The sound of the recitation of the Memorial on the Expedition blended seamlessly with the Lightscreen's calm narration, neither drowning out the other, and within that layered harmony, everyone seemed to glimpse a version of Zhuge Kongming entirely different from the strategist standing before them now.
"To truly broaden the Emperor's hearing… these are all loyal, sincere men of firm resolve… these are ministers who would die for their duty… the revival of the Han may be awaited within days."
Faced with the exhaustion of Yizhou, he did not rush, nor did he falter. He broke down each principle and explained it piece by piece to A-Dou, telling him how Liu Bei had won the hearts of men, telling him how a ruler ought to conduct himself, telling him which ministers must be trusted and employed, and even laying out the path by which the Han might be restored.
"Your servant was but a commoner... entrusted in times of peril... for twenty-one years since... I have done my utmost, though dull of talent, to eliminate traitors... and now, before this memorial, tears fall, and I know not what more to say."
Having finished explaining how Shu Han should be governed, the old Prime Minister then spoke simply of how he had received the Former Emperor's grace, how he had poured his heart and life into the cause of restoring the Han, and how now that all preparations were in place, the time had come to lead the army north and strive once more for the revival of the Han.
'Your Majesty must take good care of Shu Han.'
"Truly worthy of being called a single memorial that governs a state," Zhang Fei exclaimed from the heart.
"I usually fall asleep within three lines of anything written by those old scholars in the court, but this is something else entirely. This is different. It's beautiful to read, yet as plain and sharp as a spear thrust. Even a man like me knows exactly what you were trying to tell that brat."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Only after reading it did they understand what the Lightscreen meant by saying it was elegant without being ornate. There were no obscure literary allusions buried within it, and anyone who could read would be able to grasp its meaning.
"It is only a pity it was entrusted to the wrong man," Zhang Fei added, shaking his head.
This time, no one spoke.
They had been warned, again and again: draw near worthy ministers, keep petty men at a distance. So how did it still end this way? With eunuchs favored, with the state in ruins?
The Lightscreen had said it before, but now it rang even clearer in their hearts.
This was Liu Bei's Han. But it was also the Han of every one of its ministers.
For a moment, Liu Bei pushed aside the thought that he even had a son. He reached out and clasped Zhuge Liang's hands, his praise utterly sincere.
"I said it then, and I say it now. Kongming has the talent to bring peace to the realm and secure the state, surpassing even Zhang Liang and Xiao He."
"The talents of those two are far beyond mine," Zhuge Liang replied honestly. "I only wish to stand beside my lord, strike down the rebels, and restore the Han. If I can do that, then this life of mine will not have been in vain."
[Lightscreen]
[On the other side stands the Later Memorial on the Expedition. Its authenticity is still debated.
Chronologically, it is said to have been written in 228, before the second Northern Campaign in the sixth year of Jianxing.
Compared to the earlier memorial:
The former is solemn and stirring, its meaning comprehensive and its wording concise.
The latter feels weary and constrained, its meaning pressed tight and its wording more elaborate.
When comparing the viewpoints and details between the two, many believe the later memorial to be a forgery.
However, others argue that the shift in style reflects the Prime Minister's state of mind after the failure of the first Northern Campaign.
As for the debate over authenticity, we can set it aside for now.
When we reach the Six Expeditions to Qishan, we can discuss it in detail, since it also involves strategic considerations with Wu, and that is quite a large topic.
But setting all that aside, the Later Memorial is still worth appreciating.]
"So complicated?"
Zhang Fei chose the most direct approach. He stepped closer to Zhuge Liang and began fanning him with exaggerated attentiveness.
"Kongming, did you write this Later Memorial?"
"Yide," Zhuge Liang said with a helpless smile, "I cannot even write the earlier one now."
Ma Liang silently read through it once and gave his assessment. "The opening line, The Han and the traitors cannot coexist, and the royal enterprise cannot remain confined to one corner, is sound in its intent."
"But the style later on does not match," Jiang Wan added. "Take this line alone, Doubts fill the mind, difficulties choke the chest; if we do not fight this year, we will not campaign next year. The wording is overly dense, and quite different from the earlier memorial."
