Some folks were busy drowning in sadness, and some were out here finding real joy.
If you actually counted the days, Zhao A had only been in the army for barely a year. But when he thought about his old life as a poor farmer back in Zigui County, it felt like something from ten years ago.
He remembered his tiny courtyard that stayed dirty no matter how much he swept. He remembered his rickety house where dirt rained on his head even on sunny days. He remembered his straw bed that had turned into itchy dust from use. He remembered the cracked clay pot he hid under his bed with all his savings, which was not even enough to buy a decent pair of shoes.
He remembered distant relatives who cut ties the moment his parents passed. He remembered the neighborhood aunties gossiping at the alley entrance every single afternoon.
He remembered weeds taking over his fields no matter how hard he worked. He remembered taxes that sucked every last coin right out of his pockets.
Zhao A had left all that behind.
Ever since he signed up, he had felt like a new person.
He had walked into Jiangling City and dropped a hundred coins just to eat like a king. He had stood his ground in the Han River, fighting off Cao Cao's troops and earning real military credit. He had walked through the bloody mud of Fancheng, gathering his fallen brothers so they could get a proper send-off. He had even taught northern refugees farming tricks he had learned growing up.
Only now, standing in the freezing winter air, did he finally get that look old man Li used to give him.
Back in Zigui, Zhao A used to complain nonstop about how boring life was.
Old man Li would just shake his head, give a sad smile, and say refugees freezing to death up north would kill for a life that "boring and peaceful."
Back then, Zhao A thought the old man was just spouting nonsense to shut him up. Now he knew better.
Funny thing was, old man Li was from up north in Yanzhou. He had run south to escape the killing, ended up with a small boat following Liu Bei all the way to Chengdu's mountains.
Meanwhile, Zhao A was as southern as they came, and here he was, marching north with Guan Yu, set on smashing through to the capital and clearing out the bandits there.
Zhao A could not read much yet. He did not have fancy words for big thoughts. He just thought the whole thing was pretty funny.
Before he could finish daydreaming, something sharp hit the top of his head and yanked him back to reality.
"Zhao A! The fire is out! What in the world are you staring at?"
Zhao Lei, the military inspector doing his rounds, had just flicked him with his knuckles.
Zhao A scrambled forward in a panic. He grabbed a pile of dry twigs, tossed them under the iron pot, and fanned the embers like his life depended on it. After blowing ash everywhere for a solid minute, he finally got the flames going again.
He lifted the wooden lid, skimmed off the gray foam floating on top, and turned to the inspector with a grin.
"Inspector Zhao saves my life again!"
Zhao Lei just shook his head.
"You had a little sniffle the other day," he corrected. "Even if I had not given you that medicine powder, you would have been fine after two days in bed."
He looked at the shivering soldier and sighed.
"You southern boys are all the same. You have no idea what a real northern winter is like. Your body freaks out the first time around. It is normal."
Zhao A just laughed it off.
"People die from cold all the time! Besides, I took your medicine, and then I got better. That is definitely saving my life, Great Inspector Zhao!"
He grabbed a wooden bowl.
"Here. Let me serve you some hot meat broth to warm those bones."
Zhao Lei did not know whether to laugh or scold him more.
"Chief Strategist Xu's deer meat is in that pot," he pointed out. "Why are you out here tending the fire anyway? Where are all the actual cooks?"
At the mention of his squad, Zhao A's smile dropped. His shoulders slumped.
"Everyone else went home for New Year," he mumbled, poking the fire with a stick. "Left me here by myself."
It was already the twelfth lunar month.
After taking and securing Jingzhou, Guan Yu and Xu Shu had looked at their troops and realized most were local boys. So they had shaken things up to boost morale and help the local economy get back on its feet.
Guan Yu sent his toughest veterans to guard Duyang, the northern gate to Jingzhou. Mixed vets and new recruits were posted at Wancheng. And for any soldier from Jingzhou who had a home to go to or ancestors to visit up north, they got official leave to head home for the festival.
