[Lightscreen]
[Of course, we cannot judge the ancients by modern standards. The liberation of productive forces was still far in the future.
During the Three Kingdoms period, they had not even stepped through the door of the tech tree, while today we have already maxed it out all the way to nuclear energy!]
Liu Bei snapped out of his brooding, and this term really caught his attention.
"What is this 'liberation of productive forces'?"
"This term should be broken apart and read piece by piece, right?"
Zhuge Liang guessed as he went. "Productive forces and liberation. Productive forces would be the power capable of doing production work. Perhaps it refers to the farmers? Liberation should mean to untie and set free. So untie the farmers?"
Liu Bei's gaze sharpened, and he said coolly, "It should mean freeing the farmers from the grip of the powerful clans and great families."
The Yellow Turban Rebellion Liu Bei lived through in his younger years had carved itself too deep into his bones.
Back then, he truly believed that if he stood right beside his people and ruled with honesty and good intent, the common folk would naturally live peaceful and decent lives.
And what happened in the end? He had lashed the corrupt inspector and walked away from his post. Yet he still could not even call a single patch of dirt his own. Now, staring at those words, Liu Bei finally saw the truth in a way he never had before.
"Then what does this tech tree even mean? And what is this nuclear energy the descendants keep talking about?" Liu Bei cared deeply about this and kept pressing harder, not letting up for even a moment.
Breaking characters apart to guess meanings was something Jian Yong knew how to do too.
"'Ke' means laws and rules. 'Ji' should mean craftsmen. And tree..."
Jian Yong looked at the tree outside the window. There probably was no other meaning, right?
"Putting it all together... it should mean..." Jian Yong strained and squeezed but could not push anything more out.
Instead, Zhuge Liang stared at what was in front of him, deep in thought. "'Ke' can also mean ranks and grades. Perhaps this tech tree refers to craftsmen's skills growing layer by layer and rising higher step by step, just like a tree growing."
"Take this Zuo Bo paper for example."
Zhuge Liang gently stroked the sheet of paper in front of him. "In the time of Emperor Gaozu, there was no paper. Marquis Cai made paper and brought blessings to the common people."
"Cai paper absorbs ink unevenly and feels rough to the touch. Zuo Bo built on Cai paper and produced this beautiful Zuo Bo paper."
"If we compare papermaking to a tree, then Cai paper would be the trunk, and Zuo Bo paper would be the branches. Perhaps this is the papermaking tech tree?"
As expected of Kongming. His little speech left everyone in the hall completely stunned.
But the principle behind it was actually very simple and easy to understand. Just keep researching better replacements for everything.
[Lightscreen]
[But measured by the standards of that era, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang had already pushed logistics to the absolute limit of what was possible.
Let's be real. Back when Liu Bei marched into Shu, he got carried away and made a bold promise to his men. Once we take this place, everything in the treasuries belongs to you. I won't lay claim to a single thing.
So when the Prime Minister took over later, the Chengdu treasury was so poor. It was so empty even a rat wandering through would stop and cry.]
"Big brother sure is generous, huh," Zhang Fei muttered under his breath.
The wealth of an entire city, just given away!
Liu Bei's face reddened slightly, but he still argued with full confidence. "A true man must act decisively when it is time to act!"
Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, got another bad feeling.
[Lightscreen]
[Before the rat could even finish crying, the bad news just kept rolling in. The Hanzhong campaign. Jingzhou gone. Guan Yu's death. The hasty coronation. The fire at Yiling. And then Liu Bei passing away.
Everything fell apart one after another. Yet somehow Zhuge Liang managed to pull the economy back from the brink. Under his rule new fields were opened up. Granaries stayed full. Weapons stayed sharp. Supplies piled up. The court never wasted money. And you would never see drunkards lying around in the streets.
You have to admit, this level of skill is like a scorpion taking a dump, which is to say it is absolutely one of a kind!]
Zhuge Liang: This descendant really needs to work on his choice of words. Your literary level needs an upgrade! If you do not know how to praise someone properly, then just do not do it at all! What in the world was that comparison even supposed to mean!
Liu Bei's eyes immediately lit up. Holy shit, I actually have such a capable Prime Minister?
Jian Yong and Mi Zhu also sized Zhuge Liang up as if meeting him for the first time.
Before, they had only thought Kongming was a bit tall, a bit handsome, and a bit smooth-talking.
Who could have guessed he was this good at running a whole region?
[Lightscreen]
[Another thing that really makes you sigh is how little respect the Three Kingdoms era gave to medicine.
Cao Cao's own sons kept dying one by one at a young age. Yet he still stubbornly put the legendary physician Hua Tuo to death.]
