[Lightscreen]
[The tug-of-war between Guan Yu and Cao Ren was a long and brutal grind.
But wars are never decided by patience alone. In the end, Heaven itself provided a definitive, game-changing assist by dropping a massive hammer.
Commentary on the Water Classic: The Mian River flooded, rising over three zhang. The city walls collapsed. In autumn, heavy rains caused the Han River to overflow, flooding the flatlands with water several zhang deep. Yu Jin and his seven armies were completely submerged.
Biography of Yu Jin: Yu Jin and the other generals climbed to high ground to watch the water, with nowhere to retreat. Guan Yu attacked them in large ships, and Yu Jin subsequently surrendered.
In reality, it was over in a single morning.
A flash flood struck before dawn, drowning Yu Jin's seven armies. After soaking in floodwater for half the night, thirty thousand soldiers were already half broken.
Then Guan Yunchang simply sailed in and collected them.]
"So this is the legendary Flooding of the Seven Armies!"
Zhuge Liang bowed respectfully, sweeping his gaze across the room.
"The Art of War says: Victory is decided before the battle is fought. Those who calculate more win, those who calculate less lose. What, then, of those who do not calculate at all?"
"Yunchang held Jingzhou for merely two years, yet he forced Yue Jin to retreat and forced Cao Wei's historians into Spring and Autumn brushwork style. That is one calculation."
"He built a navy from former land troops, held firm in the dry season, and struck when the rains came. That is the second."
"With twenty thousand against four times his number, and still able to respond flawlessly in the chaos of a midnight flood..."
He paused slightly.
"Tell me honestly. Is Yu Jin truly incompetent or is Yunchang just that good?"
The generals had a collective epiphany and bowed in deep respect.
Zhang Fei, meanwhile, was practically vibrating with excitement. "Wow, Second Brother is a god of war!"
Liu Bei could not contain himself.
He stood up, patted his second brother's arm, and laughed heartily. "Hahaha, the Five Elite Generals are nothing compared to our Five Tiger Generals!"
He remembered it perfectly. Zhang He and Xu Huang, two of the Five Elite Generals, had attacked Chen Shi, a relatively unknown commander, and returned with nothing to show for it.
Yue Jin, another of the Five, had been pushed back by Guan Yu. And now Yu Jin, likely the best of them all, had been completely wiped out!
Refreshing. Absolutely refreshing.
Off to the side, Mi Fang muttered quietly, "Big Brother... does this really count as shaking all under heaven? Seems like he just got lucky with the weather."
Mi Zhu sighed helplessly. "Oh boy."
[Lightscreen]
[Pang De's forces also lost their will to fight. Only Pang De himself fought to the bitter end. Even after being captured, he cursed Guan Yu:
"You insolent brat! What do you mean surrender? The King of Wei has a million men in armor; his power shakes the world! Your brother Liu Bei is a mediocre hack, how could he ever be a match for my lord Cao Cao? I would rather be a ghost for my state than a general for rebels!"
There are... quite a few issues with this statement.
First, Cao Cao is the one holding the Son of Heaven hostage. How are you talking about serving the state? Which state, exactly, was Pang De dying for?
Second, the last time Cao Cao shook the world, it ended with him writing a salty letter to Jiangdong saying: At Red Cliffs, I fell ill and burned my own ships. Zhou Yu merely gained a false reputation.
Yes. Very shaking the world. Pang De sought death, and he got it. His troops all surrendered.]
"Short-sighted fool!" Zhang Fei spat. The light screen was right. Cao Cao was the rebel. Dying for a traitor was not serving the state. It was just bad life choices.
"Maybe. It is not entirely that simple, Yide," Zhuge Liang murmured thoughtfully.
"To serve Cao Cao meant moving your family to Yecheng as hostages. Yu Jin had rendered great service, so even if he surrendered, his family might have been spared. But Pang De was originally Ma Chao's general, Cao Cao's sworn enemy. He later defected to Zhang Lu, then surrendered to Cao Cao alongside Zhang Lu. His path was full of twists. If he surrendered, his family would likely not be spared."
Zhang Fei went wordless, slamming his fist on the table in frustration.
Liu Bei did not care about Pang De's tragedy.
He was laughing at Cao Cao's letter. "Next time I see the Grand Commander, I must tell him! Cao Cao has absolutely no respect for Zhou Gongjin or Huang Gai. It must be great!"
Everyone chuckled, though they had to admit it sounded exactly like something Cao Cao would say.
[Lightscreen]
[Guan Yunchang now had over thirty thousand surrendered troops to deal with. He had no choice but to transport them back to Jiangling by ship.
So he sent a message for reinforcements:
"Dear nephew Liu Feng, the seven armies are destroyed, Fancheng is surrounded. Come over and help finish this!"
The Records state: Liu Feng and Meng Da did not follow Guan Yu's orders.
Left with no choice, Guan Yunchang had to split his already thin forces to guard the prisoners. His front-line strength was now dangerously low.]