They had beaten Cao Cao this year. Every single man in the army had earned merit and a bonus. Going home meant strutting back as rich, victorious heroes.
And it was all part of the plan. These guys would spread the word about Liu Bei's kindness, Guan Yu's smarts, all the wins in Jingzhou, and rumors from the Hanzhong front. Like planting seeds all over the place.
Hearing about Zhao A's missing squad, Zhao Lei suddenly remembered something.
"Wait a second. Did you not say your family is from Zigui..."
He stopped mid sentence. He saw the empty look in the young soldier's eyes and understood right away. No one was waiting for Zhao A in Zigui. No home to go back to.
Zhao Lei put a hand on his shoulder.
"Then you will celebrate New Year right here with us," he said warmly.
Zhao A nodded, feeling the tight knot in his chest loosen just a bit. He remembered old man Li saying Liu Bei had also run away from his home up north. Which meant...
"Inspector Zhao," he asked quietly, looking up, "you and General Guan have not been back to your hometowns in ages either, right?"
Zhao Lei looked up at the gray sky. Nostalgia hit his weathered face.
"Exactly nine years since I saw my place," he said softly.
He glanced toward the command tent.
"General Guan? It has been over twenty years since he set foot in his village."
Twenty years. Zhao A sat there quiet. He was barely twenty himself. The general had been away from home longer than Zhao A had been alive.
Zhao A jumped to his feet, his eyes burning with determination.
"Inspector Zhao! You saved my life!" he declared dramatically. "I swear I will fight to the bitter end! I will throw myself into battle for the General! I will carve a path all the way to your hometowns with my own two hands!"
He was so proud of himself. He had finally found a heroic way to pay back the men who had been good to him.
A new voice cut through his big speech.
"Who said anything about you throwing yourself into battle?"
Xu Shu walked into the clearing. He went right past the posing soldier, lifted the pot lid, and peered inside. He let out a snort of amusement.
"Lord Liu Bei does not want you dying for him," he lectured, still staring at the stew. "Your real orders are to stay alive, stay healthy, find a nice girl, and make some babies."
He grabbed a long chopstick.
"You need to survive until the world is peaceful," he went on like it was obvious. "Then you get yourself a solid house, fifty acres of good land, and a wife who will keep you in line. That is what a real Han Dynasty man is supposed to do."
Holding the lid in one hand, he stabbed the chopstick into a chunk of venison to check if it was done.
Zhao A blinked. He could not even imagine a future that calm and far away. Instead, his brain latched onto something that did not add up.
"But Chief Strategist Xu," he said innocently, "you do not have a wife either!"
An awkward silence fell over the campfire.
A few minutes later, Zhao A was officially banned from cooking forever. He had been reassigned to guard duty on the coldest corner of the entire camp.
Rubbing the red mark on his forehead where a chopstick had smacked him, he stood shivering in the wind, completely confused.
"Okay, I get why I cannot find a wife. I am broke," he muttered to himself. "But how come a Chief Strategist cannot find someone? And if he is having trouble, he should just say so! I was not going to laugh at him or anything!"
Meanwhile, deep inside Wancheng's administrative manor.
Guan Yu sat behind an oak desk, stroking his beard while Zhao Lei told him what happened by the campfire. When Zhao Lei reached the end of the story, Guan Yu threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"That Zigui kid has a point!" he boomed, wiping tears from his eyes. "Big Brother is on a roll. It is high time Yuanzhi thought about settling down and starting a family!"
Across the room, Xu Shu looked uncomfortable. He waved his hands to change the subject.
"I just have not found the right person yet," he said quickly, his face a little red. "Can we please talk about this later?"
Desperate to move on, he pointed at the big map on the table.
"More importantly," he said, his tone shifting to serious, "we have to remember we won Jingzhou mostly because of our huge warships."
