Within the side hall of the Gong'an County office, newly renovated for this peculiar purpose, the atmosphere carried a strange mix of anticipation and suppressed laughter.
Under the curious gaze of Jichang, the stunned expression of Zifang, and the barely concealed amusement of the others who had long grown accustomed to this scene, the familiar Light Screen slowly unfolded in midair once more.
The same music began to play.
The same voice followed.
And, as always, the same chaotic flood of text surged across the surface.
[Lightscreen]
[Gentlemen, elders, brothers, and sisters, this is Wen Mang speaking. No nonsense today, we go straight into this episode:
"With the Strength of One Commandery Against All Under Heaven: The Day the Land Trembled Before Guan Yu!"]
At the same time, dense lines of smaller text drifted across the screen, so numerous that Zifang's eyes widened in shock. Jichang, who had also frozen for a moment, was promptly nudged by Gongyan and hurriedly lowered his head to begin copying.
[Server Chat Log]
[DeepSea_Gazer_01: "Ayyy! Finally, the 'Awe-Inspiring' chapter! When I was a kid, I only knew Lord Guan for his loyalty. Now I know he was just straight-up overpowered."]
[User: PitStop_Philosopher: "Watch Lord Guan turn Cao Ren, the man of iron and spear, into a turtle hiding in his shell!"]
[User: Heartbreak_Hotel_Manager: "Quick, bring the tissues! I thought this was the beginning of the Great Han's revival; I didn't realize it was the death knell for Shu-Han."]
[User: No_Fly_Zone_Debater: "How is it the death knell for Shu? It's the death knell for the Eastern Han at most!"]
[Karen_From_HumanResources: "Honestly, Liu Bei was such a bad teammate during the Xiangfan campaign. If you aren't going to help, at least don't send people to sabotage him—and not just one person, either!"]
[User: Spicy_Ginger_Cat: "Lord Guan had it too rough. He was basically living in a nest of traitors."]
[User: 5_Star_Broom: "True. Second Brother had the talent and the vision. Big Brother had the talent, but his strategic vision was lacking!"]
[Li Shimin: This battle has a fraction of my style at the banks of the Ming River!"]
As the scrolling text passed by, much of it filled with criticism, Liu Bei's expression immediately changed.
Why did it feel like… most of it was scolding him?
"If Second Brother were guarding Jingzhou, I would certainly entrust him only with those I know well, how could that be called sabotage?" Liu Bei flushed red, his voice rising with agitation. "Even if there was a Meng Da, did I not send Feng'er to remedy the situation? And even if Feng'er…"
The words about ordering Liu Feng's death stuck in his throat, and he could only huff angrily instead.
Still, seeing that this time the text at least called him the "elder brother," Liu Bei decided, with some effort, to let it pass for now.
Kongming, however, fixed his gaze upon the phrase "the beginning of Ji Han", his curiosity piqued. Just what had Yunzhang accomplished, that it was judged as something akin to the founding war of a dynasty?
"Elder Brother… what is this?" Zifang whispered, nudging Zizhong cautiously, utterly baffled by the appearance of someone daring to call himself "We" in such a manner.
"Watch carefully. Think carefully. And keep everything you see buried in your heart," Zizhong replied in a low, stern voice.
Every time this day came, the entire area around this hall would be tightly guarded by Shubao and his personal troops. Whatever secret lay within, it was not something that could ever be allowed to spread. Even with his own younger brother, whom he trusted deeply, Zizhong still felt the need to issue a firm warning.
---
[Lightscreen]
[As we said before, the situation around Xiangfan was extremely complicated.
Zhang Liao's feat of making the children of Jiangdong stop crying was not merely a military victory, but one that extended deeply into politics.
In the year 213, historical records state that Emperor Xian granted Cao Cao the title of Duke of Wei along with the Nine Bestowments, but we all know the truth, it was essentially crowning himself.
In 216, the year after Zhang Liao broke a hundred thousand troops and Zhang Lu surrendered, Cao Cao was elevated to King of Wei.
His rank stood above all feudal kings, he need not declare himself a subject nor bow to imperial edicts, he could perform sacrifices to Heaven and Earth as the Son of Heaven, his ancestral temples mirrored those of the Han, and his sons were all granted marquis titles.]
A sharp crack rang out.
The teacup in Liu Bei's hand shattered instantly.
His eyes reddened, and then he broke into grief.
The hall fell silent. Even the slowest among them could understand what this meant. Cao Cao, though still called King of Wei, was in all but name the Son of Heaven. The Han court had already withered to the point of near collapse, and this was nothing less than trampling upon it.
"Sun Quan has doomed the Han," Kongming said with a shake of his head. "At that time, my lord had just secured Yizhou, Hanzhong had already submitted, Liangzhou posed no threat, while Jiangdong was shattered by Zhang Wenyuan's eight hundred elite riders. No wonder Cao Cao dared to look down upon all under Heaven."
