Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 170: So what if he is crowned a king of a different surname

Imperial Palace, Xuanshi.

"I, General Zhang Liao, pay my respects to Your Majesty!" Zhang Liao knelt on one knee to salute Liu Xie, his armor colliding with each other, making the sound of swords clashing. "I am wearing armor, so I cannot perform the full salute. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"It doesn't matter."

Liu Xie looked at Zhang Liao in his brand new armor and couldn't help but stand up and walk forward. He looked around him again and again, and reached out to touch him from time to time.

"This armor is a new type of equipment made by Zhen's craftsmen, right? Has Lord Wen's army been equipped with it?"

The black armor on Zhang Liao's body had amazing defensive power, and it was not a product of the technology of that era. At least he had never seen it on the soldiers in Yuan Shao's army.

I think it should be the new equipment created after the Zhen family mastered the iron smelting technique and greatly improved the craftsmanship.

"Your Majesty, this is exactly the new equipment."

Zhang Liao nodded and replied truthfully: "However, I only have ten sets of first-class armor. As for the other second-class armor, only 1,500 sets have been made from the end of last year to now, and they are all worn by the elite soldiers among the 10,000 troops I brought with me. The rest are all third-class armor."

Hearing these words, Liu Xie was immediately moved.

Look, look! What does it mean to be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?
Not only did Lu Bu send his most elite soldiers, he also brought his only 1,500 sets of second-class armor!

Yuan Xi, how can you compare with my General Fengxian!
"Good! Good!"

Liu Xie showed excitement on his face. He personally helped Zhang Liao up and held his arm, saying, "With Wenyuan guarding Yecheng, I have nothing to worry about!"

This is really not just his polite words.

A brave general like Zhang Liao, 10,000 elite soldiers equipped with new weapons, plus the impregnable Ye City which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the grain that Yuan Shao has stored in Ye City over the years.

Even if Yuan Shao mobilized all the troops from Jizhou, it would not be enough!

Zhang Liao was moved and terrified by the emperor's commendation.

After Liu Xie encouraged him a few more words, he let him leave and rest.

After Zhang Liao left, Guo Jia said, "Lord Wen is truly loyal to Your Majesty. For Your Majesty's safety, he has deployed all his best troops."

Guo Jia was very pleased with Lu Bu's loyalty to the emperor.

Although he is rough, he can be very careful sometimes.

"Indeed."

Liu Xie agreed with this and had already made up his mind to go to Lu Lingqi's palace to sleep tonight, as a reward for Lu Bu's loyalty.

Guo Jia added: "Your Majesty, next month we will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices to the Han emperors. I think this is a good opportunity."

Liu Xie asked: "What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to enhance your majesty's prestige."

Guo Jia said seriously, "Although Yuan Shao has left Yecheng now, and his power and roots in Yecheng have been basically eradicated, he has been managing Yecheng for a long time and has a very high reputation. His status in the hearts of the people of Yecheng is still very high."

“To be disrespectful, the people of Yecheng and even the entire Jizhou may only know Yuan Benchu, but not the emperor. Your Majesty’s influence is far less than that of Yuan Shao.

"Therefore, I think we can use this sacrifice in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to hold a ceremony to worship the heavens, so as to deepen your majesty's authority in the hearts of the people of Yecheng, establish the prestige of the emperor, and gradually weaken Yuan Shao's influence."

Only then did Liu Xie realize what Guo Jia meant.

Simply put, it is about winning the hearts and minds of the people.

Just like the last time he reviewed the three armies at the front line in Youzhou, he made the image of the emperor three-dimensional and let the soldiers know what kind of person the emperor was. It was the same principle as Yuan Shao publicly executed Yuan Shu.

If one wants to take Jizhou without bloodshed in the future, enhancing the emperor's prestige is something that must be done.

"It's definitely an opportunity."

Liu Xie nodded in approval of Guo Jia's proposal and said, "Then Feng Xiao will be in charge of organizing this grand ceremony. After all, this is the first time I will publicly offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple after getting rid of Yuan Shao's control. I will even offer sacrifices to the heavens. It must be held in a grand manner."

