Chapter 78: Can the television set be delivered to Cao Cao's camp after the three families return to Jin?
Winter of the thirteenth year of Jian'an, at Chaisang Water Village, that night.
Zhou Yu ordered his men to place a television set in the center of the main military tent, while a solar-powered generator hummed outside. Sun Quan, Lu Su, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Lü Meng, and other important officials of Eastern Wu gathered together, curiously surrounding the black square box.
"Gongjin, this thing is truly miraculous." Sun Quan stroked the smooth surface of the television set. "Can it really project images of living people?"
It's not just images of living people, but also their sounds.
Zhou Yu smiled meaningfully, "My lord, please calm down." He pressed the remote control, and the television screen lit up, the opening theme of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" resounding throughout the tent.
The scene that began with "The Oath of the Peach Garden" was incredibly novel to everyone who had never seen the TV series before. Lu Meng even took out his telescope to watch it, as if he were actually there.
But why are the main characters Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei?
"Demon, sorcery!" Cheng Pu's hair stood on end, and he instinctively reached for his sword. Huang Gai grabbed his wrist, his cloudy old eyes fixed on the screen: "Don't panic, let's see what Gongjin has to say."
Of all these novel things, few are as novel as the little people locked in the box. I've never seen anything like it in all my years of life.
Lu Meng, the youngest of the group, dashed to the front, raised his telescope close to the screen, as if trying to enter that tiny world. "This...this is clearer than a bronze mirror!" he exclaimed. "You can even see the patterns on Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade clearly!"
Zhou Yu explained, "This is not a real person, but an actor from later generations." The aroma of tea lingered on his lips and teeth. He narrowed his phoenix eyes and glanced at the shocked faces of the crowd. "This thing is called a 'TV series.' It is based on historical records and depicts people from 1,800 years in the future."
On the screen, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei knelt in the peach garden, raising their cups to swear an oath. Sun Quan frowned slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table: "The main characters... why are Liu, Guan, and Zhang?" A hint of displeasure curled at the corner of his lips beneath his purple beard. "In terms of elegance, Eastern Wu has the handsome Zhou Yu; in terms of martial prowess, we have the two veteran generals Cheng and Huang; in terms of strategy, Zijing and Ziming are no less capable. Why let that big-eared thief steal the spotlight?"
He was not only a big-eared thief, but also a straw sandal seller.
Zhou Yu chuckled upon hearing this, his handsome face reflected in the teacup: "It's just a trick to win people's hearts." His tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "Later generations of scholars have been fond of exaggerating so-called 'loyalty and righteousness,' thus elevating a simple man who weaves mats and sells shoes to a pedestal."
The author of the book has a complicated relationship with the Shu Han dynasty, so he definitely deserves to be praised.
The TV series portrays Liu Bei as a living bodhisattva, depicting him leading the people across the river and insisting on fleeing with them during his defeat at Xinye, which slowed the army's advance and nearly allowed Cao Cao to catch up. Isn't this an overstatement?
There's also the story of Liu Bei thrice declining Xuzhou. After Tao Qian's death, Liu Bei repeatedly declined before finally accepting Xuzhou. The TV series portrays him as having "noble character and integrity," but in reality, Liu Bei was never polite when it came to territory; he always took what he was entitled to.
In the final episode, the TV series portrays Liu Bei as hesitant to take Jingzhou from Liu Biao because of "kinship ties," making him appear indecisive. In reality, he did want to take it, but he simply lacked the strength to do so.
If I give you Jingzhou, brother, are you sure you can hold onto it?
However, Xiao Qiao, who was standing to the side, was captivated by the portrayal of Liu Bei in the TV series and praised him, saying, "He is indeed a gentleman who values loyalty and righteousness."
Born in the same year, the same month and the same day, and died in the same year, the same month and the same day.
These words were spoken with a righteous and awe-inspiring air.
Seeing that Xiao Qiao was infatuated with Liu Bei, Zhou Yu was displeased. He snorted softly, turned his head away, and stopped looking at the hypocritical Liu Bei on TV. Anyway, he had already seen it once.
Hypocritical! Deceitful!
Liu Bei cries at the drop of a hat; where did he get so many tears? Zhuge Liang could summon rain, so his lord could control floods, right?
Seeing that Zhou Yu was displeased with his light hum, Xiao Qiao gently soothed him, saying, "Naturally, he cannot compare to my husband's demeanor."
