"When we entered Shu, I led the assault on Luo County—and died to a stray arrow."
Pang Tong was not a man who flinched from his own shortcomings. His expression was faintly awkward, his eyes fixed on the rafters as though the truth were written there, but his voice was calm as he spoke of his own end. To spare Zhang Song any further embarrassment after his earlier attempt at levity, Pang Tong smoothly turned the conversation back to the glowing screen.
"This system of dividing the people into castes—does it not spring from the same decay as Jiangdong's hereditary military command?"
"These are nothing more than desperate compromises between Sun Quan and the great clans."
Having served under Zhou Yu rather than Sun Quan during his time in the east, Pang Tong felt no particular reverence for the Lord of Wu. His tone was detached, almost surgical.
"Kongming governs Shu with expansion in mind. Shu brocade is bait—used to seize the markets of the realm and even reach lands as distant as India. Sun Quan governs with hoarding in mind. He feeds the local clans with the flesh of commoners and private slaves, all to keep those tigers obedient."
Zhao Yun recalled the screen's earlier praise of Zhuge Liang and murmured softly, "Our Chancellor's labors give the people room to live. The Sun clan's rule leaves them nowhere to stand."
Liu Bei let out a long sigh. "If that is so, then I have been greatly blessed by Kongming—and by Adou."
Only now did he truly understand why later generations respected him. It was not for his victories, nor for his title. It was because he had never turned his back on the people. As for the actual governance of Shu Han—what had that to do with him? He had proclaimed himself emperor, wagered everything on a single campaign, and lost it all.
The foundation of Shu Han had been laid by Kongming. Its endurance rested on Adou's gentleness. That was why the name Zhaolie still shone.
With newfound clarity, Liu Bei smiled serenely.
"Win the hearts of the people, and you possess the people. Possess the people, and you possess the world."
[Lightscreen]
[ Life under Cao Wei can be summed up in two words: Tuntian and Currency.
In the Three Kingdoms era, survival meant learning how to exploit the people sustainably. Cao Wei's monetary history was especially turbulent. In the same year as the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao—convinced that total victory was inevitable—abolished Dong Zhuo's currency and attempted to mint new Five-Zhu coins.
Then Red Cliffs happened. Zhou Yu smashed him flat, and Cao Cao found himself in an awkward position: the old currency was gone, and the new coins were too scarce to circulate.
Cao Pi tried again two years after taking the throne, and failed. It wasn't until 227 that Cao Rui finally restored a functioning currency. Why was it so hard? Because the Tuntian system—forcing soldiers and peasants to farm for the state—had effectively annihilated the civilian economy.
Modern economics tells us this: when productivity rises and labor divides, barter appears. When crafts separate from agriculture, currency becomes essential. Tuntian was a short-term solution that wrung labor from the masses—but it was also a massive regression for civilization.
Cao Pi realized this and loosened restrictions, giving the people some room to breathe. That breathing room allowed Cao Rui to reintroduce money. Unfortunately, the relief was brief. Cao Rui immediately began constructing extravagant palaces, while imperial kinsmen led by Cao Shuang seized land.
History praises Cao Zhi as "frugal," yet a single bowl of his favored camel-hoof soup cost a thousand gold pieces.
In short, the people of Wei sometimes lived well—but only when fortune smiled on them.]
Liu Ba and Mi Zhu stared at the screen, their minds racing with thoughts of coinage and trade. Zhuge Liang, however, was caught by a single word.
Productivity.
He did not claim expertise in finance, but he had witnessed productivity with his own eyes. The water-powered mills of Gongan and Jiangling came to mind. Where once countless hands labored, now machines turned endlessly, freeing the people to raise livestock, open shops, or earn coin sewing uniforms and cooking for the army.
Is this what the future calls the development of productivity? he wondered.
Papermaking, brocade weaving, iron-smelting—these must be the "handicrafts." But what lay beyond them? The future was far beyond his reach. And though the south brimmed with rivers to power mills, what of the north? The plains of Guanzhong, the harsh lands of Liangzhou—how were they to be transformed?
That question had troubled him for over a year.
Li Shimin, now thoroughly relaxed, turned to his ministers with a smile.
"If you were all commoners, which of the Three Kingdoms would you choose to live in?"
Fang Xuanling shook his head. "Shu went from good to poor. Wei from poor to tolerable. In both Wei and Wu, a peaceful life required far too much luck."
Zhangsun Wuji seized the moment. "As for me, I would choose none of them. I would seek a peerless sovereign—one like Your Majesty—who swept away chaos in five years and restored a golden age for the people."
