Chapter 63: The World's Enemy (fixed)

Once they began discussing Zhen Mi’s entry into the palace, Liu Xie no longer felt drowsy at all.

He had many questions he wished to ask Guo Jia for clarification.

“Was Fengxiao’s decision to bring Zhen Mi into the palace to draw the Zhen clan of Zhongshan over as Your Majesty’s allies?” Liu Xie asked directly.

In ancient times, marriages between influential families were often arranged with financial gain in mind. He didn’t believe Guo Jia merely wanted to gift him a beautiful woman.

Guo Jia nodded. “Indeed. The Zhen clan of Zhongshan is one of the wealthiest clans in Jizhou. If we can win them over, it would be immensely beneficial to Your Majesty.”

“However, my primary objective on this mission was actually to sow discord between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. Sending Zhen Mi into the imperial harem and drawing the Zhen family over was but a convenient side effect; I hope Your Majesty will forgive me for acting without explicit authorization.”

Sowing discord between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang wasn’t a problem, but acting without explicit authorization to send Zhen Mi into the Emperor’s harem—and not even bothering to request permission—was a failure to respect his sovereign position.

“Ai! What is Fengxiao saying?!” Liu Xie waved his hand grandly and continued sternly, “The saying goes that generals in the field make their own decisions when circumstances demand it. You’re thinking of us, so how could we possibly be such stubborn traditionalists? Just go forth and do as you please—we trust you!”

As if he were joking! The Emperor was gifting him with the chance to strengthen his own influence and bestow upon him the most beautiful woman of all time as his wife—how could he be angry?!

Unless, of course, he was being foolish like Bukhansanseong’s younger brother.

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”

With Liu Xie’s permission granted, Guo Jia relaxed considerably. Truthfully, he had been worried about this matter since its inception. After all, loyalty between ruler and subject and filial piety between parent and child were fundamental principles that needed to be adhered to across history. Acting without authorization would inevitably invite suspicion from the Emperor.

Fortunately, the current Emperor whom Guo Jia served did not belong to the rigidly conservative faction.

After discussing these matters, Liu Xie continued by asking, “But Fengxiao, what should we do if Zhen Mi discovers our correspondence or schemes after she enters the palace?”

“If we wish to seek assistance from the Zhen clan of Zhongshan, informing her is necessary, but it will also increase the risk of exposure.”

This was the part that concerned Liu Xie the most.

Why could he trust Zhang He, Gao Lan, and Guo Jia? It was because their historical records contained detailed accounts, and at this point in time, they hadn’t yet been subdued. Thus, he could use his position as Emperor along with promises of power to recruit them into his ranks.

Most importantly, they were not affiliated with any particular faction.

Zhen Mi was different, however. First, there was little information about her in the historical records, and what existed was rather scanty. Second, she had been summoned to the palace, which wasn’t necessarily her own wish. And third, since she hailed from the Zhen family, the marriage alliance was intended primarily for the benefit of that clan.

Moreover, he, as Emperor, held no real power or influence at present—what could he offer her? It would be far more advantageous for the Zhen family if she reported his plans with Guo Jia to Yuan Shao instead.

“It is still too early to say whether Zhen Mi can be trusted,” Guo Jia replied vaguely before continuing, “We’ll have to wait until she enters the palace.”

“If she proves unworthy of trust, then we must simply exercise caution in the future. Regardless, maintaining some connection with the Zhen family will prove advantageous, even when it comes time for critical decisions, should we seek their assistance.”

Liu Xie pondered this briefly, then nodded. “We understand.”

Guo Jia rose to leave. “Then Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now.”

“Wait!” Liu Xie pressed Guo Jia back down and poured him another bowl of ginseng soup, smiling brightly. “Come, please finish this bowl.”

Guo Jia’s expression instantly stiffened.

How bitter.

While the court at Ye City was consumed by scheming over Zhen Mi, the political climate outside had undergone drastic changes.

The catalyst for this upheaval was Yuan Shao’s call to all the regional lords to join forces against the rebels.

Just as his strategists predicted, after news of this alliance spread, many who harbored doubts about Yuan Shao’s loyalty were silenced one by one.

After all, Yuan Shao had openly broken ties with Yuan Shu and taken up arms against him—how could anyone still claim he sailed on the same ship as Yuan Shu?

Following the orders to punish the rebels, Yan Liang and Wen Chou led their fifty-thousand-strong armies directly from Pei County toward Yangzhou.

Lu Bu also mobilized thirty thousand troops to do the same.

As for Liu Bei, his situation was much more dire. Although he had seized Pei County, it would be difficult to gather sufficient manpower within such a short span of time, so he only managed to recruit a little over one thousand soldiers. He then borrowed two thousand men from Lu Bu, adding them to his own remnants to reach a force of over five thousand—a barely sufficient army unto himself.

Thus, the three parties formed a provisional alliance to punish Yuan Shu.

After all, punishing traitorous rebels was the greatest political correctness of this era—and especially true when that rebel declared himself emperor, as Yuan Shu did.

Yuan Shao served the Emperor, so there was no question he would send troops to punish him. Liu Bei was a descendant of the Han imperial family, so any rebel claiming the throne was his enemy. As for Lu Bu, his case was even clearer—he held the title of Marquis of Wen bestowed upon him by the Son of Heaven himself, and he had risen to arms under the pretext of supporting the Han Dynasty. If he didn’t act, it wouldn’t make sense.

In front of such great righteousness, all conflicts could be set aside.

As for Cao Cao, he ignored Yuan Shao’s call to arms and instead sent his troops to attack Zhang Xiu at Wancheng.

The reason was simple: Xu County received an imperial edict ordering Zhang Xiu to send troops against Yuan Shu, but he refused to budge, which prompted Cao Cao to dispatch his own army.

Liu Biao of Jingzhou took things even further by refusing to respond to either Yuan Shao’s call or Cao Cao’s attacks on Zhang Xiu, claiming illness as his excuse.

Even if neither Cao Cao nor Liu Biao joined the fray, Yuan Shu still faced dire straits. Not only did he have to contend with Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, and Liu Bei (the last of whom could be ignored), he also had to worry about internal strife within his own ranks.

After proclaiming himself emperor, Sun Ce openly severed ties with him and seized control of four prefectures in Jiangdong, eyeing the rest like a tiger eyeing its prey.

Upon hearing that Yuan Shao had called upon the other feudal lords to quash the rebel, Sun Ce was the first to mobilize his troops, capturing Danyang and Lujiang Prefectures in lightning speed.

Today, he controls six of Jiangdong’s prefectures, nearly half of Yangzhou’s territory, and covets the city of Shouchun across the river from Yuan Shu’s capital.

Thus, four great armies march forth, united in their campaign against Yuan Shu! Truly, he has become the common enemy of the world!

Yangzhou—more accurately, it should now be called Cheng Prefecture.

After establishing himself as Emperor, Yuan Shu had expanded Cheng Prefecture’s territory to include all of Yangzhou, with its capital at Shou County.

However, this was not recognized by anyone outside their borders.

Yuan Shu’s declaration of war against the other lords had reached his enemies, and upon hearing the news, he cursed them out in rage.

“Curse you, Yuan Shao! How dare you!”

Within the imperial palace, wearing the imperial robes and seated beneath the Son of Heaven’s crown, Yuan Shu raged in fury, tossing the memorial report in his hand onto the head of a lower-ranked official standing below him.

Then, he bellowed at the officials gathered within the hall, “Send forth our decree! Assemble the army for battle! We shall annihilate these traitors one by one!”

His furious roar echoed throughout the grand hall.