"But perhaps the first Northern Campaign ended in too disastrous a defeat," Guan Ping suggested. "If one were to suffer such a loss, it is not impossible for one's temperament to change."
Among generals, such transformations were not unheard of.
Ma Liang shook his head. "The Lightscreen's later generations hold the strategist in high regard. If he could be crushed by a single defeat, how would there be six expeditions to Qishan?"
The hall went still. Even the people of later generations could not settle the matter, so what could they possibly conclude now? By the Lightscreen's timeline, the Prime Minister would not even write this for another twenty years.
"In any case, we will record it," Liu Bei decided. "Especially the earlier Memorial on the Expedition, which truly deserves its reputation. It should be studied daily."
[Lightscreen]
[Whenever one speaks of the Memorial on the Expedition, one must speak of the Prime Minister Zhuge. The memorial lays out the situation of Shu Han with remarkable clarity.
Because it is required reading in school, young people often debate the Prime Minister, raising familiar arguments:
With such talent, would it not have been better to serve Cao Wei and become a high official? Would it not have been better to follow Liu Bei's last command and replace Liu Shan? Would it not have been better to hold Hanzhong, avoid the Northern Campaigns, and maintain a peaceful small state? Why insist on such stubborn loyalty to an incapable A-Dou?]
Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and only smiled. Such questions were not even worth answering in his eyes, and he trusted that later generations would not truly accept such shallow reasoning.
Liu Bei, however, found the phrase incapable A-Dou once again painfully grating.
[Lightscreen]
[To be honest, all these options seem easy, and their benefits appear obvious.
But if he had followed Cao Cao, he would have been no more than another Guo Jia or Xun Yu. If he had replaced Liu Shan and taken control of Shu Han, he would have been nothing more than another Sima Yi.
To sit in a peaceful small state while ignoring the threat of Cao Wei would be nothing but self-deception.
Precisely because he was the Prime Minister, he never chose the easy paths, nor did he walk the bright and effortless roads.
He was a torch cutting through thorns at the front, a lighthouse that never goes out upon a sea of fog, a loyal minister striving to carry forward the flame of the Han.
He was never a foolishly loyal servant of Liu Shan. He was Liu Shan's elder, Liu Shan's Imperial Tutor. Their relationship was that of ruler and minister, yet more than that.
He was not blindly loyal to Liu Shan, nor blindly loyal to Liu Bei. From beginning to end, he was loyal to the cause of the Han itself, bending his body to the task until death, without regret.]
"Those words are true," Zhang Fei said in full agreement. "If it were only about choosing the easy path, then why did our elder brother not simply surrender to that Cao thief in the first place?"
"Second Brother struck down Yan Liang and shook the realm. If he only sought comfort, why go through such hardship to leave Cao Cao and return to us?"
"Imperial Tutor..." Liu Bei murmured, turning the words over in his mind as he pieced together the course of his life shown by the Lightscreen.
A-Dou was still young now and remained by his side, but in the years ahead the wars would grow ever more intense, with battles across Yizhou, Xiang River, and Hanzhong.
His second brother would fall, he himself would proclaim emperor and march against Wu for revenge, and in the end he would be defeated at Baidi, entrusting everything to Zhuge Liang.
What Zhuge Liang inherited was not only the wreckage left behind by the defeat at Yiling, but also a son who had reached his teens under insufficient guidance.
If that was the case, then the fall of the Han, though outwardly the fault of A-Dou, had its root within himself?
Liu Bei reached out and patted Zhuge Liang's arm, his heart heavy with guilt.
At that moment, the Lightscreen showed two young scholars passing by. Their youthful voices drifted through the screen and into the hall.
[Server Chat Log]
[NoobSlayer_XxX: Mid-lane Kongming is legendary, but top-lane Liu Shan is AFK! How are we supposed to play this?
Toxic_Potato77: Look at General Yue's situation with that 'son of a turtle Wanyan Gou'. Feeding kills is worse than being AFK! Truly, curse his ancestors.
Toxic_Potato77: True. Compared to that guy, Liu Shan is practically an enlightened ruler... Hey, do you think the Prime Minister's dream succeeded?
Lagging_Philosopher: What dream?
Toxic_Potato77: The Han. Are we not all Han people now?
NoobSlayer_XxX: Huh… yeah. I guess it did?]