Hu Du was young, intelligent, and painfully poor.
There was nothing particularly unique about his circumstances. In an age of war and chaos, countless people had suffered worse fates.
But his story was sad enough to make a girl like Li Shu care.
He had lost both of his parents while still a child and had been raised entirely by his grandfather. The old man had done his best, but age was catching up with him. Meanwhile, Hu Du spent most of his time with books rather than farm tools. Between a grandson obsessed with studying and a grandfather whose back hurt whenever the weather changed, their household wasn't exactly an economic powerhouse.
They survived on savings.
Barely.
When Hu Du became determined to pursue a proper education, grandfather and grandson packed their belongings and traveled all the way from Langzhong to Chengdu. It was a difficult journey even for healthy adults. For an elderly man and a scholar whose greatest physical achievement was turning pages quickly, it was an adventure nobody would recommend.
The move only made their financial problems worse.
Every month, more merchants arrived. More workshops opened. More officials moved into the city. Prosperity was wonderful for the local economy and terrible for anyone trying to survive on a fixed amount of silver.
The price of everything seemed determined to climb toward the heavens.
Their savings began disappearing at an alarming rate.
Their savings began disappearing at an alarming rate.
Li Shu noticed long before Hu Du said anything.
At first she offered small favors. A meal here. Some snacks there. Then an extra portion whenever food was available.
Somehow, without either of them planning for it, helping became a habit, and the habit gradually turned into friendship.
He barely reacted when Li Shu presented him with yet another completely coincidental meat pie that had somehow found its way into her hands and absolutely wasn't prepared specifically for him.
"People saw General Zhang Fei crossing Wanli Bridge this morning," Hu Du said quietly while staring into the distance. "The rumors say they've they crushed Cao's army again. Xiangyang and Fancheng."
Wanli Bridge was one of Chengdu's newest landmarks.
Built east of the city, the massive stone bridge stretched elegantly across the river. Its name had been chosen personally by Liu Bei.
"Wanli" meant "ten thousand miles" a fancy way of saying, "Go out there and make a name for yourselves."
Because of that symbolism, the bridge had become strangely popular. Scholars walked across it. Merchants walked across it. Officials walked across it, even big shots like Zhang Fei and Pang Tong.
Hu Du's face showed how badly he wanted that life. He was young. Young men in this era dreamed of war. Of glory. Of getting their own fancy title someday.
Li Shu's face lit up. "My dad's going to be so happy when he hears this."
Looking at her bright smile, Hu Du suddenly felt nervous. Winning didn't feel so great anymore.
He lowered his voice. "If Lord Liu Bei kicks the Cao army out of the central plains... does that mean you're going back home?"
Li Shu tilted her head. Thought about it for a second. Then giggled.
"Are you asking if my dad wants to pack up and leave Chengdu?"
Hu Du blinked. He snapped his head back down to his scrolls, pretending to read. But his ears were bright red.
"Just asking," he muttered.
He needed to change the subject. Fast.
"Master Zhuge is teaching today," he said quickly. "I wonder what strange thing he'll bring this time."
Li Shu pressed her lips together to hide her smile. She let him off the hook.
The students of Chengdu Academy had developed a complicated relationship with Zhuge Liang's lectures.
The man was incredibly busy and only taught once every ten days.
Yet whenever he appeared, nobody knew whether they were attending a class or witnessing some kind of elaborate prank.
His first lecture had involved a giant wooden seesaw.
At least, it looked like a seesaw.
The pivot point was deliberately placed off-center, making one side much longer than the other. Half the students spent the lesson trying to understand why smaller weights could balance larger ones, while Zhuge Liang calmly wandered around reciting passages from ancient texts and asking increasingly uncomfortable questions.
His second lecture involved a polished tortoise shell.
Nobody understood where he was going with it.
First he talked about ancient observations regarding dust and static attraction. Then he handed everyone silk cloth and instructed them to rub the shell.
A few moments later, half the room discovered that their hair had developed ambitious plans of reaching the ceiling.
The resulting screams could probably be heard from another district.
The third lecture was even stranger.
It took place after sunset.
The classroom was dark except for candles, sheets of paper, and several tiny holes cut into wooden boards.
