Chapter 294: Become a king, establish a country, and confer titles on my ministers! I will mobilize all my country's troops to march north and reclaim the Central Plains!
Xiao Fang smiled.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and the others all breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders.

There was an instant of jubilation in the hall, and everyone was excited.

In this joy, public spirit is naturally the main factor.

Seeing that his lord agreed to be promoted to king, as a subject, he was naturally sincerely pleased.

When a lord establishes a kingdom and becomes king, he has the power to confer official titles and ranks within the kingdom.

As a subject, one's official position and title will also rise accordingly. How can everyone not be happy about it?

In short, Lao Liu's becoming king is a win-win situation, and everyone is naturally excited.

"If Fang's guess is correct, the emperor must have made this secret edict without Cao Cao's knowledge, and Cao Cao must not know about it."

"If Young Master Kong returns to Chang'an, Cao Cao will be furious and will kill him."

"I think that Mr. Kong should not return to Chang'an, but stay in Shouchun to assist the Lord."

Out of kindness, Xiao Fang wanted to keep Kong Rong.

On the one hand, it was out of concern for Kong Rong's safety. On the other hand, Kong Rong was the descendant of a sage and a world-renowned Confucian scholar. His staying could be regarded as a way to support Lao Liu.

When Kong Rong heard this, he said seriously:

"Since I am here on a mission under the order of the emperor, even though I know I will not be able to escape Cao Cao's clutches if I return to Chang'an, I will still return to Chang'an to report to the emperor."

Xiao Fang frowned slightly and said,
"Mr. Kong's loyalty to the emperor is naturally known to everyone. Even if you don't return to Chang'an, everyone will know it."

"Knowing that returning to Chang'an means certain death, but still going back to die, that's just pedantic."

"If Mr. Kong is truly loyal to the emperor and the Han Dynasty, he should keep himself useful, stay to assist the lord, and use practical actions to help the Han Dynasty, instead of clinging to the empty reputation of sacrificing himself for righteousness."

In just a few words, Xiao Fang asked Kong Rong a question that left him speechless.

Liu Bei also nodded heavily and said with a determined look:
"Brother Wenju, you risked your life to come to Shouchun in order to deliver the secret decree from the Emperor to make me king. If you are killed by Cao Cao because of this, how can I still have the face to call myself king?"

"If Brother Wenju insists on returning to Chang'an, then please take this imperial edict with you. It doesn't matter if you are not qualified to be the King of Chu."

Liu Bei was concerned about Kong Rong's life and death, so he could only "threaten" Kong Rong by refusing to be promoted to the position of prime minister in order to prevent him from returning to Chang'an to die.

Having said that, Kong Rong naturally had no reason to insist on returning to Chang'an.

After a moment of hesitation, he could only smile bitterly and said,
"In that case, Rong will stay and assist Lord Xuande in accomplishing the great cause of supporting the Han Dynasty."

Liu Bei then breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. He immediately ordered a banquet to entertain Kong Rong warmly.

"Lord Xuande, if Rong's guess is correct, could this person be the legendary Xiao Jinglue?"

After finishing his work, Kong Rong asked Liu Bei curiously.

Liu Bei smiled and nodded, pointing at Xiao Fang:
"Yes, this is Xiao Fang, Xiao Jinglue. Bei can have the current power only because of Jinglue's support."

"Without Jinglue, there would be no Liu Bei today!"

In front of Kong Rong, Lao Liu did not hide his gratitude and trust towards Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang naturally understood human nature, so of course he declined the offer modestly, and attributed the credit to Lao Liu's bravery and strategy, and the advice and selfless dedication of his counselors and generals.

Kong Rong looked Xiao Fang up and down, his expression became serious again, and he bowed:
"Rong has long heard of the name of Military Advisor Xiao as a strategist. Today, I finally get to see him in person. This is truly a great honor."

"It is a blessing for Lord Xuande to have the assistance of a god like Military Advisor Xiao. It is also a blessing for the Han Dynasty!"

Xiao Fang didn't know what to say and could only smile.

The banquet was held in a joyful atmosphere, and Liu Bei's promotion to king was finalized.

...

Ten days later, it was autumn.

To the south of Shouchun City, a high platform for offering sacrifices to heaven rises from the ground.

Grand Marshal and General Liu Bei led hundreds of civil and military officials to worship the heaven, earth and ancestors on a high platform, and formally announced that he was establishing the State of Chu in compliance with the emperor's decree and was promoted to the King of Chu.

The first wife, Su, was made Queen of Chu.

The eldest son, Liu Chen, was made the Crown Prince of Chu.

Military advisor Xiao Fang was appointed Prime Minister of Chu, in charge of all civil and military officials of Chu.

Guan Yu, the chief military general, was appointed as the former general, but he is still the chief military general.

Zhang Fei was promoted to Right General, Zhang Xiu was promoted to Left General, and Huang Zhong was promoted to Rear General.

The four generals were assigned to the four directions according to their seniority and merits.

The rest, including Xu Sheng, Wen Pin, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Chen Dao, Xu Chu, Guan Ping, Liu Pi, Taishi Ci, Ling Cao, Zhang Liao, Jiang Qin, Gao Shun, etc., were also promoted and given titles according to their merits and qualifications.

A number of civil officials, such as Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Jian Yong, Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun, Lu Su, Pang Tong, Chen Deng, etc., were also given official titles and ranks according to their merits and qualifications.

My brother-in-law Zhuge Liang has grown from a young boy to a powerful figure who can take on important tasks on his own.

Liu Bei promoted talented people regardless of their relationship with him and appointed Zhuge Liang as the Minister of the Chancellery, making him the second most important civil servant in the State of Chu, second only to the Prime Minister Xiao Fang.

