"Which one was the Tang Dynasty again?"
Liu Bei stared at the drifting lines of text, unable to recall it for a moment.
"According to the sequence summarized by the light screen, it should be the dynasty that came after the fall of the Sima Jin," Guan Yu replied, whose historical knowledge had always been solid. "Their Grand Scholars seem to hold Shizong, the Martial Emperor, in particularly high regard, even ranking four great generals of the Han era."
Liu Bei nodded as memory returned to him. "This Tang Dynasty, it cultivated civil governance, even repairing the Tangluo Road to connect Bashu, and in military matters it followed Shizong's example, campaigning against foreign tribes and controlling the Western Regions. It must have been, like the Former Han, an age of ordered prosperity."
Zhang Fei immediately jumped in without hesitation. "Big Brother, I believe that once you become Emperor, you will definitely be able to follow the example of the two founding ancestors, restore the Han, and do no worse than them!"
Liu Bei was overjoyed, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at his third brother, thinking that in the end it was still this third brother of his who understood him best.
"Big Brother, if there is ever another Yiling, let me, Old Zhang, lead the troops. You must not personally campaign!"
…Third Brother, truly worthy of being you.
[Lightscreen]
[The Han Dynasty placed great importance on family background and lineage, so their suspicion toward Meng Da was only to be expected. However, of all the decisions made, the one that should never have happened was sending Liu Feng there.
The Records of Liu Feng do not go into detail, but among the reasons for Meng Da's defection was one line: "Liu Feng and Meng Da quarreled bitterly and were not on good terms, and Liu Feng subsequently seized Meng Da's ceremonial band."
Liu Feng's actions were honestly baffling. He had been sent by Liu Bei to divide Meng Da's authority, and even if he failed to smooth things over with kind words, that could be excused, but instead he picked a fight. And if picking a fight was not enough, he even seized Meng Da's ceremonial escort.
That level of social awareness, was that really taught by Big-Eared Liu? Even a child would not pull something like that.
After losing his little band, Meng Da soon received an offer from Cao Pi:
You will be granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang Pavilion, and Shangyong, Xicheng, and Fangling will be merged into a new commandery called Xincheng. Meng Da, you will serve as its Administrator.
Faced with such a massive offer, Meng Da, whose family tradition leaned heavily toward opportunism, immediately knelt without hesitation. Do not talk to me about integrity when it comes to the post of Administrator of Xincheng, that would be an insult to money.]
Liu Bei stood stunned. However inadequate Liu Feng might have been, he had still been raised as half a son.
Meng Da's betrayal and Liu Feng's eventual execution at his own hands, there had to be conflict between them, that much Liu Bei could already deduce.
He had imagined many possibilities. Perhaps Liu Feng lacked tact, perhaps he disagreed with Meng Da on military strategy, perhaps Meng Da had long harbored rebellious intent, or even that Liu Feng had imitated Cao Cao's conduct and forcibly taken Meng Da's concubine.
But "seizing his ceremonial band"… why?
A sharp ache rose in his temples.
Liu Bei pressed a hand against his forehead, unable to speak, while Zhang Fei hurried over and began massaging his shoulders with care.
"Big Brother, if this will not do, hand Feng over to me or Second Brother for discipline. We will definitely set him straight and not let you suffer such headaches."
Huang Yueying smiled lightly. "If the Left General is interested, the Bureau of Crafts can gather musicians from everywhere and replicate the music from this auspicious light screen. Presumably…"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Liu Bei did not hesitate this time, waving his hand decisively. "Third Brother, have Feng report to your camp tomorrow… no, take him tonight. The sooner, the better."
[Lightscreen]
[In the end, among the charges for which Liu Bei ordered Liu Feng's death, aside from failing to rescue Guan Yu, there was also "Liu Bei blamed Liu Feng for encroaching upon Meng Da." Honestly, why did you have to snatch someone's band in the first place?
Some argue that Meng Da and Liu Feng were not subordinate to Guan Yu, so their refusal to obey his orders was understandable. After all, Fangling and Shangyong were crucial to them as well.
But that argument does not hold. The Records of Guan Yu state: "In the twenty-fourth year, when the Liu Bei became King of Hanzhong, he appointed Guan Yu as General of the Vanguard and granted him the ceremonial axe."
With such authority, Liu Feng and Meng Da's refusal to act was nearly equivalent to standing by while Liu Bei himself was in danger. Their execution was almost inevitable.
Still, the forces under Liu Feng and Meng Da were ultimately not decisive in the Battle of Xiangfan. At most, they were the final straw that broke Guan Yu's position.
