Pang Tong suddenly thought of Zhang Song—that melancholy scholar he had once described as "plain of face yet extraordinary in wit."
How alike they were.
Both men of piercing intellect, born with the fire of greatness, yet doomed to see that brilliance swallowed by fate. To serve a worthy lord, yet miss the turning of Heaven's wheel—to have a breast filled with ambition, yet nowhere to spend it—what cruel irony!
"Shiyuan…"
It was Liu Bei's voice—gentle, heavy with concern. Pang Tong seized his lord's hand like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline.
Liu Bei clasped his hand in return, steady and warm. "If Heaven decrees that fate, then Heaven can be defied. Shiyuan, you shall not go to Yi Province."
Pang Tong's fingers trembled, then tightened into a fist. His voice rang like hammered iron.
"Dying to a stray arrow is no longer my destiny. I will live to see my Lord unify the Central Plains!"
His spirit steadied, his eyes blazed once more.
When they resumed their seats, Pang Tong leaned close to Kongming, his tone almost conspiratorial. "Did the light-screen show the date of your death as well?"
Kongming merely smiled, fanning himself lightly, and gave no answer.
[Voiceover]
"The second key moment was the defense of Jiameng Pass. Liu Zhang's generals, Fu Jin and Xiang Cun, led ten thousand men to cut off Liu Bei's retreat—a textbook 'pulling the rug' maneuver.
Huo Jun, commanding just eight hundred troops, not only held the pass but counterattacked and beheaded Xiang Cun. That single victory shifted the entire momentum of the Yi Province campaign."
Liu Bei nodded as the screen narrated. "So this is why later generations call Huo Jun a famous general."
He recalled the earlier mention of Huo Jun's son, Huo Ge, whom the future chroniclers had described as the heir of a legend. And he remembered, with a twinge, that bitter line from the future: If Emperor Ah Dou had let Huo Ge defend Chengdu, Shu-Han might not have perished so soon.
"Father and son, both heroes," Guan Yu declared solemnly.
The light-map of Yi Province glowed across the hall floor. Guan Yu traced its lines with a general's instinct. "If Jiameng Pass had fallen, Liu Zhang could have cut off Brother's retreat and starved his supply lines. Even without battle, he could have won. Or worse—joined with Zhang Lu to strike from both front and rear. The Lord would have been trapped."
He nodded decisively. "The title of Famous General is well earned."
Zhang Fei huffed. "Where did this 'Huo Eight-Hundred' come from? Why isn't that Fu Jin called 'Fu Ten-Thousand' instead?"
Zhao Yun, silently calculating, wondered whether he ought to fix his own guard at eight hundred men as well.
Beside him, Pang Tong tugged at Kongming's sleeve and whispered, "Tomorrow, show me the records of this Xiaoyao Ford. You explained the meaning of 'Sun One-Hundred-Thousand,' but I still can't believe it."
Kongming only smiled.
Inwardly, Pang Tong sighed in relief. To think I nearly bent the knee to such a lord…
[Voiceover]
"As for why Liu Zhang never used scorched-earth tactics—yes, he was a soft-hearted man, but the greater reason was fear. He couldn't balance the immigrant Dongzhou faction against the native Yi elites.
If he had burned the fields, the two sides would have erupted into civil war before Liu Bei even arrived.
Fa Zheng, himself a Dongzhou man, saw this clearly. That's why he assured Liu Bei there was no danger. By conquering Yi Province inch by inch, Liu Bei prevented future unrest."
Kongming dipped his brush and wrote two words upon his paper: Contradiction and Demand. He nodded thoughtfully.
"The future scholars see with clarity. To govern a realm is nothing more than balancing contradictions and answering the people's needs."
Liu Bei turned to Pang Tong. "Are the Dongzhou immigrants and the local Yi truly so divided?"
Pang Tong explained, "Tens of thousands of households from Nanyang and the Three Adjuncts migrated west under Liu Yan. He relied on them to suppress the local clans—calling them the Dongzhou Soldiers. Naturally, the locals hated them. Then, when the Dongzhou faction grew powerful, they in turn oppressed the natives. Thus, hatred brewed on both sides."
Liu Bei frowned. No wonder the future said that by conquering the land inch by inch, I ensured peace.
Force to subdue, benevolence to soothe—only then could a kingdom rest easy.
[Voiceover]
"Externally, the danger came from Cao Cao. After seizing Hanzhong, he returned to his old rhythm: a 'small revolt every two years, major rebellion every three.' The regions of Wudu and Hechi rose again.
