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

Chapter 332 The Supreme God of the Yellow Heaven, by the Mandate of Heaven, the King of Han!

"The loyal and righteous will shine brightly for eternity."

History records their unwavering loyalty, a legacy that will last for generations!

Upon hearing Zhang Liao's description of Gao Shun's death, Yuan Shu muttered to himself, shaking his head and laughing.

"This is a loyal and righteous man who sought benevolence and attained it."

After speaking, he looked up at Zhang Liao and said:

“My son has known him for many years, so you should personally handle the burial for him.”

Now that its master is in the north, he should be buried in the north of the city.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao was also grateful for the righteousness and bowed deeply to him.

"Thank you, Godfather."

As the group was talking, a messenger announced that a man named Li Jun from the city had come to pay his respects and seek refuge.

Just as Yuan Shu was about to agree, Wei Xu stepped forward and advised him:
"Your Majesty, please be careful."

Seeing the surprised look in the eyes of the King of Han, Wei Xu quickly explained.

“Your Majesty may not know this, but this Li Jun is no ordinary man.”

He was originally a former subordinate of the Trapped Camp, and tonight we ask Mr. Chen to send a messenger to speak with him.

Unexpectedly, he was blindly loyal, even more so than Gao Shun. He tore up letters, killed envoys, was impervious to reason, and was ruthless!

The immediate suppression of the rebels within the enemy's camp meant that my former subordinate Zhao Da, who had already defected, died suddenly in the camp before he could play his role.

If it weren't for the envoy who was sent, who, before his death, used Zhang Cheng's name to deceive them, causing the Trapped Camp to fall into internal strife and leaving them no time to rescue Gao Shun.

Otherwise, our grand plan tonight may be ruined by him alone.

Such a loyal and righteous man has suddenly and unexpectedly surrendered; our king should consider this carefully and must be wary.

This was Wei Xu trying to clear himself of any involvement, since it was he who vouched for Chen Deng and had someone speak to his former subordinates.

Tonight, who could have imagined that Li Jun would act so unusually, displaying such loyalty and righteousness, almost ruining the King of Han's grand plan? He truly cannot escape blame.

Although Li Jun claims to have come to see the King of Han in order to seek his allegiance, who knows what Li Jun will say or do in front of the King of Han later?
In case we anger the King of Han and get burned, it's better to sever ties beforehand.

Having said this, seemingly feeling that his own influence was insufficient, he then brought up Chen Deng, telling the King of Han:
“Everything Xu said is true. If Wang does not believe it, he can ask Mr. Chen.”

"Oh~"

Yuan Shu nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and only looked at Chen Deng.

When the King of Han inquired, Chen Deng knew that Wei Xu was trying to drag him into this and distance himself from Li Jun.

After all, the matter of sending envoys to persuade Li Jun was done by the two of them together. If Li Jun surrenders now and his intentions are truly sinister, they will inevitably be implicated if things come to light in the future.

Moreover, the lobbying envoys he sent out tonight were all outstanding members of the Chen family.

Everyone else was safe and sound, but one of them was inexplicably killed by Li Jun. What good impression did he have of Li Jun anyway?

Although he dared not stir up trouble or exaggerate in front of the King of Han.

But based on Li Jun's actions tonight, Chen Deng believed that as long as he told the truth, he would surely be killed.

Therefore, after only a brief moment's thought, he replied:
"King Han may not know this, but what General Wei said is very true."

Li Junqi was a man who single-handedly killed all the generals of the Trapped Camp, just to prevent any possibility of collusion with Yuan Shikai.

His loyalty and righteousness had long been obsessive; he would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. As long as there was any connection with the Han camp, he would show no mercy and would not hesitate to kill anyone.

He repeatedly declared that he was irreconcilably opposed to us, and tonight, many innocent generals who had no connection with us were also killed by his excessively stubborn loyalty.

If even those who are slightly suspicious are treated this way, how much more so should we be treated?
Their offer to surrender must be a lie!

