February and March became a season of relentless activity.
No days off. No rest. No time to breathe.
Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and Guan Yu led campaign after campaign, sweeping through the land and wiping out bandit strongholds both large and small. Thanks to the sand-table simulations, every hidden bandit lair in Jingzhou's four commanderies was exposed, as obvious as a cockroach caught beneath a kitchen lamp.
After breaking the strongholds, the three generals borrowed a method Jiangdong had long used against the Shanyue tribes. They did not execute every captured bandit on the spot. Instead, they put them to work and drilled discipline into them, slowly wearing away their lawless habits.
Those who proved capable were reorganized and absorbed into the army as new recruits.
Of the three generals, however, the one working the hardest was unexpectedly Huang Zhong.
After witnessing the future glory awaiting him through the light screen, the old general's heart had been thoroughly stirred.
Why wait several more years for Mount Dingjun?
Why not seize the moment now?
He began gathering his retainers as though a great war might break out at any moment, fully convinced that a massive campaign would begin no later than the following year.
Helping Liu Bei pacify Yizhou, perhaps even conquering the lands beyond it, and eventually campaigning against foreign tribes, these thoughts burned fiercely in his chest.
Looking back, Huang Zhong felt nothing but regret for all the years he had wasted staying in Jingzhou.
Zhang Fei's earlier words continued echoing in his mind, fanning his ambition even higher.
The Martial Temple!
The thought alone was enough to make his blood surge.
His sense of urgency, however, was not without reason.
In the third month, across the river in Jiangling, Zhou Yu sent an invitation requesting that Liu Bei come for a meeting.
Liu Bei, however, had no intention of walking into a trap like a fool.
Whether because of the light screen's revelations or Lu Su's earlier warnings, everyone understood one thing clearly: if the opportunity arose, Zhou Yu was fully capable of seizing Liu Bei on the spot.
Moreover, Zhou Yu had received Sun Ce's final charge before his death. If he truly chose to act ruthlessly against Liu Bei, what could Sun Quan say in objection?
Going to the meeting alone would have been the height of stupidity.
In the end, both sides reached a compromise. They would meet on small boats in the middle of the river, with each party remaining aboard its own vessel.
"Zhou Gongjin proposes that we join forces to attack Yizhou."
This was the message Liu Bei brought back.
"If the light screen tells us that Sun Quan's later invitation concealed the stratagem of borrowing a road to destroy a state," Zhuge Liang said, shaking his head slightly, "then Zhou Yu's invitation is far less subtle. His intentions are plainly dangerous."
The generals immediately reached the same conclusion.
"If we agree to this plan, we will definitely die in Yizhou."
There was no need for further debate.
They rejected the invitation outright.
Yizhou would have to be taken by their own strength.
"I turned him down immediately," Liu Bei said, furrowing his brow as he recalled the brief encounter. "Zhou Yu never even showed his face. He remained inside the cabin the entire time and spoke only through messengers. His illness must already have reached a critical stage."
A soft sigh passed through the room.
A man of such brilliance had been brought down not on the battlefield, but by a sickbed. There was something deeply frustrating about such an ending.
"Even in that condition, he is still scheming to win Yizhou for Sun Quan," Zhang Fei remarked.
His tone carried a hint of mockery, but there was also unmistakable admiration.
"That is true loyalty. Sun Quan's ancestors must be watching over him. His ancestral graves must be smoking green smoke!"
The others nodded in agreement.
The disaster at Xiaoyao Ford, still fresh in everyone's memory after watching the light screen, had left a deep impression on them.
Zhou Yu had poured his heart and soul into building Jiangdong's hundred-thousand-strong army, only for that army to become the foundation of Zhang Liao's legend.
One could not help wondering:
If Zhou Yu saw that disaster from the afterlife, what would he think?
After the generals dispersed, it was, as always, time for Zhuge Liang's private counsel with Liu Bei.
"If we are to take Yizhou, we must pass through Yufu. To reach Yufu, however, we must first pass through Nan Commandery."
Zhuge Liang traced a clear route across the map, explaining each step with precise patience.
"But Zhou Yu currently holds Nan Commandery and shows no intention of withdrawing," Liu Bei murmured.
Then realization struck him.
"Kongming, you already have a plan, do you not?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded.
"Have my lord write a letter to Sun Quan."
"First, express concern that Grand Commander Zhou Yu's illness prevents him from handling affairs properly, leaving Nan Commandery vulnerable to Cao Cao's forces."
"Second, state that Jiangling and Gong'an depend on one another. If one falls, the other cannot stand. Therefore, ask permission to take over Jiangling's defenses as soon as possible."
