"So even his own guards wanted him dead?"
"That alone tells you how deep the hatred ran."
Liu Bei did not find Wanyan Liang's fate surprising in the least.
From a military standpoint, launching a massive campaign while the homeland was unstable and trying to imitate the First Emperor's unification was practically suicide.
From the standpoint of posthumous titles, once a ruler earned the title Yang, the ending was almost guaranteed to be chaotic.
Still…
Zhang Fei glanced left and right, suspicious.
"Brother, if you've got something to say, say it. Why are you looking at me?"
Liu Bei only smiled.
Zhuge Liang and Lu Su exchanged a glance and both burst into quiet laughter.
Now Zhang Fei was even more confused.
After laughing, Zhuge Liang kindly explained.
"I once heard that Fan Jiang and Zhang Da were very proud to serve as your personal guards. Back in Chang'an, when they heard people in the market say you had courage but little strategy, they actually stood up to argue on your behalf."
Lu Su nodded along.
"Pang Tong once mentioned the old Hanzhong campaign. He said that if not for you and your guards charging up first with such ferocity, reclaiming Hanzhong would never have gone so smoothly."
"And during one battle, when Fan Jiang nearly died, it was you who threw yourself forward to save him. It is only natural they admire you."
Only then did Zhang Fei understand why Liu Bei had been smiling earlier.
After all, if one spoke of dying at the hands of one's own guards…
the later historical Zhang Fei had suffered exactly that fate.
And worse, he had died without even a whole body left.
Thinking of it now, Zhang Fei suddenly felt the urge to apologize for the harshness he had shown his soldiers in earlier days.
But before he could speak, both strategists started praising how well he treated his troops now.
That left the fierce vanguard general completely at a loss.
Seeing his third brother sitting there like a man on needles, Liu Bei's expression softened.
"If the two advisers say so, then accept it, Yide."
Then Liu Bei straightened his face and spoke seriously.
"Yide, you fought through Baishui and Yangping Pass. You retook Hanzhong and entered Yong and Liang."
"You cherish your soldiers, command with flexibility, and advance or withdraw with judgment. Only then does one earn the bearing of a great general."
Zhang Fei unconsciously straightened his back.
It was rare for his elder brother to speak to him in such a formal tone.
Zhuge Liang noticed that Zhang Fei's head lowered slightly. His expression could not be seen, but his hands were clenched tight, veins standing out.
Clearly, his heart was far from calm.
Back at Changban, Zhang Fei had become famous for bravery alone.
Even now, people still praised his courage more than anything else.
This might have been the first time Liu Bei had publicly called him a true general.
Liu Bei saw the reaction and nodded inwardly, though his face remained stern.
"In Liangzhou, your expedition secured the borders. At Tong Pass, you accepted surrendered troops. Even the elders of Yizhou remember your kindness."
"Now you lead the vanguard into the Central Plains to stabilize the chaos. Shaan County and Tong Pass fell with ease. You raided straight to Yique and secured the southern gate of the old capital."
After listing achievement after achievement, Liu Bei finally let out a slow breath.
"These are deeds worthy of shining in the chronicles. The safety of the people rests on your merit."
"You must continue. Aim farther."
"As your elder brother, I am proud of you."
"I only hope that when later generations speak of the great generals of old, they will also remember my brothers Guan and Zhang."
Zhuge Liang saw Zhang Fei's clenched fists loosen.
Then, one by one, large drops of water fell from his face, splashing onto his weathered hands.
Liu Bei looked up at the sky and murmured,
"The weather looked fine just now. Why is it suddenly raining?"
Before he finished speaking, a huge force slammed into him.
Arms wrapped around him tightly.
Looking down, he saw tear-filled round eyes staring up.
"Brother…"
Just two words.
But Liu Bei understood everything in those tears.
The lingering shame of losing Xiapi. The years of frustration. The stubborn pride.
His expression softened completely.
