Chapter 191

“Did the Prime Minister come in person?”

“The situation is so critical and urgent that I had no choice but to come.”

I don’t know exactly what situation Zhuge Liang is referring to, but there are a few things that come to mind. It’s probably not Guan Yu’s death, but perhaps Liu Bei’s intention to launch a revenge campaign next year.

Even though Zhuge Liang was busy with state affairs, he still sent a eulogy and mourning preface for Guan Yu, whom he usually called by a nickname.

The fact that he came to Chang’an City means there must be some state matter that requires him to meet Liu Bei in person.

Anyway, since Zhuge Liang traveled all the way from Chengdu to Chang’an, I couldn’t just leave him standing there. Regrettably, I had to postpone my plans with Zhang E and Bi Yi.

“If you visit Commander Wei’s Office, Kang Yu will guide you well.”

“Hmm, Kang Yu. I heard he came as my successor, so I wanted to meet him at least once. This works out perfectly.”

“Next time, I’ll bring a Go board to visit you.”

After Zhang E and Bi Yi left, my conversation with Zhuge Liang began.

Since it was an urgent state matter, he would have consulted with Liu Bei, Pang Tong, or even Yu Pa, Huang Quan, and Ma Liang before coming to me.

‘But why did he come to me? It doesn’t seem like a mistake.’

I showed a puzzled expression and spoke.

“But Prime Minister, what brings you to me?”

“Do you remember what we discussed when we proposed attacking Sun Quan to reclaim Xiang Province?”

“If you mean what we said.”

“Why were you so sure Sun Quan would attack Cao Wei?”

“Ah, I remember.”

Sun Quan would attack Cao Wei because he aspired to become emperor.

Without justification or public sentiment, he would attack us to seize Xiang Province, then attack Cao Wei to capture Huainan, using his achievements and authority to lay the foundation for declaring himself emperor.

But the fact that Zhuge Liang brought this up again…

“Don’t tell me, Sun Quan…”

“That’s right. Sun Quan has finally declared himself emperor.”

“How could that be… Sun Quan lost Xiang Province and didn’t even fully capture Huainan, did he?”

“If internal authority is lacking, one can borrow authority from external sources.”

“…Are you saying Cao Pi recognized Sun Quan’s declaration of emperor?”

Zhuge Liang nodded with a grim expression.

Cao Pi recognized Sun Quan’s declaration of emperor. This was a sign that they would resolve their grievances in Huainan and form a solid alliance against us.

It made sense why Zhuge Liang urgently left Chengdu and came to Chang’an City to see Liu Bei.

“I expected that if we fought Cao Wei, Sun Quan would seize the opportunity to act. Since the war in Huainan ended inconclusively, I thought Sun Quan, considering his own authority, would wait for Cao Wei to weaken and then target Huainan again.”

It wasn’t just an expectation; Zhuge Liang would have prepared strategies to guide Sun Quan’s actions.

But if Cao Pi recognized Sun Quan’s declaration and bolstered his authority, Sun Quan couldn’t attack Cao Wei. This was different from when he was enfeoffed as the King of Wu.

Only after Sun Quan achieved a great victory and truly proved his authority could he oppose Cao Wei.

“Then, Sun Quan will help Cao Wei and attack us.”

“Correct. Although our country is thriving by reclaiming Guanzhong and Xiang Province, we are still not strong enough to face both Cao Wei and Sun Quan simultaneously. I believe it’s better not to start this war.”

The situation seemed to mirror the Battle of Yiling, and my expression darkened as well. Did Zhuge Liang come to me because even he, Liu Bei’s restraint, couldn’t control him anymore?

It seemed like Zhuge Liang was gathering allies, including me, to persuade Liu Bei, as even the top officials like Pang Tong, my father, and Ma Liang couldn’t stop him.

“Prime Minister, are you asking me to join in persuading His Majesty?”

“…That’s right. I’ve already discussed it with the others.”

“If you want to stop His Majesty, you should have sought the General at Gogi, not me.”

If even Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, Liu Bei’s brains, couldn’t stop him, only my father, who is like Liu Bei’s heart, could.

No matter how much Liu Bei favors me, it’s nothing compared to his love for Guan Yu. Only my father could cover Liu Bei’s deep feelings for Guan Yu.

But Zhuge Liang shook his head, indicating he hadn’t come to the wrong person.

“Of course, you’re right. I plan to seek the General at Gogi next. But I thought your opinion was important.”

“My opinion?”

“Do you know someone named Yi Yiji?”

