Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Chen Zhi smiled and finished speaking. Without bowing, he made a move to walk forward, but Sun Deng grabbed his sleeve from behind.

"Captain Chen!" Sun Deng bowed respectfully, his face sincere. "His Majesty ordered me to learn from Captain Chen and cultivate a good relationship with him. Has Captain Chen truly not offered me a single word?"

Chen Zhi gripped the railing again, pondering to himself.

Sun Deng must have known that he had given advice to Sun Quan, and he must have also known that he had witnessed Lü Yi humiliating Lu Xun at Lu Xun's place in Wuchang. The question is, how much did Sun Deng actually know? Did he know the first half, the second half, or both?

However, Chen Zhi was not afraid.

This is Sun Quan's palace, not Crown Prince Sun Deng's. If he really wanted to leave, what could Sun Deng do?

Chen Zhi stopped, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "If Your Highness insists on asking, I have something to say in response. I wish Your Highness good health!"

After saying that, Chen Zhi turned and strode away.

Chen Zhi had only taken two steps when he heard a long sigh behind him.

"It's because my virtue is insufficient!"

Chen Zhi couldn't help but sneer inwardly, and continued walking forward without looking back or stopping at all.

Is he lacking in moral character?

You're right, of course you lack virtue!

You advised Sun Quan to launch a northern expedition, but who do you think you are to offer me advice? Are you just trying to trick me with empty words? I told you to take care of yourself, and you don't even appreciate it. Is this supposed to be good advice, but actually harming you?

Chen Zhi returned first, and Sun Deng returned to his seat quite a while later.

The banquet was still in full swing when, whether Sun Deng gave his subordinates some signal or it had become a tradition in Wu to publicly question the envoy, Zhang Xiu, the second son of Zhang Zhao, a confidant of Sun Deng, and the Right Assistant Commandant of the Crown Prince, stood up holding a wine cup.

Zhang Xiu smiled and asked, "I know very little about Commandant Chen, and now that I have met him, I can't help but have some questions. May I ask what merits Commandant Chen has rendered in the Han Kingdom? How could he hold such a high position at such a young age, becoming the Commandant of the Yue Cavalry with a salary of two thousand shi at the age of twenty-four?"

Chen Zhi stood up, picked up his wine cup, and smiled as he returned the toast: "Commander Zhang, since our country has not yet established a crown prince, I cannot serve the crown prince. Therefore, I can only serve the emperor of our dynasty directly. As a minister of the emperor, it is normal for me to have a higher official rank."

This is comparing one's own official position with that of an official under Prince Zhang Xiu.

"Hahaha, hahaha, how interesting!" Sun Quan, recalling the past and delighted by the scene, sat in the hall and laughed as he slapped the table.

Only a small portion of the Wu officials in the hall smiled; some remained serious, while others looked over with cold eyes.

Zhang Xiu was somewhat embarrassed, so he tilted his head back, drank the wine, and then sat down.

Chen Zhi had just finished drinking when Gu Tan, the eldest grandson of Gu Yong, a confidant of Sun Deng, and the Crown Prince's Assistant Commandant, also stood up:

"I just heard from Commandant Chen that the Emperor of Han will personally come to Hanzhong to take command of the army. I wonder when the Han Kingdom will launch its next northern expedition?"

Chen Zhi nodded to Gu Tan and replied loudly, "When it's time to strike, then strike!"

Gu Tan chuckled and pressed on, "When is it appropriate to cut down trees, and when is it inappropriate?"

Chen Zhi said, "War is a matter of great importance to the state and should not be acted upon lightly. We should wait for the right time to act! If you wish to send troops, our court will agree with Your Majesty to advance together and attack Wei from the east and west!"

"Oh? Then we'll still need the assistance of our Great Wu. The Han Kingdom has always been like this," Gu Tan said with a smile. "But if the Han Kingdom raises an army, Prime Minister Zhuge is no longer here, and the generals in the country lack the qualifications to command a large army. Who can be the commander? I've heard that Wei Yan is dead; the Han Kingdom is afraid it will have no great generals left!"

