Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Upon hearing Sun Quan's further question, Chen Zhi smiled and replied, "Is it truly permissible for this humble subject to speak with Your Majesty here?"

A glint flashed in Sun Quan's eyes, and he waved his hand: "Wei Ze, please sit here. Leave four guards behind, and all the eunuchs, leave and close the palace doors!"

"As you command."

The eunuchs dared not linger, and twelve of the sixteen armored soldiers in the hall also went, while the remaining four armored soldiers stood two on each side, even closer than before.

"Please speak freely," Sun Quan said again.

Chen Zhi nodded: "The obstacle Your Majesty mentioned should be the Jiangdong gentry, and among the gentry, the Gu, Lu, Zhu and Zhang families are the most prominent. There is a saying at the time: 'Zhang Wen, Zhu Wu, Lu Zhong, Gu Hou,' which is also known to people in Shu. With the passing of Zhou Gongjin, Lu Zijing, and Lü Ziming, Your Majesty can only rely on people from the Jiangdong gentry."

"In the past, in the case of Ji Yan, Zhang Wen was executed, so the Zhang family is no longer a concern. Zhu Xiumu (Zhu Huan) has long been stationed at Ruxukou with ten thousand troops, and his responsibilities are extremely heavy, so he cannot be moved lightly. His younger brother, Zhu Zifan (Zhu Ju), is Your Majesty's son-in-law, but he was dismissed several years ago due to the case of the hidden barbarians and is now retired at home. What Your Majesty is worried about are the Gu and Lu families."

"Gu Yuantan (Gu Yong) is the Chancellor of Wu, in charge of all officials. Lu Boyan (Lu Xun) is the Grand General, stationed in Wuchang. The Lu and Gu families have been allied through marriage for two generations, one inside and one outside, complementing each other. The Lu family also has a blood feud with the Sun family, which is deeply worrying. Your Majesty can use these two men, but you will certainly not be able to work together with them to attack Wei. Your Majesty is a great ruler, but the future of the Crown Prince is still unknown. These two men are loyal to Your Majesty, but they may not be loyal to the Crown Prince in the future."

Sun Quan sighed, "When I attacked Wei, all the generals wanted to achieve merit. I consulted Gu Gong about this, and Gu Gong always said that the generals sought battle for their own selfish interests, not for the country. I consulted Boyan on military matters, and Boyan always said that it was better to defend than to fight. I can no longer rely on him... Since Minister Chen has seen through this, today, though we are not close, I will speak frankly with you. I will not hide it from you, but if I use him, he cannot give his all; if I do not use him, it will be detrimental to the country. The crux of the country lies between these two!"

Chen Zhi looked directly at Sun Quan and calmly said, "The best strategy is for Your Majesty to follow the example of Emperor Wu of Han, to decisively destroy and rebuild, to devise a plan to kill Gu and Lu, and to gather the strength of the people to march north."

"The best strategy is for Your Majesty to share the empire with the scholars of Jiangdong. Your Majesty can become emperor, and the remaining officials can be granted titles of kings and dukes, giving them empty honors so that they can join forces to attack the north."

"The worst course of action is for Your Majesty to observe the situation calmly and remain inactive, waiting for the two to die of old age, and then compare their lifespans with those of Gu Yuantan and Lu Boyan. Perhaps then the Crown Prince can one day resolve this hidden worry for the Wu Kingdom."

Sun Quan remained silent.

Seeing Sun Quan's solemn demeanor, Chen Zhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The best, middle, and worst strategies mentioned earlier actually refer to the state of Wu at different points in time.

In the original history, Sun Quan used a poor strategy of waiting passively. Instead of waiting for Gu and Lu to die, he waited for the early death of Crown Prince Sun Deng. After the court was completely out of balance, Sun Quan lost his composure and thus initiated the Coup of the Two Palaces, causing the ministers to fight among themselves. He sent envoys to execute Lu Xun and exile Gu Tan, thus opening the floodgates to the great chaos in the Wu court.

The phrase "sharing the world with the gentry" in the so-called middle strategy was the true state of affairs for two hundred years from the Wu Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Even after hearing this from Chen Zhi, Sun Quan still had his limitations and could not yet recognize this general trend.

These three strategies, no matter which one you choose, are all solutions.

Sun Quan, a great ruler of his time, surely knew that Chen Zhi's three strategies were all feasible. Emperor Wu of Han's methods are clearly laid out in the historical records!

But Sun Quan still couldn't make a decision.

The reasoning is certainly correct, but in practice, it is fraught with difficulties. Every step must be taken with extreme caution. National affairs are not as simple as they seem.

But Chen Zhi's words seem to be true!

Sun Quan did not tell Chen Zhi which strategy he would choose; as the emperor, he certainly wouldn't tell Chen Zhi either. He simply asked in a deep voice:

"Minister Chen, even if I manage to pacify the country, can I guarantee victory in foreign wars? Even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang could not conquer Guanzhong and Longyou; how can I possibly conquer Huainan?"

Chen Zhi chuckled lightly: "Man proposes, God disposes. Could Zhou Yu have guaranteed a victory over Cao Cao back then? Previously, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and His Majesty agreed to launch an attack, but the coordination was often delayed, resulting in frequent timing discrepancies. In the future, Han and Wu should make prior arrangements to launch attacks from the east and west, forcing Wei to be unable to attend to both! Han can help Wu take Huainan, and Wu can help Han take Longyou!"

Sun Quan shook his head: "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang couldn't defeat Wei, so what good would it do if the Han emperor personally came to Hanzhong? Wei's national strength is still formidable!"

Chen Zhi calmly replied, "Military affairs are divided into internal and external matters. Prime Minister Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions lasted for eight years, during which the Han army gradually grew stronger. This upward trend did not stop with the passing of the Prime Minister alone. Now that Prime Minister Zhuge Liang is gone, for the Wei state, the powerful enemy has left. The Cao family has always been suspicious, and Sima Yi will not stay in Guanzhong for long."

Sun Quan raised an eyebrow: "How do you know?"

Chen Zhi cupped his hands and said, "I have heard rumors in Hanzhong that Emperor Cao Rui of Wei is suffering from multiple illnesses in Luoyang. This year, he personally led an expedition to Huainan, but this was merely to demonstrate his strength. In reality, he is already in dire straits, and his lifespan may not be longer than Cao Pi's. The Wei state was originally established by usurpation, and it has only been two generations so far. Once Emperor Cao Rui passes away and the Cao family loses power, I need not say more about the state of Wei."

"With Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong and Kebineng of the Xianbei still alive, the State of Wei is beset by troubles on all sides, and its danger is no less than that of the Han and Wu. The State of Wei is attacked from all sides, while the Han and Wu only need to fight against Wei."

"I have already said everything that needs to be said. Your Majesty's sagacity is self-evident, and I need not repeat myself."

"Is that so?" When Sun Quan heard from Chen Zhi that Cao Rui was ill, his first reaction was not to feel relieved or to seek confirmation, but to sigh that even the Wei ruler Cao Rui had such many hardships.

Of the three kingdoms of Han, Wei, and Wu, which had the most difficult time...?

Both are difficult!

The events discussed tonight are enough for Sun Quan to process for a long time.

Sun Quan let out a long breath and cupped his hands to Chen Zhi: "Minister Chen, your advice to me today was completely frank, and I have taken it to heart. Minister Zong and Minister Chen, please return to the guesthouse for a while. I may send someone to invite you two to meet again."

"Your Majesty, I have another matter I wish to request. Before I left on this mission, His Majesty instructed me to offer sacrifices to Lady Sun in Jianye with the rites of a lesser offering. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this request."

Madame Sun?

Sun Quan was stunned for a moment before he remembered who the Lady Sun that Chen Zhi had mentioned was.

When Liu Bei conquered Yizhou, Sun Quan ordered his sister to return to Jianye from Jingzhou. Afterwards, conflicts arose between the Liu and Sun families, and there were also disagreements between Sun Quan and his wife. After the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei died, and his wife and Sun Quan never saw each other again, not even until their deaths. The last time he saw her was more than ten years ago, and she has been gone for five years…

Liu Shan actually remembered her?!

With the past vividly before his eyes, Sun Quan's emotions were in turmoil, and he could no longer suppress them, feeling sentimental once again.

Who in power is without human compassion?

Sun Quan turned his face away, took a deep breath, and with his back to Chen Zhi and Zong Yu, pointed to Hu Zong, a close minister who had been sitting next to him.

"Wei Ze, take the two envoys back to the guesthouse. As for what Minister Chen just mentioned, Wei Ze, please choose an auspicious day to make arrangements... I am tired."

After saying this, Sun Quan left without looking back, heading towards the rear hall.

Clearly, Sun Quan was already weeping when he left, how could Chen Zhi not see that? This final emotional appeal was the best way to conclude the emotional rollercoaster of this audience.

The skill is truly divine, and we must thank His Majesty the Emperor in Chengdu.