"Second-generation rulers?!"
Every head in the hall swiveled toward Liu Bei like a well-drilled infantry squad. Liu Bei felt his face darken under the collective weight of their stares.
"At least my Adou is..." Liu Bei started. Then the words just died.
His memory had chosen that exact moment to remind him that in the light screen's version of history, "Liu Bei" had been soundly thrashed by Sun Quan.
He cleared his throat. "We will see how the future defines these second-generation monarchs."
For a moment, Liu Bei looked genuinely anxious. More nervous, actually, than if he were personally leading a cavalry charge into a narrow valley.
He figured the Cao thieves would be Cao Pi or Cao Rui. Fair enough. But Jiangdong? Who knew how they calculated lineage in that nest of rats?
"But who actually said that line?" Zhang Fei demanded, scanning the room with sharp curiosity.
"If you have a son, he should be like Sun Zhongmou."
He shook his head in disbelief. "Who in their right mind wants a son-in-law with a hundred thousand troops attached? That is not a marriage alliance. That is a hostage situation with extra steps. You would need a million-man army just to keep the peace at family reunions!"
Kongming, ever the diplomat, cut in smoothly. "Sun... Quan might not have been much of a field commander. But his administrative and political skills were probably solid enough."
The room went quiet as everyone collectively remembered the spectacular incompetence of Emperor Yizong from the last broadcast.
Compared to a man who had literally thrown an empire away with both hands, almost anyone with a pulse looked like a strategic genius.
"Even so," Zhang Fei grumbled, still feeling protective, "should it not be 'If you have a son, he should be like Zhuge Liang'? That has a much better ring to it."
Zhuge Liang's face immediately darkened.
[Server Chat Log]
[JiangWeisLeftEye: "Oh, boundless heavens, why have you treated me so poorly? I shall carry on the Prime Minister's legacy and smite the traitors who usurped the Han! Prime Minister, are you watching?"
StreamSniped: Seriously, this uploader is a madman. He went from the Three Kingdoms to the late Tang in one breath. If the video weren't capped for length, he'd probably be talking about Yue Fei by now.
AnInsideJob: Looking at the Shu Han always feels like a tragedy of internal sabotage. Guan Yu's northern expedition is ruined by a backstabbing brother-in-law; the Prime Minister's campaign is sabotaged by the boastful Ma Su and the power-hungry Li Yan.
CrouchingPeasant: It always comes down to logistics. The Prime Minister did his part, but the support system failed him. Even in ancient military texts, there's way too much focus on 'brilliant strategies' and not enough on 'how to actually move grain.' Most famous generals had to figure out supply chains on the fly.
TortoiseShellMerchant: According to the Book of Jin, Sima Yi was basically a max-level protagonist. 'I was at Guandu! I led the conquest of Shu! I retreated victoriously at Wuzhangyuan after decapitating tens of thousands!' Sure, Jan. Whatever you say, Emperor Xuan of Jin.
DefenseSquad: It's wild that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms makes Adou the scapegoat for Li Yan's screw-up. Adou was probably thinking, 'You think I'd sabotage my own father-figure? Are you kidding me?'
---
LastBanquet: Once the Prime Minister died, Cao Rui lost his mind and started living like a hedonist. Eventually, the Sima clan just swooped in and took the world with a well-timed fart at Luoshui. The Sima family is truly... something else.
MeDeserved: Zhuge's brilliant trap killed Zhang He, but it couldn't overcome Li Yan's sabotage.
Void Breaker: Why would Wei ever be scared? No matter how many tricks Zhuge Liang had up his sleeve, all they had to do was wait for Sun Quan to start a northern expedition. Everything fixes itself once 'The Great Wei's King of Wu, Sun Hundred-Thousand' starts marching.
CottageSleeper: The Crouching Dragon found his lord, but he didn't find his time. If he were twenty years younger, if he had left the mountains ten years earlier... if, if, if. History doesn't have an undo button.
Fan Hater: The sun of the Han set, and the most dishonorable dynasty in history brought a long, cold night...
FiveMenInBase: If you don't know the Jin Dynasty, let me explain: born in treachery, died in disgrace. You know when five players in a video game just sit in the base and insult each other while the enemy wins? That was the Jin.
Wifi Lag: Born in treachery? Sure. Died in disgrace? I think that's debatable. Did you guys skip the history lessons on the Late Qing treaties? Just the other day, some foreigners were still talking about making us pay the Boxer Indemnity. Morons.
MovingOn: Late Qing... the Declaration of War against all Nations? Okay, never mind. Forget I said anything.
