Chapter 291 Liu Bei is the only hope of the Han Dynasty! The teachings of Emperor Gaozu mean nothing. I want to be the king first!
Make Liu Bei the king!
Liu Xie was shocked and looked surprised. He obviously did not expect Kong Rong to make such a proposal.

Before he could open his mouth to express his opinion, Dong Cheng's face changed drastically, and he shouted first:
"This is absolutely not allowed. Emperor Gaozu left a legacy that if anyone other than the Liu family becomes king, the whole world will attack him together—"

Dong Cheng hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly remembered something and fell silent.

If anyone becomes king except those with the surname Liu, the whole world will attack him together!

Emperor Gaozu did leave such instructions, but he forgot in his excitement that Liu Bei's surname was Liu.

After swallowing his saliva, Dong Cheng immediately changed his words:

"Although Liu Bei is a member of the royal family, he is a distant branch after all, and not a member of the imperial line."

"Your Majesty has already broken the precedent by appointing him as the Emperor's uncle. How can you appoint him as a king?"

"This is against the rules and against our ancestors' rules."

Dong Cheng brought up the rules and ancestral regulations again and strongly opposed on the spot the enthronement of Liu Bei as a king.

Liu Xie frowned slightly, lowered his head and sipped the imperial wine, without expressing his opinion. It was obvious that he had some reservations about Kong Rong's proposal.

"The ancestral system is the ancestral system of our Han Dynasty. Now the imperial court is in decline, traitors are in power, and the Han Dynasty is in danger of overthrow."

"If the Han Dynasty falls, who will defend the ancestral system?"

"Your Majesty is now being held hostage by Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao is ambitious and is ready to follow Yuan Shu's example and usurp the Han Dynasty at any time. The only one who is willing to respect Your Majesty and support the country is the general."

"If Your Majesty appoints the general as king, the general will surely be grateful for Your Majesty's grace and will be greatly encouraged. He will go through fire and water for Your Majesty, fight against the rebels and eliminate the thieves, and support the government and the country!"

"And if Your Majesty appoints the general as king, it will help him gain great prestige and win the hearts of famous scholars and heroes in the Central Plains with Yuan Shao. This will help the general defeat Yuan Shao!"

"This is a strategy that has the best of both worlds. Your Majesty, please think twice."

Kong Rong looked serious as he spoke incessantly about the reasons for his advice and the various benefits of making Liu Bei a king.

To put it bluntly, there are two points. The first is to win over Liu Bei, show favor to Liu Bei, and take Liu Bei as an example to inspire the fighting spirit of those who support the Han Dynasty all over the world.

Secondly, it helped Liu Bei enhance his prestige in order to compete with Yuan Shao for the hearts of the people.

In this way, he could be considered to have made some contribution to the revitalization of the Han Dynasty without being seen by the people of the world as just sitting back and reaping the benefits.

"What Mr. Kong said does make sense..."

Liu Xie was persuaded by Kong Rong. He stood up and paced back and forth, weighing the pros and cons.

Seeing Liu Xie wavering, Dong Cheng frowned and looked at Kong Rong:

"Mr. Kong, I heard that when you were the Prime Minister of Beihai, you were surrounded by the Yellow Turban bandits, and it was Liu Bei who led his army to rescue you."

"After Liu Bei took over as governor of Xuzhou, he also submitted a petition to the court to recommend you as governor of Qingzhou."

"Liu Bei has done you a great favor."

"You are now petitioning the Emperor to enthrone Liu Bei as king. Is this out of loyalty to His Majesty, or is there some other selfish motive?"

Dong Cheng was playing a yin-yang game with Kong Rong. On the surface, he was doing this for the emperor Liu Xie, but in fact, he was concerned about his friendship with Liu Bei and was trying to gain the title of king for Liu Bei.

Kong Rong's face turned pale and he said angrily:

"The general did save me in the Beihai area back then and was indebted to me. This is a fact."

"But the advice I, Kong Rong, give today is all for the sake of the Han Dynasty and the Liu family's kingdom!"

"Uncle Dong, don't judge others by your own standards!"

