The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 127 Big Ear Brother, calm down! This will break the military advisor's painstaking efforts.
However, a group of civil and military officials in the court planned to issue an edict to Yan and Xu states at the same time, ordering Cao Cao and Liu Bei to come to the king for support.

However, the king was still in Hedong at this time. After the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si agreed to the emperor's return to the east, they immediately changed their minds and sent troops to pursue him.

The emperor did not dare to stay in Hedong for too long. After two days of rest, he set out again for Luoyang.

The area adjacent to Hedong was Yuan Shao's sphere of influence.

Someone had already reported the news that the emperor was traveling to Hedong in a carriage back to Yecheng.

The ministers, led by Ju Su, the attendant, and Tian Feng, the deputy governor, were extremely anxious and wrote letters to Yuan Shao to give him advice.

"Mingsong, today the emperor is in trouble and is fortunate to be in Hedong. Hebei cannot sit idly by."

"I beg you to mobilize the troops in Hebei and go to Hedong to protect the emperor and the royal family!"

Tian Feng made an impassioned speech and urged Yuan Shao to welcome the emperor.

But Yuan Shao has always been on the side of Emperor Shao Liu Bian. In order to oppose Dong Zhuo, the Yuan family vowed not to recognize Liu Xie, who was supported by Dong Zhuo to ascend to the throne.

So much so that Yuan Shao went so far as to slander Liu Xie, saying that he was not the son of the previous emperor.

It can be said that the relationship between Yuan Shao and Liu Xie was very awkward.

If he went to welcome and enthrone the emperor at this time, it would be tantamount to slapping himself in the face.

"My army is currently busy with the battle in Yijing, so it is difficult for us to spare the time to go to Hedong to defend the king."

Yuan Shao waved his hand and rejected Tian Feng's request on the grounds that he was busy with the war against Gongsun Zan.

"Mingsir, please listen to me."

Ju Su stood up and made an impassioned speech:

"Your Excellency entered the court as an official at a young age and became famous throughout the country."

"When the throne was being abolished, he was loyal and righteous, and pointed out Dong Zhuo's mistakes to his face."

"Then he fled alone, crossed the Yellow River and headed north, where he bowed to Bohai."

"He commanded the princes of the world to fight against Dong, and his power shook Hebei and his name was known throughout the world."

"Even though the Yellow Turbans are rampant and the Black Mountain is rampant, they are still unable to stop you, my Lord."

"Now that everyone is heading north, Gongsun and his ilk will surely perish sooner or later."

"If you threaten the Rong and Di people, the Xiongnu will also obey you."

"Your Excellency has crossed the north of the Yellow River and united the lands of four states."

"We have gathered heroes and millions of people. It is time to welcome the emperor to Xijing and restore the ancestral temple in Luoyi!"

"Then we can support the emperor and command the whole world to fight against the rebellion."

"Who can defeat it with this kind of fighting style?"

"I hope you will look into this carefully!"

After saying this, Ju Su bowed his head.

However, Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong of the Ruying faction stood up and expressed their objections.

"The Han Dynasty has been in decline for a long time."

"Isn't it difficult to revive it now?"

"Moreover, heroes are rising up all over the world today, each of them crossing states and counties, and gathering people in the tens of thousands."

"When Qin loses the deer, whoever gets it first will become king."

"If we welcome the emperor to be by our side, wouldn't it hinder us if we always report to him?"

"If you don't obey, you're disobeying orders and you'll lose the support of the people."

In fact, most people in Yuan Shao’s camp were royalists.

People like Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong, who were from Yingchuan, were opposed to welcoming the emperor.

Why?

Because Yuan Shao was different from Cao Cao, Yuan Shao's relatives had all been killed by Dong Zhuo before, and the rest were all with Yuan Shu.

This means that Yuan Shao had no clan members to help him control the military power.

Cao Cao had a large number of royal family members, and most of them were very capable, so he could safely hand over the military power to them.

But Yuan Shao had no royal family members to give military power to, so he could only balance the power of the Hebei faction and the Henan faction.

