Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

The late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period was an era when prophecies, divination, and witchcraft were prevalent, a time filled with the concepts of destiny and superstition.

The more powerful a person is, the more convinced they are of such things.

The six-character prophecy, "The one who will replace the Han dynasty is Dangtu Gao," stirred up a storm throughout the land. Before Liu Bei declared himself emperor, scholars in Yizhou urged him to ascend the throne, citing prophecies such as "Luoshu Zhenyaodu," "Luoshu Baohaoming," and "Luoshu Baohaoming," and using the phrase "The emperor will establish himself three times and meet nine times." Li Yan, the then governor of Jianwei, even fabricated an auspicious omen: "A yellow dragon appears at Wuyang Chishui, and departs after nine days."

Before Liu Bei launched his northern campaign against Hanzhong in the 23rd year of Jian'an (219 AD), he consulted Zhou Qun, an official skilled in divination. Zhou Qun predicted, "You will gain the land, but not the people. If you send out a detachment, it will surely be unfavorable. Be cautious." Later, Wu Lan and Lei Tong's attack on Wudu was defeated, fulfilling his prediction. Zhou Qun was then recommended as a talented scholar.

Another diviner, Zhang Yu, predicted, "In the year of Gengzi, the world will change hands, and the Liu family's reign will end. Your lord will gain control of Yizhou, but nine years later, between the years of Yin and Mao, he will lose it." Indeed, in the year of Gengzi, Cao Pi accepted Liu Xie's abdication and established the Wei dynasty. Liu Bei became the ruler of Yizhou in the nineteenth year of Jian'an, and died nine years later in Baidi City; both events came true.

Faced with an unpredictable fate, Yang Yi was no exception to the common practice, as if these mysterious divinations would guide him on his path.

In reality, even those in high positions of power find it difficult to have everything go their way.

Even a shrewd strategist like Zhuge Liang had to exert considerable effort and personal involvement in managing the Northern Expeditions, balancing internal and external affairs. This is even more true for others. Politics is about winning hearts and minds; every individual is a thinker, and uniting people into a cohesive whole is the most difficult thing in the world.

Take the current Ji Han dynasty as an example. Jiang Wan is working hard in Chengdu to maintain morale both inside and outside the capital and to stabilize the capital and various counties. Yang Yi, who is in Hanzhong, is also in a state of near chaos.

Yang Yi's identity was that of the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary and General of the Pacification Army. Under the pretext of organizing the Hui army, he temporarily made everyone obey his orders.

The Chief Clerk of the Prime Minister ranks first among all the officials in the Prime Minister's office. Yang Yi has held this position for several years. During these years, with Prime Minister Zhuge overseeing major affairs, Yang Yi only needed to handle his specific tasks, which he did with great ease. However, with Prime Minister Zhuge gone, Yang Yi has much more to consider now.

Firstly, although the main army had retreated to Hanzhong, Sima Yi's more than 100,000 troops, who had previously confronted the 100,000-strong army of Shu Han, were still in Guanzhong. Would Sima Yi seize the opportunity to attack? How should Hanzhong be properly defended?

Secondly, after Yang Yi executed Wei Yan's entire clan and absorbed his army, this created a rift between him and the generals outside the Prime Minister's residence. Several commanding generals were willing to follow Yang Yi's orders in deploying troops, but unwilling to come to Mianyang City to see him, as if they were obeying orders but not summons. Even worse, General Wu Yi of the Left and General Wu Ban of the Rear ordered their troops to be on high alert, openly stating that the Prime Minister was dead and that according to national regulations, they had to act according to the imperial edict. Although they did not explicitly refuse Yang Yi's orders, everyone already knew their attitude.

The above two points are official matters, and their importance can be ranked slightly lower.

Thirdly, and this was Yang Yi's biggest concern, was the court's intention to choose a successor to the prime minister? Yang Yi had always served as the prime minister's advisor during military campaigns, and he considered himself the most suitable candidate. Yang Yi had devoted much effort to Hanzhong in order to command a large army, but would the court accept him?

