Although heaven has no two suns and people have no two masters, at this time, the world is using three different calendars. In the state of Wei, it is the first year of Taihe; in the state of Wu, it is the sixth year of Huangwu; and in Shu Han, it is the fifth year of Jiaxing.
Yizhou, Chengdu.
Since Liu Bei seized Chengdu, proclaimed himself as the King of Han Middle, and then ascended the throne as an emperor, the ancient city of Chengdu began a massive reconstruction. The construction of palaces and various government offices took over a year.
In the broad courtyard of the Ministry of Rites in the south of the city, young seedlings of wild grasses sprouted from the cracks between the tiles. Even during the morning hours, there were very few figures moving about in such a vast ministry.
Li Yan, the Minister of Rites, was sitting in his own office within the Ministry of Rites, idly practicing calligraphy at a desk. Two bamboo slats were stacked next to the desk, waiting for the ink to dry before they were collected.
The bamboo tablet spread out on the tabletop had been filled with a major part of the text by Li Yan.
A series of footsteps echoed from a distance to the near, and the person approaching was Chen Feng, the Secretary. The door to Li Yan's office was open, and after knocking a few times without a response, Chen Feng walked in as he usually would.
Li Yan looked up at Chen Feng and said in a calm tone, "Boming, I'll finish my work first if you have something to say."
"Yes, Master." Chen Feng stood with his hands crossed at the side of Li Yan's desk.
From Chen Feng's perspective, Li Yan's calligraphy could be considered exceptional. The slender and graceful handles, combined with the thick strokes, made it almost resemble the art of a renowned calligrapher.
Li Yan, while writing with a soft whisper, recited the article silently.
"As I truly cannot keep company with these few, I am silent and alone, adhering to my Tai Xuan," Li Yan finished the sentence, word by word. With the last stroke of his brush, he made a dot on the bamboo tablet, completing the character 'Xuan'.
Seeing that Li Yan had completed his last character, Chen Feng bowed and said, "Your clerical script has grown even more grandiose. The subordinate believes that even the calligraphy of Zhong Yuanzhang in Wei would be comparable to this."
Li Yan sneered and said, "Zhong Yao is a Marshal, and I've heard that last year he was promoted to Grand Professor. That's a rank above the Three Public Offices. Even if my calligraphy is as good as his, how can my position compare to Zhong Yao's?"
"Boming, take a look at the Ministry of Rites. I am the only Minister of Rites here, guarding you and a few other Secretaries. There are only about twenty officials in the courtyard." Li Yan's words contained some dissatisfaction: "There were hundreds of officials in the Ministry of Rites back then."
"Well..." Chen Feng showed a hint of depression and tried to change the topic: "Perhaps the authority and responsibility will gradually return to the Ministry of Rites. You shouldn't worry too much, Master. What did you write today?"
Li Yan said, "Yang Xiong's 'Exculpation.' Sitting in the Ministry of Rites all day with nothing to do, one can only write an 'Exculpation' to while away the boredom."
"Oh, by the way, Boming, what do you want to see me for?"
Li Yan looked up at Chen Feng.
Chen Feng bowed and said, "Minister, the message from the Grand Chancellor's Mansion is that the Chancellor invites you to the mansion for a matter."
Li Yan slowly stood up, huffing as he stretched his lazy muscles. Chen Feng, who had been a close confidant of Li Yan for many years, did not need to conceal his attitude in front of him.
"Like Gongming Zhuge, another entrusted official, who can call me to the Grand Chancellor's Mansion for consultation, while I, the Minister of Rites, am ignored. The state edicts all originate from the Grand Chancellor's Mansion. My position as the Minister of Rites is like a fake one."
Chen Feng nodded in response, "Since the Chancellor's Mansion was established in the first year of Jiaxing, it has been nearly four years. The number of people in the Ministry of Rites has decreased, while the number in the Chancellor's Mansion has increased. The Ministry of Rites has become like an empty shell."
"Minister," Chen Feng looked at Li Yan, "I've heard that among the trusted officials in Wei, both Chen Qun and Sima Yi have established their own households."
