[Lightscreen]
[In his correspondence, the Prime Minister requested that Sun Quan launch a proactive northern expedition to draw Cao Wei's attention away from the west.
Sun Quan agreed quite readily. In reality, however, this move was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
First, let us look at that phrase. Armor stays on in Yongzhou-Liangzhou, saddles stay on in the Central Plains.
Who exactly was responsible for that level of sheer terror? It certainly was not Sun Quan.
Second, Sun Quan decided to attack Hefei. Again. While the details varied slightly, the result was a classic case of deja vu. Sun Quan attacked Hefei and failed. Cao Rui personally led reinforcements, and Sun Quan fled in terror.
And just like that, the Hefei Front went quiet. Sun Quan clocked out of work early and went home to watch the drama unfold from his couch.]
"That son of a dog..."
Zhang Fei had only those five words to say. Liu Bei did not even bother to scold his third brother this time. He just kept shaking his head in a silent, weary rhythm.
---
Chang'an, Ganlu Hall.
Li Shimin, a man who lived and breathed military strategy, had studied every battle mentioned on the light screen before.
But seeing them paired with future maps and detailed commentary made everything feel entirely fresh.
"Chengqian is already ten years old..." he mused. The content on the screen was starting to get to him.
Looking back, it seemed he had shown very little personal care for his son. Perhaps he should have dinner with the boy tonight and test his progress in his studies.
Li Shimin made up his mind. He also wondered if he should get a head start on writing the Di Fan. According to the timeline, Chengqian would be thirty when he passed away. Surely a century of prosperity would owe something to the son's efforts as well?
His heart softened toward his heir, but he quickly pivoted back to military matters. "How many times exactly did Sun Quan attack Hefei?"
"Five times," Wuji answered instantly.
"And he failed every single time?"
"Three failures, one proactive retreat, and one absolute disaster of a defeat."
Li Shimin shook his head and said nothing. He felt that spending even a single word on Sun Quan was giving the man far too much credit.
[Lightscreen]
[In February of 234 AD, the Prime Minister led an army of one hundred thousand out through the Baoxie Road.
To prepare for this final push, the wooden plank roads that Zhao Yun had burned years ago were fully restored. Furthermore, with an obsessive eye on logistics, he specially designed the Flowing Horse, a transport tool optimized for water-based supply lines.
When we talked about the second expedition at Chencang, we noted that the Prime Minister could not have been looking for a decisive battle there.
Chencang opens directly onto the Guanzhong plains with no natural defenses to hold. But that was a secondary strike force. This time, he was going all in, and the strategy reflected that.
Small armies must secure terrain and move slowly. Large armies seek to settle everything in one decisive stroke.
Having realized that siege warfare was a meat grinder, the Prime Minister shifted his strategy. Lure the enemy into the plains, annihilate the main force, and Longyou would fall by default.
The Records of the Three Kingdoms mentions a reserve force at Mount Qi, most likely intended to mop up the remaining territories once the main battle was won.
By April, Wei Yan led the vanguard out of the Xie Valley, and the main Shu Han force encamped at Wuzhang Plains in Mei County.
The choice of Wuzhang Plains was brilliant in its simplicity. Its high elevation meant it was a natural fortress. Even in modern warfare, attacking uphill is a nightmare. To the north lay the Wei River, providing an inexhaustible water supply and a natural barrier against northern flanking maneuvers.
On Sima Yi's side, Zhuge-Phobia had become a full-blown contagion. No one was bragging about taking on the Prime Minister anymore.
As for how to respond, Sima Yi had a very clear plan.
First, they could not stay north of the Wei River. The Prime Minister had a way with people. If the civilians of Mei County to the east of the plains decided to follow him, it would be a disaster.
Second, Sima Yi played it safe. If he stayed north and the Prime Minister launched a feint at Mei County while secretly striking at Chang'an, the joke would be on him.
Ultimately, Sima Yi decided to camp by the Wugong River, just east of Wuzhang Plains. His generals gave him the standard Brilliant move, boss routine.
Only Guo Huai offered a suggestion that was actually adopted. He feared the Prime Minister would cut off the road to Longyou and insisted they occupy the North Plains first. The North Plains was another high plateau across the Wei River. Yet another strategic high point.
