Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1515: Chapter 1458: Posterity Will Judge

[Now let’s see how Cao Cao and Sunx Ce react. If Cao and Sunx are truly awed by Liu Xuande’s boldness, then since the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the most prosperous, powerful, and flourishing era of Huaxia will indeed dawn, and Liu Xuande’s vow to surpass his ancestors will truly be realized.] As this thought emerged, a surge of heroism rose within Chen Gong’s chest.

[To be born in such an era does not disappoint my name as Chen Gong. Oh ancient sages, should we meet in the Yellow Springs in the future, there will surely be those who will discuss you and me!] The aura of Chen Gong continually transformed, eventually revealing a proud desire to test himself against the sages.

Jia Xu looked at Chen Gong calmly, knowing that Chen Gong, like himself and Li Youu, had thoughts of challenging the ancient sages.

In the past, there was no opportunity, no stage for such things. It’s not that people of later generations didn’t dare to compare themselves to the predecessors of Zhuxia, but they had self-awareness. The era destined them not to be able to expand the territory of Zhuxia as in prehistoric times nor ignite the flame of civilization for Zhuxia.

Sages are deemed as such, not just for their wisdom superior to others, but also because of the era they lived in.

Twenty years ago, Jia Xu’s scholarship, though slightly inferior compared to today, was complemented by the overwhelming passion and youthfulness of those days. Despite gaining twenty years of experience, even Jia Xu himself didn’t have the confidence to say how much more excellent he is compared to back then.

Similarly, twenty years ago, Li Ru was worried about where his next meal would come from, but once the era’s curtain was drawn, their wisdom truly began to shine!

Heroes are made by the times. It’s not that this era has no top sages comparable to those of ancient times, it’s just that reality has rendered heroes silent!

The ancient sages are neither insurmountable nor unparalleled, but as descendants, without grander achievements, there’s no confidence to face these ancestors.

The First Emperor commanded supreme authority and governed the land, conquering south over the Baiyue and repelling the Huns to the north, unifying Zhuxia and establishing the Central Plains. Such achievements are what allowed him to proclaim to the world on Mount Tai, taking the titles of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and combining them, declaring himself the First Emperor!

Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors can be surpassed, why fear the ancient sages? It’s simply a matter of insufficient achievements, not daring to face them.

After the eye-opening realization that the Central Plains was not the whole world, amid the chaos, it further inspired those already at their peak sages, besides their positions among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, to have grander ambitions.

Let us surpass the ancient sages, let our era become an unmatched peak in history, and let our era, rather than we ourselves, be sung in history books. We will leave behind, for future generations, a saga akin to the descent of the sages of the previous era; the difference being, this era will be written by us!

”I will tread the path first; how can such a grand road be without me, Chen Gong!” Chen Gong said to Jia Xu unabashedly, ”I never thought there would be a day where I too could enjoy the treatment of sages. When I die one day, there will surely be commentary beneath the Yellow Springs.”

”We will sort out the Central Plains. We made one mistake and won’t make it again!” Jia Xu looked at Chen Gong calmly, and Chen Gong immediately understood.

”To catch up with this era does not disappoint me, Chen Gong.” Chen Gong stood up and solemnly bowed deeply towards the direction of Ye City, ”Thank you, Lord Xuande, for opening this door leading to the ancient sages!”

Fa Zheng and Zhuge Liang exchanged a glance, seeing the expression in each other’s eyes. They could only understand part of it, and the rest was left to guesswork, unable to grasp the core.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the two lacked intelligence, but because their education was fundamentally biased towards the Confucian School. Although their wisdom was extraordinarily high, before experiencing many things, it was difficult for them to imagine something as mad as challenging the ancient sages.

One must know that every name of the ancient sages represents the thought of Huaxia, and every surname represents the land upon which they tread. When the two are combined, it becomes the flame of Huaxia’s civilization and the everlasting foundation of Huaxia.

While Jia Xu and his group were initially shaken when the world was presented before them, afterward there was bitterness, and when they calmed down, the first thing they thought of was to challenge the sages.

A surname represents the land beneath one’s feet. This is not an issue. Jia Xu believed that once they took that step, his surname could also become the land behind him.

The inheritance of ideas, this isn’t a problem either. They are not lacking in wisdom, and which sage doesn’t have something they hold close to their chest. It’s just that without achievements on par with the sages, they could only be regarded as successors to the forebears.

”What’s more important now is dealing with the Northern Huns. We have a year’s time; this time, let’s eradicate this blood feud spanning several generations in one go.” Jia Xu said coldly and firmly.

”Good!” Chen Gong replied with a laugh.

After Jia Xu and Huang Zhong arrived, the mysterious disappearance of Zhang He did not garner special attention from Jia Xu. Zhang He now derived most of his strength from his hatred, and this hatred made it impossible for Liu Bei’s side to subjugate Zhang He.

Beneath national enmity, with the desire to seek revenge against Huang Zhong and others under such circumstances, even if Zhang He could manage it, he knows he cannot take actions that would destabilize the Han Army’s morale, so he left, giving notice only to Yuan Tan before departing.

As for Dong Zhao, Jia Xu did search for him, but unfortunately, when Jia Xu entered the city, Dong Zhao’s residence was already deserted, leaving only a letter. Jia Xu opened it and knew it was written for him. After reading it, he merely smiled; indeed, Dong Zhao’s spiritual talent needed someone to cooperate.

After finishing, Jia Xu did not pursue Dong Zhao as Dong Zhao predicted, because, to Jia Xu now, no matter who Dong Zhao ultimately defected to, he would end up being one of their own. This time, the conclusion in the Central Plains would not be a deadly bout of life and death; heroes would have a hero’s destiny.

However, what surprised Jia Xu was that the majority of the generals stationed in Bingzhou, such as Gao Gan and Guo Yuan, who had clearly ostensibly defected to Cao Cao, actually led their troops back.

Since ancient times, Yan and Zhao produced many chivalrous men, perhaps it indeed made sense. Though the way Yuan Tan initially handed over Bingzhou chilled the hearts of the Bingzhou generals, Yuan Tan’s noble death in the Battle of Jicheng spurred a strange sentiment among the Yuan Army soldiers stationed in Bingzhou.

A lord is only human; why shouldn’t he make mistakes? Yuan Tan maintained the necessary integrity on major issues, even willing to give his life for it, so why couldn’t the earlier errors be tolerated?

Thus, the civil officials and military generals of the Yuan Family who had surrendered to Han but not to Liu came one after another. Yuan Tan for the first time realized his own appeal, suddenly awakening to the fact that these men were his ministers; previously, they were only obeying the orders of Yuan Shao’s son rather than his own.

However, Yuan Tan, born of an aristocratic family, knew well that with him now in subjugation to Liu Bei, the continual visits from these civil officials and military generals were tantamount to death warrants for him, but Yuan Tan did not mean to reprimand; he already accepted this, as long as there would be those who remember him after his death.