"If one day you have a temple built for you," Liu Bei joked gently,
"remember to leave your elder brother a spot inside, to shelter from wind and rain."
"Brother…"
Liu Bei sighed helplessly and patted his back in comfort.
In truth, he had only meant to tease his third brother a little using Wanyan Liang's story.
After all, what kind of elder brother gets choked speechless by his sworn brother every day?
[Lightscreen]
[Wanyan Liang's death had been sudden.
He was hated inside Jin, despised by many.
Yet no matter what, he had still been the legitimate emperor.
His death was like a sudden explosion in the middle of the political sky.
First, his southern invasion had torn up the Shaoxing Peace Treaty.
That alone put Jin in the wrong.
Then he marched south boasting of a million troops.
In the end, he never even crossed the Yangtze and lost his own head along the way.
All the bragging from before turned into a massive morale buff for the Southern Song.
When Wanyan Yong took the throne and immediately sent envoys to negotiate peace, the pro-war faction in Song suddenly walked with the wind at their backs.
Even so, Zhao Gou kept stressing reconciliation.
He repeatedly told ministers that although Song had won, the tribute payments should still be delivered. Harmony must not be harmed.
But Chancellor Chen Kangbo firmly advocated resistance.
When Jin envoys arrived, he deliberately lowered their reception status without even asking Zhao Gou first, then argued fiercely that Song and Jin must negotiate as equals.
At the same time, Xin Qiji arrived with Geng Jing's letter and was granted audience.
Xin Qiji passionately described the patriotic fervor of the northern resistance forces, leaving Zhao Gou with nothing to say.
In the end, Zhao Gou reluctantly granted Geng Jing the title of Military Commissioner of the Tianping Army and sent Xin Qiji back with official seals and encouragement.
Work hard, the Song emperor supports you in spirit.
On the front lines, as Jin forces began withdrawing north, Song troops seized the opportunity and started recovering lost territory.
Victories came one after another from the Huai region to Sichuan and Shaanxi.
You could say that Wanyan Liang, through his own death, turned the pro-war stance in the Southern Song into political correctness.
Jin envoys stayed in Lin'an from January to May, from winter into summer, yet Zhao Gou still could not decide whether to fight or make peace.
The reason was simple.
From founding the Southern Song to secretly eliminating Yue Fei, Zhao Gou had spent years behaving like Jin's most obedient follower.
The Shaoxing treaty had been the result.
Yes, they ceded horse-breeding lands.
Yes, they killed loyal ministers.
Yes, they accepted humiliation.
But at least he could claim it brought peace.
Now Wanyan Liang had ripped away that fragile cover completely.
And with his own life, he had demonstrated something blunt:
Look how weak Jin is now. What exactly are you afraid of?
Under those circumstances, Zhao Gou made a dramatic move.
At the end of May, the childless emperor named his adopted son Zhao Wei as crown prince.
At the beginning of June, he abdicated.
This throne? You can have it.
With that, Zhao Gou's shamelessness reached a new level.
If one were to rank emperors by lack of responsibility, he would certainly be a strong contender.
His abdication inevitably reminded people of his father Huizong, who had also passed the throne in a panic when Jin troops approached the capital.
At heart, it was the same trick.
Shift responsibility.
If Song fought Jin and lost again, then the retired emperor would still appear wise.
If Lin'an fell and flight by sea became necessary again, no one could stop him this time.
You bear the blame. I keep the reputation.
But Zhao Gou's retirement was not like Li Yuan's, who lost real power to Li Shimin.
Instead, it resembled Li Dan's situation under Emperor Xuanzong.
Retired, yet not truly withdrawn.
Abdicated, yet not relinquishing influence.
That was the real essence of the move.
And to make sure the Southern Song would not grow too strong against Jin, Zhao Gou even dismantled the Zhaotao Office, which had been created specifically to coordinate resistance against Jin, right before stepping down.
Wanyan Liang was dead.
But Zhao Gou was still very much contributing.]