At this moment, Kongming was still in the air.
And Zhang Fei was still spinning on the ground.
Huang Yueying let out a startled gasp, instinctively reaching forward as if afraid Kongming might actually be flung into history. Pang Tong stared with naked envy—half envy of Kongming, half envy of Zhang Fei's arm strength. Liu Bei and Guan Yu, meanwhile, exchanged a glance and smiled without saying a word.
To them, this was not chaos.
This was joy.
Pure, unadulterated joy.
The Han had fallen seventeen hundred years ago. Dynasties had risen and collapsed like waves. Names, rituals, even the word "Han" itself had faded into ink and dust.
And yet—
In the far south, among the mountains and forests of Nanzhong, there were still people who called themselves subjects of the Han.
They did not know Liu Bang.
They did not know Emperor Wu.
They knew only one name.
Zhuge Liang.
That alone was enough to make a hardened ruler's eyes sting.
Kongming finally tapped Zhang Fei's arm twice—firmly. Only then did the overexcited general remember that Military Advisors were not siege weapons and gently place him back on the ground.
Kongming staggered half a step, sleeves fluttering, his face pale from dizziness.
"…Do not," he said weakly, "do that again."
Pang Tong seized the opening at once.
"Kongming," he asked, eyes sharp, "what exactly did you do in Nanzhong?"
According to everything they had seen, the Chancellor spent barely twelve months there.
One year.
In that year, he suppressed rebellion, reorganized governance, restored trade routes, appointed officials—and then immediately turned north to gamble his life on the Northern Expedition.
And yet seventeen hundred years later, those people still remembered him as an ancestor.
That so-called "pact" could only have been forged in that single year.
The light-screen responded.
[The Chancellor left few written records of his civil governance in Nanzhong. What survived was oral tradition.]
[Even today, if one visits the region, Wa elders will recount stories passed down from their ancestors—stories of Zhuge Liang.]
[According to these tales, after settling the land, the Chancellor did everything in his power for the Wa ancestors.]
[He selected fine seeds and taught them farming methods.]
[He taught them how to build houses, raise cattle, cultivate mulberry trees, and weave cloth.]
[This land, once dependent on slash-and-burn agriculture, was introduced to systematic production and stable living. It was the earliest form of what later generations would call "poverty alleviation."]
[He also taught them how to plant tea in Pu'er—a land perfectly suited for it.]
[To this day, Pu'er tea remains a pillar of the region's livelihood, and Zhuge Liang is worshipped there as the "Tea Ancestor."]
[As Luo Guanzhong summarized it: "Truly wishing to win their hearts, not to destroy their kind."]
"To win their hearts without destroying their kind…" Liu Bei repeated softly, exhaling a long breath.
"What Emperor Wu failed to accomplish with a hundred thousand armored troops," Guan Yu said, eyes shining, "Zhuge Kongming accomplished with his mind."
To Guan Yu, this was the highest realm of warfare.
No bloodbath.
No annihilation.
Just loyalty that outlived empires.
"It is exactly like the couplet at the Martial Temple," Guan Yu continued, voice resonant as he recited:
"Winning hearts dispels rebellion;
since ancient times, those who know war are not fond of fighting."
He turned to Kongming and declared without hesitation,
"Kongming is a true grandmaster of military strategy!"
Clatter!
Zhang Fei turned his head just in time to see Pang Tong's teacup tumble off the table and shatter.
Zhang Fei burst into laughter, bent down, picked up the cup, and shoved it back into Pang Tong's hands. He then gave Pang Tong a hearty pat on the shoulder.
"Military Advisor Pang! You're ranked alongside the Chancellor! Work hard! Work hard!"
Pang Tong rolled his eyes so hard they nearly escaped his skull.
A man who gets murdered by his own soldiers is telling me to work hard?
He stared at the tea leaves floating in his cup, suddenly remembering the title Tea Ancestor, and lost all appetite for the drink.
Farming.
Housing.
Weaving.
Tea.
He knew all of these things—but it had never occurred to him that such "trivial" skills could pacify an entire land for seventeen centuries.
His mind spun far harder than Kongming ever had in Zhang Fei's arms.