The Prime Minister tried to pull a reverse card, attacking Mei County in the east as a distraction while Wei Yan led troops across the Wei River to strike Guo Huai.
Unfortunately, Guo Huai had been fighting the Prime Minister for far too long to be easily fooled. He held the North Plains with a death grip, and Wei Yan could not break through.
Across the Wugong River, the Shu Han and Cao Wei armies stared each other down.
Sima Yi was curious to see what his great rival looked like after three years apart. The scouts brought back their first impression. He rides in a simple white carriage, holds a feather fan, and commands the three armies with perfect poise.]
The final battle. The generals in the room held their breath, their eyes locked on the screen.
"If Sima Yi is obsessed with the North Plains, what if we struck directly at Chang'an?" Wei Yan asked. The mention of his own historical Ziwu Valley plan had clearly piqued his interest.
"Impossible," Guan Yu countered firmly. "Chang'an has no natural defenses. Even if you take it, you still have Tong Pass to deal with. Ignoring Sima Yi would mean cutting off your own grain supply. You would be an isolated army, and it would change nothing."
Huang Zhong also had a question. "Why not strike Mei County immediately after exiting the Baoxie Road, before Sima Yi could arrive?"
"It would not work." The playful grin had completely vanished from Zhang Fei's face. "Looking at the map, the stretch from Xie Valley to Mei County has no cover. Sima Yi could harass the supply lines at will, turning the entire march into a suicide mission."
He paused, then added, "Besides, the force at Mount Qi was likely just a secondary unit of new recruits. Shanggui is a fortress. Cutting off the Longyou road from Xie Valley was never an option."
Liu Bei hated this atmosphere. The whole situation reminded him far too much of the lead-up to the Battle of Yiling. When two massive armies are locked in a stalemate, it usually turns into a grinding war of attrition. A test of who can hold their breath longer while trying to cut the other's throat by starving them out.
He glanced at the map again. The Shu Han supply line through the Xie Valley led directly to Wuzhang Plains, protected by mountains and water. It was easy to defend. But Sima Yi?
Liu Bei sighed. Sima Yi was even more secure. He was east of Wuzhang Plains, with his entire supply line sitting safely behind him deep in Wei territory.
A rising sense of agitation gnawed at Liu Bei. This kind of standoff came down to patience and luck. And Liu Bei felt that Shu Han had already spent all its luck the day they found the Wolong and the Fengchu. It had happened at Yiling. It had happened in every expedition since.
Pang Tong saw Kongming's lips pressed into a thin, tight line and tried to lighten the mood. "So, Kongming, where is this four-wheeled carriage of yours?"
Kongming shook his head slowly. "My only regret is that Wuzhang Plains lacked Shiyuan's counsel."
Pang Tong went quiet. He understood perfectly. Kongming was desperate for capable men. If he had just a few more reliable hands, if Jieting had not been lost, perhaps they would never have been pushed to this desperate stalemate at all.
Jian Yong sighed. "This Guo Huai... he has ruined the Northern Expeditions time and time again."
It was not just Guo Huai, Liu Bei thought. He remembered the Prefect of Longxi, You Chu, from the first expedition. Even a mere border prefect had such keen foresight. The north truly was a breeding ground for talent.
[Lightscreen]
[The Prime Minister came prepared for a long haul.
He leaned into his village bumpkin roots and started a farming colony right there on Wuzhang Plains.
Honestly, the terrain was perfect for it. A river valley with the Cao Wei to the north and the Wugong to the east. It was prime real estate for crops.
But Sima Yi just sat in his camp like a statue. The village bumpkin could be the best farmer in the world, but he was not going to out-farm the thousand li of the Guanzhong plains.
After a few months, Sima Yi received word that Sun Quan had retreated. He stopped worrying entirely. Outside, the Shu Han army was shouting insults and issuing challenges.
Inside, Sima Yi was as calm as a monk.
Then, a gift arrived for Sima Yi. A set of elegant women's clothing, sent by Zhuge Liang himself.
This finally triggered a reaction. Sima Yi flew into a rage and sent a memorial to Cao Rui asking for permission to fight.