These are all unknowns.

Commandant Zhao Zheng had always understood that a skilled diviner would not readily resort to divination, for it was out of reverence for the unknown.

However, these spiritual rules seem to fall short under the influence of the material world.

Facing Yang Yi, the chief secretary who held the most power in the Prime Minister's residence, Zhao Zheng had no courage to refuse.

"What does Master Yang wish to divine?" Zhao Zheng agreed to Yang Yi's request, then frowned and asked.

Yang Yi shook his head slightly, unwilling to say more to Zhao Zheng, and replied in a low voice: "The matter I'm asking about is in my heart, it's better not to tell you. Just do the divination for me, and please be quick."

"Understood."

Zhao Zheng sighed inwardly, then took out a coarse linen bag from the wooden box behind the table. He took out fifty yarrow stalks from the bag with his right hand, muttering some words to himself. He then rapidly moved the yarrow stalks between his ten fingers, making them move so fast that their afterimages were almost visible.

Practice makes perfect.

Yang Yi was anxious, but he didn't show it on his face. He clasped his hands together in his sleeves, his right hand clenching his left knuckles so hard they turned white.

A moment later, Zhao Zheng had already placed the yarrow stalks neatly on the wooden table in front of him.

For this scholar, the Confucian doctrine they revered was the study of the classics. The Book of Changes (易经) was one of the Five Classics, and no scholar was unfamiliar with it. A person skilled in divination was simply more accurate in their predictions; it did not mean that others could not understand their divination results.

Zhao Zheng looked at the yarrow stalks on the table, his face showing some hesitation. He didn't know how to explain it to Yang Yi, so he could only say, "As you see, Chief Secretary, this is the Family Hexagram (Wind over Fire). This hexagram should be interpreted as..."

"Say no more." Yang Yi remained silent for a long while before squeezing out four words. Then he bent down and reached out to sweep the yarrow stalks on the table, scattering them in an instant, with some even falling to the ground with a crackling sound.

Zhao Zheng was astonished to see Yang Yi in such a state. He was about to ask Yang Yi what had happened when he saw Yang Yi turn around and stand quietly inside the closed door, facing the wooden door three feet away, showing no intention of leaving.

The divination result just now from Zhao Zheng was the "Family" hexagram, which signifies introspection, self-cultivation, and chastity. According to the hexagram's text, the woman's proper place is within, and the man's proper place is without. The proper placement of men and women is a great principle of Heaven and Earth.

That is, the upright position.

Each should understand their place and be content with their position.

For Yang Yi, who was seeking the position of prime minister, this was hardly an auspicious omen.

Yang Yi stood silently inside the door for a quarter of an hour, a story constantly replaying in his mind. Before King Wu of Zhou attacked King Zhou of Shang, he consulted the oracle with tortoise shells. The divination was inauspicious, predicting a violent storm. Everyone was terrified, but only Taigong (Jiang Ziya) strongly urged King Wu to wage war. Subsequently, the Zhou army won a great victory at Muye, thus establishing the Zhou dynasty's eight-hundred-year reign.

The affairs of the world are accomplished through human effort; how can we shrink back from progress because of divination?!

After Yang Yi had figured all this out, he pushed open the door and went out, heading towards the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence, many officials in charge of the residence, from Fei Yi down, were already lined up neatly as required, just as if the Prime Minister were present and waiting for orders.

After Chen Zhi entered the hall, he first held his staff and bowed to the memorial tablet of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. Then, following the order of the officials, he greeted them one by one in person.

At this time, in the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence, there were nearly twenty officials of the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measurement) lined up on both sides. They were all high-ranking and outstanding figures in the Shu Han Dynasty.

Even though Chen Zhi had made preparations while in Chengdu, he was still deeply moved when he saw in person these talented individuals who were handling the Northern Expedition for the Shu Han and for Prime Minister Zhuge.

It was because of the existence of these people that the Shu Han dynasty was able to stand tall and survive as a political entity that succeeded the Han dynasty!