"Second brother, did you not say that when you were back in your homeland, what you feared most was the Yellow River flooding?"
Zhang Fei found it rather curious. When the three brothers had once shared a bed in Xuzhou, they would inevitably speak of the past and their hometowns.
In his second brother's stories, the Yellow River appeared most often. To the west of Xie Liang County lay the Yellow River, to the south Shou Mountain, and every time the river flooded, disaster was inevitable.
"In that case, it is all the more necessary to diligently train a navy," Guan Yu said indifferently. "The way of warfare lies in adaptability. One must not be confined to a single method."
Zhang Fei flushed red, recalling how in Hanzhong he had attempted to repeat an old tactic against Cao's forces only to have it seen through. Lowering his head, he obediently admitted that his second brother was right.
Huang Zhong's praise pleased Guan Yu greatly, and he cupped his hands in thanks.
"Wen Zhongye is also a fierce general," Liu Bei said, recalling that he had encountered Wen Pin during his time in Jing Province. "When Brother Jingsheng was still alive, the northern reaches of Jing were secure entirely because of Wen Zhongye. Unfortunately…"
Everyone understood. It was nothing more than the foolish matter of discarding the elder for the younger, and in the end a perfectly good warlord fractured his own power.
For a moment, everyone sighed.
Old acquaintances meeting again, accumulating merit to be enfeoffed, each serving a different master.
When these three phrases came together, they truly made one lament the unpredictability of fate.
---
[Lightscreen]
[During this stage of struggle, the Han River appears repeatedly. Whether at Xunkou or Hanjin and Jingcheng, all are located along the Han River.
It can also be vaguely inferred that Guan Yu's navy likely took shape during this period.
Otherwise, Cao Ren would have had no reason not to station himself at Xiangyang on the southern bank of the Han River, and instead choose Fancheng on the northern bank.
Xiangyang lies on the southern bank. If Guan Yu advanced from Dangyang by both land and water, Xiangyang would be surrounded on all sides and trapped outright.
Fancheng, located north of the Han River, at least offers significant strategic maneuvering space.
Thus from 210 to 214, Cao's forces were continuously retreating, and more importantly, they had lost control of the Han River.]
---
"Second brother is truly mighty!" Zhang Fei clapped enthusiastically, celebrating without restraint.
A detached force shaking northern Jing, a reputation that resounded across Xiangfan.
Even if history blurred the details, did not those of later generations, like the ones behind the light screen, still continue to seek out his second brother's achievements more than a thousand years later?
"Yunchang is truly a commander of great caliber," Kongming said with admiration. No one had expected that a man of the north, at an advanced age, could abandon his familiar methods and train a navy with such ease.
This time, Guan Yu's face turned slightly red instead. The navy had not yet been fully formed.
---
[Lightscreen]
[After Cao Ren took over Xiangfan, both sides became relatively restrained.
On one hand, Cao Ren's style as a commander was sufficiently cautious. He fought when necessary and withdrew when needed.
Unlike Yue Jin, who was constrained by his own aggressive style and repeatedly smashed himself against the wall that was Guan Yu.
On the other hand, it was also because Sun Quan's first betrayal of the alliance had arrived.]
---
"Hah?" Zhang Fei exploded in anger.
"That blue-eyed… brother-in-law, ambushing my second brother was not even the first betrayal? Are there second and third ones to come?"
Liu Bei remained silent, once again recalling the negotiations in Jiangdong during the Spring Festival.
He had negotiated with Sun Quan after already seeing the light screen, so the alliance he concluded was naturally different from that "future" one.
If nothing else, how could that future Liu Bei have known that the grand commander, so heroic and full of bearing, would soon die?
"Third brother, just wait," Guan Yu said, suppressing Zhang Fei's anger. His third brother was always indignant on behalf of him and their elder brother, and though Guan Yu did not say it aloud, he was deeply moved.
---
[Lightscreen]
[The Biography of Zhou Yu states it clearly:
"Cao has recently suffered defeat and cannot raise troops. I, together with Fenwei General Sun Yu, will advance into Shu and then attack Zhang Lu.
Sun Yu will hold Chengdu and form an alliance with Ma Chao. I will then take Xiangyang, and thus we can plan for the north.
In the end, Ma Chao in Liang Province, Zhou Yu in Xiangyang, and Sun Quan in Hefei will advance together against Cao Cao."]
---
"Wait, where does that leave us?" Even Huang Zhong sensed something was wrong.
