"Lu Zijing…"
When Liu Bei spoke the name again, his emotions were tangled and heavy.
He admired the man's vast intelligence, yet also lamented that Sun the Marquis had obtained such fine material and failed to use it.
That complicated feeling could be summed up in a single sentence.
A fine jade beyond one's grasp. Regret.
Back when he had been in Jiangdong, Liu Bei had failed to learn Lu Xun's true name and thus missed him entirely. Even now, he felt little regret over that.
Upon closer thought, Lu Xun resembled Chen Yuanlong. With family ties weighing him down, it was unlikely that he would leave Jiangdong even if approached.
But Lu Su was different.
As someone who had stood close at Red Cliffs, Liu Bei knew his caliber all too well.
Moreover, during the Jing and Xiang campaigns, he had later heard whispers from Jiangdong. It was said that Jiangdong's attack on Hefei had come only after Lu Zijing pressed his remonstrance in bloodied robes, forcing the army to march.
In the end, a hundred thousand troops beneath Hefei's walls were shattered by Zhang Liao's eight thousand iron cavalry, leaving all of Jiangdong stunned into silence.
Thus arose private complaints among the great clans. They claimed that had Lu Zijing not stubbornly insisted, how could Jiangdong have suffered such a humiliating defeat?
Liu Bei neither affirmed nor denied such talk. He could only sigh at Jiangdong's great clans, so lacking in foresight that calling them mice was hardly exaggeration.
Seeing his elder brother standing there sighing deeply, Zhang Fei, who prided himself on reading faces, immediately jumped out.
"Brother, why trouble yourself with sorrow? I am willing to lead troops to Jiangdong, seize that Lu Yi, and ease your heart."
Ma Chao refused to fall behind and immediately followed.
"I am not skilled in naval warfare, but if Duke Xuande gives the order, I will not hesitate."
Before Liu Bei could even speak, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao were already faintly bristling at one another, as though they truly intended to march on Jiangdong.
All of Liu Bei's earlier melancholy vanished in an instant.
He snapped back sharply.
"Guanzhong has only just been secured. We must still look to the Western Regions, press the Central Plains, pacify the northern tribes. Guanzhong lies in ruins, everywhere needs manpower for repair and governance. What business do you have going to Jiangdong?"
"And besides, Jiangling has Zilong, Jiang Wan, and Zhang Yi. There is also Gan Gui commanding the navy, stirring the rivers. What more do you want?"
With a decisive cut, he extinguished both men's thoughts.
At that moment, Liu Bei had only one feeling.
Dou was far more worry free than the two of you.
On the other side, Pang Tong quietly moved closer. He dipped his finger into tea and wrote two names on the table before Kongming.
Fa Zheng saw them clearly.
Gan Yi. Lu Meng.
Along with Jiang Wan's letter had come a handwritten note from Zhang Yi, which Duke Xuande had shown them all.
Those two names came from Zhang Yi's letter. He described them as retainers of Shi Xie, men of outstanding talent and commanding presence.
Yet Jiaozhou was nearly beyond civilization. It was rare for exceptional talent to arise there. Even if a few did emerge, they were usually migrants from the Central Plains.
Who had ever heard of such names?
Moreover, Pang Tong felt that both the surnames and given names looked false, more like aliases than real identities. That was why he had written them down, wanting to see what Kongming thought.
Kongming stared at the tea water in silence.
Then he slowly turned his head.
"I have not yet taken a single sip of this tea."
For once, Pang Tong's face flushed faintly.
After the jest, Kongming nodded slightly.
"Most likely assumed names. Who they truly are will be clear once they are met."
Using aliases was nothing novel. Kongming had no intention of prying.
Still, like Pang Tong, he harbored a faint suspicion in his heart. Yet that guess was far too absurd.
If the truth were as he imagined, then Xu Shu, who was even closer, would never have allowed such fine jade to remain hidden.
On that point, Kongming was very certain.
Seeing later generations sigh again and again over Guan Yu's death, Pang Tong felt additional melancholy.
"If crossing the river in white clothes had been a surprise attack against Cao's forces, it could be praised."
"But acting thus…"
His expression carried disdain, even contempt.
Han men valued righteousness and honored chivalry. Those who kept their word were praised.
Conversely, acts of betrayal and broken trust earned nothing but scorn.
