The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Outside Xudu, Liu Bei led his large army to arrive.

However, what greeted Liu Bei was neither the emperor nor his officials, but rather the gleaming swords and spears on the city walls and the nocked arrows.

Fu Wan's eldest son, Fu De, went so far as to loudly proclaim from the city wall the imperial edict ordering Liu Bei to withdraw his troops back to Hebei, and even sternly questioned Liu Bei: "His Majesty has asked me to ask, does the Grand Commandant intend to emulate Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao?"

Comparing Liu Bei to Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao infuriated Xu Shu, Guo Tu, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and other civil and military officials.

Guo Tu, indignant, advised, "In the past, Lord Yuan was unwilling to welcome the Emperor into Ye City because he feared that after welcoming the Emperor, he would frequently submit memorials to the Emperor. If he obeyed, he would lose power; if he disobeyed, he would be defying the Emperor's orders. The Emperor is so heartless and ungrateful; Grand Commandant, you should replace him!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's expression changed, and he rebuked, "Gongze, you must not utter such treasonous words!"

Guo Tu not only did not remain silent, but went further, saying, "In the past, Duke Wu of Qi yielded the throne to Emperor Gengshi, but Emperor Gengshi not only did not remember Duke Wu's past merits, but also executed him. If it weren't for Emperor Guangwu's wisdom and martial prowess, he would not have been able to escape. The current emperor was originally installed by the traitor Dong Zhuo, so his name is not legitimate and his words are not in accordance with the law. Now he is suspicious of the Grand Commandant, which shows that his character is not worthy of the throne. Therefore, I believe that the Grand Commandant should emulate Emperor Guangwu's enthronement at Qianqiu Pavilion in Hao City and ascend the throne outside Xuchang City, in the name of the Han Emperor, to revive the Han Dynasty!"

Guo Tu's bold suggestion drew the agreement of Yan Liang and Wen Chou.

Yan Liang shouted loudly, "The emperor is tyrannical! General Yan Liang requests that the Grand Commandant ascend the throne and, in the name of the Han emperor, revive the Han dynasty!"

Wen Chou echoed, "General Wen Chou of Fenwei requests that the Grand Commandant ascend the throne as Emperor, and in the name of the Han Emperor, revive the Han Dynasty!"

Guo Tu's advice and Yan Liang and Wen Chou's loud shouts excited the other civil and military officials.

From the power of the dragon!
As for whether this will cause trouble for Liu Bei?

That's not something the civil and military officials need to consider. The most important thing right now is to take advantage of the opportunity when Fu De, under the guise of Liu Xie, suspects and questions Liu Bei, and directly define Liu Bei's ascension to the throne!
Following the petitions of the civil and military officials, the soldiers also knelt down and pleaded: "We beseech the Grand Commandant to ascend the throne and, in the name of the Han Emperor, revive the Han Dynasty!"

In an instant.

Outside the entire city of Xudu, only Liu Bei stood!
Liu Bei was so shocked that his face turned pale: "The emperor is still alive, how can I usurp the throne and establish myself? Do you gentlemen intend to lead me into an unjust position?"

And on the city wall.

Fu De was so shocked that he could barely hold the imperial edict in his hand, and his voice trembled as he cried out, "They've rebelled! Liu Bei has rebelled!"

According to Anfu Wan's plan, as long as he asked Liu Bei in Liu Xie's name whether he wanted to follow the example of Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao, he could control Liu Bei.

Liu Bei always valued his reputation, so he would never admit to emulating Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao. However, if Liu Bei were to publicly declare that he would not emulate Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao, he would fall into the moral trap that Fu Wan had carefully prepared.

For example, they could let Liu Bei enter the city alone, intimidate him, and use a combination of kindness and severity to control Liu Bei and his troops, so that they could eliminate Liu Bei when the time was right.

In the future, not only will the world be unified, but the Fu family will also be able to hold great power.

Don't be fooled by Fu Wan's seemingly loyal and humiliating life. How could someone who can make his daughter empress be without ambition? Once such a person gains power, he will become even more arrogant and domineering than before, just like how he refused Liu Bei's entry into Xuchang today.

To be honest, although Liu Bei had the ambition to enter Xuchang, he had no intention of usurping the throne. At most, he wanted to become a great general so that the civil and military officials who had followed him and made contributions or worked hard could have a future.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xie even became suspicious of Liu Bei!