"The Cao family's sons really did not die unjustly at all!"
The group chatted it over. Zhang Fei suddenly had a faint memory of that name.
"Hua Tuo? Isn't he the guy who made Chen Deng cough up a whole bunch of worms?"
Liu Bei nodded. He had heard that name back in Jiangdong too.
"When Zhou Tai took a spear for Sun Quan at Xuancheng and nearly died from his wounds, it was Hua Tuo who patched him up and saved his life."
"And such a divine physician was killed by the Cao thief?" Everyone found it hard to understand. "Does Cao Cao have a grudge against his own sons?"
"Wait a minute! Maybe the Cao family got cursed by the ancestors of the Han, and Hua Tuo could not break the spell. So that tyrant flew into a rage and killed him."
Zhang Fei's way of thinking was truly in a league of its own.
[Lightscreen]
[Among the three generations of Grand Commanders of Sun Wu, the one who lived the longest was Lu Su, and he only made it to forty-six.]
"Grand Commander Zhou Yu is going to kick the bucket next year!" Everyone knew this very clearly. And by now they had all gotten pretty comfortable using that phrase kick the bucket, just blame the future generation influence.
Zhao Yun had been going over notes with Zhuge Liang this whole time and remembered things clearly.
"It was mentioned earlier that Lu Meng also died young. This Lu Meng wouldn't happen to be one of those three Grand Commanders, would he?"
"Bottom line, being Grand Commander in Sun Wu is way too dangerous. Feels like the second you sit in that seat, your days are already numbered."
Everyone nodded. They had reached total agreement on that one.
[Lightscreen]
[Now what about Shu Han? Right after the Hanzhong campaign, Huang Zhong and Ma Chao passed away one after another from illness. Even the young Fa Zheng left this world way before Liu Bei did.
Zhuge Liang himself most likely worked himself to death. And of the Four Chancellors he picked out for Liu Shan, Jiang Wan and Dong Yun also died of illness.
Keep in mind, the Jingzhou that Liu Bei guarded was Zhang Zhongjing's hometown! I really do not get it.]
Ah, this… ah, this.
Everyone stared at the light screen, then turned and looked at Zhuge Liang. Then they all thought about how Kongming woke up before the roosters and went to bed later than the dogs every single day.
"Yeah. Not surprising at all."
"Yunchang, pick a squad of armored guards. Escort Kongming home the moment his duties end!" Liu Bei gave the order straight away.
"And make absolutely sure he does not sneak official documents tucked into his robes!"
Huang Zhong meanwhile had long since made peace with it. 'I willalready be seventy-two during the Hanzhong campaign! Even if I pass away the next year, that would make me seventy-three. A fine long life! What is there to complain about?'
As for those Four Chancellors of Shu Han, Liu Bei had a faint memory.
Jiang Wan... wasn't he already serving under him right now?
Wait, no, wait. That could wait. The big question right now was... there was a Zhang Zhongjing in Jingzhou?!
"My lord, this Zhang Zhongjing once served as Administrator of Changsha," Zhuge Liang answered clearly.
"But before the Battle of Red Cliffs, he had already handed in his seal and resigned. Later on, you appointed a new Administrator in his place."
The meaning was plain. Zhang Zhongjing's post had been appointed by Cao Cao. Once Liu Bei took over as Governor of Jingzhou, the man simply stepped aside to keep things clear and went home.
To think I had a legendary healer right there and never noticed. Liu Bei sighed to himself and made up his mind right then.
"Tomorrow I will go visit him in person!"
At the same time, a strange thought crossed his mind. If he is such a great physician... why not ask him to take a look at A-Dou's head?
That line from the light screen earlier, having fun here and not missing Shu, had hit Liu Bei way too hard.
Could that fall at Changban Slope have knocked something loose in the boy's head?
[Lightscreen]
[Alright, the dry goods are done, and the chit-chat is done too. By the way, Chengdu is really fun!
Wuhou Shrine and Dujiangyan are both worth a visit! And most importantly, Huahua, I finally got to see her too!
I consider my mission accomplished! You all know what the next episode is about, right? That is right, next episode:
Guan-Lord of the Beautiful Beard, Marquis of Hanshou Village, Marquis Zhuangmou, Sage of War, Lord Guan the Holy Emperor, Lord Wenheng, Sangharama Bodhisattva-Yunchang, and his death....]
In the center of the light screen, an image appeared: Huahua the triangular rice ball giant panda.jpg
Zhang Fei recognized this one. "Is that not a white bear? Wait... how come this white bear looks like it could not even take a single punch from Old Zhang?"
"If the light screen likes it, why don't we go catch one for them?"