Chapter 293 I, Liu Bei, a descendant of the royal family, am enthroned as the King of Chu by the Emperor’s order!

Kong Rong?

The emperor's envoy?
The combination of these two identities made Liu Bei shocked and surprise appeared in his eyes.

Kong Rong and Liu Bei were naturally familiar with each other. They had a long-standing friendship. When they rescued Beihai from siege, they could be considered to have formed a life-and-death friendship.

As for the emperor's envoy, even a fool would know that he must have come at the instruction of Cao Cao and represented Cao Cao's will.

Now that Cao Cao has retreated to Guanzhong and has no conflicts of interest with him for the time being, why did he send an envoy all the way to Shouchun to meet him?
Or did he send Kong Rong, an old acquaintance?
This made Liu Bei a little confused.

"Cao Cao is a man who can bend and stretch. Didn't he ignore the revenge of killing his son and appoint you as a general in the name of the emperor, just to provoke Yuan Shao to use his troops against you?"

"Now that he has retreated to Guanzhong, his strength is at its weakest. Seeing that Yuan Shao and the lord have reached a truce, he is naturally afraid, fearing that Yuan Shao will free up his hands to attack Guanzhong and kill him."

"I think he will use the same old tricks again this time. He wants to use the emperor's name to promote you and instigate you to go to war with Yuan Shao so that Yuan Shao will have no time to attack him."

"As for sending Kong Wenju, it's easier to explain. They just want to take advantage of Kong Wenju's relationship with the lord to play the emotional card."

Xiao Fang exposed Cao Cao's motives with just a few casual words.

Liu Bei suddenly realized and couldn't help but sarcastically said:

"Cao is a wicked man. He has used this trick on me many times. First, he appointed me as the General of Guarding the East and encouraged me to go to war with Yuan Shu."

"Later, he appointed me as a general and instigated me to fight against Yuan Shao."

"He's using the same old trick again. This move is really familiar to Cao Cao."

Xiao Fang disagreed and sneered:
"Anyway, Yuan Shao usurped the throne, and my lord is going to attack him anyway, and recovering the Central Plains is also a must."

"Cao Cao wanted to use the emperor's name to promote our lord, and our lord happily accepted it, treating it as an unexpected gain."

Liu Bei's brows relaxed, and after thinking about it, he agreed, so he asked Kong Rong to enter the city, and he went out of the house to greet him personally.

Firstly, it was to show respect for the emperor, and secondly, Kong Rong was an old friend and he had to greet him in person after not seeing him for many years.

A quarter of an hour later.

The carriage stopped in front of the general's mansion, and a middle-aged Confucian scholar calmly got off the carriage, holding an imperial edict in his hand.

Liu Bei, who had been waiting at the gate of the mansion, greeted him with a smile when he saw his old friend.

"I haven't seen you for ten years, Kong Beihai is still as charming as ever!"

Liu Bei stepped forward with a smile and bowed.

Kong Rong hurriedly bowed in return, looked at Liu Bei with a smile, and said with emotion:

"Lord Xuande, Rong will always remember the kindness of Lord Xuande in saving me in Beihai."

"I didn't expect that after we parted in Beihai, we would meet again now. Lord Xuande has dominated half of Jiangnan, commanded a hundred thousand soldiers, and has become the pillar of the Han Dynasty!"

"It is also because I am short-sighted. If I had known earlier that Lord Xuande was such a great leader, I would have abandoned my family and career to follow him, so as to help Lord Xuande defeat the bandits and do my part to support the great cause of the Han Dynasty."

This descendant of Confucius, a great scholar of his time, has always had a very broad vision.

Now that he has met Liu Bei, he can show such respect to him and give him such high praise, which shows that he is sincerely impressed by Liu Bei.

Liu Bei laughed and invited Kong Rong into his mansion.

After reminiscing about the past, Kong Rong explained his purpose and read out the emperor's edict.

As Xiao Fang expected, this was an imperial edict to promote Lao Liu to a higher position.

