Chapter 20: Review

Unify the world? Zhang Bo couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.

He could confidently say that among all the great unified states, the Jin dynasty was the least prominent and most despised.

The reason was simple: their claim to the throne was illegitimate.

Sima Yi needs no introduction; he broke the oath by the Luo River and ushered in an era devoid of martial ethics.

Zhang Bo recalled a joke he once read: Sima Yi fired a shot by the Luo River, grazing Li Jing’s scalp and striking right between Li Shanchang’s eyebrows.

From Sima Yi onward, it became difficult for powerful ministers to end well.

Sima Zhao was even worse—he assassinated the emperor on the street. Since then, with each dynastic change, the previous emperor met a grim fate.

“Jin was founded by Sima Yan. You may not know him, but his grandfather was Sima Yi, who is currently not very famous. However, later on, he became a powerful minister of Cao Wei.”

“Sima Yi? Could it be the Sima Yi who was one of the ‘Eight Simas’?”

Zhuge Liang had clearly heard of Sima Yi before and confirmed this with Zhang Bo.

Zhang Bo was momentarily stunned.

What were the ‘Eight Simas’? He had never heard of that.

He immediately took out his phone to look up this so-called “Eight Simas.”

It turned out that Sima Yi’s father, Sima Fang, had eight sons: Sima Lang, styled Boda; Sima Fu, Shuda; Sima Kui, Jida; Sima Xun, Xianda; Sima Jin, Huida; Sima Tong, Yada; Sima Min, Youda; and Sima Yi himself, Zhongda.

These eight men from the Sima family of Henan were known for their strict family discipline—none was a prodigal son—and all shared the character “Da” in their courtesy names, hence they were called the “Eight Simas.”

Zhang Bo hadn’t expected that Zhuge Liang knew of Sima Yi so early. He had thought they only met during the Northern Expeditions.

“Mr. Kongming, that’s indeed the case.”

“To think that in the end, my lord and I ended up weaving burial clothes for Sima Yi,” Zhuge Liang said, exchanging a helpless glance with Liu Bei.

He had just recently come out of retirement to help Liu Bei restore the Han dynasty, yet now he heard that they had failed to do so. Naturally, he felt a pang of sorrow.

Did this mean that his and his lord’s Longzhong Strategy had been flawed?

“Host, could it be that my strategy was inadequate, thus leading to this outcome?”

Zhang Bo shook his head.

To be honest, if things had gone as Zhuge Liang planned, the Han dynasty could indeed have been restored.

At its peak, Shu Han controlled the two provinces of Jing and Yi.

Though just two provinces, their importance was extraordinary.

Jing Province bordered the Han and Mian Rivers to the north, offering convenient transportation both upstream and downstream.

To the south lay Jiaozhou, a highly productive salt region that provided Shu Han with steady revenue.

To the east was Kuaiji Commandery of Eastern Wu, and to the west, the path led to Bashu.

Jing Province was truly a strategic prize, comparable in significance to Xuzhou.

As for Yi Province, it was equally formidable.

Not only was it naturally defensible and hard to conquer, but it was also a land of plenty, with fertile soil stretching for thousands of miles.

It was where Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, rose to power.

Its people were prosperous and its resources abundant.

With these two provinces, Liu Bei could stand against Cao Cao, who controlled thirteen provinces, and Sun Quan, who ruled two provinces after three generations of consolidation, thereby securing a foothold amid the chaos of the Three Kingdoms.

Moreover, during the Longzhong Strategy, Zhuge Liang had already meticulously planned what to do after gaining control of these provinces.

Hold the strategic passes, maintain good relations with the western and southern tribes, ally with Sun Quan externally, and stabilize and nurture the internal realm.

In one word: endure.

Wait for the world to change significantly before launching a northern campaign.

“Mr. Kongming, your strategy was sound, but an accident occurred.”

“An accident?”

