The rhythmic chanting of the Chu Shi Biao—the Proclamation on Starting the Expedition—rose and fell in the hall, intertwining seamlessly with the calm narration of the light screen.
It was like listening to two eras breathe together.
Within those measured lines, the men present saw a Zhuge Liang entirely different from the Military Counselor-General standing among them now.
Not the strategist plotting formations.
Not the commander weighing supplies and terrain.
But a teacher.
A guardian.
A man patiently explaining the world to a child.
"The Sovereign should broaden his divine hearing…"The Sovereign should broaden his divine hearing…
These are honest, loyal, and pure men…These are honest, loyal, and pure men…
These are ministers who would die for their integrity…These are ministers who would die for their integrity…
If such men are employed, the prosperity of the Han House can be expected in the near future."
Facing an exhausted Yizhou—its people drained by years of war, its treasury thin, its morale fragile—Zhuge Liang spoke without urgency.
He did not dazzle.
He simplified.
He broke vast principles into words a young Emperor could understand.
He spoke of how Liu Bei had treated the common people with kindness.
What it meant to be a proper ruler.
Which ministers deserved trust.
Which petty men must be kept at arm's length.
And, above all, how the Han might yet be restored.
"Your servant was originally a commoner…"Your servant was originally a commoner…
Commissioned in a time of peril…Commissioned in a time of peril…
Twenty-one years have now passed…Twenty-one years have now passed…
I shall exhaust my dull talents to eliminate the treacherous and the cruel…I shall exhaust my dull talents to eliminate the treacherous and the cruel…
As I face this memorial, tears fall, and I know not what more to say."
After laying out the governance of Shu Han—administration, appointments, discipline—the old Prime Minister briefly recounted the grace he had received from the Late Emperor.
How he had given everything.
How now, at last, with the domestic foundation secured, he would lead the Northern Expedition himself.
He asked only one thing of the young Emperor:
Take care of the state.
"Truly worthy of being called 'The Proclamation That Governs a Nation,'" Zhang Fei sighed deeply.
"Military Counselor… you are truly something. It's beautiful, yet anyone can understand it at a glance."
Everyone nodded.
Now they understood what the light screen meant by "elegant without being gaudy."
There were no obscure allusions.
No need for commentaries upon commentaries.
As long as one could read, one could grasp its heart.
"It's just a pity," Zhang Fei added, shaking his head,
"that the person it was entrusted to… wasn't up to the task."
Silence fell.
With guidance like this.
With repeated warnings to 'stay close to virtuous ministers and distant from petty men'—
How did A-Dou still walk the old road of eunuchs and superstition?
Liu Bei decided, for the moment, to forget he had a son.
He took Zhuge Liang's hands firmly.
"I said it back then," he declared, his voice steady,
"that Kongming possessed the talent to stabilize and govern the realm—surpassing even Zhang Liang and Xiao He!"
Zhuge Liang shook his head gently.
"I am far inferior to Zhang Liang and Xiao He," he replied honestly.
"My only wish is to follow my Lord in punishing the rebels and restoring the Han.
If I can do that… then my life will not have been lived in vain."
[Voiceover on the Light Screen]
"On the other side stands the Later Proclamation, whose authenticity remains debated.
It dates to the year 228, before the Second Northern Expedition.
Compared to the first:
The First Proclamation is tragic yet grand, profound intent expressed in concise words.
The Later Proclamation is desolate, its intent desperate, its language verbose.
Due to discrepancies in perspective and chronology, many scholars believe the latter is a forgery.
Others argue the shift reflects the Prime Minister's bitterness after the failure of the First Expedition.
We'll discuss this debate in detail when we cover the Six Expeditions from Mount Qi, as it involves Eastern Wu and strategic constraints.
Regardless of its authenticity, the Later Proclamation remains worthy of admiration."
"Military Counselor," Zhang Fei asked, waving a fan teasingly,
"did you write the second one too?"
"Yide," Zhuge Liang sighed,
"I haven't even written the first one yet."
[Voiceover]
"Whenever people discuss the Proclamation, they inevitably discuss Chancellor Zhuge.
Because it lays out Shu Han's condition so clearly—and because it is required reading in secondary schools—young people often question him:
'With such talent, why not join Cao Wei and gain a high post?'
'Why not depose Liu Shan, as Liu Bei once suggested?'
'Why not just hold Hanzhong and live peacefully as a small state?'
On the surface, these choices seem easy. Their benefits obvious.
But had he followed Cao Cao, he would merely be another Guo Jia or Xun Yu.
Had he deposed Liu Shan, he would become another Sima Yi.
Ignoring Cao Wei entirely would be nothing but self-deception.
Precisely because he was Chancellor Zhuge, he never chose the easy path.
He was a torch cutting through thorns.
A lighthouse in the fog.
He was not a 'foolishly loyal servant' to Liu Shan—
He was Liu Shan's elder, his Xiangfu: Minister-Father.
His loyalty was to the Han cause itself.
He worked until his heart stopped.
He died without regret."
"True words!" Zhang Fei thumped the table.
"If we wanted the easy path, Brother could've surrendered to Cao Cao long ago!
Why would Second Brother leave Cao's side and suffer so much just to find us again?"
"Minister-Father…" Liu Bei murmured.
Suddenly, everything connected.
A-Dou was small now—but the road ahead was long.
Jingzhou.
The Xiang River.
Hanzhong.
Guan Yu's death.
The campaign against Wu.
And finally… Baidi City.
Zhuge Liang did not inherit merely a broken state.
He inherited a teenage A-Dou—one Liu Bei himself had failed to discipline.
The fall of the Han would one day be blamed on the son's weakness.
But the root… lay with the father.
Liu Bei squeezed Zhuge Liang's arm tightly, guilt flooding his chest.
On the screen, two students walked past, their casual voices drifting into the hall.
"Mid-laner Kongming is legendary," one said,
"but top-laner Liu Shan is AFK. How are we supposed to win this game?"
"Look at General Yue Fei's luck," the other laughed bitterly.
"Stuck with that son of a turtle Wanyan Gou. Feeding kills is worse than AFK!
Compared to him, Liu Shan is practically a brilliant ruler…"
He paused.
"Hey. Do you think the Prime Minister's dream succeeded?"
"What dream?"
"The Han cause," the first replied.
"Aren't we all still called Han Chinese now?"
"…I guess," the other said slowly.
"It did."