During last year's Taimiao sacrifice, his every move was carried out according to the arrangements of Yuan Shao and Ju Shou. He was completely like a puppet.

This time, he can handle it well and let the world see his majesty as the emperor!

Let the people of Jizhou know that the emperor is the common ruler of the world, and the emperor of the Han Dynasty is in Jizhou.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Guo Jia bowed, clasped his fists, turned around and walked away.

……

The impact of Zhang Liao's troops entering the city was enormous.

This made all the forces and major families in Yecheng feel extremely uneasy, and they were vaguely aware of one thing - the emperor was in complete power.

The era of Yuan Shao is over!
The 10,000 troops brought by Zhang Liao are the best guarantee of the emperor's authority. As long as the emperor gives an order, all of them are lambs to be slaughtered!
Therefore, on the second day after Zhang Liao entered the city, representatives of the major families flocked to the residence of Xun Chen, who had already pledged allegiance to the emperor, to ask for his opinions and ideas.

The lobby of Xun Mansion.

Facing the expectant and eager eyes of many aristocratic family representatives, Xun Chen just took a sip of tea slowly, and then said lightly:

"Everyone, the times are different now. A few days ago, before the army entered the city, you were still trying to be fence-sitters. Now you can only firmly protect the emperor! It's time to show your sincerity."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone's expression changed.

Ju Zong frowned and looked at Xun Chen, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"literal meaning."

Xun Chen glanced at everyone and said, "I won't argue with you now. Yuan Shao fled Yecheng, and Lu Bu sent a large army to station there. I think you must know what this means."

"It is inevitable that His Majesty will break free from the shackles and regain power. If you still want to sit on the fence and wait and see, it would be truly foolish, even disloyal, and would bring disaster to your respective families."

"From now on, Yecheng belongs to your majesty. Yuan Shao will never be able to come back. If you still want to survive and not be liquidated later, you have no choice but to show your sincerity to the emperor and demonstrate your loyalty to the Han Dynasty."

"Otherwise, the noble families that Yuan Xi has eliminated during this period will be your future fate! You must know that Yuan Xi is now eager to do this kind of dirty work to show his loyalty to the emperor."

Xun Chen was sitting leisurely on the Diaoyutai.

He had already pledged allegiance to the emperor long ago, and even wrote a letter in front of the emperor asking Xun Yu and Xun You to surrender.

The current situation also proves that his original choice was correct. He deeply understands how terrible that Majesty is.

Xun Chen's words, which were full of warning, made the many representatives of the noble families in the hall feel both frightened and conflicted.

If it were a prosperous time now, they would have no need to hesitate and would have wanted to be tied to the emperor's chariot immediately.

But the world today is a real chaotic world.

"what should we do?"

After a while, Ju Zong was the first to ask. He originally agreed with his brother Ju Shou's choice and firmly supported Yuan Shao.

But now he was shaken.

If he did not submit to the emperor, given the relationship between his brother Ju Shou and Yuan Shao, his lineage would not be able to escape liquidation. Yuan Xi had long been eyeing their Ju family.

"It's very simple." Xun Chen smiled, his eyes flashing, "In a month, the emperor will offer sacrifices to the Taimiao, and there will be a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the heavens. Those who have money can contribute money, and those who have strength can contribute strength. Afterwards, show your sincerity to the emperor."

He was very happy to see everyone serving the emperor.

Who wouldn’t want more people on board?

This will allow the ship to sail more steadily.

"But……"

Shen Rong hesitated again and again, but couldn't help asking Xun Chen: "Is the general really not coming back? As long as we defeat Gongsun Zan, it may not be possible..."

"Give up your fantasy!" Xun Chen interrupted Shen Rong impatiently before he could finish his words. He glanced at him coldly and said:

"Not to mention the solidity of Yecheng, he couldn't find a legitimate reason."

"I know you want to use the attack on Yuan Xi as an excuse."

"But what if Yuan Xi dies?"

"Why do you think His Majesty has not granted Yuan Xi an official position until now? Because Yuan Xi is a pawn that His Majesty can discard at any time! His Majesty has never acknowledged that Yuan Xi is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!"

