[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-449":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1223208,1620,"Chapter 449: Before the Lord, Willing to Present a New Countenance","overthrowing-han-chapter-449",449,"\u003Cp>In the final days of the plum rain season, Guo Jia and Wang Lang had come to Xuzhou as two men with a few attendants, but by the time the plum rains ended and the golden autumn of the seventh month arrived, they departed as four men with a few attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before coming, Wang Lang had already requested leave from Lu Fan, the Chief Clerk to the General of the Guard. He had not visited his old home in Donghai Commandery for a long time and truly wished to go back and take a look. Moreover, with Zang Ba successfully swayed by Guan Yu’s stratagems and offering up Langya, the strategic commandery controlling the northern approaches to Xuzhou, in surrender to Hebei, Wang Jingxing could not help but entertain the idea of relocating his clan from Donghai to Langya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the two who traveled north together with Guo Jia, who carried the acting staff of authority, they were envoys dispatched by Liu Bei after he had effectively gained control over the greater part of the rest of Xuzhou — the chief envoy was called Lu Su, styled Lu Zijing, a man of Dongcheng in Xiapi, Xuzhou, and the deputy envoy was called Chen Deng, styled Chen Yuanlong, also a man of Xiapi, Xuzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from these two, there was also a close friend of Chen Deng himself, called Xu Shu, styled Xu Yuanzhi, who accompanied them as well, a matter Guo Jia pretended not to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, after Chen Deng, together with his entire clan, had thrown in his lot with Liu Bei, and given his performance at the critical moment, it was certainly understandable that he received this important appointment to avoid risk just as Liu Bei was about to purge Xuzhou. As for Xu Shu, after personally going to thank Zhang Fei for the past gift of a horse, he had openly declined the invitation to take office, deciding to continue his travels to study, broaden his knowledge, and refine his learning — and no one could fault him for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Lu Zijing — after several exchanges, Guo Jia always felt this man was outwardly Confucian but inwardly brilliant, no simple figure, and could not help but regard him with particular gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it happened, there was a certain amusing story and a bit of fate between Lu Su and Liu Bei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must understand that Lu Su hailed from Dongcheng in Xuzhou, a place where Xiapi Commandery extended into Jiujiang in the Huainan region. Geographically it belonged to Huainan, but administratively it should not, by rights, have fallen under Liu Bei’s governance. Yet what was interesting was that back when Liu Bei, relying on Tao Qian, had first established a foothold in Peinan, there had been a little interlude… Peinan, bounded by the Sui River, actually comprised eight counties. Why then did Liu Bei, the august Inspector of Yuzhou, only take six counties as his place of refuge at the time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was very simple: Tao Qian was not yet advanced in age, his health was excellent, and so his character was, as ever, predictably terrible. During that period, the disgusting things he did were not limited to throwing Zhang Zhao into prison… In fact, at the time he felt that Liu Bei’s ability to gain a foothold depended entirely on him, Tao of Xuzhou, propping him up, so he simply took the two counties of Peinan’s eight that bordered Xiapi Principality as his reward!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took them with an air of utter entitlement, overbearingly and without the slightest scruple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after Liu Xuande received Zhang Zhao’s guidance and led three thousand ragged troops south across the Huai River, sweeping through Huainan, he became a force to be reckoned with, his troops elite and his supplies ample. Yet he did not demand the return of those two counties. Instead, on one occasion, after accepting Tao Qian’s invitation to go to Guangling to deal with the harassment of Xue Li, the former Chancellor of Pengcheng, he passed through the area, saw that this place extended deep into Huainan, and simply seized the opportunity to swallow up Dongcheng County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can only say that Liu Bei was no pushover either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, the Central Plains at that time were truly chaotic. Men like Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Tao Qian could not truly control all the strategic space:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, in Runan there were the Yellow Turban bandits and minor warlords like Li Tong who effectively held independent sway in Langling; in Guangling there were disgruntled men like Xue Li who occupied the edges of the rivers and sea, raiding everywhere; in Jiujiang and Lujiang there were tens of thousands of lake bandits and river pirates; in Peibei and Liang Principality there were numerous fortified manors, not to mention the so-called clan bandits, mountain brigands, and the like…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was not only these. Just like the little story between Liu Bei and Tao Qian, between Sun Jian and Cao Cao, between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, between Liu Bei and Sun Jian, there were many similar little interludes at the same time… Just as, back then, why did Sun Jian invite Liu Bei to suppress the rebellion in Runan for him, and why did he hand over the lands east of the Ying River to Liu Bei? One reason he was