PolishedMirror: Losers throughout history always have visible flaws. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had their tempers; Liu Bei had his emotional outbursts. In the feudal era, only Zhuge Liang could truly say he fought against the mandate of heaven itself.
March If Paid: 'My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is for the Shu Han!'
Daoist Tree: 'Vast heaven, why so cruel? Since the Duke passed, none have matched him.'
PropertyDept: Quick question: at the current Wuhou Temple, between the Prime Minister and Liu Bei, who pays rent to whom? Whose name is on the property deed?
LastPeacefulNap: 'Who woke first from the great dream? I have always known my own life. Sleeping enough in the thatched cottage in spring, the sun lingers outside the window.' Who knew that would be the last good nap he'd ever take?
ChessWithGod: Zhuge Liang, the man who almost won a game of chess against God. Then God just pulled the chair out from under him.
Sky Break: 'Three horses in one trough.' The shadows over the Wei court started there.
ZhangsLeftSandal: Personally, I think Zhang Yichao's ability, merit, and character are on par with Zhuge Liang. You could even bring General Yue Fei into the conversation. These three guys had emperors who just kept getting worse. Compared to Wanyan Gou (Emperor Gaozong of Song), the useless Yizong actually looks like a human being. And Adou looks like a saint compared to all of them.
BetterMasters: It's because the Late Tang and Southern Song emperors were so subhuman that the loyalty of their ministers feels so heartbreaking.
FaintEcho: 'The nine gates of heaven open to the palace; ten thousand nations in their official robes bow to the crown.' Compared to the Prosperous Tang, the land reclaimed by the Guiyi Army really was just a fraction of the original glory.
ArmyStan: The Guiyi Army was a miracle brought to the Late Tang by the hero Zhang Yichao, giving a former hegemon a final, dignified moment of clarity before the end.
ThirteenUpdates: The Prime Minister could go out to Mount Qi six times. Zhang Yichao could reclaim eleven provinces. When is the uploader going to give us thirteen updates in one day?
SingleBattle: I feel like Zhang Yichao is more like Jiang Wei. Both were lonely and loyal, trying to hold up a collapsing sky with a single pillar. Both ended in tragedy.
Ant Look_Flourishing: Looking back, Emperor Wu of Han set up Zhangye to 'extend the arm of the country' to the Western Regions; Wuwei for 'military might'; and Dunhuang, where 'Dun' means great and 'Huang' means prosperous. These names were meant to mark the glory of the frontier.
Bad_Getbeaten: Zhang Yichao's story moves me more. The story of the Guiyi Army is the struggle of the sons and daughters of Hexi to return to their ancestral home.
PoetryEnjoyer: Thanks to the Prosperous Tang, we have frontier poetry, poems that are bold and grand. Reading Tang poetry is about 'Not returning until Loulan is broken.' Reading Song poetry is just about 'Beating the railing in frustration' while the fires of war consume the roads.
LineHistorian: Zhang Yichao was truly fighting fate. The decline of Hexi and the Tubo was also tied to the movement of the rainfall lines. The climate window that had been open for the Tang was closing. There was nothing he could do.
Li Shimin: My family's deepest shame was redeemed by the lonely loyalty of the Guiyi Army. I will remember this.]
---
The hall filled with the sound of brushes scratching against paper.
Guan Yu, Liu Bei, Kongming, Jian Yong... every man who could write was copying as fast as his brush would move, trying to capture the flood pouring from the light screen before it vanished.
"The fortress is always broken from within," Guan Yu finally said, setting down his brush with a heavy sigh. "This fits the art of war perfectly. Sun Tzu wrote that the best victory is to foil the enemy's plans. The worst is to besiege their cities."
Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan all nodded grimly. Nobody bashed their skulls against a fortified wall unless there was no other choice.
Huang Zhong, especially, felt a familiar frustration every time he passed through Jiangling. How do you even begin to crack a place like that?
Zhang Fei, still chewing on the verses from earlier, muttered half to himself, "There is no conquest greater than the conquest of the heart."
Guan Yu stared at his brother with genuine shock. "Third Brother. You just said something that sounded like an actual educated person. I am... genuinely proud."
The moment did not last. Zhang Fei immediately leaned forward with a cheeky grin. "Big Brother, Kongming... if that Wuhou Temple has a property deed, whose name goes on it?"
Liu Bei and Kongming exchanged a single wordless glance. Then, in perfect sync, like men who had dealt with Zhang Fei far too long, they both used their brushes like training swords and rapped him sharply on the forehead.
