Chapter 351

Even so, even without sending an envoy, judging from Su Xuan's current arrangements and movements, it is highly probable that he will not take action against them or Yuzhou.

But one cannot be too careful; it is better to be safe than sorry.

Wouldn't it be excellent if we could directly confirm through negotiations that Su Xuan will not take action against us?

In this way, they would not need to dispatch troops to guard the west and the south.

It is simply killing many birds with one stone.

"Oh?"

Lord Yuan Shu is not always foolish; at this moment, his mind was quite sharp, and he took Yan Xiang's words completely to heart. His eyes lit up as he said, "Yan Xiang, what you say makes a lot of sense!"

"However, are you certain that Su Xuan really won't go to war with us?"

Yan Xiang stated with certainty, "I am ninety percent sure he will not!"

"Because he wants to implement his New Policy, and currently lacks sufficient talent;"

"After taking Jingzhou, he needs at least one to two years of stable development to cultivate enough talent to continue large-scale expansion;"

"At this time, taking the key locations of Lujiang and Jiujiang is already his limit!"

"Any more than that, and he wouldn't have enough people to govern the regions or help him push the New Policy in the occupied territories;"

"From Su Xuan's past behavior, one can judge that this person is not in a rush for blind expansion; he has his own plans and rhythm. Otherwise, when he was in Nanyang, he could not have let you, my lord, and our hundred-thousand-strong army leave."

Isn't that aiding the enemy?

"Correct!"

Upon hearing this, Lord Yuan Shu clapped his hands and said, "Then send someone to Jingzhou as an envoy to persuade Su Xuan!"

"Yan Xiang, who do you think is the most suitable to send?"

Seeing Lord Yuan Shu looking at him with eager eyes, Yan Xiang immediately bowed and said, "I believe Lord Yang Hong is sufficient."

He actually wanted to go himself, as that would be the safest.

But at this time, Cao Cao and Tao Zou Qian might invade at any moment, so he must stay by Lord Yuan Shu's side to prevent him from making any foolish decisions in a moment of panic.

"Eh?"

Hearing this, Yang Hong looked at Yan Xiang with some astonishment and surprise.

Clearly, he did not expect that Yan Xiang, who usually looked down on him, would actually recommend him this time.

"Could there be some conspiracy in this...?"

"Will this trip be dangerous?"

Yang Hong's suspicions were aroused, and his mind raced to judge the situation.

But he eventually concluded that this diplomatic mission did not seem dangerous at all.

Su Xuan was still quite reasonable and did not seem to have done anything particularly outrageous; at the very least, he had never executed an envoy.

"So, this mission is safe, and there is no catch? Did Yan Xiang really hand such a good opportunity to me?"

"Unexpected!"

Thinking of this, Yang Hong looked at Yan Xiang with a complex expression.

He suddenly felt in his heart that this old man wasn't actually that annoying!

At the very least, he seemed to always focus on the matter rather than the person.

However, for him to reconcile with Yan Xiang, or even thank him, that was impossible.

Yang Hong stepped out of the ranks and bowed to Lord Yuan Shu: "My lord! I am willing to go!"

"Very good!"

Lord Yuan Shu was very satisfied with Yang Hong's proactive attitude and immediately waved his hand: "Then it is decided! Yang Hong, take 50, 00 gold as a gift, go to Jingzhou to meet the King of Zou Qian, and persuade him not to take action against us. I can refrain from contending for the two commanderies of Lujiang and Jiujiang and acknowledge his ownership of them."

Lord Yuan Shu was still quite generous.

He offered 50, 00 gold right from the start.

It made Yan Xiang's heart ache.

His own lord was used to being extravagant and really didn't treat money as money!

Do you know how much 50, 00 gold is?

Do you know how long it takes to harvest 50, 00 gold?

But since Lord Yuan Shu had already said it, what else could Yan Xiang say?

Moreover, although he was quite confident, they were the ones seeking help from Su Xuan at this time.

Bringing a generous gift was inevitable.

As long as Su Xuan could be made to guarantee that he would not attack them in the future, then this 50, 00 gold could be considered money well spent.

"Understood!"

Yang Hong immediately accepted the order with joy.

He thought to himself: "Haha! With this 50, 00 gold, my trip will definitely be safe!"

After all, Su Xuan had been willing to let Lord Yuan Shu spend money to avert disaster twice before; this time, he didn't even need to avert disaster, he just needed a promise from Su Xuan to receive 50, 00 gold. He believed Su Xuan would not refuse.

Meanwhile, Liu Biao, Liu Yu, and Liu Zhang also received news of the deaths of the Son of Heaven and Dong Zhuo one after another.

For a time, the three had different thoughts.

Liu Zhang was overjoyed and immediately summoned his civil and military officials to begin discussing his ascension to the throne as Emperor.

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

He had started preparing since his father's time.

In fact, even the imperial palace, carriages, and such were already more or less prepared.

Even if the Son of Heaven hadn't died, he had thoughts of declaring himself Emperor in the future.

Now that the Son of Heaven was dead, he had even fewer scruples.

He couldn't wait to ascend the throne as Emperor immediately.

By comparison, Liu Yu and Liu Biao were much more restrained.

Especially Liu Yu, who was very grieved by the death of the Son of Heaven.

But following the persuasion of his subordinates, his mind began to waver.

"My lord! Now is not the time for sorrow. The Son of Heaven has passed away in Changancheng, which means the position of the Son of Heaven of the Great Han is now vacant;"

"If this were during a period of unification, it would be nothing; one could slowly choose a suitable candidate to inherit the throne;"

"But this is a chaotic era, with kings rising everywhere. The longer the delay, the lower the prestige of the Great Han;"

"Therefore, for the future of the Great Han, you should suppress the sorrow in your heart and ascend the throne as Emperor as soon as possible to become the legitimate Son of Heaven of the Great Han;"

"Only then can you better preserve the prestige of the Great Han and deter the various kings and lords of the world!"

Tian Kai directly advised Liu Yu.

"Yes! Yes! My lord, please ascend the throne as Emperor as soon as possible!"

"We are all willing to support you, Great King!"

"..."

With Tian Kai taking the lead, the civil and military officials under Liu Yu began to agitate and respond one after another.

Seeing this, Liu Yu felt complex emotions, but he could not help but feel a bit excited.

Yes! Tian Kai was right; this was not the time to decline.

Becoming the new Son of Heaven of the Great Han as soon as possible was the most critical thing.

Therefore, he immediately nodded and said: "I understand everyone's intentions. Regarding the future of the Great Han, I will not decline!"

"Immediately announce to the outside world that in 15 days, I will ascend the throne as Emperor in Jixian to become the new Son of Heaven of the Great Han;"

"At the same time, send envoys to the various kings and lords of the world, asking them to send envoys to observe the ceremony."

Since he had decided, there was nothing to hesitate about.

Although Liu Yu had no such ambition in the past.

But now that he was backed into a corner, the ambition in his heart was also ignited.

"Understood! Your Majesty is wise!"

Tian Kai and the others bowed and accepted the order.

In this way, they would also have the merit of following the dragon!

They would inevitably receive rewards, and their status would rise accordingly.

A great thing!

— Author's Notes —

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