Chapter Summaries

At the New Year’s Banquet, Lü Bu showed off the Battle-Formation-Breaking Music Liu Xie had composed for him, while Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei met and found themselves drawn to each other. Liu Xie honored his grandmother and the people who had helped reunify Great Han, then began a toast to his mortal enemies.

• Lü Bu presented the Battle-Formation-Breaking Music Liu Xie had written for him, provoking Zhang Liao’s envy and anger.
• Zhuge Liang explained that he had not summoned the east wind at Red Cliffs and had only staged a ritual to raise morale.
• Liu Bei met Zhuge Liang, praised his abilities, and spoke with him until Zhang Fei came to fetch Liu Bei.
• Lü Lingqi urged Liu Xie to drink less, but Zhen Mi supported his wish to celebrate with his ministers.
• Liu Xie toasted Empress Xiaoren and the ancestors of Great Han, then honored his ministers, the people, and fallen soldiers for helping reunify the nation.
• Liu Xie began a third toast to his mortal enemies, naming Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Sun Ce, Ma Chao, and Cao Cao.

At a banquet, Liu Xie spoke emotionally about the burdens of ruling and warned the court that Great Han belonged to its people as well as its ministers. The aristocratic clan leaders later argued over whether he knew of their opposition to the Imperial Academy, while the chapter ended with a rare Pixiu arriving from Yi Province as tribute.

• Liu Xie praised the ministers’ sacrifices, explained the purpose of his policies, and left Chengming Hall supported by Lü Lingqi and Zhen Mi.
• The clan leaders gathered at the Cui Residence and debated whether Liu Xie’s banquet speech had been a warning about their plans against the Imperial Academy.
• Dou Fu tried to withdraw from the scheme, but Cui Yan threatened to treat his departure as siding with the Son of Heaven.
• Cui Yan urged the clan leaders to intensify public criticism of the Imperial Academy and revealed that he had invited his teacher to Chang'an after spring began.
• After a peaceful winter and Spring Festival, tribute arrived from across Great Han, including a rare Pixiu from Yi Province.

Liu Xie discovered that the tribute Pixiu was a giant panda and kept it in the Imperial Garden after feeding it bamboo shoots. Guo Jia then warned him that the renowned Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan was coming to Chang'an amid fierce debate over the Imperial Academy, and Guo Jia stopped Jia Xu from suggesting an attack.

• Gao Lan revealed the supposed Pixiu in its cage, and Liu Xie recognized it as a giant panda.
• Liu Xie ordered bamboo shoots for the hungry panda, which eagerly ate them, and decided to keep it in the Imperial Garden.
• Guo Jia reported that Zheng Xuan was coming to Chang'an and might oppose the Imperial Academy.
• Jia Xu began to suggest sending someone after Zheng Xuan, but Guo Jia interrupted him and warned that harming the scholar would provoke outrage among literati across the realm.

Liu Xie and Guo Jia decided that a public debate could defend the Imperial Academy against Zheng Xuan’s opposition and advance future reforms. Liu Xie asked Zhuge Liang to join the debate, and Zhuge Liang was left to decide whether to accept.

• Guo Jia proposed holding a debate modeled on the Shiqu Pavilion Conference to persuade scholars to support the Imperial Academy.
• Liu Xie agreed with the plan, and Guo Jia volunteered to represent the Imperial Academy against Zheng Xuan.
• Liu Xie summoned Zhuge Liang and asked about his view of the Imperial Academy; Zhuge Liang endorsed its practical disciplines and state benefits.
• Liu Xie told Zhuge Liang that Zheng Xuan was coming to Chang'an and explained the proposed debate over selecting officials through Confucian learning or New Learning.
• Liu Xie asked Zhuge Liang to debate Zheng Xuan but said the choice was his and that he would not blame him for declining.

Liu Xie approved a public debate over the Imperial Academy, while officials argued over funds for Yellow River repairs. When Yuan Xi reported that the river had turned clear, Liu Xie warned that it signaled a coming drought, not an auspicious omen.

• Zhuge Liang agreed to represent the Imperial Academy in a debate with Zheng Xuan, citing his debt to Liu Xie and his duty to Great Han.
• Liu Xie ordered Guo Jia to announce a debate on the Imperial Academy, drawing scholars from across the realm to Chang'an for a sixth-month disputation over new and old learning.
• Yuan Xi and Fa Zheng argued over funding for Yellow River repairs until Liu Xie ordered Fa Zheng to release the money and urged both officials to speak respectfully.
• Yuan Xi reported that the Yellow River's waters were unusually low and clear, and Sima Yi praised the change as an auspicious sign of Liu Xie's rule.
• Liu Xie rejected the claim that the clear river was a good omen and warned that it signaled a great drought, explaining that the river's muddy water came from sand carried downstream.