Meanwhile, Sun Quan hadn't yet earned his meme title 'Sun One-Hundred-Thousand,' and Cao Cao feared chaos at his rear. So he took Long but didn't look toward Shu—and withdrew.
Before retreating, however, he left Zhang He with ten thousand men to raid Baxi. Zhang He plundered the countryside, capturing the people wholesale—offering them 'Hanzhong residency' and dragging them north.
After the Hanzhong campaign, Cao Cao resettled them in Chang'an and Luoyang. It was an odyssey few could imagine."
[Live Comments]
NoobSlayer99: [Cao Cao out here playing Pokémon with civilians.]
PentaKill_Enjoyer: [Zhang He solo-queuing deep into enemy territory—respect.]
GachaLife_4Ever: [Imagine waking up in Baxi and being told you're moving to Luoyang. 0/10, worst travel plan ever.]
AFK_Farmer: [Shu-Han's player base getting server-transferred without consent 💀.]
"Stealing people again!" Zhang Fei slammed a fist into his palm. "That dog Cao Cao never changes!"
Liu Bei's face darkened; these were his future subjects—his people—carried off like spoils.
But Pang Tong frowned. "How could Zhang He penetrate so deep into Yi Province? After the land was pacified, our forces should have been elite and well-organized. How did he raid so freely?"
Kongming hesitated, exchanging a glance with Liu Bei. "You will see soon enough, Shiyuan."
Liu Bei returned the look, a flicker of dread passing through him.
[Voiceover]
"At first, Zhang He's campaign went perfectly. He reached Dangqu—only four hundred li from Chengdu.
Why was he unopposed? Because Liu Bei wasn't in Chengdu. He had taken thirty thousand men to the Xiang River—to 'have a chat' with Sun Quan.
Later, Liao Li roasted him mercilessly: 'The Late Emperor took troops for a stroll. He gained neither Hanzhong nor the southern commanderies, wasted his strength, and let Zhang He nearly overrun Yi Province!'"
Liu Bei froze. Only now did he understand the glance Kongming had given him.
Cold sweat beaded on his brow. To withdraw heavy troops from a half-settled province—had he truly done something so reckless?
If war had broken out with Sun Quan then… the results would have been catastrophic.
"Brother, do not grieve!" Guan Yu said firmly. "Yide remained in Yi Province."
Zhang Fei said nothing. His jaw was tight, his eyes fixed on the light-screen.
[Voiceover]
"Liao Li may have been arrogant, but his criticism wasn't wrong. The truth is—Liu Bei never fought a rich man's war.
In hardship, he was indomitable. His Hanzhong campaigns were works of art.
But once he grew 'wealthy'? During the Xiang River Treaty, he took thirty thousand men just to get his daily steps in.
And Yiling… well, that's a story for later.
But in this crisis—like the bridge at Dangyang—it was Zhang Fei who rose to save the realm.
The Prefect of Baxi, Zhang Fei, led ten thousand troops to intercept Zhang He at Dangqu."
Zhang Fei stared at the screen, a flicker of unease on his face. Guan Yu saw it, placed a steadying hand on his brother's shoulder, and said warmly,
"Third Brother, you are a peerless warrior of our age! The union of Jing and Yi rests upon your triumph in this battle."
He raised his voice in salute.
"An inscription carved on horseback—the fame of Zhang Fei of Zhuo Commandery shall echo through a thousand autumns!"
[Voiceover]
"The exact troop numbers are unclear, but Liao Li wrote that 'the province was nearly lost.' The two sides clashed for over fifty days.
Zhang He held no defensive high ground, meaning their forces were evenly matched.
The stalemate broke through Zhang Fei's cunning. After careful scouting, he chose Wakou Pass for the final confrontation.
The terrain was narrow, the slopes steep. Zhang Fei lured Zhang He in, then sprung an ambush. Using the mountains, he cut Zhang He's army in two, isolating the vanguard.
Zhang He was utterly defeated. To save himself, he abandoned his horse and fled over the mountains with only a handful of men.
Baxi was secured.
In victory, Zhang Fei revealed his scholarly grace. Upon the cliffs of Mount Bameng, he carved an inscription:
'Fei, General of the Han, leading ten thousand elite troops, crushed the rebel Zhang He at Bameng, and carved this inscription on horseback.'
The carving struck awe into the local tribes, pacifying Baxi and restoring stability to Yi Province."
The hall fell into reverent silence.
Even the light of the screen seemed to flicker in tribute—shadows of hoofprints dancing upon the walls, echoing the memory of a general who fought, carved, and conquered in the name of Han.
The name of Zhang Fei would indeed ride through history—etched forever upon stone and sky alike.