[Lightscreen]
[The tug-of-war between Guan Yu and Cao Ren dragged on for quite some time and brutal grind.
But wars are never decided by patience alone, in the end , heaven itself dropped the hammer.
The Mian River overflowed by over thirty feet, flooding the city. In autumn, heavy rains caused the Han River to swell; the plains were submerged under several fathoms of water, and Yu Jin's seven armies were utterly lost. — Commentary on the Shuijing Zhu
"Yu Jin and his generals climbed to high ground to watch the rising waters, with no way to escape. Guan Yunchang approached in massive warships and attacked them, forcing Yu Jin to surrender. — The Biography of Yu Jin
In reality, it was over in a single morning.
A flash flood struck before dawn, drowning Yu Jin's seven armies. After soaking in floodwater for half the night, thirty thousand soldiers were already half broken.
Then Guan Yunchang simply sailed in.
And collected them.]
---
So this… was the famous Flooding of the Seven Armies.
Kongming rose and cupped his hands, his gaze sweeping slowly across the hall.
"Victory is decided before the battle is fought. Those who calculate more win, those who calculate less lose. What, then, of those who do not calculate at all?"
"Yunchang held Jingzhou for merely two years, yet he forced Yue Jin to retreat and forced Cao-Wei's historians into Spring and Autumn brushwork style". That is one calculation."
"He built a navy from former land troops, held firm in the dry season, and struck when the rains came. That is the second."
"With twenty thousand against four times his number, and still able to respond flawlessly in the chaos of a midnight flood…"
He paused slightly.
"Tell me honestly. Is Yu Jin truly incompetent or is Yunchang just that good?"
The hall fell silent.
Then, one by one, they bowed.
Zhang Fei, chest puffed out in pure hype, couldn't contain himself. "My brother is a god of war! Absolute legend!"
Liu Bei could not hold back either. He stood, grabbed Guan Yu's arm, and laughed.
"The so-called Five Elite Generals are nothing compared to my Five Tiger Generals!"
He remembered it clearly.
Zhang He and Xu Huang had once failed to defeat a nobody like Chen Shi.
Yue Jin had been forced back by Guan Yu.
And now Yu Jin had his entire army wiped out.
Refreshing. Absolutely refreshing.
Off to the side, Mi Fang muttered quietly, "Big Brother… does this really count as 'shaking all under heaven'? Seems like he just got lucky with the weather."
Mi Zhu sighed. "Just keep listening."
---
[Lightscreen]
[Pang De's forces also lost their will to fight. Only Pang De himself fought to the bitter end. Even after being captured, he cursed Guan Yu:
"You brat! What do you mean 'surrender'? The King of Wei has a million men in armor; his power shakes the world! Your brother Liu Bei is a mediocre hack, how could he ever be a match? I'd rather be a ghost for my state than a general for rebels!"
There are… quite a few issues with this statement.
First, Cao Cao is the one holding the Son of Heaven hostage. how are you talking about 'serving the state'?, Which state, exactly, was Pang De dying for?
Second, the last time Cao Cao 'shook the world,' it ended with him writing a salty letter to Jiangdong saying, "At Red Cliffs, I fell ill and burned my own ships. Zhou Yu merely gained a false reputation."
Yes. Very 'shaking the world.' Pang De sought death, and he got it. His troops all surrendered.]
---
"Short-sighted fool!" Zhang Fei spat. The Light screen was right, Cao Cao was the rebel. Dying for a traitor isn't 'serving the state'; it's just bad life choices.
Kongming, however, spoke quietly.
"Not entirely."
"Those who serve Cao Cao must relocate their families to capital city, Ye City. Yu Jin has long served with merit. Even if he surrendered, there would be some consideration for his family."
"But Pang De…"
He paused.
"He was once under Ma Chao, later under Zhang Lu, and only then surrendered to Cao Cao. His loyalties shifted multiple times, and Cao Cao already distrusted. If he surrendered again, his family might not survive."
Zhang Fei went silent.
Then slammed his fist on the table.
Liu Bei, on the other hand, burst out laughing at Cao Cao's old letter.
"Next time I see the Great Commander Zhou Gongjin, I'll have to tell him! Cao Cao really doesn't think much of him or old Huang Gai, does he?"
The hall chuckled.
Honestly, that sounded exactly like something Cao Cao would say.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Guan Yunchang now had over thirty thousand surrendered troops to deal with. He had no choice but to transport them back to Jiangling by ship.
So he sent a message for reinforcements:
"Dear nephew Liu Feng, the seven armies are destroyed, Fancheng is surrounded. Come over and help finish this!"
