Jiang Wan's brush hesitated as it glided across the paper, hovering just above his own name. After a moment of heavy silence, he composed himself and meticulously transcribed the final words he had just heard.
A star has fallen.
The Commander's star. It had truly fallen.
Immersed in the weight of the vision, Jiang Wan felt a profound sense of disorientation. He was intimately familiar with the Prime Minister Zhuge Liang of that future era.
He knew the man who personally oversaw the establishment of the brocade offices,
The revolutionary reforms in salt production.
The meticulous stabilization of the Southern Territories.
And the strategic brilliance of the Northern Expeditions.
Some tasks the Prime Minister handled himself. Others he delegated to experts. Refining iron smelting, perfecting Shu silk, mending fractured alliances, and fortifying the southern barriers of the realm.
He always seemed to be ten steps ahead, weaving plan after plan, his footprints covering every inch of Shu until he had single-handedly pulled a collapsing state back from the brink of the abyss.
Yet, in the vision of the future, he also seemed to be eternally one move short. He walked a path where no one could truly follow, staring toward the gates of Chang'an with a heavy sigh, passing away with a heart full of regret after giving everything he had for the Shu Han.
But there was another Zhuge Liang that Jiang Wan occasionally saw. A man who felt almost like a stranger.
He remembered the Military Advisor sprinting barefoot around a flooded paddy field three times, cheering with pure, unbridled joy when a new method of planting rice proved successful.
He remembered seeing the Military Advisor locked out of his own office late at night by Chen Dao's personal guards, forced to finally go home and rest.
He remembered the man buying toys and sweets for his adopted son and young daughter on the streets of Gong'an.
In this moment, the images of the Military Advisor and the future Prime Minister merged into one.
Both versions of the man carried a small, flickering flame named the Shu Han in their hearts, sheltering it from the wind and nurturing it with every fiber of their being, only to reluctantly pass it to the next person before drawing their final breath.
"Kongming, you have borne far too much." Liu Bei did not need to say anything more. He reached out and grasped Kongming's left hand, squeezing it firmly.
Kongming's right hand was already held in a death grip by Huang Yueying.
"I used to think you were not as good as me," Pang Tong admitted, his face remarkably free of its usual competitive gloom.
"Only now do I realize it is I who cannot compare to you. But since this light screen has allowed me to cheat death, whether I can surpass you in the future... that is still an open question."
Just then, the text on the screen began to fade, and the background music shifted into something softer, more somber.
[Lightscreen]
[The death of the Prime Minister was captured beautifully in the old Three Kingdoms series.
If you watch the scenes in sequence, it is enough to move anyone to tears. On his deathbed at Wuzhang Plains, the Prime Minister closed his eyes, finally stepping away from the noise and chaos of the world.
In that final moment, he seemed to see Adou. The boy was smiling, head held high as he marched into Luoyang to ascend the Great Throne.
He saw Cao Rui and Sun Quan bowing their heads as subjects, performing the rites of ministers. The Prime Minister bowed back. He had waited so long for this day.
Since the Han Dynasty was restored, he could finally go home and properly raise his children.
He had spent far too little time with Zhuge Zhan.
He still had a small plot of land back in Nanyang.
He wondered if the villagers would still recognize him.
Should he live in Nanyang? Or Shu? Or perhaps Luoyang?
But when he finished his bow and looked up, there was no ancient capital.
There was no restored Han.
It was nothing more than a fleeting dream born of a dying man's final spark. A small comfort before the end.]
Liu Bei gripped Kongming's hand even tighter. "Kongming, Kongming... having you is the greatest blessing the Han could ever ask for."
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu's eyes were already rimmed with red. The dream the Military Advisor had in his final moments... was that not their dream too? They could not help but wonder if their own deaths would be as full of regret as his.
Would I regret that Second Brother's death went unavenged? Zhang Fei wondered.
Would I regret not being able to charge into Xuchang to see the Cao thief one last time? Guan Yu thought.
Ma Liang could not help but whisper, "If only I could have avoided death at Yiling to serve the Military Advisor during the Northern Expeditions..."
