The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

News of Zhuge Gui's death spread throughout Luoyang.

On the desk in the East Pavilion of Jixia Academy, there lay half a scroll of the "Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals," which was not yet fully proofread.

Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan sat facing each other for a long time.

"Zigong has also left."

Cai Yong spoke first, sighed, and then thought of Lu Zhi.

"I still remember when we were at Jixia Academy, a few of us argued about Confucianism until the sun was setting and we didn't want to leave."

Zigan has been gone for three years, and now we've lost another familiar face.

Zheng Xuan sighed, his white beard hanging down to his chest, his gaze drifting to the old tree outside the window.

There is also such an old tree in Jixia, Jinyang.

When Lu Zhi was alive, the three of them often gathered under a tree to debate the classics. Lu Zhi was strong-willed, Cai Yong was knowledgeable, and Zheng Xuan was profound. When their arguments got heated, it was common for them to slam their fists on the table and stand up.

"Zigan died young and didn't live to see this situation." Zheng Xuan, as if bathed in autumn dew, reflected on the passing of time:

"If he were still alive, the three of us could have another debate, and all his knowledge would have been well spent."

Now, it's even harder to find an old acquaintance with whom one can debate scriptures.

The two remained silent.

It's a pity that we couldn't have the same free-flowing debates as their disciples!

Now, there's no point in even trying to compete!

In recent years, they have rarely taken to the lecture hall. They spend most of their time behind closed doors studying and collating classic texts, engraving their lifelong knowledge into the pages of books.

I had hoped to reunite with old friends when things were more peaceful, but one by one, my old friends passed away, and in the end, we were never able to gather together for our reunion under the tree.

……

In Liu Yu's residence in the south of the city, Liu Yu, lying on his sickbed, closed his eyes and sighed deeply after hearing the report.

"Zigong...I'm the one who dragged him down."

When Yuan Shao invaded Hanoi and then sent troops to harass the border of Bingzhou, Lu Zhi was stationed in the northern frontier to take charge of military affairs, while Lu Zhi, as the head of the Imperial Clan Court, was in charge of civil administration.

But by then his health was already failing, and he was bedridden for many years. Most of the affairs, big and small, in the state fell on Zhuge Gui's shoulders.

Zhuge Gui, holding the title of Prefect of Taiyuan, exercised the power of Governor of Bingzhou. He handled every matter properly, including logistics, disaster relief, military farming, pacification of the people, border defense, and land survey.

His already poor health worsened over the years, and he soon passed away.

"He is the de facto governor of Bingzhou!"

Liu Yu murmured, his eyes welling up with tears.

……

When the news reached the Prince of Jin's residence, Liu Bei remained silent for a long time.

Zhuge Gui was not one of his core advisors, but he was one of the most diligent and capable ministers. He guarded Bingzhou and managed the counties for many years without making a single mistake.

"By imperial decree, Zhuge Gui is posthumously granted the title of Minister of Personnel, and is bestowed with 100,000 coins and 1,000 bushels of grain. His coffin is permitted to be returned to Langya for burial."

When the imperial decree reached Zhuge Liang's residence, Zhuge Liang, dressed in coarse mourning clothes, knelt down to receive it and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

The young man, who appeared somewhat robust, said, "Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin."

Li Chang stood aside watching him, and sighed inwardly.

Losing his father at fifteen, most children would have collapsed, but he managed to hold on. This kind of spirit is truly extraordinary.

……

The domestic relief and compensation matters had just been settled when military deployments were already underway in various locations.

At each ferry crossing on the Yellow River, Guan Yu led over ten thousand naval troops in daily drills.

Large and small warships and battleships were lined up on the river, banners covered the sky, and war drums beat so loudly that the river surface rippled.

After declaring himself king, Liu Bei and Li Chang transferred Guan Yu to the Yellow River region, where he trained the navy, refined naval warfare tactics, and blocked the Yellow River crossings.

Heading north, it will support the supplies from Ji Province; heading south, it will intimidate Yan Province. All ships traveling between the north and south are prohibited from passing without a travel permit from the Prince of Jin's residence.

When we really head south in the future, this navy will be the spearhead.

But now... we don't need to be able to fight, at least we need to select naval personnel who won't get seasick!