He tapped the blue lines showing rivers.
"Those giants let us cut off Fancheng completely. We controlled the whole campaign because of them. Speed won us this fight."
He looked at Guan Yu with a serious face.
"But if we push further north, the rivers get too shallow. Our big ships will not work at all. Plus we have word that Sun Quan and Cao Cao might be teaming up against us. We cannot get cocky."
Watching normally calm Xu Shu sweat and scramble back to military talk made Guan Yu even happier. Though he knew the strategic stuff was serious.
"Before May next year, we will be in a huge fight," Guan Yu said firmly.
His reasoning was simple. It was all about the weather.
By April at the latest, the dry season ends and the rains come. Until then, the Yu River is too low. The big ships would get stuck in the mud.
Cao Cao's spies might not know exactly how deep the ships need, but he was not stupid. He would definitely attack before the rains came, to make sure they could not use their navy.
"I think March or April," Xu Shu added. "Even if he bribes Jiangdong to stay quiet, his grain stores are low. If he moves an army in January or February, just keeping his men from freezing would eat up all his supplies."
With the timeline set, they got down to business.
Guan Yu, Xu Shu, and Zhao Lei huddled over the map under flickering oil lamps, talking troop movements, supply routes, and good places to set up defenses. They ran through every possible scenario for spring.
It was not until a guard came in to trim the lamp wicks that they realized it was pitch black outside. The sun had been down for hours.
The pot of venison stew Xu Shu had brought in was stone cold in the corner. No one had taken a single bite.
Guan Yu rubbed his stomach. He was suddenly starving.
"None of us have eaten a thing," he announced. He turned to the guard. "Take this pot back to the kitchen, heat it up good and hot, and then bring it right back."
He paused for a second.
"And when you come back, find that soldier Zhao A. Tell him to come eat with us."
The guard saluted, grabbed the heavy pot, and marched out.
The trimmed lamps cast warm light over the map, now covered in charcoal marks and Xu Shu's neat handwriting listing plans, supplies, and tactics.
Guan Yu checked everything over. Satisfied they had covered all bases, he let out a breath and smiled.
"We can finish the details later," he said warmly. "For now, we just need to enjoy a peaceful New Year."
Hearing that, Xu Shu let out a real smile.
"Last year I spent New Year all alone," he said softly, his eyes full of gratitude. "Having good friends with me this year means more than I can say."
Guan Yu laughed again.
"My wife sent a letter two days ago," he beamed. "She is coming here with the kids. They will be in Wancheng soon, and we will celebrate together as a family."
He clapped Xu Shu on the shoulder.
"We will save you a seat at the table, Yuanzhi."
Xu Shu suddenly looked nervous.
Is it really okay for me to crash their family dinner?
Even though he tried to say no nicely, when New Year's Eve finally arrived, Guan Yu practically dragged him by the collar into the temporary manor in Wancheng.
Eldest son Guan Ping was stuck guarding Duyang and could not make it. But waiting at the table were Guan Yu's quiet wife, his younger son, and his toddler daughter.
After a great dinner, everyone relaxed.
Xu Shu and Guan Yu sat on mats sipping hot tea. Lady Guan rocked her little girl, humming a lullaby to get her to sleep. Young Guan Xing sat in the corner, completely focused on reading a military book, an expensive scroll Xu Shu had given him as a gift.
Inside the manor, it was perfectly peaceful.
Outside the thick walls, Wancheng was going wild. Thanks to all the supplies from Jiangling and loot from Cao Cao's army, the soldiers were throwing one heck of a party.
There were dances to scare away evil spirits. Firecrackers popped like thunder. Bored soldiers wrestled and juggled, drawing locals out of their homes, nervous at first but soon joining in the fun.
Sitting in the warm room, listening to muffled cheers outside, Xu Shu felt all his stress melt away. No more thinking about battles, supplies, or enemies.
Listening to Lady Guan's soft humming, exhaustion hit him hard. His eyelids grew heavy.