Jiang Wan patted Ma Liang's arm in comfort. "Ma Jichang, you are already the Military Advisor's right hand. Cherish the present. There is no need for further sighs."
Kongming raised his voice to steady the room. "I ask for everyone's help. Let us make that dream... a reality!"
[Lightscreen]
[After Zhao Yun passed away, the Prime Minister saw Zilong in a dream.
Those words of regret seemed to still echo in his ears.
Prime Minister, Zilong is old. I will not live to see the Central Plains restored. I can no longer fulfill the late Emperor's wish. The great task of reviving the Han... Prime Minister, it all rests on you alone now. Zilong cannot close his eyes in peace.
And during his standoff with Sima Yi, the Prime Minister would often stand alone at night, staring blankly at the banner that read Restore the Central Plains.
He would murmur: Yunchang. Yide. I hope you two will help me from the heaven. Let me defeat Sima Yi, march into the Central Plains, and complete our great task soon... so that I may bring peace to your souls in heaven.
Even at the very end, amidst the cries of Prime Minister, take care of yourself, all he could think was this. I... can no longer take the field to punish the rebels. Oh, Boundless Heavens! Why have you treated me so poorly?!
The banner of Restore the Central Plains continued to flutter in the wind. But the Prime Minister could no longer carry it north.]
Three simple scenes. No intense slaughter. No brilliant schemes. But...
"My eyes... they are getting a bit itchy," Zhang Fei muttered. His eyes were bloodshot, and he wiped them fiercely. "Why does it get itchier the more I rub it? Second Brother, let me borrow your handkerchief for a moment..."
Zhang Fei turned his head and, through a blurry veil of tears, saw his Second Brother walking toward the Military Advisor with the stride of a dragon. Guan Yu dropped to one knee and cupped his hands in a formal salute.
"Military Advisor!" Guan Yu declared, his voice thick. "This time, I will not go first and leave you alone to stare at Chang'an from a distance! If you march from Mount Qi, I, Guan Yunchang, am willing to lead the vanguard. I will carry the banner of the Han restoration and punish the rebels in the field for you! I will fulfill your lifelong wish and complete my brother's ambition!"
Zhang Fei panicked, forgetting to wipe his tears as he scrambled forward. "Me too! Military Advisor, old Zhang says the same! My death in the future was my own damn fault, and I ended up dragging you down with me!"
He looked up, his large, round eyes swimming in tears. "I have already had Big Brother write the words Control Your Rage for me to hang in my hall. I read it every single day. The old disaster will not happen again! I will not let Second Brother steal the vanguard position from me!"
Huang Zhong, deeply moved, also knelt on one knee. "Military Advisor, though General Zilong is not here, I am an old soldier, and I understand his heart perfectly.
My life is nearing its end! Use me as you wish for as long as I draw breath. My only hope is to complete my lord's work and fulfill your wish!"
Wei Yan knelt as well, his words simple and sharp. "Wherever the Military Advisor points, Wei Yan will forever be your vanguard!"
One by one, Kongming seriously and respectfully helped each general back to their feet. Then, he bowed deeply to the generals, to Liu Bei, and to Pang Tong.
"Kongming is not alone!" he declared, his voice ringing clear. "The Boundless Heavens may have treated the Prime Minister poorly, but they have treated the Military Advisor Zhuge Liang with great kindness indeed!"
[Lightscreen]
[Oh, Boundless Heavens. Why have you treated me so poorly? This has become the definitive epitaph for the Prime Minister.
Even today, if you open certain online forums, the question of how to help the Prime Minister win the Northern Expedition is still a trending topic. Internet users brainstorm with almost religious intensity.
Their ideas range from the relatively practical. Instant noodles, canned herring, chicken legs, tea eggs, hotpot, and spicy snacks.
To the confusingly random. Hairdryers, car jacks, Li Yunlong, a second Zhuge Liang, LeBron James, and Paimon.
Then there are the aggressive solutions. Dongfeng-41 missiles, Uranium-235, nuclear warheads, modern armored divisions, rocket troopers, Protoss Carriers, Doraemon, and Sun Wukong.
And finally, the philosophical ones. An ICU ward, graduate school entrance exam materials for politics, unlimited toilet paper, an i9 processor, and a box of Three Kingdoms Kill board games.