As if afraid that the King of Han would not believe him, Chen Deng recounted one thing after another, as if he knew them by heart, how Li Jun had gathered loyal and righteous men to rebel against the King of Han's heavenly army.

".
Your Majesty, please discern the truth!

Of all the battles that have been raging in the city tonight, Li Jun's is the most boisterous.

According to intelligence gathered after our victory, Li Jun was already on his way to support Gao Shun, and he stated in intelligence reports more than once that he would arrive to support Gao Shun as soon as possible if Gao Shun held on for just a little longer.

Fortunately, Zhang Liao arrived first, causing Gao Shun to commit suicide and seizing all the west gates, leaving Gao Shun with nowhere to stand.

Otherwise, if Gao Shun had held out until his reinforcements arrived, although our army would have won, it wouldn't have been so easy.

Even so, Li Jun's forces are now the most loyal and steadfast rebels in Xiapi City.

If it weren't for the fact that, just before the battle, he, as the leader, took the initiative to come alone to see the king and persuade him to surrender, so that the fighting could temporarily cease.

At this moment, Prince Bofu is already leading his army to wipe him out.

Such an outstanding person, unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness, would never surrender and betray the greater good.

"Now he feigns surrender to buy time, and will certainly not remain subservient for long. Your Majesty might as well take this opportunity to kill him and eliminate future troubles."

Yuan Shu frowned slightly, having roughly understood Li Jun's situation, and simply chuckled, saying:
"I see, Mr. Chen. I am fully aware of General Wei's thoughtfulness."

This man has come alone to surrender, solely because he admires the name of the Golden Terrace.

Whether it was a trick or not, he should not be killed, lest he lose the hearts of the people who support the Han.

As Yuan Shu finished speaking, seeing that Chen Deng and Wei Xu seemed to have more to say, he raised his hand to stop them.

"Gentlemen, do not worry. I can clearly distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous."

After speaking, he ordered his attendants to invite Li Jun to the palace.

Shortly after, Li Jun arrived at the palace gate, not daring to look up, and prostrated himself in worship, kowtowing three times and calling out:
"Long live the King of Han!"

He rose, walked to the center of the hall, prostrated himself on the ground, bowed three times, and called out:

"By the mandate of Heaven, may the King of Han live ten thousand years!"

He rose again, walked to the assembled officials, bowed for the third time, kowtowed three times, and called out:

"Long live the Supreme God of the Yellow Heaven, Your Majesty the King of Han, by the Mandate of Heaven!"

After completing the three bows and nine kowtows, he looked up, his eyes filled with tears, as if weeping and lamenting.

"We have long admired His Majesty the King of Han, and now our wish has finally been fulfilled so that we may see His Majesty's face. Even if we die, we will have no regrets."

Han Camp: "."

The entire Han camp was silent. Combining the descriptions given by Wei Xu and Chen Deng, everyone looked at Li Jun, exchanging bewildered glances.

Even Yuan Shu couldn't help but glance at Wei Xu and Chen Deng, as if asking:

Are you sure the intelligence is accurate?
Is this the Li Jun you two were talking about, the one who puts righteousness first and is unparalleled in loyalty?
Is this describing the same person?

Wei Xu/Chen Deng: "."

I don't know, he's such a fickle person!
In the end, Wei Xu took the initiative to step forward, point at Li Jun, and rebuke him.

“I, Wang Mingjian, believe that what he does is a great villain who appears loyal, and a great falsehood who appears true. This must be a disguise by Li Jun, who is enduring hardship and biding his time. He should not be trusted!”

The more he behaves this way today, the more humble and subservient he becomes, the more it proves that he has grand ambitions.

If one believes this, and then changes their mind in the future, it could become a great calamity.

Li Jun never expected this to happen, and stared at Wei Xu in disbelief.

"General Wei, we received all your letters and were ordered by you to surrender to the King of Han in accordance with the greater good. Why do you now accuse us of deception?"

"Ha! Li Jun, how dare you say that!"
I kindly asked Mr. Chen to send an envoy to speak with you, but you killed him without a word, betraying my high expectations.”