They haven't even pacified the land yet, and they're already preparing to discard them after they've served their purpose!

Clearly, Liu Xie was also worried that after Liu Bei completely eliminated Cao Cao and Sun Quan, his merits would be so great that there would be no more rewards or titles to bestow, and he might even be supported by the ministers to become emperor.

The ministers' support for Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao to become emperors was an act of usurpation, but their support for Liu Bei to become emperor was an act of choosing a wise ruler for the Han Dynasty, a revival of the Han Dynasty, and a merit that would last for thousands of years.

Therefore, Liu Xie tacitly accepted Fu Wan and his son's obstruction of Liu Bei. However, this plan was discovered by Guo Tu.

In terms of governance and military command, Guo Tu was far inferior to Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Xu Shu, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and others.

When it comes to understanding people's hearts and guessing the emperor's intentions, Guo Tu is quite adept.

When Guo Tu was under Yuan Shao, he knew that Yuan Shao was outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, so he liked to shift the blame onto others, otherwise Guo Tu would be the one punished. When Guo Tu was under Liu Bei, he knew that Liu Bei was loyal and righteous and would forgive as long as one did not make any fundamental mistakes, so Guo Tu not only did not shirk responsibility but also took responsibility himself.

Just like when Liu Bei wanted to recruit Zhang He and Gao Lan, Guo Tu would take the initiative to apologize to Zhang He and Gao Lan with a bundle of thorns on his back, giving Liu Bei a way to win them over.

The same is true today. Guo Tu saw through Liu Xie's sinister intentions and knew Liu Bei's predicament, so he took the lead in urging Liu Bei to ascend the throne.

To this end, Guo Tu also brought in Yan Liang and Wen Chou, asking them to cooperate in creating momentum for him.

Although this move would leave Liu Bei with controversy in historical records, it is far better than putting Liu Bei in Fu Wan's moral trap.

Moreover, it was Liu Xie who first became suspicious of Liu Bei, not Liu Bei who actively provoked Liu Xie. If we really want to be reasonable, Liu Xie was in the wrong first.

In the palace.

Fu Wan and Liu Xie were both shocked upon receiving the news.

Liu Xie, trembling, turned to Fu Wan and said, "I did not intend to make things difficult for the Grand Commandant, but you insisted. Now that the Grand Commandant has rebelled, what should I do?"

Fu Wan was at a loss for what to do at this moment.

Although a moral trap was set based on Liu Bei's behavior, Fu Wan did not expect that Liu Bei's civil and military officials would directly support Liu Bei and want him to emulate Emperor Guangwu by directly replacing Liu Xie.

a long time.

Fu Wan knelt on the ground with a thud, weeping, "Your Majesty, please use my head to appease the Grand Commandant. I am willing to die to save Your Majesty's safety."

Fu Wan was quite capable to survive the reigns of Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan.

This act of kneeling directly refuted Liu Xie's accusations, and it was impossible for Liu Xie to actually use Fu Wan's head to appease Liu Bei.

"The Grand Commandant has rebelled! What use is your head to me!" Liu Xie angrily waved his sleeve and gritted his teeth, saying, "Quickly follow me to the North Gate to defend against the enemy!"

Just as Liu Xie was preparing to personally don his armor and go into battle, another messenger rushed in from the north gate, staggering as he reported: "Your Majesty, the Grand Commandant has entered the city!"

Fu Wan was both shocked and furious: "Xudu is a high-walled city with deep waters, how could Liu Bei possibly enter it?"

The messenger cried out, "It was the supervising officer Xun Yan who opened the city gates!"

"Xun Yan? Xun Yu's third brother? How dare this traitor rebel!" Fu Wan was even more terrified, unable to understand why Xun Yan would open the city gate at this moment.

Among the outstanding members of the Xun family, Xun Chen and Xun You are now under Liu Bei's command, while Xun Yu and Xun Yan, although in Xuchang, have long been loyal to Liu Bei.

The difference lies in their intentions. Xun Yu wanted to welcome Liu Bei into Xuchang to jointly control Liu Xie, while Xun Yan believed Xun Yu's idea was impractical. Therefore, when Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and others wanted to invite Liu Bei to ascend the throne, Xun Yan decisively opened the city gates. (End of Chapter)