Yi Yiji? I know Yi Yimin, but Yi Yiji is a name I’ve never heard before.

“Sorry, I don’t know.”

“That’s understandable. Yi Yiji is a famous Taoist in Xichuan.”

Zhuge Liang’s explanation about Yi Yiji was filled with fantastical stories. Like how attaching talismans to both feet could turn one into a thousand-mile horse, allowing travel of a thousand miles overnight, or how clay figures could be made to look exactly like real people and then naturally disappear.

Anyway, it was clear he was a remarkable Taoist. But it felt strange for Zhuge Liang, who usually rejected superstitions like Pang Tong, to mention Yi Yiji.

However, Zhuge Liang had a clear reason for bringing up Yi Yiji.

“Before His Majesty launches the campaign, he wants Yi Yiji to divine its success or failure, so he’s been searching for him.”

Like many people of this era, Liu Bei often sought divination before major events.

Before the Hanzhong Campaign, he consulted Zhou Qun and Zhang Yu, who were skilled in predicting the future. Since Zhou Qun and Zhang Yu have passed away, he now seeks Yi Yiji, the most renowned diviner.

But what does Liu Bei summoning Yi Yiji have to do with Zhuge Liang coming to me first?

“Did you already hear Yi Yiji’s divination?”

“I had to ask. I sought him after hearing about Sun Quan’s declaration. If he were to predict success for His Majesty, I needed to prepare for it.”

Zhuge Liang couldn’t defy Liu Bei’s orders to divert Yi Yiji or change the divination, so this was the best he could do.

“His divination mentioned me, or something related to me, didn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“May I hear it?”

“He drew three pictures. The first was a red circle surrounded by yellow, representing the sun within the earth, also known as Luoyang.”

“I agree.”

“The second was a drawing of soldiers and horses. He drew dozens of papers with various soldiers, horses, and weapons, then tore them up and threw them into the water.”

The torn papers with soldiers and weapons likely symbolized losing them all.

It didn’t seem like a good omen, and my expression soured.

“What was the last one?”

“A blue phoenix. He set it on fire and threw it into the sky.”

“A phoenix. So that’s why you came to me.”

If the second picture symbolized the death of soldiers and loss of weapons due to defeat, the third picture of the burning phoenix might have a similar meaning.

“Interpretation is subjective. The soldiers in the second picture might belong to the enemy, not us. But regardless of the divination, I believe this war will bring more loss than gain.”

Zhuge Liang doesn’t trust divination. Regardless of the prediction, he rationally analyzed that it’s better not to start this war.

But to persuade Liu Bei, he plans to use the authority of divination. Since Yi Yiji’s divination hinted at my importance, he wants to use my and my father’s influence to delay Liu Bei’s revenge campaign.

“General Guan Yu’s death was caused by Sima Yi, but Sima Yi wouldn’t act alone in such a major event. He must have discussed it with Cao Pi beforehand. And Sima Yi would have calculated how General Guan Yu’s death would affect His Majesty. I believe Cao Pi recognizing Sun Quan’s declaration is part of this plan. They’ve set a trap to plunge our country into chaos.”

As Zhuge Liang said, Sima Yi likely orchestrated this to make us focus all our efforts on revenge.

They would defend until we were exhausted, then join forces with Eastern Wu to attack us from all sides and crush us in one blow. Zhuge Liang opposes the war out of concern for this.

But after hearing about Sun Quan’s declaration, I felt even more that we couldn’t miss this war.

“If Sun Quan has declared himself emperor, he will take the field to bolster his lacking authority.”

If he had won the Huainan War, it might be different, but with a half-victory and Xiang Province nearly halved, Sun Quan is desperate to achieve the accomplishments needed to ascend the throne.

‘And Sun Quan is more warlike than you’d think. In terms of the number of wars, Sun Quan has fought more than Zhuge Liang.’

With Liu Bei, Emperor of Han, and Sun Quan, Emperor of Wu, taking the field, the ambitious Cao Pi, who has personally led three southern campaigns, won’t stay out.

With Sima Yi failing to meet expectations, Cao Pi might think he needs to take the field himself. Moreover, to match the Han and Wu emperors, he will surely lead the campaign himself.

“Cao Pi and Sun Quan. If they take the field, our country should go to war.”

Sun Quan, who excels in defense but struggles in offense.

Cao Pi, whose military skills are inferior to Sun Quan’s, with ambitions exceeding his abilities, often ending wars hastily despite having famous generals.

Against them, we can win.

“Sorry, Prime Minister. I cannot follow your advice.”

The war must continue.