The imperial edict promoting him to king was issued from Shouchun and spread to the three prefectures of Jing, Yang and Xu.

The spies densely distributed in Shouchun also quickly spread the news of Liu Bei's becoming king to all parts of the north.

The three states were in turmoil and the whole world was shaken.

...

Five days later.

Shouchun, the royal palace.

Liu Bei was full of vigor and vitality, wearing royal clothes and sitting high on the throne. This was the first time he convened a military meeting as the King of Chu after he was promoted to king.

"I will pay my respects to the king!"

As the prime minister, Xiao Fang naturally took the lead in paying homage.

"I will pay my respects to the king!"

"I will pay my respects to the king!"

The crowd was moved and bowed to pay homage.

Looking at the ministers kneeling in the hall and hearing the unfamiliar word "Your Majesty", Liu Bei felt a mixture of emotions.

Looking back decades ago, I was just a wild boy playing in the mud in the village. Now, decades later, I am the king of a country, sitting high on the throne, accepting the worship of heroes.

At this moment, he finally understood what it felt like to be alone and what it felt like to sit high up in the clouds and look down on the world.

It is indeed amazing...

At this moment, I had a sudden feeling that it was unreal.

However, this trance only lasted for a moment. Liu Bei quickly suppressed his smugness and let his thoughts return from the clouds to the ground.

Only when his feet are on the ground can he feel grounded.

After calming down, Liu Bei looked around at all the ministers and said solemnly:
"Gentlemen, now we are ready..."

When Old Liu first ascended the throne, he was obviously not used to this new role and even referred to himself as "Bei".

Chen Dao, who was standing beside him, coughed lightly to remind Liu Bei.

Liu Bei finally reacted and after a pause, he continued:
"Now I...I have already pacified Xuzhou and the newly acquired counties of Yanyu. The soldiers have rested for several months, and the surrendered soldiers have also been reorganized."

"Now that autumn has passed, the weather in Jingyang and Yangzhou has been good, and the grain and grass obtained from the military farms are as much as one million bushels, which is enough to support my army of more than 100,000."

"I intend to lead my army north to attack the traitor Yuan Shao and completely recover the Central Plains. What do you think?"

Hearing what Lao Liu said, Xiao Fang nodded slightly, secretly approving in his heart.

Old Liu was still down-to-earth. He did not become complacent or indulge in pleasure just because he was promoted to king. He still remembered his mission of suppressing the rebellion and reviving the Han Dynasty.

Compared with Old Liu, Yuan Shao at this time was content with the status quo and was immersed in singing and dancing, beauties and wine in Xuchang.

It is clear at a glance who is the powerful leader and who is worthy of unifying the world.

"Brother... No, my king, I... I have been waiting for you to say this."

"Your Majesty, just issue an edict. You don't need to do anything yourself. I can lead a group of soldiers to the north immediately. We will rush into Xuchang and kill that old thief, Shao!"

Zhang Fei was the first to jump up, excitedly and generously challenging him.

The fighting spirit of the Chu generals was ignited in an instant, and they all stepped out and volunteered to fight.

Liu Bei was naturally pleased with the fighting spirit of the generals, but he did not agree with Zhang Fei's arrogance.

"Yide, calm down and don't be too arrogant."

"Yuan Shao has the troops of six states under his command, which is several times larger than ours. It is impossible to defeat Yuan Shao by relying on our own courage and strength."

"We still need to take a long-term view and never underestimate the enemy."

Liu Bei waved his hand and suppressed Zhang Fei's arrogance a little.

Zhang Fei's excitement faded a little bit, and the generals also calmed down.

"Jinglue, how can we defeat Yuan Shao and recover the Central Plains? Do you have a foolproof plan?"

Liu Bei's gaze finally fell on Prime Minister Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang turned his gaze to Zhuge Liang and said with a faint smile:
"In fact, how to attack Yuan Shao, I, Kong Ming, Shi Yuan and others have discussed many times beforehand, and have drawn up a set of military strategies for the king."

"Let Kong Ming explain to the king how to use the troops."

Xiao Fang gave the opportunity to his brother-in-law.

After guarding Jingzhou for many years, Zhuge Liang is now a completely different person and is worthy of the name "Sleeping Dragon".

Now is the time for him to take on the responsibility and share some of the burden.

After all, as the Prime Minister of the State of Chu, he was in charge of all civil and military officials, and there were too many things to take care of.

Xiao Fang didn't want to be like Zhuge Liang in history, who did everything himself and exhausted himself.

You should paddle when you need to paddle, and you should know how to relieve the pressure on yourself...

Zhuge Liang did not refuse and happily went out of the class, ordering the Bai Li Guards to spread out a huge map in front of the hall.

"According to the plan of the Prime Minister and my ministers, we should attack Yuan Shao in three directions."

"On the western route of Jingzhou, General Guan should lead our Jingzhou army to march northward from Kunyang and feint an attack south of Xuchang."

"The eastern route of Xuzhou will be led by General Taishi, who will lead the Xuzhou army northward to attack Qingzhou."

"These two armies are small armies. It would be best if they could achieve some results. Their real purpose is to contain the pseudo-Wei army."

"The central army will be led by Your Majesty himself, and we will lead the main Chu army from Shouchun to the north, along the Yingshui River, and directly attack Xuchang."

"Yuan Shao was confident that he controlled the six states, but Your Majesty took the initiative to attack him. In his rage, he will mobilize all the troops in the country and march south along the Ying River to fight a decisive battle with our main force."

"That's exactly what we want."

"Our real strategic intention is to lure Yuan Shao out of Xuchang and lead his main force to Xiangxian. We can use the terrain advantage to defeat the main force of the pseudo-Wei in one fell swoop!"

(End of this chapter)