"Second Brother, did you not say that back home the thing you feared most was the Yellow River bursting its banks?"
Zhang Fei found it strange. Back when the three of them shared the same bed in Xuzhou, they would always talk about where they came from and what life was like there.
In all of Second Brother's stories, the Yellow River came up more than anything else. Xielang County had the Yellow River to its west and Shou Mountain to its south. Every time that river flooded, nothing but ruin followed.
"Which is exactly why we must train a proper navy with all our effort," Guan Yu said simply. "The art of war is all about adapting. You cannot let yourself be stuck doing things only one way."
Zhang Fei's face turned red. He remembered how in Hanzhong he had tried to use the same trick twice against Cao's army and they had seen right through it. He hung his head and admitted that his Second Brother was right.
Guan Yu was clearly pleased by Huang Zhong's praise. He lifted his hands in a respectful salute.
"Wen Zhongye is a truly fierce general too," Liu Bei said. He remembered meeting Wen Pin back when he was in Jingzhou. "When Brother Jingsheng was still alive, the northern lands of Jingzhou stayed safe entirely because of him. It is such a pity..."
Everyone knew exactly what he meant. It was that old foolish story of picking the younger son over the heir. And in the end, a perfectly strong domain tore itself apart from within.
For a moment, everyone went still.
Old acquaintances meeting again. Men building up merit to earn rank. Yet each one serving a different master.
Put those three things together and you could only sigh at how strangely fate turns.
[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 inferred that Guan Yu's navy was probably established 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.
His independent force had shaken northern Jingzhou, and his reputation had spread throughout Xiangyang and Fancheng.
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," Zhuge Liang said with admiration. No one had expected that a man of the north, at an advanced age, could adapt beyond the methods he knew best and train a navy with such ease.
This time, Guan Yu's face turned slightly red instead. The navy had not even been fully formed yet!
[Lightscreen]
[After Cao Ren took over Xiangyang-Fancheng, 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 Second Brother was not even his first betrayal? How many more are there?"
Liu Bei remained wordless, 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?
"Yide, just wait," Guan Yu said, suppressing Zhang Fei's anger. His third brother was always indignant on behalf of him and their big brother, and though Guan Yu did not say it aloud, he was deeply moved.
[Lightscreen]
[The Biography of Zhou Yu states it clearly:
Cao Cao has recently suffered defeat and cannot raise troops. I, together with Fenwei General Sun Yu, will advance into Bashu 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 Liangzhou, Zhou Yu in Xiangyang, and Sun Quan in Hefei will advance together against Cao Cao.]
"Wait a minute. Where does that leave us?" Even Huang Zhong could tell something was very wrong.
"We would be sent in first, as the vanguard," Zhuge Liang said plainly. "We would be ordered to fight Liu Zhang. Once our troops were exhausted, our survival would depend entirely on Zhou Yu."
"Why should we risk our lives leading the charge?" Zhang Fei objected loudly.
Kongming answered calmly. "Think. If we had never seen the light screen. If Zhou Gongjin came marching with all the glory of Red Cliffs behind him and ordered you to lead the vanguard... what would you do?"
Zhang Fei did not hesitate for a second. "If it came down to being buried in some corner of Yizhou, then Old Zhang would rather fight him to the very end. Or I would convince Big Brother to yield to Liu Zhang instead."
Zhuge Liang went still. He realized he had made a mistake. He had forgotten he was speaking to the unyielding Zhang Yide.
[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 man who survived to the end was an absolute elite.
In comparison, Jiangdong's Tiger Ministers were little more than hothouse flowers.
Even Liu Bei's veteran troops alone, by capturing the four commanderies of Jingzhou, 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 one thing the light screen said that I fully agree with."
Guan Yu nodded in agreement.
"From the days of the Yellow Turban Rebellion until now, the three of us have never had the powerful clan backing enjoyed by the Xiahou and Cao families. Nor did we inherit a solid foundation like the Sun clan."
They had fought every step of the way to reach their current position. Why should they look up to the generals of Jiangdong, who relied so heavily on their own private troops?
"Hold on," Huang Zhong said. "Saying that the Tiger Ministers of Jiangdong cannot fight at all is going too far. I know the region well."
Zhang Fei turned toward him. "Old Huang, are you defending them?"
"I am only saying that things are not so simple." Huang Zhong shook his head. "Jiangdong has plenty of people, but gathering them into an army is difficult."
"How so?" Liu Bei asked.
"In Jiangdong, the great clans all keep their own men. When war comes, they send out troops, but those soldiers listen to their clan leaders first. If they win, the clans take the spoils. If they lose, they may even demand compensation from the commander."
Huang Zhong paused, searching for the right words.
"With such an arrangement, how can a general fight without worrying about everything behind him?"
"Then the men are not truly soldiers of Jiangdong," Guan Yu said.
"Not in the same way as our troops," Huang Zhong replied. "Most of them are private retainers. Even when the generals attack the Shanyue tribes, it is partly to capture more men for their own ranks."
The generals exchanged glances.
Zhang Fei frowned. "So Jiangdong has people, but no army?"
"Something like that," Huang Zhong said. "At least, it is not easy for them to form one."
Zhuge Liang gently tapped his folded fan against his palm.
"That explains why Jiangdong is strong when defending its own territory, yet finds it difficult to conduct a distant campaign. The soldiers may be numerous, but the command is divided."
Huang Zhong nodded. "That is what I have seen."
Meanwhile, Jiang Wan, keep 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.
It was immensely satisfying to sit here and judge the heroes of the world.
[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 Yizhou, after stabilizing the aftermath of Zhou Yu's death, Sun Quan still extended an invitation.
"Liu Xuande, my brother-in-law, let us go take Yizhou 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 Nan Commandery, 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 secretly seized Yizhou himself, causing Sun Quan to slam his cup and shout:
Nasty scoundrel, 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."
Looking across all of Jiangdong, only Zhou Yu and Lu Su could truly be said to possess strategic vision.