The numbers mentioned by the Light Screen earlier had not truly registered with anyone.
They were just numbers.
Abstract.
Easy to ignore.
But now, laid out piece by piece before them, the reality became painfully clear.
Three rebellions in a single year.
One at the very heart of power.
Two driven directly by forced labor.
Liu Bei exhaled slowly, his gaze darkening.
"Cao Cao, oh Cao Cao, just how cruel and oppressive were your taxes and labor demands?"
Liu Bei sighed inwardly, his resolve strengthening. "If the world is left to the likes of the traitor Cao or the ambitious Sun Quan, what hope is there for the people?"
---
[Lightscreen]
[In 218, the twenty-third year of Jian'an, the most regrettable figure was Hou Yin.
First, his position was excellent. He was located directly behind Fancheng, forcing Cao Ren to divert his army for rescue.
Hou Yin's rebellion was equivalent to Liu Bei marrying Lady Sun, a fire breaking out in the backyard. Cao Ren and Pang De rushed back at full speed and besieged Wancheng.
But there were two problems.
First: winter, the rivers ran low. The winds were wrong. The dry season made naval warfare useless.
Guan Yunchang could only wait, and waiting meant watching.
Second: the war itself had stalled.
Or to put it plainly, Liu Bei was still blocked at Yangping Pass by Xiahou Yuan.]
---
The generals turned as one toward the map hanging behind them.
Wan City had no great mountains, no rivers to shield it.
Yet its position made it impossible to ignore.
Guan Yu stroked his beard, eyes half-lidded.
"Judging by Cao Cao's habits," he said slowly, "the fortifications of Fancheng must have been repaired at great haste. Forced labor. Forced grain. Wan City would have borne the burden."
He paused.
"That is why Hou Yin rebelled."
The name settled into his heart.
Hou Yin.
The screen had mentioned him again and again.
Now Guan Yu finally understood why.
Hou Yin had been a defending general. He could have gone along with the tyrant, eaten the people dry, and lived well.
Instead, he chose to strike stone with an egg.
For the people.
A righteous man, Guan Yu thought. One worthy of remembrance.
---
Liu Bei's thoughts drifted.
"Yangping Pass…" he murmured. "Mountains at the back, water at the front. A pass like that shouldn't fall easily. I remember… wasn't it breached the following year?"
"First month of 219!" Huang Zhong blurted out immediately.
He remembered that date far too clearly.
Zhang Fei curled his lip.
Fine. Fine.
You've got 'Beheaded Xiahou Yuan' carved into history. I'm not jealous. Not jealous at all.
As for the screen comparing Hou Yin's rebellion to Liu Bei's marriage.
Liu Bei's lips twitched, only two words escaped.
"Your father!"
---
[Lightscreen]
[That year, Cao Cao held his army in place without advancing, using it as deterrence.
First, he believed Yangping Pass was nearly impossible to take, something he himself had experienced. When he defeated Zhang Lu, it was largely due to luck.
With Xiahou Yuan, a far more seasoned commander, guarding it, Cao Cao did not believe Liu Bei could succeed.
Second, Guan Yu's pressure in Xiangfan was increasing. Even Cao Cao himself doubted whether Cao Ren could hold.
What followed is well known, and why the Battle of Mount Dingjun remains legendary.
Liu Bei executed a massive flanking maneuver, and a seventy-year-old general slew the enemy commander in battle. It was a plot twist too wild for fiction.
With the commander dead, Yangping Pass could no longer hold, forcing Cao Cao to abandon deterrence stance and reinforce Hanzhong.]
---
A smile slowly spread across Liu Bei's face.
So that was it.
Cao Cao, you only took Yangping Pass because of luck.
Zhang Fei immediately seized the moment.
"If not for Cao Cao rushing reinforcements, big brother would have broken Yangping Pass head-on and shaken the world!"
It was not entirely exaggeration.
In an age where siege equipment was crude, truly breaking a great pass from the front was exceedingly rare.
Yunchang nodded slightly.
"Cao Cao's restraint was clever. An army held in readiness is the greatest threat. It could strike Hanzhong or turn toward Jingzhou at any moment, forcing both sides to hesitate."
