NOVPUBChen Xi had no idea about Zhuge Liang’s thinking. If he had known, he probably would have laughed till he convulsed, thinking that all schemes in the world couldn’t escape his palm? From the beginning until now, he had miscalculated countless times. If it weren’t for the fact that he had always been prepared for the possibility of messing things up, he wouldn’t have known how many times he would have made a mistake. However, it seemed that it was precisely because of this that people believed he was taking precautions…
Afterward, the two of them stopped talking much and, protected by Hua Xiong, rode in an open carriage heading east. Meanwhile, the secret letters from Lub Su and the signed dispatch orders were being sent to North Sea at the fastest speed possible.
With the fast pace set by the horses and the protection of a few hundred cavalrymen, they didn’t encounter any overly dramatic incidents along the way, and they passed directly through Langya State into the territory of Qingzhou. Speaking of which, while passing through Xuzhou, Chen Xi had already heard a lot of criticisms about Li Youu’s inaction. Of course, there were also many local aristocratic families jumping out into the spotlight.
"The Zhuge Family has moved?" Chen Xi asked in confusion. In this lifetime, Cao Army had not penetrated deep into Langya, so the Zhuge Family’s relocation seemed nonsensical.
"Yes, we’ve moved, the Zhuge Family is no more," Zhuge Liang said with some emotion. The once-great Zhuge Family had actually been split in two because of his brother Zhuge Jin’s anger. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"What’s the situation? I’m quite interested in your brother. Since Cao Cao is so undesirable, he could join us. I would wholeheartedly welcome him," Chen Xi said, still puzzled. There was really no need for the Zhuge Family to move.
Zhuge Liang sighed and recounted the initial incident in detail. It was almost like Zhuge Jin couldn’t stand following his family’s orders and directly rebelled against them. In his own words, whoever wanted to go to Cao Cao could go; as for himself, he wasn’t going.
Although Xun Youi initially suppressed the incident in Xuzhou, the local aristocratic families who followed the matter knew the truth. Added to that were Liu Bei’s vigorous publicity efforts and Cao Cao’s defeat, everyone believed Cao Cao was finished. Noted scholars no longer feared Cao Cao and all came out to claim credit with Liu Bei, vigorously advocating the incident; in short, Cao Cao was thoroughly tarnished.
This was why although Cao Cao had awakened his abilities, not a single person came to join him, as his reputation had been nearly destroyed. Even Sima Lang now felt depressed about joining Cao Cao; if it weren’t for his sense of loyalty, he would have left already.
That said, ever since Chen Xi had absorbed the power from the branch families of the Chen Family, more figures indifferent to aristocratic families started trickling into Liu Bei’s camp, like Xun Yan, Xun Yu’s third brother, and Xun Yue as well.
Speaking of these two, they were not weaker than Chen Qun in terms of abilities. However, these two were clearly not receiving support from the Xun Family. The reason behind this was that Xun Yue advocated the concept of politics and legal thought under the premise of "education"; in short, political law education—meaning one must first understand before political and legal thoughts could be discussed, otherwise, it was all empty talk.
As for Xun Yan, it was because of an ideological conflict. He had contempt for Xun Yu’s idea of choosing one loyal and able adviser to help restore the Han Dynasty and that after success, they should return power back to the court.
According to Xun Yan, who would still be so obedient by that time? Allegiance was only insufficient for betrayal. Rather than ending up with an unwieldy tail that was hard to deal with, he believed it was better to find a Han Imperial Kinsman from the beginning. Even if it meant substituting the Han Dynasty, it would still just be an internal matter within the Han clan; what was the big deal if an emperor died?
Well, because of this philosophy, Xun Yan nearly caused a family split with Xun Yu. An emperor dying was no big deal—such an idea was absolutely intolerable to Xun Yu!
Essentially, Xun Yan and Xun Yue were ostracized by the Xun Family, but once the words Liu Bei pronounced at the sacrificial altar made their way back, the Chen Family didn’t hesitate to divert all those within their influence who aligned with Liu Bei’s thoughts right out of their ranks.