"The accumulated prestige of Zhou Gongjin at Red Cliffs was lost in a single stroke."
Everyone nodded in agreement, for the logic was undeniable.
Kongming stepped forward to comfort Liu Bei, though easing such grief was no simple matter. Yet inwardly, he found the posthumous title Emperor Xian rather… suggestive.
Wise and perceptive is called "Xian," but was that truly all there was to it?
Zifang, witnessing such a scene for the first time, felt completely overwhelmed. He barely understood anything, what was this "year 213"? When had Cao Cao become King of Wei?
Zizhong quietly explained things to him in a low voice.
---
[Lightscreen]
[It was also because of Zhang Liao's great victory in 215 that, in 217, Cao Cao once again marched on Jiangdong, full of confidence.
Jiangdong was already terrified. This campaign swept forward like a broken tide, and Sun Quan directly chose to surrender.
The Book of Jin records: "Quan sent envoys to plead for surrender."
The Records of Wu state: "Quan dispatched Xu Xiang to request submission, and Cao Cao responded by restoring relations and sealing them with marriage ties."
Fortunately, Cao Cao had only intended a limited campaign, so he withdrew after achieving his goal.
That same year, he granted himself the twelve-tasseled crown of the Son of Heaven, rode in a golden-root carriage drawn by six horses, and established the full imperial ceremonial retinue, while Cao Pi was named Crown Prince of Wei.
The Eastern Han had, by this point, existed in name only.]
Liu Bei closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any further.
At this stage, what difference remained between Cao Cao and the Son of Heaven? In ceremony, in authority, even in ancestral rites, there was none.
At the same time, a bitter laugh rose within him. The great Xun clan of Yingchuan… was this the Han they had chosen to serve?
"I spit on it!" Zhang Fei roared. "Bold traitor! Cunning dog! Deceiving the emperor and throwing the court into chaos!"
The tension in the hall eased somewhat, and others followed with their own curses, though their eyes still flickered toward Liu Bei.
My lord, do not be angered. Was this not all expected?
Liu Bei could only force a wry smile, raising his hand slightly.
"The restoration of the Han… rests upon us alone."
Kongming continued calmly, "With Cao Cao in such high spirits, and Jiangdong cowed into submission, their thoughts of Hefei are likely extinguished. If they wish to move north again, they must either take the unstable Zhongdu waterways, or…"
"Or retake Jiangling," Yunzhang said, picking up the thought at once. "Cutting the link between Jing and Yi, while turning north toward Xudu to contend for the realm."
He let out a faint laugh. "But can Jiangdong even take Xiangfan?"
Everyone considered it for a moment, then shook their heads.
Impossible.
Zifang looked left and right before finally gathering the courage to speak.
"Why doesn't Jiangdong advance by land?"
Zizhong immediately covered his eyes.
Zilong, Yide, and Huang Zhong exchanged subtle glances, and in the end Zilong answered politely.
"If Jiangdong abandons the waterways to advance by land, they lose their greatest advantage. Moreover, the Jianghuai region has already been devastated by years of war between Cao Cao and Sun Quan."
Counting on his fingers, Zilong continued, "When Liu Jingzhou chose the younger over the elder, Jianghuai was already thrown into chaos. Then came Cao Cao's southern campaign, bringing further disaster."
"And in recent years, Cao Cao attacked Jiangdong again. The people of Jianghuai have nearly vanished. General Lei Xu led those who survived by fleeing from Cao Cao's slaughter."
"After the killing came forced relocation. That land is now nearly empty."
Zifang blinked in confusion. "But what does that have to do with anything?"
Zhang Fei stepped forward. "Hey, don't you get it? The leaders of the East aren't saints. If they go by land and the grain doesn't keep up, they have to pillage the locals for supplies. There are no people left in Jiang-Huai! Where are the Wu soldiers going to find food? They'd starve to death before they saw a battle!"
"But if there are no people left, where do they plunder from? Wouldn't they simply starve?"
Zifang fell silent at last, pulled back into place by Zizhong.
"Zifang… when there is a chance, travel with me and see the realm for yourself. Do not spend all your days idling in Gong'an," Zizhong said with a sigh.
---
[Lightscreen]
[After the Xiang River Pact, relations between the two sides hung by a thread.
With barely thirty thousand troops fit for battle, Second Master had to guard against Cao Ren in the north while defending against Sun Wu in the east.
Fortunately, Zhang Liao's feat at Hefei had already exposed Jiangdong's greatest weakness, their soldiers were simply not up to par.
And at last, Guan Yu found his chance to march north without worry.
A stronghold that Jiangdong could not conquer even after ten years of effort!]