By the end of the evening, upside-down images of dancing flames were being projected onto the walls.
Several students became convinced they had witnessed sorcery.
One student reportedly spent three days praying afterward.
The funniest part was that Zhuge Liang didn't always explain everything. Sometimes he could provide a detailed answer.
Other times he would simply look at the experiment, smile, and admit that he didn't fully understand it either.
His lesson was simple: knowledge doesn't have limits. The ancients deserved respect, but challenge them too. Fill in the gaps they left behind.
It was the responsibility of later generations to continue searching.
Some students treated the lectures as entertainment.
Others paid closer attention.
Those students gradually realized that the world contained far more than poetry, calligraphy, and memorizing classical texts.
Unfortunately, today's lesson would be different.
An assistant entered the classroom carrying an apologetic expression that immediately filled everyone with dread.
"Master Zhuge has been delayed by military matters. Today's topic is advanced mathematics."
The whole academy groaned.
Master Zhuge was too far away to hear them. Probably for the best.
---
Deep inside Chengdu's heavily guarded headquarters, Sima Yi was having a very unpleasant day.
He sat in the middle of the main hall while every official in the room stared at him with open curiosity. It was the sort of attention usually reserved for rare animals, traveling magicians, or people who had somehow grown a second head.
Just smile, he told himself. You're Sima Zhongda. Just sit there and smile.
After several uncomfortable moments, Sima Yi decided he couldn't endure it any longer.
Damn it. Let's do this. And finish fast.
He adjusted his robes, bowed perfectly, and spoke up.
"Sima Zhongda of the Henei Sima clan pays his respects to the General of the Left."
Liu Bei gave a small nod and stroked his beard, tried very hard not to look like he was panicking.
Here's the thing.
When Liu Bei first heard that his men had accidentally kidnapped Sima Yi, he almost jumped out of his chair.
Fuck, Xianhe... you're too competent. You kidnapped the future Xuan Emperor of the Jin Dynasty.
Thanks to the light screen, he knew exactly who this guy would become. His first instinct? Drag him outside and chop his head off.
Problem solved.
But he crushed that thought. He wasn't Cao Cao, who killed every person he didn't like. The Sima Yi standing before him was still young. He wasn't the terrifying kingmaker who would one day dismantle Wei from the inside. He was barely thirty.
And right now, he looked more like an overworked scholar than a future emperor.
Unfortunately, letting him go wasn't an option either.
So now Liu Bei was trapped in the world's most awkward political situation.
Out of habit, he glanced toward Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang noticed instantly. A slow smile spread across his face.
Translation: Don't ask me, my lord. You know what the future descendant said. That guy is my destined enemy.
Then Liu Bei realized something.
Wait a minute. I have the army. I control the territory. This guy is literally tied up in my living room. Why am I the one panicking? Ahh, stupid me.
The thought calmed him considerably. He leaned back into his chair and settled into a more relaxed posture.
"Zhongda," he said casually, "you've come a long way. What do you think of our Yizhou province?"
Sima Yi considered his answer carefully. This was not the time for complete honesty. It was also not the time for obvious flattery.
A balanced mixture of both would do nicely.
"Yizhou lives up to its reputation," he said. "The people are prosperous and clearly support your rule. Your soldiers are well supplied and eager to fight. You've secured the ancestral lands of the Han and recently defeated Cao Cao's forces in Jingzhou. If one listens to the people, it would seem Heaven's favor is gradually shifting south."
Liu Bei kept a polite smile.
Listening to the future Emperor of Jin Dynasty praise him like an ambitious junior clerk was one of the stranger experiences of his life.
He decided to let Sima Yi continue.
Then Sima Yi dropped the bomb.
"Although I served under Cao Cao in name," Sima Yi declared suddenly, his voice growing emotional, "it was never by choice. I was forced into office against my will. My body remained in the north, but my heart always longed for the true cause of the Han."
"Now that I have finally met Your Excellency, I know the Han still has hope. I beg you to allow me to serve. Any position will do. Anything. I'll sweep floors. I'll copy documents. Just let me serve."
The mountain roads had given Sima Yi a lot of time to think.
