After a brief bout of chaos, the four remaining in the room sat down once more.
Zhang Fei had been cheerfully sent off to the kitchen by Liu Bei, leaving with a grin on his face and a spring in his step.
Wasn't Zhang Fei problem simple? Just find a chance and stab that Lü Meng to death with a spear, and that would settle it. It was a pity both the Military Advisor and elder brother refused. Perhaps he could find an opportunity himself and act first, report later?
With several straightforward thoughts circling in his mind, Zhang Fei decided that tonight he would drink until he could drink no more.
In the now quiet side hall, Liu Bei felt his head splitting with pain, yet he still had to offer an explanation.
"The Marquis of Wu does have a younger sister, but it is said she is cherished like a jewel in the palm, and she is not yet past twenty. How could she possibly be married to me?"
"My Lord must not belittle yourself," Zhuge Liang said with a bright laugh. "My Lord now governs Jingzhou as its Governor of a province, and in the future will pacify Yizhou and restore the Han dynasty. How could you not be considered a hero of the age?"
"My Lord need not dwell too much on it. It is best to let matters take their natural course."
Zhuge Liang did not finish his words, yet everyone present understood his meaning.
At the Battle of Changban, Lady Gan had fortunately survived, but the shock left her gravely ill, her health greatly diminished, requiring daily care.
At that same battle, Lady Mi, after entrusting A Dou to others, threw herself into a well and perished, a tragedy that still drew sighs.
Now, by Liu Bei's side, there was not a single person capable of attending to him with intimate care, and the position of principal wife remained vacant. If a new marriage could be arranged, the civil and military officials alike would feel far more at ease.
Liu Bei gave no clear response. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the final portion recorded by the light screen, which was also the content revealed anew that day, and its contents were indeed striking.
"Sun Shinwan? One hundred thousand troops driven back by eight hundred elite soldiers?"
Zhao Yun and Guan Yu were both seasoned veterans of the battlefield, and Zhuge Liang was well-versed in military affairs, yet upon seeing this information, all of them felt their understanding of warfare begin to waver.
"Sun Quan commanded one hundred thousand men. One hundred thousand. Even if they were one hundred thousand flatbreads, Zhang Liao could crouch there and eat for half a month before finishing them."
Zhuge Liang was the first to voice doubt. "Could it be that the records of later generations have grown inaccurate due to the great passage of time?"
"Eight hundred against one hundred thousand. Even if Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin were reborn, such a feat would be impossible."
Zhao Yun attempted to interpret it more literally.
"The one hundred thousand may be a nominal figure. The actual number could be sixty or eighty thousand, with perhaps no more than twenty thousand truly combat-capable soldiers. But even then, twenty thousand against eight hundred…"
Guan Yu stroked his beard and spoke after a moment of thought.
"The number of troops is not the sole factor that determines victory or defeat, just as at Redcliffs, Zhou Gongjin defeated Cao Cao's army of eight hundred thousand."
"Wenyuan and I are old acquaintances. He is a man who understands warfare. If he were leading eight hundred Bingzhou elite cavalry, and if the opposing commanders were of the same caliber as Cao Bao, then with Zhang Wenyuan charging at the forefront and fighting with fierce valor, a great victory would not be impossible."
Guan Yu spoke cautiously, yet after considering his reasoning, the others found that it might indeed be plausible.
A fierce general leading eight hundred fearless personal guards to strike at tens of thousands of disorganized troops, while the enemy commanders were incompetent, such an outcome no longer seemed entirely unbelievable.
Yet…
"Sun Quan, The Marquis of Wu later became comparable to Cao Bao?" Liu Bei asked in astonishment.
Cao Bao had left a deep impression on Liu Bei back in Xuzhou. First, he had led the elite Danyang troops only to be defeated by Xiahou Dun, and later he had opened the city gates to Lü Bu, resulting in the loss of Xuzhou.
A man of empty talk, cowardice, and duplicity, truly deserving of being called a fool, but how could such a person be mentioned in the same breath as Sun Quan?
"Elder brother must not forget what the light screen has said. In the future, the conflict between the Jianghuai faction and the Jiangdong great clans will only grow more intense," Guan Yu said, already glimpsing the truth.
"The great clans of Jiangdong rely largely on private soldiers. In battle, they will naturally be reluctant to commit their infantry to deadly combat. Seeing their hesitation, the Jianghuai faction will likewise refuse to risk their lives. In such a situation, before the battle has even begun, morale would already have collapsed."
