[Voiceover]
"Can money truly be used to fight a war?
As Shu Silk flowed across borders, the 'Value-One-Hundred' coins followed, circulating far beyond Yi Province.
Seeing the profit in declaring one coin to be worth a hundred, Sun '100,000' Quan could not resist imitation. Though he lacked an economic genius like Liu Ba, Brother 100,000 was a master of 'copy-paste.'
Over the next decade, Sun-Wu issued coins of ever more ludicrous denominations: the Large Spring 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and at last, the short-lived Large Spring 10,000.
The numbers rose higher even as the copper grew lighter. The people of Jiangdong were not fools—who would use such trash? The coins became worthless, abandoned in the streets.
Sun Quan promptly blamed the minting official, Xie Hong, and resumed his façade as a benevolent ruler. The only change was this: Jiangdong had surrendered its monetary sovereignty to others."
Liu Bei frowned, puzzled. "Zizhong, if our 'Value-One-Hundred' coins succeeded, why did the Marquis of Sun's 'Large Spring' coins fail so completely?"
Kongming gave Pang Tong a sidelong glance before rising to answer. "My lord, the screen spoke of 'Standards.' While the term is profound, we can infer that a currency's value depends on its foundation—grain, cloth, and copper. The Marquis of Sun merely changed the inscription on his molds; he did not conjure more grain or cloth from thin air. Worse still, he lacked state markets to sustain the coin's worth. Without that backing, his coins were no different from Dong Zhuo's worthless tokens."
Mi Zhu nodded emphatically. "The Military Advisor's understanding is precisely mine."
Pang Tong folded his sleeves tightly. This Kongming… how does he comprehend even the flow of trade and goods?
[Voiceover]
"Cao-Wei, meanwhile, inherited the wreckage of the Eastern Han's economy.
Dong Zhuo had obliterated the currency system, and Cao Cao's seizure of peasants for state-run farms (tuntian) destroyed small industries.
For years, Wei existed in a barter economy. Ironically, Shu Silk became the most trusted currency among Wei's upper class.
This was how Shu-Han could fund its Northern Expeditions without collapsing—much of its war chest was effectively financed by 'Boss Cao.'
They exploited the Price Scissors Gap between high-value silk exports and low-cost imports.
Later, when Jiang Wei's campaigns drained life from the land, it was partly because Wei had restored its own currency, closing that gap."
"I know what scissors are," Zhang Fei muttered. "My wife uses them to cut silk. But what does that have to do with going to war?"
Guan Yu's face remained austere, but his eyes betrayed the same confusion. Liu Bei turned once more to Mi Zhu for help.
"It is simple," Mi Zhu explained. "One bolt of fine Shu Silk now costs two hundred thousand coins. Ten weavers can produce such a bolt in three months—it is literally worth its weight in gold."
Huang Yueying added, "The paper workshop at Hudu River earns enough in a month to purchase only one bolt of Shu Silk, yet it employs over a hundred workers. Shu produces with ten what others require a hundred to make."
Realization dawned across the hall. They did not need to understand 'Price Scissors Gap' to grasp that ten men outperforming a hundred was victory itself.
"Truly, Yi Province is the Land of Abundance," Liu Bei said with quiet awe.
[Voiceover]
"With a stable economy and a newly crowned emperor, Liu Bei made his fateful decision.
He wanted vengeance for his brother.
He wanted Sun-Wu to pay for its treachery.
Thus began the invasion of Jiangdong.
History judges the Battle of Yiling in many ways—most of them biased.
It is often ranked among the great 'victories of the few against the many,' alongside Guandu and Red Cliffs.
The most famous critique, the so-called 'seven-hundred-li line of camps,' came from Cao Pi, who wasn't even present.
Considering that Cao Pi had no military experience whatsoever, his judgment was, shall we say… shallow."
[Live Comments]
NoobSlayer99: [Cao Pi dropping one-star Yelp reviews on wars he never attended. Typical.]
PentaKill_Enjoyer: [To be fair, the 700-li camp thing was a rookie mistake. Even I could see that.]
GachaLife_4Ever: [If Liu Bei hadn't gone full rage mode after Guan Yu's death, he'd have won. Emotional damage = real.]
AFK_Farmer: [Backstab your only ally, then act shocked when he rolls up with 40,000 troops. Classic Wu move.]
X_DarkShadow_X: [The Empire of Brothers vs the Empire of Snakes! Let's gooo!]
"Brother," Guan Yu said gravely, "to raise an army in anger is the gravest taboo."
Liu Bei was silent for a long moment. "If Yun-chang falls first, and Yide follows soon after… tell me, how could I not be angry?"
The three brothers met one another's eyes. Decades of brotherhood—how could any of them remain unmoved?
"At least," Zhang Fei muttered awkwardly, "the screen says Big Brother didn't lose as badly as people think."
The others glared at him. To bury the hope of Han's restoration in one campaign—how could that ever be considered 'not bad'?
[Voiceover]
"In the year 221, after Liu Bei gave the order, opinion within Shu-Han split sharply.
The Prime Minister, Zhuge Liang, was firmly opposed. After the defeat, he lamented:
'Had Fa Zheng still lived, he could have restrained the Lord and prevented the eastern march.'
Yet because his own brother, Zhuge Jin, had sent a letter from Wu seeking peace, Liang remained silent to avoid suspicion.
Zhao Yun openly opposed the campaign, declaring that Cao Pi was the true traitor to the realm; to ignore Wei and attack Wu was folly.
Huang Quan offered a tactful compromise:
'Do not go, my lord. But if you must, let me serve as your vanguard.'
In the end, the Prime Minister stayed in Chengdu, Zhao Yun guarded the rear at Jiangzhou, and Huang Quan held the northern bank to watch Wei.
Liu Bei himself led the front lines on the southern bank."
Zhang Fei nudged Zhao Yun. "Zilong, what say you? Should we attack Wu?"
Zhao Yun thought carefully. "I stand with the version of myself spoken of on the screen. The true enemy is the Cao clan. Destroy the traitor, and all other troubles will fade."
"I disagree!" Pang Tong cut in sharply. "The traitor's house is mighty, while the Han stands weak. Sun-Wu is a nest of snakes—they betrayed us once already in Jingzhou. If we strike at Cao and leave the south unchecked, what stops Sun Quan from betraying us again the instant he is offered a better deal?"
He turned his sharp eyes toward Kongming. 'If Fa Zheng were alive'? Am I not here?
"If I accompany the Lord," Pang Tong declared boldly, "I shall devise a plan to seize the chestnut from the fire itself!"
Zhang Fei nodded approvingly. "Zilong makes sense, but Cao Pi's no pushover. And if that green-eyed brother-in-law of ours decides to play 'Great Wu-Wei King' again and strike from behind, we're doomed!"
Silence fell. Liu Bei chose to ignore the "brother-in-law" remark and turned solemnly to Pang Tong instead.
"Shiyuan's talent is renowned across the world. The fame of the Fledgling Phoenix resounds through the four seas. The restoration of the Han rests upon you."
Pang Tong actually blushed, lowering his head to hide his smile.