[Hi hi hi! Greetings, honored audience elders! This is your weekly-update UP host, Wen Mang.]
The sudden unfurling of the luminous screen plunged the Chengdu Prefecture offices into instant silence.
All the administrative matters that had already been reviewed several times were set aside without hesitation.
Zhang Fei dragged the fruit platter directly in front of himself.
Kongming and Pang Tong each held a cup of hot tea, paper and brushes already laid out before them.
The same scene was unfolding in Ganlu Hall.
The only newcomer was Liu Rengui, glancing around curiously.
Surrounded by emperors, chancellors, and grand generals, Liu Rengui showed no fear—only inward speculation about why such a gathering had formed.
When the radiant screen appeared without warning, Liu Rengui nearly tumbled off his chair in shock.
Hou Junji had long been prepared and caught him firmly with one hand.
"Zhengze, why the panic?"
Li Shimin asked with a smile, then burst into laughter himself, lightening the atmosphere in Ganlu Hall considerably.
Meanwhile, in Bianliang—
Zhao Guangyi, summoned once again by his elder brother, predictably saw the luminous screen upon the stone table.
He stole a glance at the jade axe and pellet bow hanging at his brother's waist, then immediately lowered his head, carefully guarding his expression.
Zhao Kuangyin, however, was in quite a good mood.
He had ordered fruit, snacks, and hot tea prepared early on. Sitting there now, he appeared calm and unhurried.
The criticisms of the Song dynasty occasionally mentioned by the celestial screen—Zhao Kuangyin accepted them all without protest.
After all, the immortal screen only made passing remarks. Compared to the saliva sprayed directly into his face by civil officials during court sessions, it was nothing.
As for those absurdities future generations might commit—what could be prevented, he would prevent; what could not, he would leave instructions for.
That was all he could do.
And one more thing—
He had to make sure his younger brother stopped stirring up trouble.
[Lightscreen]
[Before today's main topic, a quick insert: the "Intellectually Disabled" UP host has successfully arrived in Tianshui and has already spent several days sightseeing.
Speaking of Tianshui—what's the first thing that comes to mind?
"Old General, have you heard of Jiang Boyue of Tianshui?"
A thousand years pass. The body perishes, yet the spirit remains. The unfulfilled will still shines.
In 2020, Tianshui's first modern tram line officially opened. After soliciting public opinion, the tram was formally named the "Boyue Line."
With concrete action, the city of Tianshui proved that even after a millennium, Jiang Wei remains the Qilin-born son they are proud of.
Since we're here—no need to say more. We absolutely have to support it.]
The screen revealed a city utterly unlike either Chengdu or Chang'an of later ages.
Though far less bustling, its vast sky and broad roads made Liu Bei feel that this was exactly how Tianshui ought to look.
The image wobbled as it stopped beneath a red canopy. After a series of incomprehensible operations on a square iron box, a small slip of paper was retrieved.
Then Liu Bei saw a strange iron contraption rush toward them from afar.
Most striking of all were the three characters emblazoned upon it—
"Boyue Line."
Those three characters stirred Liu Bei deeply.
Every casual mention of Jiang Wei by the luminous screen earlier had been etched firmly into his heart.
To turn the state from peril to stability; to revive the Han from darkness into light—staking everything, spilling the last drop of Han blood.
Truly, the final loyal martyr of the Great Han.
Yet thinking of Jiang Wei, Kongming could not help recalling Pang Tong, who had secretly acted first—and shot him a sidelong glance.
Pang Tong pretended not to notice, even having the leisure to change the subject:
"What is this on the ground? It resembles wheel ruts. Could it be that later-age carts resemble horse carriages?"
Kongming had no mood to argue and simply watched as the descendant boarded the Boyue Line. The iron vehicle began racing along two parallel tracks.
After careful observation, he deduced:
"It should be steel rails—or perhaps alloy rails."
"Rails?" Pang Tong was startled. He stared at Kongming openly, his gaze saying only one thing: You know even this?
Kongming patiently explained:
"As early as the pre-Qin era, wooden rails were used to transport ore. It indeed saves labor."
"At Cheng Ji's coal fields, the terrain was steep. Last April, I personally went to Jiangzhou."
"I repaired roads with the common laborers and laid wooden rails, allowing the coal to be transported more easily."
"Since later generations could transform wooden crossbows into steel crossbows of terrifying power—"
"By the same logic, converting wooden rails into steel rails should be even more effective."
"It is nothing more than a straightforward inference."
…Straightforward?
Pang Tong felt their definitions of "simple" might differ somewhat.
Records of Qin wooden rails he had also read. But reading was not the same as recreating them.
The deeds of the Champion Marquis were known to all—yet how many across the ages had surpassed him?
Alarm bells rang in Pang Tong's heart.
These past months, progress in Hanzhong and Yong-Liang had gone smoothly, so he had set aside studies of mathematics and engineering.
Now he realized—Kongming had already surged far ahead.
Kongming, meanwhile, was unconcerned and had moved on:
"This vehicle of later ages—without mules or horses—what drives it?"
"Tram… tram… electricity?"
"But how is such a thing even used?"
He recorded his thoughts while shaking his head. The more he understood of later ages, the more mysteries multiplied.
How many of these questions could he solve in his lifetime?
