Sun Quan, predictably, returned without capturing a single brick of Hefei.
Pang Tong watched the screen, a dry, mocking chuckle escaping his lips as he glanced at Kongming. "And there you have it. The ally who supposedly endures humiliation for the sake of the nation."
Kongming remained silent, but Zhang Fei had no such filter.
He snorted, his voice booming through the hall. "Our Lord Sun Shinwan-ge certainly knows how to play his cards, does he not? When it is battle of mount Qi or battle of Shiting, he is quick to pick up the scraps, forcing our military advisor to march in the dead of winter. But the moment one hundred fifty thousand Cao bandits invade Shu, he takes his hundred thousand men for a lovely spring stroll under the walls of Hefei."
Wei Yan, feeling a bit lost in the high-level politics, whispered, "General Zhang, perhaps the walls of Hefei were simply too high, the moats too deep..."
"Bullshit!" Zhang Fei cut him off with surgical precision. "Wenchang, you are staying in Gong'an tonight. I will have Jichang give you the records of the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford. Read them well.
And remember this. Whatever you do in war, never, ever learn from that blue-eyed brat from Jiangdong!"
Wei Yan did not fully understand the historical weight, but he nodded vigorously anyway. Even Guan Yu could not help but shake his head with a long, weary sigh.
If he were in Kongming's position, he would not have a better solution for Jiangdong either. This brother-in-law of theirs held the title of King of Wu as a fallback. If pushed too hard, he would just defect to Cao Cao again. Then Yi Province would truly be forced to fight the entire world with a single province. The one-base against nine scenario the light screen had mentioned.
Still, Guan Yu appreciated the craftsmanship of the defense. "The military advisor's tactical stability is truly admirable. To build such a fortress in Hanzhong despite the difficulty of the Shu roads... even without the rain, Cao Zhen would have found no victory there."
Liu Bei, however, was not focused on the military genius. He was dwelling on the light screen's offhand comment about the friction between Kongming and Li Yan. The screen never wasted words on trifles, and it left him with a nagging sense of unease.
---
In the Ganlu Palace of Chang'an, the Emperor and his ministers were well-versed in the history of the Wei and Jin.
"Looking at it this way, the Marquis Wu, Zhuge Liang actually did Cao Rui a favor!"
Li Shimin remarked, finding the modern perspective quite refreshing. "Without the Northern Expeditions, Chen Qun, Sima Yi, Cao Zhen, and Cao Xiu, the four regents, would have all remained in Luoyang.
Cao Rui was already over twenty. With five factions vying for power in the capital, the administration would have rotted from within.
But with war breaking out on two fronts, the two Caos and Sima Yi were forced to leave the center of power with their armies.
That left only the relatively toothless Chen Qun. Cao Rui was able to seize absolute power, stabilizing the Wei dynasty."
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui remained quiet. Such topics were delicate to evaluate. Zhangsun Wuji, however, was less reserved. "Cao Rui may have had some talent, but his obsession with women and his eventual muddle-headedness means he was not even a fraction of Your Majesty's shadow."
Li Shimin waved a hand dismissively. "Cao Cao's talent was only so-so. What then of Cao Rui?"
But the Emperor paused, looking thoughtful. "Both Cao Pi and Cao Rui died young, leading to the disaster at Gaoping Tombs. It seems the study of medicine should be accelerated, not delayed."
His gaze drifted to Du Ruhui. The man's hidden ailments had been cleared by the Imperial Physician, a fact that still gave Li Shimin the chills. If not for the light screen's warning, it would have been too late for regrets.
Fang Xuanling, ever the smooth operator, chimed in, "Expanding the study of medicine at the Imperial Academy is a noble deed, Your Majesty. Your benevolence is clear."
Li Shimin shook his head. "Every province should have medical schools. We must gather prescriptions from ancient and modern times and teach the way of healing to benefit the people. We must understand the people's ailments to cure them."
