Ji Han Liu Zhang

After finishing his speech, Xun You made clear his attitude. He was not very concerned about the issue of the title of prince. He did not smile like Captain Li Xiu and his group of supporters, but frowned as he discussed the issue of the title of prince.

In troubled times, when others are well-intentioned, you should think carefully about what kind of agenda is hidden behind the kindness. Otherwise, if you are sold out and then help them count the money and then thank them after counting the money, that would be extremely stupid.

Facing this move made by Cao Cao, which seemed to be well-intentioned but was actually full of malice, Xun You thought about the person who planned this move. He felt that the person playing chess was extraordinary and could not match him in intelligence.

'It must not have been written by my cousin Wen Ruo.'

Xun You denied that Xun Yu was the chess player who made this brilliant move. He was very familiar with this cousin. Xun Yu was loyal to the Han Dynasty and would not do anything to harm loyal and heroic people, especially since his wise lord Liu Zhang fought against rebels for the country and eliminated Li and Guo, and made great contributions to the court and the country. Xun Yu would definitely not come up with such a strategy to harm Liu Zhang.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." Xun You half-closed his eyes. He planned to discuss with Liu Zhang about planting spies in Xudu after the meeting, so that he could have a better grasp of the direction of the political situation in Xudu.

They are just spies, but people stationed in Xudu don't necessarily have to spy on information in dark corners. Spies can also stand openly in the court. On the surface, they are court officials, but secretly they are their spies.

It cannot be said that there is no need to send spies here. After all, according to Gongcao Zhang Su, ever since Cao Cao took charge of the government and controlled the power, many officials and ministers have been dissatisfied with Cao Cao's actions. They think that Cao Cao, who is just the descendant of a eunuch and has a questionable background, dares to put himself above everyone else.

In a word, in short, in order to assist you in conquering the world and conquering the universe, the enemy's intelligence and information exchange must be smooth and unimpeded, and we must be able to penetrate into the heart of the enemy, detect the enemy's actions early, and anticipate the enemy's actions in advance.

'Xudu, Yecheng.'

Xun You silently gave two points with the highest priority in his mind: Xudu, where the emperor resides, and Yecheng, where the leader of the alliance Yuan Benchu ​​lives. As for the movements and actions of Xudu and Yecheng, there must be spies who keep a close eye on them and pass on the latest news to Guanzhong.

"Wenhe, what do you think?" Liu Zhang nodded in response to Xun You's words. He still hadn't made a decision yet, so he looked at Jia Xu. He wanted to know what Jia Xu thought.

"What Xu thinks is exactly the same as what Xun You thinks." Jia Xu echoed. He very much agreed with Xun You's opinion. As the saying goes, wise men think alike. The opinions of Jia Xu and Xun You were almost the same.

However, Jia Xu had his own opinion: "That is, Cao Mengde controls the government and intends to reward you as king. When the angels come and go, whether you accept or not, everyone in the world will know about it. This is an open conspiracy... Even if you refuse the reward of the kingship, Cao Mengde's plan will still succeed. This is an unsolvable conspiracy."

"So whether to accept it or not is up to you, my lord." After expressing his opinion, Jia Xu did not give a final conclusion on whether to accept the title of king or not. He slipped the decision to Liu Zhang.

"It is true that the emperor is used to control the princes. With the emperor in hand, there are endless ways to do good." When Liu Zhang heard Jia Xu's words, he sighed deeply in his heart.

Cao Mengde used the hand of the emperor to grant him the title of king. Liu Zhang, who was familiar with history, immediately understood that Cao Mengde was putting him on the fire, just like Sun Quan secretly suggested in history that Cao Cao should take the throne and usurp the Han Dynasty. Cao Cao complained about Sun Quan's ill intentions: "You want to put me on the fire."

In troubled times, Liu Zhang knew that the first bird to stick its head out would be shot, and the local snake would be killed with a knife. He should be low-key and safety was the most important thing. But now he couldn't keep a low profile even if he wanted to. Cao Cao was bent on building momentum for him and helping him become famous. He built high walls, stored up food, and slowly became king.

The nine-character mantra that Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang relied on to successfully win the chicken in the chicken-eating competition at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was Liu Zhang's creed in his fight for supremacy in the world, but now there are signs that the creed is being broken.

Jia Xu believed that the result would be the same whether he accepted the title of King of Shu or not. This reminded Liu Zhang of a famous saying in later generations: "It's like being raped. Since you can't resist, you should learn to enjoy it."

"He is truly a treacherous hero, and his moves are extraordinary." Liu Zhang had to admit that Cao Cao was indeed quite capable. No wonder Cao Cao was able to unify the north and sway the whole country, and made Liu Bei, a great man, run around in embarrassment.

"Cao Mengde does not have good intentions. I will reject the title of King of Shu and not follow Cao Mengde's intention." Liu Zhang concluded his speech. He planned to refuse the title of King of Shu that would be awarded by the emperor's envoy later.

Although it was a title conferred upon him as the King of Shu, as Jia Xu said, whether Liu Zhang accepted it or not, Cao Cao's goal would be achieved, which was to put Liu Zhang on the fire, but Liu Zhang still planned to refuse. After all, there is still a little difference between accepting and rejecting.

If he accepted the title of king, the princes of the world would cast their most ardent eyes on Guanzhong and watch Liu Zhang's every move and every word closely. If Liu Zhang refused the title of King of Shu, fewer people would watch him and the princes of the world would not pay too much attention to him.

Liu Zhang made his decision. As his words came out, some people in the hall looked disappointed, some nodded in agreement, but no one else came to speak up. This was because with Liu Zhang's current power, few people dared to veto his decisions, especially in public.

The matter was settled, and all the civil and military officials dispersed. Guanzhong had just been settled, and affairs were complicated. There were still many things that needed to be taken care of, and everyone did not have much free time. It just happened that there was a meeting today to discuss the matter of enthroning the King of Shu, so so many people gathered together.

"Yongnian, why didn't you say a word just now? This is not your style." Liu Zhang joked to Peng Ying, the military officer who was left for him.

Peng Ying smiled and said calmly, "I think you have already made up your mind. It will be useless to speak out or not. It is better to sit back and watch."

"Tell me your opinion. I'd like to hear it." Liu Zhang asked. He wanted to hear Peng Ying's opinion and at the same time use it to open up the topic.

Peng Ying put away the smile on his face, straightened his expression, and bowed to Liu Zhang, saying: "It is not excessive for you to be conferred the title of king. I will accept it."

"Oh?" Liu Zhang was a little surprised. He said in astonishment. After all, with Peng Ying's intelligence, he should not be able to see the trap.

Peng Ying paused, and then he said in a loud voice: "However, Ying thinks that the mere title of King of Shu is too humble. With your prestige and virtue today, you are not worthy of being called the King of Qin, Jin, Qi, or Chu. If you are to be given the title of King of Qin or King of Jin, then you can accept it." (End of this chapter)