Liu Xie strode into the command tent, unfastened his armor, and handed it to Zhao Yun, who stood attending him. The clothes underneath were already soaked with sweat.
"Jiangxia... Wuhan in later ages. Was it already this hot back in the Three Kingdoms period?"
Liu Xie wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.
As the Son of Heaven, he had to maintain the bearing of the Son of Heaven, so he had to wear his armor even when inspecting the troops.
But walking around the camp in heavy armor in this sweltering weather was undoubtedly an ordeal, and he also had to mind his deportment at every moment.
It gave him the illusion of being back in those days when he had studied the Son of Heaven's ceremonial etiquette under Ju Shou, practicing in cumbersome court robes.
But times had changed, and that man was gone.
He was no longer the puppet he had been back then, either.
As Liu Xie sat on a folding stool, staring absently at the tea bowl in his hands, footsteps approached, and he looked up.
Zhuge Liang entered the command tent and bowed to him. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Liu Xie came back to himself, set down his tea bowl, and smiled. "No need for ceremony, Kongming. What is it?"
Zhuge Liang said, "Your Majesty, Censor Guo has written to say that Jiangdong remains difficult to conquer despite prolonged attacks. He therefore wishes to abandon the strategy of taking it by force and instead offer surrender terms."
As he spoke, Zhuge Liang presented a memorial.
Liu Xie said in surprise, "A mere Jiangdong, and even Fengxiao and Old General Huang together cannot take it?"
He knew how proud Guo Jia was. Ordinarily, if Guo Jia could resolve something himself, he