"Naturally, we would be sent as the vanguard," Kongming said bluntly. "We would be ordered to clash with Liu Zhang, and when our forces were exhausted, life and death would lie entirely in the Grand Commander's hands."
"Why should we risk our lives as the vanguard?" Zhang Fei protested.
Kongming calmly countered, "Without the light screen, if Zhou Gongjin came with the prestige of victory at Red Cliffs and forced Yide to serve as the vanguard, what then?"
Zhang Fei answered without hesitation, "Rather than be buried in Yi Province, I, Old Zhang, would either fight him to the end or persuade my elder brother to surrender to Liu Zhang."
Kongming paused, realizing his miscalculation. He had forgotten he was speaking to the resolute Third General.
---
[Lightscreen]
[The plan was beautiful, but Zhou Yu's lifespan was not.
And we all know that the road from Jiangdong to Hefei was one Sun Quan walked his entire life.
Although Zhou Yu himself was exceptional, the so-called Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong were not on the same level as the Five Tiger Generals or the Five Elite Generals.
The north was truly a breeding ground of survival of the fittest. The Yellow Turban Rebellion, the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Guandu, Wancheng, Xinye, Yanzhou, Jieqiao, and countless others.
In such a place where even brains were beaten out in endless war, any general who survived to the end was an absolute elite.
In comparison, the Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong were little more than flowers raised in a greenhouse.
Even Liu Bei's veteran troops alone, by capturing the four commanderies of Jing Province, made Sun Quan "somewhat fearful of him."
From this, one can even conclude that the so-called Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong could not truly wage war, at least none besides Zhou Yu could fight large-scale campaigns, much less siege warfare.]
---
"Heh!" Zhang Fei grinned. "That is something the light screen said that I quite agree with."
Guan Yu also found himself in agreement. From the Yellow Turbans until now, the three brothers had neither the clan backing of the Xiahou or Cao families, nor the inherited foundation of the Sun clan.
Having fought their way to this point, how could they hold in high regard those Jiangdong generals who relied on private troops?
Jiang Wan, however, stared at the phrase "walked his entire life" that he had copied down with interest. Did this mean that Sun Quan suffered setbacks at Hefei?
He was no longer sleepy. Though copying the content was laborious, the glimpses of the future it provided fascinated him.
Especially as they now sat here judging the realm, it was immensely satisfying.
"However, saying that the Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong cannot fight is somewhat excessive," Huang Zhong argued, as one familiar with the region.
"In Jiangdong, private troops are difficult to maintain. When going to war, aristocratic clans deploy their own forces. If victorious, they plunder freely, but if defeated, the clan heads may even demand compensation for their losses. How can one wage war like that?"
"Jiangdong has people but no soldiers. Its population belongs to great clans as private retainers. Generals must even campaign against the Shanyue tribes to capture able-bodied men just to fill their ranks."
The assembled generals all shook their heads. How could such a system possibly sustain war?
---
[Lightscreen]
[Gan Ning's feat of leading a hundred cavalry to raid a camp may be dazzling, but it serves more as a fig leaf for Sun Quan, and its authenticity is questionable.
Even if Zhou Yu's plan had been carried out to the end, the more likely result would have been the creation of a few more heroes like those at Hefei for Cao Wei.
And there is an even bigger problem. In Zhou Yu's plan, there was no place for Liu Bei at all.
Yet driven by his obsession with Yi Province, after stabilizing the aftermath of Zhou Yu's death, Sun Quan still extended an invitation.
"Xuande, my brother-in-law, let us go take Yi Province together."
"No, brother-in-law, Lady Sun has invited me to spar with her today."
Sun Quan asked several times, and Liu Bei refused several times.
Finally, Sun Quan grew impatient and directly sent Sun Yu to Xiakou.
Liu Bei responded by ordering Guan Yu to garrison Jiangling, Zhang Fei to garrison Zigui, Zhuge Liang to oversee Nanjun, while he himself stationed at Chanling.
Faced with such a situation, Sun Quan had no choice but to withdraw.
But as we all know, in 214 Liu Bei quietly seized Yi Province himself, causing Sun Quan to slam his cup and shout:
"Crafty rogue, how dare you deceive me so!"]
---
Seated at the head, Liu Bei remained calm and smiled faintly.
"Sun Quan is far inferior to Zhou Gongjin."
Surveying Jiangdong as a whole, in truth only Zhou Yu and Lu Su could be said to possess true strategic vision.