Ignoring the chorus of praise from his ministers, Li Shimin felt himself inching just a bit closer to the title of the Emperor of the Ages.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Sun Quan's failure to capture Hefei allowed Cao Rui to put aside the anxieties raised by the Battle of Shiting.
Shinwan-ge, you never let us down! Since the Yangtze line was safe, Cao Rui made a pivotal move. Sima Yi was transferred from the Xiangyang-Fancheng military district to station at Chang'an.
He was to command Zhang He, Fei Yao, Dai Ling, and Guo Huai to resist the Prime Minister. The two titans of the late Three Kingdoms era were finally about to clash head-on.]
"Emperor Xuan of Jin..." Kongming whispered, recalling the title seen previously. Xuan was a high posthumous title. It meant all-knowing and benevolent, wise and far-reaching, capable of spreading virtue in all directions.
Pang Tong's smile held a trace of pity. He was glad his judgment was right. Sun Quan was so useless that even the Cao Cao looked down on him. Yet he was frustrated by the reality.
The ally Kongming had worked so hard to secure was failing to produce any meaningful results. The planned two wolves against a tiger scenario had turned into a tiger and a wolf fighting while the other wolf sat on the sidelines hoping to scavenge.
Is his head on straight? Pang Tong wondered, feeling the unfairness of Kongming's burden.
The generals in the room sat upright, their eyes glued to the screen. Every detailed military breakdown from the future was a priceless lesson for them.
Back in the Ganlu Palace, a soft sigh echoed. "To not be able to see this with my own eyes... it must be a great regret for Yaoshi."
Li Shimin then instructed, "Keming, Xuanling, take meticulous notes. Wuji, go and help them."
[Lightscreen]
[As always, let us look at the background. War is not a turn-based game.
While Cao Zhen was stuck in the mud and Sima Yi was losing ships to the Han River, a massive victory occurred in the gaps of the history books.
The Great Victory at Yangxi. Again, because of the heavy rain, the Wei forces were in full retreat. However, sensing the importance of Longyou and having a fresh force in Hanzhong, the Prime Minister ordered Wei Yan and Wu Yi to lead a pursuit into the Qiang regions of Liangzhou Province.
Wei Yan led the vanguard. Emerging from Mount Qi, he reached the Yangxi area and ran smack into Hou Jiangjun-Rear General Fei Yao and Yongzhou Cishi-Governor of Yong Province, Guo Huai, who were heading home.
Because of Wei Yan's later controversial status and the brevity of historical records, the description of this battle is sparse, described by only one term. Crushing Defeat
This term is usually reserved for overwhelming victories. We can also glimpse the scale of the achievement through the rewards.
Before the battle, Wei Yan was the Chancellor's Sima, Liangzhou Cishi-Governor of Liang Province, and a Duting Hou-Marquis of a Capital Village. After the battle, he was named Nanzheng Xian Hou-Marquis of Nanzheng County, promoted to Qian Junshi-Front Military Advisor and Zhengxi Da Jiangjun-Grand General Who Conquers the West, and granted Jie Jie-Imperial Scepter. Wu Yi also shared the glory, becoming Zuo Jiangjun-General of the Left and Gaoyang Xiang Hou-Marquis of Gaoyang Township.
The Shu Han followed the Han system of nobility. Marquis of a Capital Village, Marquis of a Village, Marquis of a Capital Township, Marquis of a Township, and finally, Marquis of a County. Wei Yan leaped four ranks at once and became the only general during the Prime Minister's administration to hold the honor of the Imperial Scepter.
You can imagine how massive the victory at Yangxi truly was.]
Marquis of a County! Those four words sent a jolt through everyone in the room.
The man of the show, Wei Yan, felt his face flush as if he had downed a gallon of wine. His body actually swayed a little. Forcing himself to steady his nerves, he stood and bowed deeply. "I, Wei Wenchang, will never fail the grace of the Han!"
Guan Yu's expression was unreadable, while Pang Tong and Kongming shared a subtle, complicated look.