too embarrassed to voice was that he feared if the Runan rebellion grew, Liu Xuande, using the excuse that he, Sun Jian, was tied up in Nanyang and unable to get away, would directly use the name of Inspector of Yuzhou and the pretext of suppressing rebellion to occupy that territory — and then not return it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the time came, would he, Sun Wentai, fall out with him, or would he swallow his pride? After all, you couldn’t very well say, “Worthy younger brother Liu, Inspector of Yuzhou, please return those few counties in Runan Commandery of your Yuzhou jurisdiction to me,” could you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The complexity of the situation at the time can also be seen from another small detail when Sun Jian promised the territory east of the Ying River — Runan east of the Ying River actually had a full eight counties, so why did he only return seven? Because one county, Chengfu, was in Cao Cao’s hands!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Chengfu belonged to Runan, it was actually situated on the lower reaches of the Guo River, not far from the place where Cao Cao and Gongsun Xun had bathed together back then. That place had been occupied by Cao Ren leading several thousand ruffians even before Cao Cao raised his troops, and it belonged to Cao Cao’s original territory. The Cao clan’s influence along the Guo River was simply too great, and Sun Jian was in truth powerless to do anything about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These matters, to put it plainly, were merely the outward manifestations of these relatively high-level warlords pulling and pushing, fighting and cooperating, while still having to consider the bigger picture… Generally speaking, the bigger picture was the bigger picture, but in private they still had to contend for territory and seize population.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Promote peace through struggle, win respect through struggle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to Lu Su — at that time, Liu Bei arrived in Guangling, easily defeated Xue Li, and then, like catching a rabbit while gathering firewood, occupied Dongcheng in Xiapi. He immediately went to seek out Lu Su. This was because Lu Su had harbored great ambitions from a young age, generously dispersed his wealth, and had a great reputation in the Huainan region. He was close friends with local Huainan talents like Liu Ye, and Liu Xuande had long heard of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet upon arriving in Dongcheng, he learned that Lu Su had fled!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fellow, seeing the chaos in Dongcheng and the constant harassment from people like Xue Li, had simply relocated to Huainan… Liu Bei hurried back to Huainan and sent men to the vicinity of Chaohu to summon Lu Su, only to inquire and learn that the fellow had actually fled again — this time, having developed the intention to take office, he was preparing to go to Jingzhou to seek refuge with Liu Biao!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thereupon, Liu Bei hurriedly went in pursuit personally, chasing him all the way to the riverbank, switching to a boat to continue the chase, and pursuing him all the way to Jiangxia without ever catching sight of the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after he returned to his main base at Shouchun in Huainan, utterly dejected, he was astonished to discover that Lu Su was right there waiting for him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it turned out, when Lu Zijing was running around recklessly, he too worried that he was being a bit unreliable, so before departing he had specifically come to Shouchun to consult his good friend Liu Ye. This nearly made Liu Ziyang laugh out loud — a clear enlightened lord is right before your eyes, and you don’t go to him — what are you running around for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su defended himself, saying, “This Liu Bei is a man of Yan, I know nothing of him, and once a true man commits himself, he must follow in life and death — how can one lightly rush to offer allegiance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Ye could not be bothered to argue further, and in any case, was Liu Ziyang ever a pushover himself? This fellow, who had killed without blinking since childhood, waved his hand grandly and simply used force to lock Lu Su up, not releasing him until Liu Bei returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Lu Zijing met Liu Bei and learned that the other man had nearly chased him all the way to Jiangxia for his sake, he was moved to tears of gratitude, bowed his head in submission, and from then on became one of Liu Bei’s trusted confidants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all fairness, whether it was Cao Cao, Liu Bei, or Sun Jian, none of them had smooth sailing in the Central Plains or Huainan. Or rather, in this chaotic age under Heaven, who did not have a few stories to their name? And if Liu Bei or Cao Cao could not ultimately establish dominion over all under Heaven, who would care about these stories in the future?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the present, Lu Zijing and Guo Fengxiao, bringing Chen Deng and Xu Shu, traveled north together. Passing through Langya, they had originally wished to pay a visit to General Who Guards the East, Guan Yu, who was then incorporating Zang Ba’s Langya forces. Unexpectedly, because the Mount Tai bandit Yu Du had been released by Zang Ba’s subordinate Chang Xi and, taking advantage of the chaos, fled by sea to the south, Guan Yunchang was at that moment in a towering rage… Guo Jia, knowing his old superior’s temper, did not dare to linger. He hastily left a letter of greeting and once more set out on the journey north.