[Light Screen]
[A condition like that is not an ally you can trust. Shu-Han's misplaced faith led to a chain of tragedies
First, there was the strategic tragedy. Liu Bei underestimated how much the Sun Quan and Cao Cao valued Xiangfan and trusted Sun Quan too much.
He ordered the main army, which should have been providing support and pressure, back to Chengdu, leaving only Zhuge Liang with a small diversionary force
The Biography of Liao Li and The Records of Yuanhe state that after returning to Chengdu, Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang out through Luo Valley and Xing Shi Mountain as a diversion.
But a small force wasn't enough to make Cao Cao hesitate; the Cao army pressed forward with everything they had.]
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Thanks to the earlier explanations about Yi Province, everyone quickly understood once they compared it with the map.
"Xing Shi Mountain and Luo Valley… isn't that the Tangluo Road?" Zhang Fei reacted immediately.
"Didn't the Light Screen say that road was only properly developed in the Tang dynasty? If the path is that bad, how many troops can even pass through it? No wonder Cao Cao didn't care!"
"The fault lies with me," Liu Bei said quietly, shaking his head.
"Elder Brother, do not say that," Guan Yu objected at once. "The defeat at Xiangfan turned irreversible within a single month. Who could have foreseen it?"
Zhang Fei's fingers clenched. Just thinking of Mi Fang's betrayal, how it caused everything to fall apart so completely, made his knuckles itch.
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[Light Screen]
[Second was the failure in the use of personnel.
Guan Yu was an exceptional battlefield commander in Jing-Xiang. That much was undeniable. But he was also the Governor of Xiangyang and his diplomatic skills were, frankly, disastrous.
To seize Hanzhong, Liu Bei had stripped Jing-Xiang of its talent. Those who could have advised or restrained Guan Yu, men like Kongming and Ma Liang had all been transferred elsewhere. Militarily, key fortresses such as Gongan and Jiangling were left in the hands of absolute straw bags like Shi Ren and Mi Fang.
While reports of victory poured in from the Jing-Xiang front, Sun Wu quietly infiltrated the region politically. By the time the blow came, Jing Province was already full of holes.
One decisive strike was enough to bring it all down and to secure Lu Meng's fame.]
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Mi Zhu lowered his head, tears falling silently. His own younger brother… the thought alone broke his heart.
The others glanced at Guan Yu, expecting anger or denial.
Instead, Guan Yu stepped forward and clasped his hands.
"The chaos in Jing-Xiang," he said evenly, "is my responsibility. I also request Jichang be appointed as my Chief of Staff. Is this acceptable?"
Liu Bei was startled. Is this still my proud, stubborn second brother?
But Guan Yu's thoughts were clear.
Time would not wait. The blade in his hand still longed to drink the blood of the enemy.
"Then it shall be as Yunchang says," Liu Bei replied without hesitation.
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[Light Screen]
[What is most regrettable are those iron-willed ministers of Han.
Before the Xiang River Pact, Yuan Long and Wu Dang rose in support of Guan Yu. Yuan Long was killed by Lü Dai at Liling.
Wu Dang denounced Lu Su, saying, "I serve the Son of Heaven. I know only Han, not Wu," and he returned to his village and never served again.
Zhao Lei, Guan Yu's Chief of Staff, stayed by his side until the very end and died rather than surrender.
Liao Hua, a clerk under Guan Yu, pretended to surrender to Sun Wu, then faked his own death just to carry his mother back to Shu.
In Lingling, the Xi brothers, Xi Zhen and Xi Hong, joined with Fan Zhou of Wuling to rise against Wu.
They resisted the defector Pan Jun for an entire year before finally being defeated. Xi Hong ended up in Sun Wu but never served again. Fan Zhou refused to surrender and was killed by Pan Jun.
Xi Zhen left behind these final words: "I shall be a ghost of Han, never a subject of Wu." He then took his own life.]
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The words carried a weight that pressed down on the entire hall.
For a moment, no one dared speak.
"Fine men!" Zhang Fei suddenly shouted, leaping to his feet. "All of them are true men of the Han!"
"Elder Brother, with people like these, how can you still worry about lacking talent? Aren't they all of one heart with us?"
At the head of the hall, Liu Bei had already spread out a sheet of paper.
Without a word, he carefully wrote down each name, stroke by stroke, his expression solemn.
Then he cast Zhang Fei a glance that clearly said he had already thought of that.
Zhang Fei scratched his head, then looked over the list himself, nodding repeatedly in admiration.
Guan Yu did the same, though when he saw Zhao Lei's name, he felt a trace of awkwardness. He had just assigned that same role to Ma Liang.
Zhuge Liang, however, was focused on something else.
"The Xi brothers and Fan Zhou rose after Yun Chang had already fallen," he said slowly. "And they resisted Pan Jun for an entire year…"
He lifted his gaze.
"That means even after Jiangling and Gong'an fell swiftly, Sun Wu still needed a full year to secure Jingzhou."
"My Lord, the hearts of the people were still with you!"
As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward Jiang Wan, whose expression had subtly changed.
"Gongyan, do you know someone among them?"
Jiang Wan stood, hesitating for a long moment before answering.
