Chapter 292: Yuan Shao dared to call himself a king, why don't you call yourself an emperor? Eat one bite at a time, let's cross the river by feeling Cao Cao's way!

Yangzhou, Shouchun.

Four months had passed since the conflict with Yuan Shao ended.

After Liu Bei pacified Xuzhou, he temporarily moved the military headquarters to Shouchun at the suggestion of Xiao Fang.

After all, the core of Lao Liu's rule now is the two states of Jing and Yang. If the General's Mansion is permanently stationed in Xia Pi, it is too far to the north and will not be conducive to taking care of the two states.

Shouchun can be connected to Nanyang in the west, Xuzhou in the north, and Jiangdong in the south, and can barely be considered one of the three states.

Therefore, temporarily moving the General's Mansion to Shouchun will take into account both the north and the south, which is the wisest choice.

A banquet was going on in the mansion hall.

Guan Yu, who was guarding Jingzhou, also rushed to Shouchun from Jingzhou. It was a rare occasion for Lao Liu and the three brothers Guan and Zhang to gather together again.

One was to express their brotherhood, and the other was to discuss how to use military force against Yuan Shao next.

"Brother, what else can we discuss? Just listen to the military advisor."

"The military advisor tells us how to fight that old dog Yuan Shao, and that's how we fight him. It's always right to listen to the military advisor!"

As a die-hard fan of Xiao Fang, Zhang Fei was the first to shout.

Liu Bei laughed, stroked his beard and nodded:
"Yide's words make sense. Jinglue must have a plan on how to defeat Yuan Shao and recover the Central Plains. Let's talk about it."

The three brothers and the counselors and generals present all turned their eyes to Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang naturally already had a plan in mind, so he didn't lay any groundwork since Lao Liu had spoken. He just asked for a map and prepared to explain his strategy in detail.

Just at this moment, the Bai Li Guards hurried in and gave Lao Liu an urgent secret report.

Liu Bei didn't take it seriously at first. He still had a smile on his face and slowly opened the secret report on the silk book.

Just one look and the smile on his face suddenly disappeared.

"Yuan Shao, how dare you usurp the throne and claim to be king!"

When this sound was heard, the whole hall was shaken.

Liu Bei frowned, his face darkened, and he showed the urgent message on silk to everyone.

Seven days ago, Yuan Shao built an altar in the south of Xuchang City to offer sacrifices to heaven, announced his advancement to king, and named his country Wei!

There was an uproar in the main hall.

"Emperor Gaozu left a legacy: if anyone other than the Liu family becomes king, the whole world will attack him!"

"Yuan Shao dared to usurp the throne without the emperor's order. His intention to treason and usurp the Han Dynasty is obvious!"

"Brother, how can we not punish these Han thieves?"

Guan Yu's eyes opened wide, murderous intent burning in his angry eyes.

These words also expressed the thoughts of all the generals.

It has only been less than five months since you, Yuan Shao, won the Battle of Guandu. Although you have occupied Xuchang, you have only conquered half of the Central Plains.

He was so arrogant and hasty to proclaim himself king, which showed how eager he was to usurp the Han Dynasty and establish himself as king.

If Yuan Shao dares to proclaim himself king today, he will dare to follow Yuan Shu’s example and ascend the throne to become emperor tomorrow!

When Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, Liu Bei had no way of conquering him because Cao Cao's Yuzhou was in between.

Now Old Liu controls three states, bordering the entire area occupied by Yuan Shao. Seeing that Yuan Shao has usurped the throne and declared himself king, how can he justify not attacking him?

Isn't the slogan of supporting the Han Dynasty and eliminating Han traitors just a deceptive cover?

How to explain to the world?

"boom!"

Liu Bei pounded his fist on the table and said in a deep voice:

"It seems that the campaign against Yuan Shao is inevitable."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Fei jumped up and shouted excitedly:
"We must attack that old villain Yuan Shao, of course, but I think there is something more important to do before we do that."

"Yuan Shao is an outsider, yet he dares to call himself a king. Brother, you are a member of the Liu royal family, a legitimate descendant of the Han Dynasty. I think you can just call yourself an emperor!"

"It's settled. Brother, you will ascend the throne and become emperor first, and then lead us to destroy that old villain Yuan Shao!"