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning into Mount Tai Commandery, passing through Jibei, traveling through Dong Commandery, crossing the river at Cangting Ford, and then proceeding west, they reached Wei Commandery… From this perspective, Hebei and the Central Plains seemed separated by only a strip of water, far from the clearly demarcated barrier one might have imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering Wei Commandery, Xu Shu took the initiative to bid farewell and went off to travel on his own. Although Chen Deng was reluctant to part, he had nothing to say — the experience in Xiapi had dealt almost the same blow to both of them. Xu Shu had decided to travel more and observe more; what could Chen Yuanlong do about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several days later, at noon on a day in the last third of the seventh month, the party entered the extraordinarily prosperous city of Yecheng. They had just settled into the post station inside the eastern gate and had not yet had time to marvel or explore when they learned that the General of the Guard, Gongsun Xun, wished to summon them. At that moment, Gongsun Xun was inspecting the construction site of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace southwest of the city. But upon hearing that the envoys were Lu Zijing and Chen Yuanlong, he was unwilling to wait even a moment and summoned them directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu and Chen did not dare delay. Bringing the gifts Liu Bei had prepared, they hurried back out of the city and headed for the Bronze Sparrow Terrace by the banks of the Zhang River southwest of Yecheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said that due to the spread and development of rammed-earth techniques, Han-dynasty terrace architecture had already reached a very mature stage. Rammed-earth command platforms in military camps, rammed-earth outer perimeters of military fortresses, and rammed-earth foundations for government, school, and sacrificial buildings were all extremely common. And as a structure for a ruling group to display its majesty, the scale of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace was beyond question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention anything else, even though few buildings had yet been erected atop the terrace at this time, the single massive platform, ten zhang high, was enough to strike awe into the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time evening arrived, Lu Su climbed the steps to ascend the terrace and seek an audience with Gongsun Xun. Before he even reached the top, a voice came down from above, directly before him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say, ‘With a sharp blade in hand, the urge to kill arises unbidden; climbing high and gazing far, heroic spirit is born of itself.’ Zijing, heroic talent of Huainan, what do you make of this place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su and Chen Deng beside him hastily raised their heads together. They saw a man with only a mustache above his lip and no beard on his chin or cheeks, tall of stature, wearing a pheasant-feather martial cap and narrow-sleeved robes, standing with a smile and his hands clasped behind his back directly atop the steps, looking down from above as he questioned them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Observing his features, which were quite regular and handsome, and his clear, youthful speech, Lu and Chen thought he looked to be only about thirty-two or thirty-three years old. Moreover, the man wore not even a seal or ribbon on his person, so they assumed he was the scion of some important minister in Yecheng who, hearing that envoys from Huainan had arrived, had come specifically to provoke them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the next instant, almost simultaneously, Lu Su and Chen Deng both caught sight of the peculiar saber at the man’s waist, with its extremely long hilt and unusual design. Each of them flustered, they joined Guo Jia beside them in bowing in salute, their mouths uttering “General of the Guard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is not a formal reception at the government office, why such excessive courtesy? With Langya secured, the mission is complete. I should have let Fengxiao rest first, but hearing that Lu Zijing had arrived, I dared not be remiss — though it has put Fengxiao to some trouble.” Gongsun Xun descended half a step, first helping Guo Jia to his feet, and offered some praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is my duty; how dare I speak of trouble?” Guo Jia, now helped onto the terrace, hastily bowed and acknowledged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you are here, come with me for a tour of the terrace. Zhicai is here as well, which saves you the trouble of seeking him out specifically to report!” Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, then released the other man, letting him go find Xi Zhong on his own. He then turned his gaze back to Lu Su below him. “Zijing, you have not yet responded to my earlier words, have you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This outer vassal…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why speak of outer vassals? Are you not a subject of the Great Han?” Gongsun Xun laughed in spite of himself. “Besides, when you come to my place, even Xuande would not call himself an outer vassal, but would refer to himself as a younger brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Er, this subordinate… this subject thinks that the Bronze Sparrow Terrace is of majestic momentum. Although the tall towers are not yet complete, it already possesses considerable grandeur!” Lu Su had no choice but to change his wording.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What grandeur can you see from below the terrace?” Gongsun Xun laughed again, reaching out a hand to help the other man up. “Come up and take a look!