I saw the letter written:
"Gongsu (SU) had the ambition to clarify the world and save the people. However, the world fell apart, the Han Dynasty was in danger, the people were like fire, and the world was in chaos. Gonghu occupied the Central Plains and had power over the government and the public. The Han Dynasty only left its name. In fact, the emperor has his position but not his power. This is shameful, so why not stand on his own?
"Embroidery began at the end of the twelfth century. Before I had eaten the salary of Han Dynasty, I knew that I was loyal to the king and patriotic, and I never had any intention of arrogance. However, the Duke held the world in his hands and commanded the princes. He conquered the world with his power. His soldiers were strong and his generals were vast. He once surrounded and hunted Xudu, hinting at his intentions. Now, The world is divided into six parts, why didn't you establish yourself as early as possible?"
After reading this, Cao Cao was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood.
Zhang Xiu used the fact that Yuan Shao became king to stimulate Cao Cao, making him so angry that his chest almost burned and he slammed the table: "Zhang Xiu, the kid dares to humiliate me, I will kill him! I will kill him!"
While speaking, he tore Zhang Xiu's letter into pieces to vent his anger.
The counselors didn't know what Zhang Xiu had written, which made Cao Cao furious. They didn't dare to speak and lowered their heads.
Sitting on top, Cao Cao exhaled like an ox.
There was silence in the hall.
After a long time, Cao Cao's anger dissipated a lot. He looked at the people below and said calmly: "Zhang Xiu wrote a letter saying that I am called the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, but I am actually a traitor to the Han Dynasty. It is better to put aside the name of the Han Dynasty and establish myself as the king. .”
Dong Zhao, the chief historian, said: "I think that Duke Ming is famous for his merits and deeds in the world, and he has wiped out the evildoers. How can he be in the same rank as the ministers? He can accept the position of King of Wei."
Guo Jia agreed: "Ming Gong, Yuan Shao has little virtue and talent, and he is a traitor by assuming the title of king. The Duke has benefited the people, and his ministers have not done as much. Although there are Zhou Gong and Lu Wang, no one can match it."
Xun Yu remained silent.
Although he knew that these things were inevitable, he still didn't want to speak.
Cao Cao knew Xun Yu's intentions, so he did not make things difficult for him. Moreover, the world was falling apart and it could no longer be changed by one person's heart. Yuan Shao becoming king was just the beginning.
There will definitely be more people who want to be the king later. Since they can't resist, why not let him divide them?
This can also increase your prestige.
Therefore, in the summer and May of 200 AD, the officials presented Liu Xie and praised Cao Cao's merits: "As far as the sky and the earth are concerned, Yi and Zhou can't reach him. He should be king."
Liu Xie disagreed and told the story of the White Horse Alliance with tears: If you are not the Liu family, you will not be the king.
Would the ministers allow him to persuade? After being forced to do so, Liu Xie, who was weak and under house arrest by Cao Cao, had no choice but to compromise and ordered Zhong Yao (yao) to draft an imperial edict to install Cao Cao as the "King of Wei".
Cao Cao pretended to write three letters of reward, but he issued an edict not to allow it.
He was ordered to receive the title of the King of Wei, crowned with twelve feathers (liu), ride in a gold-rooted chariot, drive six horses, use the Emperor's chariot to serve Luan Yi, and build the Wei Palace in Xudu.
The construction of the palace was slow, and the Prime Minister's Palace was temporarily changed to the Palace of the Prince of Wei.
Inside the mansion.
Cao Cao summoned his ministers to discuss the matter of making the world king.
It was first decided to confer Sun Ce as King of Wu, Liu Bei as King of Chu, Liu Zhang as King of Shu, and Yuan Shao as King of Jin, but the canonization of Zhang Xiu has not yet been decided.
Dong Zhao said: "Zhang Xiu is entrenched in the pass, which can indicate that he is the king of Qin."
Cao Cao shook his head: "He is just a man from the border countryside, how can he be worthy of the title of King of Qin?"
Chen Qun thought for a while and said: "Zhang Xiu killed Han Sui and gained Xiliang. Xiliang is a poor place, and he was born in Xiliang, which means he is the king of Liang. I have nothing to say."
"No!"
Guo Jia stopped him, "The position of the King of Liang is too low. If Zhang Xiu is dissatisfied and raises an army to attack him, it will damage his majesty. Zhang Xiu was born in the border area and is a native of Jingxian County, so he can be declared as King Jing."
