"Now that line—'one night destroyed three worthies'—that's lethal!"
Zhang Fei laughed himself half to death.
To be honest, he didn't actually know who those so-called "three worthies" were.
But one night?
That part required no explanation.
Liu Bei, however, fell silent, a trace of melancholy passing through his expression.
As an old rival, he knew perfectly well what Cao Cao had once aspired to be.
Yet the tides of the world are cruel—
the Duke of Wei today was no longer the loyal Han minister Cao Mengde of old.
Liu Bei even felt a hint of envy.
To pacify a chaotic age, and still have two sons of astonishing literary talent—
that alone would have been enough to bring glory to one's ancestors.
Unfortunately, Cao Cao had chosen a path that could never accommodate two successors.
Pang Tong, looking at the other central figure in the Wancheng Incident, searched his memory.
"Zhang Xiu… didn't his entire clan end up wiped out?"
Kongming nodded.
"Cao Cao lost the Three Worthies in the second year of Jian'an.
Zhang Xiu surrendered again in the fourth year."
"He later died on campaign against the Wuhuan.
Four years after that, his son Zhang Quan was implicated in Wei Feng's rebellion.
The whole family was executed—no survivors."
Mi Zhu shook his head, unable to comprehend Zhang Xiu's choices.
"He might as well have come over to my lord.
At least his descendants would not have been exterminated, with no one left even to offer ancestral sacrifices."
As they spoke, the three men from Yi Province could only listen as though hearing heavenly scripture, committing everything to memory while inwardly ashamed.
Living long in Shu, cut off by Zhang Lu—
they truly had not known the heroes of the realm.
Even Fa Zheng felt a surge of ambition rise within him.
Break Zhang Lu. Open Hanzhong. Return home in glory to Mei County of Fufeng.
[Light-Screen]
["A dragon among men, whose glance commands storms"—
that was how later generations praised Sun Quan.
"A son should be like Sun Zhongmou"—
that was Cao Cao's verdict.
These two judgments perfectly summarize the first half of Sun Quan's life.
He ascended the throne at nineteen, with rebels without and traitors within.
His elder brother Sun Ce's murder remained unresolved;
his younger brother Sun Yi was assassinated.
Internal chaos. External threats.
Yet he unified his brother's former retainers,
honored Zhang Zhao in civil affairs and Zhou Yu in military command,
crushed internal unrest, killed Huang Zu, annexed Jiangxia,
personally promoted Zhuge Jin, Lu Su, and Lu Xun,
and ultimately defeated Cao Cao at Red Cliffs.
At this stage, Sun Quan bore Sun Ce's shadow—
aggressive and driven, yet tempered with caution.
He fully deserved those accolades.
Historically, after Zhou Yu's death, this version of Sun Quan ended.
The ambitious pioneer transformed into a ruler who never risked all.
In fact, between the lines of history, it becomes clear:
much of the time, Sun Quan was being dragged forward by Zhou Yu.
At Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu had to argue bitterly to persuade Sun Quan to resist Cao Cao—
only then dared he request fifty thousand elite troops.
Sun Quan's reply?
"Gongjin, you don't manage the household—you don't know the price of firewood.
I can give you thirty thousand. Not one more."
"Go fight first. I'll hold the rear.
If you lose, then I'll personally fight Cao Cao."
Zhou Yu probably didn't even bother cursing.
You think I don't know how many troops Jiangdong has?
You're saving men so you can negotiate better terms when you surrender.
Even Zhou Yu's deputy at Red Cliffs—Cheng Pu—
openly feuded with him.
And who appointed Cheng Pu?
Sun Quan himself.
Later, when Zhou Yu proposed entering Shu to divide the realm,
he volunteered to bring Sun Quan's cousin Sun Yu,
promising Sun Yu governorship of Yi Province after success,
while Zhou Yu would return east to garrison Xiangfan.
Sun Quan agreed publicly—
then privately loaned Jiangling, the very springboard for invading Shu, to someone else.
As for the saying
"Zhou Lang planned the world—lost both wife and troops,"
it may exaggerate details,
but Sun Quan's role in it is obvious to all.]
"Sun Polu may rest in peace now," Liu Bei said softly, more than a little envious.
Zhang Fei tested the waters.
"Big Brother… you really think a son should be like Sun Zhongmou?"
Liu Bei smiled and shook his head.
"If A-Dou imitates Sun Quan and abandons benevolence and righteousness,
wouldn't that be mistaking the branches for the root?"
Pang Tong snorted.
"A petty man, that's all."
Zhang Fei asked sincerely, "Why call him petty?"
Zhang Song immediately stepped forward, eager to represent Yi Province.
"When he has nothing, he fears nothing.
When he has something, he fears losing it.
And once fear takes root—there's nothing he won't do."
Liu Bei thought for a moment, then sighed.
"How is that not accurate?"
Pang Tong ignored the debate, watching the light-screen footage of Zhou Gongjin.
The man on the screen was magnificent—
not quite the Zhou Yu he remembered, yet sharing the same heroic aura.