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su had no choice but to allow the other man to help him onto the terrace with a single arm. Chen Yuanlong, behind him, could not help but feel a twinge of envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three men ascended the terrace. There, apart from several hundred guards in feathered helmets, iron armor, and cloaks, there were also several dozen men in towering high caps, some tall, some short, some fair, some dark, roughly divided into two groups. One group, aside from a very few young men like Guo Jia, was mostly middle-aged and elderly, and nearly all wore green silk ribbons and silver seals — clearly the important ministers, famous generals, and great Confucian scholars of Yecheng. The other group was mostly young men in their twenties and thirties, each heroic and dashing, with overwhelming spirit, and most wore black silk ribbons and bronze seals of the thousand-dan or six-hundred-dan rank, while some wore no seals or ribbons at all. There were even four or five youths with bound hair but no caps, clearly newly risen talents or scions of the local nobility. Among them, apart from one Jiang Gan of Jiujiang, who was an acquaintance, Lu Su did not recognize the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun walked arm in arm with Lu Su, yet he was in no hurry to make introductions. Instead, he directly pulled the other man to the edge of the terrace to lean on the railing and gaze west… It was early autumn evening at that moment: the Zhang River stretched vast and boundless, the setting sun blazed with color, a ten-zhang-high terrace, a thousand li of misty waves — a grandeur all its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is it?” After watching for a while, Gongsun Xun suddenly asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly… of extraordinary majesty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have a poem or song?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your subject… is dull-witted.” Lu Zijing looked rather embarrassed. “I am not versed in letters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought as much,” Gongsun Xun said with a sigh, looking at Lu Su, whom he was still holding by the arm. “That place, Huainan, lies between the Central Plains and Jiangnan. On one hand, it can touch the culture of the Central Plains, but on the other, its local customs are fierce and aggressive, with many barbaric practices. Therefore, the heroes it produces are mostly skilled in strategy, military affairs, and killing, but not in classical texts, and they care even less for trifling arts like poetry and song… Such a disposition makes it hard to compete for the upper ranks in times of peace, but in times of chaos, it is precisely the capital to look down upon the world with pride!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su did not know whether he should refute this or not; he was not even sure if the other man was praising him or insulting him. And this feeling only grew stronger with Gongsun Xun’s next words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen,” Gongsun Xun finally turned his head to look at his group of subordinate officials, and pointing at Lu Su with a smile, said, “This is one of the Three Heroes of Huainan I have spoken to you about… From a young age, Lu Zijing marked out fields and sold houses, distributing his wealth to bind warriors to him. One can say he harbored great ambitions from youth, wild and full of drive. He observes the greater picture as clearly as spying a fire from within a cave. Seeing the realm falling apart, his heart long ago harbored the ambition to follow an enlightened lord, carve up the world, and dominate an era. His only shortcoming is that he is not adept at civil administration; his talent is still limited. He cannot be recklessly compared to Xiao He, but he can be slightly compared to Deng Yu, who stood before Emperor Guangwu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assembled ministers of Ye all fixed their gazes on Lu Su, scrutinizing him up and down with the same novelty as when they had previously observed the elephant Shi Xie had sent by sea. Even Chen Deng was dumbstruck, staring blankly at Lu Su.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zijing himself also looked rather embarrassed, but he was a hero of his region after all, so he simply steeled himself and asked in return, \"If, by the General of the Guard's reasoning, a mere wealthy man from Huainan like myself can be called ambitious and compared to Deng Yu, then what sort of figures are the other two heroes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Need you even ask?\" Gongsun Xun said dismissively. \"Liu Ye, Liu Ziyang, is brilliant in strategy and decisive in judgment — even more ruthless than you, Zijing... He falls short of Zhang Liang, but slightly surpasses Chen Ping.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su actually found himself with no rebuttal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is one more, named Zhou Yu, Zhou Gongjin. Compared to Han Xin, his military strategy is slightly slower, but he is graceful and poised, truly worthy of being called a scholarly general. More importantly, this man, like you, Zijing — once he serves a lord, he cannot be swayed... On the whole, I do not think him inferior to Han Xin!\" Gongsun Xun said with feeling. \"Do you know, Zijing? Last year, after I learned that the three of you were all serving under Xuande, although I understood that with Huainan assigned to him, the three of you could never escape his grasp, I still could not help but issue an edict summoning the three of you to court as officials... What a pity — after Xuande received the letter, not only did he feign ignorance, he directly sent me back a box of ashes. And now, sending you here today, it is clear he has completely won your heart and does not fear me winning you over... Truly a pity!