Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 819 Who is King and Who is Emperor
Li Ji didn't know whether Liu Bei really didn't know or was pretending to be ignorant.

But for Li Ji, some words were not appropriate to say directly from his mouth. After a little thought, he winked at Xu Shu who was standing on the side.

Seeing this, Xu Shu was stunned and did not react for a long time.

Just when Li Ji thought that Xu Shu didn't understand what he meant and was about to bite the bullet and guide him again, Xu Shu stepped forward and spoke.

"My lord, you are right. Lü Bu is a traitor who killed the emperor. How can the new emperor established by him be recognized by the world? Therefore, only a highly respected relative of the Han Dynasty can ascend the throne to win the support of the people."

Liu Bei was also startled. He was stunned for several breaths, his expression changed slightly, then he nodded and said.

"What Yuan Zhi said... is reasonable. In this case, I will write a letter and send it to Liu Bo'an in Youzhou. Liu Bo'an is well-known for his virtues and has served as the governor of Zongzheng Prefecture. He is both virtuous and talented, so he should be the one to ascend the throne."

"inappropriate!"

Li Ji tried to dissuade him.

"Liu Bo'an is a top choice for his talent and virtue, but he is old and weak, and lacks energy. He often writes letters to resign from the post of governor, and I'm afraid he is unwilling to take on this important responsibility."

Liu Bei thought about it for a while and then asked again, "If that's the case, how about inviting Liu Jiyu of Yizhou to be the emperor? Jiyu is a descendant of Emperor Jing of Han and King Gong of Lu. He has a good family background and is gentle, kind, respectful and frugal."

Li Ji shook his head again and said.

"That is also inappropriate. Liu Jiyu is indeed kind-hearted, but he and his brothers are fighting for Yizhou, and they are still attacking each other."

"If we honor Liu Jiyu as the emperor, I'm afraid it will attract criticism."

"Then... How about Langya King Liu Rong?"

"It's still not right..."

"Zikun, what do you think of my nephew Liu Qi?"

"Weak and sickly, cowardly and inflexible..."

Liu Bei listed more than ten relatives of the Han royal family who were famous in the Han Dynasty, but was refuted one by one by Li Ji.

"This is not possible, and that is not possible. Are we just going to allow Han traitors like Cao Cao and Lu Bu to run rampant while the throne of the Emperor remains vacant?" Liu Bei asked in pretended anger.

In response to this, Li Ji remained silent, bowed his hands and seemed to be extremely ashamed.

Xu Shu took the opportunity to speak up. "My lord, you listed all the relatives in the world, why did you miss one person?"

"Who?" Liu Bei asked.

Xu Shu gestured with a cupped hand. "He is the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing, and the uncle of the late emperor, Liu Xuande."

Liu Bei looked slightly startled and spoke in a pretended angry tone.

"Yuan Zhi, please stop talking nonsense. I only want to support the Han Dynasty and revive the Han Dynasty. I am not a traitor who is plotting to take the throne. How can I be called an emperor?"

After saying this, Liu Bei turned away, not giving anyone a chance to speak.

This made Xu Shu look a little more panicked. He thought that he had really angered Liu Bei. He turned to look at Li Ji, only to find that a hint of joy appeared on Li Ji's face.

Sometimes not being firm in your opposition means you are firmly not opposing.

Liu Bei fully cooperated and listed all the famous Han royal relatives in the world again. He undoubtedly understood Li Ji's intention and expressed his position to Li Ji secretly.

This made Li Ji feel a little happy.

If it were Liu Bei, who had not been completely aroused by Li Ji to become emperor, he would probably have really intended to recommend someone else to be emperor.

But now, facing the actions of Lu and Cao, Liu Bei has also had the idea of ​​taking on the responsibility. "Yuanzhi, Jichang, we will withdraw first and let the lord be quiet."

Li Ji said this and led Xu Shu and others away temporarily.

Afterwards, just as Cao Cao's attempt to become king became more and more intense within the Han Dynasty.