"And Wenyuan is a fierce general who treats his soldiers like brothers. When he fights bravely at the front, his personal guards will surely follow him to the death. When the two sides clash under such conditions, how could Sun Quan, Marquis of Wu's forces prevail?"
"Just as with General Zilong," Guan Yu continued, cupping his hands toward Zhao Yun.
"At Changban, although third brother was holding the rear, General Zilong's valor was unmatched. Charging in and out seven times, he struck fear into Cao Cao's forces. If described in such a manner, would it not seem as though General Zilong alone faced ten thousand enemies?"
Zhao Yun hurriedly returned the courtesy with humility, while Liu Bei grasped Zhao Yun's hands tightly.
"Only at Changban did I truly realize that Zilong is a peerless general."
Though he spoke thus, Liu Bei could not help but add silently in his heart that, unfortunately, the one he rescued was A Dou, who would prove unworthy.
Zhao Yun felt both deeply moved and faintly puzzled. Why did his lord's smile seem so forced?
As Zhang Fei was not present, the others tacitly chose to ignore the next two remarks from the light screen.
"Why does the Wuhou Shrine have Liu Chen but not Liu Shan?"
"Those enshrined in the Wuhou Shrine are all loyal martyrs of Shu Han. Does Liu Shan deserve a place there? Would he not feel ashamed to remain within?"
From this, it seemed that the Wuhou Shrine functioned much like an ancestral temple, where those within would receive eternal offerings of incense. Later generations evidently regarded Liu Shan as a traitor to Shu Han, to the extent that he was not even permitted entry into the ancestral shrine.
Guan Yu and Zhao Yun exchanged a glance. If one spoke of loyal martyrs of Shu Han, the two of them surely qualified. To be enshrined after death and enjoy perpetual offerings… the thought was, admittedly, quite appealing.
Liu Bei's feelings, however, were far more complicated.
On one hand, Liu Shan's presence had once again asserted itself before him, further confirming just how poorly he had raised this son.
On the other hand, he realized that after countless years, despite the rise and fall of dynasties and the transformation of seas into fields, the people of this land had not forgotten him or those who had fought and struggled for the Han dynasty.
Liu Bei had once lamented the growth of flesh upon his thighs, had wandered in uncertainty as the Han declined, had been mocked by the great clans of Jiangdong, slighted and betrayed by the subordinates of Liu Biao and Tao Qian, and chased into desperation by Cao Cao.
Yet now, through the casual words of the light screen, he was told that all those years of perseverance had meaning. Those who cared for the Han had not forgotten him, and neither had later generations.
The simple meeting ultimately produced no definitive conclusions. Even though they now knew that Eastern Wu, their ally, could not be relied upon, they neither had the justification nor the strength to break ties, and thus cooperation would have to continue.
Guan Yu and Zhao Yun departed together, intending to study military strategy or hone their martial skills. In the future, they would have to fight both Sun Wu and Cao Cao, and neither intended to yield such merits to others. To sit in the ancestral temple and receive offerings was a temptation few could resist.
Zhuge Liang remained in the side hall to continue handling administrative affairs, while also intending, in his spare time, to further study the internal conflicts of Eastern Wu based on the light screen's words. He had a sense that the simple summaries given by later generations must rest upon a complete system of thought and analysis, something that greatly intrigued him.
Liu Bei, filled with urgency, strode out the door intending first to write a letter to Ma Chao. Building ties in advance could never be a mistake.
As for Huang Zhong, who was currently within the four commanderies of Jingzhou, Liu Bei planned to visit him personally, to demonstrate sincerity and recruit him properly.
By coincidence, the moment he stepped outside, he ran into a maid holding the two-year-old A Dou. The child's small face was full of smiles as he reached out and said, "Father, carry me."
The joy on Liu Bei's face vanished instantly. He pulled A Dou over, placed him across his knee, and delivered two sharp slaps to the child's backside, producing cries as loud as if a pig were being slaughtered.
"Father, A Dou was wrong!"
Liu Bei kept a dark expression and offered no explanation. Tucking A Dou under his arm, he set off to pay a visit to General Huang. He had already resolved that from this day forward, he would discipline this son properly, at the very least ensuring that he would not end up like in later history, unable even to enter the ancestral temple.