Zhao Yun was a man refined in both mind and body. Almost at once, a certain dreadful conjecture surfaced in his heart.
His pupils trembled.
Yet Zhang Fei was still shouting, "Who the hell is this Yunmei? There are no women in the army. Could it be brought by that Cao thief?"
Guan Yu struck the back of Zhang Fei's head with his palm. "Silence."
Then he turned and said in a steady voice, "Zilong, do not be troubled. In my view, the people of later ages must hold you in great affection, hence such a name. Did the light screen not say you would become the God of War at Changban, charging through Cao's camp seven times in and out? Let us watch first."
There was nothing else to be done. Zhao Yun nodded, calmed his thoughts, and returned his gaze to the light screen.
The image shifted.
As the perspective changed, a three-dimensional map from the twenty-first century appeared before the gathered ministers and generals of the late Han.
[Lightscreen]
[In the year 217, the Shu Han side formally launched the Hanzhong Campaign. One must understand that a great campaign like this cannot be decided in a single stroke. Both sides must endure prolonged contention, competing in logistics and searching for decisive opportunities. Therefore, this campaign would last a long time.
Let us first examine the commanders on both sides. On Shu Han's side were Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Fa Zheng, and Huang Quan. On Cao Wei's side were Xiahou Yuan, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Cao Hong, Zhang He, Xu Huang, and Guo Huai.]
The gathered officials and generals exchanged glances.
They had all heard of Ma Chao. As for Fa Zheng and Huang Quan, none present knew them, yet the light screen had already declared them as allies. The sensation was strangely novel.
Zhang Fei asked, "So Second Brother is guarding Jingzhou at this time?"
Zhuge Liang calculated briefly and nodded. "Jingzhou cannot be entrusted to anyone but General Guan."
Jian Yong, nibbling on dried fruit, spoke as if reciting from memory. "Fa Zheng I have heard of. He should be the treasured grandson of Fa Zhen, descended from Fa Xiong, Governor of Nan Commandery. As for Huang Quan, he ought to be a Chief Clerk of Yi Province."
As one who often traveled and dealt with people on Liu Bei's behalf, Jian Yong was adept at tracing backgrounds.
"Formidable foes," Guan Yu said succinctly.
Zhang He and Xu Huang required no introduction. Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and Cao Hong had followed Cao Cao since the campaign against Dong Zhuo. After so many years of battle, any who survived had become seasoned veterans.
"No matter. We have General Huang," Zhang Fei said, clapping Huang Zhong on the shoulder with complete confidence, causing the old general's face to redden.
[Lightscreen]
[In the year 217, Liu Bei dispatched Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Wu Lan, and Lei Tong to strike Wudu. They successfully repelled the local forces and occupied Xiabian.
What is interesting is the Wudu Administrator, Yang Fu, courtesy name Yishan, a man of Tianshui and fellow townsman of Jiang Wei. He killed Ma Chao's entire family, making the two mortal enemies.
Modern audiences often praise Yang Fu, viewing him as a righteous opponent of the so-called villain Ma Chao. Yet from a historical perspective, the so-called Ma Chao rebellion is far from simple.
In 211, Cao Cao seized Hanzhong. Han Sui and Ma Chao rebelled, allying with Zhang Lu and defeating Cao Cao at Tong Pass. The Romance even added the famous scene of Cao Cao cutting his beard and discarding his robe, which is quite amusing.]
At this point, the light screen displayed a segment from a later dramatized version of the Three Kingdoms.
In the hall, the generals burst into laughter as they watched the man labeled Cao Cao being pointed out repeatedly.
"The one in the red robe is Cao Cao!"
"The long-bearded one is Cao Cao!"
"The short-bearded one is Cao Cao!"
With those three shouts, Cao Cao cut his beard, cast aside his robe, and finally wrapped his face with a banner before fleeing in disgrace.
The hall filled with cheerful laughter.
Liu Bei did not forget to explain to the three less-informed officials. "This is a performance created by later generations based on our deeds, something akin to ritual drama."
