The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

"General Gongsun, don't panic, don't panic." Liu Xie said to Gongsun Zan, "They are all ignorant ministers. In fact, I think General Gongsun's suggestion is very good. Besides, General Chen has made outstanding contributions. When Father Emperor was alive, he wronged General Chen a few times. This time, by bestowing the title of king, I can make up for Father Emperor's mistakes."

A single memorial to the throne stirred the entire realm.

Both parties were willing and deeply in love.

Former rulers and ministers are now kings.

……

A nursery rhyme spread throughout the country, but even faster came Liu Xie's edict to the world, appointing General of Chariots and Cavalry Chen Er as King of Wei. In an instant, the world trembled. No one expected that the young emperor would pull such a stunt. More importantly, Chen Er actually accepted it and at the same time declared to the world that anyone who dared not respect the emperor was his enemy. He also openly sent 30,000 matchlock guns and 50 powerful cannons to Chang'an!

It is said that Yuan Shu was furious when he learned that Chen Er had been enfeoffed as a king. He almost overturned the entire governor's mansion and locked himself in his room for a day and a night before emerging. No one knows what Yuan Shu was thinking that day, but everyone knows that he was provoked because the Yuzhou army's attack on Yangzhou became even more frenzied, supposedly because Yuan Shu had given some kind of order.

At this time, Chen Er received an imperial edict and was granted the title of King of Wei.

Chen Er was quite respectful to Liu Xie. In fact, everyone present could see that Chen Er was just putting on an act, otherwise why would he still be sitting there without moving?

Seeing Chen Er's expression, Wang Chen didn't dare to say anything. This was a tough job in itself, and if he hadn't been chosen by the lottery, he would never have gotten involved in this mess.

"Your Highness, I take my leave." After delivering the imperial decree, Wang Chen quickly prepared to flee; he didn't want to stay in this place for even a moment longer.

"Hey, angel, don't panic. Since you've come to my Yuyang, you should at least have a meal with us," Chen Er said to the angel. Wang Chen thought to himself, "Oh well, there's no way to avoid trouble. I can only leave it to fate."

"Then I shall respectfully comply." As an angel, Wang Chen had the basic courage. Besides, although these regional officials and lords might look down on them, they still had to do the most basic pretense. After all, Liu Xie was still the supreme ruler of the entire empire in name only.

Those hypocritical feudal lords naturally had to do a good job of putting on a good show, since it wouldn't cost them anything, and it could even attract some talent. As for Chen Er, he had a similar attitude. Of course, Chen Er also had a sense of gratitude towards Liu Hong. Although this gratitude had become increasingly weak over time, it must be said that Chen Er was still grateful to Liu Hong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have reported Liu Bian back then.

That evening, a grand celebration was held in Yuyang to commemorate Chen Er's investiture as King of Wei. From that moment on, the entire northern autonomous region was nominally under the rule of King Wei. As for why he was made King of Wei instead of King of Yan, which was Chen Er's original title, this was naturally due to the negotiations between Chen Er and Gongsun Zan. It was Chen Er who requested to be made King of Wei because, in his view, although this world was very different from his previous life, he still had a great attachment to it. In addition, some intelligence from the past two years had made Chen Er feel a sense of unease deep down. Therefore, he chose to ask Gongsun Zan to recognize him as King of Wei.

In return, after being enfeoffed as King of Wei, Chen Er appointed Gongsun Zan as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Governor of Liang Province. This was a well-considered decision by Gongsun Zan. Of the four directions surrounding Chang'an—east, west, south, and north—only Liang Province was suitable for Gongsun Zan's current development. The enemies in the other directions were simply too powerful, so powerful that Gongsun Zan dared not confront them. Especially Bing Province, which had already declared its allegiance to Chen Er's northern autonomous region and become Chen Er's territory. Did Gongsun Zan dare to attack Bing Province? Obviously, it's impossible. Although Yuan Shao of Yanzhou isn't particularly powerful, he still has considerable resources. Moreover, to attack Yanzhou, one would first have to capture Luoyang and Hulao Pass, which would be a losing proposition. As for Jingzhou, Liu Biao is also quite strong, and besides, he's a member of the imperial family and supports the court, so he can't be touched. Yizhou is an option, but the Shu roads are notoriously difficult, and it would be hard to make any breakthroughs in the short term. So, the only remaining target is the fragmented Liangzhou.

Therefore, in the deal between Gongsun Zan and Chen Er, Chen Er's purpose in recommending Gongsun Zan as the governor of Liang Province was very clear: it was a matter of ulterior motives, though the people of this world did not yet know who those ulterior motives were. However, everyone knew this, and everyone could understand that from the moment Gongsun Zan became the governor of Liang Province, the situation in the northwest of the empire would become even more complex.

However, all of this pales in comparison to Chen Er's investiture as a king. Since the founding of the empire by Emperor Gaozu, there had never been a precedent of a non-royal being granted a kingship. Emperor Xie's reign was truly unprecedented. One wonders what the ancestors of the Liu imperial family would think. Moreover, Chen Er's investiture was a huge shock to Liu Biao, Liu Yu, and other members of the imperial clan. In the past, no matter how powerful or capable Chen Er was, they still had reason to be proud, after all, they were members of the imperial clan. Now, Chen Er was enfeoffed as the King of Wei—a true king, not like them, who were merely relatives. The king-like figure, more importantly, Liu Xie, this incompetent ruler, granted Chen Er an excessively large territory, ruling over the entire north. Not to mention Youzhou and Jizhou, which were already under Chen Er's control, it wasn't too surprising that Huangpu Song, the highest-ranking official in Bingzhou and a former ally of Chen Er, would side with him after Lu Zhi's death. However, Liu Xie's decision to directly incorporate Qingzhou into the northern autonomous region caused widespread discontent. Even more importantly, Chen Er was immediately granted the title of King of Wei, the highest rank among kings. This was simply unacceptable, and it's understandable that Liu Biao and others were dissatisfied.

But what could they do besides express their dissatisfaction? Could they possibly start a war against Chen Er? Not only would they be unable to win, but fighting Chen Er at this time would also be illegitimate, since Chen Er was a prince personally appointed by the current emperor. To attack Chen Er now would be tantamount to admitting their dissatisfaction with the emperor's decree. Such a thing was unacceptable.

Helpless, Liu Biao and his men had no choice but to swallow their anger. However, Emperor Xie was a shrewd ruler. In mid-November, he issued an imperial edict, bestowing the titles of Prince of Nanyang and Prince of Chengdu upon two members of the Liu clan. Although these titles were lower than those of Chen Er, a Prince of Wei, they still represented the Liu clan's recognition of their own people.