Chapter 100

Liu Bei’s banquet was quite elaborate. The floor was covered with four large mats of high quality—Xun couldn’t help but maliciously speculate that these couldn’t possibly be Liu Bei’s own handiwork, could they? On the mats, there were large tables already set with lacquered ear cups, metal spoons, bamboo chopsticks, and several dishes of pastries and dried fruits. Additionally, each mat had a few small tables, which were designed to provide support for leaning.

Such items were generally not found at banquets, as scholars were expected to behave according to propriety, sitting upright. Only the elderly or those with health issues would lean on the small tables. Among the five people in the hall, Xun was the youngest, and Liu Bei, though possibly the oldest, was not yet forty, and all were in good health. Why would they need the small tables? When Xun first saw them, he wondered if Liu Bei was planning to get him drunk and had prepared the small tables in advance to prevent him from making a fool of himself after drinking.

He didn’t expect that the last person to enter would not sit properly on the mat but instead leaned on the small table, one leg bent and the other stretched out to the side, almost as if he were sitting in a sprawling position. Who was this guy? How could he be so impolite?

Just as he was wondering, the man loudly said, “I have a hidden leg ailment, sorry, sorry.” Xun thought to himself, who are you trying to fool? You walked in so steadily just now. Or are you like those foreigners in the legends who can’t bend their knees?

Liu Bei glared at the man, “Xianhe, show some respect.” Then he smiled apologetically at Xun, “This is my fellow townsman, Jian Yong, also known as Xianhe. He is always like this and does not mean to be disrespectful. Please don’t take it to heart.”

So that’s who it is, Xun thought. Speaking of Liu Bei’s group, they were quite unique. For a long time, they had only one leg—military might but no strategy. From the beginning, Liu Bei had top-notch generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and later Zhao Yun, all of whom were matchless warriors. However, for a long time, he had no useful strategists. Initially, there was only Jian Yong, and after capturing Xuzhou, he gained Mi Zhu and Sun Qian, but they were not very useful. During the Xuzhou period, Chen Deng and Chen Qun were also employed, but they soon joined the Cao family. It wasn’t until Liu Bei sought refuge with Liu Biao and settled in Xinye that scholars from Jingxiang began to join, such as Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang, and Ma Liang, forming a proper civil administration.

However, among these initial three strategists, according to historical records, Jian Xianhe was actually stronger than Mi Zizhong and Sun Gongyou. Jian Yong, like Liu Bei, was from Zhuo County, and the history books say he “had a long-standing relationship with the young Liu Bei,” suggesting he followed Liu Bei even before Guan and Zhang. Later, he was sent to Chengdu to persuade Liu Zhang to surrender, which was much more difficult than persuading Liu Biao to take Liu Bei in. It is said that this man had no sense of propriety and often sat in a sprawling position, even lying on a couch to talk to Liu Bei.

Moreover, this man was quite humorous, being described as “a successor to the likes of Dongfang Shuo.” It is said that after Liu Bei entered Shu, in a year when the grain harvest was poor, he ordered a ban on alcohol. An official found brewing equipment in someone’s home and believed the person should be punished for brewing. However, not long after, Jian Yong and Liu Bei were out on the street when they saw a couple. Jian Yong said, “These two are planning to have sex in public, which is immoral. Why not arrest them?” Liu Bei, confused, asked how he knew they were planning to have sex. Jian Yong replied, “Can’t you see they have the tools for it?” Liu Bei laughed and immediately ordered the release of the person who had the brewing equipment.

So when Xun heard that this guy was Jian Yong, he inwardly thought, “Oh no.” Clearly, Jian Yong was quite eloquent, and even if he wasn’t as skilled as Zhuge Liang in his famous debates, he was definitely no slouch. Why did Liu Bei invite him? Just as a guest? It probably wasn’t that simple.

After everyone was seated, soldiers brought in heated wine and filled each ear cup. Liu Bei raised his ear cup and led his subordinates in a toast to Xun. After the first round of drinks, the first dish was served: carp sashimi seasoned with mustard sauce.

Xun held his chopsticks and looked at the thinly sliced raw carp, feeling a bit hesitant. After all, fish can carry many parasites. In history, Chen Deng and Chen Yuanchao died young due to parasitic infections from eating raw fish, which even the great doctor Hua Tuo couldn’t cure. In his previous life, he loved Japanese cuisine, especially sashimi, but in this life, for health reasons, he dared not eat raw food. However, he couldn’t explain this to the people of this era, so he had to apologize to Liu Bei, saying he had a weak stomach and couldn’t eat raw meat, and barely managed to get by.

Fortunately, the second dish was roasted wild duck, which he could eat. But just as he was about to take a bite, he saw Jian Yong, sitting to the side, raise his ear cup—oh no, this guy was about to propose a toast, and after the toast, he would surely have something to say.