The Grand Marshal and Generalissimo is also in charge of the Governor of Yanzhou and the Commander-in-Chief of all the troops in the states east of Tongguan!
This imperial edict added the title of Grand Marshal to Liu Bei's original title of General, which could be said to be a promotion.

As for taking on the post of Governor of Yanzhou concurrently, it was obviously intended to stir up conflict between him and Yuan Shao.

Who owns Yanzhou now?

Most of the counties and kingdoms are in Yuan Shao's hands.

If you want to live up to the title as the Governor of Yanzhou, then naturally you have to snatch Yanzhou back from Yuan Shao. And this requires violence.

"Lord Xuande, this is what the emperor wants."

"To tell you the truth, the emperor had no choice but to issue this edict under the pressure of Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao wants to win you over on the one hand, and on the other hand he wants to instigate you to go to war with Yuan Shao. You must be aware of his sinister intentions."

Kong Rong handed the order to Liu Bei, and then told him Cao Cao's motives truthfully.

Liu Bei respectfully took the imperial edict and handed it to Chen Dao for safekeeping.

Then, he smiled faintly and said with gratitude:
"Brother Wenju was able to tell me about Cao's plot. It seems that my friendship with you was not in vain."

Liu Bei changed the subject and said seriously:

"However, Wen Ju must have heard on his way here that Yuan Shao has usurped the throne!"

"As a relative of the Han Dynasty, how can I sit back and watch Yuan Shikai's rebellion? Even without Cao Cao's instigation, I will still fight against Yuan Shikai!"

Kong Rong was shocked and asked hurriedly:
"Yuan Shao now controls six states, especially Jizhou, which has the largest population in the world."

"Are you really fearless against such a huge crocodile? Are you brave enough to attack it with the troops of three states?"

Liu Bei's face was as hard as steel, and he said resolutely:

"I am a descendant of the Liu family. It is my unshirkable responsibility to support the country and fight against the Han thieves!"

"Don't mention that I have the troops of three states under my command. Even if I only have one soldier, I will fight to the death with a traitor like Yuan Shao!"

Hearing this, the surprise and curiosity on Kong Rong's face turned into awe.

Kong Rong stood up, bowed his clothes, and bowed deeply to Liu Bei with respect:
"Rong was right. Lord Xuande's courage and determination to support the Han Dynasty are unmatched by anyone in the world!"

"Our great Han Dynasty has a pillar like Lord Xuande, and God will not destroy our great Han Dynasty!"

Liu Bei also stood up and wanted to say something humble, but Kong Rong suddenly untied his belt, tore it apart with a loud noise, and took out a silk book from it.

"The emperor has issued an edict, Grand Marshal and General Liu Bei, please accept it!"

Kong Rong's expression changed from respect to solemnity, and he shouted loudly while holding up the imperial edict.

This sudden dramatic scene left Liu Bei stunned.

Hasn’t the emperor’s decree already been read out? How come another decree has popped up?

Was this decree secretly hidden in Kong Rong's jade belt?

No matter how hard you try, Kong Rong's imperial edict has been brought out, so you have to accept it.

Liu Bei immediately calmed down and bowed to receive the order.

Kong Rong slowly unfolded the imperial edict, took a deep breath, and said loudly:
"General Liu Bei has done great service to the country by punishing the rebels and suppressing the rebellion. I am grateful for your contribution to the country and will pardon and enfeoff you as the King of Chu to honor your merits!"

"I hope you will not forget your original intention, and take it as your responsibility to rectify the government, lead the heroes of Guandong to destroy the two thieves Yuan and Cao, and welcome me back to the old capital as soon as possible!"

Kong Rong's clear and sharp voice, like that of a bell or a drum, echoed in the hall as he read out the secret decree.

Inside the palace hall, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and other civil and military officials were all in an uproar, all looking at the imperial edict in Kong Rong's hand with great surprise.

Liu Bei looked surprised, with a face full of disbelief and a dazed look, as if he thought he had heard it wrong.

