The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Liu Bei stood before the newly expanded side hall and blew warm breath into his cupped hands. The winter cold bit right through his sleeves. He rubbed his palms together and studied the two giant figures carved into the wooden doors.
Shen Tu and Yu Lei. The legendary gods who caught ghosts, one on each side, both fierce and grand in every line of their stance.
Liu Bei frowned. I'm really curious. Would genuine heavenly auspicious signs be repelled by such aggressive divine bouncers?
"My Lord, is something wrong?" A thin, scholarly man approached. "Since we moved into Gong'an earlier this year, the county office needed extensive work. Yesterday, the carpenters fixed the window frames and saw the new doors were bare. They took the initiative to carve the Door Gods for the Spring Festival. Is this inappropriate?"
Liu Bei smiled warmly. "Gongyou, you are up early. No, there is nothing inappropriate. Come, stand with me. Let us go inside."
Sun Qian stayed half a step behind as they walked into the strange new hall.
Everything inside was spotless. Windows bright and clear. Tables neat and tidy. Decorations simple and modest with nothing out of place.
At the first desk on the left Zhuge Liang was already hard at work leaning over stacks of bamboo slips, his brush darting across the surface. He seemed to have an endless supply of energy and drive. Few in Liu Bei's camp had ever actually seen Kongming sleep, and even fewer could say they'd caught the moment he started his day.
Because of this Sun Qian held the young Military Advisor in the highest regard. Not only was Kongming far sharper than anyone else, he also worked harder than everyone put together. That combination commanded total respect.
After slowly finishing a cup of hot tea Sun Qian could no longer sit still.
"My Lord I still need to go over the winter grain ledgers one last time…"
"Gongyou." Liu Bei cut him off gentle but firm. "Fifteen years have passed since the first year of Xingping. All the way to today."
His eyes softened with old memories.
"I remember every part of it. Lu Bu beat us until we had nothing left. Then, with a resolve I will never forget, you walked into the lion's den and negotiated with Yuan Shao, securing us temporary shelter. I still admire that courage more than anything. Later, Liu Biao took us in as guests. But we stood by and watched Jingzhou tear itself to pieces, letting Cao Cao march right in and swallow the whole region in one gulp."
Liu Bei let out a heavy sigh. "Thankfully our victory at Red Cliffs burned Cao Cao's fleet to the waterline. Now after fifteen years of suffering and struggle we finally have a place to stand. A home you can truly call your own. A place where you can finally rest, Gongyou. I owe you so much more than this."
Sun Qian was usually so calm and steady but now his eyes brimmed with tears. He dropped straight to his knees.
"My Lord you have always treated me like the greatest talent under Heaven! I would follow you even into…"
"What in the world… Gongyou! Why are you kneeling on that freezing floor!" a booming voice tore through the moment. "Has my elder brother punished you? Whatever fault Gongyou might have committed I will take the blame for it!"
Zhang Fei.
Behind him filed Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and finally Jian Yong and Mi Zhu, who glanced awkwardly at the mismatched walls.
Liu Bei shot his third brother a sharp look. "I was sharing old memories with Gongyou. All of you stand up at once. Even if Gongyou had committed a crime worthy of death, what use would your thick head be as a substitute?"
Zhang Fei brushed the objection off like it meant nothing. "Gongyou has stood by us loyal and true for over a decade brother! I see that plain as day! I know for a fact he is not the sort to do anything wrong!"
Kongming finally set down his brush. He rolled up the finished document, tucked it into the basket of completed work, and looked up with a warm smile.
"Our Lord was simply looking back on the years gone by with Gongyou. Xianhe. Zizhong. It has been some time since we last met. I trust your journeys went well? But why are the two of you standing there with your arms tucked inside your sleeves?"
Everyone in the room was a core pillar of Liu Bei's faction. Even Huang Zhong, the newest face, had fought alongside them through the Jingzhou campaign.
Jian Yong stepped forward without holding back.
He pulled a heavy wooden memorial from his sleeve and set it on the desk.
"We had only just gotten back from Jiaozhou when our Lord mentioned auspicious signs. I worried some cheap schemer was feeding him lies, so Zizhong and I drew up a joint letter of remonstration. Turns out we were wrong. I am ready to take whatever punishment fits this breach of courtesy."
Mi Zhu also brought out his own memorial and stood beside Jian Yong with eyes cast down.
Zhao Yun stepped in, gathered both documents, and handed them to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei opened them and ran his eyes over the bold, sharp characters. He laughed out loud.
"No harm done at all! You acted out of pure loyalty. This miraculous sign is absolutely real though."
The air in the center of the hall began to ripple.
Strange music that sounded like nothing from this world filled the space, and the Screen of Light unfolded into view right before their eyes.