Consequently, the Xun Family packaged these two ostracized members and handed them over to Liu Bei, together with a group of young Xun members who shared the same ideology as Xun Yan and Xun Yue. There was no helping it; with a large family, there were bound to be discordant elements.
When Xun Yue came to report, Liu Bei spent a whole night in conversation with him before assigning him and Mann Chong to work on the legal system. It had to be admitted that Xun Yue’s understanding of the law was a bit deeper than Mann Chong’s. As for Xun Yan, Liu Bei ordered him to manage the area of Donglai in Qingzhou and, incidentally, to establish a port there.
In short, based on shared ideals, Liu Bei now had quite a few impressive scholars from aristocratic families under his command. When thinking back, the aristocratic families of the Late Han were truly extraordinary, even containing those who would undermine their own foundations.
It’s like the saying goes, when the forest is big, all kinds of birds will be found in it. The fact that characters like Xun Yue, who so evidently intended to destroy the foundation of aristocratic families, could be tolerated, shows that the aristocratic families of the Late Han had reached an apex and were uncertain about the direction of their future development.
Clearly, the Zhuge Family was in a similar situation. Zhuge Jin adamantly refused to join Cao Cao. If it had only been Zhuge Jin, it wouldn’t have been much of an issue. However, once the Zhuge Family mobilized its power, even if Zhuge Jin didn’t want to enter Cao Cao’s service, he would have no choice but to join and would then gradually be assimilated over time.
The result was quite apparent; what happened to the Zhuge Family in the end was not a rebellion led by Zhuge Jin, but a division with Zhuge Jin at the forefront. Zhuge Jin directly split off half of the Zhuge Family’s strength, taking with him clan relatives who shared his ambitions, with the intent to rebuild the Zhuge Family. As for the original Zhuge Family, it was not yet certain who would come out on top!
This move left the group led by Zhuge Feng quite embarrassed. With the two factions being approximately equal in strength, surely it wasn’t possible to engage in an internal war within the Zhuge Family. Such an action would only be fodder for ridicule by the Xuzhou aristocratic families.
Zhuge Feng and his clan members quickly decided to relocate the rest of their kin to Jingzhou. Both the Pang Family and Huang Family were there, making it an ideal location for the Zhuge Family to develop further. As for the lack of talents, wasn’t Zhuge Feng’s son, Zhuge Dan, a genius? Was he not comparable to Zhuge Liang, or indeed even to Zhuge Jin? What would five to eight more years matter? The Zhuge Family could afford to wait!
After Zhuge Liang laid out the whole situation, Chen Xi had only one feeling about it: Zhuge Jin was really not thinking clearly. He had caused a rift within his family, so why bother with the family’s gambles? It would have been better for them to join them at Mount Tai, or he could have stayed in Xuzhou. Acting as the chancellor of Langya State would have been perfectly fine. What was the meaning of this current situation? Was he having a falling out with his own family?
"What’s the situation with your brother now? Where is he? Oh, and you, you said the Zhuge Family has split, right? Which part do you belong to?" Chen Xi asked curiously, for Zhuge Jin was of great value.
"He seems to have gone to Yuzhou, and it’s said he even wants to go to Sichuan and Shu. I belong to the Zhuge Family, but I am not part of either branch," Zhuge Liang said with a furrowed brow.
Chen Xi was taken aback. Zhuge Liang had ambition too. After the family split, he actually wanted to rebuild the family. Could it be said that the disposition of the aristocratic family members of this period was all like this? But this was also good.
"Since you belong to neither branch of the Zhuge Family, then strive your best. I, Chen Zichuan, am not lacking in wealth, but regarding forming a new family, I am still figuring it out myself. If you wish to compete, I’m afraid I won’t be much help," Chen Xi said with a smile. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian [qidian.com] to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
