Chengdu Prefectural Office.
Compared to the north, Yizhou's climate was relatively mild.
Yet inside the hall, the sound of people sucking in cold breaths rose again and again.
This was nothing like reading phrases in history books—
"watering horses at the Han Sea,"
"inscribing victories on Mount Yanran."
Those words could only ever be imagined.
But now—
The Tang dynasty's territory was marked out in an eye-searing vermilion.
That crimson mass advanced eastward with time, pushing toward Liaodong, locked in stalemate with Goguryeo.
Then it surged northward, swallowing Xueyantuo whole—
the realm expanding by nearly half.
After that, it threaded through the narrow Hexi Corridor, devouring the Western Regions, the red mass linking seamlessly with the northern frontier.
What finally appeared before them was a domain broader than any they had ever seen.
"Such… grandeur!"
Zhang Fei lost his voice for a moment.
Images were already more direct than words—
let alone moving images from later ages.
Liu Bei stared at this empire that expanded at terrifying speed.
The Thirteen Provinces of the Han were known to all; Liu Bei himself had a map of Han territory hanging in his chambers.
What he currently held—Jing and Yi—was barely a tenth of the Han realm.
To Liu Bei, restoring the Thirteen Provinces would already allow him to face his ancestors without shame.
To take in the Western Regions as well…
"No wonder later generations praise him as an emperor for the ages."
Sensing Kongming's concerned gaze, Liu Bei gently shook his head, signaling that he was fine.
The Han already had Emperor Gao, Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu, Emperor Guangwu—
jewels before him.
For Liu Bei, this was simply one more standard to chase.
These exceptional emperors were like brushstrokes, outlining what a true Son of Heaven should be.
Daily self-examination.
Constant comparison.
Not to surpass them—but to come closer.
That alone would be a blessing for the realm.
Kongming made a few marks and arrived at a conclusion:
"Horse pastures truly are vital."
"The more horses there are, the faster the troops move.
The faster the troops move, the sooner wars end.
And the less grain is consumed."
The counterexample was clear in the old history shown on the screen—
The invasion of Yi Province.
The war for Hanzhong.
The campaign at Yiling.
Each dragged on for half a year, a year.
By the end, the treasury was empty—
sometimes soldiers even had to be promised future spoils, leaving the state in an awkward bind.
This time, Yi was taken by overwhelming momentum.
Hanzhong by surprise.
Jingxiang through long preparation.
Carefully counted, only the Jingxiang campaign consumed more supplies—
and even that remained within plan.
Liu Bei nodded, then looked toward Fa Zheng and Zhang Fei.
"This matter will require much effort from Xiaozhi and Shiyuan."
Fa Zheng was delighted, laughing as he accepted the task.
[Lightscreen]
[While Tang forces were advancing through the Western Regions like a broken bamboo,
a minor diplomatic incident occurred in the southeast.
In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan, while Li Shimin was busy wrangling with Western Turkestan over an exorbitant bride price, a Tang envoy was attacked.
His name was Wang Xuance.
Since Master Xuanzang's return, Tang and Tianzhu had maintained frequent contact.
In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, Tianzhu sent envoys to Tang.
In the seventeenth, Li Yibiao and Wang Xuance paid a friendly return visit.
In the twenty-first year, Wang Xuance was dispatched again.
This time, something went wrong.
King Harsha drowned in the Ganges.
This was the very king who had hosted Xuanzang's grand Buddhist assembly—
the pillar of the Harsha dynasty, and one of the initiators of Tang–Tianzhu friendship.
Although modern commentators often joke that Indian history is one long record of being beaten, exceptions did exist.
The Harsha dynasty was one of them—
a rare native Indian empire.
At its peak, it ruled a third of the subcontinent.
Because it lay in central India, it was also called Middle Tianzhu.
Founded in 606.
Destroyed in 647.
Wang Xuance was unlucky—
he arrived in Middle Tianzhu in 647.
Harsha left no heir.
And so the script played out as it always does.
A minister named Arunasva proclaimed himself king.
For reasons known only to himself, this new ruler launched an attack on the Tang embassy.
All thirty members of the delegation were captured.
Only Wang Xuance and his deputy, Jiang Shiren, escaped to Tubo.
As the saying goes: endure for a moment, and the more you think about it, the worse it feels.
Step back once—and the anger only grows.
Wang Xuance decided on revenge.
At the time, Tubo was ruled by Songtsen Gampo, husband of Princess Wencheng.
The two states were in their honeymoon phase.
After hearing Wang Xuance's account, Songtsen Gampo lent him 1,200 troops.
The meaning was clear—
Borrow the men to make a show of force, rescue the envoys, and let the matter rest.