Liu Bei, however, was purely sincere as he helped Wei Yan back up. "Only today do I truly know that Wenchang is a general of fierce might!"
Wei Yan sat back down, his heart racing, only to hear Zhang Fei mutter, "Maybe there is something fishy about Wei Yan's death too?"
Wei Yan turned several shades paler. He knew the light screen held records of the future, but because his rank was not the highest, he usually came and went quietly. Had the screen already revealed his end?
Liu Bei gave Wei Yan a comforting smile, and Guan Yu patted the man on the shoulder. "Do not overthink it. Whatever happens twenty years from now is not worth worrying about today."
Wei Yan nodded, trying to push the chaotic thoughts aside. Then, the image of Ma Su suddenly popped into his head. He quickly comforted himself. I have such merits. How could I end up like that useless waste?
In another corner, Jian Yong drained his sour plum drink and let out a soft burp. "What a shame we could not see how he won so big! A pity!"
Mi Zhu joked, "Since the future lacks historical records, why do you not write a book yourself, Xianhe? Record the things we have lived through, describe the people and customs of this chaotic era. Use your own wit to correct the rumors and legends."
The more Jian Yong thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. He had traveled all over for his lord. From Hebei to Jiaozhou, from Jiangdong to Liangzhou. But he could not do it alone. He turned an eager gaze toward Mi Zhu. "Zizhong, you have seen much as well. Now that good paper is cheap, why do we not write it together?"
Mi Zhu was genuinely tempted. "Let me think on it."
[Lightscreen]
[Wei Yan's pursuit shattered the morale of Longyou. Then, the weather turned strange.
The annals say: From the tenth month of last winter to the third month, there was no rain. A drought was beginning to rear its head. Seizing the moment of unrest, the Prime Minister struck again. In 231 AD, the year after Cao Zhen's failed invasion, the Prime Minister led his army to surround Mount Qi.
The ancients said: Before the troops move, the supplies must go first.
We say: War is a game of logistics.
Having been tortured by the Shu roads during previous expeditions, the Prime Minister understood this better than anyone. Thus, the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse made their historical debut.
Sima Yi, stationed in Chang'an, did not have to worry about supplies, so the Prime Minister had to innovate just to stay in the game. With the poise of a seasoned veteran, he surrounded Mount Qi and built a fortification at Lucheng to the northeast, calmly waiting for Sima Yi to arrive.]
"Surrounding a point to strike the reinforcements!" Zhang Fei blurted out. He had been spending his free time with military texts lately, and the tactic was clear to him.
Guan Yu, however, saw a deeper layer. "It looks like surrounding a point, but it is actually seizing the initiative by staying put. Waiting for the moment of certain victory. It perfectly fits the way of using the orthodox to engage and the unorthodox to win."
Zhang Fei immediately felt like his reading had been in vain. He understood every word his second brother said, but why could he not see that when he looked at the map?
"General Zhang, by building Lucheng, the intention is to first secure a position that cannot be defeated, then wait for an opportunity to strike the enemy's vitals," Wei Yan offered helpfully.
Guan Yu shook his head, feeling the explanation was secondary. What truly struck him was the future's phrasing. "Logistics truly are the vital point of any military struggle!"
Liu Bei smiled. "No wonder the future holds the military advisor's skill in such high regard. The logistics of the Hanzhong campaign mentioned earlier still leave a deep impression!"
Liu Bei himself could not figure out how Kongming, sitting back in Chengdu, had managed to get grain all the way to him at Mount Dingjun. If not for those logistical miracles, his march to Dingjun would have been a suicide run.
Kongming waved his feather fan and smiled without a word. Is this really that hard to understand? To him, such things were basic common sense.
He watched the screen, wondering how Sima Yi, the man called his lifelong rival, would respond. And though the screen had not said it yet, Kongming remembered the math.
Another year had passed since Cao Zhen's invasion.
Prime Minister Zhuge Liang had only four years of life remaining.