[Lightscreen]
[After Guan Yunchang and Lu Zijing's single-blade verbal duel, the standoff in Jing Province froze in place.
Neither side dared to make the first move.
And then, someone else finally ran out of patience.
Boss Cao, who always had an eye for talent, could no longer sit still.
In 215, while Sun Quan and Liu Bei were still locked in their tug-of-war over Jing Province, news reached both sides:
Cao Cao personally led an army, said to number over one hundred thousand, marching west to campaign against Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.
The objective was obvious.
Take Hanzhong, and the gateway to Shu would fall into his hands..]
The assembled generals quickly connected the dots.
At this point, Ma Chao had already defected to their lord, and under Zhang Lu there remained a general named Pang De.
"From Chang'an into Hanzhong, supplies can be sent downstream along the Bao River!"
Voices rose one after another.
"In that case, Zhang Lu's defeat wouldn't be unjust!"
After all, the light screen had already mentioned the Hanzhong campaign, and the one guarding Yangping Pass was Xiahou Yuan.
"If they truly field troops capable of fighting, they should first hold the Baoxie Road. If that falls, then fall back again to Yangping Pass and rely on its natural defenses."
Guan Yu spoke steadily, giving his own judgment.
"Even with a hundred thousand troops, taking Hanzhong would take at least a year, if not longer."
Yangping Pass was famed as a natural stronghold under Heaven.
Even when his elder brother later campaigned there, he had to avoid its edge and take a long detour through the mountains.
There was no way Cao Cao could simply smash through it head-on. But reality, as always, refused to follow expectations.
[Lightscreen]
[As Cao Cao attacked Hanzhong, Liu Bei once again became the passive side.
Meanwhile, Sun Quan's occupation of Jing Province had already become an established fact.
So the two sides reopened negotiations and each took a step back.
Nanjun, Wuling, and Lingling were assigned to Liu Bei.
Changsha, Jiangxia, and Guiyang were assigned to Sun Quan.
The two sides divided territory along the Xiang River.
This became known as the Xiang River Pact.]
"Wait, the Xiang River Pact?" Guan Yu frowned. "Then when they later stabbed us in the back at Xiangfan, doesn't that mean they broke this pact too?"
"What's so surprising about that, Second Brother?" Zhang Fei snorted.
"Like the light screen said earlier, fearing your brother suffers, yet also fearing your brother gets rich."
"I don't know what that 'Land Rover' thing is, but the meaning is clear enough."
"Right now, we can be kneaded however Sun Quan wants."
"But later?" He counted on his fingers.
"Elder Brother takes Yi Province and Hanzhong. I pacify Ba Commandery. You hold Xiangfan. The strategist sits in the center coordinating everything."
Zhang Fei grinned.
"At that point, Sun Quan would have to watch our face before making a move. You think he wouldn't panic?"
Zhuge Liang saw it even more clearly. "Sun Quan cannot tolerate our rise," he said calmly. "Yet at the same time, he believes Jing and Yi should belong to him from the start."
"Even if we yield three commanderies, or even four, he will still think us deceitful, still think we owe him."
"What Sun Wu wants is a Liu Yuzhou they can overturn at will."
"Not a King of Hanzhong standing on equal footing."
He paused slightly.
"Even so, this pact… is actually an opportunity for him."
Liu Bei answered with just two words:
"To move north."
There was something else he did not say aloud.
Since Lingling had been returned… then where was his Administrator of Lingling?
Was he really meant to be taken into Sun Wu and dragged down with them to his death?
[Lightscreen]
[After the Xiang River Pact, Liu Bei hurried back to reinforce, but unfortunately arrived too late.
The Hanzhong campaign had already ended.
Aside from Zhang Wei, Zhang Lu's younger brother, who resisted Cao Cao and was defeated at Yangping Pass before being personally executed, everyone else including Zhang Lu himself chose surrender.
Zhang Lu said:
"I had long intended to submit to the state, only my intent had not yet been fulfilled."
Even when retreating to Bazhong and pretending to resist, he stopped his subordinates from burning supplies and treasures, saying:
"These goods and storehouses belong to the state."
That, gentlemen, is what awareness looks like.
When Cao Cao arrived, he was overjoyed and greatly praised him.
He even sent envoys to offer reassurance, and Zhang Lu promptly surrendered with his entire family.
Cao Cao enfeoffed Zhang Lu as Marquis of Langzhong, and had his son Cao Yu marry Zhang Lu's daughter.
Cao Yu's son, Cao Huan, later continued Cao Rui's line and became Emperor Yuan of Wei, though the timing of his reign was unfortunate.
The year was 260.