[Lightscreen]
[Hello everyone I am Wen Mang! Today we are going to take a close look at Shu Han. We already talked about why Cao Wei and Sun Wu fell apart so obviously now it is time to cover Shu Han.
This story is huge so we are kicking off with the Battle of Hanzhong! The battle that literally built the foundation of the Shu Han Empire! An All-Star mega-battle that won them the high ground and let them look down on everyone else for good!
Right after this great victory Liu Bei declared himself King of Hanzhong. The very next year Cao Pi seized the throne and ended the Han Dynasty. In response Liu Bei swore to carry forward the legacy of the Two Founding Emperors and took the title of Emperor himself. His reign would be known as Zhangwu!
Sadly Lu Xun burned away Shu Han's greatest hopes in a sea of fire. The Zhangwu era lasted only three heartbreaking years. After Liu Shan took the throne the era name changed to Jianxing. But we will get to that later! Right now we head straight back to the blood soaked mountains of Hanzhong.]
Jian Yong and Mi Zhu's jaws hit the floor.
The Screen hung there with no ropes holding it up, floating perfectly in mid-air. It carried clear voices, strange music, and bright moving pictures.
Right now it showed a middle-aged man with gentle eyes and a powerful warrior's bearing dressed in magnificent imperial robes. He stood burning incense at a great altar surrounded by hundreds of officials, performing the ceremony to ascend the throne.
A true miracle from the heavens.
There was no other way to explain it.
"Heaven, it really is a miracle!" Jian Yong gasped. "Has Emperor Gaozu himself come down to stand among us?"
"Calm down, everyone, do not panic!" Zhang Fei practically buzzed with excitement. "The Light Screen just said Big Brother's posthumous title will be Emperor Zhaolie. This is a broadcast straight from the future! How did none of you figure that out sooner?"
"Xianhe. Zizhong. Sit down and watch," Liu Bei said in a steady, even tone. His face held a look of quiet amusement, but his hands tucked deep inside his sleeves were clenched tight enough to turn the knuckles white.
Mi Zhu was still reeling in pure shock, but one thought blared loud and clear through his merchant's mind: Holy shit. Liu Bei really becomes Emperor! Every coin I put in paid off! I helped fund a whole dynasty! My name will go down in history forever!
Jian Yong recovered faster than the rest. As a seasoned envoy he was used to regaining his composure quickly especially with so many generals watching closely for his reaction.
He settled his posture and focused on the political meaning of what they were seeing.
"Our Lord carrying forward the martial legacy of the Two Ancestors is truly magnificent! But why did his reign last only three short years? And who exactly is this Lu Xun?"
"I know who Lu Xun is!" Zhang Fei raised his hand eager to explain.
Before he could get a word out Guan Yu's hand clamped tight over his mouth. Zhang Fei mumbled his protests furiously from behind the fingers.
The meaning of inheriting the Two Ancestors was plain enough.
Gaozu Liu Bang had founded the Former Han. Emperor Guangwu had restored the Later Han. To claim succession from both was to announce the birth of a third great Han. A bold and awe inspiring ambition.
Liu Bei had long since accepted the tragic fate awaiting him. Zhang Fei had ranted about the disaster so many times that Liu Bei could no longer even summon anger toward Lu Xun. He only felt regret. Such a talented man stuck over in Jiangdong. Why would he never come lend his strength to restoring the Han?
"Just keep watching for now Xianhe," Liu Bei said evenly.
Sun Qian quietly made his way to Kongming's desk and started grinding fresh ink. The gesture earned him a quiet nod of approval.
"What does All-Star mean anyway?" Mi Zhu asked.
"Star? In the old records the brightest wandering star is Taibai," Zhang Fei said narrowing his eyes as he dug through his memories. "The white one. The star of war and battle. All Star… All Taibai stars? Every single one gathered together?"
Zhao Yun spoke up thoughtfully. "Taibai has always been known as the star of soldiers and conflict. If people in the future call us All Stars perhaps they mean every commander in that battle shone as bright and deadly as Taibai itself. A gathering of war stars. And they say Hanzhong was the founding war. That means even the heavens themselves marked it as history in the making."
[Lightscreen]
[There are not many detailed records about the Battle of Hanzhong, but researchers give it an incredibly high military evaluation. For modern viewers, it has too many highlights!
For example! The aging, obsessed Cao Mengde finally meets his ultimate crush on the battlefield: Yunmei!
Our Yunmei fully activating Changban Slope God of War Mode, unleashing another terrifying Seven Charges In, Seven Charges Out directly into Cao Cao's army!]
Everyone in the hall widened their eyes in horror and slowly turned to stare at the stoic warrior in white armor.
Zhang Fei's face turned red with outrage. "Shit! They called Zilong Yunmei?!"
Zhao Yun remained perfectly calm, but a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The Screen continued its broadcast, completely unaware of the chaos it had just unleashed in a small side hall in Gong'an.