"Mighty enough to shake Jiangdong! Enough to silence crying children!"
The generals in the hall could only look on with envy.
For a man, to achieve merit on horseback, was it not precisely to awe the age and leave glory for a thousand years? Who would not envy such accomplishments?
Guan Yu did not.
"This defeat cannot be attributed to Sun Quan's weakness alone," the Martial Saint said, stroking his long beard.
"Looking at the entire battle, Zhang Liao was able to forcefully argue for battle during deliberation, raising morale. Before the fight, he concealed troops at Xiaoyao Ford and struck later to gain the initiative. When the Wu army had yet to establish itself, he personally took the lead, breaking their formation. During the retreat, he did not abandon his comrades, bringing them out together."
After listing it all in one breath, Guan Yu gave his conclusion.
"Flawless."
"The Wu army's defeat lies not only with Sun Quan, but with the entirety of Sun Wu. Their courage was shattered. Their defeat was deserved."
Though he praised Zhang Liao, the disdain in his tone toward Jiangdong's troops was unmistakable.
Huang Zhong lowered his head. What was he to make of it? When he had previously guarded Jing Province, he had thought Sun Wu's soldiers were quite capable. Had Jing-Xiang truly limited his perspective?
---
[Lightscreen]
[Looking at the Battle of Hefei and Xiaoyao Ford as a whole:
If Sun Jian had been present, when Zhang Liao charged with eight hundred men, Sun Jian would have decisively met him in battle. With a hundred thousand troops behind him, why would he fear?
If Sun Ce had been there, at the Xiaoyao Ford crossing he would have lived and died with his guards. As long as he held the line, the forward army on the southern bank would have had time to repair the bridge and reinforce him.
If Zhou Yu had been there, during the retreat he would have arranged feints and deception to mislead Zhang Liao. At Xiaoyao Ford, he would certainly have constructed multiple pontoon bridges to avoid such disaster.
Even if Lu Su, who guarded Jing Province, had been there, after escaping he would have advised Sun Quan that there was more than one path northward, preventing such helpless despair.
But unfortunately, the one present was only Sun Quan. Two years later, Lu Su died of illness. From then on, no one could offer Sun Quan a plan with true vision.]
---
Everyone could not help but sigh.
"Sun Jian fought without fear of death. If he had been beneath the walls of Hefei, he would have stabilized the army while charging directly against Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao would not have achieved such merit," Liu Bei said, recalling Sun Jian's figure in his mind, then shaking his head. Such a heroic man… and yet his descendants… wait, Ah Dou? His heart ached even more.
"Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were both heroes of their age. Even I, a woman, have long heard of them," Huang Yueying said calmly. "Neither was a coward who would only flee."
"Lu Zijing was the same," Zhuge Liang added, recalling that friend who always seemed assured of victory, though they served different masters.
"Bravery and strategy combined, yet not lacking vision. Holding the world in his heart, yet not confined to Jiangdong. It is a pity we could not serve together."
Jiang Wan glanced at the list he had copied. "After Lu Su's death, this man named Lü Meng took control?"
"Must be so!" Zhang Fei said through clenched teeth. "A petty villain who kills the body and strikes the heart! He must have used despicable means to harm my second brother!"
Guan Yu shook his head. "At present, Lü Meng is merely a brave general. I do not place him in my eyes."
The Martial Saint was dismissive. When they had worked together in Nan Commandery, the man had not even shown much intellect. As for strength, however strong could he be compared to Yan Liang?
---
[Lightscreen]
[Zhang Liao gained greatly from this battle. He already had the merit of breaking the Wuhuan at Langshan and personally slaying their chanyu Tadun. With this victory at Xiaoyao Ford added, his achievements were outstanding.
Thus, during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang, Zhang Liao was selected among the Sixty-Four Generals of the Martial Temple, receiving offerings for generations.
Of course, the greatest contributor to Zhang Liao's victory at Xiaoyao Ford was none other than Sun Quan!
Such generosity is like… a massive discount event!
a Pinduoduo Billion-Subsidy Sale!
Summer Promotion! Pinduoduo has the best prices waiting for you!