Once the emperor is welcomed, the royalists in Hebei will unite with the emperor, and Yuan Shao's power will most likely be undermined.

Because most of the troops under Yuan Shao were from noble families.

This is also why royalists like Xun Yu and Mao Jie could not cause any trouble in Cao's camp.

Because they were severely suppressed by the Cao clan, Cao Cao could welcome the emperor without any scruples.

"Mr. Guo is wrong."

Tian Feng, the deputy driver, stood up and objected:

"Today the world is in chaos, and the Lord is in disgrace."

"Mr. Yuan's ancestors have been loyal and righteous for generations. If we can welcome the emperor."

“It’s both morally right and timely.”

"Now that the state capital is roughly settled, it is time to welcome the king and set up the palace in Yedu."

"When that time comes, the emperor will command the disobedient and raise soldiers and horses to punish the disobedient. Who can resist it?"

"Please make a decision quickly. If you hesitate, someone else will beat you to it."

Hearing this, Yuan Shao was slightly moved.

Why is it said that Yuan Shao is good at making plans but lacks decision-making?

In fact, this can be seen from the incident of welcoming the emperor.

As a member of the Young Emperor Liu Bian's faction, Yuan Shao had to either remain steadfast in his opposition to Liu Xie or put aside past grudges and welcome the emperor.

But Yuan Shao chose to have them all.

At the beginning, Yuan Shao was determined to oppose Liu Xie and wanted to make Liu Yu the emperor.

Later, Ju Su and others told Yuan Shao the benefits of welcoming the emperor, and Yuan Shao was tempted again.

After becoming the governor of Jizhou, Yuan Shao was worried that he would be sidelined by the scholars in Hebei, so he again refused to welcome the emperor.

As a result, after Cao Cao seized the throne from Yuan Shao, he regretted his decision and wanted Cao Cao to move the emperor to Juancheng, which was closer to him.

This went on for a long time but no definite solution was forthcoming.

It is no wonder that people commented that Yuan Shao was willing to sacrifice himself for great things and forget about his life for small gains. This comment is absolutely correct.

"Forget it, gentlemen, there is no need to quarrel anymore!"

Yuan Shao spoke to stop the quarrel, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Since the emperor is in Hedong, you can send people to offer rice and meat first."

"As for protecting the royal family and stabilizing the palace in Ye City, let's wait and see."

"Ming Gong!"

Ju Shou, Tian Feng and others wanted to make further remonstrations.

However, Yuan Shao waved his hand to stop him, indicating that everyone did not need to discuss the matter any further.

Ju Su and others had no choice but to give up.

at the same time,

After Cao Cao withdrew his troops from the State of Chen, he directed his forces towards Yingchuan and pacified it in a short time.

And moved the seat of government to Xu County.

The Yingchuan gentry, represented by Xun Yu, strongly recommended Zao Zhi as the captain of the military farm, hoping that Cao Cao would quickly develop the military farm and catch up with Liu Bei in Xuzhou.

Cao Cao readily agreed and entrusted the specific implementation plan of the military farming system to Xun Yu, Zao Zhi and Han Hao.

Since Yingchuan also suffered from war, there were a large number of unowned wastelands.

At the same time, Cao Cao suppressed the Yellow Turban Army in Yingchuan.

Obtained a large number of laborers, oxen and farm tools.

Cao Cao set up agricultural officials in every state and county and ordered them to store grain in preparation for future wars.

With the implementation of the Yingchuan military farming system, Caoying gradually recovered from the civil strife in Yanzhou and the situation improved.

this day,
Cao Cao was reading "The Art of War" in his mansion and making annotations on it with a pen.

Suddenly a servant came to report that an imperial envoy had arrived.

Cao Cao hurriedly stopped writing, put down the book, and met the imperial envoy.

After asking about the purpose of the visit, I learned that the emperor was in Hedong and would arrive in Luoyi soon.

Since the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si were chasing the emperor, the court wanted to ask Cao Cao to go over to the emperor's aid.

Faced with such a major event, Cao Cao did not dare to be careless and quickly summoned civil and military officials such as Xun Yu to discuss the matter.

