"His might shook Jiangdong! His name alone was enough to make crying children stop their wailing!"
The generals in the hall could only look on with envy.
For a true man seeking to build merit on horseback, was this not precisely the dream? To awe the world and leave behind a name that would be remembered for a thousand years. Who would not envy such an achievement?
Guan Yu did not envy him.
"This battle's defeat cannot be blamed on Sun Quan's cowardice alone," Guan Yu said, stroking his beloved long beard.
"Considering the battle as a whole, Wenyuan was the one who forcefully argued for an immediate engagement and raised the army's morale. Before the battle, he concealed troops behind Xiaoyao Ford, then struck at the decisive moment and seized the initiative. Before the Wu army could steady its formation, he personally led the charge and shattered its ranks. During the retreat, he did not abandon his comrades. Instead, he brought them safely out."
After listing Zhang Liao's accomplishments in one breath, Guan Yu delivered his verdict.
"Flawless!"
"The Wu army's defeat cannot be blamed on Sun Quan alone. The entire Sun Wu regime shares the disgrace. Their courage was shattered, and their defeat was well deserved!"
Although he was praising Zhang Liao, the disdain in Guan Yu's voice toward Jiangdong's forces was unmistakable.
Huang Zhong lowered his head.
What am I supposed to make of this? When I guarded Jingzhou, I thought Sun Wu's soldiers were quite capable. Has my experience in Jingzhou-Xiangyang truly limited my perspective?
[Lightscreen]
[Looking at the Battle of Hefei and Xiaoyao Ford as a whole:
If Sun Jian had been present, when Zhang Liao charged with eight hundred men, Sun Jian would have decisively met him in battle. With a hundred thousand troops arrayed behind him, why would he fear?
If Sun Ce had been there, at the Xiaoyao Ford crossing he would have lived and died alongside his guards. As long as he held on, the forward army on the southern bank would have had time to repair the bridge and reinforce him, and the crisis would have resolved itself.
If Zhou Yu had been there, during the retreat he would have arranged feints and deception to mislead Zhang Liao, and at Xiaoyao Ford he would certainly have built multiple pontoon bridges to avoid such a disaster.
Even if Lu Su, who guarded Jingzhou, had been there, after escaping he would have advised Sun Quan that there was more than one path northward, and they would not have ended up weeping at each other in despair.
But unfortunately, the only one present was Sun Quan. Two years later, Lu Su died of illness, and from then on no one could offer Sun Quan a plan with true vision.]
Everyone could not help sighing.
"Sun Jian fought without fear of death. If he had been beneath the walls of Hefei, he would have shouted to rally the army before charging straight at Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao would never have achieved such glory."
Liu Bei spoke while recalling Sun Jian's heroic figure. Then he shook his head.
Such a heroic man, and yet his descendants...
Wait. A-Dou?
No, that only makes my heart ache more!
"The Little Conqueror of Jiangdong and Grand Commander Zhou Gongjin were both heroes of their age. Even I, a woman, have heard of their reputations for years," Huang Yueying said calmly. "Neither was the sort of coward who would simply run away."
"Lu Zijing was the same," Zhuge Liang added. He thought of the friend who always seemed certain of victory, even though they served different masters. "He possessed both courage and strategy, and he was not lacking in vision. He held the world in his heart rather than limiting himself to Jiangdong. It is a pity we could not serve together."
Jiang Wan glanced down at the list he had copied.
"So after Lu Su's death, this man named Lu Meng took control in Jiangdong?"
"It must be so!" Zhang Fei said through clenched teeth. "A petty villain who kills the body and attacks the heart! He must have used some despicable trick to harm my second brother!"
Guan Yu shook his head.
"At present, Lu Meng is nothing more than a brave general. I do not even consider him worth noticing."
Guan Yu looked thoroughly unimpressed.
'Back when we served together in Nan Commandery, that man had not shown much intelligence. And as for strength...
No matter how strong he became, could he possibly be stronger than Yan Liang?'
[Lightscreen]
[Zhang Liao gained greatly from this battle. He already carried the merit of crushing the Wuhuan at Bailang Mountain and personally slaying their Chieftain Tadun.
With this great victory at Xiaoyao Ford added on, his achievements were outstanding.
Thus, during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang, Zhang Liao was selected among the Sixty-Four Generals of the Martial Temple, receiving incense and offerings for generations.
Of course, the greatest contributor to Zhang Liao's victory at Xiaoyao Ford was none other than Sun Quan!
Such generosity is like a massive discount event. It was the Pinduoduo Billion-Subsidy Sale!
Summer Promotion! Pinduoduo has the best prices waiting for you!
Classic Octagonal Han Sword in forged steel: only 199!
Building-block replica of the Zhuge Crossbow: only 299!
Exquisite replica edition of the Tiangong Kaiwu: only 49!
Open the app now and search for Iced Cold Brew to grab a massive coupon!