Cao Rui refused. Not only did he refuse, he sent Xin Pi with an imperial staff to serve as the army's military advisor, ensuring the Emperor's will to stay defensive was strictly enforced.
The provocation failed. The stalemate continued. But Sima Yi was full of confidence. In a letter to his brother, he wrote: He has fallen into my trap. His defeat is inevitable.]
"I feel like... something is off," Zhang Fei muttered.
"Of course it is," Pang Tong said coldly. "Sima Yi was not truly angry. He only sent that memorial to save face in front of his troops. If he were actually furious, he would have attacked immediately. Cao Rui gave him full command over the Guanzhong military. He did not need to ask permission for every skirmish."
Pang Tong paused, his teeth gritted. "And besides, Sun Quan was scared off by Cao Rui personally leading an army. That means Cao Rui and Sima Yi likely coordinated their movements. It has only been a few months, and Cao Rui is already back and issuing orders to Sima Yi? Did Sun Quan really do nothing at all to slow them down?"
Liu Bei sighed heavily. "Opportunistic and focused only on petty gain... the future's evaluation of the Sun 'Shinwan' Quan is absolutely correct."
Guan Yu also sighed, but for a different reason. "Resorting to such an extreme provocation to force a battle... it reveals weakness."
Guan Yu knew better than anyone that the heart of warfare was the struggle for what later generations would call the initiative.
Sima Yi might not have fully understood the situation before, but the moment he received those women's clothes, he knew the Shu Han army was desperate for a fight.
When the enemy is desperate to move, the best move is to stay still. Sima Yi held the initiative, and he knew it perfectly well.
[Lightscreen]
[Sima Yi managed to pump the Shu Han messenger for basic information about the Prime Minister's daily routine.
Any punishment over twenty lashes, he reviews personally. He eats no more than a few liters of grain per day.
Sima Yi heard this and immediately understood. He uttered that famous lament: He eats so little and works so hard. How can he possibly last?
In a military camp, reviewing every punishment over twenty lashes is not just signing off on a paper.
You have to read the testimony,.
Hear the witnesses.
Check the legal code, and then pass judgment.
It is utterly exhausting work. Since he began governing Shu, the Prime Minister had worked from dawn until dusk, pouring his soul into every last detail.
He worried about making money for the common people.
He worried about the salt they ate.
He worried about the irrigation of the fields.
He worried about the quality of every iron tool and every weapon.
He understood Liu Shan, writing the young Emperor more letters than he ever sent home to his own family.
He had high hopes for the boy, personally copying out texts like the Six Secret Teachings for him to study.
His Memorial on the Beginning of the Expedition became the blueprint for ruling a nation.
He understood Jiang Wei. After the young man surrendered, the Prime Minister wrote to Jiang Wan saying he was a top-tier talent from Liangzhou, even superior to Ma Liang, and absolutely must be given important responsibilities.
He knew Shu Han was starving for capable men, so he treated every person with even a hint of talent with the utmost respect.
He noted every single person who accomplished anything of value.
He carried the entire populace of Shu Han in his heart.
The only person he left no room for was himself.
Both sides held out until August, when the Prime Minister's health took a sharp and devastating turn.
He became bedridden, a terrifying omen in the ancient world.
Liu Shan sent Li Fu racing to Wuzhang Plains to check on his Xiangfu, his Imperial Father.
Facing Li Fu, the Prime Minister was remarkably calm about his own mortality.
He said plainly: I will not last much longer. Once I am gone, rely on Jiang Wan.
Li Fu pressed further. And after Jiang Wan? The Prime Minister answered: Fei Yi.
Li Fu still was not satisfied. He asked who would come after Fei Yi.
The Prime Minister did not answer. He simply turned his gaze toward the direction of Chengdu.
My Lord, In these eleven years, this old minister has given everything he had. From now on, you must guide Shu Han yourself.
Not long after Li Fu departed, on that very night: A Great Star, red and glowing with a sharp, piercing aura, flowed from the northeast to the southwest and fell directly into the Prime Minister's camp.
It struck three times before rising again, growing smaller with each impact. The campaign at Xie Valley would not be finished. A commander's star had fallen within the camp.
The flame of the Radiant Shu Han flickered. A star has fallen over Wuzhang Plains.]