"As long as Yuan Shao dares to use this as an excuse to attack Yecheng, Your Majesty will kill Yuan Xi immediately. What excuse can Yuan Shao use to attack the city then?" "Even if Yuan Shao loses his mind and attacks by force, how many troops will he need? Fifty thousand? Or a hundred thousand? Yuan Shao no longer has the ability to capture Yecheng!"

"Wake up!"

Xun Chen's words completely shattered the last glimmer of hope in Shen Rong's heart, and also made the representatives of many aristocratic families no longer waver.

From the moment Yuan Shao withdrew from Yecheng, he could never come back.

Zhang Liao's 10,000 troops guarding Yecheng could not be shaken by the mere 30,000 Jizhou troops.

It's time to give up the idea of ​​being a fence-sitter.

They had no choice but to firmly support the emperor.

……

Hejian County, Lecheng County.

Yuan Shao also received news from Yuan Tan at the front line - Kong Rong raised an army in Beihai, and Lu Bu sent Zhang Liao to lead an army of 10,000 to take the opportunity to cross the border, enter Jizhou and station in Yecheng!

There are now 10,000 troops stationed in Yecheng.

"Into your mother!"

After reading the letter, Yuan Shao flew into a rage and slammed the letter on the table. "Kong Rong is just a corrupt scholar. How could he have the guts to start a rebellion? And how could he be allowed to capture four cities in a row!"

"What does Yuan Tan do for a living?"

"And Lu Bu! How dare he occupy my Yecheng!"

"It's a rebellion! It's all a rebellion!"

Yuan Shao was extremely furious and was raging in his study. Shen Pei, Ju Su, Tian Feng and Xu You who were beside him did not dare to say a word.

Only after he had vented his anger did Ju Su speak up, "My lord, could it be that the emperor issued an edict to have Kong Rong raise an army to help Zhang Liao's army cross the border? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?"

"After all, Lu Bu is loyal to the emperor. Now that Zhang Liao has led 10,000 soldiers to station in Yecheng, Yecheng will become the emperor's territory."

Ju Su subconsciously felt that something was wrong.

What a coincidence.

Just like the last time the Royal Guards were dispatched.

How could it be such a coincidence?

Kong Rong's uprising attracted Yuan Tan's attention, and Zhang Liao took this opportunity to send troops across the border and stationed in Yecheng. It is obvious who benefits the most from this.

Ju Su has now given up trying to persuade Yuan Shao from the perspective that Liu Xie wants to turn the fake into the real, and instead directly treats Liu Xie as the real emperor, in order to make Yuan Shao wary.

"he?"

Yuan Shao's anger subsided for a moment and he fell into deep thought.

Xu You spoke at the right time: "My Lord, I think Lu Bu's sending out troops this time may not be to protect the emperor, but he has other plans."

"Why do you say that, Ziyuan?" Yuan Shao frowned and looked at Xu You, somewhat puzzled. How could Lu Bu, a mere common man, have any far-reaching plans and intentions?
Xu You explained: "My Lord, if Lü Bu really wanted to protect the emperor, why didn't he just take him back to Xuzhou or Yangzhou? Wouldn't it be better to keep him in Yecheng so that you can fight back later?"

"So I think that Lu Bu's intention was to protect the emperor on the surface, but in fact he wanted to occupy Yecheng and use Yecheng as a base to plot against Jizhou in the future."

"This plan is really insidious."

Xu You's analysis was well-reasoned, and Yuan Shao couldn't help but nod his head. Rather than believing that all this was planned by the fake emperor Liu Xie, he felt that it was more likely that Lu Bu wanted to occupy his Yecheng.

"I never thought that Lu Bu was so scheming."

"It seems that I was deceived by him in the past."

Yuan Shao felt deeply wary of Lu Bu. He did not expect that Lu Bu, although rough on the surface, actually had such courage and foresight. He said that how could such a slave of three surnames be loyal to the emperor.

It turns out that I have long wanted to hold the emperor hostage and control the princes like him!

