Chapter 177

He smiled slightly and said:

"Is the Heirloom Imperial Seal really that important?"

"To my lord, this object is merely a symbol."

"After all, General Gonglu must know my lord’s situation."

"The contradiction between him and the Guandong clans is already irreconcilable."

"Even if he held the Heirloom Imperial Seal to declare himself Emperor, the Guandong clans would not recognize him."

"I am afraid that in the blink of an eye, thousands of public opinions would emerge, saying my lord’s accession is illegitimate."

"But you, General Gonglu, are different!"

"If you obtain the Heirloom Imperial Seal, it is equivalent to obtaining the symbol of status!"

"Your Yuan family is the head of the world’s clans, having served as the Three Excellencies for four generations."

"You are the one the Han house looks forward to."

"If General Gonglu obtains the seal, who among the clans of the world would dare not bow down to you?"

"At that time, would General Gonglu still take the likes of Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu seriously?"

"Even their supporters would likely defect because of this and turn to support General Gonglu instead!"

"In this way, wouldn't sweeping across Guandong be easy for General Gonglu’s ability?"

What Fa Zheng said truly spoke to Yuan Shu’s heart!

The fundamental goal of the Yuan family was to replace the Liu Han imperial house and establish a brand-new regime.

But... even if Yuan Shu did not want to admit it now, he had to acknowledge the fact.

Yuan Shao’s prestige was now far superior to his.

During the first Guandong coalition against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu still dared to challenge Yuan Shao and stand on equal footing.

But what about the second Guandong coalition against Dong Zhuo?

Whether in terms of territory or the number of supporters behind him, Yuan Shao had already far surpassed Yuan Shu.

If not for the heavy losses Yuan Shao suffered in the Battle of Hulao Pass.

I am afraid the gap between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu would have been as insurmountable as a chasm.

But it was precisely the failure of the Battle of Hulao Pass.

That made Yuan Shu the only "gainer" on the side of the Guandong coalition!

He not only recovered the entire Yizhou territory but also received further support from the clan groups behind him!

Vaguely, a trend of overtaking on a curve had emerged.

At least... in Yuan Shu’s eyes.

Surpassing Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in strength was only a matter of time.

And now.

The Heirloom Imperial Seal brought by Fa Zheng.

Instantly caused Yuan Shu to pour all his thoughts into it.

This imitation seal made by Gu Yi’s men was simply too realistic.

Although Yuan Shu had seen the Imperial Seal, he had never touched it with his own hands; how could he tell it was a fake?

Moreover.

As everyone knows.

This fellow Yuan Shu had an innate love for the Imperial Seal.

As the saying goes, "With the Imperial Seal in hand, the world is mine!"

The status of the Imperial Seal in Yuan Shu’s heart was truly not ordinary.

After the failure of the second coalition of warlords against Dong Zhuo.

The situation in Guandong, in Yuan Shu’s eyes, was a tripartite balance of power.

These three powers were Yuan Shu himself, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao.

If he could obtain the seal before him.

Yuan Shu believed he would gain a buff in prestige!

At that time, he could quickly widen the gap between himself and Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

After all.

Yuan Shao was a member of the Yuan family, the head of the world’s clans.

Yuan Shu was the same.

If one really wanted to talk about birth, Yuan Shao was originally a son of a concubine.

Later, he was adopted as the son of Yuan Shu’s uncle, Yuan Cheng, and only then became a legitimate son.

And Yuan Shu?

He was the legitimate son of the Yuan family, with a pure and upright lineage!

In Yuan Shu’s eyes, his birth was always a cut above Yuan Shao’s.

Upon seeing the Imperial Seal, Yuan Shu was instantly bewitched.

The little schemes in his mind also emerged one after another.

Fa Zheng was good at observing expressions and took in all of Yuan Shu’s reactions.

Subsequently, Fa Zheng smiled meaningfully, raised his hand, and put the seal back into the box.

It was such a simple action, as simple as could be.

It was as if his most cherished possession had been snatched away from his heart!

In an instant.

Yuan Shu felt as if a voice was roaring in his heart!

"The Imperial Seal! Give me the Imperial Seal! I want the Imperial Seal!"

The devil had been completely released.

Next, it was time to let this devil completely disrupt the Great Han!

Let it become a "blade of absolute kill" to destroy the Guandong clan group!

"General Gonglu, do you want the Imperial Seal?"

"I think we can talk further."

Fa Zheng smiled slightly.

His words were filled with temptation for Yuan Shu!

…….

"Fa Xiaozhi, how can Dong Zhongying be so kind?"

"What exactly does he want me to pay?"

Yuan Shu’s brows were filled with struggle.

He really, really, really wanted the seal in Fa Zheng’s hands.

But Dong Zhuo was the number one enemy of all the Guandong warlords in the world today.

The enemy had suddenly sent the Imperial Seal.

Even if Yuan Shu was broad-minded.

He did not dare to let his head get hot and directly take the seal from Fa Zheng’s hands.

"Hahahaha, General Gonglu is indeed a straightforward person."

"There is no free lunch in the world."

"If General Gonglu wants to obtain this seal, there are naturally conditions."

"What conditions?"

Yuan Shu asked subconsciously.

When he realized he was being a bit too impatient.

Fa Zheng had already taken the lead and responded:

"Actually, it is very simple."

"The Grand Chancellor can never eliminate the Guandong clans, but the Guandong clans also have no way to deal with the Grand Chancellor."