"Hmph," Li Yan said, "How about more than establishing households? All four of Wei's auxiliary ministers have been entrusted with important duties, while I, the senior auxiliary minister of the Great Han, sit idle all day. Today, Zhuge Kongming asked me to go to him. I must explain myself clearly to him."
Half an hour later, Li Yan arrived at the gate of the Chancellor's Mansion and stepped down from his carriage.
Maj. Gen. Ma Jue met Li Yan at the gate and bowed to greet him, saying, "I have the honor to meet you, Lord. The Chancellor has been waiting for you for a long time. Please enter and discuss affairs with us."
Standing at the gate of the Chancellor's Mansion, Li Yan showed no trace of the despondent expression and discontent he had earlier at the Ministry of Rites. With a smile, he warmly asked, "It's kind of you, Young Chang, to wait for me at the gate. I wonder what matters the Chancellor wishes to discuss today?"
However, Ma Jue's expression was serious as he said, "Minister, the situation of the war between Wei and Wu has been reported to Chengdu. Furthermore, Wu has sent envoys to our Great Han requesting to form an alliance. The Chancellor today invited you here specifically for this matter."
"Oh? How did the war between Wei and Wu end?" Li Yan looked at Ma Jue.
"The Wu army was soundly defeated, but the Wei army, lacking in ships, was unable to take advantage of the situation to cross the river." Ma Jue slightly shook his head. "Please come inside."
Li Yan nodded in agreement. Ma Jue led Li Yan inside and followed him leisurely into the main hall of the Grand Chancellor's Mansion.
Chancellor Zhuge Kongming sat solemnly at the head of the hall, with all his subordinates seated on either side of the hall, and the foremost position on the right was still empty.
Seeing Li Yan arrive, Zhuge Kongming stood up, "Zhengfang has arrived. Please take a seat quickly."
"Beg pardon, Your Excellency." Li Yan bowed his hands and took his seat quickly.
Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, Zhuge Kongming wasted no more time and began to speak: "Now that the outcome of the war between Wei and Wu has been determined, the Wu army was heavily defeated while the Wei army emerged victorious. Over the past few years, our Great Han has repeatedly exchanged envoys with Wu. Now that Wu has suffered defeat, how we should handle this matter is what I want to hear your respective opinions."
Zhuge Kongming pointed at Xiang Lang, who was sitting opposite Li Yan, "Juda, you may brief everyone on the details of this matter."
"Yes, I will." Xiang Lang stood up, speaking slowly: "In the second year of Jianxing, Wu sent Zhang Wen and Zhang Huishu to be envoys in Chengdu. And in December of last year, Zhang Wen came for a second time."
"Zhang Wen's second visit to Chengdu was to inform our Great Han of Sun Quan's imminent military action against Wei, as well as Wu's intention to maintain the alliance with us. After Zhang Wen completed his mission, the court sent Deng Zhi to Eryang to escort Zhang Wen back to Wu."
"But before Zhang Wen reached the border, Wu sent messengers to find Zhang Wen and informed him of the war between Wei and Wu, where Wu suffered a heavy defeat. They urged Zhang Wen to seek a formal alliance with our Great Han and requested that our army from Han send troops to Lintao to attack Chang'an."
"Zhang Wen and Deng Zhi knew the gravity of this matter, so they quickly returned to Chengdu from Yan'an. Now that Zhang Wen has arrived in Chengdu, he wishes to know the Great Han's stance on this matter as soon as possible. That is why Your Excellency has summoned all of you here today for a meeting."
Zhuge Kongming nodded while sitting at the head of the hall, "Exactly. Wei has vast territory and a large population. Combined with Han and Wu, their combined strength is still not on par with Wei's might. For years, I have been striving to mend the rift between Han and Wu. This is well known among you all."
"Reporting to the Chancellor," Ma Jue stood up, bowed, and said, "An alliance with Wu is the general trend, but it is extremely hateful that the people of Eastern Wu have repeatedly challenged our Great Han. Until now, Eastern Wu still calls our Great Han 'Shu' rather than 'Han'."