Ju Shou, who was standing by, almost fainted from anger at Xu You's explanation. He gritted his teeth and said, "This is simply nonsense! Xuzhou is so far away from Jizhou, what's the point of Lu Bu occupying Yecheng?"

"Even if he really wanted to occupy Yecheng, how do we explain Kong Rong's uprising?"

Kong Rong was a scholar and served as the prime minister of Beihai State. What good could he gain by raising an army? Moreover, he was fighting against Yuan Tan.

You must know that Yuan Tan has 30,000 troops in Qingzhou!

"Humph, Kong Rong can't even tell the difference between the real and fake emperors. This shows that he is just seeking fame and reputation. Maybe he has already teamed up with Lu Bu in private!"

Xu You said this with disdain, his words full of contempt.

Ju Su wanted to continue to refute after hearing this, but was stopped by Yuan Shao: "Stop arguing, what's the point of arguing about this now?"

"What we should discuss is how to take back Yecheng!"

The Ye City controlled by Lu Bu's army and the Ye City controlled by Yuan Xi are completely different. The Ye City under the control of the former is truly impregnable!
Shen Pei shook his head, sighed, and said, "There is no other way for now. Right now, the Jizhou army is still being held back by Gongsun Zan, and they really have no time to spare. The eldest son's Qingzhou army can be transferred over, but if that happens, Cao Cao will wait for an opportunity to act."

"Everything has to wait until Gongsun Zan is defeated before we can find a good strategy."

Gongsun Zan is like a mad dog, staring at you and occasionally pouncing on you to bite you. It's really disgusting.

But it is impossible to completely defeat it in a short period of time.

Yuan Shao just felt extremely annoyed.

Since escaping from Yecheng, he has encountered more and more troubles, one after another, and he feels that his patience is almost reaching its limit.

"All of you please step back and leave me alone."

Yuan Shao's face looked very ugly. He waved his hand to let everyone leave, and his words were full of fatigue.

Seeing this, everyone had no choice but to leave.

But after leaving, Xu You turned back again.

"My lord, I have a secret letter from the emperor."

After presenting the letter, he left without saying anything else to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao opened the wax seal of the letter, unfolded it and read it carefully. Soon his brows were tightly furrowed and a look of shock appeared in his eyes.

"Lü Bu really intends to help the emperor take power?"

Liu Xie made it very clear in the secret letter that Zhang Liao's entry into Ye City was precisely planned by Lu Bu. He asked Kong Rong to raise an army to attract Yuan Tan's attention in order to support Zhang Liao's 10,000 troops to cross the border.

As for the purpose of taking Ye City, it was to allow the emperor to break free from the control of Yuan Shao, take control of Ye City, and then annex Jizhou!
Now Liu Xie didn’t know what to do and could only cooperate. He was very worried and hoped that he could give him some advice.

After reading the letter, Yuan Shao finally understood.

Lu Bu was indeed loyal to the emperor and had no intention of using the emperor to control the princes. He sent troops into Yecheng in order to seize power for the emperor.

But Lu Bu didn't know that this emperor was a fake, and he didn't know that this fake emperor was loyal to him, Yuan Benchu.

As a result, all his plans and purposes were revealed to the emperor.

"The emperor you are loyal to is loyal to me... heh."

Yuan Shao was in a very happy mood at this moment, and felt much more at ease.

No matter how Lu Bu planned for this fake emperor, it would all be in vain in the end and would only benefit him!

Zhang Liao's army seemed to be controlling Yecheng for the emperor, but in fact they were guarding Yecheng for Yuan Benchu!

"Lü Fengxian, I acknowledge your loyalty. But in the end, you are just making wedding clothes for me! I gladly accept your 10,000-man army!"

Yuan Shao laughed excitedly.

It took him a long time to calm down and carefully destroy the letter.

Now he had nothing to worry about and all he had to do was repel Gongsun Zan.

"Such loyalty is rare. When the world is unified in the future, I will take over the throne from him and make the rich Jizhou his fiefdom. It doesn't matter if I make him a king of a different surname!"

　I didn't expect that there are so many of you waiting here, I feel uneasy. Today's update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)