Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

To be honest, this is indeed a time of great danger both internally and externally.

For Jiang Wan, the burden on his shoulders was not light. He was appointed to this critical mission, and his mind was heavy with worries.

Liu Shan gestured for the three to leave. Jiang and Dong went ahead first, while Chen Zhi deliberately tidied his robes a little slower.

Seeing the two reach the palace gate, Chen Zhi quickly leaned close to Liu Shan and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, you must quickly take command of the army and establish defenses both inside and outside the palace!"

Liu Shan did not speak, but looked at Chen Zhi and nodded slightly.

Chen Zhi turned and left. Just as he turned back, Jiang Wan, who had just stepped out of the palace gate, turned around and missed the scene.

As the rain subsided, the group refused to allow the eunuchs to follow them and instead stepped into the drizzle.

Jiang and Dong walked ahead, with Chen Zhi following closely behind.

Just outside the courtyard wall of Chonghua Hall, Jiang Wan stopped and gestured for Chen Zhi behind her to stop as well.

"What are your orders, General Chiang?" Chen Zhi's expression remained respectful.

Jiang Wan adopted the air of an elder, stroked his beard, and said, "Fengzong, you showed talent from a young age, and today you truly shine. I remember the first time I met you was about ten years ago, at your maternal great-uncle's funeral."

"Yes, it has been ten years." Chen Zhi nodded. "Thank you for your concern, General Chiang."

Jiang Wan said, "I have served as an official in Chengdu for a long time. I know that you first entered the Secretariat as a reader and then entered the Ministry of Personnel as a secretary. I have almost watched you grow up. What you said today is quite unexpected. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, the sharpness of your words is rare in the court. However, Fengzong, it is extremely inappropriate for someone of your status to say these things. They are actually flattering words and can be called sycophantic remarks."

Chen Zhi gradually became serious. Since it concerned his moral character and integrity, he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He straightened his back and replied, "Lord Jiang, which of my words just now was flattery or sycophancy?"

"All of these are true." Jiang Wan spoke in a lecturing tone: "First, he pleaded for Yang and Wei out of respect for the old order between the emperor and his ministers, thus creating chaos in the Northern Expeditionary Army; second, he used his personal interests to speculate on the ministers, enticing His Majesty with military power and urging His Majesty to concentrate troops within the palace; third, he used his humble position to recommend the positions of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yizhou, thus trying to guess the emperor's mind! If it weren't for the many troubles both inside and outside the palace, I would definitely have criticized him in front of the emperor today."

Jiang Wan, now the newly appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, is Chen Zhi's superior. Logically, even if Jiang Wan scolds Chen Zhi, Chen Zhi should just have to endure it. However, Chen Zhi has his own ways of teasing back.

During his time working in the government offices in the capital, Chen Zhi witnessed, heard, and read about political struggles far more than Jiang Wan knew.

If you question my character, I will question your motives.

Chen Zhi replied solemnly, "Lord Jiang said I was speaking treacherous words, simply because I am of low rank and unqualified to offer advice before the Emperor alongside other ministers. But this is the palace, and I must ask Lord Jiang here: did you truly not know that Chengdu had few soldiers?"

Jiang Wan also became somewhat angry and retorted, "So what if I lead the troops? Do you suspect me of disloyalty?"

Chen Zhi shook his head: "Of course I know of General Chiang's loyalty. However, instead of questioning me here, General Chiang would be better off doing something more important... General Chiang, with Wei and Yang accusing each other, can this case really be dragged out until Chengdu?"

For a mature politician, emotions are merely a means to an end, and can be manipulated at will.

Jiang Wan glanced at Chen Zhi, her expression instantly calming down to that of a respected elder. She then turned to look at the positions of the surrounding eunuchs. After confirming that no one except Dong Yun could hear her, Jiang Wan finally spoke:

"Fengzong, I know you couldn't speak your mind before the king just now. What exactly do you mean?"

Chen Zhi said, "As the saying goes, 'From the beginning, one can know the future; from the end, one can know the end.' I served as a Gentleman of the Selection Office for three years, and I have memorized the resumes of all the officials in the court. I have also seen the Prime Minister's evaluations of people in the past. According to public opinion, these two men are either arrogant or stubborn, and they have been fighting for many years without end. Only the Prime Minister can restrain them. Now, they each lead a large army, and with the loss of their marshal, there is no one to control them. It will inevitably end with one of them dying."

"I wonder... does General Chiang Kai-shek think Chief Secretary Yang will die, or Wei Zhengxi?"

Jiang Wan frowned deeply: "How could it have come to this?"

Chen Zhi chuckled, then bowed: "How could I not? It's simply that I possess a weapon and the desire to kill arises spontaneously. With so many internal and external troubles, General Chiang should prepare in advance."

Jiang Wan gave Chen Zhi, who was bowing, a deep look, nodded, and then strode away. Dong Yun also didn't linger and turned to leave.

Chen Zhi strolled out of the palace, boarded a carriage, and headed towards the Ministry of Personnel.

Before entering the palace, Chen Zhi had already reported to Taizhong. It was not yet noon, and today was not a day of rest, so he should return to the Ministry of Personnel to be on duty.

The current Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was Chen Zhen from Nanyang. He was unaware that the Emperor had replaced him with Jiang Wan, and Chen Zhi had no interest in relaying his message. Once inside the office, Chen Zhi began to peruse the records of officials' resumes.

He was appointed as a Gentleman of the Selection Office, which was responsible for selecting officials. Although the selection of officials was mostly decided by the Prime Minister's Office, in accordance with Zhuge Liang's style of doing things, all the files were still kept in the Secretariat.

