What kind of soldiers deserve to be called a strong army?
Guan Yu had always believed the foundation was simple:
They must not fear death.
Like the Champion Marquis—riding a thousand li in pursuit, crushing the enemy to the ends of the earth.
Like Zhang Wenyuan—eight hundred daring followers shattering an army of a hundred thousand.
But such feats were built on clear incentives.
Fame dangled before their eyes.
Rewards pushed from behind.
When the desire for glory and profit outweighed the fear of dying, soldiers became fearless.
Yet this logic… did not seem to apply to the people of later ages.
Charging into a flood to save civilians—
what merit was there to claim?
What fame could be won?
The only explanation was chilling in its simplicity:
They truly placed the lives of the people above their own.
Why?
Guan Yu fell silent without realizing it.
The light-screen spoke again.
[Light-screen]
[In moments of such crisis, the most admirable are not only the People's Liberation Army.
Shandong's Fire and Rescue Corps dispatched seven brigades along with search-and-rescue dogs to support Zhuozhou.
Nearly a hundred civilian rescue organizations—Blue Sky Rescue, Ram Rescue, and others—also rushed to the disaster zone.]
The background color of the light-screen shifted.
The viewpoint rose higher.
Those advancing against the disaster were no longer just the military convoys from before.
Green uniforms led the way, cutting paths through the flood.
Behind them followed ranks in orange.
Further back came every imaginable color, every kind of vehicle—each bearing different slogans.
"One place in distress—aid from all directions."
Liu Bei read it aloud, his voice steady.
"That's… well said."
"Zhuozhou family, hold on—your compatriots are coming!"
Zhang Fei read the next one loudly—then turned away and rubbed his eyes hard.
The flood still raged on the screen.
But heroes had already set foot on Zhuozhou soil.
"Heroes…" Guan Yu finally said.
For once, he found no grander praise.
[Light-screen]
[At present, although rainfall in Zhuozhou has ceased, forecasts indicate that three to four hundred million cubic meters of water must still pass through the area.
Fortunately, nationwide material support has already begun, and we believe the people of Zhuozhou will overcome this together.]
Messages flooded the screen:
[ Server Chat Log]
HeavenPatch: Salute to all frontline flood-rescue personnel!
ScrollLoading: Stay safe—return home safely!
ChronicleBreaker: United as one, we will overcome!
MandateError: Life above all—rescue is responsibility!
DaoAfterPatch: There are no gods descending from heaven—only heroes who step forward!
JianghuLag: Thank you to everyone involved. May you return safely!
Liu Bei and Zhang Fei exchanged a look.
They thought of the same thing.
And panicked at the same time.
"Relief supplies? How do we send them?"
"I've got wealth!" Zhang Fei blurted out.
"I have ten thousand dan of grain!" Liu Bei said immediately.
In the end, it all came down to one question:
"How do we help?"
It took both Kongming and Pang Tong working together to calm their lord.
"The future has armies that protect their people like this."
"The future has methods bordering on the divine."
Only then did Liu Bei collect himself.
And realize—
The light-screen wasn't finished yet.
If they were to give anything… it would have to wait.
Chang'an.
Ganlu Hall.
Silence had fallen.
If anyone understood natural disasters, it was Li Shimin and his ministers.
Du Ruhui spoke with practiced familiarity:
"In the first year—drought, frost, snow.
Second year—locusts, floods, hail, locusts again, frost.
This year, drought is already visible. The officials warn that locusts may follow."
Two years. Eight disasters.
No one in Great Tang was more qualified to speak of suffering.
"But none compare to the rescue capabilities of later ages."
Li Shimin sighed.
The more one understood warfare, the clearer it became—
How terrifyingly powerful the armies of later generations were.
How he wished his Tang armies could possess such discipline and strength.
But…
He shook his head and stopped himself.
More than that, the sight of soldiers and civilians moving together during disaster relief struck something deep within him.
Calling one another "compatriots."
Calling strangers "family."
In his understanding, armies could be commanded by force.
But civilians?
How could ordinary people risk their lives, travel thousands of li, just to save strangers?
Not for fame.
Not for profit.
Only for life.
Only for fellow people.
