situation?

Zhou Gongjin was a man of great talent in his time, and his reputation was well-deserved!

My earlier statement that it was all theoretical talk was an underestimation of the heroes of the world.

"This is the talk of a child."

Zhou Yu stood there with a gentle smile, his demeanor as warm and refined as jade.

“From Lord Yuan to you and me, we are all loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. Do you think that Lord Yuan’s orders would go against the Emperor’s will after we welcome him back?”

Boyan, it would be best to say less of this, lest the world misunderstand Lord Yuan and harbor suspicions.

"you"

"enough."

The sound of Yuan Shu tapping his knuckles on the table was not loud, but it silenced the entire hall.

“Bo Fu, you are my beloved son; Boyan, you are my beloved disciple!”
I know you are all willing to share my burdens, but how can we allow arguments and quarrels at today's victory celebration?

His gaze kept sweeping over Lu Xun, Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu, and he could roughly guess what they were thinking.

Lu Xun appeared to be enraged, but in reality, every word he uttered was an attempt to entice him to assume the worst about Sun Ce. His words were like knives, concealing a murderous intent.

Zhou Yu was even more direct. He wasn't afraid of Lu Xun's warning, nor was he afraid that I could see through his scheme. As he had said before, the emperor had to be saved, and Sun Ce, as the adopted son, was the perfect candidate to represent the emperor.

Back when Luoyang was in chaos, the young emperor fled to Beiman Mountain with the Prince of Chenliu, and the traitor Dong Zhuo personally went to welcome them.

Would Yuan Shu dare to send a general to welcome the emperor?
Where is the sincerity in such actions?
Such blatant disrespect for the emperor would surely arouse suspicion among the emperor and his ministers that this "loyal and virtuous official of the Han Dynasty" harbored ulterior motives. Fearing they would once again become puppets, who would dare to easily accept such flattery?
It was because Zhou Yu had anticipated this that he dared to act in this way. If it were the original Yuan Shu, he would have underestimated Sun Ce, coveting the benefits of flattering the emperor as he claimed, while also worrying about the danger of the emperor falling into the hands of others.

Forced by this, I might actually be swayed by his words and gamble on Sun Ce's loyalty, the only loss being three thousand soldiers. Unfortunately, things are different now, Zhou Gongjin. Your biggest misjudgment was underestimating the depth of my current "affection" for Sun Ce.

No matter how much you scheme and plot, it will all be in vain.

Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, and Lu Xun each had their own thoughts, the ministers remained silent, Yan Xiang hesitated to speak, while Yang Hong kept his eyes down, seemingly playing with the bronze bell on his sleeve, his expression full of meaning.

Yuan Shu looked down at his ministers and smiled.

"Of course we must save the emperor!"
As a loyal and virtuous official of the Han Dynasty, now that he has received an imperial edict, how can he sit idly by and watch the emperor suffer without offering his services?

Not only do I want to rescue them, I want to go and rescue them myself!

"My lord, you can't do that!"

Everyone was shocked and uncertain upon hearing this, and even Lu and Zhou, who had just been at odds, wanted to speak up and offer advice.

But then the voice came from above, like a thunderclap, suddenly ringing in my ears.

"I have heard that Cao Cao of Yanzhou is deceitful and has always harbored rebellious intentions. Now that the Emperor is in exile in Luoyang, he will surely raise an army to go there and capture the Emperor."

They held the emperor hostage and used him to command the feudal lords, occupying Yan and Yu to isolate themselves from the outside world, preventing us, their loyal and capable ministers, from rescuing the emperor and saving the country!
Now, I have received an imperial edict to rest for three months before raising an army again, issuing a proclamation to the world, and forming an alliance to attack Cao!
"Eliminate the wicked and restore the old capital; the day is now to revive the Han dynasty."

He held the "Imperial Edict" in his hands and smiled as he addressed his ministers.

"Gentlemen, three months from now, follow my troops to Yingchuan and welcome the Emperor in Xuchang!"

For Yuan Shu, being in Huainan and wanting to go to Luoyang to welcome the emperor was certainly not as convenient as Cao Cao being so close.

But I can't accomplish anything, so ruining your plans is easy enough, right?

Cao Cao, didn't you want to welcome the emperor to Xuchang? I will burn your Xuchang estate to ashes and see how you will welcome the emperor then.

If one crab tries to escape from a bucket, the others will pull it tightly, preventing it from getting out, until all the crabs are trapped in the bucket.

If the feudal lords of the land were to be persuaded to welcome the emperor, they might have their own concerns and be unable to unite. However, if the feudal lords were to learn that Cao Cao intended to welcome the emperor, they would surely work together, maintain their alliance, and resolutely prevent him from succeeding.

In the chaotic late Han Dynasty, when everyone was vying for power, none of us had an emperor. So why should Cao Mengde have one?

I wonder if Cao Cao, when he leads his troops to Luoyang to defend the emperor, will be so happy when he hears this news on the way that he will laugh out loud and say that Yuan Gonglu is a fool and Yuan Benchu ​​is a dim-witted man.

"Teacher, what a brilliant idea!"

If the other warlords knew that Cao Cao intended to welcome the emperor, would they sit idly by?

Seeing that Yuan Shu had not fallen for Zhou Yu's trick, Lu Xun's expression brightened, but then he frowned again.

"But how does the teacher know that Cao Cao will welcome the emperor? If he makes no move at that time, how can the other lords believe him?"

"Cao Mengde is a ruthless and ambitious man, and he's located near Luoyang, which is something I should have considered."

Zhou Yu's face turned deathly pale as he muttered to himself. He stared into the shadows behind Yuan Shu, a look of horror in his eyes, as if a non-existent figure was standing there, smiling at him.

Recalling the conversation between the knight and Yuan Shu when he delivered the letter, it was clear that it was premeditated.

Zhou Yu also had some recollection of this knight; he was one of the people who escorted Liu Yao to Chang'an for questioning. In other words, the person behind Yuan Shu had foreseen the chaos in Chang'an as early as Qu'a.

At this moment, news of the chaos in Chang'an had just arrived. While he was still arguing with Lu Boyan about the plan to welcome the emperor, Lu Boyan had already set his sights on the warlords of the world and calculated that Cao Cao would welcome the emperor, thus breaking the deadlock for Yuan Shu, who was far away in Huainan and could not reach him.

Emperor Gaozu said: "Planning strategies within the tent, winning battles a thousand miles away!"
This person must be Zhang Liang, son of Yuan Gonglu.

Such a strategist is a pearl hidden in the dust. I regret that I cannot work with him as Bo Fu. How could we not achieve great things?

　Thank you so much to "Tianyu Longying" for the eight monthly tickets, and thank you everyone for your support with your monthly tickets! I'll keep working hard!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)