Guan Yu once again had to learn about new troop types from scratch.

The southern part of Qingzhou.

Xu Rong, Qian Zhao, and Zhang Liao each led their own troops to guard key routes.

The camps stretched along the border, with beacon towers facing each other, completely blocking the passage between Qingzhou and Xuzhou.

Yuan Shu occupied several counties in northern Xuzhou and had been trying to infiltrate Qingzhou, but the three generals defended it flawlessly. Several times, he sent small groups of troops to test the waters, but they were all driven back.

With them watching over things in the south, the heartland of Ji and Qing provinces was quite safe.

The powerful families of Ji and Qing provinces shouldn't expect to easily make contact with the south.

In Ye City, Zhang Fei was stationed at the governor's mansion.

Another general, Wang Jiang, led several thousand soldiers and patrolled the counties and prefectures of Ji and Qing provinces every day, arresting bandits, inspecting fortified villages, and intimidating local powerful families.

In just over a month, the security situation in Ji and Qing prefectures improved significantly, and even the number of bandits blocking the roads decreased considerably.

In conjunction with the general's iron fist, Yang Biao also possessed flexible skills.

Under the pretext of verifying land area and organizing household registration, Yang Biao led the scions of prominent families from Guanzhong and Henan to frequently visit the major clans in Jizhou and Qingzhou.

In terms of reputation, the Yang family of Hongnong had produced three dukes over four generations, not much less than the Yuan family; in terms of relationships, they were all from the same aristocratic circle, and they would see each other all the time.

Today they feast and drink, tomorrow they discuss philosophy and philosophy, talking only about friendship, scholarship, and children's schooling, never mentioning official business.

But what he said implied the same thing: under the rule of the Prince of Jin, the land, status, and future prospects of the aristocratic families would be preserved.

As long as you behave yourself, you will receive all the benefits you deserve.

The powerful families of Ji and Qing were initially worried that Liu Bei would purge Yuan Shao's former subordinates, but after hearing Yang Biao's words and seeing that the court's laws were gradually being implemented, they were temporarily relieved.

But the stability is only on the surface.

The powerful families of Ji and Qing provinces were unwilling to accept this outcome.

When Yuan Shao was alive, they were honored guests, held real power in the prefectures and counties, and their sons and relatives were all over the prefectures.

Now that Liu Bei has established the Three Departments and Six Ministries system, the key positions in the central government are all held by former members and powerful families who joined earlier!

These local powerful families in Ji and Qing provinces were lucky if they could get a minor official position in the central government or a county-level assistant official; they could never even get close to real power!

They dared not openly rebel, but undercurrents were surging beneath the surface.

Today they're having a banquet at this place, tomorrow they're having a social gathering at that place, they're all keeping in touch and waiting to see what happens!

Let's see how long the Prince of Jin can sit on the throne without the full support of his aristocratic family, and how long the new dynasty can last.

If something happens in the south, the situation in Hebei might change again!

Just as these undercurrents were stirring, Kong Rong of Beihai in Qingzhou finally couldn't sit still any longer.

This 20th-generation descendant of Confucius once held considerable military power in Beihai and was a local lord. Although he never fought against the Yellow Turbans, he did not protect many people.

Later, when Yuan Shao's power grew, he nominally submitted to Yuan Shao; now that Liu Bei has captured Ye, he followed the trend and submitted a letter of surrender, while still serving as the Chancellor of Beihai.

But no matter how long they waited, Liu Bei's summons did not arrive, nor did the invitation to lecture at the Jixia Academy come.

Kong Rong couldn't sit still any longer.

The Kong family was the standard-bearer among scholars throughout the land. Back in the day, members of the Kong family were always honored guests at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang. Now, the Jixia Academy is renowned throughout the land, yet they haven't invited Kong Wenju?

Without the Jixia Academy of Confucius, how can one be called the founder of Confucianism?

On this day, he led Wu Anguo, Taishi Ci, and more than a hundred disciples, heading straight for Luoyang in a grand procession.

Ostensibly, he was there to pay homage to the King of Jin, but in reality, he wanted to meet the Confucian scholars of Jixia Academy and see just how capable they were.

How could the Confucian school of Jixia Academy be complete without the Kong family!