Yizhou

Yizhou is a vast, prosperous territory that Kong Ming identifies as one of the foundations of Xuande’s future power. Its importance lies not only in its resources but in the contrast between a land described as favored by Heaven and a ruler portrayed as unable to govern it: the people are said to long for a wiser leader. This makes Yizhou both a strategic objective and a test of how Xuande’s ambitions can be reconciled with his claim to uphold the Han.

Position in the Strategic Plan

In Kong Ming’s assessment of the political landscape, Cao Cao controls the north and the emperor, making him too powerful for Xuande to confront directly. Sun Quan, whose family has ruled south of the river for three generations, has popular support and is therefore a potential ally rather than an enemy. Kong Ming directs Xuande’s attention to Jingzhou as the immediate base for expansion, while identifying Yizhou as the other key territory needed for a larger plan to gain control across the realm.

Kong Ming describes Yizhou as vast and bounteous, and connects it to the Han dynasty’s founding history: the founder of the Han came from there. In his account, the territory’s geography and resources are matched by a political opportunity. Its ruler, Liu Zhang, is characterized as weak and inept, while the people, despite their wealth and abilities, are said to desire wise leadership. Kong Ming argues that Xuande’s imperial-family lineage, proven courage, gathered supporters, and respect for sages would make it possible for him to take the territory.

Legitimacy and the Problem of Kinship

Kong Ming presents Yizhou’s acquisition as part of a Heaven-sanctioned strategy, but Xuande sees a moral and political obstacle: Liu Zhang, like Liu Biao of Jingzhou, belongs to the imperial house of Han. Xuande objects that he cannot attack or dispossess Han relatives. The issue exposes a tension within the plan: restoring order requires gaining territory, yet Xuande’s legitimacy rests partly on loyalty to the dynasty and its family ties.

Kong Ming answers by distinguishing the two rulers. He says Liu Biao will not live long, invoking the stars, and portrays Liu Zhang as lacking ambition and therefore likely to accept a subordinate position under Xuande. His counsel does not erase the ethical difficulty Xuande raises; instead, it frames Yizhou’s future as a matter of political circumstance and the ruler’s willingness to yield.

A Foundation for Rule

The later argument that Xuande should become emperor draws on the political position established by his successes. Kong Ming tells him that he controls the land of Shu and has brought peace to the regions under his authority. He presents that record, together with the people’s desire for a true emperor, as grounds for accepting the throne and acting against the usurping power of Cao Cao.

Yizhou therefore carries the plan beyond military acquisition. It is described as a place of resources and historical association, but its significance grows through the claim that Xuande’s rule can answer the people’s need for good government. The territory becomes part of the material basis for his authority and part of the argument that his rise serves the Han and the people rather than private ambition.