Ma Liang, meanwhile, was scribbling furiously, eyes glowing.
These methods… they could be used on the Wuxi barbarians.
In his imagination, a future temple slowly took shape—one statue of Zhuge Liang in the center, and perhaps, just perhaps, a smaller statue of Ma Liang standing respectfully to the side.
The light-screen continued, utterly merciless to idle minds.
[Because of these policies, the Wa resistance against British invasion 1,700 years later was so resolute.]
[To the Wa people, the Chancellor had fulfilled his side of the pact by lifting them out of the wilderness.]
[Protecting the land was simply their way of keeping their promise.]
[However, the British were like "toads pretending to be frogs"—ugly and full of tricks.]
[In 1941, the Wa people awoke to discover they had been signed over to British Burma by the Nationalist government.]
[They fought for decades, until the 1960s, when the new government redefined the borders and returned the land to China.]
[The "Banhong Anti-British Monument" still stands today—a stone testament to a history that began with the Chancellor.]
Guan Yu stared at the towering stone pillar displayed on the screen.
"…Is this not 'carving stone to record merit'?" he said slowly.
Then realization dawned.
"But this monument is not for a king," he murmured. "It is for the struggle of common people."
He nodded in admiration.
"This future dynasty… it has vision."
The light-screen shifted again.
[With military deterrence, local governance, economic integration via the Ancient India Road, and targeted assistance to weak tribes, the Chancellor achieved a near-perfect result with limited resources.]
[With Nanzhong stabilized, attention turned inward. The foundation of Shu governance began with the Shu Code.]
[When the Shu Code was enacted, the powerful clans of Yizhou wailed: "Our former lord Liu Zhang was so easygoing! We could do anything! Now these beggars from Jingzhou want to protect commoners?"]
[Historical records state: Kongming ruled with strictness but not cruelty. Rewards and punishments were clear. The people held no grievances.]
[This reveals a core function of law: protecting the weak.]
Pang Tong's eyes lit up like a gambler spotting loaded dice.
"Kongming!" he leaned forward eagerly. "The Shu Code isn't fully drafted yet, is it? Why don't we write it together?"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"The legend of the Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Fledgling creating the law of Shu!"
Kongming laughed—and refused without hesitation.
The light-screen delivered the final blow.
[The Chancellor issued amnesty only once—when Liu Shan ascended the throne.]
[In the thirty years after his death, Shu-Han issued twelve amnesties.]
[This destroyed the rule of law and accelerated the nation's collapse.]
[In the Tang Dynasty, the 'Premier Emperor of a Thousand Ages,' Li Erfeng, often discussed this issue.]
[He praised the Chancellor's restraint, calling amnesties the beginning of chaos—though even he could not fully avoid issuing them.]
The screen flickered.
[Bullet Chat Appears]
Gilded-SSR-Strategist: "Li Erfeng is truly the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), but his descendants were such 'pit-fathers' (troublemakers) who dragged the team down!"
Map-Sprint: "The Chancellor didn't have a 'System' or a 'Cheat Code.' He just used 60 points of resources to produce 100 points of results. Look at that efficiency!"
EnVoid Dark: "Emperor Xuanzong fled to Shu, and Emperor Xizong fled to Shu. Basically, whenever the Tang fell apart, they treated the Chancellor's Chengdu as their 'Safe House.' It's ironic—the place Kongming built became the emergency exit for the Tang."
Tea Lover: "Did you know Zhuge Liang is literally the 'Tea Ancestor' in Yunnan? The locals still pray to him before harvesting Pu'er tea."
Le_ArmScholar: "Zhuge Liang was strict but fair. He protected the commoners from the greedy landlords. That's why they called him 'Father.' Unlike the later Tang emperors who just taxed everyone to death."
Me_87Master: "I can't wait for the Northern Expedition episode. 'Come hither, you village farmer!' — Wang Lang's last words before his heart exploded. LOL!"
Li_Shimin: I HAVE NEVER HAD THE NICKNAME "LI ERFENG" (LI THE SECOND PHOENIX)!!!
The hall fell into confused silence.
Ma Liang stroked his chin, thinking deeply.
"So… this Li Shimin," he said slowly, "his nickname… is The Second Phoenix?"