Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 103 Three men can make a tiger; ten thousand men can make a prophecy.

"How dare I, Xiao Wang?"

Liu Chong cursed inwardly, "You're already sitting on my throne, with your reputation for loyalty and integrity, why would I need to frame you?"

He just smiled obediently, looking completely compliant.

"The name of Lord Yuan, a loyal and virtuous official of the Han Dynasty, is known to all. How dare I, a mere prince, speak of harm?"
It is true that the Han Dynasty was in decline and the world was in disarray. It was thanks to Lord Yuan's efforts that the country was restored. If Lord Yuan had not taken the lead in the world, who knows how many people would have claimed the title of emperor or king.

I am but a humble son of the Liu family. Now that I see the mighty pillar supporting the heavens of my great Han Dynasty and the golden beams spanning the seas of my nation, how can I not pay my respects?

This is not to pay homage to Lord Yuan's esteemed position, but rather to express my gratitude for Lord Yuan's contributions to the restoration of the Han Dynasty.

"It is the duty of a minister to assist the state; how dare I speak of merit?"
I am a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty, but the emperor is of meager virtue and young and easily misled, and is often deceived by treacherous officials.

"They have raised an unjust army, manipulated the court's orders, persecuted loyal officials like myself, and promoted villains like Cao Cao and Liu Bei, causing the people of the land to suffer the ravages of war. I have no choice but to raise an army."

He lowered his eyes and stared intently at King Chen, his bewitching eyes, like those of a wicked dragon, unfathomable and unpredictable.

The sound wasn't loud, yet it resonated in the hearts of everyone in the silent hall.

"The emperor is guilty, and as his subject, I should punish him to appease the people!"

The Han Dynasty's four-hundred-year foundation, its land and its people, how could a mere child be allowed to dictate its fate?

If the dynasty were to perish and the Han dynasty were to be lost, how could I face the emperors of the past in the afterlife?

My family has held high office for four generations, enjoying the Han dynasty's bounty for generations. If we do not think of serving our country, how are we any different from beasts?

Today, the emperor is young, and evil spirits are emerging in the country. As the Grand General, I shall govern the court and the country, to control all directions, and to guard the nine provinces for the emperor, until Your Majesty comes of age.

"Does the Prince of Chen agree that I should become regent?"

Liu Chong was nearly horrified. He knew what a vicious and ruthless man Yuan Gonglu was.

But I never expected him to be so arrogant!

If an empress dowager were to rule as regent and appoint a powerful general from her maternal family to assist in governing, it would be common for the general to effectively act as regent when the emperor was young.

After all, the entire Han Dynasty's land, encompassing the nine provinces, depended on the livelihoods of all its people; it was impossible to expect a mere child to govern it.

But the problem is, the Empress Dowager has been dead for seven years now, and His Majesty is fifteen years old. What's most absurd is that the Emperor and the central government are not in your hands at all.

You are merely a foreign official; how can you talk about regency!

So, all the imperial edicts issued by the court from now on will be decrees issued by the young emperor, and only the edict issued by you, the Grand General, will be considered a regency edict?
How could Prince Chen dare to accept such a remark? Just as he was speechless, the Prime Minister Luo Jun beside him seemed to notice his glance.

His expression changed drastically, his face filled with loyalty and righteousness. Liu Chong caught a glimpse of this and panicked, but it was too late to stop him.

Luo Jun stepped forward angrily and loudly rebuked him.

"The traitor Cao Cao wreaked havoc in the court and deceived the emperor; the imperial uncle Liu Bei, under the guise of benevolence and righteousness, misled the world!"
Now, how can we control them if we are not a great general?
"General, please rest assured. Our king has always been loyal, righteous, and devoted to public service. Now, we shall issue a royal decree to the world, recommending you, General, to serve as regent and govern the realm, thus ensuring the authority of your commands."

Liu Chong: "."

“Prince Chen is highly respected and a role model for the imperial clan. When I become the Emperor of Chen, I will appoint him as the head of the imperial clan, so that he can enjoy wealth and honor in Shouchun.”

The Chancellor possesses the talent for governance and could also serve as an official in Shouchun to assist Yan Xiang.

Yuan Shu glanced at the two of them with satisfaction and nodded slightly.

"The matter of regency is not urgent for now, as the Empress Dowager has passed away and there is no imperial decree."

When I arrive in Liang, Pei, and Lu, and the four kings meet in a coalition, I will call upon the royal families to jointly promote it, so that it can be implemented throughout the four seas and governed the nine provinces.