The Records state: Liu Feng and Meng Da did not follow Yu's orders.
Left with no choice, Guan Yunchang had to split his already thin forces to guard the prisoners. His front-line strength was now dangerously low.]
---
Zhang Fei scratched his head.
"Maybe… Liu Feng was worried about unrest in Shangyong…"
He trailed off halfway.
Even he did not believe it.
Second Brother had already pushed this far. Even if Shangyong rebelled, it would be crushed instantly.
And thinking back to Liu Feng's earlier antics…
Zhang Fei decided not to think about it anymore.
Liu Bei's face darkened. He hadn't seen Liu Feng in three months since sending him to Zhang Fei's camp for 'discipline.' He was starting to see why
---
[Lightscreen]
[The 'Drowning of the Seven Armies' sent shockwaves through the land. A whole bunch of Cao Cao's officials in Jingzhou flipped sides to join Guan Yu. But that was only the beginning.
Cao Ren was trapped in the ruins of Fancheng. Xu Huang was hiding in Wancheng, too terrified to face Guan Yu head-on.
Guan Yu's fleet sailed north through the floods like he owned the place
Reports of victory reached Xuchang. In Liang County, Jia County, Luhun, and even near Luoyang, people began accepting Guan Yu's authority from afar.
Some had been forced into banditry by Cao Cao. These were people tired of Cao Cao's forced labor and high taxes.
The court trembled.
Xuchang was in uproar.
History records it as: "Shaking All Under Heaven."
Cao Cao even considered moving the capital.
The entire realm believed that Fancheng and Xiangyang would fall at any moment.
Once Guan Yu reorganized the surrendered troops, his army would march straight toward Xuchang.
The end of Cao Wei… had arrived.
The Han shall rise again.]
[Chat Server Log]
[ Lvl99_IceWallowCome: This is the God of War in his prime! Where the Green Dragon Blade points, men tremble!"
StrategySim_Addict: This was the 'Longzhong Plan' coming to life! The Han's best chance!"
CarryOrFeed_666: Guan Yu is on the enemy's high ground, carrying the game... Liu Bei, what are you doing back at base?!"
Depressed_Gacha: It hurts to think about what happens next. When the timing is right, the universe helps you; when your luck runs out, even a hero is helpless."
Li Shimin: Nice play. But seriously, what the hell is the An-Shi Rebellion??"]
The teacup slipped from Liu Bei's hand and shattered on the floor.
He did not even notice.
Huang Yueying widened her eyes slightly. Liu Bei's eyes were red, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves.
Kongming moved closer and sat beside him.
"My lord, this time… we will not let General Guan fight alone."
"Kongming…"
Liu Bei's voice was hoarse.
"The hearts of the people… the hearts of the people are with us."
"I know."
"The fault for Yunchang's death… lies with me."
Kongming shook his head.
"Not entirely."
"The Han shall rise again."
"I am willing to give my life for it."
---
Zhang Fei had already grabbed Guan Yu and was practically jumping in place.
"Second Brother! This is it! This is your peak!"
Guan Yu, however, was strangely calm.
So this… was what it meant to shake all under heaven.
Then this time, with the guidance of the Lightscreen…
He would do even better.
Far better.
He raised his head slightly.
"To restore the world. To revive the Han. To shake the realm itself."
He spoke slowly, as if engraving the words into fate.
Then his gaze sharpened.
Killing rebels was one thing.
But what the future praised…
Was something else entirely.
Zhang Liao had earned eternal fame by defeating the Wuhuan at White Wolf Mountain.
If that was the standard…
Then why should he stop here?
Guan Yu's path would not end at "shaking the realm."
---
Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong both showed a trace of longing.
To stand shoulder to shoulder with legends like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing…
Who would not want that?
---
Mi Fang, meanwhile, looked completely captivated.
The attention.
The admiration.
The sheer weight of Guan Yu's name as it echoed through history.
He swallowed.
"Brother…"
He tugged at Mi Zhu's sleeve.
"Do you think… I could also leave my name in history like General Guan?"
Mi Zhu placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You will."
"To die for righteousness, without shame before the Han… people will remember you."
---
The Lightscreen continued to play.
---
[Lightscreen]
[But at this very moment… the one who had been lurking finally made his move.
"Revival of the Han? Not on my watch. Nobody is taking this victory but me."
The Records of the Three Kingdoms state:
"Sun Quan secretly enticed Mi Fang and Fu Shiren. The two sent envoys to welcome him."]