With that, Jian Yong, Mi Zhu, and Sun Qian understood. Mi Zhu, however, felt a stir in his heart. This new style of performance seemed far more engaging than those of their own time.
"It is a pity Cao Cao did not die there," Zhang Fei said with regret.
"General Zhang, you laughed the loudest just now. Do not take it too seriously," Huang Zhong replied.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, deep in thought. He wondered whether, when he would later be defeated at Maicheng as the light screen suggested, there would also be people shouting, "The long-bearded one is Guan Yu." Still, he would never stoop to cutting his beard and fleeing.
Jian Yong, calculating the years, shook his head. "Ma Teng is already dead."
At once, the hall fell silent.
They had nearly forgotten that the previous year, Ma Teng and his family had been relocated to Ye City by Cao Cao.
"Cao Cao must have anticipated that Zhang Lu would seek aid from Ma Chao and Han Sui, so he first took control of Ma Teng. Yet he did not expect Han and Ma to still raise troops."
Ma Teng had been a restraint upon Ma Chao. Ma Chao's act of rebellion proved he did not care for his father's fate. To preserve authority, Cao Cao would certainly execute Ma Teng.
Such decisiveness left the assembled men at a loss for judgment. They wished to condemn it as wolfish brutality, yet the light screen had already declared that Ma Chao would later join Liu Bei and become a founding figure of Shu Han.
The matter was difficult to assess.
[Lightscreen]
[In 211, Cao Cao retreated after defeat. In 212, Ma Chao resumed campaigns, joining with Zhang Lu to seize multiple commanderies in Liang Province, killing Inspector Wei Kang. The local elites submitted one after another. Xiahou Yuan led troops to suppress him but was defeated.
In 213, Yang Fu and Jiang Xu betrayed Ma Chao and exterminated his family. Ma Chao retaliated by slaughtering Jiang Xu's clan. Xiahou Yuan then advanced and ultimately defeated Ma Chao.
In 214, Ma Chao fled to Hanzhong to seek refuge under Zhang Lu, and in the same year defected to Liu Bei.
If we analyze this in detail, it resembles the same pattern seen in Jiangdong. Ma Chao used force to subdue the gentry, but his excessive actions bred resentment, leading them to unite and rebel.
If Yang Fu were truly a great virtuous man as Cao Cao claimed, why did he remain silent when his superior Wei Kang was killed, even serving Ma Chao afterward? Only when his own relative was imprisoned did he resolve to rebel.
Thus, from the standpoint of circumstance and logic, neither side deserves glorification. At its core, it was merely mutual destruction.]
The generals felt their minds grow numb.
Was Liang Province truly so brutal that entire families were slaughtered at every turn?
Moreover, killing a provincial inspector was a grave taboo. Even with imperial authority weakened, appearances still had to be maintained.
Just as Liu Biao and Sun Jian had clashed, yet it was Huang Zu who suffered the consequences.
As for the light screen's assessment of Yang Fu, Liu Bei found himself in agreement. He had once believed the common people were simply the common people, but after being deceived in Xu Province, he realized that when necessary, the powerful clans could also present themselves as the people.
[Lightscreen]
[Let us return to the Hanzhong Campaign.
When Ma Chao encountered Yang Fu, it was a meeting of mortal enemies. After only a few exchanges, Yang Fu fled on horseback to summon reinforcements.
Soon Cao Hong, Cao Xiu, and Cao Zhen arrived with troops to reclaim Xiabian.]
The group felt somewhat exasperated.
The topic had returned to Hanzhong, only to detour back to earlier events, and then return again without fully explaining what happened to Zhang Lu.
Zhang Fei, however, was excited. Among those sent to attack Wudu, only he was present here.
"Hold the city and defend. The three Cao generals are coming. The advantage is ours. Does that mean I have military merit now?"
He had long envied Huang Zhong's slaying of Xiahou Yuan. Now it seemed his own opportunity had arrived.