[Lightscreen]
[If we are talking about Guan Yu's impenetrable fortress, we absolutely have to mention a certain Eastern Wu general who struck terror into the hearts of Cao Wei: Zhu Ran.]
Zhang Fei was finding it harder and harder to understand his second brother.
'They had sworn an oath to be fierce vanguard generals together. So why was his legacy being defined by naval warfare and... city-building? Did that make this, Old Zhang look like a brainless brute, right?'
Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun, however, were focused on the title.
"Struck terror into Cao Wei?"
"Zhu Ran?"
Zhuge Liang recalled the historical texts. "Zhu Zhi had no sons, so he adopted his sister's son, naming him Zhu Ran."
The generals nodded in understanding. Zhu Zhi's adopted son. As for Zhu Zhi himself, they had only heard the name.
Zhang Fei scrunched his face, trying desperately to remember what Zhu Zhi even looked like. Nothing came to mind.
[Lightscreen]
[In a sense, Zhu Ran built his entire career on the back of Shu Han.
In 223 AD, Cao Wei attacked Jiangling. Zhu Ran defended the city for six months until Cao Wei retreated.
He struck terror into Cao Wei, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dangyang, and his record was gorgeous.
He solo-tanked three grand generals: Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, and Zhang He. An absolutely peerless commander.]
The generals exchanged bewildered glances. He defeated Cao Wei, yet the descendant claimed he relied entirely on Shu Han?
Zhang Fei caught on first and let out a loud snort. "This 'striking terror into Cao Wei' business… it wouldn't happen to be because he was hiding behind my second brother's fortress, would it?"
They had just discussed how Guan Yu was going to build a fortress to defend against Wu, and it was already known that Lu Meng would later attack Jingzhou.
The answer was obvious: Sun Wu had seized that fortress for themselves.
But one big question remained, how on earth did Wu's ragtag lot ever manage to take it in the first place?
[Lightscreen]
[So how were his other records?
First, his victories: In 219, he teamed up with Lu Meng to kill Guan Yu. In 222, he teamed up with Lu Xun to defeat Liu Bei. In 228, he teamed up with Lu Xun to defeat Cao Xiu.]
The hall went completely still.
Heavy, suffocating tension filled the side hall of Gong'an.
A late-April breeze slipped through the door, swirling with a sudden, biting chill.
Zhang Fei broke it with a rough, booming laugh. "Heh! So this guy's nothing but a professional leech!"
"If I ever run into him on a battlefield, I'll cut his head off myself!"
The chill in the air instantly vanished, blown away by his sheer aggression.
[Lightscreen]
[And his other times? In 217, he was appointed Zhonglang General to garrison Ruxu. Cao Cao beat him down, and Sun Quan sent a letter of surrender.
In 227, he led twenty thousand troops to attack Jiangxia and was repelled.
In 234, Sun Quan attacked Hefei again. Zhu Ran was left commander but retreated without a fight.
In 241, he led fifty thousand troops to attack Fancheng and was routed.
You can see it at a glance.
This guy is a pure support specialist, the Ultimate Three Kingdoms-Professional Leech. He put every single one of his skill points into riding other people's coattails.]
"This is considered a great general of Sun Wu?"
Huang Zhong felt a headache coming on. In his youth, he had joined Liu Biao and ended up achieving absolutely nothing. Maybe he should have learned from this guy, picked up some Professional Leech techniques, and focused on riding coattails.
A military career of either winning when the wind was favorable or retreating when it was not... and he is a great general?
"Hahahaha!" Zhang Fei roared with laughter so loud the walls seemed to shake. "If the old Huang is jealous, next time Zilong charges into the enemy camp, just climb right up and sit in his lap!"
The room paused, then remembered the light screen's previous description of Liu Shan and Zhao Yun screaming and slaughtering their way in and out seven times at Changban.
The hall erupted in laughter. Even those who did not immediately get it, Ma Liang, Jiang Wan, Mi Fang, caught the joke after a moment's thought and covered their mouths to hide their smiles.
The future's evaluations were truly uniquely creative.
[Lightscreen]
[Now about that fortress Guan Yu built at Jiangling.
The Yuanhe Junxian Zhi, a geography book written during the Tang Dynasty, says this:
Jiangling Prefecture was split right down the middle. The northern part was the old city, and the southern part was built entirely by Guan Yu.
This record, written long after the An Lushan Rebellion, makes one thing very clear: Guan Yu built a whole brand new city right next to the original Jiangling, just south of it.