Even Xiao Fang was shocked at this moment, with a flash of unexpected surprise in his eyes.

But after a moment of surprise, Xiao Fang immediately understood.

The puppet emperor in Chang'an wanted to use the heavy title of king to win over and motivate Liu Bang to fight to the death with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao so as to rescue him as soon as possible and make him a true emperor.

Of course, Cao Cao would never allow such an imperial edict to confer the title of king, and would never let Chang'an go without saying a word.

Therefore, Kong Rong secretly hid the edict in his belt, and took the opportunity of coming to comfort and win over Liu Bang on behalf of Cao Cao, and instigating Liu Bang to go to war with Yuan Shao, to bring the secret edict to Shouchun.

Xiao Fang smiled.

I have to say that Old Liu is really blessed by destiny. This edict to confer the title of king came at the perfect time.

Just now, Old Liu rejected their request to be promoted to king on the grounds that there was no clear edict from the emperor.

Xiao Fang was still racking his brains over how to convince Lao Liu and let him become king rightfully.

Kong Rong came to the rescue right after.

Didn’t you, Old Liu, want the emperor’s edict? Now the emperor’s edict is right before you, and it clearly states that he is going to appoint you as the King of Chu.

What other reasons do you have for refusing?

If you dare to refuse, wouldn't that be considered as disobeying the emperor's order?
The emperor wants to confer the title of king on you. How can the value and legitimacy of this title be compared with the so-called title of Yuan Shao who deceives himself and claims to be the king?
No matter who is in the world, no matter how much they dislike you, Old Liu, how can they have the nerve to say even a word of gossip about your claim to be the king?

"Lord!"

Xiao Fang took a step forward and happily bowed:

"Now that the emperor's edict is here, my lord, it is legitimate for you to be promoted to king!"

"I am waiting to invite you, my lord, to ascend to the throne as king!"

Guan Yu and the others reacted immediately and stood up suddenly.

"We are begging you, lord, to ascend to the throne as king!"

"We are begging you, lord, to ascend to the throne as king!"

In the hall, voices of persuasion for the throne rose one after another.

Liu Bei looked at Xiao Fang, then at the people who came to persuade him to ascend the throne, and for a moment he was at a loss as to what to do.

"Lord Xuande, you are the pillar of the Han Dynasty, a member of the royal family, and the emperor's uncle appointed by the emperor."

"Given your bloodline and achievements, it is only natural that you will be promoted to king. No one in the world dares to object."

"Besides, this is the emperor's decree. Since you are a subject, how can you disobey it?"

"Lord Xuande, please accept the imperial edict."

Kong Rong also persuaded him earnestly and handed the secret decree to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei took the edict with slightly trembling hands, and looked at it carefully again to confirm that every word on it was real.

His gaze finally fell on the words "King of Chu".

The three states he now controls are all Chu territory, and the emperor has specially appointed him as the King of Chu.

"King of Chu, King of Chu..."

Looking at those two words, the hesitation and worry in Liu Bei's eyes were disappearing bit by bit.

His original intention was indeed to support the Han Dynasty and do his best as a descendant of the Liu family.

However, no one is a saint. Who can be completely selfless?

He never denied that, in addition to his public-spirited desire to support the Han Dynasty, he also had the selfish desire to be granted a title of nobility and appointed as prime minister, in order to seek a future that would bring honor to his family.

Now, you are dominating the three states, you have the support and persuasion of many heroes such as Xiao Fang and Guan Yu, and you also have the emperor's decree. Why would you still refuse?
Why don't you dare to face your own selfish desires?
The last bit of worry disappeared into thin air.

After Liu Bei took a deep breath, his eyes became resolute and frank.

So he took the imperial edict, straightened his clothes, and bowed slowly in the direction of Chang'an:
"Your servant Liu Bei accepts your order and thanks you for your grace."

"I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the Emperor. I will lead the heroes and righteous men of Guandong to defeat the two thieves Yuan and Cao, and revive our Han Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)