In contrast to Yuan's camp, the royalists were in the minority in Cao's camp.

Only Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and Mao Jie firmly supported the welcoming of the emperor.

Their political programs are all based on the consideration of the gentry.

Xun Yu opened his mouth and said:
"In the past, Duke Wen of Jin accepted King Xiang of Zhou, and the princes obeyed."

"Emperor Gaozu held a funeral for Emperor Yi, and the people of the country came to their senses."

"Today, the emperor is in disgrace, the imperial court is in disarray, and the ancestral temple is in ruins."

"It is the time for you to initiate the war of righteousness, and to obey the emperor and follow the will of the people. This is a rare strategy."

"If I don't plan ahead, someone else will do it before me."

Cao Cao nodded. He was indeed more inclined to welcome the emperor.

However, there were too many opponents in Cao's camp, so Xun Yu, the head of the civil service, was allowed to speak first.

Then he asked Cheng Yu:
"Zhongde, what do you think of this matter?"

Cao Cao cunningly picked two royalists to question. He knew that as long as these two people stood up, he would cast an overwhelming vote.

No one dared to raise any objections anymore.

Sure enough, Cheng Yu replied calmly:
"What Sima Xun said is timely. Welcoming the emperor is in line with the will of heaven and the will of the people."

"Besides, the emperor's carriage is still in Hedong, and we are not the only family in Yanzhou that can welcome the emperor."

"If Yuan Shao of Hebei goes west from Henei, he will be much faster than us in Hedong."

"If Yuan Shao were to welcome the emperor, Hebei would be unstoppable and the Yuan family would be out of control."

Cao Cao's hand trembled and he accidentally tore off two hairs of his beard. But he did not bother to cry out in pain, but said:
"What Wenruo and Zhongde said is exactly what I want to say!"

"Just now an angel came with an imperial edict to summon me. I must accept it."

"Pass on my order! Order Xiahou Dun to lead 3,000 soldiers as the vanguard and head to Luoyang to repair the city walls."

"I will lead the army to cover the rear and will be there soon!"

Cao Cao ignored all objections and made the arbitrarily decision to accept the emperor's edict and go to Luoyang to protect the king.

The reason why Cao Cao dared to ignore the drawbacks of welcoming the emperor was because he had royal family generals in power who could check and balance the royalist faction headed by Xun Yu.

At the same time, compared to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao needed the emperor too much.

Yuan Shao had three high officials in his four generations, and his students and former officials were all over the world, so he had no shortage of people willing to join him.

Especially after he took over Hebei, he had become a first-class prince. He felt that the emergence of more emperors would hinder him.

Cao Cao was different. No matter how powerful the eunuch group was in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao was always labeled as a descendant of a eunuch wherever he went.

Therefore, Cao Cao had no choice but to welcome the emperor, under the banner of supporting the Han Dynasty and posing as a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

Then he used the 400-year-old reputation of the Han Dynasty to attract talents from all over the world.

In Cao Cao's own words:
——"Now is the time to recruit heroes."

……

……

Just when both the Yuan and Cao families were busy preparing for the emperor's upcoming visit to Luoyang.

Xuzhou also received the news.

"What! The emperor has returned to the east and arrived in Hedong!"

When Liu Bei received this news, he could no longer sit still.

The imperial envoy cried:

"When the emperor was in Chang'an, he was humiliated every day by the two thieves, Kuai and Si."

"Your Majesty only wanted to distribute silk fabrics from the Imperial Household to the palace ladies, but the traitor Li Jue did not allow it."

"Moreover, these two thieves often led their troops into the palace and looted the palace ladies and imperial belongings."

"Afterwards, they would set fire to the palace, government offices, and houses."

"From the court officials to the villagers, everyone hated these two thieves to the core."

After hearing about the fate of the emperor and all the officials and people, Liu Bei was deeply distressed and could not help shedding tears:
"Li Jue and Guo Si are two thieves who are so arrogant and disrespectful. I swear to kill them!"

The angel wept and bowed again:

"Now that the emperor is in trouble in Hedong, he will return to Luoyi soon."