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su felt a slight stir in his heart, and in the end, a measure of gratitude emerged: \"Why must the General of the Guard go so far? As you yourself just said, my Liu of Yuzhou obtained Huainan, pacified Huainan, and then, with his character, humbly welcomed worthy men. Not to mention the talents of Huainan — even a dull-witted fellow like myself would wholeheartedly repay him. And you, General of the Guard, hold Hebei and the Three Adjuncts — would the heroes of Hebei and the Three Adjuncts not follow you? Why must you, General, be so fixated on the three of us... You honor us beyond our deserts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun knew the man could not be swayed, so he laughed again and finally released his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, Gongsun Xun's earlier praise of the so-called Three Heroes of Huainan — comparing them to Deng Yu, to Chen Ping, to someone surpassing even Han Xin — had long rankled the many ministers beside him. It was just that some of the senior ministers and older men were deep and shrewd, and would not easily show it. But on the other side, among a group of young talents from Ye, there were those who could not hold back their indignation. Now, seeing Gongsun Xun release his grip, sure enough, someone could not resist stepping forward, ready to challenge and mock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three people stepped forward at the same time, but after exchanging glances, two youths — one ugly, one handsome, neither yet capped — immediately paused. Only one young official bearing a seal and ribbon took the lead, confronting Lu Su directly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As this 'Deng Yu' has said, Liu of Yuzhou resides in Huainan, so the heroes of Huainan pledge themselves to him — that is beyond dispute. But does my General of the Guard merely reside in the trifling lands of Hebei and the Three Adjuncts? Since Dong Zhuo usurped governance, the General of the Guard has in truth held the authority of all under Heaven and brought peace to the common people. You, sir, are reputed to be a man of high talent, yet you feel only gratitude for Liu of Yuzhou's grace in pacifying Huainan — why do you not feel gratitude for the General of the Guard's grace in pacifying all under Heaven?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Su did not recognize this man. He could only cup his hands in confusion and then earnestly inquire, \"May I ask your name, sir!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ranked first in the Jizhou official performance evaluations last year, seventh-rank Magistrate of Faxian County — Wang Ling, Wang Yanyun of Taiyuan!\" The man lifted his head and answered proudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have been remiss.\" Lu Su's mind cleared, and he continued with sincere inquiry. \"And the other two?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Sima Yi of Wen County in Henei, who entered the academy last autumn and placed first in the Classics of Understanding examination!\" Wang Ling gestured casually. \"And this one is Wang Can of Shanyang, who placed first in the Literature examination!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zijing's heart grew ever more full of emotion. He first glanced at Gongsun Xun, who stood to the side silent, wearing a faint, ambiguous smile, and knew he could not avoid this confrontation. Only then did he lift his head and answer boldly: \"I have met the three of you... In truth, what Lord Wang just said is extremely reasonable — one who feels gratitude must act upon it. I, too, quite agree with this. But since the heroes of Huainan are mostly unwilling to follow the General of the Guard, and mostly follow Liu of Yuzhou, that can only mean that Liu of Yuzhou has bestowed grace upon Huainan, while Huainan has not seen any grace from the General of the Guard!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere on the terrace suddenly turned cold. Wang Ling was momentarily flustered and could not help stealing a glance at Gongsun Xun, only to find the latter standing with his hands behind his back, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————— I am the smiling dividing line ——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the end of Han, Liu of Yuzhou sent Lu Su to visit the Grand Ancestor at Ye. Chen Deng accompanied him, and they met at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. The Grand Ancestor summoned all the ministers of Ye and the outstanding students of the academy to attend. After the evening banquet ended, Su asked Deng: 'Just now, our exchanges were hurried, and I did not fully assess the talents. Setting aside those capped and serving as officials, among the younger ones, whom does Yuanlong consider the best?' Deng replied: 'On the terrace, two youths responded exceptionally well — the handsome one is called Sima Yi, the ugly one is called Wang Can. Both are the finest of their generation.' Su shook his head: 'Sima's words are sharp, and Wang's talent is imposing. But just now, when I debated with the ministers of Ye and spoke boldly, claiming the General of the Guard had bestowed no grace upon the Central Plains, all changed color — only one tall youth stood at the side of the terrace, towering and unmoved, like a crane among chickens. I was just about to ask his name.' The next day, Deng privately asked his clan's old acquaintance Shen Pei — it was Zhuge Liang of Langye!\" — A New Account of the Tales of the World, Chapter on Appraisal\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4577,"2026-06-04T19:42:52.587Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","71fd3e53c2a96115902a524fd8b74694b57c213c731b84a20f49dc4588b893d6","overthrowing-han-chapter-450","overthrowing-han-chapter-448",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]