Li Shimin laughed heartily, and Zhangsun Wuji smiled all the brighter.
Privately, the Emperor's thoughts drifted to Zhuge Liang. If this light screen is visible to him as well… could I use it to reach him? Could I borrow the Great Chancellor's hand to unify the Three Kingdoms for Tang?
The thought was intoxicating.
[Lightscreen ]
[Oppressing the people was something of a Cao family special skill.
During Dong Zhuo's chaos, refugees from Guanzhong preferred to flee all the way to Tao Qian in Xu Province rather than go to the much closer Yanzhou under Cao Cao. His reputation preceded him.
Aside from seizing people for state farms, the Cao clan routinely abducted civilians to build massive tombs. In Cao Song's tomb, bricks bear inscriptions revealing the misery of the laborers.
One brick reads: 'My husband has forgotten me. I am now at the great marsh to the west. I know I have been away long; do not wait for my return.' It's a message from a woman abducted to labor on the tomb.
Three other bricks record the fate of Wang Zuo, an official who offended Cao Cao. One says: 'Wang Zuo kowtowed until he died.' Likely a note from a worker who saw the official begging the overseer for mercy.
Another says: 'I only think of Wang Zuo and Zhu,' showing that Wang was well-liked and the workers pitied him. The last says: 'Wang Zuo is dead, and his slave-wife died too. Harsh.' This 'harsh' could be an exclamation of grief, or a curse against the Cao family's cruelty.
Then there is the 'Heaven is Dead' brick, found in the tomb of a certain Lord Cao in Huainan. The inscription is blunt: 'Wang Fu, you made me build this great wall and wronged me; no one knows, but I curse your lineage. Heaven is dead, it is time to fight!'
This brick is held in the National Museum of China.
While officially titled the 'Heaven is Dead Brick' as a witness to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, a more accurate translation of the worker's sentiment would be the 'Fuck You, Cao Family' brick. The worker was tricked into slavery by a man named Wang Fu. It suggests the Cao family's behavior was one of the many sparks that ignited the rebellion.
Even the educated foremen left laments: 'People say building walls is a joy, but the work is nothing but misery. We pace the walls and cry out in anger to the Imperial Heavens. 'One worker was even more direct, carving: 'Lord Cao is a bull-head.' In those days, 'bull-head' was a vile insult. He likely didn't expect that 'Lord Cao' wouldn't become a literal bull-head, but rather the patron saint of taking other men's wives.
Most intriguingly, one fragment mentions: 'Has the man of Wa kept the alliance?' This suggests the Cao family had contact with the Japanese islands much earlier than recorded. That contact likely paused during Japan's civil wars until 239 AD, when Queen Himiko of Yamatai sent envoys and was titled 'Pro-Wei Queen of Wa.']
The screen displayed a glass case lined with red velvet. Upon it rested an ordinary tomb brick—something one might step over on a country road.
Zhang Fei squinted at the description, then burst into laughter.
"They dug up the old rogue Cao's family graves? Good! Splendid!"
Zhuge Liang murmured, "So many enslaved laborers could write. How many more could not?"
"The curse of the Cao clan began with the eunuchs," Pang Tong added quietly.
Zhuge Liang smiled faintly, saying nothing. At last he sighed.
"Two tombs, filled with the tears of a chaotic age. For a woman to die buried in stone… how tragic."
A heavy silence settled over the hall. They were all survivors of this brutal era.
Liu Bei's lips trembled. At last, he exploded, unleashing a stream of curses utterly unbefitting an emperor.
"Damn the Cao thief! Damn the greedy eunuchs! Damn this accursed age!"
The weight on his chest eased slightly. He turned to his advisers.
"Does the future have a way to suppress these great clans?"
Zhuge Liang had been waiting for the question.
"There are two paths. First: educate the common people. Second: establish the study of science."
Liu Bei blinked. "Explain."
"From the screen, we know the Tang and Song used examinations. Why replace recommendation with exams? Because recommendations allow clans to monopolize power. Examinations select talent by merit, not reputation."
Thinking of the absurd 'filial exemplars' of the Jin, Zhuge Liang's resolve hardened.
"Look at Wen Mang. No great clan. No famous lineage. Yet he can judge history itself. Learning, once spread, cannot be stopped. In such a world, a peasant may become a minister. Why fear the clans then?"
Pang Tong sighed. "The clans' strength lies in controlling production. If my lord uses tools like water mills to place the people on equal footing, the clans will destroy themselves."
The hall fell silent once more.
And somewhere, beneath layers of earth and stone, a brick still whispered its curse:
Heaven is dead.