Chen Zhi cupped his hands in greeting to Sun Quan, then smiled and looked at Gu Tan: "If we are to launch a northern expedition, then our Emperor should be the commander-in-chief, personally leading the six armies to conquer the north! Han and Wu are allies; if the Han Emperor launches his campaign in the west, and the Wu Emperor in the east, wouldn't that be appropriate?"

Gu Tan was speechless for a moment.

Chen Zhi has already stated that the Han emperor is in the west and the Wu emperor is in the east. If he were to say that Liu Shan is incompetent in military affairs, wouldn't he be implicating Sun Quan as well? And Sun Quan is indeed not good at military affairs. Gu Tan has no way to respond to this!

"Captain Chen's words are indeed lucrative!"

Minister Kan Ze, over sixty years old, stood up, frowned, and asked, "If I remember correctly, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions have lasted for eight years, with five campaigns in total. The constant levies on Shu have exhausted the country; how could there not be ministers who oppose him?"

Chen Zhi replied proudly, "I would rather be a ruler who establishes a new dynasty than one who merely maintains it. Since the nation belongs to the Son of Heaven and the king's intention to launch a northern expedition is already set, loyal ministers should naturally follow suit. Why should I oppose it?"

Chen Zhi bowed deeply to Sun Quan once more, speaking earnestly: "An emperor should reside in the Central Plains, seated in the capital of the Son of Heaven. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Han and Wu kingdoms divided the empire; Chang'an belonged to Han, and Luoyang to Wu. I wish that when I next pay homage to Your Majesty, I may depart from Chang'an and travel to Luoyang, to meet Your Majesty in the true Jiade Hall of Luoyang!"

"Of course, I will also pay a visit to Minister Kan in Luoyang!" Chen Zhi turned his head and smiled at Kan Ze.

Kan Ze sighed softly, drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, and sat down without saying a word.

"Well said, Minister Chen!" Sun Quan slammed his hand on the table again, stood up, and raised his wine cup: "Come, my ministers, let us drink three more cups together!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone stood up and drank wine with Sun Quan.

After drinking three cups, Sun Quan put down his wine cup, walked around the table, and headed towards Chen Zhi. Sun Deng pondered for a few moments, then followed Sun Quan towards Chen Zhi, carrying the precious sword that Sun Quan had given him.

Sun Quan walked to Chen Zhi's desk, carefully examined him for a few moments, and then sighed, "People often say that Jiangdong is full of outstanding talents. Today, having met Minister Chen, I can see that Shu also has many outstanding talents!"

"Minister Chen, are you interested in serving in my Great Wu? If you agree, I will personally write to the Han Emperor to request your services! If you wish to be a general, I will grant you five thousand soldiers. If you wish to be an official, I will appoint you as one of the Nine Ministers. Do you agree?"

Chen Zhi chuckled a few times, then bowed again: "So that Your Majesty may know that the talents of Jiangdong are not as good as those of Shu! This humble subject is from Runan, not Shu!"

"The ministers seated at Your Majesty's banquet today are all outstanding figures of the world, whose names I have heard of even in Yizhou. When Han and Wu jointly destroy Wei, with such immense military achievements, how many of those present today are county marquises, and how many are high-ranking officials?"

"This humble official is ambitious and confident in his talents. He desires the position of one of the Three Dukes in this life. If he were to serve in Wu, wouldn't he be taking away your positions?"

"Hahahaha." Sun Quan shook his head and laughed, "Since you are unwilling, Minister Chen, you may leave tomorrow. I am already satisfied with Minister Chen's words."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree." Chen Zhi bowed calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.

Sun Quan said slowly, "When Prime Minister Zhuge first came to power, he sent envoys to Wuchang to see me several times. Later, I wrote a letter to Prime Minister Zhuge, in which he commented, 'Ding Gong and Zhang are not completely corrupted, and only Deng Zhi can reconcile the two countries.'"

"I saw that Minister Chen also gave me four words as a parting gift: 'As if seeing an old friend.'" Sun Quan's gaze met Chen Zhi's. "I have made it clear to Minister Chen that the alliance between Wu and Han is unshakeable. Tomorrow morning, a formal letter will be delivered to you, and you can return to Chengdu with an explanation!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chen Zhi bowed deeply.

Sun Quan pointed at Chen Zhi: "But today we shall not leave until we are drunk."

Chen Zhi nodded: "That's how it should be."