Liu Xie interpreted the Yellow River’s clear waters as a warning of severe drought and ordered an investigation and preparations, though the costly response worried his ministers. Later, he shared his fears with Zhen Mi and gave her a portrait and an ode for her birthday, leaving her delighted and asking him to prepare a gift for the Empress too.

• Liu Xie explained that clear Yellow River waters could mean upstream rivers had dried up, signaling a severe drought, and ordered Yuan Xi to investigate the river’s source.
• Lu Su urged grain stockpiling, while Fa Zheng and Jia Xu warned Liu Xie against costly preparations based on uncertain signs.
• Liu Xie told Zhen Mi about the possible drought and the measures he had ordered, and she comforted him.
• Liu Xie gave Zhen Mi a portrait and his Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River as an early birthday gift.
• Zhen Mi happily kept the gifts and urged Liu Xie to write an ode for the Empress as well.

Liu Xie’s preparations helped the Great Han withstand a severe drought, but rumors blamed the disaster on his Imperial Academy. He refused to suppress the rumors by force, while Jia Xu went to the Southern Office to investigate.

• Liu Xie ordered preparations after learning that the Yellow River’s upper tributaries were drying up, and the drought arrived two months later.
• Fa Zheng and Zhuge Liang reported that grain reserves and transfers had left the drought-stricken regions better supplied, and Liu Xie ordered officials to prevent panic and punish grain profiteers.
• Guo Jia revealed rumors claiming Heaven had sent the drought because Liu Xie established the Imperial Academy and violated ancestral laws and the sages’ teachings.
• Liu Xie rejected Fa Zheng’s proposal to ban the rumors, saying force would worsen matters, and chose to watch how they developed.
• Jia Xu left the palace for the Southern Office, where Embroidered-Clothes Envoys awaited him as he headed toward the main hall.

Jia Xu punished the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys for failing to report a rumor about the Son of Heaven and ordered them to uncover its source within three days. Liu Xie revealed that he had ordered the rumor spread, though he kept his reasons to himself.

• Jia Xu beat and threatened the Embroidered-Clothes Central Commandant, giving the Wind Group three days to identify who spread the rumor.
• Jia Xu told Guo Jia that he suspected the families opposing the Imperial Academy, while Guo Jia doubted they would risk besmirching the Son of Heaven so openly.
• Guo Jia urged Jia Xu to share his Green Plum Wine, but Jia Xu refused and left for his residence with Guo Jia following.
• Gao Lan asked Liu Xie whether he should keep spreading the rumor, and Liu Xie ordered him to stop.
• Gao Lan questioned why Liu Xie had initiated the rumor, but Liu Xie said he had his own plans and would not explain them.

Cui Yan and the clan heads argued over rumors blaming the drought on Liu Xie’s disregard for Confucian learning, then prepared for the coming debate against the Imperial Academy. At Shanglin Park, Liu Xie demonstrated his improved archery, and Jia Xu revealed his own skill by killing a roe deer with one arrow.

• Cui Yan angrily demanded to know which clan head had spread rumors accusing Liu Xie of causing the drought by slighting Confucian learning.
• Dou Fu defended the rumors as useful to their cause, while Dong Zhong suggested angry grain merchants might have started them; the clan heads denied involvement.
• Cui Yan listed Hua Xin, Wang Lang, and Bing Yuan among the scholars he had invited and learned the Imperial Academy would field Guo Fengxiao, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu.
• Cui Yan urged the clan heads to investigate the rumors and stop them from spreading while they prepared for the debate a month away.
• Liu Xie went hunting at Shanglin Park and impressed Jia Xu by shooting a rabbit through the head with one arrow.
• Jia Xu demonstrated his own archery by killing a roe deer with a single arrow.

Liu Xie declared that he would use any means necessary to force reform and challenge the aristocratic families, then a month later the public Debate at the Wei River drew scholars, officials, and generals to Chang'an’s outskirts. The debate had not yet begun when Guo Youzhi met Fei Yi and learned more about Jia Xu’s authority and the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys.

• Liu Xie told Jia Xu and Guo Jia that he knew the source of the rumors and intended to confront the aristocratic families openly.
• Liu Xie missed a rabbit with his arrow, and Lü Bu killed a charging wild boar with a shot to its forehead before Liu Xie ordered everyone back to the Palace.
• A month later, officials, scholars, and commoners gathered beside the Wei River for the public debate on the old and the new.
• Guo Youzhi asked about Jia Xu’s reputation, and a fellow scholar explained Jia Xu’s control of the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys and their role in investigating the rumors.
• Guo Youzhi introduced himself to the scholar, Fei Yi, and invited him to share his mat.

