Thief Emperor

Chapter 764 Coercion
In the capital, at Cui's house.

Cui Shao sat in front of old Master Cui Yuan, lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then looked up at Master Cui who was flipping through an ancient book, and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

After a long while, he tried to speak again, but still couldn't say it.

Mr. Cui put down the book in his hand, looked at him, and then said calmly: "What? Are you two addicted to the trick of persuading me to marry you? I asked you to persuade me to marry you, so why not?"

Cui Shao did not answer the question directly, but just sighed and said: "Uncle, do you think...the Shuofang Army can seize Guanzhong?"

The fact that he asked this question showed that Cui Shao no longer had any hope that the Shuofang Army would be able to unify the world in the future.

Cui Yuan couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "The children of our Cui family who are able to make a name for themselves must have read the classics and history books since childhood."

“You’ve read history books, too.”

He looked at Cui Shao and said calmly, "Since ancient times, there have been those who have ruled one side, some in Lingnan, some in the southeast, and the most common ones are those who have ruled Bashu."

"This place in Guanzhong..."

Cui Yuan thought for a moment, then said slowly, "Unless Wei Quanzhong can penetrate Bashu, it will never last long."

Cui Shao fell silent again.

Indeed, although the 800-li Qinchuan area in Guanzhong is not small and has been the capital for hundreds of years, the population of Guanzhong is not small. However, if the area wants to survive relying solely on this 800-li Qinchuan area, it can only expand, not shrink.

If we can connect Bashu and incorporate the Land of Abundance into our territory, then maybe we can really maintain it. If our descendants have some ability, maybe we can really maintain it for two or three generations.

But now Shu is occupied by the Zhou Dynasty court. Emperor Wu Yuancheng has already arrived in Chengdu Prefecture and plans to settle down there.

In this situation, even if the Shuofang Army launched an all-out attack and took over Shuzhong in a few years, they would probably be defeated by that time.

What’s more, Li Yun, who was eyeing the situation with great vigor, could not just sit there and watch Wei Quanzhong attack Bashu without doing anything.

Under such circumstances, the chance of the Shuofang Army taking over Bashu is very small.

Upon hearing this, Cui Shao sighed and said nothing more.

Cui Xianggong looked at him, lowered his head and drank tea, saying: "Didn't your son go to Qinghe a long time ago? Maybe Qinghe has already contacted Li Yun now. You can stay in Guanzhong and play house with Wei Quanzhong and his son. Why are you sighing?"

"Uncle, nephew is not sighing for the Shuofang Army."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Cui Yuan, saying, "As you said, we, the descendants of the Cui family, have been educated since childhood and have been able to make a name for ourselves. We have all suffered a lot when we were young. You may not know that my nephew is a bit dull."

“So I suffered more.”

He looked at Cui Yuan and said silently: "At the beginning, I finally stood out from my peers and was arranged by my family to serve as an official in the court. I was determined to build a career and be recorded in the ancestral temple like my uncle in the future and become a prime minister."

“I didn’t expect that I would reach middle age.”

Cui Shao said silently: "Nothing has been accomplished."

"With the current situation in Guanzhong, it will be difficult for my nephew to have a chance to make a name for himself in the future, General Wei, General Wei..."

He shouted twice but still didn't say what he wanted to say. He just bowed deeply to Cui Yuan and said, "Uncle, I know you will never give in, so I won't persuade you any more. I just hope that I can come and sit with you every now and then, firstly to chat with you, secondly..."

"It's okay to do that. Just think of me as your nephew. I've already advised you."

Mr. Cui raised his head and looked at his nephew. After thinking for a while, he nodded slowly: "My nephew is also my son. If you want to come, come. Your uncle will not stop you."

Cui Shao burst into tears when he heard this. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and bowed deeply to Cui Yuan: "Uncle, please go to bed early. I won't disturb you any more. Don't worry, as long as I am alive, no one in the capital will touch you."

"I am an old man, and I don't care about my life."

Mr. Cui smiled calmly: "The reason I haven't died yet is that I want to live one more day so that I can see the changes in the world one more day. One day my son will need my life."

He looked at Cui Shao.

"Talk anytime."

Cui Shao knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face: "Uncle, please take care of yourself. Without you, I don't know if I can hold on any longer."

After saying this, he wiped away his tears, stood up, and retreated respectfully. When he reached the gate of Cui's house, his tears were still wet. An official who also defected to General Wei came closer and looked into his red eyes, a little curious: "Mr. Cui, is the old man still unwilling?"