Li Shimin was lost.
This was something he truly could not comprehend.
[Light-screen]
[I'll make a dedicated episode on natural disasters later when I have time—let's bookmark that for now.
Next, we continue where we left off: The Six Northern Expeditions!]
For the first time, Liu Bei wished this descendant would speak faster.
Zhang Fei was already looking around impatiently.
"Everyone knows how it ends—what's there left to say?"
Li Shimin nearly exploded.
"I've read about the Six Expeditions dozens of times! When do we get the disaster episode?!"
[Light-screen]
[We've said this many times before—the Chancellor's strength was never innate genius, but terrifying learning ability.
During the first expedition to Qishan, he was still raw.
By the second, he was already a qualified supreme commander.
After withdrawing from Chencang, he coordinated seamlessly with Chen Shi—like antlers hanging without trace—and easily seized Wudu and Yinping.
This was an unquestionable victory.
Chengdu celebrated wildly, and Liu Shan took the opportunity to restore the Chancellor's authority.]
Someone's happiness meant someone else's humiliation.
[Light-screen]
[Cao Rui, newly enthroned, found it intolerable.
That year alone:
On the western front, the Chancellor fought three times—one win, one draw, one loss.
The Chancellor lost almost nothing, Guanzhong trembled, and Wudu and Yinping were truly gone.
On the eastern front, Sun Quan crushed Cao Wei at Shiting—tens of thousands lost, Cao Xiu nearly angered into illness.
From Cao Wei's perspective:
Jiangdong, fine.
But you, Shu Han—what gives you the right?
One mine versus nine—and you dare be arrogant?!
No. Shu must be attacked.]
Guan Yu was the first to pull himself fully out of the disaster images.
He frowned.
"The light-screen previously mentioned Cao Zhen marching through Ziwu Path to strike Hanzhong… is this that time?"
Huang Zhong couldn't understand it.
"Cao Zhen predicted the Chancellor's move at Chencang—he understands warfare."
"Then how could he commit the same blunder as Wei Yan—"
He stopped himself.
Wei Yan said nothing.
He hadn't even been to Shu yet.
Zhang Fei glanced at Wei Yan, then at Cao Zhen on the screen.
"So Wenchang is on the same level as Cao Wei's regent-general?"
Wei Yan's face reddened.
…That didn't sound like praise.
Pang Tong, however, understood Cao Rui perfectly.
"Young emperors are like this. They must display might. They must suppress dissent."
The light-screen continued, maps flashing once more, four massive arrows pointing toward the tiny basin of Hanzhong.
The hall grew tense.
Wei Yan finally asked:
"Zhang He and Sima Yi were guarding Xiangfan. If they're sent to attack Hanzhong, wouldn't that give Eastern Wu a perfect opening?"
Zhang Fei burst out laughing.
"Wenchang, I'll bet you—Ten-Thousand-Marquis is definitely attacking Hefei again!"
He laughed louder.
"And I'll bet you—either he loses badly, or he comes back empty-handed!"
Wei Yan was speechless.
Pang Tong ignored Jiangdong entirely, studying the situation.
"Kongming is cautious by nature. He would absolutely expect a Wei counterattack."
"I suspect he's already prepared for this."
Kongming smiled faintly.
"Shiyuan has that much confidence in me?"
Pang Tong snorted.
"I'm just judging by your personality."
"And I'd wager that the 'Twin Cities of Jiangling' mentioned earlier were probably your idea for General Guan Yu."
Kongming said nothing.
But truthfully—
He liked that dual-city structure very much.
And the timing did line up.
The light-screen concluded with the outcome.
Rain.
Relentless rain.
Thirty days of downpour across the Qinling Mountains.
Flooded rivers.
Collapsed plank roads.
Mired armies.
Four routes to Shu—
all broken by heaven itself.
Cao Zhen returned to Chang'an.
And soon after—
Died in despair.
The four-pronged invasion collapsed completely.
And with it—
The final collapse of the Qiao-Pei military faction.
As for Sun Quan?
The light-screen answered bluntly.
[Light-screen]
[Year 230: Sun Quan attacked Hefei. Failed. Withdrew.]