"Ahhh, maybe Feng'er was worried Shangyong would rebel again... it must be like that," Zhang Fei trailed off, not even believing his own excuse.
Second Brother was doing so well. Who cared if Shangyong rebelled? They would crush it instantly. Plus, after seeing his nephew brag about his little band earlier, Zhang Fei had just given up trying to understand him.
Liu Bei's face darkened. He had not seen Liu Feng in three months since sending him to Zhang Fei's camp for discipline. He was starting to see why.
[Lightscreen]
[The Drowning of the Seven Armies sent shockwaves through the land. A whole bunch of Cao Cao's officials in Jingzhou flipped sides to join Guan Yu. But that was only the beginning.
Cao Ren was trapped in the ruins of Fancheng. Xu Huang was hiding in Wancheng, too terrified to face Guan Yu head-on.
Guan Yu's fleet sailed north through the floods like he owned the place.
Reports of victory reached Xuchang. In Liang County, Jia County, Luhun, and even near Luoyang, people began accepting Guan Yu's authority from afar.
Some had been forced into banditry by Cao Cao. These were people tired of Cao Cao's forced labor and high taxes.
The court trembled.
Xuchang was in uproar.
History records it as: Shaking All Under Heaven.
Cao Cao even considered moving the capital.
The entire realm believed that Fancheng and Xiangyang would fall at any moment.
Once Guan Yu reorganized the surrendered troops, his army would march straight toward Xuchang.
The end of Cao Wei... had arrived.
The Han shall rise again.]
[Server Chat Log]
[User_HanLoyalist: This is Second Brother shaking all of China! Wherever the Green Dragon Crescent Blade points, the enemy trembles! This is the Shu Han! This is the Longzhong Plan! This is the Han Dynasty's greatest opportunity!
User_GamerBro: Big bro, big bro! Look at your Second bro pushing the high ground, carrying the game... what are you doing back at base?!
User_HistoryBuff: Early Han had Gaozu and the Three Heroes. Late Han has Zhaolie, Wuhou, and the God of War. Even if the Shu Han falls, it falls with dignity!
User_PoeticSoul: Second Brother is the heroic spirit of the mortals, galloping freely.
User_SadBoi: I am done. Thinking about what happens next makes my heart ache like a knife. When the time is right, heaven and earth work together; when luck runs out, even heroes are not free!
Li Shimin: Good fight. But seriously, what in the actual hell is the An Lushan Rebellion?!!]
Crash!
Liu Bei accidentally knocked his teacup to the floor, completely oblivious.
Huang Yueying noticed Liu Bei's eyes were red. He was staring wide-eyed to hold back tears, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed his turbulent emotions.
She nudged her husband. Zhuge Liang sighed, stood, and knelt beside Liu Bei.
"My lord, this time, we will absolutely not let Yunchang fight alone."
"Kongming!" Liu Bei's voice was hoarse. After a moment, he said, ""The hearts of the people… the hearts of the people are with us."
"My lord, Liang knows."
"My second brother's death... the blame lies with me!"
"My lord, Liang does not believe that is entirely true."
"Kongming, the Han shall rise for a third time! The Shu Han shall be established!"
"My lord, Liang is willing to die for this!"
Zhang Fei was already hugging his second brother, jumping up and down in pure, unadulterated joy.
"Second Brother! This is it! This is your peak!"
Facing this scene, Guan Yu felt an unexpected, profound calm. 'So this is what it means to shake all of China?'
With the blessing of the light screen this time, he would do even better. Shaking China was not enough!
"Recreate China, revive the Han for the third time, awe-inspire the entire universe!" Guan Yu slowly recited his new, grander goal.
Judging by the future's attitude, defeating foreign tribes earned far more glory than just quelling internal rebellions! Zhang Liao could rival Wei Qing and Huo Qubing just for wiping out Tadun at Mount Baima. Who would not want that?
"I, Guan Yunchang, along with my big and third brothers, will create an opportunity to rival Wei and Huo! And when that time comes, I will seize it and surpass the version of myself on the light screen! My path does not end here!"
Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong also looked on with serene yearning. Rivaling Wei and Huo? They wanted that too!
Mi Fang's face was filled with sheer envy. He envied this treatment of being the center of attention. He envied, longed for, and was intoxicated by the reverence the text on the light screen showed for Guan Yu's name.
"Big Brother," Mi Fang tugged at Mi Zhu's sleeve. "Do you think I could also make a name for myself in history, like General Guan?"
"You certainly will," Mi Zhu said, patting his younger brother's shoulder.
"Righteous loyalty that does not fail the Han. People hundreds of years from now will surely remember you."
Meanwhile, the light screen continued its pre-recorded video.
[Lightscreen]
[But right at this moment, the long-dormant Sun Shinwan made his move:
Who cares if the Han rises for a third time or not? No one is stopping me from stealing the peach!
The Biography of Guan Yu records: Sun Quan secretly lured Mi Fang and Fu Shiren. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren sent people to welcome Sun Quan.]