Perhaps—
He should first try forging a short stretch of iron rail and see how effective it truly was.
On the screen, the camera faced outward through the tram window as the narration continued unhurriedly.
[Lightscreen]
[How much Tianshui cherishes its Qilin son is plain to see from the tram's name.
Some even suggested that if a future high-speed rail ran from Hangzhou through Nanjing to Hefei, perhaps it could be named the "Zhongmou Line."
After all, for Ten-Thousand-Man Sun—
Hangzhou and the Huai-Si region were the Sun clan's place of origin—the dream's beginning.
Nanjing, formerly Moling, became Jianye after the victory at Red Cliffs—where the dream truly took flight.
As for Hefei—Ten-Thousand-Brother Sun sought it repeatedly and never obtained it. Making it the terminal station would at least console him in spirit.
The UP host could even demo the arrival announcement:
"Dear passengers, the Zhongmou Line has arrived at its final stop, Hefei Station. Exiting to the left leads through the Liu Fu Gate to major attractions; to the right, the Wen Ping Gate to hotels; straight ahead, the Zhang Liao Gate to Xiaoyao Ford Park."
Of course, all of this is just a joke.
But if such a train truly existed, wouldn't everyone want to ride it at least once?]
Zhang Fei burst into laughter.
"This descendant's got a good sense of humor."
"Too bad this screen can't be preserved—so Ten-Thousand-Brother Sun could see it himself."
Liu Bei shook his head. Better not let his brother-in-law see it.
Seeing himself teased like this by later generations would likely give Sun Quan a splitting headache.
During last year's Jing-Xiang campaign, Sun Quan led a hundred thousand troops to besiege Hefei, only to be shattered by Zhang Liao's eight thousand cavalry.
Jiangdong's grand northern advance collapsed abruptly.
For a time, the story of "eight thousand breaking one hundred thousand" spread up and down the Yangtze.
Only Liu Bei and the others understood just how lucky Sun Quan actually was.
Losing to eight thousand could still be explained away—at worst, people would mutter that he lacked his father's and brother's prowess.
But had it been eight hundred breaking one hundred thousand—
The merchants along the river would have long since started whispering whether Sun Quan was truly a son of the Sun clan at all.
[Lightscreen]
[So why do the people of Tianshui still favor Boyue above all others?
Because if you count carefully, Tianshui's history is long, and many of its natives are recorded in the annals.
Especially the Li surname.
General Li Guang, and his descendant Li Ling.
Tang Gaozu Li Yuan; Tang Taizong Li Shimin.
Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, both slain at Xuanwu Gate.
Li Xiaogong, ranked second at Lingyan Pavilion.
From Western Han generals to Tang war gods, from founding emperors to peerless rulers—Tianshui has it all.
And yet, all of them combined can't outshine a single Jiang Wei who sighed, "If the plan fails, it is Heaven's will."
The people of Tianshui's favoritism toward Boyue is plain to see.
Some call the naming of the Boyue Line a kind of romance etched into the bones of the Chinese people.
Because when the UP host saw it glide in slowly, it felt as though—even separated by a thousand years—seeing those characters was like meeting an old acquaintance face to face.
With just those three words, one can feel the unbroken continuation of the moral backbone and spirit of China's scholars and generals.]
In Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin could only smile wryly.
When it came to achievements, perhaps he could still compete—but who the people loved was never his choice to make.
When reading the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Li Shimin had barely paid attention to Jiang Wei at all.
Who would have thought that a thousand years later, this one man would eclipse everyone?
Still… stroking his beard, Li Shimin had his suspicions.
From the Nightless City alone, it was clear that although the Tang imperial clan traced its origins to Tianshui, they were more often regarded as people of Chang'an.
But these were trifles.
He focused intently on the scrolling text on the luminous screen.
[Server Chat Log]
VoidBreaker: Since the "Intellectually Disabled" streamer mentioned it, let me add a bit of trivia.
Tianshui is not only the cradle of the Tang—it's also the cradle of the Song.
The dynasty with the strongest martial virtue and the one with the weakest both originated here. Quite remarkable.
This is real. The History of Song records: "Tianshui is the ancestral seat of the state's surname; all Zhao surnames under Heaven originate from Tianshui."
Though Zhao Kuangyin held household registration in Zhuojun, after ascending the throne he still posthumously recognized the Tianshui Zhao lineage.
A Tianshui local passing by says: please stop, this is too embarrassing. Look up the Jingkang Incident—when the Jin dynasty conferred the titles Duke and Prince of Tianshui upon Huizong and Qinzong, it was precisely because the Zhao surname came from Tianshui. Those titles were pure mockery.
Also, about that earlier Li Jing episode—early Tang, Li Xiaogong was basically carried by Li Jing. So why did Li Xiaogong rank second at Lingyan Pavilion while Li Jing was only eighth? Did "Second Phoenix" manipulate the list?
Because he wasn't stupid. Ranking by merit alone would only offend subordinates. Lingyan Pavilion was ordered by official rank in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan.
Tang custom granted posthumous promotions to honor meritorious officials. Li Xiaogong and Wei Zheng were both promoted to Sikong (First Rank) after death, hence their high placement.
Qin Qiong ranked dead last because he died too early and only held Third Rank—at the very bottom among the Lingyan heroes.