Zhang Fei finally couldn't hold it in anymore and openly advised Liu Bei to become emperor!
Ever since Shouchun City was captured and the imperial seal was obtained, Zhang Fei's heart has become lively.

He was thinking that the imperial seal represented the will of heaven, didn't it?

Then, when my eldest brother got the imperial seal, didn't it mean that it was a hint from heaven that my eldest brother was destined by heaven to inherit the throne and become emperor?

So from that day on, he was determined to help his sworn brother ascend the throne and become emperor.

After holding it in for so long, Zhang Fei finally got the chance today. He could no longer bear it and finally jumped out to persuade him to ascend.

As soon as these words of persuasion were uttered, the hall immediately became boiling with excitement.

Some were delighted, some were surprised, and some were hesitant and worried.

Old Liu, the person involved, was stunned and stood there in a daze for a moment.

"Hey, you're too impatient. At least discuss it with us..."

Xiao Fang glared at Zhang Fei secretly, complaining in his heart.

Helping Liu Bei ascend the throne and become emperor was naturally his ultimate goal.

Otherwise, what if I worked so hard to assist Old Liu in conquering the world and wiping out the bandits, only for that puppet emperor in Chang'an to reap the fruits of his labor?
When the world is at peace, the throne of the emperor must naturally be passed down through orthodox inheritance.

When the world is in chaos, the capable must take charge!
However, at this point in time, Lao Liu obviously does not have the conditions to become emperor. Becoming emperor at this time will only put Lao Liu in trouble and make him the target of public criticism.

Zhang Fei couldn't see the overall situation, but Xiao Fang was clear-headed and knew that the time had not yet come.

He knew even more clearly that if he persuaded him to come in now, Old Liu would never agree.

"Nonsense!"

"Ever since I put down the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I have been determined to wipe out the rebels in all directions, support the Han Dynasty, and restore the Han Dynasty!"

"Now you want me to usurp the throne and claim the throne. Then what is the difference between me, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao and other traitors who usurped the Han Dynasty?"

"Yide, do you want me to become a traitor to the Han Dynasty and be criticized by the people of the world?" As expected.

Not only did Old Liu reject Zhang Fei's advice on the spot, he also spoke sternly, with an angry look on his face.

Xiao Fang knew that at this time Old Liu's mentality was still on supporting the Han Dynasty, and he had not yet developed the intention of "replacing" the emperor in Chang'an.

This is no wonder, no one wants to be an emperor when they are born.

Even Cao Cao's initial ambition was to become the General of the Western Expedition and expand the territory for the Han Dynasty.

As the saying goes, heroes are made by the times. When the trend comes, people's original intentions will change.

But in Xiao Fang's opinion, Old Liu is still young and strong, and there is still time. Even if he wants to become emperor, there is no need to rush to achieve it all at once.

Besides, no matter how ambitious Yuan Shao was, he only proclaimed himself a king first. You, Liu, jumped directly from general to emperor. Don't you seem to be more anxious than Yuan Shao? Instead, you diverted the criticism from people all over the world to Yuan Shao.

"Brother, I am not talking nonsense, I——"

"General Yide, what the lord said is absolutely right!"

Xiao Fang indeed spoke up and stopped Zhang Fei's radical persuasion.

Zhang Fei became anxious and wanted to speak again.

"Yide, listen to what the military advisor has to say!"

Guan Yu shouted in a deep voice and stopped Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei had no choice but to mutter to himself and looked at Xiao Fang with confusion. He thought to himself, when we first got the imperial seal, didn't you express your desire to help Old Liu ascend to the throne?

Aren't we brothers on the same front? Why is it that when I'm trying to persuade you to take the throne, not only do you not cheer for me, but you even sing a different tune?
"We all know that our lord's lifelong ambition is to eliminate the Han thieves, support the Han Dynasty, and clear up the world!"

"Although the emperor is being held hostage by Cao Cao, he is still alive. It would be an act of usurpation for you to ascend the throne and claim the throne at this time. It is also against your intention to support the country!"

Xiao Fang first agreed with Lao Liu's position, but then his tone suddenly changed:
"However, Yuan Shao has three generations of officials, and his name is well-known all over the world. After he captured Xuchang, the noble families and heroes from the Central Plains flocked to him."

"Although he has usurped the throne, he has the confidence to confer titles and honors, and has attracted many heroes from the Central Plains to join him."

