At this moment, not many people know the news that Liu Bei will proclaim himself emperor.
Only the core military and political group members in Luoyang learned about it because of Liu Bei's secret notification. Only core members outside Luoyang could learn about this matter after receiving a secret letter from Liu Bei.
They don't even know the ins and outs of this matter, as these news spread very slowly.
Of course, this is also a good thing. This matter is too important and too confidential. Before it is truly successful, the fewer people know about it, the better.
Besides, to complete this matter, you don’t need to spend a lot of time. You only need to mobilize the army to enter Luoyang City, control the inside and outside of Luoyang City, and then make a declaration, hold a ceremony, and then carry out the process to the world.
Declaration is pretty much it.
Opponents will still object, and those who are brave will jump out and be killed by the local garrison arranged by Liu Bei. Then, the world will be peaceful.
Adequate preparation and long-term accumulation of strength will make the process from Liu Bei's decision to become emperor to actually becoming emperor very simple and very short.
Not even for a month.
In late April, he decided to become emperor. In early May, all preparations were completed. A meeting was held in mid-May, and the specific date of action was set for May 20th in the fifth year of Jian'an.
He will eliminate all opponents on this day, then successfully ascend the throne, and then become the emperor of the Third Han Empire.
Everything will happen very quickly, just like when he helped Liu Hong eliminate Yuan Wei and He Jin's gang members, everything was over in just one day, and Liu Hong even lived to see the final victory.
This time, he will be faster than last time.
On the day of the meeting, the internal core personnel who participated in the meeting were very excited. Liu Bei's instructions to them were not many and not complicated. He only asked them to perform their respective duties.
Those in charge of government affairs should do a good job in government affairs, and those in charge of leading troops should also lead the troops and horses, waiting for his notice.
It is worth mentioning that seven lieutenants from the Xiyuan Army, eight lieutenants from the Chengmen Lieutenant Group, and four lieutenants from the Palace Guard Group also attended the meeting.
However, they belong to an external group and have low positions and little power. They are just in a special position, so their cooperation is needed.
In addition, Jian Shuo can be let off, but Dong Chong cannot be let off.
Therefore, a city gate captain and a palace guard captain who are still loyal to Dong Zhong will be included in the must-kill list.
In the specific operation, Liu Bei needed these lieutenants to cooperate with his army to take over all aspects of Luoyang City, complete the complete control of Luoyang City, eliminate all the very few military forces that did not belong to him, and arrest Dong Chong by the way.
When it comes to military matters, it is better to leave them to the army. This is the task of the army.
Then, Liu Bei explained the political tasks to Zhang Rang and Guo Hong.
He made a list, and the people involved in this list were all members of the opposition group, including eunuchs, officials, and ordinary scholars.
Zhang Rang was responsible for dealing with eunuch opponents, and Guo Hong was responsible for arresting officials and scholar-level opponents.
They themselves, their family members in Luoyang City, and their relatives and friends who are deeply involved will be arrested and thrown into prison.
After Liu Bei officially proclaims the emperor, those who have connections outside Luoyang City will be quickly destroyed by military means by his subordinates in the local area, and they will be eliminated together to achieve clan execution.
The Zheng family and the Jia family will all be eradicated, and no one or force who opposes him will survive. This is inevitable, and no one can persuade them.
There are still three fires to burn when a new official takes office, and a new emperor will naturally have to burn a few fires when he takes office, and the bigger the better, the more vigorous the better.
"Being emperor is not a good thing for me. I was a minister who cared about the emperor's orders, but in the end I chose to proclaim myself emperor. This is not a good thing for all the groups of ministers who may appear in the future. They may
will hate me.
And people who once had a sense of trust in me may be disappointed in me because of this. People who once believed that I was a loyal minister will also be disappointed in me. They may do some things that I really don’t want to see, and I will do some things to them.
Something I really don’t want to see.
Of course, there are my reasons here, and naturally there are also your reasons. For the sake of all those who regard me as the master, you carry out my orders and become my subordinates, and therefore lose your way out. I became the emperor and achieved myself.
We must also protect your property and life, which is inevitable for both of us.
So, don’t be complacent about this matter, don’t think that everything will be fine after I become the emperor. No, we all have our own troubles and difficulties. In addition, I became the emperor to do what I want to do.
It’s better to get things done rather than be arrogant.”
Liu Bei looked around at the cronies who had followed him all the way.
"You must not think that I became emperor because of my uncontrollable desire for power, or for some other reason. You must believe me. I am not lying. On this matter, I especially do not want you to have any differences with me.
You can do it, right?"
Under Liu Bei's gaze, everyone agreed and no one had any contrary opinions.
In other words, now, there is no possibility of any opinions contrary to his, no matter what he says, no matter what they think in their hearts.
But Liu Bei didn't lie.
He cannot be a Taoist ruler, he is not an ideal person.
He cannot be an ideal Confucian ruler, he is not benevolent enough.
However, when it comes to being himself, he has never betrayed himself.