His logic was simple. Even if Liu Bei was a lazy warlord who spent all day drinking and chasing cute girls in the neighborhood, Sichuan basin was still the best fortress in China. Cao Cao would need ten years just to crack it.
And if Sima Yi tried to escape? He'd be tiger food. Or get beaten up by mountain bandits before he even reached the next village.
So the only smart move was aggressive, shameless compliance. Prove his worth. Get a desk job. Stay alive.
It didn't matter who won the war. The Sima clan would survive either way.
Sima Yi lay flat on the floor, feeling very proud of his brilliant logic.
You're Sima Yi. How genius am I? Tehe!
A few feet away, Cai Mao felt his face burning with secondhand embarrassment.
Bah. Surrender to Liu Bei? I'd rather die!
Well, maybe not die. But at least Liu Bei could offer some polite words first. This blatant bootlicking was just pathetic, and you Sima Zhongda, shame on you. And shame on your ancestors.
Liu Bei ignored Cai Mao. He was too busy dealing with Sima Yi's aggressive job application.
"Zhongda," he said carefully, "you've only just arrived. You've traveled a great distance and must be exhausted. Why not rest for a few days? Clear your thoughts. We can discuss these matters later."
Sima Yi, still face down on the floor, panicked.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
This isn't how the script goes. Liu Bei is supposed to want talent. He's famous for it. Three visits to a thatched cottage. Begging Zhuge Liang to join him. Where's that energy now?
Why is he acting like someone being pressured into adopting a stray dog?
Sima Yi immediately redoubled his efforts.
"General, the journey from Hanzhong has only strengthened my convictions. My clan has received the grace of Han emperors for generations. I cannot remain idle while the dynasty struggles. Give me any humble position. Let me prove my loyalty."
The moment he mentioned his clan's reputation, Liu Bei felt a cold sweat forming on his back.
The Sima clan's reputation was exactly what worried him.
He tried another approach. "I understand your sincerity, Zhongda. However, people may accuse you of abandoning your former lord. Stay as an honored guest for three to five years. Protect your reputation. Afterward, entering government service will be much easier."
Holy shit... Three to five years?
Sima Yi's panic turned real.
In five years, Liu Bei will have conquered the whole north. All the good jobs will be taken. By others. And what will be left for me? Sweep streets until I vomit?
This was no longer a polite discussion. This was a crisis.
He pressed his forehead firmly against the floor.
"The world praises your benevolence and generosity. Surely such a great administration can find one small desk for a loyal servant of the Han."
Liu Bei stared at him.
Sima Yi stared at the floor.
The officials stared at both of them.
Eventually, Liu Bei realized he had lost.
With a sigh, he rose from his seat and personally helped Sima Yi stand.
"Your loyalty is beyond question, Zhongda. History will undoubtedly remember your devotion. I look forward to working with you in the future."
The moment those words left his mouth, Sima Yi grabbed both of Liu Bei's hands with alarming enthusiasm.
A bright smile spread across his face.
Inside, he was exhausted.
Oh, man... Why did securing a government job here feel harder than passing the imperial examinations?
Everyone told me Liu Bei was desperate for talent. Desperate! Three visits to a thatched cottage. Begging Zhuge Liang. Bribing Pang Tong with who knows what.
So why did he make me play this stupid game of three refusals?
I'm literally offering myself on a silver platter. No demands. No conditions. Just give me a desk and a salary.
And he's hesitating.
Unbelievable.
Glancing around the room, he noticed several officials desperately biting their lips.
A few looked moments away from laughing.
Sima Yi felt increasingly confused.
Had he missed something?
A short while later, Zhang Song escorted both Sima Yi and Cai Mao away to arrange living quarters.
The massive doors swung shut behind them.
The moment they closed, the entire hall erupted.
Some officials laughed openly.
Others slammed their hands on tables.
A few had apparently been holding it in for so long that tears were forming in their eyes.
Liu Bei collapsed back into his chair and rubbed his temples.
Sima Yi was a headache. Give him a high rank? Too dangerous.
Give him a low rank? Waste of talent.
Send him to the front? He'd switch sides the first chance he got.
Keep him in the capital? Liu Bei would feel like there was a knife at his throat every time the man spoke.
He needed to sit down with Zhuge Liang and figure out a containment plan. Fast.