"Third Brother," Liu Bei said, his voice bone dry, "perhaps you should worry more about whether Fan Jiang and Zhang Da are actually loyal to you."
Zhang Fei's head retracted into his shoulders like a startled turtle.
Liu Bei let out a long, weary breath. "Since the day I asked Kongming to leave his thatched cottage... it seems neither of us has had a single day of rest."
Kongming smiled, looking perfectly serene for a man just told he would work himself to death. "Does my lord wish for me to go to Xuchang instead? Enjoy a life of leisure under Cao Cao?"
Liu Bei froze for half a beat. Then he burst into a laugh so loud it echoed off the rafters.
---
Once the frantic copying was done, Liu Bei rose and walked to the rear courtyard of the county office. He came back carrying something that had clearly been gathering dust for a long, long time.
"My lord, is that for a visiting sage?" Lady Gan asked, eyes curious.
Liu Bei shook his head. "It is for saving lives."
Kongming quickly wrote a letter explaining the gift, set it in a prepared box, and looked up at the light screen. The box vanished in that familiar shimmer.
While they waited for a response, the group talked over what they had just learned.
"This Sima-led Jin dynasty... was it really that pathetic?" Jian Yong asked, brow furrowed. He had spotted the pattern. Every time the future mentioned the Jin, it was with contempt. Never a single good word. Not one.
"Even the Cao bandits went out and fought the barbarians!" Zhang Fei said, his voice thick with disgust. "Zhang Wenyuan built his whole reputation on it! Then this Sima clan steals the throne and somehow causes a barbarian catastrophe that makes the Cao look competent? They are worse than Adou!"
Liu Bei's eyelid twitched. He chose not to take the bait.
Pang Tong leaned back, his fingers pressed together. The pieces were finally clicking into place. The Jin was a disaster. He did not fully understand the gaming terms, but the logic was clear. They were too busy fighting each other to guard the borders. And once the borders were gone, the Five Barbarians poured in.
The worst of both worlds. Collapse from within. Invasion from without.
And since the future kept comparing the Qing to the Jin, the end of the Qing must have been just as shameful.
"This Boxer Indemnity..." Pang Tong frowned. "I have no idea what it means. But the way they talk about it tells me enough." If his theory held, and since national treasures had been "collected" by foreigners, then China had been thoroughly ravaged.
"And that Declaration of War against all Nations," Mi Zhu added, scratching his head. "Did the Qing really stand up and fight the whole world at once? If they lost, at least they went down swinging. That takes guts."
The generals traded frowns. They had already figured the world was full of hostile barbarians. This only confirmed it, on a scale they had never imagined. Declaring war on every nation on earth? If you are going to lose, at least lose big.
But then they remembered the tone of the chat. Something felt off. The way the future talked about it... it did not sound like heroic defiance. It sounded more like embarrassment. The kind you do not want to talk about.
Kongming, for his part, had found one bright spot. "This frontier poetry is truly magnificent," he said, nodding with genuine appreciation. "Bold. Sweeping. It carries the spirit of the Han in every line."
Would he live long enough to see the people of Ji Han walk with that same pride? He honestly did not know.
---
Modern Era.
Wen Mang had been traveling through Sichuan while working on his videos. Eating, drinking, exploring at his own pace.
After leaving the Bamboo Sea in southern Shu, he had spent a few days near Jiuzhaigou to clear his head.
The day after his latest update went live, his phone rang.
"Valuable items, signature required?"
He scrawled his name and carefully opened the large box. A gentle shake. The familiar clink of metal answered.
"More gold wuzhu?"
He lifted the lid. A single sheet of paper slipped out. Wen Mang caught it.
"I have heard reports of the natural disasters afflicting your era and my heart is heavy with concern. Please accept this humble offering as a token of my regard. Exchange the gold and jade for resources to aid the victims of the flooding. Keep the calligraphy and paintings for yourself as a personal mark of my gratitude."
Signed at the bottom: "Zhuge, a commoner of Nanyang."
Wen Mang scratched his head. Then he looked inside the crate.
For exactly one second, his Daoist detachment wobbled by about a millimeter.
The box was full of gold and jade. The kind that belonged to a high-ranking official. They gleamed with a warm luster that made his apartment look significantly shabbier than it had five seconds ago.
Wen Mang had one question. Boss, if you have stuff like this, why not handle it yourself? Why go through me?
But he did not have time to puzzle it out. He pulled out his phone and found the number.
"Ms. Dongfang? It is Wen Mang. I need your help with something."