Wei Xu's expression changed drastically, and he appeared heartbroken. He recounted the information they had received, including how Li Jun killed envoys to demonstrate his loyalty and how he secretly recruited loyal and righteous men.

Upon hearing this, Li Jun was greatly alarmed. He had infiltrated the enemy camp, feigning loyalty and righteousness while secretly assisting the restoration of the Han dynasty, all so that he could gain the favor of the King of Han after surrendering to the Han.

But what he really didn't expect was that now that he had finally found his organization, he was so convincing in his portrayal of loyalty and righteousness that even the Han people believed him.

To this day, everyone believes that the internal strife within the Trapped Camp was caused by that dead messenger.

It's unbelievable, you dead man trying to steal the credit?
Thinking of this, Li Jun hurriedly recounted how he killed the messenger, how he caused a great disturbance at the Trapped Camp, and how he coerced loyal and righteous men in the city to prevent anyone from supporting Gao Shun.

"We are all wholeheartedly devoted to the Han, and are filled with trepidation!"

The words of enduring hardship and biding one's time are merely a deception of the loyal and righteous; how dare they mock the King of Han?

Wei Xu: "???"

How can you explain this back?
Chen Deng frowned and asked, "What you said makes some sense."

But this is all your one-sided account; what evidence do you have?

How could we know that you were not deceived by the envoy, thus causing a great disturbance and amassing loyal and righteous men to aid Gao Shun?

Now that reinforcements are too late and the situation is hopeless, they use this statement as a ruse to plot a rebellion!
It should be known that Li Jun's name is widely regarded as a symbol of righteousness, and his reputation is renowned throughout the army, where everyone respects and admires him.

We are acting on behalf of the King of Han; how could we possibly trust you?

Li Jun: "." (Scratching his head)
prove?

To keep the secret, all potential dangers were nipped in the bud, and I dared not reveal the slightest secret to a second person. Now, where can I prove it?
I've only ever seen people demand proof of loyalty, never proof of disloyalty.

Sighing, Li Jun realized that this problem was truly inexplicable, so he bowed to the King of Han again and said:

"When Your Majesty arrived in Xuzhou, some surrendered, while others did not."

If we were to take in those who submit and kill those who do not, we would only be wasting our own lives.

I, your humble servant, may use the pretext of enduring hardship and biding my time to uphold righteousness, gather loyal and righteous men, and under the guise of restoring Qi, embark on the cause of reviving Han.

"May all land under heaven belong to the king, and may all, whether subjects or not, respect the King of Han!"

This is the bargaining chip Li Jun has been painstakingly using tonight to establish a loyal and righteous image for himself, and then to surrender to the King of Han.

He knew that Xiapi, a mere city, and its few elite troops were not enough to truly impress the King of Han.

In terms of the merit of surrendering the city, he was not as good as Chen Deng; in terms of winning over the surrendered old troops, he was not as good as Zhang Liao. If he wanted to surpass them and gain a larger share of the credit in the feast that was about to be divided up in the State of Qi, he had to find another way.

Therefore, Li Jun set his sights on those loyal and righteous men of Qi who would have fought to the death with the Han army.

As long as I pretend to be enduring hardship and plotting a rebellion, and use righteousness to rally the entire state of Qi, turning those who would otherwise oppose the King of Han into his allies, I will surely be able to sell them for a good price, just as that envoy taught me.

If that's the case, then Li Jun could also share in the merits of Chen Deng and Zhang Liao in the Han King's campaign against Qi.

If things go well, and even his beloved Prince Qi and his brother Shangguan believe these lies and try to contact him, he might be able to sell them out again.

But what he didn't expect was that because he acted so convincingly, not only the seller believed him, but the buyer also believed him.

Now he was stuck in the middle, extremely embarrassed, and he had no choice but to rely on the charisma of the King of Han to see if he would be willing to believe him.

