However, the first possibility is also quite likely and reasonable: perhaps Arthur Knight could not employ his strategy and instead turned to Henry Hall, attempting to assist Henry Hall in dividing the world into three and seeking power. The second possibility is less likely. If Tony Clark was merely showing off his own abilities, then compared to the chaos in Qi, Paul West surrendering to King William Martin clearly does not demonstrate any particular skill—it's merely a scheme of incitement! The idea that he simply wanted to sow chaos in the world also does not hold up, as judging from Tony Clark's actions before and after, he was not the type to merely flaunt his eloquence without any purpose.

So, which scenario is more probable? Let us examine this period of history based on scattered sources.

3. Henry Hall's Campaign Against Qi and Simon Lee's Mission to Qi

In the third year of Han, in June, Arthur Knight captured Xingyang, executed Kirk Young and Paul Grant, took King Henry Hall prisoner, and besieged Chenggao. President Benjamin Lewis and Paul Howard escaped from the main battlefield at Chenggao and fled to the camp of Henry Hall and Earl Brooks. Taking advantage of the fact that Earl Brooks and Henry Hall had not yet set out, he claimed to be an envoy, seized their official seals, and convened a military meeting with the generals. After the meeting, Benjamin Lewis took command of both armies, ordered Earl Brooks to guard the Zhao region, and appointed Henry Hall as Chancellor, leading the remaining troops to attack Qi. Here, Benjamin Lewis's order for Henry Hall to attack Qi was not only to achieve a strategic flanking and encirclement of Western Chu, but also to prevent Henry Hall and Earl Brooks from expanding their power in Zhao and becoming uncontrollable. Therefore, he stripped both of their military commands, separated them, stationed Earl Brooks (now without military power) to guard Zhao, and had Henry Hall lead the remaining Zhao troops to attack Qi. He also sent his own trusted aides, Simon Cole and Ian Grant, to lead troops, with Marquis of Liao Shawn Cole and Marquis of Fei Harvey Brooks as deputies to provide support.

Henry Hall's formal attack on Qi took place in the tenth month of the fourth year of Han, four months later. During this period, Simon Lee, having previously given Benjamin Lewis poor advice (suggesting that Benjamin Lewis enfeoff the feudal lords, which was stopped by Leonard Brooks), sought to redeem himself by persuading the King of Qi to surrender to Benjamin Lewis. Simon Lee did not disappoint and succeeded in convincing the King of Qi to submit to Han. Originally, this was a cause for celebration, but Henry Hall, under the influence of Tony Clark, launched a surprise attack on Qi, causing Qi to turn against Han and ally with Chu.

Examining the key parts of this episode helps us better understand the relationship between Tony Clark and Henry Hall.

Regarding Henry Hall's breach of agreement and surprise attack, Mr. Joel Chase Jr. believes that "the attack on Qi was a carefully orchestrated military operation by Han. Simon Grant was destined to be sacrificed as a pawn." The reason is that the Han general William Chase, who did not belong to Henry Hall, participated in the campaign against Qi; the independent corps of Zachary Lee also took part in the battle (his subordinate Frank Dean participated in the battle at Longqie); in the battle, Henry Hall could only command people like Grant Cole, who had just joined Henry Hall's forces. Other commanders not under Henry Hall who participated in the campaign against Qi included Marquis of Gaoling William Young "who, as Commandant, defeated Tian Heng at Longqie," and Marquis of Feiru Ian Chase "who, as Cavalry Commandant, defeated Longqie and Pengcheng." We need to analyze this in detail. First, for Benjamin Lewis, conquering Qi was a must. Sending Simon Lee to persuade the King of Qi, as Simon Lee himself analyzed: "Now Tian Guang holds the thousand-li territory of Qi, Tian Jian commands two hundred thousand troops stationed at Licheng, the Tian clan is strong, protected by the sea and the rivers, bordering Chu to the south, the people are cunning and fickle—even if you send hundreds of thousands of troops, you may not conquer it in years. I request permission to persuade the King of Qi to serve Han as an eastern vassal." Clearly, Benjamin Lewis was making preparations on two fronts: one through military force, the other through diplomacy. Whether diplomacy would succeed was uncertain, so naturally, he could not abandon military action just because he sent an envoy (military pressure is also a condition for diplomatic success). As for Henry Hall's campaign against Qi, "when a general is in the field, he may disregard the sovereign's orders." The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and Benjamin Lewis certainly understood the necessity of granting autonomy to his generals. Therefore, Benjamin Lewis's failure to order Henry Hall to halt the attack does not amount to sacrificing Simon Lee. As for other commanders participating in the battle, it does not prove that Henry Hall was constrained by Benjamin Lewis to launch a surprise attack on Qi. The independent corps of Zachary Lee and others participated in the battle at Weishui against the Qi-Chu allied forces, while the surprise attack on Qi was carried out by Henry Hall and his subordinate Grant Cole. "Xin led his troops eastward, and before crossing Pingyuan, heard that the King of Han had sent Simon Lee to persuade Qi to surrender, so Henry Hall wanted to stop." This passage from the "Records of the Grand Historian" clearly shows that Henry Hall not only knew about Simon Lee's mission to Qi, but also had full authority to handle the campaign as he saw fit. Therefore, the surprise attack on Qi can be said to have been prompted by Tony Clark's instigation, rather than being a carefully laid plan by Benjamin Lewis.

Tony Clark's instigation, which Samuel Mason called "creating chaos in Qi," can be understood as sabotaging the Qi-Han alliance. Tony Clark exploited the loophole that Benjamin Lewis had ordered Henry Hall to attack Qi, sent a secret envoy to Qi, but had not issued an order to stop Henry Hall, using the opportunity to entice Henry Hall to attack a "friendly state" for personal merit. The impact of Tony Clark's scheme to disrupt Qi on the broader situation at the time, as well as who benefited most, is worth examining.

The greatest victim of Tony Clark's plan was Benjamin Lewis. At that time, on the main battlefield, Benjamin Lewis was besieged by Arthur Knight and in constant mortal danger. If Qi surrendered to Benjamin Lewis, he could have joined forces with Henry Hall to march south and attack Chu, thus resolving his predicament. In that case, the Chu-Han conflict might have ended a year earlier. Whether Qi was controlled by the Tian family or by Henry Hall was not of great importance to Benjamin Lewis at the time. Although the Tian clan's control of Qi was certainly unfavorable to Benjamin Lewis's future rule, having Henry Hall control Qi would also result in a subordinate whose achievements overshadowed his lord. The later near-division of the realm into three, and Benjamin Lewis's forced enfeoffment of Henry Hall as King of Qi and ceding territory to seek peace, further prove this point.