• Classic Octagonal Han Sword (Forged Steel): Only 199!
• Lego-style Zhuge Crossbow: Only 299!
• Exquisite replica of 'Tiangong Kaiwu': Only 49!
Open the app and search 'Iced Cold Brew' for massive coupons!
Ahem, the creator is full now. That's all for this episode!
Next time: "One Commandery Against the World! Why Flooding Seven Armies Shook All Under Heaven!"]
---
[Server Chat Log]
[ OneBlade_One Jar: "Ending it right there? You've got nerve! Give me your address, I just want to 'talk' as friends." ]
[ Grandmaster Gamer_99 : "Imagine being a history creator and selling out like this. Blink twice if you're being held hostage." ]
[ Cynical_Sword_Critic: "Forged steel octagonal swords? Wasn't that technique from the Song Dynasty?" ]
[ Dragon_Scholar: "Actually, it existed in the Eastern Han! The Song just scaled it up with better bellows and furnaces." ]
[ Iron_Archive: "What a cliffhanger. Starting with 'Awe all of Jiangdong' and ending with 'Awe all of China'? If Zhang Liao awed them, then General Guan is about to blow the roof off!" ]
[ Underworld_Record Keeper: "That's not a Zhuge Crossbow, that's clearly an Eight-Ox Ballista. Typical Pinduoduo quality." ]
[ Drifting_Cloud_Swordsman: "The Eight-Ox Ballista was actually taken west by the 'Scourge of God' and modified to fire flame bolts. It made the Germanic barbarians cry for their mothers. Speaking of which, what were the barbarians doing during the flooding of the seven armies in 219 AD?" ]
[ Cynical_Grass: "In 219 AD, the famous, same-sex married, cross-dressing, theory-pioneering Elagabalus became the Roman Emperor. It's... quite a mental image." ]
[ Wifi_Warrior: "My eyes! I need to go wash my brain out. I'm going to watch the flooding of the seven armies three times just to get Elagabalus out of my head." ]
[ Li Shimin: "The Martial Temple is a great idea. From now on, consider it my invention! Also, what is this 'App' thing?" ]
---
The torrent of information struck everyone like a storm.
Zhang Fei stood dumbfounded, not knowing where to look first. "Wait, Martial Temple? Incense? And what in the world is a Pinduoduo?"
Watching the images of swords, blocks, and books flashing across the screen, Zhang Fei felt his head spin.
"Copy everything first!" Zhuge Liang suddenly shouted. "Gongyan, prioritize recording all text. My lord, please assist!"
"Yueying, Zizhong, work with me. Copy the images as best you can!"
At once, everyone began writing, leaving only Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong staring at each other.
The three were not skilled with the brush. Zhang Fei finally tore his gaze away from the disturbing lines and refocused on the words "Martial Temple."
"The Sixty-Four Generals must include my second brother! And there should also be a place for me!"
Huang Zhong said nothing. He wanted to ask if he might also qualify, but reflecting on his earlier life, guarding Jing-Xiang in mediocrity, achieving little until late years, could he truly deserve worship in the Martial Temple?
As he lowered his gaze, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Zhang Fei grinning.
"Old General Huang, I've thought it through!"
Huang Zhong blinked.
"Instead of leaving our merits to later generations to judge, why not do as elder brother says?"
"Follow him, restore the Han, rebuild the foundation! Once the Central Plains are reclaimed, we go south, north, west, and east, crushing all!"
"At that time, who needs later judgment? My elder brother will establish the Martial Temple himself!"
"We'll all stand inside it together. Who would dare object?"
Zhang Fei thumped his chest. Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled. Huang Zhong felt his heart stir.
Liu Bei, having finished writing, raised his head with a smile. "If such a foundation were truly achieved, why stop at a Martial Temple? Each of you could have your own temple."
"That won't do," Zhang Fei said, rubbing his nose. "Too lonely alone. I want to be with big brother and second brother."
"Third brother!" Liu Bei was deeply moved.
"But big brother," Zhang Fei added, his face full of innocent confusion, "what does it mean that the Liu clan likes… male favorites?"