Yuan Shao's spirited bearing was even more imposing than that of the fierce generals on the battlefield.
The fearlessness and unwavering resolve in his eyes inspired admiration despite themselves. Both Ju Shou and Xun Chen made up their minds on the spot.
The Hebei Gentry would invest more heavily in Yuan Shao.
As for the people of Yingchuan, one of their traits was their extreme solidarity. Their friendships ran deep, and they were particularly fond of bringing their friends into the fold.
Usually, once a faction had one person from Yingchuan, it would soon have a whole group. More frightening still, whether these people were blessed by heaven or not, geniuses emerged among them in endless succession.
Chen Fan was one of the Three Excellencies who had come out of Yingchuan. Then there was the Xun family, the Descendants of Xunzi. After lying low throughout the Former Han, they had finally shone brilliantly in the Later Han, producing both Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers. Beyond their power, they were one of the few gentry families in the world whose family prestige could rival the Yuan Clan's.
Just as there were the Five Surnames Families among the high-ranking marquises of the Golden Token, there was also talk of the Eight Great Families among the great clans of classical studies. These were the eight families with the highest prestige. Naturally, none of this had anything to do with the Luo Clan.
Someone had once wanted to compile a "Record of Clans," only for the imperial family to suppress it as soon as the Luo Clan was ranked first.
However, the imperial family had no intention of compiling a Record of Clans that ranked the Liu Clan first either, so the matter had been shelved.
Yuan Shao's desire to persuade the Taiping Army