When Zhang Xiu defeated Cao Jun and returned to Wancheng, Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Huainan.
Yuan Shu occupied the land of Yangzhou, which was vast and abundant in food, and he also had the imperial seal pledged by Sun Ce, so he had the idea of transcending.
So he called a meeting of his generals and said: "Now that the Liu family is declining and the country is in turmoil, I, the fourth and third prince of the Yuan family, are important ministers in the court, and the people are attached to me. I want to uphold the will of God, comply with the people's sentiments, and ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor. What do you think?" how?"
There was silence in the hall.
Some people had already expected that Yuan Shu would proclaim himself emperor, while others had no idea about it at all.
Ji Ling belongs to the former.
He has followed Yuan Shu for many years and knows that Yuan Shu is arrogant, arrogant and extravagant.
Since the whole group was gathering for discussion, it meant that he had made up his mind and his persuasion was in vain, so he remained silent.
Yuan Shu saw that everyone was the same and said happily: "If you have no objections, you can choose a good day to worship the heaven and the earth. You should also receive the credit for the founding of the country."
Yan Xiang was sitting on the right side, scanning the circle of people with his eyes without trace. Seeing that everyone was silent, he looked at Ji Ling again and saw that Ji Ling was looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, and had no intention of speaking at all.
He sighed secretly in his heart, not wanting to watch Yuan Shu commit suicide, so he stood up and tried to persuade him: "Don't do it, Mr. Ming. Although Mr. Ming's family is noble, it is not as prosperous as Zhou Dynasty. Although the Han Dynasty is small, it has not been as violent as Yin and Zhou. The whole world is angry. It’s absolutely impossible.”
Everyone focused their attention on Yan Xiang, and then looked at Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu's expression turned from joy to anger.
He thought that everyone would actively agree, but he didn't expect that someone actually came out to object, and it was his number one adviser Yan Xiang. He suddenly became angry and shouted:
"My surname Yuan comes from Chen. Chen is the successor of Yao and Shun. I use earth to carry fire. It is in line with destiny. And I have the jade seal in my hand to pass down the country. Why not? I have made up my mind. Anyone who talks too much will be killed!"
Others dared not say anything more.
Seeing that his persuasion was fruitless, Yan Xiang sighed secretly: "I'm done waiting!"
Therefore, Yuan Shu chose a day to proclaim himself the emperor in Shouchun, established the Zhong clan, set up officials, and established temples in the southern and northern suburbs.
The news that Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor swept the world instantly.
…
Xudu.
Cao Cao was defeated and blocked Yangcheng, losing 60,000 troops, and he was very angry.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiu sent another peace letter.
This time, the letter contained no flowery rhetoric, but sincerely made peace with Cao Cao, and was willing to let Cao Cao redeem 56,000 surrendered soldiers.
But when he saw that the ransom required 10,000 war horses and 500,000 stones of grain and grass, he angrily cursed Zhang Xiu: "Zhang Xiu is really hateful, I will definitely send troops to attack him."
With that said, he handed the envelope to Xun Yu.
Xun Yu read it and handed it to Guo Jia.
Xun Yu and Guo Jia both knew that Cao Cao was talking angrily. In a short time, Cao Jun had no chance to conquer Zhang Xiu.
This is not a question of soldiers, horses or food, but the general trend of the world.
Cao Cao wanted to capture Nanyang in a short time. From this battle, it can be seen that Zhang Xiu is not easy to attack. If he attacks Zhang Xiu again, Cao Cao's army may fall into Nanyang.
Once Cao Cao falls into Nanyang and cannot get out, it will be dangerous.
Because Xudu is not only close to Zhang Xiu, but also far from Yuan Shao in the north, Lu Bu in the east, and Yuan Shu in the south.
At that time, Cao Cao's territory will also become a cake, and it will not be certain who will destroy whom.
Xun Yu thought for a while and said: "Ming Gong, since Zhang Xiu is not my enemy, we might as well negotiate with him, redeem his soldiers, and wait until Lu Bu is defeated and Yuan Shu is destroyed, then we can start to plan for him."
Cao Cao naturally knew the power of it, but he still said unhappily: "Why don't I think there are more than just pros and cons? But Zhang Xiu has a big appetite, so what can I do?"
Guo Jia laughed loudly and said, "Ming Gong, this is the room Zhang Xiu left for us to negotiate with. Three thousand war horses and two hundred thousand dan of grain are enough to satisfy Zhang Xiu's appetite."
Cao Cao could barely accept this price and nodded: "According to Feng Xiao's words, tomorrow I will present Zhang Xiu as the governor of Nanyang County and the general of the Western Expedition to make peace with him."
"No!"
Guo Jia immediately said: "Ming Gong, I think Zhang Xiu is very ambitious. He must not be described as a general conquering the west. He can be changed to a general holding down the east."
"Yes!" Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, stroking his beard and nodded, "Then I will make Zhang Xiu the General of Zhendong."