Li Jun then bowed again and said:

"The Supreme God of the Yellow Heaven, by the Mandate of Heaven, the King of Han!"
Their loyalty to the Han Dynasty grows stronger every day; their resolve is clear, and we will surely see it in the future!

Yuan Shu carefully examined the person kneeling on the ground, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Li Jun made his meaning very clear: although he couldn't prove himself now, time would tell, and he wanted to give him a chance.

Can we give them this opportunity?
Yuan Shu thought it was acceptable.

It's just another talent, like Sun Ce, whom you need to keep an eye on at all times.

Are there few people like this in the Han camp?
On the contrary, now, after Gao Shun's death, Li Jun is portrayed as a loyal and righteous figure who endures humiliation to avenge Gao Shun.

He is the only one who can unite the troops and make them fight at full strength. This will be the sharpest weapon in our northward march to destroy Cao Cao.

Moreover, with him subduing the stubborn and die-hard elements in Xuzhou, we can not only further reduce our own losses, but also expand our strength, turn enemies into friends, and make them work for us.

Furthermore, it would allow for the rapid and complete recapture of Xuzhou, leaving Lü Bu with no time to react and no chance to return to Xuzhou.

As for the potential risks associated with Li Jun's repeated actions?

Just like Sun Ce back then, I didn't know you were going to keep changing your mind. If you suddenly do something to me, that's a potential problem.

But now that I know you might change your mind, and I've taken precautions in advance, you still collude with me from the inside and outside to repeat your actions.

Then it's not a hidden danger for our own people, but a weakness for the enemy!

In a flash, Yuan Shu nodded to Li Jun with considerable satisfaction.

"Good! I am very pleased that the King of Qi has loyal and righteous subordinates like Li Jun."

Once you have won over the loyal and righteous men of Qi, you will accompany me north as the vanguard. If you can decisively defeat Cao Cao's army, capture and kill the false prime minister, and rescue the emperor, then you will be able to achieve your goal.

"I, the Emperor, will personally bestow upon you the title of Star Lord."

Li Jun prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "I am terrified and dare not disobey your orders?"

The king said, "Excellent."

In the following ten days or so, Chen Deng and Chen Gui took over the powerful families of Xuzhou, while Zhang Liao and Wei Xu took over the old troops who were loyal to the Han Dynasty.

Finally, those who remained loyal and refused to surrender were sent into battle by Li Jun.

Before each battle, Li Jun would persuade him to endure hardship and plot a rebellion.

With the firsthand accounts of his own troops and so many loyal and righteous men, who vouched for him, his acts of loyalty and righteousness on the night Xiapi fell were passed down by word of mouth, and everyone was convinced.

Not to mention these people, even within the Han camp, because Wei Xu and Chen Deng spoke so confidently back then, many people deeply believed in Li Jun's lies about enduring hardship and plotting a rebellion.

He would often come to the King of Han and say, "I request that Li Jun be killed to prevent future troubles."

King of Han: "."

Whether to kill him or not, let's wait until this talent proves useful first, let him be the vanguard and fight Cao Cao, and make the best use of him before we talk about it.

With the help of the Chen family, Zhang Liao, Li Jun and others, the entire territory of Xuzhou, except for Langya, was pacified by a single proclamation.

Without even sending a single soldier, those who surrendered went to Zhang Liao, and those who did not surrender went to Li Jun.

Loyalty or disloyalty, I will serve the King of Han.

The reason for excluding Langya is that at that moment, King Qi, Lü Bu, was in Langya.

The reason is that the King of Han launched his troops ahead of schedule under the pretext of assassination, before Lü Bu assassinated his adopted son.

So at this moment, Lü Bu, who had just assassinated the adopted son of the King of Han and fled back to the border between Langya and Yanzhou with a gloomy expression, was seeking advice from Chen Gong.

What am I doing now?
Please teach me, sir.

Chen Gong frowned in thought, just about to analyze the situation for Lü Bu, when a soldier came to report.

“Oh no!

Your Majesty, the State of Qi has fallen!

Lu Bu: "???"

(End of this chapter)