In the side hall of the Gong'an County office, newly refitted for these strange viewings, the Light Screen flickered to life once more.
[Lightscreen]
[If we are to speak of Second Master's fortress city, then we must mention a Sun Wu general whose name once shook Cao Wei: Zhu Ran.]
Zhang Fei was starting to feel that his second brother had become… difficult to understand.
Back then, hadn't they sworn brotherhood with the same idea in mind?
Charge first. Kill hard. Be remembered as battlefield maniacs together.
So how did Guan Yu's future résumé turn into "naval warfare enthusiast" and "urban planning prodigy"?
Zhang Fei glanced down at himself.
Was he the only one who'd stayed in the "swing spear, break skulls" skill tree?
Didn't this make him look like a one-build character who forgot to unlock late-game content?
Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun, however, focused on something else entirely.
"Shook Cao Wei?"
"Zhu Ran?"
Kongming thought briefly, then said, "Zhu Zhi had no son to inherit his line, so he adopted his sister's son, who became known as Zhu Ran."
The generals nodded in understanding. As for Zhu Zhi, they had heard the name, though Zhang Fei scratched his head and still could not recall what the man even looked like.
[Lightscreen]
["In a sense, Zhu Ran's career success was entirely 'sponsored' by Shu-Han. In 223, when Cao-Wei attacked Jiangling, Zhu Ran held the city for six months until they retreated.
This earned him his fame in Wei and the title of Marquis of Dangyang. His record looks brilliant on paper, holding his own against three legendary generals: Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, and Zhang He. A general beyond compare, right?".]
The room fell silent.
He had defeated Cao Wei, yet the narrator claimed his achievements relied entirely on Shu Han.
Zhang Fei quickly understood and scoffed, "This so-called fame must have come from my second brother's fortress, right?"
They had just heard that Guan Yu would build a stronghold to guard against Sun Wu, and it was already known that Lü Meng would later seize Jingzhou.
The conclusion came easily.
Sun Wu must have taken that very fortress.
Which only raised a new question.
With troops that unreliable, how did they manage to take it at all?
[Lightscreen]
[So let's look at Zhu Ran's record elsewhere. The wins that earned him merit:
219 AD—alongside Lü Meng, he killed Guan Yu.
222 AD—alongside Lu Xun, he defeated Liu Bei.
228 AD—alongside Lu Xun again, he defeated Cao Xiu.]
Silence. A late April breeze swirled through the door, carrying a sudden chill.
Zhang Fei barked out a laugh. "Ha! So he's just a master of stealing credit! If I ever run into him on the battlefield, I'll be the first to take his head!"
The chill in the room instantly vanished.
[Lightscreen]
["And the rest of his career? In 217, he was a subordinate general at Ruxukou and got flattened by Cao Cao, leading Sun Quan to surrender.
In 227, he led 20,000 men to attack Jiangxia and was repelled.
In 234, when Sun Quan attacked Hefei again, Zhu Ran was the Left Commander, he retreated without even fighting.
In 241, he led 50,000 men to attack Fancheng and was forced back."
"The pattern is clear: he was the Three Kingdoms' ultimate 'Coasting Specialist.' He put all his skill points into 'Hanging onto the Thighs' of better leaders.".]
"This is a famous general of Sun Wu?" Huang Zhong felt his headache.
In his youth he had served Liu Biao and achieved nothing of note. Perhaps he should have learned from this Zhu Ran, mastering the art of "blending in" instead.
A lifetime of warfare, yet either riding victories or retreating in defeat. Could such a man truly be called a great general?
Zhang Fei burst into laughter. "Old General, if you feel wronged, then next time Zilong goes into battle, just sit in his arms."
The hall went quiet for a heartbeat before everyone recalled the earlier tale of Liu Shan and Zhao Yun rampaging together at Changban, charging in and out seven times.
Laughter erupted.
Even those slower to catch on, like Ma Liang, Jiang Wan, and Mi Fang, pieced it together and smiled.
These later generations certainly had… a peculiar way of judging people.
[Lightscreen]
[Guan Yu's fortifications at Jiangling are even noted in the Tang Dynasty geographical record, Yuanhe Junxian Zhi, Maps and Records of Establishments: 'The city of Jiangling Prefecture originally had a partition; the north was the old city, while the south was built by Guan Yu.