"No, no."

Cui Shao wiped his tears with his sleeves, but his emotions had returned to calm. He sighed and said, "It's no use crying and making a fuss. The old man is devoted to being loyal to the Great Zhou." Upon hearing this, the official also sighed and said, "Who didn't have the same idea? But your Majesty... But when he left, he didn't even say hello. It's so chilling."

"As for the old husband."

The official said in a fake tone: "Mr. Cui, please take the trouble. If the old minister is willing to nod his head, those stubborn people will probably turn their hearts to the new dynasty."

Cui Shao was about to reply when a soldier came running over and bowed his head to Cui Shao and said, "Master Cui, the king asks you to come into the palace. He has something important to discuss with you."

Cui Shao was stunned for a moment, then responded with "I see", then bowed to his colleagues, packed his clothes, and walked into the palace. In the Chongde Hall, he saw General Wei who was already sleeping on the emperor's couch.

Cui Shao immediately stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Hearing Cui Shao's voice, Wei Quanzhong immediately became more energetic. He waved at Cui Shao and said with a smile: "Ji Zong, come quickly, come quickly."

General Wei thinks highly of Cui Shao.

Because Cui Shao is the legitimate son of the Qinghe Cui family, and is the person with the highest origin among his subordinates who have surrendered to him, without a doubt.

Having such a person around is like a living signboard that can attract more people to come and join you.

Cui Shao hurried forward and was about to speak when he heard General Wei say, "This is the document that was just delivered to Guanzhong. Ji Zong, take a look."

Cui Shao nodded, took the document with both hands, unfolded it, and saw the title in large characters that caught his eye.

"The King of Wu issued an edict to punish the Khitan bandits."

When Cui Shao saw the title, he was stunned. He immediately looked down and saw an article with simple wording and easy-to-understand content.

Simply put, it is to call on people all over the world to fight against the Khitan bandits and defend the Han Dynasty.

The last sentence goes straight to the heart.

Look at Hebei today, who controls the world?
After reading it, Cui Shao frowned. He looked up at Wei Quanzhong and said, "My lord, where did you get this?"

"In all the states outside the Great Wall, people were spreading the message. The speed of its publication was incredible. In just a few days, the message was everywhere in all the states and counties in the Central Plains."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shao put down the document in his hand and said with emotion: "General, this shows that the Nine Departments of Jiangdong are now extremely powerful. They can spread this manifesto in a very short time, and at the same time, they can pass on news from all over the country to Li Yun's desk."

"Moreover... the intention of this manifesto is somewhat malicious."

Cui Shao whispered, "Right now, in Jiangnan and Jiangbei, the only one who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the king is Li Yun. If Hebei Road becomes chaotic, it will undoubtedly disrupt Li Yun's plans and make him worry about his back."

"Under such circumstances, it is reasonable for him to call on the princes of the world to fight against the Khitan, but the viciousness of this manifesto lies in..."

Cui Shao looked at Wei Quanzhong and whispered, "It should have been sent to the princes of the world, but now it has been advertised to the people by Li Yun. This is to use the people's hearts and minds to coerce the king and the princes of the world."

"Even if the princes of the world do not send troops to resist the Khitan, with this manifesto, no one would dare to risk the world's disapproval and stab the Jiangdong Army in the back when it is fighting the Khitan."

Upon hearing this, Wei Quanzhong narrowed his eyes, his eyes flickering.

Obviously, with his personality, he would not care about the people's support. As long as the Jiangdong Army was fighting with the Khitans, he would steal the Jiangdong Army's ass without hesitation.

Cui Shao thought about it seriously, then looked at Wei Quanzhong and said, "General, the Jiangdong Army has come up with something like this. I'm afraid they will have to send troops north to resist the Khitans soon."

"When that time comes..."

General Wei smiled and said, "When that time comes, I will lead my troops eastward and retake the Central Plains!"

Cui Shao shook his head slightly and said, "General, once the Jiangdong Army sends people north to fight against the Khitan, it would be best for you to also send some troops to fight against the Khitan."

"Even if it's only 3,000 to 5,000 people, we have to send them there just to make it look like a show."

General Wei frowned when he heard this. He looked Cui Shao up and down and asked, "Ji Zong?"

Cui Shao felt a chill down his spine when he saw his gaze. He quickly shrank his head slightly and whispered, "Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll lose the support of the people."

“The human heart…”

Wei Quanzhong sneered, snorted a few times, waved his hand and said: "I know about this matter, I..."

"I will make my own decision."

(End of this chapter)