Kong Rong was also a man of hot temper and straightforwardness. Faced with Dong Cheng's tactful attitude, he angrily rebuked him on the spot.

Dong Cheng was so embarrassed that he could only smile awkwardly:
"Master Kong, you misunderstood me. Don't be so angry. I just said a few jokes. Why did you take it seriously?"

Kong Rong's face turned pale, and he said seriously:
"This matter concerns the survival of the Han Dynasty and the safety of the country. How can you, Uncle Dong, make fun of such a serious matter?"

Dong Cheng was speechless and sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Kong Rong snorted coldly, ignored him, and bowed to Liu Xie again:
"Your Majesty, looking around the world, there are only a few people who are loyal to the Han Dynasty and have the ability to support it."

"I can say that the general is the only remaining loyal minister who can wipe out the Han traitors and save the Han Dynasty from collapse."

"For such a person, no matter how much your majesty rewards him, I think it is not too much."

"Besides, the general is a relative of the Liu clan and the emperor's uncle appointed by His Majesty."

"Your Majesty, I bow my head. For the sake of the Han Dynasty, I confer the title of King on Liu Xuande!"

Kong Rong stood up and bowed solemnly to Liu Xie.

Liu Xie's body was shocked, and the remaining hesitation and worry in his heart were finally shattered by Kong Rong's words and the cruel facts.

After taking a deep breath, Liu Xie gritted his teeth and said resolutely:

"Mr. Kong is right. Uncle Xuande is a relative of the Liu clan and the only external force I can rely on to revive the Han Dynasty. It's fine if I make him king!"

Kong Rong breathed a sigh of relief and immediately praised Liu Xie for his wisdom.

Dong Cheng saw that Liu Xie's order had been issued, and although he still held an opposing attitude in his heart, he did not dare to speak again.

"If Your Majesty wants to make Liu Xuande the king, it is not impossible."

"However, ever since Your Majesty appointed him as the general, Cao has been monitoring Your Majesty even more closely. All orders issued by Your Majesty must be reviewed by him before they can be issued."

"I am afraid that your Majesty's edict of enthronement will not be able to leave Chang'an and will not be delivered to Liu Xuande at all."

Fu Wan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly gave a reminder.

Liu Xie's face changed and he suddenly woke up, looking anxiously at Kong Rong.

After thinking it over again and again, Kong Rong's eyes lit up and he said hurriedly:

"It is impossible for Cao Cao to allow Your Majesty to make the general a king, but he may try to win him over in the name of the court to fight against Yuan Shao together."

"I can make a suggestion to Cao Cao and go to the general as an envoy to pacify him. Your Majesty can then grant me a secret decree to confer the title of king on the general. In this way, I can take the decree of conferring the title of king out of Chang'an and give it to the general in a dignified manner, right?" The secret decree!
Liu Xie's eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood, and said happily:
"Okay, I'll follow Mr. Kong's plan. I'll grant you a secret decree to make Uncle Xuande the king!"

...

Xuchang, inside the Golden Palace.

There was still singing and dancing, and the air was filled with the smell of wine.

Yuan Shao, lying on a Hu-bed, had changed his usual stern demeanor and was enjoying the singing and dancing in front of the palace with a smile on his face.

The difference from before was that now there were several more beauties around him, smiling like flowers and serving him wine attentively.

At this time, Yuan Shao seemed to have forgotten the pain of Yuan Tan's capture. He spent the whole day holding banquets and indulging in the pleasure of wine and sex.

Liu Bei has agreed to release Yuan Tan, and all conflicts with Liu Bei on various fronts have ended. There is no more war in the Central Plains.

For Yuan Shao, who was over fifty years old, time was running out for him. Now that the Central Plains had been conquered, he naturally had to seize the time to enjoy himself and make up for the decades of hard work.

"Cao Cao is still alive, Liu Bei has not been defeated, and yet he is eager to enjoy himself. Alas..."

Ju Su muttered to himself, shook his head and sighed.

This time, he no longer dared to advise Yuan Shao and could only sigh in secret.

Footsteps sounded.

