Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

The Prime Minister's Last Will...

Jiang Wei took a deep breath, and not far from the main gate of the Prime Minister's residence, under the watchful eyes of the soldiers at the edge of the open space, he solemnly bowed to Qiao Zhou:

"Jiang Wei has noted Qiao's words. Would you like to see Chief Clerk Yang?"

Qiao Zhou was slightly taken aback when he saw Jiang Wei's condition, then bowed in return, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, General Jiang."

"Please." Jiang Wei nodded and led Qiao Zhou toward the duty room.

All I can say is that this was a clever and perfectly timed misunderstanding.

The fact that the scholars of Yizhou were merely squeezed out of key positions in the Prime Minister's office does not mean that they did not hold high positions or have power in Chengdu.

For years, the Prime Minister has been planning the Northern Expedition with the goal of restoring the Han Dynasty. He has encouraged the scholars, powerful clans, and wealthy families of Yizhou to contribute manpower, resources, and money to support the expedition. In the future, after the Han Dynasty is restored and the capital returns to Luoyang, the scholars of Yizhou will replace places like Wan, Luo, Ru, and Ying as the true political stronghold of the Han Dynasty, enjoying the same level of political resources as Jingzhou.

This was an unspoken understanding between Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and the scholars of Yizhou.

Since the Northern Expedition in the fifth year of Jianxing, the people of Yizhou had gradually seen this hope. As the Northern Expedition progressed, the imperial army grew stronger with each battle. During this year's Northern Expedition, the Prime Minister marched out of Baoxie Road and deployed troops north of Xiegu. In a major battle involving 100,000 main forces, the conservative and fearful attitude of the Wei army was exposed, which greatly boosted the morale of the Shu Han people.

If Yongzhou is conquered, given the Prime Minister's usual balancing act, two or three prefectural governorships can always be granted to people from Yizhou. There are only so many people from Jingzhou, and most of the mid-to-low-level positions like prefectural clerk, commandant, county magistrate, county head, transport official, grain supervisor, salt and iron commissioner... won't they be given to scholars from Yizhou?

For the people of Yizhou, of course they should support the Northern Expedition!

The Prime Minister wants to launch a northern expedition? We'll offer our food and drink to aid the royal army!

But now, the prime minister has passed away.

While Qiao Zhou's true purpose in coming from Chengdu was to pay homage to the Prime Minister, Qiao Zhou and the officials in Chengdu also had other matters to investigate:

With the Prime Minister gone, do you people of Jingzhou still want to launch a northern expedition?

The subtext is: if you don't launch the Northern Expedition, why are you outsiders still suppressing us? And now that the people of Jingzhou are in power, it's highly unlikely that we can win against them in a power struggle, so we can only hope that you continue the Northern Expedition.

Isn't the purpose of life to live a hope?

Before entering Mianyang City, Qiao Zhou had already planned that upon meeting any official from the Prime Minister's residence, regardless of their rank, he should offer them encouragement and hope that they would uphold the Prime Minister's legacy and continue to support the Northern Expedition.

These words, once they reached Jiang Wei's ears, undoubtedly jolted him out of his disorientation following the Prime Minister's death.

Yes! I am from Liangzhou. The infighting among the people of Jingzhou, and the fighting between the people of Jingzhou and Yizhou, are indeed none of my concern. But I do have power. Whoever is willing to inherit the Prime Minister's will and be determined to launch a northern expedition, then I will support them!

Everyone needs to have a stance.

Sometimes, understanding these things can happen in a single thought.

After the Prime Minister's death, the Prime Minister's residence was filled with the same sense of frustration as Fei Yi: If the Prime Minister couldn't handle the Northern Expedition, how could we? Therefore, since the withdrawal of the army, almost no one mentioned the Northern Expedition again!

It was Qiao Zhou who mentioned it today.

These officials from Yizhou had been in Chengdu for a long time, not by the Prime Minister's side, and therefore did not recognize Prime Minister Zhuge's great talent, which was as bright as the moon in the sky. They even believed that the Northern Expedition could continue even though the Prime Minister was gone, which was completely different from the pessimistic opinions of the officials in the Prime Minister's office.

