"Cao Cao certainly had no shortage of extraordinary talents under his banner," Kongming remarked, shaking his head with a touch of unabashed envy in his voice.
Liu Bei's thoughts drifted, and he suddenly recalled the man who had once recommended Kongming to him.
"I wonder how Yuanzhi is doing these days."
Pang Tong lowered his voice slightly.
"If I remember correctly, Guangyuan also went over to Cao Cao's camp with Yuanzhi, did he not?"
Shi Tao, courtesy name Guangyuan, had often associated with Kongming and Pang Tong back in Jing Province, and was also a close friend of Xu Shu.
"Guangyuan is a man of integrity." Kongming's expression dimmed slightly as he thought of his old friend.
But he quickly steadied himself and continued.
"Their abilities are no less than Liu Ziyang. In Xudu, they should be receiving proper recognition."
Jian Yong suddenly cut in with a snort.
"That may not be the case."
"During my trip through Yong and Liang, I met an envoy from Cao Cao coming out of Xudu. Under the pretext of asking about old acquaintances, I inquired about Yuanzhi."
"He spoke with clear disdain, saying both Yuanzhi and Shi Tao were merely Court Gentlemen and Attendant Officials, their reputation exceeding their actual worth."
Kongming and Pang Tong exchanged a glance.
They understood their old friend's capabilities better than anyone. That single look was enough. Neither spoke further, yet both had already made a quiet decision in their hearts.
---
[Lightscreen]
[At this point, it was hard to tell if Cao Pi was genuinely dim-witted or just putting on an act. He responded to the strategic advice with a tone of self-righteous indignation:
'The man has already surrendered, yet you want me to attack him? Are you trying to ruin my reputation? Why shouldn't I just help Sun Quan fight Liu Bei instead?'
Liu Ye suppressed the urge to kick Cao Pi in the head and patiently explained:
"Yizhou lies far behind natural defenses. If we send troops there, Liu Bei will simply withdraw. What can we achieve?"
Right now, Liu Bei has lost his mind in his quest for revenge. If we strike at the Jiangdong region, Liu Bei will definitely jump in to twist the knife alongside us rather than help Sun Quan defend. This is the ultimate opportunity!'
The reasoning was solid, the prospects bright.
But unfortunately, the Emperor did not listen.
Instead, he enfeoffed Sun Quan as King of Wu.
Liu Ye still wanted to accomplish something, so he stepped forward once more in opposition.
"If you grant him the title of King of Wu, then the people of Jiangdong will naturally become his rightful subjects. When we later attack, we will lose the moral justification."
"It would be better to grant him only a general's title. Then, when he inevitably oversteps proper ritual bounds, we can campaign against him with full legitimacy."
The advice was brilliant, but once again, 'The Emperor did not listen.' There was nothing left to be done.]
---
"Hahahaha!"
Zhang Fei burst into loud laughter.
"So Cao Cao actually managed to produce a Song Xianggong?"
Liu Bei suppressed his lingering thoughts about Xu Shu for the moment, intending to discuss the matter with Kongming later that night. Hearing Zhang Fei's remark, he shook his head.
"Song Xianggong may have been stubbornly foolish, but he still upheld a sense of righteousness."
"Cao Pi is merely obsessed with empty reputation."
Even Pang Tong could not help but feel a trace of sympathy.
"He refuses wise counsel and insists on acting arbitrarily. A stubborn and self-willed man."
"A ruler like this turns Liu Ziyang's talent into a joke for the ages."
Only then did everyone fully understand why the Light Screen had said Liu Ye became famous precisely because his strategies were never adopted.
Jian Yong chuckled.
"After Hanzhong, Liu Ziyang likely concluded that Cao Cao was not a wise lord. So under Cao Pi, he exerted himself even more."
"If he could help Wei unify the realm, he might yet have become a celebrated minister through the ages."
Zhang Fei immediately chimed in.
"And who would have thought, this Cao Pi really is Cao Cao's son through and through."
The hall erupted in laughter.
---
[Lightscreen]
[The reason history views the Battle of Yiling as Liu Bei gambling with destiny is that he was essentially dragging Sun Wu into a mutual destruction pact to lure Cao Wei into the fray.
If Cao Wei had struck, Sun Wu would have been trapped between two fires, unable to hold their ground.
In Liu Bei's script, Sun Quan would have been forced to bow his head and beg for peace once more just to survive. With Cao Wei's armies pressing down on Jiangdong, the very survival of Sun Wu would have depended on the choice of the First Sovereign.