---
With the Sima Yi problem temporarily pushed aside, Liu Bei turned his attention back to matters that felt far more straightforward.
War, at least, made sense.
The victory reports from Jingzhou had already reached Chengdu days ago. But now that the detailed accounts from Guan Yu and Xu Shu were in his hands, he found himself reading through them all over again.
The more he read, the prouder he became.
Eventually, he set the bamboo slips down and let out a long breath.
"Heaven's been generous to me."
Real emotion in his voice.
"First Shiyuan. Then Yuanzhi. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve people like these."
His gaze swept across the room before returning to the reports.
"This victory belongs to a lot of people. Yunchang, Yide, and Hansheng fought the battles. Yuanzhi and Shiyuan built the strategy. Kongming and Lady Huang gave us the tools. Jiang Wan kept the whole machine running. Even Hou Yin did his part by causing chaos inside Wancheng."
The room nodded.
No one person could have pulled off a campaign that big alone.
Zhuge Liang listened quietly, though his attention eventually drifted toward a different section of the reports.
Specifically, the parts about Sun Quan.
After a moment, he sighed.
Honestly, he felt a little sorry for Lu Su.
The man was capable. Honest. Smart. Maybe a bit too honest for his own good.
But none of those qualities made Hefei easier to conquer.
Pang Tong was way less sentimental. He walked over to the map table and jabbed a finger down hard enough to make several officials nervous.
"Forget the battle reports for a minute. Look at this."
Everyone gathered around.
Pang Tong pointed at Hefei. "Lu Su and Sun Quan led the campaign together."
Then his finger slid toward Jiangxia. "Meanwhile, Lu Meng was quietly sent back to govern the rear. And the campaign failed."
Back to Jiangxia. "And Lu Su isn't returning to his old job."
He folded his arms.
"The political winds are changing." Pang Tong shrugged. "Can't say for sure. But my gut says Sun Quan's getting ready to switch sides."
The room got quiet.
The victory in Jingzhou had been huge. Everyone knew that.
What everyone also knew was that Cao Cao wasn't done. Not even close.
Zhuge Liang stepped over to the map and studied it for a moment.
From a distance, the strategic picture was still scary.
"Cao Cao still had Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou, and Bingzhou. Plus big chunks of Yangzhou and Sizhou."
His territory stretched across most of northern China.
Liu Bei's recent wins were impressive. But they hadn't magically changed the balance of power overnight.
If this were some kind of strategy game, Cao Cao was still running a nine-province economy. Liu Bei's faction was trying to compete with just Yizhou and Jingzhou.
"If Sun Quan decides to work with Cao Cao," Zhuge Liang said quietly, "things could get ugly fast."
The math was clear. Even a grandma knew that. A coordinated attack from north and east would be a nightmare for anyone.
Zhang Fei looked completely unimpressed. He waved a hand like he was shooing away a fly.
"You scholars worry too much."
Pang Tong rolled his eyes. That opening never led anywhere good.
Zhang Fei leaned back.
"If my dear brother-in-law wants to stab us in the back, he'll probably stab Cao Cao too when it's convenient. Stabbing people is his hobby."
He shrugged.
"The man changes direction more often than a fish in a river."
A few officials coughed into their sleeves. Others looked away to hide their smiles.
Zhang Fei wasn't exactly known for fancy diplomatic language.
"The point is," he continued, "Sun Quan has never met a fence he didn't want to sit on. Let him play his games."
Liu Bei couldn't help laughing.
Crude as always. But also accurate.
Sun Quan had spent years trying to stay on top by balancing between bigger powers. It wasn't exactly a secret.
The discussion dragged on. Supply routes. Border defenses. Jiangdong politics. Same old same old.
Then Liu Bei noticed something.
Pang Tong looked dead on his feet.
Zhang Fei looked dead on his feet.
Hell, half the room looked dead on their feet.
Everyone had been running nonstop for months. Some hadn't slept properly since the campaign started.
Liu Bei raised his hand.
"Alright. Enough."
The room went quiet.
"We won. The empire isn't going anywhere tonight."
A few officials visibly relaxed.
"Titles can wait. Rewards can wait. Promotions can wait."