Maybe asking the Lord to help me find someone nice and finally settle down is not such a crazy idea after all.
That was the last thing he thought before his head tilted back against the pillar and he fell asleep.
Guan Yu watched him quietly, finished his tea, then looked at his wife and held a finger to his lips.
He stood up gently, grabbed his fur cloak from a stand, and carefully draped it over Xu Shu.
Looking down at his friend, he let out a soft sigh.
He thought about everything Xu Shu had done this past year. Escaping from locked-up Xuchang. Dealing with Jiangdong's politics. Traveling all the way to Yizhou. Rushing back for the siege. And now planning for next spring like his life depended on it.
Xuchang. The city where Xu Shu had wasted years locked up and useless.
You could tell the man was in a hurry, trying to make up for all that lost time.
For tonight, at least, you deserve to rest.
---
Miles away, a world far removed from that warm peace stretched out under a cold sky.
Inside a sprawling and gloomy aristocratic estate in Jianye city, an elderly woman let out a quiet sigh full of heartbreak. She stood in the hallway shadows, watching her son Lu Su from behind.
He sat alone in the main reception hall, kneeling on a mat with his back held rigid and straight.
A mother knows her child's heart better than anyone alive.
She remembered the Lu Su of his youth. He was vibrant and fiercely intelligent, traveling across the land with grand visions filling his head. She remembered the fire in his eyes when he first met the legendary Zhou Yu, speaking with passion about uniting the realm under one banner.
When Zhou Yu died suddenly, the light in her son's eyes dimmed. In its place came a crushing weight of duty. When the massive Jiangdong army suffered a humiliating defeat at Hefei, her son sank into deep depression.
No, that was not quite right.
She remembered his face when he first returned from the disaster at Hefei. His emotions had been chaotic. There was deep disappointment yes, but also burning frustration and an unyielding refusal to give up.
He still had fight left in him then.
The true breaking point came later, after a private meeting behind closed doors with Marquis Sun Quan.
When Lu Su came home from that specific meeting, he looked like a dead man walking. He had changed completely.
If the old Lu Su was a sharp and brilliant sword forged to protect the realm, the man sitting in the hall right now was a broken blade left to rust away.
Seeing her son hollowed out like this had planted a quiet hatred in the old woman's heart for Marquis Sun Quan.
Today was New Year's Eve. After picking at a joyless dinner, Lu Su had returned to the empty reception hall. He knelt there in freezing air, staring blankly at the closed front gates as if waiting for someone.
But who could he be waiting for? Who would visit a political outcast on such a holiday?
The only sound in the estate was bitter winter wind howling through the empty courtyard, slamming against wooden doors like a mournful ghost passing by.
The last pale light of sunset vanished behind distant mountains, and the world plunged into darkness.
The old woman quietly walked into the hall and began lighting oil lamps. She looked at her son's straight back and sighed once more.
Suddenly, loud and heavy pounding echoed from the front gates.
Lu Su jolted as if struck by lightning. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted across the courtyard to throw the doors open.
His mother paused by a lamp. The front gates were close enough that she could hear voices clearly through the cold night air.
"Xingba?" Lu Su's voice held clear confusion.
"What?" A rough and cynical voice shot back. "Are you not happy to see me?"
"No, it is not that. It is just..."
"Sun Quan is having a big party at the palace right now," the rough voice said. "And you are not on the list."
A long and agonizing silence followed.
"...I know," Lu Su finally whispered.
"The guests of honor at his little party are official envoys from the north. Cao Cao's men."
Another crushing silence filled the air.
"Look, I am not going to come inside," Gan Ning muttered. "Just take care of yourself alright? And if you ever decide you want out. You know where to find me."
"...There is no need for that," Lu Su replied, his voice completely flat and dead. "You take care of yourself as well Xingba. Watch your back."
The heavy wooden doors slammed shut.