"I am from Lingling… I have only heard of the Xi brothers. But Pan Jun…"
He paused.
"…is my cousin. He recently sent a letter, asking me to recommend him to my lord."
"A scoundrel!" Zhang Fei cursed immediately. "Let him come! I'd like to see what kind of shameless man he is. Surrendering is one thing, but killing loyal men of his own side?"
Jiang Wan broke into a light sweat, unsure how to respond.
Liu Bei stepped in calmly.
"Let him come. From what we hear, he is capable. As long as we do not lose land to Sun or Cao, why would such a man defect?"
"Assign him under Yun Chang. If there is any sign of disloyalty, detain him."
---
[Light Screen]
[Sun Quan traded Guan Yu's head for the title of King of Wu under Wei.
Guan Yu may have died, but his story only truly began afterward.
Among the people, his name became synonymous with loyalty and righteousness. Later dynasties began a race to deify him
During the Northern Song, the so-called Brothel Emperor "Zhao Ji" started the trend, first posthumously honored him as Duke Zhonghui.
After painting was added to the Imperial Examinations, Guan Yu was elevated to True Zhenjun of Chongning Following a bad omen from the Yellow River, he became the Prince of Wu'an. After the Song Jiang and Fang La rebellions, his title expanded to Yi Yong Wu'an King.
Later, Emperor Wanyan Gou, also known as Zhao Gou added even more words: Righteous, Brave, and Martial Peace Prince of Stately Mourning.
Song Xiaozong appended Heroic Relief.
The Yuan dynasty granted him no fewer than twelve titles.
By the Ming, he was worshipped as the "Sage Emperor Guan, Great Deity Who Subdues Demons Across the Three Realms."
The Qing… well, listing those titles feels like padding runtime.
If Guan Yu himself heard all this, he would probably not know whether to laugh or cry.
But for him, from the Oath of the Peach Garden to restoring the Han, from slaying Yan Liang to shaking Xiangfan, he had already done all that he could.
He had no regrets.
The people saw his deeds clearly in life, which is why they willingly worshipped him.
As for what comes after…
As the poem says:
"Success and failure both fade in a turn of the head. The green mountains remain, How many times has the sunset burned red?"
That concludes this segment.
Next preview: Memories of Shu-Han in Chengdu]
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As the Light Screen faded, a storm of comments swept across it.
[Server Chat Log]
[ShadowHunter_91: Read them! Why won't you read them! Are you afraid that the title given by the poisoned Emperor Guangxu—"Holy Emperor Guan, Loyal, Righteous, Divine, Brave, Miraculous, Guardian of the People, Protector of the State, Sincere, Peaceful, Supporter of Virtue"—is too much of a mouthful?
xX_Dark_Slayer_Xx: Wen Mang forgot to add the "Nine Sister" prefix before "Wanyan Gou." That's total sacrilege!
Tofu_Delivery_Guy: My heart aches for Second Lord. He was peerlessly loyal to Big Brother, only to be played with like a toy by later emperors who couldn't lead their way out of a paper bag.
GhostInTheShell: It wasn't just emperors. The Tang Dynasty literati were dirty, too. They teamed up with monks to invent a story about Guan Yu falling into a "ghost path" because his kill count was too high, only to be saved by a monk. To thank the monk, Big Brother supposedly built a temple. Talk about a top-tier scam.
Pwnage_King: +1 on the shamelessness. That guy was actually a friend of the poet Du Fu, yet he had the gall to say he saw Guan Yu's manifestation in a temple. If Guan Yu actually manifested, he'd have been cleaved in half instantly.
GlitchFinder_Zero: Tang monks were a literal mafia. They seized so much land they basically helped crash the Tang server. Later, they forced Emperor Wuzong to hit them with the "Purge" patch.
Sleepy_Panda: Wuzong was such a waste. He could have been a great Restorer-King, but he had to follow his ancestor "Er Feng" and chug those alchemy pills until his brain rotted.
Cloud_Strife_99: "Er Feng" couldn't help it; the medicine didn't work, and he dropped dead after the pills. Wuzong, on the other hand, popped them even when he wasn't sick. Mercury in the brain, total system crash.
NoobsGetRekt: The "Slacker Emperor" was actually a natural talent for cultivation. He probably gave Guan Yu that title just so Guan Yu would carry him in the afterlife.
Lag_Spike_Pro: The Yuan Dynasty was even funnier. They didn't know which title actually gave the buff, so they just gave him all of them. Technically, the ghost of Guan Yu was eligible for a government paycheck.
Zero_Tolerance: Sigh, even though Guan Yu's direct line went extinct, the spirit of loyalty and righteousness lives on.
Steel_Resolve: Pang De was somewhat of a man, but his son had zero character. Battlefield grudges should never touch the family. Low-tier behavior.
Viper_Strike: Guan Yu was never a man of many words. If he knew what a disaster Pang De's son would become, he wouldn't have bothered talking to Pang De at all. One swing, and done.
Li Shimin: This Song Dynasty is truly absurd. How can painting be part of the Imperial Exams! Also, who is this "Er Feng" ancestor of Wuzong? How could he be so pathetic?