But in the end, the death of Xiahou Yuan forced his hand.
---
[Lightscreen]
[And that is why Hou Yin's rebellion was so 'tragic.
If he could have delayed his revolt to coincide with Guan Yu advance, or waited until Xiahou Yuan fell, he could have been the final nail in Cao-Wei's coffin.
But Cao Ren realized the danger and attacked Wan City with everything he had, supported by Pang De
The Zizhi Tongjian records:
"In the spring, first month, Cao Ren massacred Wan, executed Hou Yin, and returned to garrison Fancheng."
Cao Ren understood the moment. To eliminate future threats, he issued the order to massacre the city.
A ruthless and decisive move.
And thus Hou Yin fell, just short of changing history.]
---
"So decisive?" Ma Liang said, stunned.
Then anger surged up from the depths of his chest.
Wancheng.
He had been there as a child.
Its customs were no different from his homeland in Jingzhou.
Half a home.
And now…
"Because they refused forced labor, they must be slaughtered?" His voice trembled.
Jiang Wan placed a steadying hand on his back.
Ma Liang lifted his head, blinking hard.
"My lord, I beg you… save the people of Wancheng."
Liu Bei straightened, his expression solemn.
"I will not fail you, Jichang."
Massacre.
Was that something a human should do?
"All of Cao Cao's men are cut from the same cloth!" Zhang Fei spat. "Killing on the battlefield makes a hero. Slaughtering the unarmed makes you what?"
---
[Lightscreen]
[During the Hanzhong campaign, Cao Cao once again used his old strategy: forced relocation of the population.
This was also preparation for defeat.
If Liu Bei gained Hanzhong, that was bad.
If Liu Bei gained both Hanzhong and its people, that was unacceptable.
So Cao Cao chose the simplest option.
Take the people first.
In the third month, he advanced into Hanzhong. By the fifth month, he had already withdrawn, bringing the population with him.]
---
Even knowing this beforehand, Liu Bei still felt his teeth grind in anger.
So this was always the plan.
Capture people.
Turn them into labor.
"Cao thief!" Liu Bei suddenly drew his sword and chopped off a corner of the table.
"When I defeat him, I will drag him into his own agricultural colonies and execute him there, to avenge the people of Jingzhou!"
Zhuge Liang frowned slightly.
"Forced relocation, endless corvée, executions at will. They are called his people, yet treated as his slaves."
---
Yunchang glanced around, then suddenly remembered Lei Xu was not present.
A trace of regret crossed his mind.
If Lei Xu were here, perhaps he would feel some comfort.
Compared to Cao Cao, Gong'an was already a refuge for the people of Jianghuai.
But then he looked up at the Light Screen.
Even Gong'an was marked on the map.
Could it truly be called a place of peace?
---
[Lightscreen]
[Cao Cao's withdrawal from Hanzhong was meant to secure initiative in Jingzhou.
After returning to Chang'an, he did not relax.
On one side, Liu Bei had not withdrawn, requiring defense.
On the other, Guan Yu was already pressing forward.
The Records of the Three Kingdoms state:
"In the 24th year of Jian'an, the Emperor was in Changan; he ordered Cao Ren to attack Guan Yunchang at Fancheng.
At first glance, this seems odd, but see the wording.
Cao Ren was already stationed at Fancheng. How could he "attack Guan Yu at Fancheng?
The answer is simple.
After Cao Cao moved into Hanzhong, Guan Yu advanced.
Using naval forces, he controlled the Han River, cut off Xiangyang, and moved directly against Fancheng.]
---
"This should be the fifth month," Huang Zhong said again, confidence evident.
"The dry season has passed," Zhang Fei added, suddenly understanding. "No wonder second brother made his move."
On the map, it was clear.
Xiangyang and Fancheng stood on opposite sides of the Han River.
And Guan Yu's fleet moved freely across the waters.
Yunchang's thoughts were sharp and direct.
"Control the Han River, strike Fancheng. If Fancheng falls, Xiangyang will collapse without a fight."