"Third, assure him that Grand Commander Zhou Yu should focus on recovering. Once Wu moves against Hefei, captures Shouchun, controls the Huai River, and threatens Xuchang, we will commit our forces against Xiangyang and Fancheng in support."
Liu Bei understood immediately.
"I will write it at once."
A moment later, however, doubt crept into his expression.
"Wait. Will Sun Quan actually believe this?"
Zhuge Liang's smile widened slightly.
"Sun Quan will not completely trust you."
"But he does not completely trust his Grand Commander either."
"Hehehe..."
...
By April, Zhuge Liang was even busier than before.
On top of allocating resources and calculating taxes, he now had the extra job of teaching farmers how to grow better rice using the methods from the Tiangong Kaiwu.
"Husband, what do you think of these sheets?"
Huang Yueying walked over carrying a stack of newly made paper, each one different in texture and feel.
Under the shade of trees by the fields, Zhuge Liang had set up a simple little shelter. From there, he worked alongside Jiang Wan while keeping an eye on the rice seedlings.
He could have delegated the task, but he chose not to. This was too important to hand off lightly.
Beside him, Jiang Wan wore the face of a man who had completely given up on life.
Not only had his cozy office environment vanished, but the amount of work he had cranked out in these two months alone was more than half a year's worth back in the old days.
Still, when he saw the newly made paper, even he perked up with interest.
During this time, the papermaking workshop had churned out all kinds of variations. Many still had flaws, but they were already way more convenient than bamboo slips or wooden tablets.
Zhuge Liang took the stack with obvious excitement.
The very top sheet caught his eye immediately.
Even thickness, fine texture, a faint sheen on the surface. When he ran his fingers across it, it felt smooth, but with just enough grip to hold ink properly.
"My wife's skill in papermaking has truly reached the level of a master," he praised sincerely.
Huang Yueying just smiled, gesturing for him to look further down the stack.
Zhuge Liang carefully lifted that top sheet of Zuo Bo paper away, and right there, under Jiang Wan's expectant gaze, he tucked it under his desk. Clearly, he was hoarding that one for himself. Classic Kongming.
Beneath it lay another sheet, even whiter, softer, yet surprisingly tough.
Without hesitation, he gave his verdict.
"This is even better than Zuo Bo paper."
Having watched the papermaking process firsthand many times, he quickly grasped the significance.
"You found a substitute for mulberry bark?"
The light screen had revealed mulberry bark was essential for making Zuo Bo paper, while the other ingredients could be refined through trial and error. The real problem? Cost.
Mulberry trees were used for raising silkworms, and their bark had medicinal value too. Diverting them to papermaking basically doubled the expense.
But now? It looked like that problem was solved.
"Husband, have you heard of the red mulberry tree?" Huang Yueying asked.
"Red mulberry..." Zhuge Liang paced thoughtfully before answering. "You mean the gu tree?"
He went on to explain. "Regular mulberry fruit is dark purple, while the gu tree's fruit is reddish. Its leaves can also raise silkworms, though the silk produced is lower quality. In northern Jingzhou, people mostly grow it for the fruit."
"My husband's knowledge is as vast as ever," Huang Yueying said with a small smile. "Paper made from gu tree bark costs only thirty percent of what Zuo Bo paper does."
Thirty percent! That is seventy percent cheaper!
"And there is more."
She pulled a freshly bound book from her sleeve. On the cover, written in seal script, were the characters Six Secret Teachings.
Zhuge Liang flipped through a few pages, nodding with satisfaction.
"Printing is really that convenient."
The method described on the light screen immediately made sense to him. It involved carving characters into a raised surface, coating them with ink, and pressing them onto paper.
One press could reproduce an entire page.
The applications extended far beyond books. Government decrees, merchant account books, farming manuals, everything could benefit from the method.
If so, then the Tiangong Kaiwu shown on the light screen must have been produced through a similar technique.
"My wife's work will benefit everyone under Heaven," Zhuge Liang said, his tone carrying rare gravity.
---
Fun Fact:
Huang Yueying is the unsung MVP of this ancient industrial revolution.
While the men are busy fighting wars and showing off their battlefield strategies, she is building the future of administration, education, and mass communication.
Cutting paper costs by seventy percent is the ancient equivalent of making high-speed internet affordable for everyone.
With Kongming increasing rice yields and Yueying developing cheaper paper and printing, Liu Bei's faction is practically speed-running the civilization technology tree.
Step aside, bamboo slips.
The age of mass-produced books has arrived, and it is about to make everyone's lives much easier.