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Chapter 1178: The Proclamation Against Lu
Chapter 1178: The Proclamation Against Lu
January 18, 198 AD.
Lu HaiKong had sent out invitations for his coronation ceremony to all corners of the realm, igniting the passions of various feudal lords.
From the very beginning, Lu HaiKong had been transparent about his intentions, but until he took action, the powers across the land, though already forming alliances, had remained silent and turned a blind eye to his actions.
They had chosen to ignore him, acting as if they were indifferent, but when Lu HaiKong issued the invitation for his coronation and declared his intention to become king, they suddenly became vigilant.
Those who had once turned a blind eye were now wide-eyed with indignation, as if they had just discovered Lu HaiKong's 'insane' actions. Various forces rose up, passionately denouncing Lu HaiKong.
To Lu HaiKong's surprise, the first to speak out was not Liu Bei but Dong Zhuo!
Immediately after Lu HaiKong's invitation was sent out, Dong Zhuo issued a proclamation against Lu HaiKong, denouncing him for disregarding the Son of Heaven and declaring himself king, an act of treason and rebellion. Dong Zhuo listed eighteen charges against Lu HaiKong, concocting various accusations, and called upon the heroes of the realm to join forces against this rebel.
The proclamation was written with righteous indignation, portraying Lu HaiKong as the most heinous villain. Dong Zhuo, the very traitor who had been defeated by the feudal lords a few years ago, now held the puppet emperor Liu Xie and presented himself as the most loyal and passionate of all.
What was even more laughable was that the feudal lords across the land responded to Dong Zhuo's proclamation, each issuing their own proclamations to condemn Lu HaiKong. They expressed their intention to join Dong Zhuo's Anti-Lu Alliance, claiming that they would rally under Dong Zhuo's banner of justice. They declared that if Lu HaiKong did not abandon his ambition to become king, the feudal lords would gather in Luoyang to defeat this rebel.
The fervor of the feudal lords created an overwhelming atmosphere, making it seem like Lu HaiKong was doomed.
However, Lu HaiKong remained unmoved by this situation and ignored their clamor.
Indeed, at this moment, Lu HaiKong had more pressing matters to attend to.
After retrieving Cheng Yaojin and the others from Lingzhi City, Lu HaiKong held a meeting with Cheng Yaojin, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You. The topic of their discussion was the intelligence obtained from Cheng Yaojin.
In the intelligence report, Lu HaiKong immediately grasped the terrifying strength of the force backing Cheng Yaojin.
Lu HaiKong had thought that by capturing Cheng Yaojin and defeating the five Blood Demon Generals, he would have dealt a significant blow to their backers. But when he learned the true extent of their power, he realized his initial thoughts were overly optimistic.
While the battle in Youzhou had indeed inflicted some damage, it was not as severe as he had hoped. If they were to open the mysterious gate again and invade with their full strength, Lu HaiKong's forces would be overwhelmed.
More alarming was the revelation that Cheng Yaojin's backers were just one of many forces among the foreign demons, and not even the most powerful one. Cheng Yaojin knew of several other entities with even greater might.
The true concern, however, was the critical information Lu HaiKong obtained from Cheng Yaojin.
Since their previous battle with Cheng Yaojin, the location of their world had been exposed. In such a situation, the world could only remain stable for about five years at most before the second wave of the foreign demons' invasion.
This time, Lu HaiKong would not just face Cheng Yaojin's backers but potentially the entire foreign invasion force.
This revelation stunned even Xi Zhicai and Xun You. Compared to this news, the proclamations against Lu HaiKong seemed insignificant, so Lu HaiKong paid them no heed.
Their current priority was to adjust their strategy based on this new intelligence. Initially, Lu HaiKong had planned to defeat the feudal lords in one battle and unify the realm within a few years, but now he had to reconsider.
However, ignoring these lords could make them think he was afraid. As Lu HaiKong and his advisors discussed their strategy, the feudal lords took further action.
Seeing Lu HaiKong's lack of response, they grew bolder. They started with demanding that Lu HaiKong abandon his coronation, but their demands escalated. They now wanted Lu HaiKong to retreat to Bingzhou, return Luoyang, the Imperial Capital Administrative Office, and Youzhou, disband his army, and surrender the Red Glow Sword.
At first, Lu HaiKong was unconcerned and ignored their demands.
But as their voices grew louder, the feudal lords took action, and Lu HaiKong's merchant caravans were once again seized.
This forced Lu HaiKong to respond while still strategizing with his advisors. Surprisingly, Lu HaiKong did not show anger.
Instead, he responded with utmost seriousness and sincerity. Lu HaiKong personally wrote several letters, which were delivered to Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and others the next day.
The letter, written in Lu HaiKong's own hand, consisted of only five words, but they conveyed his most sincere and genuine attitude towards the matter.
"Be good, listen, and stop the fuss!"
Chapter end
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