Sure enough, after the second round of drinks, Jian Yong wiped his mouth and said, “Previously, Mr. Xun went to Pingyuan to seek reinforcements, but unfortunately, I was not there to witness your风采 (grace and talent), which is truly regrettable.” Xun said he was also regretful, but in his heart, he thought, don’t be ridiculous, did you even know who I was back then? After saying this, Jian Yong asked, “Guan Chang said that Mr. Xun, with just your words, persuaded Guan Hai to retreat and lift the siege at Duchang. Is this true?” Xun nodded. Jian Yong then asked, “How did you persuade Guan Hai?”

Xun smiled faintly, “I simply appealed to his sense of righteousness.” Jian Yong raised an eyebrow, “Oh, can righteousness be used to persuade rebels and bandits?”

Xun thought, here it comes, he’s testing me—“Confucius said, ‘If I desire righteousness, righteousness will come to me.’ This shows that righteousness is an innate human quality, not something acquired later. It is only that the common people are disturbed by worldly affairs and their sense of righteousness is obscured. There is no one who cannot be educated; it’s just a matter of how to educate them.”

“I am enlightened,” Jian Yong said, “I would like to hear more.”

Xun thought, more? I can’t repeat what I said to Guan Hai in front of all these people—“Guan Hai was originally just a farmer, misled by the false words of the Zhang brothers, believing that the Han dynasty was about to fall, and thus decided to revolt. I told him that the emperor is virtuous, only temporarily obscured by eunuchs and villains. Once virtuous ministers and generals emerge, the world will be at peace. Since you have abandoned your homes and become bandits, you should think about how to protect the people you have taken with you, waiting for amnesty, rather than besieging cities and plundering and harming lives. They realized their wrongdoing and thus retreated.”

Liu Bei clapped his hands, “Mr. Xun’s words are a great comfort to me. I have been fighting the Yellow Turbans and traveling thousands of miles because the virtue of the Han dynasty is unbroken and its fate should not be extinguished. I wish to contribute my humble efforts to restore peace.”

Jian Yong did not follow up on Liu Bei’s words but continued to question Xun, “After that, Mr. Xun persuaded Guan Hai to surrender to Cao Cao in Suixiang. Do you think Cao Cao is a virtuous minister and a capable general? I am impolite, but I have never met Cao Cao. I would like to ask, what do you think of your lord?”

What kind of person is Cao Cao? This is simple; history has already evaluated him. Just remove the negative comments and pick a few positive ones to recite—“My lord is skilled in recognizing and selecting talent, not swayed by false appearances, and promotes capable people regardless of their background. He uses the laws of Shang and Han to punish corruption and has the strategic genius of Han and Bai to eliminate chaos. I believe that the person who can achieve the accomplishments of Chen Ping and Zhou Bo and stabilize the Han dynasty is my lord, Cao Cao.”

Jian Yong listened, stroking his beard and nodding, but his expression showed some skepticism. When Xun finished, he asked, “Loyalty to one’s lord and glorifying one’s master is a human sentiment. But to compare Cao Cao to Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, isn’t that an exaggeration?”

Xun shook his head and smiled, “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration.” Jian Yong raised his cup and asked, “I have heard a story, not sure if it’s true, but I would like to ask. It is said that when Cao Cao was forced to flee from Luoyang by Dong Zhuo, he mistakenly killed his friend Lu’s family and showed no remorse, instead saying, ‘I would rather betray others than be betrayed by others.’ Is this true?”

Oh no, Xun thought, why bring up this story? Cao Cao, in a moment of suspicion, killed the entire Lu family, a story well-known in later generations. Although the details are mostly fictional, the basic facts are probably correct. As a cunning hero, Cao Cao might well have killed others to save himself, feeling regret afterward, but who could make him pay for it? However, according to some historical records, Cao Cao not only showed no remorse but said, “I would rather betray others than be betrayed by others.” Later, this was exaggerated to, “I would rather betray the world than be betrayed by the world,” which is a very ugly face.

He didn’t expect that this story was already widely known in this era, and Jian Yong directly brought it up to criticize Cao Cao. How could he defend his lord? Xun thought for a moment and decided to use a familiar tactic—

“This story may not be true,” after all, Cao Cao himself would never admit it, and you, Jian Yong, are not a judge and have no way to verify it, right? “When my lord fled from Luoyang, he stayed at the home of his old friend Lu. Lu had a ruffian son who wanted to capture my lord and turn him over to Dong Zhuo. In desperation, my lord had to kill him.” This is a common explanation in historical records, but it is likely a cover-up to protect Cao Cao. Since Xun was here to defend Cao Cao, he naturally used this explanation.

“Then, the statement ‘I would rather betray others than be betrayed by others’ is also not true?”

“It is true.”

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