A young nobleman dressed in silver armor, looking extraordinary and heroic, walked into the hall holding a scroll high.

"Son greets father!"

"Congratulations, father, for your complete victory in the Southern Expedition, for retaking Xuchang, and for conquering the Central Plains!"

The young nobleman smiled and went up to the hall to pay his respects.

Yuan Shao's eyes were filled with surprise, and he asked curiously: "Xianfu? Why are you here?"

The person who came was none other than his most beloved third son, Yuan Shang.

During this southern expedition, Yuan Shang was ordered to stay in Yecheng, to take charge of the overall situation in the rear and transport food and fodder to the front line.

He had not summoned Yuan Shang before, but his most beloved son suddenly appeared in Xuchang, which made Yuan Shao both surprised and suspicious.

Yuan Shang held up the scroll in his hand, with deep respect on his face, and said loudly:

"My father has made great contributions and is admired by all people."

"Now my father has defeated Cao Cao and recovered the Central Plains. He controls the two rivers and six states, and has a million soldiers. No one in the world can defeat him!"

"I came here this time because of the trust of the heroes of Hebei. What I hold in my hand is a joint petition signed by the heroes of the four states of Hebei, respectfully requesting my father to respond to the will of heaven and the will of the people and ascend to the throne as king!"

Carry is king!

Yuan Shang came here to persuade Yuan Shao to become king!
There was an immediate shock in the hall.

Ju Su lost control of the wine glass and it fell onto the table. He looked at Yuan Shang in astonishment.

Guo Tu's face changed, and he suddenly realized what was going on. He stamped his feet and complained secretly that he was slow to react and let Yuan Shang get there first.

He glanced at Yuan Shao anxiously.

really.

Yuan Shao was surprised at first, and then a subtle look flashed in his eyes.

Guo Tu could naturally understand it. He felt a kind of excitement, a secret joy, and a bit of happiness.

Yuan Shao was excited and delighted that finally someone understood his feelings and took the initiative to stand up and persuade him to become king.

What made him happy was that the person who took the lead in persuading him to take the throne was his most beloved son.

Moreover, Yuan Shang’s advice to ascend the throne was not given alone, but he brought along Shen Pei and other Hebei scholars to jointly submit a petition to persuade him to ascend the throne!

It goes without saying how important this is.

"Ahem, although I have made some contributions to the country, I am still an outsider. You are trying to persuade me to become king. Aren't you just exposing me to the criticism of the world?"

"No, no~~"

Yuan Shao immediately pretended to be displeased and shook his hands to refuse.

This time, Guo Tu instantly understood Yuan Shao's thoughts.

It is not enough for only the scholars from Hebei to express their opinions. The scholars from Ruying also need to express their opinions.

After all, Yuan Shao now controls not only the four states in Hebei, but also most of the states in Henan.

"Although the lord is of a foreign surname, he has made great contributions to the country, and the people all over the world are loyal to him!"

"I think that at this time when the world is in turmoil, we must not stick to the old rules and regulations, and stick to the so-called ancestral system, which will disappoint the people of the world!"

"Only if you advance to the throne of king can you comply with the will of heaven and the people's wishes, and call on people of high ideals from all directions to follow you and wipe out all the rebels, and return a peaceful world to the people!"

Guo Tu certainly would not miss the opportunity to persuade the emperor to ascend the throne, and he immediately jumped out and expressed his opinion on behalf of the Ruying scholars to persuade the emperor to ascend the throne.

Yuan Shang and Guo Tu both started, and the counselors and generals present were naturally moved and urged them to continue.

Even Ju Su, although he thought it was too early for Yuan Shao to declare himself king at this time, had to stand up and reluctantly follow the crowd in the face of such a situation.

Looking at the generous persuasion of his ministers, a satisfied smile flashed across Yuan Shao's lips.

So he took a deep breath, waved his hands in a helpless manner, and sighed:
"Forget it, forget it. Since the people of the world are forcing me to ascend the throne, if I continue to refuse, wouldn't that chill the hearts of the people?"

"I will grant your request and make you king."

(End of this chapter)