Guo Youzhi and Fei Yi discussed the Imperial Academy’s New Learning and its chances in the debate, while Guo Jia and his companions arrived at the crowded grounds. After Zheng Xuan and three other renowned Confucian scholars arrived, an unnamed challenger questioned Guo Jia’s rejection of Confucianism and Legalism.

• Guo Youzhi and Fei Yi agreed that they wanted to study at the Imperial Academy, and Fei Yi predicted that its New Learning had a strong chance of winning because the emperor favored practical work.
• Guo Youzhi and Fei Yi watched as Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, and Pang Tong arrived at the debate grounds and joined Jia Xu’s group.
• Guo Jia admitted that the enormous crowd put pressure on him, while Lü Bu tried to encourage him and Pang Tong exchanged barbs with Sima Yi.
• Zheng Xuan arrived with Hua, Bing, and Wang, prompting the Confucian scholars to celebrate their presence.
• Guo Jia greeted Zheng Xuan respectfully and praised his works, but an unnamed speaker challenged him for abandoning Confucianism and Legalism to support New Learning.

Guo Jia began the debate by arguing that Confucianism had once helped unify the Han but had become rigid, strengthened aristocratic monopolies, and hindered practical governance and military defense. He called for New Learning to replace it, leaving the humble-born scholars in the audience moved by his defense of their prospects.

• Hua Xin challenged Guo Jia, but Pang Tong attacked Hua Xin over his past service to Cao Cao and forced him to back down.
• Guo Jia apologized for Pang Tong’s discourtesy, and Zheng Xuan arranged for the debate to begin despite the Son of Heaven’s absence.
• Hua Xin volunteered to debate first, but Zheng Xuan instead rose to challenge Guo Jia.
• Guo Jia accepted Zheng Xuan’s challenge and argued that Confucian teachings had grown rigid and served aristocratic families at the expense of capable scholars from humble backgrounds.
• Guo Jia said Confucian ideals could obstruct military action and declared that New Learning must replace Confucianism, drawing admiration from Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, and other humble-born scholars.

Guo Jia and Pang Tong debated Zheng Xuan over whether Confucianism could guide the Han’s reform and make it wealthy and strong. After Wang Lang accused Pang Tong of attacking the sages and former emperors, Zhuge Liang defended New Learning and argued that ancient teachings should be adapted to changing times.

• Zheng Xuan countered Guo Jia by arguing that Confucianism was the foundation of good government, and Guo Jia fell silent.
• Pang Tong entered the second round and argued that Confucian teachings could not provide food, weapons, or the practical reforms the Han needed.
• Pang Tong called for New Learning to develop technology, improve farming, build waterworks, and strengthen the nation, winning Lü Bu’s loud approval.
• Wang Lang accused Pang Tong of rejecting the sages and defying the Han’s traditional rule through filial piety.
• Zhuge Liang rebuked Wang Lang and said New Learning preserved moral standards while adapting the sages’ principles to changed circumstances.

Zhuge Liang defeated Wang Lang in a heated debate over reform and New Learning, then explained how New Learning combined the strengths of several schools of thought. Guo Jia announced that Confucianism would remain part of the Imperial Academy, and Zheng Xuan accepted the value of reform while acknowledging his defeat.

• Zhuge Liang accused Wang Lang of using Confucian morality to obstruct reform, and Wang Lang spat blood and collapsed.
• Zhuge Liang defended New Learning as a practical blend of Confucian, Legalist, and Mohist ideas, arguing that Great Han had to change to prosper.
• Guo Jia revealed that Confucianism would be included in the Imperial Academy's politics curriculum, easing the scholars' fears that their studies would be discarded.
• Guo Jia invited Zheng Xuan to become the Imperial Academy's Chief Lecturer of Confucianism, but Zheng Xuan declined because of his age.
• Zheng Xuan endorsed New Learning, admitted that he had lost the debate, and exchanged respectful bows with Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu.

After the Debate at the Wei River secured new learning’s position, Liu Xie rewarded Pang Tong with a post in the Grand Secretariat and directed Zhuge Liang and his officials to advance education and prepare reforms. The chapter leaves the Imperial Academy’s teaching materials and local school program underway as the court’s changes begin to take effect.

• The great clan heads left after Zheng Xuan conceded defeat, and the debate’s victory established new learning’s political legitimacy.
• Liu Xie praised Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu, then appointed Pang Tong as an Archivist in the Grand Secretariat.
• Liu Xie assigned Zhuge Liang to lead the compilation of standardized teaching materials and asked him to plan reforms to the recommendation system.
• Xu Shu proposed piloting a new selection system and tightening oversight, but Liu Xie decided to wait before proceeding.
• Pang Tong established himself in the Grand Secretariat, Zhuge Liang organized scholars to compile teaching materials, and Guo Jia sent the Imperial Academy’s first graduates to teach at local schools.

