孔融 / Kong Rong
孔融 / Kong Rong enters the wiki through Hanji 1020 as the old-Han voice who challenges 曹操 after 杨彪 is arrested. The source says Kong Rong rushes to argue that Yang Biao’s family reputation should not be erased by 袁术’s crime.
His intervention matters because Cao Cao initially pushes responsibility upward by saying the arrest is the emperor’s will. Kong Rong answers through the Zhou Cheng Wang and Duke of Zhou analogy, implying that Cao Cao cannot hide behind 汉献帝 when real power sits with him. The episode therefore uses Kong Rong to show that Cao Cao’s authority is still constrained by elite reputation and public argument.