In fact, after the Battle of Red Cliffs, once Liu Bei secured the two provinces and continued to develop steadily, he had a high chance of successfully launching a northern campaign to restore the Han.

But an accident did happen.

“Mr. Kongming, were you planning to patiently develop Jing and Yi during the tripartite struggle, waiting for a shift in the world before stepping onto the stage to restore the Han?”

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly.

“That is correct.”

“In my view, the event that caused the delicate balance among Shu Han, Cao Wei, and Eastern Wu to collapse was the Battle of Xiangfan in the 24th year of Jian’an.”

“The Battle of Xiangfan? Is that not the battle between Xiangyang and Fancheng?”

Although Zhuge Liang did not yet know the details of what happened in the 24th year of Jian’an, he guessed the location of the battle from the name.

“Exactly. The hero of the Battle of Xiangfan was none other than Lord Xuande’s second brother, Guan Yu, also known as Guan Yunchang. During that battle, Guan Yu defeated thirty thousand Cao troops, slew Pang De, captured Yu Jin, and struck fear across the land.”

Liu Bei’s face was radiant with joy, his excitement barely contained, as if boasting to others.

“My second brother is invincible under heaven.”

“Although Guan Yu scored such a great victory against Cao Wei, he was later ambushed at the White Clothes Crossing by Lü Meng of Eastern Wu, forced to flee to Maicheng, where both Guan Yu and Guan Ping were killed.”

“What!”

Liu Bei sprang up with a loud sound, clenching his fists tightly, eyes blazing as if ready to shoot flames.

How could those scoundrels of Eastern Wu be so treacherous!

Zhuge Liang’s reaction was not as intense as Liu Bei’s, though he was somewhat perplexed.

After all, from the host’s earlier words, he could already infer that the Sun-Liu alliance had been formed.

“Host, I suppose we had an alliance with Eastern Wu at that time. Why then did Eastern Wu betray us and launch a surprise attack?”

Zhang Bo voiced his opinion.

“In my view, there were multiple factors. On one hand, you took Yi Province, allowing you to avoid Cao Cao’s main forces. But Sun Quan faced Cao Cao directly and was under immense pressure, even considering easing relations with Cao Wei.

On the other hand, in the 22nd year of Jian’an, Lu Su passed away. You may not know him yet, but he was the one who agreed to ally with you on behalf of Eastern Wu, and his presence was crucial for the formation of the Sun-Liu coalition, which defeated Cao Cao at Red Cliffs in the 13th year of Jian’an.

However, after Lu Su’s death, another figure rose—Lü Meng.

Unlike Lu Su, who saw Cao Cao as the threat to Eastern Wu, Lü Meng believed that Guan Yu in Jing Province posed the real threat. He deeply distrusted you, and under his influence, Sun Quan gradually changed his attitude toward you.”

The ultimate result was Guan Yu’s death.

“Lord Xuande, if Guan Yu was slain, will you not avenge him?”

Liu Bei paused before answering with unwavering resolve.

“Of course. When we swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden, we pledged loyalty. Now that Yunchang was killed by Eastern Wu, how could I, as his elder brother, not seek revenge?”

Zhuge Liang hesitated beside him.

“In history, you thought the same. Then Zhang Fei, while avenging Guan Yu, was killed by his own soldiers after punishing them in drunken fury. You yourself suffered a crushing defeat at Yiling during your revenge campaign and soon passed away.”

“Third brother is gone as well?”

Liu Bei had never imagined his third brother would die in such a way while avenging Guan Yu.

Moreover, despite leading the troops personally, he failed to exact revenge.

At this thought, Liu Bei felt deeply saddened.

He truly was a useless elder brother.

“My lord, do not despair. Guan Yu and Yi De are still alive now, and having learned what the future holds, we will not tread the same old path.”

After hearing Zhuge Liang’s comforting words, Liu Bei’s expression brightened considerably.

“Host, do you have any historical records?”