[Lightscreen]
[As for the incident of Zhao Yun intercepting the river to rescue A Dou, it actually occurred earlier than Lü Meng's move.
The exact timing cannot be verified, only that it took place between 211 and 212.
The rough sequence goes like this: Liu Bei secretly took Yi Province, Sun Quan flew into a rage and sent ships to bring Lady Sun back.
Lady Sun intended to take A Dou with her back to Wu, but Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun mobilized troops to intercept them and snatched A Dou back.
Looking at the timing, this feels less like strategy and more like Sun Quan deliberately trying to disgust Liu Bei.
And because the records are so vague, even Lady Sun's birth and death years are unclear, giving rise to countless conspiracy theories.
For example: that Lady Sun was a spy, or that she truly shared deep motherly affection with A Dou, and so on.
But regardless of which theory you believe, the conflict between Sun Quan and Liu Bei is an objective fact, and the age gap between Lady Sun and Liu Bei is also obvious.
So in this matter, Lady Sun was essentially a pure victim.
As for the claim that Liu Bei was a scumbag, that also doesn't quite hold up. During the Yiling campaign, he still remembered to reinter Lady Gan in Shu.
By then, Lady Gan had been dead for at least eight or nine years, yet he still kept her in mind.
You might not call it deep devotion, but at the very least, it cannot be called heartless.]
---
Liu Bei felt as if struck by lightning.
After Changban, Lady Gan's health had indeed been worsening, but Lady Mi had only just passed away. He had never wanted to think in that direction.
But eight or nine years…
He calculated briefly in his mind.
Would that not be… within the next few years?
Liu Bei suddenly shot to his feet.
Zhang Fei also sprang up and immediately locked both hands onto Liu Bei's shoulders.
"Elder brother, do not panic! Have you forgotten Zhang Zhongjing, that old immortal?!"
The words were simple, but the meaning was clear.
In the original timeline, you never recruited him.
Liu Bei finally steadied himself, though his thoughts remained in turmoil.
---
Seeing this, Kongming quickly changed the topic.
"Lady Sun herself may be innocent, but the female soldiers and attendants she brought are mostly arrogant and unruly. Among them, there may very well be agents of Wu. My lord, should we impose stricter control over Chanling?"
Forcing himself to focus, Liu Bei slowly nodded.
"Chanling has Yide stationed there, and Yunchang guards the southern bank of the river…"
He turned toward Zhang Fei.
"Yide, move your troops outside the city. With my written order, you may requisition Lady Sun's escort cavalry. Any who disrupt military discipline or refuse orders are to be detained first."
He paused, frowning slightly.
"As for the female soldiers…"
That was troublesome.
Those women drew blades at the slightest provocation. Even Liu Bei found them difficult to handle.
Huang Yueying spoke gently:
"If they are Lady Sun's troops, then they are also troops under the General of the Left."
"Within your command, there is a work bureau with female workers. Why not assign the stronger ones to heavy labor, such as processing plant pulp?"
"As for those less fit, remove their arms and have them attend to Lady Sun's daily needs."
Liu Bei blinked.
Then exclaimed:
"Madam Huang truly is Kongming's Fledgling Phoenix!"
---
[Lightscreen]
[As for the conflict between Sun and Liu, the Lady Sun incident was merely a side note.
In 215, the real focus lies with Lü Meng and Lu Su.
Lü Meng seized the three commanderies, but under Sun Quan's orders, he exercised restraint and did not escalate into full-scale slaughter.
Lu Su, on the other hand, showed remarkable composure. Faced with a situation ready to explode at any moment, he made a decision:
Guan Yunchang, I have come to negotiate.
Lu Su believed that in such circumstances, "it is best to speak openly," and that Guan Yu neither could nor would dare to kill him.
The two agreed to meet. Their troops remained a hundred paces away, each side bringing only key officers, and all carrying nothing but a single blade.
This is the famous "single blade meeting" later dramatized in Romance.
But in actual history, both sides carried single blades, and the meeting took place in neutral ground, not within either camp.]
---
"Kongming, Lu Zijing truly is a man of great talent," Liu Bei said softly.
Kongming nodded in agreement.
"This is indeed something he would do."
Even Guan Yu showed approval.
Zhang Fei clicked his tongue.
"Got guts. I respect that."
---
[Lightscreen]
[The single blade meeting appears fair, but everyone knows that if fighting broke out, Lu Su would likely be the first to die.
Yet in truth, it was not fair to Guan Yu either. During the entire meeting, Guan Yu only said one line:
"I have slain Cao's forces and rendered merit, I bled at Red Cliffs. Should I not have a territory to my name?"
Lu Su, however, unleashed a barrage. He began by demanding why the three commanderies had not been returned. After Guan Yu replied, Lu Su launched into a relentless tirade:
First recounting Liu Bei's desperate plight at Changban, then belittling the contributions of his followers;
Then mocking how they had been chased across the land by Cao Cao;
Then shifting tone to praise Sun Quan's benevolence in granting them refuge;
And finally condemning Liu Bei's personal conduct, saying that after taking Yi Province, he still coveted Jing Province, something no one could tolerate.
In short, it was quite a performance. In modern terms, he would easily qualify as a top-tier online debater.
The record states "Guan Yu had no reply," likely meaning he was momentarily stunned.
So this meeting was not fair to Guan Yu either. Lu Su could verbally corner him, but Guan Yu could not simply draw his blade and cut him down.
With both sides representing their own interests and unwilling to yield, no agreement was reached.
Fortunately, there was still some mutual restraint, and the conflict did not escalate further.
If the Chancellor had been present, a three-way verbal clash would have made for an even greater spectacle.]
---
Kongming, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei all felt a bit embarrassed.
They had just praised Lu Su's courage.
Now this?
Guan Yu's grip on his cup tightened slightly.
He stared at the projected words for a long moment, then sighed inwardly.
Leading troops and crushing enemies was his domain.
Trading barbs and twisting narratives…
That was not.
---
Kongming, after his brief embarrassment, actually found it amusing.
"So Lu Zijing possesses such eloquence? I had not noticed before. I thought him rather taciturn."
"These distortions and clever manipulations… quite impressive, in their own way."
Huang Zhong looked puzzled.
"Strategist, are you also skilled at scolding others?"
Zhang Fei burst into laughter.
"Old General Huang, you don't know this!"
"When Cao Cao marched south, Sun Quan's own men almost tied him up and handed him over!"
"At that moment, our strategist stepped out and single-handedly argued down hundreds until none could open their mouths!"
"I heard one of the surrender faction, a certain Zhang, went home and fell sick for three days!"
"If not for our strategist silencing those cowards, where would the victory at Red Cliffs have come from?!"
"The nerve of Sun Quan, to forget such a favor and later act like this, bah!"
Kongming laughed helplessly.
"Third General, it was merely a debate between factions. I only spoke a few words for the war faction. How did it become me scolding hundreds alone?"
Zhang Fei scratched his head, then waved it off.
"Still counts as a favor!"
"Otherwise, with the combat strength of Sun Quan's bunch, if Jiangdong really wanted to tie him up and surrender, he probably couldn't have stopped them!"
Suddenly, Zhang Fei's eyes lit up.
"Wait… Strategist…"
"Does that mean even Sun Quan's throne was basically stabilized by you?"