Some people even planned for Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, to transmigrate into Liu Shan's body just to beat the hell out of Sima Yi.
All of this proves that even after a thousand years, the Prime Minister's death during his Northern Expedition remains one of history's most heartbreaking what-ifs.
But in reality, the Prime Minister did not need any of that. Because he was already crushing the Kingdom of Wei! As a master who learned politics through governing and war through fighting, his record looks like this.
First Expedition: A minor strategic flaw. The lasting regret of losing Jieting.
Second Expedition: Total control of the field. Ambushed and killed Wang Shuang.
Third Expedition: Defeated Guo Huai, seized two commanderies, and terrified Liangzhou.
Fourth Expedition: Smashed Sima Yi in a direct confrontation and killed Zhang He. The era of the Five Elite Generals officially ended.
Fifth Expedition: Threatened Luoyang directly. Armor stayed on in Yong-Liang, saddles stayed on in the Central Plains. Sima Yi had no counter-move. His only choice was to wait for the Prime Minister to die. This led to the star falling at Wuzhang Plains. A thousand-year regret.
With every expedition, his results grew. Cao Wei sat on nine times the resources, yet they were forced into a defensive shell, exhausted and running for their lives.
Sima Yi, who had a reputation for being aggressive as fire during his thousand-li dash to crush Meng Da's rebellion, was turned into immovable as a mountain the moment he hit the Prime Minister's wall.
Cao Wei's response also shifted. During the first two expeditions, a quick reinforcement from Zhang He was enough to settle things. Later, they were so spooked they had to combine Guo Huai's regional army, Sima Yi's main Guanzhong force, and Cao Rui's central reinforcements just to maintain a stalemate.
Zhang Yan, the Grand Herald of Sun Wu and a contemporary of the Prime Minister, once wrote in awe: Sima Yi held ten times the territory and a massive army... yet Kongming came and went as he pleased. If this man had not died and had completed his ambition, planning year after year... the tide of victory would have already been decided.
In the eyes of his peers, if the Prime Minister had not died early, the defeat of Wei was a mathematical certainty. One could even argue that Sun Quan's lack of effort was a strategic calculation.
He saw that Cao Wei's defeat was inevitable and wanted to preserve his strength to be the dominant power in the future Han-Wu Split of the World.
Because the strategic situation had changed so drastically, and internal and external conflicts were being systematically resolved, Cao Wei was already at its wit's end.
This is why Du Fu lamented: Before the task was done, the hero died; forever leaving heroes of later ages with tears soaking their robes.
This fifth expedition could have been the Great Victory that led to the Third Revival of the Han. But the heavens were stingy with the Prime Minister. They denied him years, stole his life, and caused his great work to fall short at the very edge of success.]
"Those damned heavens! So unfair!" Zhang Fei cursed, his voice raw. "The treacherous snakes live for a hundred years to steal the throne, while the loyal Chancellor who gives his life for the Han dies in his fifties! Why do the heavens favor the rebels?!"
"Third Brother..." Guan Yu wrapped his arms around his brother. In his heart, he agreed completely. But what if this light screen was also part of the heavens' plan? Insulting it might cause serious problems.
Liu Bei, however, was staring at that list of military achievements with immense pride. What did it matter if the Han had few strategists? Kongming alone was worth a hundred of Wei and Wu combined!
Jiang Wan and Ma Liang were busy exchanging notes. "Earlier we could not understand those foreign words, but now I cannot even understand the Han characters? What is a Protoss Carrier? Is it some kind of ultimate naval ship of the future?"
"And this Li Shimin transmigrating into Adou..." Jiang Wan hesitated. "Is this Emperor of the Ages really so powerful in military affairs?"
"Why even wonder?" Pang Tong had absolute confidence in his old friend. "If Kongming had not died early, he would have defeated Sima Yi. In two years at most, the Guanzhong plains would have fallen, and Yongzhou and Liangzhou would have been pacified!
With the northern barbarians harassing them from the outside and Jiangdong watching from the side, and with no natural defenses left to hold... if we just waited, the Cao thieves would have collapsed on their own within days!"