"Zhou Gongjin truly was a hero," Pang Tong murmured.
"Alas…"
Whether it was Heaven's cruelty or his allegiance to the Sun brothers—
no one bothered to clarify. It no longer mattered.
"Without Zhou Gongjin," Liu Bei said quietly,
"how would we be standing here today?"
Only then did Liu Ba blurt out, stunned:
"Jiangdong… intended to attack Yi Province?"
Zhang Song smiled faintly.
"Did you think my lord executed Li Yi on fabricated charges?"
Liu Ba was speechless.
He really had thought it was just an excuse.
Liu Bei waved the matter aside.
"Sun Quan of Eastern Wu does not resemble a true sovereign,"
Li Shimin declared flatly.
"Zhou Yu possessed great talent but served no great master. A tragedy."
The ministers were used to this.
Some, like Fang Xuanling, listened calmly.
Some, like Zhangsun Wuji, praised the emperor's insight.
Some, like Hou Junji, declared Sun Quan unworthy of even a fraction of His Majesty.
And then—
"Your Majesty's words are excessively harsh, unbefitting a ruler!"
Wei Zheng rose, unflinching.
Li Shimin sneered.
"Do you wish to serve a master like Sun Quan?"
The question cut deep.
Wei Zheng flushed, about to speak, but Hou Junji restrained him.
"This is no court session.
We speak of old history for leisure. Why take offense?"
Du Ruhui and others smoothed things over, barely restoring calm.
Li Shimin, for his part, let it pass.
He now held himself to exceptionally high standards—
including tolerance.
And besides, if Wei Zheng appeared on the light-screen at all,
surely he must possess talent.
…Though Li Shimin couldn't help wondering:
It's not just his stubborn temperament, is it?
[Light-Screen]
[ The familiar Sun Quan—
"vacillating in danger, pursuing profit alone"—
belongs to his second phase.
Battle-hardened, unmatched in experience,
yet wildly inconsistent in performance.
Betrayed Guan Yu.
Fought Hefei.
Burned Liu Bei.
Resisted Cao Pi.
Won at Shiting.
He could decapitate ten thousand with thirty thousand troops—
and lose with a hundred thousand against eight hundred.
Five years. Four surrenders. Four betrayals.
From King of Wu under Wei to Emperor of Wu.
Why did he become this way?
Joking aside—
it came down to Jiangdong's hereditary military system.
Cao Cao and Liu Bei could never afford that price.
Sun Ce used it to unite early Huai River veterans.
Sun Quan promised it to Jiangdong elites, binding the region together.
It ensured absolute loyalty in homeland defense—
Sun Quan never lost a defensive war on native soil.
But it also bred commanders who valued survival over valor.
Thus Hefei crushed his northern ambitions,
and Zhang Liao earned his fame—
"the child-stopping demon."
"Cao Cao is unbeatable—
but teammates?"
Those can still be stabbed.
And yet, at Xiaoyao Ford,
Sun Quan personally covered the rear—
still showing flashes of greatness.
After Cao Pi's death, Sun Quan sneered:
"Cao Pi is not one ten-thousandth of Cao Cao.
Cao Rui isn't even equal to Cao Pi."
Then in 234, hearing Cao Rui personally reinforcing Hefei—
Sun Quan immediately withdrew.
No duel of emperors.
No grand symmetry.
Only the stars falling at Wuzhang Plains.
And after Zhuge Liang's death—
Sun Quan entered his final phase:Sun Quan entered his final phase:
senile, suspicious, and lost.]
Liu Bei watched calmly.
Sun Quan had already become a laughingstock for centuries—
what more could be demanded?
In Chengdu, incense still curled in the Temple of Emperor Zhaolie.
A thousand years passed, and sacrifices never ceased.
Zhao Yun studied the military system and understood at once.
"Jiangdong soldiers treated command as inheritance.
Live, and enjoy wealth.
Die, and lose everything."
He could practically imagine their mindset:
Charging first? Do you have a son yet? Old enough? Battle-tested?Charging first? Do you have a son yet? Old enough? Battle-tested?
If you die, will your command be seized?
"No wonder," Zhao Yun said softly,
"Gan Ning suffers so much in Jiangdong."
"Sun Ce favored Huai veterans.
Sun Quan favored Jiangdong elites."
"And Gan Xingba," Pang Tong added,
"belonged to neither."
Under Zhou Yu, Gan Ning was a strategist.
At Ruxu, he was reduced to brute courage.
Zhang Fei scoffed.
"And he dares say Cao Pi isn't worth one ten-thousandth of his father?
I say this big brother-in-law isn't worth one hundred-thousandth of Sun Ce."
Pang Tong patted Kongming's shoulder.
"You really were dragged down for life."
Kongming remained silent.
Fa Zheng, rereading his notes, frowned.
"Wait—Sun Quan besieged eight hundred men with a hundred thousand?
Isn't that… shameful?"
The room exploded with laughter.
Sun Quan concentration: maximum.