gnovel In Chapter 16, Yuan Yao recited two lines of poetry.
In Chapter 16, Yuan Yao recited two lines of poetry.
Later that day, Yuan Yao bid farewell to Yang Hong in a cheerful and relaxed manner.
It was clear that both of them were very satisfied with the dinner and had a pleasant conversation.
However, winning over the civil officials was just the beginning for Yuan Yao; he still had a lot of work to do.
The next afternoon, Yuan Yao went to the military camp and met with eight people at once.
Led by General Zhang Xun, the group included the most capable general Ji Ling, the Hu (non-Han) Chang Nu, and the legendary hunter Zhang Kai, all of whom were powerful figures in the military.
There's no need to beat around the bush when talking to these people, Yuan Yao said directly:
"To be frank, His Majesty may fall ill soon. The civil officials have decided to support a suitable Grand Commander to temporarily manage state affairs. What do you think?"
Although Huang Yi had hinted at it slightly when she contacted them before, everyone was still visibly surprised when Yuan Yao really laid it all out.
After a long pause, Zhang Xun finally said, "We do not wish for His Majesty to fall ill; in fact, it is our responsibility to protect His Majesty from illness."
Yuan Yao countered, "Wouldn't it be better if His Majesty were ill?"
"No," Zhang Xun insisted. "We don't trust civil officials. Those bastards just hide in the back and send us to our deaths."
It is perfectly reasonable that there was discord between the civil and military officials within the Zhong regime. On the contrary, it would be strange if the civil and military officials were harmonious and did not shift blame to each other, given that Yuan Shu's army had suffered repeated defeats over the years.
Having anticipated this, Yuan Yao remained calm and said, "General, you are overthinking it. I believe the Grand Commander will treat you all properly and without bias."
Zhang Xun was still full of doubt; such empty promises clearly could not dispel his suspicions.
Yuan Yao threw out an important bait: "As you all probably know, His Majesty has a considerable sum of money, worth tens of millions. The Grand Commander intends to invest this money in national affairs, with more than 70% of it going towards military expenditures."
"Seventy percent?"
The people present immediately became excited.
Everything else is secondary; the real investment of real money is substantial.
In particular, Yuan Shu's army suffered heavy losses in years of war and was in dire need of funds for reconstruction; it was practically starving.
However, Yuan Shu only cared about his own enjoyment and regarded the national treasury as his private funds. Once he was defeated, he would only curse the army for deceiving him and felt that these generals had not faithfully carried out his orders and were all shameless, disloyal cowards.
Otherwise, why would Lei Bo and Chen Lan have gone to Qianshan to become outlaws in a fit of anger, and been called cowards, traitors and good-for-nothings every day? Who could stand that?
Moreover, just now there was the incident of Yuan Shu wanting to conscript 100,000 laborers to build his new palace. Seeing that he could not force the officials to remonstrate, and that Lujiang was indeed not wealthy and it would be difficult to spare so many people, he turned his attention to the army and tried to get the soldiers to do the construction work.
Comparing the two, the cost-effectiveness of agreeing to a coup suddenly increases dramatically, making it worth serious consideration.
Incidentally, this also reveals just how simple-minded these physically strong military generals are. When Yuan Yao was colluding with those civil officials, those with higher levels of skill could guess what Yuan Yao was up to just by reading the air, while those with lower levels would understand everything after a few hints.
The people in front of them still only knew that Yuan Yao was organizing a coup, and knew nothing else.
Someone asked, "Who will be the Grand Commander in the future?"
Yuan Yao smiled but remained silent.
Zhang Xun leaned back instantly: "It couldn't be you, could it?"
Yuan Yao smiled slightly: "Even if a person does not seek a position, he still takes it as his responsibility to benefit the country. If he is the one who is expected to succeed, then he can only take on the responsibility and completely abandon his own selfish desires."
"It really is you..." Zhang Xun was speechless.
It's nothing, it's just that I feel a bit too filial.
But thinking about it again, if Yuan Yao really could take the position, it would indeed be good news for these military generals.
As an industry that values performance the most, the military is naturally inclined to admire strength and pragmatism. Yuan Yao's ability to defeat a formidable enemy like Liu Bei—regardless of how he won—established a certain prestige within the military.