But Wang Xuance could not swallow this insult.
He went on to Nepal and raised another 7,000 men.
In total—
8,000 troops.
Then he turned back.
In the fifth month of the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, Wang Xuance attacked Arunasva.
After three days of fierce fighting at Chazha and Luocheng,
three thousand enemies were beheaded,
ten thousand drowned,
and Arunasva abandoned the city and fled.
After regrouping, Arunasva fought again—
And was utterly defeated, captured alive.
Finally, at the Kanduwei River, Wang Xuance crushed the remaining forces, capturing twelve thousand prisoners.
Tianzhu was shaken.
Five hundred and eighty city-states of Middle Tianzhu submitted in succession.
The Harsha dynasty—usurped by Arunasva—was completely extinguished.
Wang Xuance returned in triumph, escorting Arunasva and the nobles back to Chang'an for judgment.
This entire affair occupies barely two hundred characters in the official histories.
Wang Xuance's feats are summarized in just a few words:
"Greatly defeated them.
Defeated them again.
Advanced.
Destroyed them."]
"A diplomatic envoy?!"
Li Shimin was genuinely surprised.
Now he almost regretted having sent Wang Xuance to accompany Xuanzang.
He had even wondered before how such a man entered military service—
Never expecting he wasn't a general at all.
And because of that, his admiration only deepened.
"A Tang envoy ought to be like this!"
Li Shiji fell silent.
He had thought his feat—two hundred cavalry destroying Xueyantuo—was already dazzling.
Then came fifty riders conquering Khotan.
Just when he thought that was Tang's limit—
Another appeared.
One man.
Destroying a nation.
And not even a soldier by origin.
And this was only early Tang.
Li Shiji hadn't forgotten what the Lightscreen had shown later.
Wang Zhongsi charging alone into enemy ranks.
Gao Xianzhi marching tens of thousands of li.
He couldn't help but sigh—
Why were Tang generals so relentlessly competitive?
"In that case,"
Li Jing said with a smile,
"Your Majesty truly placed him correctly."
Perhaps it was age.
Perhaps temperament.
Li Jing's reaction was admiration, pure and simple.
Li Shimin put on a troubled expression.
"Fortunately, Tang only carries the prestige of destroying the Eastern Turks."
"Otherwise, with Tang's authority behind him, who knows what chaos Wang Xuance might stir up in the Western Regions."
The words were reproachful.
The smile was unmistakable.
Everyone understood—
Even if this campaign relied heavily on Tang's prestige,
the ability to use that prestige was itself a form of talent.
Tang had countless envoys.
Why did only one destroy a state?
After pacing twice around Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin shook his head.
"I truly wish Wang Xuance would return soon."
"Such talent must be carefully cultivated."
"The Western Regions are still perilous—
full of hidden dangers."
"If anything were to happen…"
He was already worrying in advance.
[Lightscreen]
[Several key points must be clarified regarding Wang Xuance's "single-man destruction of a state."
First—
Songtsen Gampo assisted as Tang's imperial son-in-law.
The 1,200 Tubo troops were merely muscle.
How Wang Xuance handled matters was entirely his own affair.
Tubo did not interfere, did not claim merit.
Second—
The 7,000 troops from Nepal were conscripted under Tang's banner, not borrowed.
As such, Nepal's own histories do not record this expedition and claim no credit.
Their king at the time was indulgent—
addicted to wine, women, jewels, and incense—
with no ambition whatsoever.
The states that truly aided Wang Xuance were Tianzhu's neighbors.
Eastern Tianzhu sent thirty thousand cattle and horses, along with bows, blades, and silver.
The kingdom of Kamalupa provided maps—
asking in return only for a painting of Laozi to enshrine.
Tang's influence was evident.
In the end, Tang itself gained little beyond craftsmen brought back by Wang Xuance, and so did not dwell on the matter.
Yet this only made Wang Xuance stand out more.
He never bowed under adversity.
Placed life and death aside.
Upheld imperial dignity through sheer resolve and eloquence.
As an envoy, he commanded nearly ten thousand troops.
First battle—he broke their capital.
Second—he captured their king.
Third—he destroyed their state.
Two hundred characters in history are enough to preserve his name.
He deserves the title of a hero of the Huaxia.]
"This Tang…"
Zhang Fei was utterly at a loss.
He could only groan,
"Leave others a way to live…"
Around the Chengdu prefectural office, everyone nodded vigorously.
They had only detained a Tang envoy—
And Tang responded by annihilating an entire country.
As Huaxia people, it was immensely satisfying to watch.
Clean.
Decisive.
But—
Wouldn't this make things very difficult for everyone else in the future?