This was a 'play it by ear' script, riddled with uncertainties. Liu Ye understood the gamble, which is why his advice was to strike straight at Jiangling. Taking Jiangling would prevent Liu Bei from snatching up Jiangdong territory in the chaos and provide a springboard to stab into the heart of the South.
Liu Ye's plan was highly executable. If Cao Pi had taken it, the era of the Three Kingdoms would likely have ended decades earlier.
Liu Bei's plan was a grand gamble at the end of his life because, by this point, Cao Wei had already usurped the throne; the two sides were like fire and water. Cao Wei wouldn't help Shu Han gain ground, nor would they do their work for them. Even if Sun Wu had been destroyed, it would have been harder for Shu Han to stand against Wei alone.
But Liu Bei never could have imagined that Cao Cao's successor would be... like this.
This entire gamble was essentially Liu Bei throwing seductive glances at a blind man.
This also answers the previous question: What was Liu Bei waiting for during those six months of stalemate?
He was buying as much time as possible for Cao Wei to move. But Lu Xun's precision strike ended the Battle of Yiling prematurely, cutting off all of Liu Bei's hopes.]
---
This plan was far too reckless!" Kongming said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"But it was the only plan left to restore the Han House!" Pang Tong countered sharply.
Kongming shot him a sidelong glance. Contradicting me again, are we? Let's see what you have to say. "Pray, Shiyuan, enlighten us!"
Pang Tong remained completely unfazed.
"Jiangling's twin cities were forged into an impregnable stronghold by Yunchang. Even advancing from Yiling, capturing it would not be easy."
Guan Yu stroked his beard silently, though his thoughts drifted to Mi Fang. Without that betrayal, things might have been very different.
Pang Tong continued without pause.
When Cao Cao held Jiangling, Sun Quan said nothing. But the moment Yunchang held it, he claimed it was the 'lifeblood of Jiangdong,' as if the betrayal at Xiangfan was some tragic necessity. Utterly shameless!
Why didn't Sun Quan go tell the Cao Cao that Hefei was the 'gateway to Jiangdong' and ask him to hand it over? He simply took advantage of an ally to stab them in the back."
"The roads in Yizhou Province are nonexistent; mobilizing troops is a nightmare. For our Lord, Jiangling is the key to sending the wealth of Yizhou Province downstream to Jingzhou Province. It is the vital organ for restoring the Han."
"Now that Jiangdong has seized both cities through betrayal, Yizhou Province will never be able to take them back by force. Better to draw Wei into the conflict and seize Jiangling amid the chaos."
"Otherwise, even if Guanzhong is regained, Jiangdong holding Jiangling will always harbor rebellious intentions. The moment Wei weakens, Wu will repeatedly turn against us to restrain Shu Han."
"With Jiangling, Yizhou lives. Without it, Yizhou faces a slow death."
Kongming frowned and pondered for a long time before finally speaking.
"This is no different from seizing food from a tiger's mouth."
Pang Tong let out a soft scoff.
"I can see from the map on the Light Screen just how crucial Jiangling is to Yizhou Province. Kongming, with your ability, could you truly not have seen this during Yiling?"
"You simply placed restoring the Han above all else and were unwilling to lose an ally. But a man like Sun Quan, cunning and fickle, will inevitably betray us. If betrayal is certain either way, then better to seize his lifeline first and force him into hesitation because of fear."
Kongming fell silent.
Of course he understood. But he also knew that one state alone could not suppress Cao Cao.
Did I really show too much forbearance to Jiangdong?
Kongming wondered, a seed of doubt finally taking root.
"And according to this Light Screen, once Sun Quan secures victory at Yiling, he will never honor his submission."
Pang Tong pointed at the screen, utterly confident.
---
[Lightscreen]
[After the Battle of Yiling, Cao Pi polished his jade crown tassels and had his imperial robes newly embroidered, preparing to receive Sun Quan's promised submission.
At that moment, Cao Pi was like a young village lad about to marry the most beautiful girl in ten counties, filled with excitement and nervous anticipation.
This was something even his father had never accomplished.
"I, Cao Pi, am no less than Cao Cao. I will bring glory to the Cao clan!"
But the pitiful Cao Pi was completely toyed with in Sun Quan's hands.
After his great victory at Yiling, Sun Quan simply used the letter of submission as toilet paper.
The court had already celebrated, Liu Ye had already advised, and the atmosphere had been fully built up.
And now, Sun Quan refused to play along.
Cao Pi could no longer maintain his composure. Like a pure-hearted boy who had been toyed with and then dumped by a manipulative courtesan, his face burned with humiliation and rage.
"Mobilize the army! Mobilize the army!"
He would make Sun Quan pay for his fickle betrayal.]