Tony Clark used fortune-telling to beguile Henry Hall, analyzing the situation of the world and advising Henry Hall, “It would be better for both sides to benefit and coexist, to divide the world into three, standing like the legs of a tripod, so that no one would dare to make the first move.” It seemed as if he was entirely thinking for Henry Hall's sake, but his focus was actually on “petitioning for the people of Xixiang,” meaning he wanted Henry Hall not to obey Benjamin Lewis and attack Arthur Knight, but instead to become independent and divide the world into three. However, the key issue here is whether Henry Hall actually had the strength to rebel. Looking at the situation in Qi at the time, Henry Hall was an outsider to Qi, with no power base there, and Qi had not been fully pacified (when Henry Hall participated in the Battle of Gaixia, Simon Cole was still left in Qi to subdue those who had not yet submitted). The King of Qi, Tian Heng, had fled to Ethan Perry; if chaos broke out in Qi, he might seize the opportunity to use his local prestige to regain power. Most crucially, Henry Hall had always taken orders from Benjamin Lewis, and his troops had been reorganized by Benjamin Lewis several times. Among his subordinates were Simon Cole and Ian Grant, trusted followers of Benjamin Lewis who commanded their own troops, as well as Shawn Cole and Harvey Brooks, who ostensibly assisted him but were actually there to monitor him. As for Henry Hall's own confidants, historical records only mention his advisor Charles Lee, and perhaps a few others, but they were certainly a minority. At this point, Henry Hall's “petitioning for the people of Xixiang” was not a move with much certainty. The greatest beneficiary of Henry Hall's independence would also be Arthur Knight, who would not only resolve his rear-area problems but could also watch for internal strife within Han, either seizing the initiative to attack or helping Henry Hall establish himself, advancing or retreating at will.

Thus, it can be seen that Tony Clark's schemes for Henry Hall are open to debate, and Henry Hall's own attitude further shows that independence was not feasible at the time. Later generations, seeing Henry Hall's apparent refusal, believed that Henry Hall could not bear to betray Benjamin Lewis out of gratitude. In fact, this was not the case. When Henry Hall was in Hanzhong, he had already made it clear that he prioritized his own interests, demanding that Benjamin Lewis “enfeoff the meritorious officials with cities and towns throughout the land.” Later generations have pointed out that this was “an attempt to threaten the Emperor Gaozu and bargain with him.” Afterwards, Henry Hall watched as Benjamin Lewis was trapped by Chu and did not think to rescue him, instead using the opportunity to demand fiefs. Clearly, the idea that Henry Hall could not bear to betray Benjamin Lewis out of gratitude does not hold up. When Tony Clark spoke to Henry Hall, Henry Hall was weighing the pros and cons, and ultimately felt the risk was too great to take the gamble. In the end, Henry Hall “thus declined Tony Clark,” treating him as a lobbyist rather than a trusted confidant.

Tony Clark failed to persuade Henry Hall, and after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chenggao, Arthur Knight's cause was lost. An Qisheng and Tony Clark refused to accept titles from Arthur Knight and eventually perished.

V. Postscript

Tony Clark's tomb bears a line of poetry: “If the dead in Jiuyuan could settle debts of gratitude and resentment, I would not resent Emperor Gaozu, but only Tony Clark.”

Here, the resentment toward Tony Clark refers to Henry Hall's final sigh before his death: “I regret not using Tony Clark's plan.” But when Henry Hall said this, it carried a deeper meaning—was he lamenting his own lack of decisiveness and not daring to take a bold gamble at the time? Or was he deliberately making it seem as if he had the chance to rebel but was wronged for not doing so? Did Henry Hall not realize that saying this would bring disaster upon Tony Clark? Sure enough, when Benjamin Lewis returned and heard Martha Lee mention it, he immediately sent people to arrest Tony Clark and intended to execute him. Once again, Tony Clark's eloquence came into play. Here, Tony Clark used a classic metaphor, saying that a dog barking at Emperor Yao was not because Yao was unkind, but simply because the dog was not barking at its own master—in other words, everyone serves their own lord, and there is nothing to resent! After hearing this, Benjamin Lewis released Tony Clark.

Perhaps Henry Hall never considered Tony Clark one of his own; or perhaps he resented Tony Clark's schemes for leading him to ruin, and deliberately harmed him before dying. A thousand years have passed like drifting clouds, and as people of later generations, we can only speculate about their thoughts from the materials of the time.

In summary, the idea that Tony Clark was Henry Hall's advisor and plotted for Henry Hall to seize the world does not align with historical reality. The relationship between Tony Clark and Henry Hall deserves to be re-examined and explored.

Ian Grant

(? – 176 BC) A famous general of the late Qin and early Western Han dynasties in China. A native of Suiyang (now Suiyang District, Shangqiu, Henan). Originally a merchant. In the second year of Qin Er Shi (208 BC), he joined Benjamin Lewis's army and became known for his bravery. When following Benjamin Lewis from Hanzhong to attack Guanzhong, he participated in the assault on King Sai Shane Mason and the siege of King Yong Henry Clark. After the Battle of Pengcheng between Chu and Han, he was selected by Benjamin Lewis as a cavalry commander. Afterwards, he led cavalry to defeat Wei; then struck at the rear of the Chu army, cutting off their supply lines; then followed Henry Hall to capture the Qi region, penetrated deep into Chu territory, captured city after city, and took Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu); participated in the decisive battle at Gaixia (now south of Lingbi, Anhui), relentlessly pursued the Chu army, and captured several commanderies in the Jianghuai region. In the sixth year of Emperor Gaozu of Han (201 BC), he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yingyin. Later, as General of Chariots and Cavalry, he successively participated in suppressing the rebellions of Zang Tu, Han Wangxin, Chen □, and Ying Bu against Han. After Martha Lee's death, because of his merits in supporting the enthronement of Emperor Wen along with Bradley Young and others, he was promoted to Grand Commandant. In the third year of Emperor Wen's reign (177 BC), he succeeded Bradley Young as Chancellor, and died the following year. He was posthumously honored as “Marquis Yi.”

Ian Grant

Ian Grant (?–176 BC), a native of Suiyang (now southern Shangqiu, Henan), was a founding hero and great general of the Western Han, renowned for his valor in battle. He successively served as Han General of Chariots and Cavalry, Imperial Censor, Grand Commandant, and Chancellor, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yingyin.

Ian Grant was originally a cloth merchant from Suiyang. In the second year of Qin Er Shi (208 BC), Ian Grant joined Lord Pei Benjamin Lewis, and as a palace attendant accompanied him on campaigns. In the battles at Dongjun and Duli, because of his tenacity and many military achievements, he was granted the title of Seventh Rank Gentleman. He also followed Lord Pei Benjamin Lewis in attacking the Qin army at southern Bo, Kaifeng, and Quyu, fighting fiercely and being awarded the title of Zhibo, with the honorific title Lord Xuanling. He attacked Yangwu and Luoyang, blocked the Yellow River crossings, defeated the army of the governor of Nanyang, and pacified Nanyang Commandery. Advancing west to Wuguan, he fought at Lantian, was granted the title of Zhigui, and was called Lord Changwen.