The Prince of Gaogui Township, Cao Mao, had just been assassinated, and Cao Huan inherited that throne.
Later on, Zhang Lu was even posthumously granted the title "Perfected Lord of Supreme Clarity and Vast Virtue" by the Yuan dynasty.
All in all… quite an unusual life.]
"No wonder the Hanzhong campaign ended up so difficult…" Liu Bei muttered, a trace of frustration in his voice.
But if Zhang Lu was determined to surrender from the start, what could anyone say?
"This Zhang Lu really is something," Zhang Fei laughed, glancing at Guan Yu.
"Second Brother, your estimate was way off. Even after his own younger brother was killed, he still wouldn't change his mind about surrendering."
"Completely iron-hearted."
"With that kind of mindset, how could it take a year or more? It was basically taken in one push."
Guan Yu said nothing.
What he had calculated was resistance.
This… was surrender. Those were two entirely different things.
When the name Cao Mao appeared, Liu Bei's expression hardened.
"Assassinated?"
To assassinate meant a son killing a father, or a minister killing his ruler.
Such acts had names for a reason.
"The Gaoping Tombs Incident?" someone ventured.
The light screen had mentioned it more than once.
"So the Sima clan killed their ruler during that event?"
"And then installed Cao Yu's son to continue Cao Rui's line… meaning a puppet?"
"Then what about Cao Rui's own sons?"
"Perhaps they all died during the Gaoping Tombs Incident," Guan Yu guessed.
"Or were deposed and imprisoned," Liu Bei added.
"Or maybe the Cao bloodline just isn't strong," Zhang Fei said confidently. "Probably all short-lived like Cao Cao's sons!"
In the end, it was all speculation.
They could only sigh.
The Cao clan's fate was truly a difficult one.
Palace struggles… and bloodline issues on top of that.
"Zhang Lu surrendered in 215," Zhuge Liang said, piecing things together. "Then 216 would be preparations in Chengdu, and 217… my lord begins the campaign to reclaim Hanzhong."
"Sun Quan will definitely make a move as well."
His tone was certain.
[Lightscreen]
[After the Xiang River Alliance, Liu Bei leads his army back to Chengdu to fight for Hanzhong.
Guan Yu was left to guard Jing Province with only thirty thousand men. Looking at Cao Ren stationed at Fancheng, and Sun Quan treating the alliance like scrap paper, a familiar sense of frustration welled up within him.
How do you defend a four-way crossroads like Jiangling against both Sun and Cao with such a small force?
But luckily, and very quickly, a gong sounds from the walls of Hefei! Sun Quan has delivered us the "God of War of Xiaoyao Ford!"
Zhang Liao essentially says: "Watch closely, fellow countryman! I'm only doing this once! Here is Sun Quan's weakness!"
And standing on the walls of Hefei is Yue Jin, the man Guan Yu had previously driven there. This once-mighty general, with only three years left to live, watches from the ramparts as "Zhang Babai" goes into God Mode. He probably sees the reflection of his younger self, always being the first to scale the walls for Cao Cao.
For Sun Quan, the year 215 started out beautifully:
He gained three commanderies in Jing Province without lifting a finger!
Cao Cao's army was far away in Hanzhong, leaving the northern defenses of the East empty!
Liu Bei had returned to Yi Province, leaving the western borders of the East secure!
And Hefei, the city that held Jiangdong's fate
The days of "Ruling All Under Heaven" were finally coming! .]
[Server Chat Log]
[brain_cells_left_1 : "It's coming! Absolute hype!" ]
[ anxiety_nugget_99 : "It's coming! Pure terror!" ]
[ ceo_of_bad_takes : "Sun Jian was the 'Tiger of Jiangdong.' Sun Ce was the 'Little Conqueror.' Sun Quan is... the 'Rat of Jiangdong'?" ]
[ history_nerd_007 : "This was a career-defining battle for both sides. It literally made them famous for all the wrong (and right) reasons." ]
[ travel_addict_2026 : "The high-speed rail from Nanjing to Hefei takes only an hour. Hey, 'Mr. Ten Myriads,' buy a ticket and go home! Why are you crying!?" ]
[ pov_im_a_chair : "A Wu soldier on guard duty once complained: 'Our commander is a total idiot!' Lu Meng overheard and arrested him on the spot. The soldier argued, 'I didn't say who it was! Why arrest me?' Lu Meng roared, 'Don't lie to me! I've been in Eastern Wu for years, don't you think I know exactly who the idiot commander is?!'" ]
[Li Shimin: "Regarding the Alliance of Xiang River—the state of Chu lost out, but the state of Qi didn't exactly win either." ]