Chapter 843 Yuan Shu’s Idea of Declaring Himself Emperor
Huainan, Yangzhou, Shouchun City.
Under Yuan Shu’s rule, Yangzhou was actually worse off than before, but thanks to its existing foundation, it still maintained a prosperous appearance.
As a member of the younger generation of the Yuan clan, he and Yuan Shao were known as the "Twin Heroes of the Yuan Clan," the two brothers practically sworn enemies.
They wouldn’t bow down unless absolutely necessary.
Currently, Yuan Shu still occupied Huainan, while Yuan Shao was confined to Nanpi City, which could fall at any moment. In comparison, Yuan Shu’s current situation was far superior.
Sun Ce in the east was busy dealing with the powerful families of Jiangdong, Liu Biao in Jingzhou was a conservative figure, and Liu Bei in the north had a good relationship with him. Only Cao Cao remained to contend with.
He had suffered more defeats than victories against Cao Cao in the past, leaving him with a lingering fear.
In Yuan Shu’s palace, there was singing and dancing; several strategists and generals had been invited to drink together.
They were all Yuan Shu’s most trusted subordinates: Ji Ling, Qiao Rui, Zhang Xun, Yang Hong, Yuan Huan, Yan Xiang, and others—all first-rate talents, at least in Yuan Shu’s eyes.
Once the atmosphere was sufficiently built, Yuan Shu picked up his wine cup and began tentatively, "Gentlemen, Cao Cao launched a surprise attack on the Prince of Qin, bringing Emperor Xian from Luoyang to Xuchang. What are your thoughts?"
Ji Ling, a burly man nearly two meters tall, with well-developed muscles, abundant body hair, and a full beard, took a sip of rice wine and said skeptically, "Hulao Pass is considered one of the most formidable passes in the land, yet Cao Cao breached it. Is the claim that the Prince of Qin’s army is invincible just a rumor?"
Yan Xiang, as a strategist, knew far more than the military generals. "No, no," he said, "the soldiers at Hulao Pass are mostly from Yingchuan, and Xun Yu turned them against us..."
"The Prince of Qin’s army is currently undergoing reorganization. All their families have been relocated to Guanzhong. If one person rebels, the entire family is killed; if three rebel, the entire village is exterminated."
"Those deserters are on the blacklist. Anyone who can kill them and their families can claim a reward in Luoyang."
"That King Qin is extremely vindictive. If we weren’t unconnected to Yue, we would likely be implicated."
Even Yang Hong, who had always been at odds with Yan Xiang, had to agree. "Yes, Qin has issued a kill order; it will continue until those families are destroyed."
"Throughout history, no one has ever been so vindictive. This man is narrow-minded, not even a fraction as petty as my lord!"
A subtle but effective flattery.
Yuan Shu accepted with a smile, but humbly said, "A miracle occurred south of the city today, and there are many rumors. Furthermore, the King Qin sent a letter requesting that I declare myself emperor. This matter requires careful consideration!"
"What!"
Everyone was shocked. Although granting the title of king was already incredibly audacious, Yuan Shu’s desire to declare himself emperor was utterly unacceptable!
"My lord, you mustn’t! Declaring yourself emperor now is a breach of the opportune moment, the favorable location, and the popular support. If you force this declaration, you risk incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people!"
Yan Xiang, startled, immediately jumped in to stop him. He was genuinely afraid that Yuan Shu would recklessly indulge in his imperial dream.
"If my lord declares himself emperor, what will become of the surrounding lords? They will likely rise up against us, and we will be in grave danger!"
"My lord, don’t panic! Even if many come, I, Ji Ling, will defend the city for you!"
Ji Ling was somewhat excited. If his lord declared himself emperor, he could at least secure the position of a high-ranking general, right?
Promotion and wealth were things many people couldn’t refuse. Even knowing there might be a trap, some still found it hard to resist.
It was simply too tempting. Like a lecherous man who hadn’t been with a woman for months, suddenly encountering a naked beauty wearing only a black stocking and high heels, his first thought would undoubtedly be to rape her thoroughly, before even considering why such a beauty existed.
Desire wasn’t just lust; it also included the thirst for power.
Clearly, Jia Xu’s prediction of Yuan Shu’s mind was accurate; he was utterly unable to resist the allure of becoming emperor.
This was merely a trigger. The key was that Lu Ming’s letter stated that if Yuan Shu became emperor, he would follow suit.
Then, after defeating Cao Cao, he would divide the country with Yuan Shu across the river, maintaining a peaceful coexistence.
Verbal promises were useless; dividing the country across the river was mere empty talk.
A weak warlord was like a piece of fat meat placed before him; why wouldn’t he take advantage of it?
If Yuan Shu were more level-headed, he would have seen through such a simplistic strategy at a glance.
But when desire and greed take over the mind, reason often gets overwhelmed, leading to many reckless actions.
"Gentlemen, this is a personal letter from Prince Qin, Lu Ming. You can take a look; I’ve given it considerable thought."
"Cao Cao has brought back Emperor Xian, which means he intends to use the emperor to command the other lords."
"I cannot disobey, but Cao Cao himself is in dire straits, yet he dares to order me around; it’s laughable."
Yuan Shu had no respect for Cao Cao whatsoever, nor did he deserve any respect.
In fact, he didn’t respect Lu Ming much either.
The Yuan family, with four generations of high-ranking officials, had no need to respect anyone, not even a commoner.
Yan Xiang took the letter, quickly glanced at it, and handed it to Yang Hong before falling into deep thought.
Yang Hong also took the letter, but read it for a longer time before passing it to Yuan Huan, and then it was passed down through the ranks.
Yuan Shu was also somewhat uneasy, but he couldn’t resist the temptation of becoming emperor. "How much time do we have in this world? He’s already in his forties or fifties; his time is running out.
And how long can he reign as emperor?"
"What do you all think?"
"Good!"
"Brilliant!"
"Unacceptable!"
Some agreed, some disagreed, and naturally, Yan Xiang was the one who disagreed.
As the chief strategist, he saw through the trap at a glance.
"My lord, let’s not even discuss whether Lu Ming is trying to use one wolf to devour another. Just consider this division of the country along the river; I believe Lu Ming is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and will certainly not actually comply."
Yan Xiang tried to persuade Yuan Shu from another angle. He thought that by showing Lu Ming was a man of broken promises, he could make his lord refuse to declare himself emperor.
However, sometimes Yan Xiang was overthinking things. You can wake a sleeping person, but you can’t wake someone pretending to be asleep.
If Yuan Shu himself did not have such thoughts, Lu Ming’s letter would not have had much effect. But since Yuan Shu had the idea of declaring himself emperor, Lu Ming’s letter was just a trigger. It could be said to be important, or it could be said to be unimportant.