At this time, Meteor Ma came to report: "Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun, named Zhongshi."
The whole audience was shocked.
Cao Cao was furious. "Yuan Shu's meritorious deeds are so great that he dares to assert himself arrogantly. People and gods are outraged, and heaven and earth cannot tolerate him. I vow to unite the princes to fight against him."
…
Jizhou, Yecheng.
Yuan Shao shook his head and sneered while holding the letter in his hand. "Meng De is really incompetent. He sent out 150,000 troops to attack Zhang Xiu, but he lost his troops and generals and returned without success! Hahaha!"
Then give the letter to Jushou, Shenpei and others to read.
Shen Pei read the letter and said: "Zhang Xiu used 20,000 cavalry to resist Cao Cao's 150,000 troops, which is a great talent. Now Cao Cao is holding the emperor to command the princes, occupying Yan, Yu, Sili and other places, gradually gaining momentum. You must be on guard against it.”
Jushou nodded and said: "We can make friends with Zhang Xiu, attack Cao Cao from a flank, and force the emperor to move the capital to Juancheng for easier control."
Yuan Shao shook his head: "Meng De and I have a deep friendship, and what we do behind the scenes is not benevolent."
When Tian Feng saw that Yuan Shao refused to listen, he added: "Everyone knows that Ming Gong is kind to the world, but Cao Cao must be on guard and unite with Zhang Xiu to contain Cao Cao's development. We can seek the land of Xuzhou."
"Well..." Yuan Shao nodded, "Just follow Yuan Hao's words."
At this time, Meteor Ma came to report: "Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun, named Zhongshi."
Everyone was horrified.
Yuan Shao was furious: "How dare you do this?"
He originally discussed with Yuan Shu and wanted to make Liu Yu emperor, but Yuan Shu refused. Unexpectedly, he dared to overstep his bounds and proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun.
At this time, the reason why Yuan Shao was furious was not just that Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, but that Yuan Shu had ruined the reputation of the Yuan family.
Yuan Shaoneng's background played a huge role in what he is today.
Now that Yuan Shu has overstepped his authority and proclaimed himself emperor, it is equivalent to giving up this background.
Tian Feng said angrily: "Ming Gong, Yuan Shu has no heart for the city and indulges in arrogance and extravagance. This is the way to death. We should send out troops to attack him immediately."
The judge stopped him: "Yuan Hao's words are wrong. Duke Ming is a close relative of Yuan Shu. How can there be any reason to attack his brothers with war? Do you want to trap my lord into injustice?"
Tian Feng glared at Shen Pei with fierce eyes: "Yuan Shu usurped the throne, and all the princes in the world should jointly attack him. Although Duke Ming is his relative, he must destroy his relatives in a righteous way. Isn't it unjust?"
Ju Shou also had a different opinion: "If you ignore it, I believe Cao Cao was the first to be unable to sit still. He held the emperor hostage to order the princes, and Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor. This is tantamount to contempt for Cao Cao and contempt for the majesty of the court. Cao Cao should be free to send troops."
Yuan Shao thought it was reasonable, nodded and said: "Ju Shou's words are reasonable, let Cao Cao send the troops."
Everyone stopped talking.
…
Jingzhou, Xiangyang City.
Liu Biao looked at the letter in his hand with a mixture of joy and sorrow on his face.
Fortunately, Zhang Xiu defeated Cao Cao, making Cao Cao's army unable to go south to threaten Jingzhou's security. Worryingly, fear drove away the wolves and raised tigers.
He is even more afraid of fattening the tiger and bite him back.
Looking at the letter in his hand, Liu Biao shook his head and sighed.
Cai Mao and Kuai Yue below looked at each other, lowered their heads and said nothing.
Liu Biao entered Jingzhou alone with an imperial edict, won over the powerful people in Jingzhou, and quelled rebellions in various places, and then he became the shepherd of Jingzhou.
In order to check and balance the local powerful, Liu Biao handed over the military power to Kuai Yue and the entire supply of grain and grass to Cai Mao.
These two people are representatives of the Kuai family and the Cai family.
Seeing that they were silent, Liu Biao first asked Cai Hao: "De Gui, Zhang Xiu is now occupying Nanyang, right in front of my Xiangyang. He may be a trouble in the future. What can be done?"
Cai Mao thought to himself, wasn't it Kuai Yue's suggestion to let Zhang Xiu stay in Nanyang? Why are you asking me?
So he glanced at Kuai Yue and said: "Your Majesty, Yidu proposed that Zhang Xiu stay in Nanyang County to prevent Cao Cao from invading south. Now that Zhang Xiu has successfully defeated Cao Cao, it is Yidu's wisdom. Speaking of which, Yidu is Zhang Xiu is such a noble person, how can Zhang Xiu not remember his kindness?"
Cai Mao's words were completely against Kuai Yue.