Only after speaking softly and gently did the Grand Commander's expression soften.
The scene on the screen depicts the heroes discussing heroes over plum wine. Cao Cao's eyes blazed: "The only heroes in the world today are you, my lord, and I." Liu Bei was shocked upon hearing this, and the chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground, just as a clap of thunder suddenly sounded.
"Absurd!" Cheng Pu slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup on it to jump three inches. "How could Cao Mengde, with his high and mighty mind, possibly look down on a weaver of mats and a seller of shoes?"
This acting is so fake. And was Cao Cao really that tall when he was sitting?
Huang Gai stroked his beard and sneered: "Back then, when Cao Cao and my lord confronted each other at Ruxu, Cao Cao said, 'A son should be like Sun Zhongmou.' If we're talking about heroes, my lord Sun Quan is the true hero of our time!"
An old general's flattery is worth two men's.
Sun Quan's purple beard trembled slightly, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, but he waved his hand and said, "General, you flatter me." He turned to Zhou Yu, "What does Gongjin think?"
It wasn't satisfying enough to film it. If Zhou Yu were to say that, he would naturally feel extremely pleased.
Zhou Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly: "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms elevates Liu Bei, merely paving the way for Zhuge Liang's later appearance." He lightly tapped the remote control with his slender fingers, "Let's see what happens next with the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage..."
Just as the protagonist's appearance is always the focus of everyone's attention, Zhuge Liang's first appearance in Romance of the Three Kingdoms was also like this. He was invited three times and four times, and was called upon many times, just to see the village geese.
In the dead of winter, snow is falling, and on the screen, Liu Bei visits Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage three times. The first two visits are unsuccessful, and on the third visit, Zhuge Liang remains in bed, while Liu Bei respectfully waits below the steps.
"Pretentious!" Lu Meng couldn't help but sneer. "If this were Jiangdong, such a show-off country bumpkin would have been beaten out with sticks long ago!"
Lu Su stroked his beard thoughtfully: "Kongming truly possessed extraordinary talent... but the portrayal in the play was far too contrived."
Something looks off.
This doesn't seem like they're seeking talent; it seems more like they're seeking a marriage partner.
Xiao Qiao covered her mouth and chuckled: "This Mr. Zhuge has an even bigger air about him than my husband."
Zhou Yu snorted coldly: "If you really have the ability, why would you need to act like this?" He recalled Zhuge Liang's pretentious demeanor before the Battle of Red Cliffs, and his knuckles turned white involuntarily. "A person who seeks fame and fortune."
The scene shifts to Zhuge Liang's early career, where he decisively defeated Xiahou Dun with a fire attack at Bowang Slope. The drama vividly portrays his brilliant strategic brilliance.
An uproar immediately erupted in the tent.
"Bullshit!" Huang Gai's white beard bristled with anger. "The Battle of Bowangpo was clearly commanded by Liu Bei himself in the seventh year of Jian'an (208 AD), and had nothing to do with Zhuge Liang!"
How can personal achievements be attributed to someone else?
What about his achievements? Won't they be erased too? These are all the hard-earned military exploits of his entire life.
Cheng Pu counted on his fingers: "Back then, Zhuge Liang was still farming in Nanyang!"
Zhou Yu suddenly chuckled, "Truly shameless." Everyone looked at him, only to see a cold glint in his phoenix eyes. "So he's trying to attribute all the credit to Zhuge Liang. First, he steals my credit for the Battle of Red Cliffs, then he takes Liu Bei's early victories... What a 'Sleeping Dragon' indeed!"
Shameless.
If the author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms were standing in front of Zhou Yu, he would definitely grab him by the collar and ask him why he smeared Zhou Yu like this? Why did he portray me as a narrow-minded person? If you're going to flatter Zhuge Liang, why not just write about Zhuge Liang? Why bring him along?
A shadow crossed Sun Quan's eyes: "If that's the case... I'd like to see what other tricks they can come up with."
The scene flashes back to when Sun Ce pacified Jiangdong, and the young hero, full of vigor, led his army to sweep across the six counties of Jiangdong.
“Bo Fu…” Zhou Yu stared at the screen, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, his fingers unconsciously clenching. He recalled the days when he rode side by side with Sun Ce, and it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his chest.
It's been a long time since I've heard anyone mention Bo Fu's name again, and hearing it again always brings back memories.
Veteran generals like Cheng Pu and Huang Gai had tears in their eyes. Huang Gai said in a trembling voice, "How exhilarating it was to fight alongside the Little Conqueror back then!"