"However, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si pursued us relentlessly and sent troops to hijack the emperor and bring him back."

"Your Majesty is afraid that the country will be destroyed, so he sent me to ask General Liu for help."

"I beg you, General, to send troops to rescue the Emperor from this dire situation for the sake of the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Bei wiped his tears and ordered his men to invite the angel into the inn and treat him with good wine and meat.

He then summoned Li Yi, Guan Yu and other civil and military ministers to discuss the matter.

"Li Jue and Guo Si are two traitors who have committed treason. I have heard that the emperor is suffering in Hedong, and I am truly in agony."

"That is why I want to send troops to protect the king and rescue the emperor."

"Do you have any objections?"

Liu Bei's tone was urgent, and he hardly allowed anyone to discuss the matter.

Indeed, Liu Bei had the ambition to be an emperor since he was young.

However, Liu Bei at this time did not think so far ahead, especially he did not dare to hope for the divine weapon.

"Don't be impatient, my lord."

Someone spoke up to calm Liu Bei down.

Everyone looked at him and found that he was Xun You.

After Xun You arrived in Xuzhou, he sighed that Xuzhou was a place of outstanding people and talented people, and that great things could be accomplished in it.

He was also treated with courtesy by Liu Bei. Out of gratitude for his kindness, he worked as an assistant in Xuzhou and gave Liu Bei advice.

Xun You was a new member of the civil service group. Liu Bei didn't want to offend him, so he asked:

"What does Gongda mean by this?"

Xun You bowed to Liu Bei and said in a steady voice:
"You often heard that a ruler should not raise an army in anger, and a general should not start a war in anger."

"You are so angry right now that you may misjudge the situation and end up making mistakes."

"...Gongda's words are exactly what I was thinking."

Liu Ye quickly stepped forward to agree, "We have no idea what the current situation in Hedong is like. The information we have now is too little."

"Especially when it comes to something as serious as this, you must not make a rash decision at this time, otherwise you will get into trouble."

Liu Bei's expression changed slightly, but his emotions soon calmed down a lot.

He closed his eyes slightly, stretched out his hand to rub his temple, and pondered:

"Today the emperor is in trouble and is being bullied by thieves."

"As a Han official and a member of the royal family, how can I remain indifferent and stand by and watch?"

Everyone looked at each other, and then turned their eyes to Li Yi beside Liu Bei.

It was as if they were saying in unison, Mr. Li, please say something.

Now only you can persuade the lord.

Li Yi immediately understood what the ministers were thinking, so he stepped out and gave them advice:
"Please be patient, my lord. We are all deeply saddened by the suffering of the emperor."

"Kuei and Si are two traitors who are so bold and reckless that they want to kidnap the emperor. We will not stand idly by."

"But whenever you encounter a major event, you should remain calm and not act rashly."

"From Hedong to Xuzhou, Yuzhou and Yanzhou are between us. If we want to rescue the emperor, the mountains are far away and the road is long. It is really not an easy task."

Liu Bei always trusted Li Yi, and after listening to his persuasion, he calmed down.

"Zi Yu is right. I just heard that the emperor was in trouble and I was confused for a moment."

"I'm sorry to make you laugh, please don't blame me."

After a pause, he asked everyone:
"The emperor has sent an edict to summon me to come to the king's defense. Do you think we should send troops from Xuzhou to come to the king's defense?"

Xun You said:
"Since it is the emperor's decree, we should not disobey."

"It's just that Xuzhou is far away from Yinyun Mountain in Henan, and I'm afraid it's difficult for Xuzhou to send a large army there."

Liu Bei nodded to show his understanding.

It is simply impossible for Xuzhou to send a large army across Yanzhou and Yuzhou.

"I want to send someone to Henan Yin to escort the emperor to Xu. What do you think?"

"This proposal is inappropriate!"

Before Xun You and others could speak, Li Yi stepped forward to stop them.

Liu Bei was slightly startled and asked why.

Li Yi explained patiently and methodically:
"Xuzhou is isolated and alone. Except for the east coast, it is surrounded by enemies on three sides and has no strategic location to defend."