"Now that Eastern Wu has suffered a heavy defeat, they suddenly seek an alliance with our Great Han, thus fulfilling Sun Quan's wishes. If we agree to this, our Great Han's prestige will be undermined," Ma Jue spoke earnestly. "Your Excellency should consider this matter carefully."
Li Yan silently watched Ma Jue speak. Ma Jue's implication was that he wanted to establish a sense of legitimacy. But if Zhuge Kongming had already expressed his view on this matter, how could it not be accomplished?
After Ma Jue finished speaking, Deng Zhi stood up next.
"Your Excellency," Deng Zhi said, "When I was sent to Eastern Wu as an envoy, Sun Quan spoke rudely to our Great Han. At that time, he expressed his willingness to maintain good relations with our Great Han, but he was hesitant because he feared that our Great Han's small size and weak status would be taken advantage of by Wei."
Deng Zhi continued, "Last year, the Chancellor led a Southern expedition. He subdued the rebellion in Nanzhong within less than a year, demonstrating great military prowess. In addition, Sun Quan was heavily defeated at Wanning this time."
"With one increase and one decrease, it seems certain that Sun Quan will no longer have any doubts."
Zhuge Kongming nodded and said, "Exactly. There are three factors affecting the alliance between Han and Wu."
"Firstly, Eastern Wu fears that our Great Han's weakness will be exploited by Cao Wei. Now that the southern region has been stabilized, our army is fully equipped. Additionally, with Sun Quan guarding the river, there is no significant difference in strength between Han and Wu."
"Secondly, Sun Quan has defamed our Great Han as 'Shu'. If Sun Quan has the intention to form an alliance, it should be up to him to change the name. This issue should not be a hindrance."
"Thirdly, the emperor is our Great Han's emperor, while Sun Quan is the king of Wu. After the battle of Shilingshi, Sun Quan wrote a letter to our late emperor. He dared to suggest that Emperor Xiao Min had passed away and that our late emperor should remove his title of emperor and become the King of Hanzhong instead."
Zhuge Kongming said in a calm tone, "Since there is a significant difference in rank between Sun Quan and our late emperor, either Sun Quan should be willing to submit to the Great Han as a vassal, or he should declare himself emperor, or we should establish an alliance between Han and Wu based on practicality rather than rank."
"Baomiao," Zhuge Kongming looked at Deng Zhi, "Please bring the Eastern Wu envoy Zhang Wen over. Our prime minister wishes to ask him personally."
Deng Zhi went to execute the order.
Zhuge Kongming's gaze shifted to Li Yan. As a trusted minister, Li Yan still held a certain status and influence in the court. Although the political affairs were now largely under the control of the Chancellor's Mansion, it was still necessary to strive for agreement with Li Yan on such national matters.
"Zhengfang, what do you think about forming an alliance with Wu?" Zhuge Kongming asked.
Li Yan paused for a moment and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, Wei is a traitor and Wu has repeatedly betrayed our alliance and caused the late emperor to suffer defeat. In reality, both Wei and Wu are enemies of our Great Han. The difference lies only in the degree of urgency."
"I believe it would be better to report this matter to the emperor and let him make the final decision. The enmity between Eastern Wu and the late emperor is well-known. This is a national grudge; let's see if the emperor is willing to put aside this grudge."
Zhuge Kongming slightly furrowed his brow.
Forming an alliance with Wu is a matter of inevitable momentum.
If we were to truly wait for Eastern Wu to become weak, to submit again to Wei or even be annihilated by them, our Great Han would then only have the Yizhou region. Even if Jiang Shang and Sun Wu were to be reborn, it might be difficult to reverse the situation.
Although Li Yan's words did not explicitly indicate opposition, it was actually a tacit agreement. However, Li Yan's words "Please the emperor to make the final decision" were perfectly correct and could not be criticized.
Zhuge Kongming nodded slightly: "What Zhengfang has said is quite right, and I will certainly explain this matter to the emperor."
(Chapter ends)