He pointed at Pang Tong. "Shiyuan."
Then at Zhang Fei. "Yide."
"Go home."
Zhang Fei blinked. Pang Tong blinked.
"Sleep."
Nobody moved for a second.
Then Pang Tong sighed. Zhang Fei grumbled.
Someone laughed.
The two men exchanged a look. Getting ordered into battle? Fine. Getting ordered to rest? That's somehow worse.
Still, they didn't argue.
As they shuffled toward the exit, Liu Bei leaned back and smiled.
For the first time in a long while, things felt good.
Jingzhou was secure. His brothers were alive. His advisors were arguing about politics instead of emergency retreats.
And somewhere in the guest quarters, Sima Yi was probably still trying to figure out why nobody wanted to hire him.
For today, Liu Bei thought, that's enough.
---
Chang'an. Tang Dynasty.
Wang Xuance sat on his horse and stared up at the massive gates of the imperial capital.
He'd seen them before. He'd lived here before. But somehow, coming back this time felt different. He couldn't quite explain why. Maybe the city had changed. Or maybe he had.
Either way, something was off.
Wang Xuance wasn't from some fancy aristocratic clan. He came from Luoyang. Decent family. Respectable. But thoroughly unremarkable. No powerful patrons. No famous ancestors whose names could open doors for him.
So when he first entered government service, the Ministry of Personnel did what the Ministry of Personnel always did to people like him. They sent him to Rongzhou.
Which was a polite way of saying they sent him to the edge of civilization.
The southern region was famous for three things: heat, swamps, and killing northern officials through various combinations of disease and misery.
His family reacted like he was being marched to his execution.
"Don't go."
"The miasma will kill you."
"Nobody survives down there."
Wang Xuance went anyway. A job was a job. Complaining wouldn't change anything.
So he packed his bags, said goodbye, and headed south.
In hindsight, his family wasn't entirely wrong. The place really was terrible.
He hadn't even been there long enough to start his farming reforms when a courier showed up with new orders.
Transfer. Return to Chang'an. Immediately.
Wang Xuance almost laughed. Not because it was funny. Because it was absurd.
He'd spent months traveling from Luoyang to the southern frontier, only to be told to turn around and walk all the way back. Six months of his life, gone into roads, inns, ferries, and endless wilderness. It felt less like serving the empire and more like being a chess piece moved around by a bored clerk.
But that long journey gave him something valuable. Perspective.
He saw a lot of the empire with his own eyes. And what he saw convinced him that something big was happening.
The Tang Dynasty was changing.
The most obvious sign was the people themselves. Everywhere he went, ordinary farmers stood a little straighter. They spoke with more confidence. They carried themselves with a pride that hadn't existed a few years ago.
The reason wasn't hard to figure out. The previous year, Emperor Taizong had crushed the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and dragged their leader back to Chang'an in chains.
Most peasants couldn't explain steppe politics. They didn't need to. What they understood was simple: the empire's greatest enemy was beaten. The northern threat that had haunted generations of Chinese families was gone.
That mattered.
But military victories weren't the only thing changing.
During his travels, Wang Xuance noticed new medical schools popping up in provincial cities. They weren't miracle workers, but they gave ordinary people something they rarely had before, actual trained doctors.
Emergency grain stores were appearing in more places. Several unpopular taxes had quietly disappeared. The pressure on common households was easing. Not dramatically. Not overnight. But enough that people noticed.
Wang Xuance noticed something else too.
The central government seemed restless. Officials all over the empire were getting requests for policy ideas. The court wanted opinions on navy expansion. On securing the Hexi Corridor. On dealing with the Tibetan Plateau.
Even the civil service exams were changing. The barriers were slowly coming down, letting talented men from ordinary backgrounds compete.
Men like him.
The further he traveled, the clearer the picture became. The empire wasn't settling down after beating the Turks. If anything, it seemed more ambitious than ever.
Wang Xuance could almost feel that ambition radiating from the throne itself. Emperor Taizong had crushed the greatest threat on China's northern border. Most rulers would have spent years celebrating.
Li Shimin looked at the victory and decided it wasn't enough.
He wanted more.
How much more? Wang Xuance couldn't say. But he had a growing suspicion that the answer might be "everything."