"I hope that Prime Minister Luo and Prince Chen will not break their promises today." "General, rest assured, my king understands the gravity of the situation. If he disobeys, I will certainly rebuke him."

Liu Chong watched the Prime Minister "angrily rebuke" Yuan Shu, feeling dazed. Only after leaving the main hall and finding no one around did his expression change, and he said:
"Why does the Prime Minister act this way? By agreeing to this matter, does he intend to put me in an unjust position?"

Luo Jun looked completely innocent and asked in return.

"Didn't Your Majesty instruct me to feign compliance, protect myself, and act according to your wishes?"

Liu Chong: "."

In the Chen King's palace, after the Chen King and his ministers left, everyone truly began to discuss important military matters.

After all, the four kings and their clansmen jointly elected a regency to oppose the imperial decrees and to counter Cao Cao's attempt to hold the emperor hostage. However, they still needed to conquer the states of Liang, Pei, and Lu first.

Among the assembled officials, Yang Hong was not present because he was in Yingchuan assisting Taishi Ci in governing the local people and guarding against Cao Cao.

Zhou Yu generally doesn't speak unless it benefits Sun Ce, and Liu Ye, though physically in Yuan Shao's camp, is loyal to Cao Cao.

Among the assembled advisors, it was the young Lu Xun who stepped forward to speak on behalf of everyone.

"The teacher won a great victory at the Battle of Changping, which shocked the whole world, but the feudal lords were wary of him."

Now that Liu Bei has suffered this defeat and fled to Pei State, he will surely seek help from Lü Bu.

Liang only has Jian Yong to hold the fort, with few soldiers and generals, so it should be taken first.

However, given its proximity to Yanzhou, there is a risk of Cao Cao's army coming to its aid, and the potential threat of Liu Bei and Lü Bu attacking from Pei County, leaving us vulnerable to attacks from both sides. Teacher, we must be on guard.”

“Boyan is indeed my beloved disciple; his views are exactly the same as mine.”

Yuan Shu nodded slightly and said with a light laugh.

"Liang and Pei, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu—we should defeat them one by one. Fengxiao has already given me a brilliant plan for this, so please do not doubt it."

The ministers were all relieved upon hearing this, ever since Jiang Gan stole the letter and surrendered to Yuan's camp.

Our lord has a mysterious strategist named Fengxiao, whose reputation, thanks to Jiang Ziyi's eloquence and the dubious stories he tells, has become a well-known secret among Yuan's men.

From then on, Yuan Shu simply stopped hiding his plans and always claimed them as Fengxiao's brilliant schemes.

Even Yuan Shao's own men now firmly believe that Fengxiao is their lord's military advisor, so how much more so Cao Cao's camp, which has planted Liu Ye, a well-known spy?
Everyone knows that Fengxiao was Yuan Shu's strategist, so how could he be a fraud? From soldiers and laborers to generals and high-ranking officials, how could everyone in Yuan's camp possibly conspire to deceive people?
How can so many people conspire to deceive others and all of them speak as if it were the truth, with factual basis?

For example, Yuan Shu had previously exploited the people, but one day he suddenly used Fengxiao's brilliant plan to lighten the corvée labor and emphasize agriculture and sericulture. This made the old minister Yan Xiang come out of the study with red eyes that day, almost in tears.

For example, Yuan Shu was so arrogant that he had no idea what the two Zhangs of Jiangdong were.
One day, he used Fengxiao's brilliant plan and urgently summoned Military Advisor Yang to find the person. He treated the virtuous and learned people with respect and invited them to join him. As a result, he won the hearts of the people of Guangling and Wujun.

There were countless such stories, which were passed down by word of mouth even among soldiers and laborers, so how could Liu Ye not believe them?

He hurriedly used the connections he had made with the good student Yuan Yao to send a message to Cao Cao's camp.

Then, the letter ended up in the hands of Yuan Yao's friend, Lu Xun.

Having been targeted long ago, whether or not the letter could be sent out depended entirely on Yuan Shu's mood, but this time it was successfully delivered to Cao Cao's camp.

If three people can become a tiger, how much more so can tens of millions of people?

When Liu Ye's letter arrived, and compared it with the intelligence gathered by other spies in Cao Cao's army, it was now difficult for the people in Cao Cao's camp not to believe it, even if they wanted to.

When a lie is repeated a thousand times, it becomes the truth even if it's not true.

(End of this chapter)