Finally, in terms of auspiciousness, momentum building and other matters, Cao Cao, Gai Xun and others expressed to Liu Bei that they had prepared a series of procedures.
They found Kun in the land of the East China Sea, the roc in the land of Youyan, the big white fish in the south of the Yangtze River, and the colorful unicorn in the land of Sichuan and Shu.
As long as Liu Bei gives the order, they can immediately ask local officials to report and send many auspicious news to Luoyang, so that Liu Bei will have a sufficient excuse to ascend the throne.
Liu Bei was speechless about this.
In response to the kindness of his subordinates, Liu Bei could only smile awkwardly but politely.
"There's no need for auspiciousness. Everyone in the world will know the origin and reason of my ascension to the throne. I won't hide anything. If I make auspiciousness, I will be inferior. There is no need for you to create any momentum."
The subordinates looked at each other.
You don't even need auspicious symbols when you ascend the throne?
Isn't this a bit too rough?
How can we prove that you, the old man, are the destined emperor and ruler if you don't engage in auspiciousness?
But Liu Bei felt that he was not a destined ruler in the first place, and he did not want such a claim at all.
Ruan Yu felt that it was not possible. He could not let his idol become the emperor in such a simple and rough way, so he thought he had to do something.
"Then do you think you need to find some prophecies to use? The prophecies will also be of great help to you in becoming emperor. As long as you are willing, I will definitely mobilize all my subordinates to solve the problem for you within three days.
All questions!”
In Ruan Yu's view, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, relied on auspiciousness when he ascended the throne, and Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu relied on prophecies when he ascended the throne. So when Liu Bei ascends the throne, you must have the same share of both, right?
As long as you are willing, I will immediately lead all my brothers to stay up late and read books, and I will guarantee that all the ancient books that are talking about me will be found within three days. I will also make you what you need by force!
Absolutely, absolutely, make you the ruler destined by God.
You will definitely become the only emperor.
But unexpectedly Liu Bei still shook his head.
"There is no need. We have already said that in the future, we should respect ghosts and gods and stay away from them. Don't do such mundane things if you can. Do more practical things when you have time. Don't always think about these things.
No."
Liu Bei patted Ruan Yu on the shoulder.
Ruan Yu had no choice but to nod in agreement and gave up prophesying about the auspicious battle.
However, some subordinates were still worried. They felt that it was a bit unreasonable not to engage in prophecies and auspiciousness. If someone used this to make trouble in the future, it would be very detrimental to Liu Bei's rule.
However, Liu Bei had a firm attitude towards this, and there was nothing they could do.
After everything was ready, Liu Bei didn't say anything else. He carefully finalized the details of the operation with everyone, formulated some emergency plans, and then asked them to make preparations individually. Don't make the real move until the last moment.
State the purpose.
No one can know about this except themselves. If there is any leakage, it will be treated as treason and no matter who it is, they will be killed.
So everyone pretended that nothing happened, and apparently did nothing.
As for Liu Bei, he was handling government affairs in the General's Mansion as usual, working overtime to deal with an overwhelming amount of work. It was not until midnight that he left the office and returned to the backyard to rest.
Previously, according to the specific division of labor in the backyard, Liu Bei also had work at night, with a cycle of seven days, including five working days and two days of rest. Today it happened to be Han Ning's turn.
As the head wife, Han Ning enjoys the right to be alone in the same room with Liu Bei.
Everyone envied this right, but no one had the nerve to compete with Han Ning. Although Han Ning was gentle, she still had a strong sense of rights as a head wife.
Because Liu Bei would not come home until late at night from work, Han Ning would prepare some nourishing and digestible soup for him in order to take care of Liu Bei's health and let him eat a little bit to replenish his body.
It was the same tonight. Han Ning stewed a bowl of bone soup and waited for Liu Bei to come back.
When Liu Bei came back, she helped Liu Bei change his clothes, then sat next to Liu Bei and watched Liu Bei enjoy the soup.
"You are no longer a very young person. You are no longer what you used to be. You should not deal with government affairs so late in the future. It will be very harmful to your health."
"It's not what I want. I also want to do less things, but now is the critical period of reform. There are too many things to do. If I don't do it, no one can do it."
Liu Bei smiled and said: "And there is also the soup you stewed for me. It is very nourishing for the body. It doesn't matter."
"The doctors have said that no matter how much you supplement, there is a limit. It cannot make up for the loss of vitality. Once the vitality is gone, it is gone."
Han Ning shook his head and said, "You work so hard every day, and it feels like your complexion is much worse than in previous years."
Liu Bei touched his face.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Han Ning stroked Liu Bei's cheek: "I will never lie to you."
"That's it..."
Liu Bei put down the soup bowl and smiled and said: "There is nothing we can do about it. Even if I am a general, this is not the case. What's more, I will be an emperor soon. People who become emperors may age faster."
"Yes, the person who becomes the emperor...must..."
Han Ning originally said it with a smile, but he felt something was wrong. After thinking about it carefully, his expression changed slightly, and finally his eyes widened.
"emperor?"
"kindness."
"Lang Jun, you want to...be the emperor?"