Or click below the video to enter the Billion-Subsidy hall directly. Quality guaranteed across the board, so come and shop now!
Ahem, this uploader is full now, so let us end this episode here!
Stay tuned for the next episode: One Commandery Against the World! Why Did Flooding the Seven Armies Shake All Under Heaven?]
[Server Chat Log]
[OneBlade_OneJar: Ending it right there? You've got nerve! Send me your address boy, I only want to get close and have a 'friendly chat'.
Grandmaster_Gamer_99: A rookie illiterate uploader now learning to sell out like a rat? Blink twice if you're being kept by a sugar daddy.
Cynical_Sword_Critic: Forged steel octagonal swords? Wasn't the forged steel technique from the Coward Song Dynasty?
Dragon_Scholar: Don't be ridiculous, forged steel existed in the Eastern Han! The Song only made the process standardized and scaled up with better bellows and small blast furnaces.
Iron_Archive: You call that an ending? Starting with shaking Jiangdong and ending with shaking all of China? If Zhang Liao shook them, then Guan Yunchang is about to blow the roof off!
Underworld_Record_Keeper: That's not a Zhuge Crossbow, that's clearly a standard Eight-Ox Ballista. Typical Pinduoduo version!
Drifting_Cloud_Swordsman: The Eight-Ox Ballista was indeed taken west by the Scourge of God during his western campaign and modified to fire flame bolts, making the Germanic barbarians cry for their mothers. By the way, what were the Germanic barbarians doing when Second Lord flooded the seven armies?
Cynical_Grass: In 219 AD, the famous same-sex marrying, self-employed male prostitute, collector of gigantic genitalia, Mediterranean king of debauchery, pioneer of gender transformation theory, and cross-dressing vanguard Elagabalus officially ascended the throne as Roman Emperor.
Wifi_Warrior: Whoa, that burns my eyes.
Wifi_Warrior: Whoa, and come to think of it, the Liu clan ruling in the same era as Rome also seemed rather fond of men. Is that some secret manual for conquering the world?
Blind_Storyteller_Jin: Please stop, I beg you. I need to go wash my eyes, and watch the flooding of the seven armies three times to scrub Elagabalus out of my head.
Li Shimin: The Martial Temple is a great idea. From now on, consider it something I founded and built! Also, what is this 'app' thing?]
The torrent of information struck everyone like a storm, drenching them from head to toe.
Zhang Fei stood there dumbfounded, unsure where to look first.
"Wait, the Martial Temple? No, incense and offerings? No, hold on. What in the world is Pinduoduo?"
As images of Han swords, building blocks, and book replicas flashed across the light screen, Zhang Fei felt his head begin to spin.
"Copy everything down first!" Zhuge Liang shouted. "Gongyan, prioritize recording all the text. My lord, please help as well!"
"Yueying, work with me. Zizhong, you too. Copy the images as best you can!"
Everyone immediately began writing. Only Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong remained staring at one another.
The three men were not skilled with a brush. Zhang Fei finally tore his gaze away from the disturbing passage about the king of debauchery, forced it out of his mind, and focused on the words Martial Temple.
"The Sixty-Four Generals of the Martial Temple must include my second brother! And there had better be a place for me too, Zhang Fei!"
Huang Zhong said nothing.
He very much wanted to ask whether he might also qualify for the Martial Temple.
But when he reflected on his earlier years guarding Jingzhou-Xiangyang, years spent in mediocrity and wasted potential, he felt that he had only one real achievement to his name: rising late in life and slaying an enemy general.
How could someone like him possibly enter the Martial Temple and receive incense from later generations?
As Huang Zhong lowered his gaze, he felt a firm hand settle on his shoulder.
He looked up and found Zhang Fei grinning broadly.
"Old Huang, I have figured it out!"
Huang Zhong blinked. 'What has he figured out?'
"Why leave our merits to later generations to judge? Why not do exactly as Big Brother said?"
"Follow him, restore the Han, and rebuild its foundation! Once we reclaim the Central Plains, we march south against the Nan Man, north against the Bei Di, west against the Xi Rong, and east against the Dong Yi. We will defeat them all, one by one!"
"At that point, who cares what later generations think? Big Brother can simply open the Martial Temple himself!"
"We will all stand inside it together. Who would dare object?"
Zhang Fei thumped his chest loudly. Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.
Huang Zhong felt his heart stir.
Liu Bei had finished writing as well. He rubbed his wrist, raised his head, and smiled.
"If we truly establish a foundation that lasts ten thousand generations, why stop at a Martial Temple? Each of you can have a temple of your own!"
"That will not do," Zhang Fei said, rubbing his nose. "Having a temple all to myself would be too lonely. I want to be together with Big Brother and Second Brother!"
"Yide!"
Liu Bei was deeply moved.
"But, Big Brother," Zhang Fei added, his face filled with innocent confusion, "what does it mean that the Liu clan likes male favorites?"