"The later generations… seem to hold tower ships in rather low regard."
Guan Yu found it difficult to accept.
At Red Cliffs, whether it was Cao Cao or Eastern Wu, their tower ships had left a profound impression on him. They were like fortresses floating upon the water, capable of carrying months of provisions for an entire ship's crew, and when moving downstream, even the finest horses could not hope to keep pace.
In private, Liu Bei's generals had often discussed how one might deal with such vessels, yet no matter how they considered it, there seemed to be no straightforward way to defeat a tower ship head-on.
These massive constructs had already made traditional generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei feel somewhat inadequate, yet in the eyes of those descendants, such a formidable thing was dismissed with only two words: useless, not even worthy of further comment.
"Perhaps this is not entirely a bad thing," Zhuge Liang said, approaching the matter from a different angle.
"Tower ships are built for warfare upon rivers and lakes. If the descendants hold them in such low regard, then either they possess even better ships, or it suggests something else."
Zhao Yun immediately understood and continued, "Or it means that the land of Huaxia in their time has already been unified, with all rivers and lakes belonging to the same realm. In such a case, vessels specialized for river warfare would indeed have little use."
The three of them fell silent for a moment, their expressions tinged with a quiet sense of longing.
If all rivers and lakes belonged to Han lands, would that not resemble the might of the great Han at its peak? Perhaps even surpass it.
From the ease with which Wen Mang judged history, along with the meals he displayed and the responses of others, it was clear from the side that life in that later age was truly not bad.
Zhuge Liang spoke softly, "Five hundred years before us was the Spring and Autumn period. Sixteen hundred years after that came the Ming dynasty. Add another six hundred years, and we arrive at the era of these descendants. That means the one speaking through the light screen is someone from over one thousand seven hundred years in our future."
"Even from the time of the founding Emperor who slew the white serpent, only four hundred years have passed."
Silence descended once more.
Zhao Yun's voice carried a trace of dryness as he said, "They claim to possess something called an aircraft carrier. I cannot begin to imagine what sort of thing that might be."
Anyone who had seen tower ships at Red Cliffs could not help but marvel at their size, like palaces drifting upon water.
Yet the descendants described their aircraft carriers as "moving territory" and "the pinnacle of human military power." No matter how much the three men stretched their imagination, they could not form a clear picture.
"Aircraft carrier… judging from the name, could it be the mother of ships?" Zhuge Liang attempted to deduce from the literal meaning.
"That would imply that this moving landmass can host other ships upon it. Would that not resemble the mythical Kunpeng?"
The three tried to picture it. Somehow, the descendants had mastered a method to set an entire piece of land afloat upon the sea. Upon this land, people cultivated crops and raised livestock, while along its edges were docked dozens of seafaring vessels even larger than tower ships.
It was beyond imagination.
"But the descendant said they also possess this power," Guan Yu noted, catching a subtle detail.
"That means they were not the first to obtain it."
"Then who was?" Zhao Yun asked.
"Perhaps Japan, perhaps the lands of the Americas," Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and shook his head. "Or perhaps beyond the Kunlun Mountains to the west, south of Lingnan, east of the Eastern Sea, or north of the grasslands. There may be powerful nations we have yet to encounter or understand. It is possible that the descendants have already met them, even clashed with them in war."
Zhuge Liang pushed open the window and gazed at the moon, his voice quiet.
"But these matters lie far beyond our reach. What we must do first is restore the Han, and avoid the path that leads to the Three Kingdoms collapsing into Jin and the chaos of barbarian uprisings. That is the most practical thing we can do for future generations."
The simple gathering that night ended just as simply.
Though it left Guan Yu and Zhao Yun deeply shaken, those revelations still felt distant from their present reality.
Both men understood clearly that, as the strategist had said, striving to restore the Han was the greatest contribution they could make for those who would come after them.
Four days later, Liu Bei returned.
The price was that Liu Shan, who had once been plump and fair, had now turned into a dark, mud-covered child, noticeably thinner than before.
It was said that upon returning, A Dou clung to Zhang Fei's leg and cried so miserably that any who heard him were moved to pity.
That night's discussion had also been conveyed in full by Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, who was deeply moved.
A few days later, the familiar side hall was once again in use, though it was noticeably more crowded this time.
Six people now awaited the light screen.
Among them was an elderly general dressed plainly, his hair and beard entirely white, his hands calloused, his gaze sharp. At a glance, he was clearly an outstanding figure of the age.
Yet that same sharp-eyed old general now appeared somewhat restrained.
There was no helping it. Among those present, he was the eldest in age, yet ranked lowest in achievement.
Huang Zhong had only been appointed as a General of the Household by Liu Biao in his forties, and after eighteen years had still failed to distinguish himself. In such a gathering, he hardly dared to speak loudly.
He had only arrived at Gong'an County the previous day, and today had been summoned for important discussions. Upon entering, what did he see?
Guan Yunchang, who had slain Hua Xiong over warm wine and executed Yan Liang amidst thousands of troops.
Zhang Yide, who had shouted down Cao Cao's army at Changban Bridge.
Zhao Zilong, who had charged in and out seven times at Changban.
Zhuge Kongming, the strategist who burned Cao forces at Bowang Slope and debated scholars into securing the Sun-Liu alliance.
What merit did he, Huang Zhong, possess to stand among such figures?
Liu Bei smiled gently, easing his tension.
"Hansheng, you have arrived. A seat has been reserved for you. Just wait."
Wait? Wait for what?
Though filled with confusion, Huang Zhong still took his seat.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a brilliant light suddenly filled the hall, and a luminous screen slowly unfolded in midair.
Huang Zhong was stunned.
He had thought they were waiting for envoys from Cao Cao or Sun Quan, yet they were waiting for such an auspicious phenomenon?
Zhang Fei waved a hand casually. "Old General Huang, why so surprised? It is merely a light screen. By the way, do you know why Sun Quan is unfit to unify the realm?"
Huang Zhong fell silent.
Silence filled the county office that day.
Zhang Fei continued chattering, "Listen, do not spread this around. That Sun Quan is a two-faced fellow, and he lacks the nerve his elder brother had for killing. In the end, he cannot control his subordinates, and they are constantly fighting among themselves. Quite a spectacle."
Even Zhao Yun, who usually paid the most attention to decorum, watched Huang Zhong with a faint smile. He had discovered a certain amusement in this situation.
At last, Liu Bei could not endure it and rebuked, "Third Brother, stand down and listen carefully to what the light screen will say!"
He then turned to Huang Zhong and asked, "Old General, do you know what an aircraft carrier is?"
Huang Zhong thought to himself, are you all finished yet?
As always, the light screen began with music, followed by images and text.
[Lightscreen]
["Greetings, esteemed viewers. Today we continue our discussion of the Three Kingdoms.
After the previous video, some viewers commented that I leaned too heavily in favor of Liu Bei, believing I was influenced by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and its tendency to honor Liu while belittling Cao.
However, if one only considers the Romance, its respect for Liu is mainly reflected in the concept of loyalty to the sovereign, and in some cases, it even misattributes events.
For example, Records of the Three Kingdoms, Volume 14, records that Cheng Yu used human flesh as military provisions for Cao Cao:
'When the Grand Ancestor lacked food, Cheng Yu plundered his home county to supply three days' rations, which included human meat.'
In this matter, Cheng Yu was truly ruthless, turning on his own people to supply provisions for Cao Cao. Such an act is beyond what most could bring themselves to do.
Yet the Romance omits this entirely, and instead fabricates a story in which Liu An kills his own wife to feed Liu Bei.
In other words, while the Romance does indeed honor Liu, it does not truly belittle Cao."]