Chương 467: When Will He Ascend the Throne and Become Emperor?

His eyes were filled with fighting spirit as he said firmly:

"If my lord trusts me, give me an army to guard either the southern or northern border! Whoever dares to invade the territory of the Han Dynasty, I, Sun Jian, will lead my troops and drive them back to their homeland!"

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I'll chop off their head! I guarantee the borders of the Great Han will be peaceful and secure, not even a fly can get in!"

After he finished speaking, he realized that he had gotten a little excited. He scratched his head sheepishly, sat back down, picked up a peach, and took a big bite.

After the three finished speaking, they all looked at Liu Ce, waiting for his reaction.

After listening, Liu Ce smiled and nodded, tossing the peach pit in his hand into the plate beside him, and said slowly:

"Okay, I understand. I've kept your ambitions in mind. Don't worry, I won't let you stay idle forever. After a while, suitable jobs will naturally be available for you."

He paused, looked at the three men, and smiled, "Mengde, you want to fight the Xianbei and Xiongnu; Xuande, you want to be a local official; Wentai, you want to guard the frontier—that's all fine. As long as you work diligently and contribute to the Han Dynasty, I, Liu Ce, will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Upon hearing this, the three were overjoyed and immediately rose to their feet, bowing respectfully to Liu Ce.

"Thank you, my lord! We will serve you with our lives and never fail you!"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop with the formalities. Since we're free today, why don't you stay for dinner? I've had some good wine prepared; let's have a few drinks!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

The three of them exchanged a smile and breathed a sigh of relief.

They had initially thought Liu Ce had called them over to give them a warning, but it turned out he was asking about their ambitions and even assigning them jobs. They were finally relieved.

Soon, the servants brought out the wine and dishes.

The four men sat together, clinking glasses and chatting about interesting stories from past battles and their future plans, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Slightly tipsy, Cao Cao slammed his hand on the table and said, "My lord, let me tell you, back in Luoyang, if I had stabbed Dong Zhuo with that blade, he would be dead! What a pity!"

Liu Ce laughed and said, "If you had stabbed him, history would have been missing a Cao Cao."

Cao Cao was taken aback: "In history?"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, let's drink."

Liu Bei, holding his wine cup, said with emotion, "My lord, my life has been full of ups and downs. I never imagined that I would be able to serve under you in the end. It is truly an honor."

Sun Jian said casually, "My lord, from now on, leave all the battles to me! I guarantee you won't have to worry about anything!"

Liu Ce laughed heartily, raising his wine cup: "Good, good, good! With the three of you here, the Han dynasty is secure!"

The four men drank their fill in one gulp, their laughter echoing through the council chamber.

......

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Liu Ce looked at the three men and suddenly asked, "What do you think this world will become in the future?"

The three exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Cao Cao spoke first, saying, "My lord, I believe that the best situation is when the world is at peace and the people have enough to eat."

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Yes, the people live in peace and prosperity, without war or famine. This is what I dream of seeing."

Sun Jian also said, "The fact that there are no battles to fight means that the world is at peace. Although I am itching to fight, I am truly happy."

Liu Ce smiled and raised his glass: "Then let's drink to this 'best version'!"

The four raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

...

A few days later, the council hall of the Prince of Yan's mansion was filled with the scent of ink mixed with a faint aroma of tea.

Having just finished handling three major tasks—account verification in various prefectures, land reclamation in southern Xinjiang, and border defense in the north—everyone is busy wrapping things up.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui checked the figures against the ledger one last time, their abacus clicking away faster than a battle.

Li Jing and Li Ji squatted on the ground, rolling up a map of the northern border defenses, and muttering about the number of troops stationed at Yanmen Pass. One said "five thousand" and the other said "five thousand five," arguing until their faces turned red.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong huddled together, secretly taking out the beef jerky from their pockets and munching on it with relish, occasionally shoving each other to grab some more.

Zhang Fei saw this, went over, snatched the beef jerky from Cheng Yaojin's hand, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it until his mouth was full of oil.

Suddenly, Fang Xuanling slammed the account book shut, cleared his throat, and took a step forward.

His movement instantly silenced the entire council chamber. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. Everyone knew that this head steward rarely spoke, and when he did, it was always something important.

Fang Xuanling bowed deeply to Liu Ce, who was seated in the main seat, his tone solemn yet tinged with caution:

"My lord, we have something we've been holding back for almost half a year, and today we can no longer contain ourselves. We would like to ask you boldly: when do you plan to ascend the throne and become emperor?"

Upon hearing this, the entire council chamber fell into a deathly silence for a moment, then erupted into chaos two seconds later!

Du Ruhui immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Xuanling is absolutely right! My lord! It has been almost half a year since the world was unified, and the four seas are at peace. The people live and work in peace and contentment, but the Han Dynasty still does not have a proper ruler. It is not legitimate and its rule is not rightful!"

"Official documents from various places are still dated 'First Year of Chuping,' and even the minting of coins doesn't know whose reign title to inscribe. If this continues, there's bound to be chaos!"

"That's right, that's right!"

Cheng Yaojin swallowed the beef jerky in one gulp, wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, and was the first to jump up, slapping his thigh and shouting:

"My lord! Please ascend the throne quickly! I, Old Cheng, have fought alongside you for eight years, from Youzhou to Yuzhou, braving mountains of knives and seas of fire. I'm just waiting for you to become emperor, so I can also become a founding general! Then I can drink from a golden wine jar every day, and nobody will be able to stop me!"

Zhang Fei slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Exactly! Brother, if you don't become emperor, then who is qualified?! That Prince Liu Xie of Chenliu? I, Old Zhang, will be the first to object! You hurry up and set a date, we're all waiting to be the first to kowtow to you!"

The civil officials also chimed in, each offering their own words of encouragement for the emperor to ascend the throne:

"My lord! The people's hearts are with you! Walk down the streets of Luoyang now, ask any commoner, and they'll all say you're eagerly awaiting their ascension to the throne. They all say you're a living bodhisattva who saved their lives!"

"Yes, my lord! Without an emperor, the court's decrees lack credibility. The newly subjugated barbarians in the south and the Xianbei in the north are both watching us closely!"

"If you refuse again, we, your humble servants, will lead all the civil and military officials to kneel at the gates of the Prince's residence tomorrow and refuse to rise until you agree!"

Even the usually composed Xun Yu stroked his beard and nodded, saying:

"My lord, I have been loyal to the Han Dynasty all my life, but now the Han Dynasty is in decline. Only you can restore the might of the Han Dynasty. Your ascension to the throne is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people, and it will also continue the Han Dynasty's legacy. I humbly request that you ascend the throne as soon as possible to appease the people and the nation."

Looking at his old comrades who had followed him through countless battles, all of them red-faced and visibly anxious, even Xun Yu was saying so, Liu Ce couldn't help but laugh and waved his hand to quiet the commotion: