Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

"Once you arrive at the inn, you can speak with the local officials about all matters concerning food and other necessities, and they will provide them without any problems."

Hu Zong stood at the entrance of the post station west of Jianye City, smiling and bowing to bid farewell to Chen Zhi and Zong Yu.

"Thank you for your trouble, Attendant Hu." Zong Yu and Chen Zhi returned the greeting with clasped hands.

Hu Zong smiled and nodded, then left.

Zong Yu glanced at Hu Zong's retreating figure, then looked around to make sure no one approached. He then whispered to Chen Zhi, "Hu Zong, courtesy name Weize, is also a northerner, from Runan, your hometown. He and Zhu Ran both studied with the Wu Emperor and were highly trusted. He served as a court attendant, commander of the imperial guards, and supervisor of criminal justice. Many of the Wu Emperor's edicts were written by him. He was the Wu Emperor's most prominent close advisor."

Chen Zhi couldn't help but gasp: "Isn't this against the rules? How can the same person be given the roles of Attendant-in-Ordinary, Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, Imperial Guard, and Law Enforcement Officer?"

"They've even appointed their own Grand Generals, what do they know about the system?" Zong Yu sneered. "Feng Zong, go back, I have something to say to you."

"Okay." Chen Zhi nodded.

The two went up to the second floor one after the other and entered Zong Yu's bedroom together.

After closing the door, Zong Yu pointed to the seating area inside the room: "Sitting at the same table, I'm afraid there might be eavesdroppers behind the walls."

"Understood," Chen Zhi replied.

Once they were closer, they could speak in whispers. Judging from Zong Yu's appearance, Chen Zhi could guess that he must have a lot to say.

"Fengzong, why did you speak those things to Sun Quan in the palace today?" Zongyu's expression was very serious. "We are both subjects of the Han Dynasty. How can we offer advice to Sun Quan? Moreover, your words just now were quite insightful and well-organized. You didn't intend to say this today, did you? And where did you get the news that Cao Rui is ill?"

After Zong Yu finished speaking, he looked directly into Chen Zhi's eyes.

The two men not only served in the same court, but Zong Yu was the chief envoy and Chen Zhi the deputy envoy. Now that Chen Zhi has said these things, Zong Yu must ask Chen Zhi for clarification, both morally and logically.

Chen Zhi remained calm and composed, saying, "General, I am doing this for the good of the Han Dynasty."

Zong Yu frowned deeply: "But every word you say is pointing Sun Quan in the right direction!"

Chen Zhi shook his head: "Is that so? General, please allow me to explain."

"Go on," Zong Yu said, picking up the earthenware pot on the table and pouring himself a cup of warm water. Just as he was about to drink, he pushed the cup to Chen Zhi and poured himself another cup.

Chen Zhi said, "All my words in the palace were to persuade Sun Quan to gather his troops and move east. Our dynasty is in the west, and the more Wu's power is in the east, the safer our rear will be, and the less the court will have to worry about its rear in Hanzhong."

"Fengzong, I understand." Zongyu nodded, "But the more I listen to your words, the more alarmed I become. It truly is a cure for Wu's ailments! If Sun Quan really follows your plan, the country will be free of obstacles, and its national strength and military power will greatly increase. What then?"

"General, is that even possible?" Chen Zhi gave a wry smile and spread his hands. "Even if my plan could make Wu stronger by 100%, he'd only listen to 40% or 50% at most. If we continue, it would only make Wu stronger by 10% or 20%. How much stronger could it be than Wei? Could it possibly march west past Baidi City?"

"The Shu Han state has its own circumstances, and so does the Wu state. Putting aside other matters, let's take the best strategy I proposed to Sun Quan: that he could kill Lu Xun and Gu Yong. Could he do it? If he were that decisive, he would have already taken action against Lu Xun. Why would he hesitate and send a low-ranking official to Wuchang to humiliate Lu Xun? The middle strategy is to let him share the empire with the gentry. Would he be willing to grant dukes and kings to people like Lu Xun and Gu Yong?"

Zong Yu frowned even deeper: "Since it's useless, what's the point of you saying all this to Sun Quan?!"

Chen Zhi glanced at Zong Yu, paused for a few moments, then picked up his water cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Zhi, of course, could not tell Zong Yu that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this year's northern expedition would be Sun Quan's last, after which Wu would descend into endless internal strife until Sun Quan's death. Wu's next major northern expedition would not occur until twenty years later, when Zhuge Ke would lead an army of 200,000 north, decisively defeating Wu's central army and wiping out its resources in a single battle…

In short, on the original timeline, the decline in Wu's confidence and fighting will during its northern expedition was almost perfectly synchronized with the decline in Shu Han's northern expedition.

The so-called Han-Wu alliance, at this point in time, was actually an alliance between the two ruling figures, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and Sun Quan. Neither the Shu Han court nor the Wu court harbored any goodwill towards each other; they were merely maintaining a facade.

Sun Quan is getting old...

Chen Zhi had every reason to believe that, without intervention, the death of his ally, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, would be a significant blow to Sun Quan, undermining his confidence in the Northern Expedition and his expectations for advancement!

Chen Zhi slowly placed the water cup on the table, his voice low and deep: "Sun Quan himself must know best about the affairs of Wu. When we were in the palace, I showed Sun Quan my sincerity and did not hide anything from him intellectually. I also firmly believe that Sun Quan fully understood and listened to what I said, and that he was definitely moved by it."

"General Zong, Sun Quan will never forget what we said today. I would say ten out of ten, if he could do even one or two parts of that, if he could strengthen his resolve to attack Wei, and if he could gather more of Wu's military strength in the east, even just one more attack on Wei would be a tremendous benefit to the court!"

"The court's current enemy is the State of Wei, not the State of Wu. If we can get Wei to send 10,000 more troops and one more renowned general to the east, we will have a better chance of winning in the west!"

"General Zong," Chen Zhi said sincerely, his hands resting on his knees, looking at Zong Yu. "Sun Quan has ruled Jiangdong for over thirty years, vying for supremacy with Cao Cao and Emperor Zhaolie. You can't reason with someone like Sun Quan using empty words or platitudes; you can't deceive him or coax him with words. I must break it down completely, explain everything clearly, and only then will he begin to believe me! Only then will he believe that attacking Wei is possible!"

Zong Yu sighed deeply.

"Fengzong is a man of great talent, far surpassing mine. It is a blessing for the Han Dynasty that Your Majesty has Fengzong to assist you! Fengzong, after listening to your words just now, there is something I must say."

Chen Zhi nodded: "General, please speak."

Zong Yu's gaze was intense: "Feng Zong, I heard in Chengdu about your efforts in uniting the generals and officials of the Prime Minister's office in Hanzhong to persuade them to launch the Northern Expedition, which was crucial. Today, I witnessed you persuading Sun Quan. Tell me, if you hadn't worked so diligently, would our dynasty and the Wu Kingdom have become complacent and truly abandoned the Northern Expedition?"

Chen Zhi looked up at the roof, took a deep breath, and then sighed, "I cannot answer the general's question about what did not happen! But I do have something to say to the general: I have done my best, but if I cannot achieve it, I can have no regrets!"

Zong Yu cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Zhi: "It's getting late, Feng Zong, you should rest early and not overwork yourself."

"Okay," Chen Zhi replied.

Meanwhile, Hu Zong had just returned to the palace and was eager to go to Sun Quan's bedroom to request an audience.

Upon seeing Sun Quan, Hu Zong bowed deeply and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the situation in the Great Wu Kingdom has been fully exposed by the Han envoy Chen Zhi. This man must not be allowed to live. I beg Your Majesty to execute him!"