That late Ming descendant's repeated sighs stirred the crowd as well.
Zhang Fei's expression turned serious.
"Brother, now that Guanzhong is settled, why not let me go serve under Second Brother?"
Kongming leaned over with a smile.
"Yide, if you leave again, when Cao's dogs curse beneath Tong Pass, who will answer them?"
"Zhongmiao is skilled at defense, but to charge formations, behead enemies, and rouse the army's spirit, it must still be you."
Zhang Fei sat down smugly, casting a sideways glance at Ma Chao, whose eyes filled with envy.
By rights, when Zhang Fei and Pang Tong had first entered Yong and Liang, Ma Chao could still be considered half the host, thundering across the land and sitting at the seat of honor.
Now they all served under Duke Xuande, yet this black brute Zhang Yide showed not a shred of humility.
And also…
Though the light screen's account was brief, Ma Chao could roughly understand what had happened.
He disliked thinking deeply, but that did not mean he lacked intelligence.
Those few lines made him envy the bond of life and death shared by the three brothers.
That was precisely what he lacked most. His discord with his father was known throughout Yong and Liang.
To have brothers like Duke Xuande's, who entrusted their hearts to one another…
The only person Ma Chao could think of was his clan cousin.
Li Shimin set aside Cao Pi's words for the moment.
Looking again at the later generations' lament, he sighed softly.
"Authority and grace carried far. Jiangdong too produced outstanding men."
He had read the Records of the Three Kingdoms, though he no longer remembered his feelings at the time.
Now, seeing later descendants sigh repeatedly and offer such an evaluation, he even felt a trace of envy.
After all, this descendant named Wen Mang often mentioned Tang with admiration for its emperor.
Yet never before had he given such a definitive evaluation and final judgment for Lu Zijing.
How could Li Shimin not be curious?
"Seeing it this way, perhaps we could imitate later generations and stage plays of the Three Kingdoms?"
Fang Xuanling turned his head and asked.
He currently held the post of Minister of Rites, so this question fell within his duties.
Du Ruhui nodded absently. He was staring at the words he had copied, lost in thought.
"World war…"
From the term alone, it was clear this was warfare spanning the entire world.
Earlier, the descendant had not avoided speaking of later wars, such as barbarian invasions of the Central Plains or aiding the Korean Peninsula in times of peril.
At the time, they had already guessed that the scale of future wars would exceed their imagination.
But this was the first time the term world war had been formally raised.
They had all lived through the brutal struggle of the late Sui. They understood the cruelty of war all too well.
"A war that engulfs the world, and not just once."
Du Ruhui turned his head to see Li Shimin standing behind him. Those words had come from the emperor himself.
Li Shimin then turned his gaze leftward, toward the map copied from later generations. It was now his most cherished treasure.
"When I first saw how vast the world truly was, my first thought was to bring it all under royal soil."
His voice was calm, as if he were merely commenting on a dish he had eaten that day. Yet the content weighed heavily on Fang and Du.
If their emperor truly resolved to do this, they might not be able to restrain him.
Li Shimin did not dwell on the thought. He smiled faintly.
"The sharpness of later generations' weapons far exceeds anything we can imagine. Their methods resemble those of immortals."
"In such circumstances, if no one sought to conquer the world and call himself emperor of the earth, that would be strange indeed."
After that casual judgment, Li Shimin recalled Cao Pi's sigh once more.
"I know well the matters of Shun and Yu."
Unrestrained freedom was a right bestowed by the imperial throne. The wise could restrain themselves. The arrogant would inevitably indulge.
That was why Li Shimin was especially cautious in educating Li Chengqian.
The insight of later generations far surpassing Tang was not purely Heaven's blessing.
Take this world map for example. If it had fallen into Emperor Yang's hands, that imperial cousin of his might already be launching a fleet to conquer Europe.
Such knowledge, if wielded without restraint by a ruler, could easily bring calamity upon the world.
Li Shimin's personal evaluation plunged Ganlu Hall into silence, followed by a chilling realization.
Later generations' methods were beyond imagination. The chaos and death they could unleash were likely even more unimaginable.
"Thus," Li Shimin said calmly, "we must ensure that Tang stands firm in the world, bestowing fortune upon later generations, so that our descendants fear no powerful enemies from any direction."
Fang, Du, and the assembled ministers all bowed and accepted the command.