Under Li Ji's arrangement, Liu Bei sent letters to many relatives of the Han Dynasty, denouncing the actions of Cao Cao and Lu Bu, stating that the Han Dynasty would be overthrown at any moment, and inviting all relatives to work together to defeat the thieves Lu and Cao.

At the same time, with the joint efforts of the Jinyisi and the Mi Chamber of Commerce.

Among the people, various opinions began to spread rapidly: the throne of the Son of Heaven was vacant and the Han Dynasty was in name only, and a Han royal relative with both moral integrity and talent should be selected as soon as possible to inherit the throne in order to quell the chaos and restore the Han Dynasty.

As the turbulent winter came to an end, Cao Cao, despite numerous criticisms, still insisted on choosing an auspicious day after the beginning of spring to officially become king.

King Wei!

Moreover, the king whom Cao Cao conquered was not a king of a different surname from the Han Dynasty. Instead, he restored the name of the Wei State during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, dividing the land to establish a new country.

Almost at the same time that Cao Cao insisted on being king, Liu Bei continued to station troops on the Qingxu border and took an offensive posture, expressing his opposition to Cao Cao's move.

But before the world thought that the Qingxu war would break out again, Lu Bu seemed to have suddenly realized something, and also announced to the public that he was ready to ascend to the throne and admitted to the regicide.

Lu Bu even glorified this and could not bear to see the chaos caused by the emperor's stupidity and incompetence, so he imitated the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period and stabbed him.

This poor excuse caused countless people, including Liu Bei, to criticize Lu Bu even more.

However, Cao Cao and Lu Bu's successive declarations of kingship undoubtedly made the people of the world suddenly realize that the Han Dynasty was only in name only.

Countless Han royal family members who were still loyal to the Han Dynasty were forced into a panic and realized that the rumors circulating among the people had to be taken seriously.

If the throne of the Han emperor continues to be vacant and no one holds high the banner of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty will essentially perish.

For a time, it might be the reputation for benevolence that Liu Bei had accumulated over the years, or it might be the will of the people, or it might be Li Ji's constant secret guidance.

Countless documents of persuasion, led by Liu Yu, rushed to Shouchun like snowflakes, asking Liu Bei to succeed the throne in Shouchun in order to stabilize the hearts of the people.

Among them, there were many relatives of the Han Dynasty living in the four states of Yu, Xu, Jing and Yang, such as King Liu Rong of Langya, who personally went to Shouchun, intending to recommend Liu Bei to ascend the throne as emperor.

Looking at the Han royal family of the time, there were not many choices qualified to inherit the throne.

Just as Li Ji had said before, Liu Yu had both reputation and virtue, but he was old after all; Liu Zhang had already largely taken control of Yizhou, but he was left with a bad reputation as a feuding brother.

Only Liu Bei is undoubtedly the best choice.

However, faced with the recommendations of countless Han royal family members and surging public opinion, Liu Bei still insisted that he lacked virtue, and even turned away a large number of Han royal family members who came to invite him in.

For a while, Liu Bei not only made a resolute refusal, but also repeatedly sent reinforcements to Yuzhou, threatening Lu Bu in an attempt to prevent Lu Bu from becoming king.

And in the midst of all this turmoil, Lu Bu insisted on becoming king in June.

Liu Yu, who traveled all the way from Youzhou to Shouchun in person, finally knocked on the door of Liu Bei's mansion and solemnly recommended Liu Bei to ascend the throne as emperor with the Han royal family members gathered in Shouchun.

But even so, Liu Bei continued to refuse, which made many Han royal family members look gloomy, and Liu Yu even spoke with tears in his eyes.

"A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. It has been a year since Lu Bu murdered the ruler in the street. The Han Dynasty is about to collapse."

"If Xuande continues to refuse, who else can take on this important task? Could it be that Xuande really bears to see that Han thief establish himself and the Han Dynasty decline?"

(End of this chapter)