Colleagues of the Ministry of Personnel, the Nine Ministers of the Imperial Court, governors of various regions, generals of the Northern Expedition, and officials of the Prime Minister's Office...

Zhuge Liang left no comment, and Jiang Wan was too preoccupied with his own problems to verify the truth.

Chen Zhi's claim of being familiar with the officials' resumes today was merely a convenient excuse given his time-traveling advantage. Aspiring to achieve great things, Chen Zhi is determined to make up for this deficiency.

It wasn't that Chen Zhi didn't want to go home, but rather that Jiang Wan had hastily ordered a citywide curfew in Chengdu shortly after noon. The city gates were closed, and officials and civilians were forbidden from leaving the city without Jiang Wan's written order. Those in the Ministry of Personnel were required to remain on duty in the Ministry, each fulfilling their responsibilities in preparation for any eventuality.

This martial law served two purposes: firstly, to maintain stability and prevent chaos caused by the movement of people; and secondly, to prohibit officials from attending Zhuge Liang's funeral.

Chen Zhi heard in Taichung that the news of Prime Minister Zhuge's death had just reached Chengdu last night and had only spread throughout the city this morning. At noon, an official set off for Hanzhong to attend Prime Minister Zhuge's funeral!

Chen Zhi listened carefully. The man was Qiao Zhou, the education commissioner of Yizhou Prefecture.

In this era, it was considered a virtuous act for a subordinate to travel thousands of miles to attend the funeral of his superior, and would be widely praised among the scholar-official class.

However, Zhuge Liang held multiple positions. As the Prime Minister, he governed the ministers of the Prime Minister's Office who were in charge of the government. As the Director of the Secretariat, he governed the Secretariat. As the Governor of Yizhou, he governed all the officials in the counties and prefectures of Shu Han.

In other words, apart from a few departments such as the Inner Court, the Nine Ministers, the Secretariat, and the Censorate, all other officials of Shu Han could theoretically be considered Zhuge Liang's subordinates!

The number of officials in the Shu Han dynasty was already very small. If even a small fraction of them went to attend the funeral, the Chengdu court would probably be paralyzed instantly!

Chen Zhi read on from noon until late at night, focusing on the generals of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the officials of the Prime Minister's office, memorizing them all.

It was past midnight when Chen Zhi blew out the oil lamps in the duty room and lay down, still dressed, feeling tired.

The Northern Expedition, political power, military power... these thoughts lingered in Chen Zhi's mind. He knew that Jiang Wan was extremely dissatisfied with him today, but he couldn't care less about that now.

Chen Zhi naturally wanted to make a name for himself.

Chen Zhi was young and of low rank, lacking the time and patience to hone his skills over decades, and the era wouldn't grant the Shu Han dynasty that much time either. If he wanted to accomplish anything, he had to rely on Emperor Liu Shan and follow the path of the emperor's confidants. However, if Liu Shan couldn't rule personally and continued to entrust the entire government to Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, and others, he would never be able to act freely.

Having experienced the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, the establishment of the Shu Han state, the Prime Minister's Northern Expedition, and many other events, officials throughout the court were never ashamed to speak of their achievements.

I am loyal to the Han Dynasty, I want to restore the Han Dynasty, I have political ideals, and I must strive for enough prestige and position to gain the power to act freely!

Zhuge Liang once held absolute power, Wei Yan repeatedly sought power during the Northern Expeditions, Jiang Wan wants to take control of the military today, and Fei Yi and Jiang Wei will do the same in the future.

Chen Zhi is also arguing today.

Loyalty and the struggle for power are never two conflicting options.

Take Jiang Wan's self-recommendation to lead troops today as an example. Jiang Wan has long held a civil service position. Even during the Northern Expedition, Jiang Wan mostly served as a military advisor or chief clerk, responsible for things like procuring and transporting grain and recruiting soldiers, and never participated in military command.

Before Zhuge Liang took charge of military affairs, he had already achieved great merit, including devising a strategy to divide the country into three kingdoms, pacifying Jingnan, conquering Shu in the west, and ensuring sufficient troops and supplies. Even so, he was still questioned both inside and outside the court. It was only after the swift pacification of Nanzhong that the doubts about Zhuge Liang's military abilities gradually subsided.

On the other hand, what about Jiang Wan?

Returning to the present, Prime Minister Zhuge has already promised the emperor that Jiang Wan will have the power to govern.

When news of Wei and Yang's mutual accusations reached Chengdu, the army was in dire straits. If Jiang Wan could take advantage of Liu Shan's urgency and lead his troops north, he would be able to take over all military power of the Northern Expeditionary Army without any hindrance, as the successor to the prime minister.

What followed... would likely have been no different from the original historical events. Jiang Wan gradually rose through the ranks to become Grand General, Grand Marshal, and took control of the court, establishing his own government and governing the country. He stationed troops in the north and refused to launch a military campaign for ten years. Fei Yi followed suit, and another ten years passed. It wasn't until twenty years later, when Jiang Wei led the Northern Expedition, that the Shu Han dynasty was able to resume its offensive.

They remain confined to a corner of the world, accomplishing nothing.

How can we wait twenty years to restore the Han dynasty?

While the Shu Han dynasty faced difficulties, the internal conflicts within the northern Wei state were equally significant. These included Gongsun Yuan in Liaodong, the early death of Cao Rui, Cao Shuang's incompetence and militarism, Sima Yi and Sima Shi's usurpation of power, and the three rebellions in Huainan…

Who has it harder than whom?

The pro-war faction must step in!