It makes one shake their head and laugh when they think about it.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhi, Fei Yi, and Liu Yin, after reporting their arrival, had already entered General Wu Yi's camp.

Wu Yi, along with Fa Miao and Liu Min, had already stopped ten feet outside the main tent to welcome the three of them.

"Wenwei, Wenwei!" Seeing the three riders approaching, Wu Yi laughed heartily as he walked forward, his laughter resounding, "Wenwei, what brings you to my camp today?"

Fei Yi and Chen Zhi reined in their horses and dismounted, walking side by side: "Your Excellency is too kind. Today, I am not the guest of honor; it is Imperial Censor Chen!"

As he spoke, Fei Yi gestured to Chen Zhi: "This is the imperial envoy who has come with the imperial credentials, Chen Zhi Chen Fengzong of Runan!"

Wu Yi had obviously seen Chen Zhi long ago. After all, Chen Zhi was riding a horse and holding an eight-foot staff upright. Wu Yi had excellent eyesight, but he was just waiting for Fei Yi to introduce him.

"Greetings, angel." Wu Yi nodded, then gave a perfunctory bow: "Imperial Censor Chen, what brings you here on behalf of the Emperor?"

Chen Zhi did not respond. Instead, he remained as serious as when he first entered the Prime Minister's residence. He raised his hand in return and asked, "I am an envoy of the Emperor, carrying an imperial staff. Why am I not allowed to pass through the General's gate? Why must I report before I can enter? Fei Sima is the Prime Minister's Sima. He doesn't need to report to enter any army. Yet today he was also stopped outside."

"Please enlighten me, General."

Wu Yi's heart skipped a beat as he recalled what Liu Min had told him about Chen Zhi the previous midnight. He realized he had to take it seriously. Despite this thought, Wu Yi's actions still aimed to deceive the public.

"With the recent loss of a marshal in the army, this is an extraordinary time, and I have had to be a bit stricter with discipline. Please forgive me, Censor."

Chen Zhi shook his head, remaining serious: "I am an envoy of the Emperor, entrusted with the task of investigating the situation of the Chancellor's Office and various armies in Hanzhong on behalf of the Emperor. I dare not neglect my duties. As the saying goes, 'Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.' What extraordinary measures are you worried about, General?"

"How can this person be so sharp!" Wu Yi thought to himself, but remained calm on the surface, shaking his head and saying, "This matter is not honorable to discuss, so Imperial Censor Chen, please don't ask. The weather is cold, so please come into the tent and we can talk about it there."

Chen Zhi heard Wu Yi's words, but he did not respond to Wu Yi's words. Instead, he continued to question in a deep voice: "Please speak frankly, General. You are a pillar of the state and a key minister. How can you speak in a way that avoids the Emperor?"

Behind Wu Yi, Fa Miao stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, a smile on his face, his thoughts unreadable. Liu Min, however, looked tense, her hands clenched tightly under her sleeves, her knuckles turning white.

Having witnessed countless grand occasions, and confident in his high position and immense power, Wu Yi no longer concealed his intentions and answered directly: "Imperial Censor Chen arrived in Hanzhong yesterday, so he must know a thing or two about the affairs there. Wei Wenchang was the General Who Conquers the West, historically the head of all the generals in the court, and had a long history of military achievements and prestige, yet he was executed by the Prime Minister's office and his entire clan was exterminated..."

"To kill a high-ranking official without imperial decree and strip him of his military power—though I am not talented, I have been entrusted with important responsibilities by the court and command over 13,000 soldiers. How can I not be filled with fear and anxiety upon seeing this situation?"

"Therefore, we have been extra cautious in our defenses within the camp. We hope that Imperial Censor Chen will forgive us."

Chen Zhi nodded emphatically and said loudly, "This is not in accordance with the principles of national order! General, now that I have come with imperial credentials, I will not tolerate such chaos! Your assistance is exactly what we need!"

Wu Yi's eyes lit up, and he immediately took a small step back and turned to the side: "Imperial Censor Chen, please."

"General Zuo, please go first." Chen Zhi nodded.

Seeing Chen Zhi's decisive actions and words, firmly grasping the initiative, Fei Yi, standing behind, secretly began to have some thoughts. If I hadn't aligned myself with Chen Zhi earlier, would he have gone to seek help from these generals?