Six months after the Wei River debate, Great Han expanded its Public Schools and prepared further education and examination reforms. At court, Liu Xie heard reports on the schools and learned why Sima Yi had stayed home, then joined the ministers in discussing state affairs.

• Xu Shu helped Guo Jia prepare pilot reforms to the Recommendation System, while Zheng Xuan's recommended scholars joined the Imperial Academy and eased its shortage of teachers.
• Liu Xie ordered Fa Zheng, Lu Su, and Yang Xiu to remain vigilant against snow disasters, especially in Ji Province.
• Fa Zheng told Liu Xie that Sima Yi had stayed home after Zhang Chunhua scratched his face over a silk scarf that had caught on him at Yang Xiu's birthday banquet.
• Liu Xie joked that Sima Yi had deceived his sovereign, then attended the Court Assembly after Fa Zheng refused to let him cancel it.
• Guo Jia reported that Public Schools had opened in 110 counties and that the court planned broader expansion, while Zhuge Liang reported that textbooks had been sent for printing.
• The ministers presented memorials and debated taxation, legal revisions, trade, and other affairs of state.

After Lü Bu clashed with Cui Lin at court, Liu Xie punished Lü Bu and worried that the idle military generals would deepen divisions within the court. He asked his ministers for a solution, and Guo Jia proposed assigning the generals to oversee local regions.

• Cui Lin reported that Lü Bu had fallen asleep during court, and Lü Bu demanded that the military generals be excused from attending court.
• Lü Bu insulted Cui Lin, so Liu Xie ended their quarrel by fining Lü Bu half a year's salary.
• Liu Xie dismissed the court assembly and asked his ministers how to give the idle generals a useful role without starting a costly war.
• Yang Xiu proposed expanding west into the Western Regions, but Fa Zheng and Lu Su argued that Great Han needed to recover and could not afford a campaign.
• Guo Jia suggested sending the generals to oversee local regions, where they could deter trouble and help maintain stability.

Liu Xie approved Zhuge Liang’s proposal to establish the Great Han Royal Military Academy and assigned Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia to prepare it. After court, Lü Bu considered resigning and returning to his hometown, and Diao Chan said she would support him.

• Jia Xu warned that assigning generals to govern regions could cause friction and disorder, so Zhuge Liang proposed a military academy to train future generals.
• Liu Xie approved the Great Han Royal Military Academy, linked it to the existing school system, and ordered Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia to plan its site, instructors, and curriculum within six months.
• At home, Lü Bu told Diao Chan that Cui Lin had accused him of misconduct for dozing during court and that Liu Xie had docked half a year’s salary.
• Diao Chan urged Lü Bu to control his temper, while Lü Bu said he was considering resigning and returning to Wuyuan Commandery.
• Diao Chan supported Lü Bu’s possible retirement and reminded him of his promise to take her to the Great Grassland.

Lü Bu and Zhang Liao learned that Liu Xie planned to establish the Great Han Royal Military Academy, giving them a new role in peacetime. Both sought the commandant’s position, and Zhang Liao asked Liu Xie to appoint him, arguing that Great Han needed more commanders skilled in coordination.

• Diao Chan’s suggestion that Lü Bu retire left him torn because he did not want to part with his granddaughter.
• Zhang Liao told Lü Bu that Liu Xie planned to establish the Great Han Royal Military Academy, and Lü Bu abandoned thoughts of retirement and claimed the commandant’s post for himself.
• Lü Bu and Zhang Liao argued over who was better suited to command the academy, and Zhang Liao left for the palace while Lü Bu rode after him on Red Hare.
• Zhang Liao requested an audience with Liu Xie and asked who would become commandant of the academy.
• Zhang Liao asked Liu Xie to appoint him commandant and argued that Great Han needed generals skilled in overall coordination.

Liu Xie established the Great Han Royal Military Academy and made himself its permanent academy president, then announced that soldiers would elect the vice academy president by secret ballot. Zhang Liao and Lü Bu both sought the role, and the chapter ended with the court officials debating which general would win.

• Zhang Liao asked Liu Xie to make him academy president, but Liu Xie said he would hold the post himself.
• Lü Bu arrived and also asked for the academy presidency, then joined Zhang Liao in competing for the vice presidency after Liu Xie announced the new position.
• Lü Bu proposed a duel with Zhang Liao, but Liu Xie rejected martial prowess as the deciding test and proposed a secret ballot open to squad leaders and higher-ranking soldiers.
• Zhang Liao and Lü Bu accepted Liu Xie's election plan, and Liu Xie said he would announce the academy's establishment in a few days.
• After Zhang Liao and Lü Bu left, Zhuge Liang warned Liu Xie that the generals would compete fiercely, and Fa Zheng and Yang Xiu began betting on the likely winner.