This record, written after the An Lushan Rebellion, makes it clear: Guan Yu built a whole new city south of the original one."
"Jiangling was already bordered by water on two sides, making it a nightmare to besiege.
By building a twin-city defense, Lord Guan created a pincer fortification that was, frankly, insane. The Wei coalition of Zhang He, Cao Zhen, and Xiahou Shang likely ran straight into this architectural madness, which inadvertently made Zhu Ran look like a genius."]
So that was it.
Everyone nodded, then looked at Guan Yu with renewed admiration.
This was what it meant to be a top-tier general.
After a lifetime of fighting on land, he suddenly mastered naval warfare.
After decades of campaigning, he calmly turned to be master architect.
While others reinforced walls, he simply built an entirely new city beside the old one.
So this was the thinking of a true master of war.
They had learned something today.
"Preparing for defeat before seeking victory," Ma Liang praised. "General Guan Yunchang truly is a great commander."
Guan Yu smiled faintly and said nothing, though inwardly he was quite pleased. Ever since learning he would one day defend Jiangling, he had been thinking about how best to do it.
The conclusion had always been the same.
One might not foresee victory, but ensuring one could not be defeated was always correct.
His only regret was that the later writer's choice of words was lacking. What did they mean by "outrageous"? Could they not have chosen something more refined?
[Lightscreen]
[Guan Yu's caution was well justified. Jiangling was simply too important.
It was the key link between Jingzhou and Yi Province, and the essential springboard for a northern campaign. Once Xiangfan fell, the strategy of the Longzhong Plan could be realized.
From there, advancing toward Xudu and Luoyang would be as smooth as riding across open plains.]
The Longzhong Plan.
Everyone felt their hearts stir.
The grand design laid out by Kongming had not only moved Liu Bei, but all of them as well.
And now, watching the Light Screen recount the future step by step, it seemed that this plan would truly come to life.
"Kongming is a talent to govern the age, a modern Jiang Ziya!"
"To have Kongming is like a fish gaining water. A blessing for the Han!"
Liu Bei sighed in admiration. Thinking back, being chased across the land by Cao Cao had been bitter, but now that he had Kongming, those hardships no longer seemed so heavy.
Kongming bowed slightly. "I only wish to assist my lord in restoring the Han."
[Lightscreen]
[As for defending against Sun Quan, that was almost an afterthought.
Besieging a city is the ultimate test of a soldier's quality, and the Wu troops struggled even with old cities, let alone 'Jiangling Pro Max Ultra.'
History shows this clearly: between 208 and 234, Sun Quan attacked Hefei five times. He was crushed twice and failed to breach it three times. He was essentially the Three Kingdoms' most hardworking 'Experience Point Pack.'"
"Sun Quan lost to Jiang Ji, Zhang Xi, Zhang Liao, Li Dian, Yue Jin, Xue Ti, Man Chong, Zhang Ying, Cao Rui, Tian Yu, Liu Shao, Wei Zhen... and those are just the famous ones.
Zhang Liao could probably post an ad saying: 'I just beat Sun Quan at Hefei with only 800 men! It's easy, you should try it too!'
"But I digress. To Guan Yu in 217, Jiangling was finally airtight!]
Zhuge Liang frowned, encountering a rare gap in his knowledge. "What is this... 'Pro Max Ultra'?
"I assume 'Pro' and 'Ultra' are words of high praise, and 'Max' suggests the city was as impenetrable as a sealed cup," Ma Liang guessed. "As for the foreign script, who knows."
"Write it down," Liu Bei said with interest. "I did not expect Sun Quan to persist with Hefei, only to be defeated by so many."
Watching his brother-in-law suffer defeat was strangely satisfying. Yet a thought struck him.
Could it be that Sun Quan had truly submitted after sending that letter of surrender?
Otherwise, how could this be explained?
"That Sun Shinwan-ge really is lacking," Zhang Fei said bluntly. "Unlike our elder brother, who has won plenty. Even his defeats were only against the likes of Lü Bu, Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao."
Then he added, grinning, "Big brother, do not worry. This time at Yiling, we will definitely win."