"Prince Jing?" Cao Cao frowned.
"Yes," Guo Jia explained, "The title of King Jing is neither high nor low, and the meaning is quite satisfactory, so Zhang Xiu has no excuse to object."
"Um!"
Cao Cao nodded, "This is very good, so I will declare Zhang Xiu as King Jing and be in charge of Yongliang, Hanzhong and Nanyang."
Later, Cao Cao went to the table.
When Liu Xie saw that the Han Dynasty was torn apart in his own hands, his heart was as sharp as a knife, and he cried with grief and anger. However, he was unable to save his life, so he could only agree with tears.
The canonization spread throughout the world.
After Yuan Shao found out, Ti Xuan felt relieved.
Zhang Xiu was shocked.
I didn't expect Cao Cao to act so decisively, so he couldn't help but get himself promoted and promoted, and he also promoted officials and nobles to all the princes in the world. After this, the world entered the era of division and chaos again.
This is what Zhang Xiu least wants to see.
How could he, who came from later generations, tolerate the division of China's kingdoms?
But when the world is in chaos and each prince is self-reliant, unifying the country is not something that can happen overnight. His ability is limited and he can only do it step by step.
"This Cao Cao is really hateful. This is clearly intentional. I ask the lord to raise his troops and take Xudu directly, so that this old thief Cao Cao can taste the power of our army." Gan Ning learned that Zhang Xiu was canonized as Prince Jing instead of Prince Qin. Later, he was furious. All the soldiers were furious and came to see Zhang Xiu one after another.
"Lord, we ask for orders to send troops to Xudu and destroy Cao Cao." Wei Yan asked for orders.
Other generals asked for orders one after another.
Zhang Xiu was not angry. He sat calmly on it. He raised his hand to ask the soldiers to stand up. Then he looked at Jia Xu and said, "Uncle, what do you think?"
Jia Xu said: "My lord, it would be a good thing if Cao Cao did not confer the title of King of Qin."
Gan Ning and other generals were stunned and looked at Jia Xu with very surprised eyes, asking him to give a perfect explanation.
Jia Xu said: "Jing stands for shape, and green stands for sound. The original meaning is stability, peace, which means that I, Dajing, will be able to pacify the world and stabilize the people. King Wei was self-defeating and gave us a good title." "
Li Ru said: "Jing, An Ye, my lord has shown kindness to the world and brought peace to the people. It is God's will to win the title of King Jing."
When Gan Ning, Zhang Liao and others heard this, their expressions changed from anger to joy.
Gan Ning smiled and said: "In this way, Cao Cao has lost the rice by stealing the chicken."
Everyone laughed.
Zhang Xiu also laughed. Originally, according to his idea, the title he planned to give himself should be Qin or Liang. After all, he is located in the Qin region of Guanzhong. The most likely title is Qin. He never expected that he would be titled Prince Jing. .
After listening to Jia Xu and Li Ru's explanation, they also felt that this title was good.
Then he said: "Since it was given by your Majesty, the rank of the title no longer matters. Prince Jing is Prince Jing. Now that the year of famine has passed and the world has been divided into six parts, it is time for our army to formulate the next strategic plan. Everyone Feel free to speak out if you have any ideas.”
Liu Ye said: "Because Qin won the Kingdom of Tianfu, it had sufficient food and strong soldiers, which laid the foundation for attacking the six countries. Now that Liu Zhang in Yizhou is weak and incompetent, it would be better for our army to send troops to attack Yizhou."
Zhang Xiu nodded.
At present, only Liu Zhang is the easiest to bully. Yuan Shao has strong soldiers and strong horses, but it is not easy to deal with him in a fight. He can only focus on Yizhou first, but Yizhou is also not easy to fight.
Putting aside the difficult road to Shu in Yizhou, Liu Bei in Jingzhou would not allow himself to conquer Yizhou comfortably.
According to the records of later generations, I am afraid that Liu Bei is now coveting Yizhou. As long as he starts a war, Liu Zhang will definitely ask Liu Bei for help. By then, he will not face Liu Zhang, but Liu Bei.
Liu Bei's ability is much stronger than Liu Zhang's.
If both sides rise up, there is a risk of being dragged into a protracted war, so we have to think carefully about this.