"If this continues, the hearts of the heroes in the Central Plains will all belong to Yuan Shao!"

"Yuan Shao already controls six states. If he can win the hearts of the people in the Central Plains, wouldn't he be even more powerful and easier to defeat?"

"So I think that even if you don't ascend the throne and become emperor, you should be promoted to king."

"In this way, my lord will have enough appeal to compete with Yuan Shao for the hearts and minds of the heroes in the Central Plains, and will have the confidence to defeat Yuan Shao and realize his grand ambition of supporting the Han Dynasty!"

Say it.

Xiao Fang looked solemn, and bowed to Old Liu:
"So I ask you, my lord, to prioritize the great cause of supporting the Han Dynasty and advance to the throne of king!"

You have to take one step at a time and eat one bite at a time. Even if you want to help Lao Liu ascend to the throne, you have to follow the process.

First call yourself a duke, then a king, and finally an emperor. This is the strategy pioneered by Cao Cao, and history has proven that this strategy is very effective.

Then Lao Liu just needs to cross the river by following Cao Cao's lead.

According to Xiao Fang's original plan, he would first help Lao Liu become the Duke, then the King, and finally the Emperor.

It’s just that the trajectory of history changed. The event of Yuan Shao becoming king forced him to adjust the pace and let Liu Bei skip the step of becoming a duke and become king directly.

Otherwise, you, Yuan Shao, are the king, but Old Liu is only called the Duke. Isn't he half a head shorter than Yuan Shao?

Inside the lobby, everyone was excited again, and everyone's eyes suddenly brightened.

Zhang Fei, who had been muttering to himself, was suddenly overjoyed and jumped up again.

"Brother, what the military advisor said makes sense."

"We understand why you don't want to be emperor. You're afraid of being gossiped about. But it should be okay to be king, right?"

"That old thief Yuan Shao is a traitor of a different family, but he dared to call himself a king. You are a member of the Liu royal family, the uncle appointed by the emperor. Isn't it natural for you to be a king? Who dares to gossip about you?"

Zhang Fei shouted righteously.

Guan Yu also stood up and bowed to Liu Bei, saying:
"Brother, I also think what the military advisor said is very true."

"Only if you become king can you compete with Yuan Shao for the hearts and minds of the people in the Central Plains. Only then can you have enough appeal to lead all the heroes to defeat Yuan Shao and support our Han country!"

Seeing that the top three figures under Liu Bei had all persuaded him to join, everyone immediately understood what he meant.

Then Huang Zhong, Taishi Ci, Gan Ning, Zhang Liao and others stood up and urged him to advance.

Looking at the ministers who came together to persuade him to ascend the throne, Liu Bei, who had originally had a solemn expression, gradually turned into surprise.

At a certain moment, a subtle look flashed in his eyes.

He was tempted.

As the saying goes, heroes are made by the times. Now, the persuasion of Xiao Fang and other ministers is the general trend.

Driven by this trend, Lao Liu's mentality has quietly undergone a certain transformation.

Liu Bei was moved for only a moment, and then he sighed:
"I can understand your intentions, and I also understand the principles you are talking about."

"However, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, let alone someone of a different surname claiming to be king, even if it was a relative of the Liu clan, how could there be a precedent of someone claiming to be king without receiving an imperial decree?"

"If I cannot be crowned by the emperor and declare myself king, how is he any different from Yuan Shao and other Han traitors?"

Liu Bei's words stumped everyone, and the originally boiling tide of persuading him to ascend the throne immediately subsided.

Everyone looked at each other, all with troubled expressions.

Old Liu has made it very clear. The emperor is still alive. If I declare myself king without being conferred the title by him, that would be tantamount to treason!
But everyone knows that the emperor is a puppet of Cao Cao. How could he issue an edict to appoint you, Old Liu, as king without Cao Cao's permission?

It seems that we have reached a dead end after trying so far in our persuasion.

Even Xiao Fang frowned at this moment, unable to think of a solution that would satisfy both parties.

The sound of footsteps interrupted the silence in the hall.

The Bai Li Guards rushed in and said loudly:

"My lord, the imperial envoy Kong Rong has arrived outside Shouchun City and wants to enter the city to announce the emperor's order to you!"

(End of this chapter)