“It is a place of a hundred battles.”

"If we welcome the emperor to Xuzhou, how will the princes of the world deal with it?"

Li Yi firmly opposed welcoming the emperor to Xuzhou, because as long as he could bring the emperor here.

It would destroy the strategic plan he had painstakingly created for Xuzhou and Lao Liu.

Thanks to Li Yi's efforts, Xuzhou not only reached an alliance with Yuan Shao in the north, but also eased relations with Cao Cao in the west.

Old Liu can free up his hands and concentrate on dealing with Yuan Shu in the south.

But how about welcoming the emperor?

The relationship with Cao Cao will soon break down!

Cao Cao desperately needed an emperor and the symbol of the Han Dynasty that would last for 400 years.

He would never allow Liu Bei, a relative of the Han royal family, to enthronize the emperor.

He adopted his strategy of "obeying the emperor to command the disobedient and cultivating crops to store up military supplies" for his own use.

In addition to Cao Cao, the alliance between Xuzhou and Yuan Shao would also break down immediately.

Historically, Yuan Shao regretted his decision immediately after Cao Cao deprived him of the throne.

The history books say, "Shao was worried that every time he received an imperial edict, he would be inconvenienced, so he wanted to move the emperor closer to him."

In the past, Cao Cao was Yuan Shao's younger brother, and all his official positions were awarded to him by Yuan Shao.

After Cao Cao welcomed the emperor, he immediately turned against the Tiangang, looked down on Yuan Shao and appointed him as an official.

Yuan Shao was defeated by his younger brother.

The relationship between Yuan and Cao began to completely break down at this time.

Therefore, Li Yi firmly opposed welcoming Emperor Liu Xie to Xuzhou, which would disrupt Xuzhou's good diplomatic environment.

This made Lao Liu and Xuzhou the target of public criticism.

You know, in this era.

The Han Emperor was still nominally the common ruler of the world, and anyone who opposed Han would be politically incorrect.

When Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, he was attacked successively by Cao Cao, Lu Bu, Liu Bei, Sun Ce and Chen Deng.

You can imagine what kind of status the Han Dynasty held in the hearts of the scholars at that time.

"Just now, Yi only said that welcoming the emperor was not feasible."

"But you haven't even mentioned the difficulties of welcoming the emperor."

Li Yi then added, "Even if we really want to welcome the emperor to Xuzhou, how can we cross the two states of Yu and Yan?"

"Take the emperor away from under Cao Cao's nose?"

"My Lord, do you think that with Cao Cao's great strategy, he would miss the opportunity to use the emperor to command the princes?"

"Even though we have reached a settlement on the Yuzhou issue, our interests are the same."

"But the emperor's arrival is an issue that cannot be compromised. Cao Mengde will never agree to welcome the emperor to Xuzhou."

"If we insist on welcoming them, Cao and Liu will definitely fight each other."

"The casualties of the two families will not only harm the people, but also may accidentally hurt the emperor."

"Is this the result that the lord hopes to see?"

Liu Bei was shocked when he heard this and couldn't help but sit down.

Li Yi's words awakened the dreamer. If he hadn't reminded him like this.

Liu Bei had not yet realized how difficult it would be to enthronize an emperor.

The emperor is such an important figure, especially when he is accompanied by civil and military officials, that he causes great momentum wherever he goes.

It is indeed impossible to move to Xuzhou quietly.

But if he mobilized a large army, he would surely encounter opposition from the princes headed by Cao Cao.

By then, a war would inevitably break out before they could even get half an arrow's distance away.

Xun You and others cast admiring glances at Li Yi, secretly thinking that it was you, Zi Yu, who had the means to persuade the lord in no time.

“…My Lord.”

After a pause, Xun You also stood up and began to give advice.

"Mr. Li just mentioned the difficulty of welcoming the emperor. I think that in addition to foreign enemies, it is also difficult for Xuzhou to support the emperor."

"Since the beginning of the new year, Xuzhou has been collecting refugees in large numbers."

"It is winter again, and we need to distribute a lot of clothes and food."

……

(End of this chapter)