Jiangling already had water on two sides, making it naturally tough to get near. But Guan Yu built a second city right beside it so they could back each other up if attacked? That level of defense is absolutely insane.
Cao Zhen, Zhang He, and Xiahou Shang's massive army probably slammed headfirst straight into that ridiculous setup.
And that's exactly why everyone started acting like Zhu Ran was some kind of hero.]
"Exactly!"
The generals all shook their heads, then turned to look at Guan Yu like he was some kind of wonder.
People knew him as a fearless cavalry warrior! But then he suddenly figured out how to run a navy, and then he decided to become a master of building walls?
While everyone else just patched up their old defenses! Guan Yu went and built an entire extra city from scratch!
"That is how a true general thinks!" Ma Liang said, full of admiration. "Yunchang, you truly understand war better than anyone!"
Guan Yu just smiled and stroked his beard, saying nothing.
Internally, however, he was quite pleased. Ever since learning from the light screen that he would be garrisoning Jiangling, he had been pondering his strategy.
His conclusion was exactly the same: no matter how the war goes, securing an invincible position first is never wrong!
His only regret was that this descendant lacked literary refinement.
What did he mean by "absolutely insane"? Couldn't they have used a nicer word?
[Lightscreen]
[Guan Yu's move was incredibly prudent, because Jiangling was simply too important!
It was the most crucial springboard connecting Jingzhou and Yizhou, and the key to advancing north. As long as they secured Xiangyang-Fancheng, the Longzhong Plan could become a reality.
Advancing all the way to Xuchang and Luoyang would be a smooth, unobstructed ride.]
The Longzhong Plan! The generals' eyes filled with yearning.
The blueprint their strategist had painted had moved not just Liu Bei, but all of them. Watching the light screen describe the future was turning that blueprint into reality, proving...
"Kongming is truly a talent meant to govern the world! A living Jiang Taigong!"
"Meeting Kongming is like a fish taking to water. It is the fortune of the Han!"
Liu Bei sighed in praise. Thinking back, being chased by Cao Cao had been rough, but with Kongming, those hardships felt like nothing.
Zhuge Liang bowed slowly to Liu Bei. "I only hope to assist you, my lord, in the great enterprise and pull the Han dynasty back from the brink."
[Lightscreen]
[As for defending against Sun Quan, that was basically just a bonus.
In ancient times, siege warfare was the ultimate test of troop quality. Sun Wu's soldiers would have struggled enough attacking the old Jiangling, let alone Jiangling City Pro Max Ultra.
Historically, Sun Wu's performance proved this. From 208 to 234 AD, Sun Quan attacked Hefei five times. He suffered two crushing defeats and three inconclusive retreats. He was truly the most dedicated EXP farm of the Three Kingdoms period.
Sun Quan was successively defeated by Jiang Ji, Zhang Xi, Zhang Liao, Li Dian, Yue Jin, Xue Ti, Man Chong, Zhang Ying, Cao Rui, Tian Yu, Liu Shao, Wei Zhen... and that is not even counting the unnamed generals.
Zhang Liao could proudly write on his resume: I participated in the Hefei Speedrun Event against Sun Quan and achieved a great score of 800 men securing victory. You should try it too!
Anyway, back to 217 AD. From Guan Yu's perspective, Jiangling was truly foolproof.]
Zhuge Liang realized he had encountered a blind spot for the first time. "What on earth does Pro Max Ultra mean?"
"Pro and Max both imply greatness and supremacy. Ultra means beyond," Ma Liang guessed, stroking his chin. "And Cup... perhaps it signifies that Jiangling City is like a cup, holding everything within without a single leak or gap! As for those foreign barbarian characters... I am at a loss."
"Write it down!" Liu Bei said, highly entertained. "I did not expect Sun Quan to remain so obsessed with Hefei later, only to be defeated by thirteen different General!"
Watching his cheap brother-in-law eat dirt was genuinely satisfying.
At the same time, he felt a wave of contempt. Retreating without success just means he was putting on a show, right?
Then, a sudden alarm went off in his mind. Wait! After Sun Quan sent that letter of surrender, did he actually surrender in secret? Otherwise, this makes no sense at all!
"The green-eyed brother-in-law is truly useless," Zhang Fei declared bluntly. "Not like our Big Brother. We have won plenty! Our only losses were against tough guys like Lu Bu, Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao."
He then patted Liu Bei's shoulder to comfort him. "Do not panic, Big Brother. This time at Yiling, we are guaranteed to win!"