As the light-screen's vivid images dimmed and dissolved, they were replaced by a cascading torrent of text. These were the voices of the "Future Observers," each marked by sharp, aggressive monikers, like elite warriors forged in another age. Kongming and Pang Tong instinctively lifted their brushes. They understood at once: the images revealed what happened, but this so-called "Global Chat" exposed the why—and the judgment history would ultimately render.
[Server Chat Log]
[V0id_Stalker]: 〖A long sigh for the First Sovereign. To lose cities and territory yet rise again—yet once the brothers are torn apart, when will they ever meet again? An emperor must be cold and rational, but the First Sovereign simply could not be so.
[Nitro_Trigger]: Huang Quan surrendered to Wei out of sheer necessity; Fu Rong fought to the death to cover the retreat. When the state later fell, both of their sons chose death for Shu-Han—an echo of the tragedy at Yiling.
[Null_Vector]: Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, Ma Liang, Shamoke, Fu Rong, Zhao Rong, Cheng Ji—all dead. Huang Quan, Shi He, and Pang Lin forced north to Cao; Du Lu and Liu Ning surrendered to Wu. Twelve named generals lost in a single stroke!
[Static_Wraith]: Speaking of Huang Quan, I'm reminded again of Cao Pi. Appointing him "General Who Stabilizes the South"—was that deliberate mockery? And it worsens. After Huang Quan surrendered, rumors spread that Liu Bei had executed his family. Cao Pi ordered Huang Quan to hold a funeral. Huang Quan refused, saying, "I trust Lord Liu is not that kind of man."
[Apex_Shift]: The Baidi Testament—the very summit of trust and devotion between lord and subject in all of history. Only virtue and wisdom can truly rule. Liu Bei spent his life upholding righteousness. His dying words to Liu Shan were: "Your father's virtue is shallow; do not imitate it."
[Cipher_Blade]: Cao Cao slaughtered cities and killed those who had surrendered, yet died saying, "In all my actions, my heart feels no regret." Both men lived their truths to the absolute extreme. As for Sun Quan… let's skip him.
[Viper_Protocol]: The fire of Shu-Han: first flickered at Maicheng, second dimmed at Baidi, third extinguished at the Wuzhang Plains. Jiang Wei of Tianshui carried the legacy of Longzhong, trying to fan dying embers back into flame—yet in the end, he failed. Alas!
[V0id_Stalker]: One entrusted him with mountains and rivers; the other gave his life until his heart ceased beating. The glory of Shu-Han shines brightest here. "The river flows, the stones do not turn—eternal regret for failing to swallow Wu." The poet Du Fu truly loved the Prime Minister.
[Nitro_Trigger]: Personally, the best description of the Prime Minister's path forward comes from Xin Qiji: "A man's heart is like iron until death; watch him strive to mend the torn sky."
[Null_Vector]: Cao Pi looks like a child who never grew up. Born in 187, while Sun Quan was born in 182. "Sun the Ten Thousand" was only five years older, yet played Cao Pi like a fiddle. Cao Pi was a respectable poet and a discerning gourmet, but as an emperor he was incompetent, relying almost entirely on Sima Yi and Jia Xu.
[Static_Wraith]: History is captivating precisely because it is unpredictable. Li Shimin once said: "I settled the realm in seven years; only Han Gaozu may stand beside me." 〗
A strange, heavy sympathy settled over the ministers in the hall—for men like Liu Ye, Jia Xu, and Xin Pi. Each was brilliant, their strategies sound, their vision far-reaching, yet all served a sovereign who refused to listen.
"What crime did the common people commit," Guan Yu said slowly, anger smoldering beneath his measured tone, "to suffer man-made calamity piled atop pestilence?" To be powerless was one thing; to issue cold and heartless decrees was beneath the dignity of a ruler.
"Brother, when we march east, you must grant me the vanguard so I may avenge you!" Zhang Fei bellowed.
Liu Bei found the loyalty touching—if faintly awkward. After all, he felt quite hale at present.
Ma Liang, recording his own name among the fallen with a heavy hand, muttered, "The rebel Cao holds eighty percent of the realm; he can afford such caprice. And this Cao Pi will not live long. Let us hope his successor, Cao Rui, proves less frivolous."
Kongming, who prized integrity above all else, let out a quiet sigh. "To preserve faith in his lord's character even after surrendering… Huang Quan did not fail the Lord. It was only the tragedy of Yiling that failed him."
Pang Tong, reading of the coming Northern Expeditions, began to discern the shape of the storm ahead. The preview of the next chapter was unmistakable: Kongming would pull the state back from the very edge of collapse. "Kongming…" Pang Tong wished to ask whether he might help shoulder that burden.
He was interrupted by Zhang Fei's thunderous voice.
"Military Advisor—step aside! Make some room!"
At some point, Zhang Fei had vanished. Now he returned with Chen Dao, the two of them straining as they hauled a massive wooden crate into the center of the hall. Zhang Fei's face shone with pride.
"When I went to retrieve Master Jian, I happened upon a nest of White Bears near Linju!"
A sudden chill ran through Kongming. "Are you saying… there is a nest of White Bears inside that crate?"
Zhang Fei grinned broadly. "The people of the future seem to adore these creatures. Their bears look harmless enough, but the one I caught—ha! It took two of my best men to help me wrestle it down. Future generations will surely be delighted!"
Kongming did not share that optimism. Before he could intervene—
Crash!
The crate burst apart.
"ROAR—!"
The beast, nothing like the docile image beloved by future ages, had been waiting for this instant. A black-and-white blur shot forward. Sensing that the armored giants in the hall were not to be trifled with, the panda veered aside, smashed through the wall of a side chamber, and fled toward the distant mountains.
"I shall pursue and subdue it, to ensure the safety of the civilians!" Zhao Yun declared, already in motion.
"I caught it—I'll help track it!" Zhang Fei roared, charging after him through the gaping hole.
The remaining officials stood frozen in stunned silence. Kongming slowly fanned himself, shaking his head. "The Third General nearly turned a gift into a calamity."
Jian Yong, ever the peacemaker, bent down and lifted a small, fuzzy bundle left amid the shattered wood. "The adult may be fierce," he said gently, "but it seems this cub was abandoned. Perhaps… this is the better gift after all."