Lu Su walked slowly back into the main hall, looking completely empty inside. He sank back onto his mat, and his posture was no longer rigid or straight. His shoulders slumped in total defeat.
Seeing the sheer panic and concern on his mother's face, Lu Su desperately tried to force a reassuring smile onto his lips.
"You should go to bed Mother," Lu Su croaked. "I still have some administrative matters I need to attend to."
She knew her son well, and she knew how impossibly stubborn he could be. She merely nodded, offered a quiet word of comfort, and turned to leave the hall.
She walked a few paces down the corridor and stopped, hidden once more in shadows.
A moment later, a single heartbroken sob echoed through the empty hall behind her. It sounded like a man shattering into pieces.
The old woman clutched fabric over her chest. It felt like her own heart was being squeezed tight.
As she walked slowly back to her bedroom, her mind raced. She thought about Gan Ning, the rough pirate who had just paid a visit.
If my son went to find him, what would actually happen?
She had lived in Jiangdong's political snake pit for a long time. She was not blind or deaf. She knew perfectly well that Gan Ning was an outsider, deeply disliked and mistrusted by Sun Quan and the native aristocracy.
If Lu Su went to Gan Ning for help, it would have absolutely nothing to do with seeking favors from Sun Quan.
There was only one reason Gan Ning would offer that kind of help.
He wants to smuggle my son out of Jiangdong.
Standing alone in the dark corridor, the old woman took a deep breath. Her eyes hardened, and she made a decision.
Compared to the geopolitical shifts moving like massive plates in the east, the sprawling province of Yizhou operated with the smooth and rhythmic precision of a well oiled machine.
Everything moved exactly according to the meticulous master plan drafted by Zhuge Liang.
The New Year festival in Chengdu was a massive and incredibly loud celebration.
During the formal New Year's Day state banquet, political drama was noticeably absent. Not a single fool tried to pull a stunt for cheap political gain. This was a stark contrast to the previous year, when arrogant scholar Li Miao had completely embarrassed himself.
After the banquet toasts, powerful aristocratic families of Chengdu showed perfect obedience. Every major clan voluntarily offered up their brightest and most talented young heirs and nephews, formally recommending them for service directly under General Chen Dao.
Chen Dao possessed absolutely zero political tact or mercy, and he happily accepted the aristocratic recruits. He immediately threw the soft and luxury obsessed rich kids into brutal military boot camp. He trained them so hard they were literally crying for their mothers by the second day.
Despite the sheer physical hardship, not one of the young lords dared to quit.
The reason was simple. Before being handed over to the military, family patriarchs had given them a terrifying ultimatum.
If you desert your post, Imperial Uncle Liu Bei will execute you, and the family will publicly disown your corpse.
Through a mix of economic incentives and political pressure, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang had finally taken Yizhou's chaotic and fractured factions and twisted them together into a single unbreakable rope.
By the end of the first lunar month, high command gathered again in Chengdu's main administrative hall. Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and Pang Tong sat around the table.
"Are you officially moving your command center to Hanzhong next month My Lord?" Pang Tong asked.
They used the quiet time before daily activation of the future light screen to handle standard administrative business.
"Chengdu is finally stable," Liu Bei said, nodding with satisfaction. "We just need to leave one capable man behind to keep things running."
Liu Bei looked back over the past year in disbelief.
They had revolutionized the agricultural sector and built massive new irrigation systems. They had launched a lightning fast military campaign to pacify southern barbarian tribes. They had fought a shadow war of political maneuvering against entrenched aristocratic families.
Looking back, Liu Bei honestly could not comprehend how they had accomplished so much in just one year.
And then there was Zhuge Liang. The man's schedule defied all human biology.
Zhuge Liang managed entire geopolitical strategy. He audited the provincial treasury. He personally supervised establishment of the state run brocade weaving industry, massive new iron foundries, highly classified sugar refinement plants, a secret paper mill and the new coal...