Yuan Shu was unwilling to be outdone and showed no signs of guilt or fear.
"Master Ma, is this imperial edict really drafted by the current emperor?" Yuan Shu replied, he almost made it clear. Yes, I, Yuan Shu, doubted that this imperial edict was not drafted by Emperor Xian, but written by Cao Cao.
It was written by Emperor Xian, so I will accept it; it was written by Cao Cao, but I don’t recognize it!
"Master Yuan doesn't seem to believe my identity. Look what this is!" Ma Ri? suddenly raised a piece of objects. Envoy Festival. Anyone who holds the special envoy's talisman can represent the emperor and the country abroad. Seeing this talisman is like seeing the emperor coming in person!
Yuan Shu's eyes flashed, of course he could continue to question Ma Ri? This talisman was also fake, but after thinking for a while, Yuan Shu still knelt down.
Seeing that Yuan Shu was willing to accept the edict, Ma Ri? secretly breathed a sigh of relief, unfolded the edict and began to read it out.
Sun Quan was confused as he listened to the few hundred words eloquently, and secretly sighed that this imperial edict must have been drafted by a great scholar. Although it used many words that Sun Quan didn't realize were powerful, he still understood the meaning of the imperial edict.
Fortunately, there was nothing scary. Just kidding, if there is such content, Ma Ri? Dare you come to announce the decree in person?
The main idea of the imperial edict was to first praise Yuan Shu's achievements and praise Yuan Shu's loyalty, and finally to reward him based on his merits. Yuan Shu was appointed by the imperial court as General Zuo, and some important people under his command were promoted accordingly. Everyone immediately thanked the Lord for his kindness and expressed gratitude, but Yuan Shu's expression looked a little bad.
First of all, as an imperial edict, is it a bit too much to canonize so many people at once? If you didn't say anything like pulling your penis down, you would have completely stolen Yuan Shu's job, okay? Yuan Shu does not object to the imperial court conferring him the title of General Zuo, but he should reward the people under his command. This is the best way to win over his subordinates. How can he easily leave it to others? Look, those who were canonized were overjoyed. They only saw Emperor Xian's empty promise and forgot Yuan Shu's great kindness. Furthermore, one day, if Yuan Shu really proclaims himself emperor, he must once again promote the official positions of these officials to prevent them from becoming resentful. But once this is done, uneven rewards will result, which is where conflicts among subordinates are most likely to arise. It can be said that this small imperial edict will definitely pose a problem for Yuan Shu in the future.
Secondly, it would be fine if it were just some simple canonizations and rewards, but this imperial edict intervened in some sensitive areas, and it interfered with Yuan Shu's strategic layout. For example, the appointment of Sun Bi, such as the appointment of Wu Jing, such as the appointment of Zhou Yu!
Sun Ce almost completely recaptured Jiangdong this time. Considering Cao Cao's intention of stabilizing the princes of the world, it is obvious that Ma Ri? will also rush to Jiangdong to enthrone Sun Ce. Wu Jing, Sun Bi and Zhou Yu, who played an important role in Sun Ce's recapture of Jiangdong, must have received special attention, and some rewards were indispensable.
By coincidence, Wu Jing, Sun Bi and Zhou Yu were now in Shouchun, so Ma Ri? also read out the message together.
There was nothing wrong with Ma Ri?'s announcement of the imperial edict in person, but the content of the imperial edict was somewhat ambiguous. Yuan Shu dares to vouch for it. If Cao Cao hadn't done this, Yuan Shu would have taken Cao Cao's last name!
Yuan Shu summoned Wu Jing, Sun Ben and Zhou Yu to Shouchun. What was the purpose? The purpose is to transfer them away from Sun Ce, weaken Sun Ce's strength, or even keep them in Shouchun, so that they can be used to blackmail Sun Ce at critical moments.
It turned out to be good now. As if the imperial edict did not understand the situation, it directly granted Guangling to Wu Jing and Danyang to Zhou Yu. What was even more outrageous was the canonization of Sun Bi, who actually was canonized as the prefect of Jiujiang! As we all know, when Sun Ce was under Yuan Shu's command, Yuan Shu promised to make Sun Ce the prefect after conquering Jiujiang, but Yuan Shu broke the contract. Now, the imperial court actually wants Sun Bi to be the governor of Jiujiang. Is this to make up for Sun Ce's regret? Yuan Shu was obviously wary of Sun Ce, but now Emperor Xian wanted to send another county to the Sun family. What was he going to do? Want the Sun family to make Yuan Shu's dumplings in turn? !
This is not the way to pretend to be stupid, right?
It is very obvious that this imperial edict has a bad motive to drive a wedge between Yuan Shu and Sun Ce!
At this time, not only Yuan Shu had a headache, but Sun Bi at the scene was also pale and at a loss. If he obeyed the order and really went to Jiujiang to take office, it would be strange if Yuan Shu didn't kill him. If he didn't obey the order, wouldn't that be disobedience? Holy order, wanted by the court?
After a short period of joy, other people at the scene soon thought about it, and for a while, the lively atmosphere returned to calm again. Everyone was staring at Yuan Shu to see what decision he was going to make. Of course, it was not just Yuan Shu who had to choose, but also Wu Jing, Sun Bi, Zhou Yu, and even Sun Quan.
"Haha, Master Yuan, please accept the order."
Ma Ri?’s laughter interrupted the peace of the scene.
Yuan Shu stood up, hesitated slightly, and then reached out to take the imperial edict back. No matter what, it was not the time to fall out with the Han Dynasty on the spot.
"Lord Ma, I must have received a reward from the Holy Emperor for Sun Ce, right?" Yuan Shu said with a smile, but the previous sinister look on his face could no longer be seen, as if he was casually chatting with others after talking about business.
"Sun Jian's son is truly extraordinary. The Holy One will naturally reward him." Ma Ri? replied, "The Holy One conferred the title of Captain of Huaiyi on Sun Ce, and inherited his father's title of Marquis of Wucheng."
"Haha, Zhong Mou, today is truly a double blessing. Seeing that your Sun family can rise again, I believe your father, who is still somewhere, will be relieved." Yuan Shu turned around and smiled at Sun Quan.
"It all depends on Uncle Yuan, no, it all depends on the help of my father-in-law, otherwise my brothers would not be where they are today." Sun Quan quickly bowed his hands and bowed.
"Hahaha, yes, we are all a family. We were a family before, and we will be a family in the future!" Yuan Shu laughed and said with a pun.
As he spoke, Yuan Shu suddenly turned to Ma Ri?, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked,
"Then I wonder why the Holy Spirit granted Yuan Shao the position?"
The joyful atmosphere suddenly suffocated. Brothers Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao have always been fighting openly and secretly. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu is still competing with Yuan Shao today. Of course, it's not just Yuan Shu who is competing. Yuan Shao must also be particularly concerned about the same issue.
To be honest, if it were any other time, Yuan Shu would be asking for humiliation by asking this kind of question. After all, he, Yuan Shu, could not compare with Yuan Shao in terms of reputation or scope of influence. But today, at least on the surface, Sun Ce is still under his command, and Yuan Shu has captured half of Xuzhou, and his strength is no weaker than Yuan Shao!
Even if this so-called appointment has no substance, even if it just satisfies his own vanity, for Yuan Shu, this is an opportunity for him to finally overpower Yuan Shao. Yuan Shu wants everyone in the world to know that he is better than Yuan Shao, and he is the new leader of the Yuan family!
