"A-Dou really turned out useless."
The small side hall fell into heavy silence.
Zhang Fei had spoken without thinking, as usual—but Liu Bei chose to let it slide.
It was still winter, so a brazier burned steadily in the hall. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Zhuge Liang sat kneeling around a low table. On it were sour plums, dried persimmons, flatbread, and bowls of hot tea.
Zhuge Liang had copied the words revealed by the mysterious light screen into three booklets, just enough for everyone present.
Liu Bei sighed.
The screen hadn't revealed much, but the words "Liu Shan surrendered to Wei, bringing about the fall of Shu" pierced his heart like a thorn.
"Your lordship needn't dwell on it," Zhuge Liang said gently. "Perhaps A-Dou was a benevolent ruler who surrendered only to spare the people from war."
"That… would at least make sense," Liu Bei said slowly. "But…"
Zhuge Liang understood instantly.
His lord had stumbled upon another thorn—claiming the throne.
Liu Bei had always seen himself as a restorer of the Han. To learn that he would one day proclaim himself emperor—only to have his state destroyed—made it feel less like emulating the Duke of Zhou, and more like… Wang Mang.
It was hard to accept.
"Has Your Lordship considered how the screen addressed Cao Cao?" Zhuge Liang asked with a smile.
Liu Bei thought for a moment. "It called Wei a state—just like it called Shu Han a state."
"Exactly." Zhuge Liang tapped the table lightly. "The screen said the Three Kingdoms were all losers. Setting Jin aside for now, if later generations call this era the Three Kingdoms, then Cao Cao's line and the Sun family must also have proclaimed themselves emperors."
"So even they abandoned the Han…" Liu Bei murmured.
If he had heard of Cao and Sun declaring themselves emperors before, he would have exploded in fury. But now, knowing all three states would eventually be swallowed by Jin, he found himself unexpectedly calm.
"Restoring the Han still depends on Big Brother," Zhang Fei said casually while chewing on a persimmon.
Liu Bei felt a flicker of warmth. At least his sworn brother still believed in him.
"Just a shame A-Dou turned out so useless," Zhang Fei added.
Liu Bei's face darkened again.
Could we skip this topic already?!
"Most likely," Zhuge Liang said, half-deducing, half-speculating, "Cao Cao followed Wang Mang's path and founded Wei; Your Lordship, as a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, raised the banner of Han once more; and the Sun family, unwilling to fall behind, crowned themselves as well. Thus, three states stood side by side."
"And in the end," Zhang Fei said after another bite of persimmon, "you, Cao Wei, and Wu all went down together—handing everything over to Jin."
Liu Bei suddenly lost his appetite. He thought maybe he should've just let his third brother go drink himself unconscious today.
"Enough of this gloomy talk," Zhang Fei suddenly shouted, standing up. "Didn't the Strategist say we're here to figure out how to save Second Brother?"
"That is correct," Zhuge Liang nodded. "Guan Yu, you and General Zhang fought at Nan Commandery. What did you think of Lü Meng?"
Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. "A brave general."
Zhuge Liang nodded.
Coming from Guan Yu, that already said a lot. Brave meant exactly that—courage without strategic depth. A man like that was dangerous in battle, but predictable.
Zhang Fei immediately caught on. "So the real mastermind is Lu Xun—the one who burned Big Brother to death?"
Liu Bei: "..."
Guan Yu stopped stroking his beard and shot Zhang Fei a look. "Third Brother. Shut up."
Zhuge Liang smoothly steered the conversation away. "Lu Xun is clearly talented. Yet none of us had heard of him before. Why?"
"You didn't meet him when you went to Wu?" Liu Bei asked curiously.
Zhuge Liang refilled his tea and spoke slowly. "The screen said Lu Xun represented the Jiangdong great clans. That limits his origin to one place—the Lu clan of Wu Commandery."
"I did meet several Lu family members. Lu Ji was learned, Lu Mao had a fine reputation in the countryside, and there was one man serving at Sun Quan's side named Lu Yi. But never once did I hear the name Lu Xun."
The hall fell silent.
Lü Meng was still just a muscle-brained general.
Lu Xun—the man who would doom both Guan Yu and Liu Bei—didn't even seem to exist yet.
It was like punching at empty air.
"At least there's good news," Liu Bei said, rubbing his face. "The next ten years are… how did the screen put it?"
"A period of rapid expansion," Zhao Yun replied. "You take Jing and Yi Provinces. Ma Chao and Huang Zhong join us. Later, we fight Wei again—General Huang kills Xiahou Yuan, and Lord Guan floods the Seven Armies."
Zhang Fei blinked.
I'm a top-tier general too, you know.
Why didn't the screen mention me at all?
Blatant favoritism! I demand justice!
He was just about to protest when Guan Yu glanced at him. Zhang Fei immediately shut his mouth.
Liu Bei, meanwhile, was delighted.
Flood the Seven Armies!
My second brother truly is unmatched beneath Heaven!
Huang Zhong slays Xiahou Yuan!
What a fierce old general—wait.
"Strategist," Liu Bei asked suddenly, "didn't we meet Huang Zhong at Governor Liu Biao's residence before? Wasn't he already quite old?"
"That's correct," Zhuge Liang replied without hesitation. "He was sixty at the time."
"Sixty!" Liu Bei exclaimed. "And still that mighty?"
An idea sparked in his mind.
Instead of waiting for talent to come to him—why not go recruit them directly?
The light screen had practically handed him a list of future legends.
Take Lu Xun, for instance. Instead of letting him rot in Wu's internal strife, why not secretly bring him over to aid the restoration of Han?
Liu Bei's blood began to stir—but he restrained himself. This would require careful discussion with the Strategist later.
Just then, bored out of his mind, Zhang Fei kept reading ahead.
The line "afraid your brother suffers, yet afraid he drives a Land Rover" left him utterly confused.
What's a "Road Tiger"? Why does one drive it?
But the next line made him shout aloud.
"Big Brother! Since when did Sun Quan become your brother-in-law?!"
Zhuge Liang remained calm. Marriage alliances among great families were nothing unusual—especially after Red Cliffs, when the Sun–Liu alliance had grown close.
"Second General," Zhuge Liang asked lightly, "do you think the Lord of Wu's sister is unworthy of His Lordship?"
Zhang Fei shook his head hard. "My brother is a hero of the age! How could that two-faced, green-eyed thief deserve to be his brother-in-law?"
"If I see that traitorous brat again, I'd have to bow and scrape like a junior! Just thinking about it makes my blood boil!"
"And hold on—Big Brother, were you busy finding me a sister-in-law during the Battle of Red Cliffs?!"