They cannot be considered the primary culprits in Guan Yu's death, so we will set them aside for now and return our focus to the Xiangfan battlefield.]
All eyes once again gathered on Guan Yu. Liu Feng, Meng Da, and even the matter of the band no longer seemed important.
This was the authority of the ceremonial axe.
Whether it was holding the imperial tally, bearing the staff, or wielding the axe, all of it signified the utmost trust of the Son of Heaven.
There were looks of envy and curiosity, yet Guan Yu remained as steady as Mount Tai.
[Lightscreen]
[Xiangfan can be considered the absolute strategic core of Shu Han. These two cities lie on the northern and southern banks of the Han River, forming a mutually supporting position.
Geographically, Xiangfan sits at the southernmost edge of the Nanyang Basin, controlling the Han River. To the east and west stand the Wudang, Dahong, and Tongbai mountain ranges as natural barriers. Whether advancing north into the Central Plains or moving south into the Jianghan Plain, this is an unavoidable passage, a textbook strategic chokepoint.
In particular, during the Southern Song and the Mongol conflicts, the struggle here lasted for decades. After Xiangyang fell again in 1273, the Southern Song never secured another major victory.
From Ezhou to Jiading, from Huaixi to Dingjiazhou, Jiaoshan, and Lin'an, there were thirteen consecutive defeats. The main army was completely annihilated by the Mongols.
In the end, at the Battle of Yashan, Lu Xiufu carried the young Emperor Zhao Bing on his back and leapt into the sea. A hundred thousand soldiers and civilians followed in death, and the Song Dynasty was extinguished. The importance of Xiangfan is evident.
From a strategic standpoint, as early as 207, Zhuge Liang had already made it clear in the Longzhong Plan:
"If chaos arises under Heaven, then order a great general to lead the forces of Jing Province toward Wan and Luo, while you personally lead the troops of Yi Province out through Qin Valley… thus hegemony may be achieved, and the Han restored."
For Shu Han, the objective of linking Jing and Yi had already been perfectly realized by Zhang Fei during the Battle of Dangqu.
To achieve the next step, sending the Jing forces toward Wan and Luo, Xiangfan becomes the necessary springboard. Securing it is therefore urgent.
Unfortunately, though Heaven provided the opportunity, Liu Bei failed to grasp it.]
[Server Chat Log]
〖Li Shimin: Where are these Mongols? Tell me. And being driven all the way back to Xiangfan, how do they still dare call themselves emperors?〗
Zhang Fei grew agitated and immediately began shouting.
"Zilong was all courage, his name passed down through the ages."
"Old General Huang was a tiger even in old age."
"Second Brother shook all of China, his fame unmatched."
"And when it comes to me, Zhang Fei, it is just 'engraved at Dangqu' and nothing more? I refuse. I refuse to accept this!"
His outburst forced Liu Bei and Guan Yu to step in and calm him.
Liu Bei said, "The light screen itself said there were two great strategies in the Longzhong Plan, and Yide fulfilled one of them in a single stroke. That alone proves the bearing of a legendary general. How could that be considered neglect?"
Liu Bei continued, "Without pacifying Ba Commandery, Yi Province could not be secured. Without Yide, we would have had no place even to stand."
Guan Yu added, "At Changban Bridge, without Third Brother, how would Big Brother and I have survived, let alone the continuation of the Han…"
Only after much persuasion did Zhang Fei finally calm down, allowing everyone to refocus on the text.
"The Song Dynasty… fell just like that?"
Liu Bei felt a moment of confusion.
Though the light screen had already spoken of the chaos of Wei and Jin, and the turmoil of the Five Barbarians, seeing the images and reading the words—
"a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians leapt into the sea in martyrdom, still made the old veteran who had fought since the Yellow Turban Rebellion feel his eyes redden.
"The calamity of foreign tribes has reached such a level?"
"Soldiers and civilians dying for the nation… the Southern Song Emperor must have been diligent in governance, yet lacking the favor of Heaven."
"And just as we view the Mongols as foreign, they must view us Han as foreign as well," Huang Zhong said gravely, recalling the tale of General Zilong from the light screen.
When later generations sought divine aid from Zilong, what those Mongol armies had done was already beyond words.
Zhang Fei, having recovered, continued muttering, "Big Brother, looking at it this way, Jiaozhou really must be secured. Did not the light screen say that later generations lost it as well?"
"A petty state daring to proclaim itself supreme, and judging by that strange script, they have even abandoned our Han writing. So close to us, who knows if they might one day bully our people?"
"It would be best to ensure Jiaozhou forever guards the Han and never be separated!"