"Yes, I want to be the emperor."
Liu Bei nodded and reached out to touch Han Ning's still delicate cheek: "After I become the emperor, you will be the queen and the mother of a country."
"I……"
Han Ning stared and opened her mouth: "I want to be the queen?"
"Of course, if you don't become the queen, who will?"
Liu Bei chuckled and said: "You will soon be the queen of the Han Dynasty. It may be a bit sudden. I didn't tell you before, but that's because I don't want you to work too hard. I can tell you now. The dust has settled and the ending is over.
It won’t change.”
Han Ning was stunned for a while before swallowing, and his expression became a little nervous.
"Lang Jun, what is going on?"
"Simple is also simple, complex is complex, inevitable is inevitable, and accidental is accidental."
Liu Bei smiled bitterly and told Han Ning the whole story in the most concise language. However, even in the most concise language, he only spoke for about a quarter of an hour. During this period, Han Ning listened nervously, for fear of missing something.
Something is slightly wrong.
After hearing everything, Han Ning didn't know how to express the complicated emotions in her heart.
"Such a thing could happen..."
"I have never thought about it, but history seems to be promoted unintentionally by a group of idiots. If people in the world would not be stupid, maybe the descendants of Dayu would still be emperors now, but it is a pity.
,People will always make mistakes.”
Liu Bei said helplessly: "This was not my original intention. I was also pushed away, but what pushed me was the general trend of the world. I was unable to resist. If I resisted, the country of Han would be harmed. I have paid for the country of Han."
There are too many and I can’t let them go.”
"But...but if Lang Jun doesn't want to..."
"It's not that I don't want to at all."
Liu Bei blinked: "Of course we have to speak out as much as we are helpless to the outside world, but our own family members can say anything behind closed doors, but we are not so helpless. Moreover, we are the emperor after all, and we have not done anything.
Yes, I am somewhat curious."
Seeing Liu Bei's playful look, Han Ning was stunned.
"Then...then do you want to do it or don't you want to do it?"
"I won't do anything if it's difficult, but the position has been given to me. It's a smooth road. God doesn't take it, but it messes with it."
Liu Bei said with a smile: "Then I will do it, what's wrong? I am also a clan member of the Han Dynasty. It is not the first time that a small clan has entered a large clan in the Han Dynasty. When I am the emperor, the scholars will chew the most.
It’s just tongue-in-cheek, but what other reasons can they give for why I can’t be emperor?”
"this……"
Han Ning thought about it and found that what Liu Bei said did make sense.
He is indeed not a serious heir to the throne of the emperor, but his surname is Liu and he is a member of the Han clan. Although he is a remote branch, no matter how remote he is, he is still a member of the Han clan.
So, no problem!
Han Ning nodded.
"Indeed, Lang Jun is also a descendant of Emperor Gaozu. How could the Han Dynasty not allow a descendant of Emperor Gaozu to be the emperor?"
"Isn't that enough? Seriously, madam, have you never thought about what it's like to be a queen?"
Liu Bei smiled and said: "During the enthronement ceremony, you will attend with me. You will stand next to me, dressed in the most gorgeous dress, dressed extremely beautifully. You will climb to the highest platform with me and sit with me.
Together, we will rule the world together."
"To rule the world?"
Han Ning's eyes suddenly straightened.
"Yes, the king rules the world. The emperor is a king, and the queen is also a king. We are all emperors."
Liu Bei reached out and held Han Ning's hand: "At that time, you will not only be in charge of our small courtyard, but also a whole big palace, the entire harem, all the eunuchs, maids, etc., will be managed by you.
All the people who serve are also managed by you."
"How many people will there be?"
"It's not too many now, but when our family all moves in, there will probably be more people, hundreds of people. If we handle it more carefully, it's not impossible to have thousands of people."
Liu Bei smiled and said: "When the time comes, you will be the greatest steward."
"There are so many people, can I manage them? I..."
Han Ning seemed to have fallen into some wonderful fantasy, but he quickly came back to his senses.
"That was later, what about now? Isn't there any danger in this matter? It won't bring any danger to you, right? There won't be any danger to our family, right?"
"Don't worry, I have eliminated the danger a long time ago."
Liu Bei patted the back of Han Ning's hand: "You just need to wear the most gorgeous decorations and become the mother of the country of Han. Leave the rest to me."
"Oh well."
Han Ning nodded and immediately held Liu Bei's hand tightly: "Then no matter what, you must pay attention to your own safety, okay?"
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded: "Also, you can choose a day to inform others about this matter. Remember, it is only known to you personally. Not even the maids around you can know about it, nor can the children know about it until I officially ascend the throne.
That’s the day you can let go, do you understand?”
"Shall I inform you?"
"Of course, you are the mistress of the house. If you don't inform me, do you want me to inform you?"
Liu Bei smiled and said: "It's time for you to show some dignity as a queen."
"The Queen's majesty..."
Han Ning frowned and thought hard for a moment: "I don't understand."
"You will understand soon."
Liu Bei smiled and hugged Han Ning into his arms, and said no more.