Moreover, Yuan Yao was very good at interpersonal relationships. When the credit was distributed after the battle, he greatly praised Chen Ji, who defended Shouchun, saying that he deserved the most credit for the battle.
Then there's nothing more to say.
At this point, after a brief discussion, the military basically agreed to support Yuan Yao's coup.
"The situation is settled!" Cao Xing was overjoyed, finally able to overthrow the old tyrant Yuan Shu.
"Don't rush," Yuan Yao said cautiously. "Take a squad of guards and come with me somewhere."
Soon after, Yuan Yao arrived at a residence that seemed very familiar.
Yan Xiang's residence.
"Lord Yama!"
Yuan Yao, who had been all smiles these past few days, was now extremely serious.
"I've already reached an agreement with Yang Hong and Zhang Xun. Both the civil and military officials have agreed to support me. Everything is ready, and the operation will take place tomorrow night!"
"But I can't find anyone else I can trust besides you. The entire court is either selfish or mediocre!"
"Just to survive in this chaotic world, Yan Qing, please help me, okay?"
Yan Xiang, who had previously rejected Yuan Yao twice, stood up, looking rather anxious.
"Your Highness, you are confused!"
Before Yuan Yao could speak, Yan Xiang quickly said, "To forsake a gift from Heaven is to suffer the consequences! Now that preparations are complete, why wait until tomorrow night? Your Highness, please return to your residence immediately; we will act tonight!"
Yuan Yao: "Huh?"
Yuan Yao tried to explain somewhat awkwardly, "Lord Yan, you may not be aware of the situation. The situation is actually not that optimistic."
Regardless of whether it was Yang Hong or Zhang Xun, or the other Zhong clan ministers who were won over, their so-called support for Yuan Yao was actually very ambiguous. They would not personally participate and were all opportunists, helping whoever won.
In the end, it was Zhang Kai who wanted to gamble on a fortune and agreed to defect at the last minute, bringing his troops to join the coup.
Therefore, in order to avoid facing Yuan Shu's personal army alone, Yuan Yao decided to cause trouble the next night, hoping to make his victory a sure thing and wait for Zhang Kai to join the attack.
Yuan Yao: "Otherwise, the only men I can use right now are the eight hundred men under my command."
Yan Xiang insisted, "Eight hundred men it is. Eight hundred men, the first to strike is the best!"
Cao Xing chimed in, "I wield a bow and sword, and my lord follows with his own. What can a million men do to us?"
Yuan Yao hesitated for a moment. Given that this was his first time staging a coup and he had no experience with it, and that he didn't quite trust the name Zhang Kai, he ultimately decided to trust Yan Xiang.
In hindsight, this was a very correct decision.
Because that very night, something else happened that surprised everyone.
Just as Yuan Yao had organized his troops, men gagged and horses hoofed, advancing towards the governor's mansion where Yuan Shu was located, while simultaneously sending messengers to inform Yang Hong, Zhang Xun, and others that very night, entrusting them with stabilizing the situation—
"Set it on fire! Set it on fire!"
"Heaven will punish this traitor! Kill him!"
"Don't let yourself get away, you old thief!"
Another force took the lead and launched a fierce attack on the governor's mansion. Due to the suddenness of the attack, they created great chaos in just a short time.
Upon seeing this scene, Yuan Yao was initially dumbfounded.
No, how can a coup be hijacked?
After calming down quickly, he immediately ordered his men to find out what had happened.
Not long after, the skilled and daring Cao Xing made his way back and forth across the battlefield, bringing out a prisoner.
After a brief interrogation, it was learned that the one launching the rebellion was actually Liu Xun, the Prefect of Lujiang and a former subordinate of Yuan Shu!
This sudden turn of events left everyone momentarily hesitant, needing to carefully consider how to respond.
Huang Yi, who was accompanying the prince, couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what should we do now? Rescue him or kidnap him?"
Yuan Yao thought for a moment: "Wait a minute."
Huang Yi: "Wait?"
"That's right." Yuan Yao laughed, "The Prefect of Lujiang and the Emperor of the Zhong family fought each other, one died and the other was injured. Crown Prince Yuan Yao was appointed to oversee the country in a time of crisis. Doesn't that sound pleasing to the ear?"