Back then, he wasn't considered an old general yet. His young and strong body possessed boundless power, and he was following a local tyrant from Jiangdong. It was exhilarating!
However, Sun Ce's role in the drama is minimal, and he is portrayed merely as a reckless warrior. Even the plot of him being assassinated by Xu Gong's retainers is simplified.
"Absurd!" Lü Meng roared. "Sun Quan, the traitor, is a man of great talent and strategy. How could he be a mere brute? Without him laying the foundation for Jiangdong, how could we have the Eastern Wu we have today?"
If it's written so badly, isn't that implying that everyone in Eastern Wu is an idiot?
Zhou Yu coldly said, "Later generations only know Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, but they don't know who the real heroes are."
Sun Quan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If my brother were here, the world might not be in the state it is today."
The crowd fell silent. Their lord could say such things, but they dared not continue reminiscing and could only watch on.
When Zhuge Liang was sent as an envoy to Eastern Wu, he debated with Zhang Zhao and other strategists in the palace, leaving the scholars of Eastern Wu speechless.
"This is outrageous!" Zhang Zhao snapped the bamboo slip in his hand, his old face turning red. "That day, it was clearly I who questioned Zhuge Liang, 'Why not serve Cao Cao?' He hesitated for a long time before answering!"
Gu Yong sneered repeatedly: "The drama actually portrays us as pedantic and incompetent people, how hateful!"
Scholars cherish their reputation more than their lives, yet they were unexpectedly portrayed as clowns, merely to highlight Zhuge Liang's sharp tongue.
A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yu's eyes: "What a brilliant debate with the scholars..."
Originally, I thought the TV series would be based on real history, but it turned out to be all fiction. Lu Su smiled wryly: "Kongming is indeed... not as arrogant as he is in the drama."
Sun Quan's face, hidden beneath his purple beard, was ashen: "Keep watching."
The scene shifts to the Battle of Red Cliffs, where Zhuge Liang, with a feather fan and silk turban, devises a fire attack plan while chatting and laughing, while Zhou Yu is merely an executor, and is even "guided" by Zhuge Liang on several occasions.
"This is outrageous!" Cheng Pu roared, drawing his sword and pointing it at the screen. "The Battle of Red Cliffs was entirely planned by Gongjin (Zhou Yu) from beginning to end. When did it become Zhuge Liang's place to interfere?!"
These are all stories of the Eastern Wu, and such a brilliant battle as the Battle of Red Cliffs has been attributed to Zhuge Liang...
How ridiculous!
Huang Gai slammed his hand on the table and agreed: "The fire attack strategy was devised by Gongjin, the straw boat arrow borrowing was carried out by Ziming, and the borrowing of the east wind was also Gongjin's observation of celestial phenomena! Zhuge Liang was just a persuader, how can he be so deified?"
In particular, Zhou Yu's pioneering fire attack combined with land and water tactics became a model for warfare in the Yangtze River basin, and Eastern Wu developed a mature naval fleet system based on this.
The Battle of Red Cliffs laid the foundation for the Three Kingdoms period. Sun Quan consolidated his power in Jiangdong, while Liu Bei gained a foothold in Jingzhou, forming the rudimentary pattern of a three-way power struggle between Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. Cao Cao's momentum to unify the north suffered its first setback in this battle, and his strategy of quickly unifying the country failed. After the battle, Cao Cao retreated to the north and never crossed the Yangtze River in his lifetime.
This battle not only rewrote the course of the Three Kingdoms period, but also influenced the development pattern of the North and South.
Zhou Yu, the actual military commander of this battle, has been depicted and portrayed by later generations of writers.
Zhou Yu's face darkened. He suddenly drew his sword, slicing through the air with a whoosh, and said coldly, "Later generations of scholars have a penchant for deifying Zhuge Liang and belittling my Eastern Wu. It's utterly laughable."
I'm still angry even after watching it again, oh dear.
Sun Quan sneered: "If that's the case, then let the world know who really deserved the credit for the Battle of Red Cliffs!"
A thick fog blanketed the river. Zhuge Liang led twenty straw boats to approach Cao Cao's camp. Cao Cao ordered his soldiers to fire arrows, easily "borrowing" 100,000 arrows.
"Utterly shameless!" Lü Meng slammed his fist on the table, which shattered upon impact. "The straw boats were clearly ordered to be prepared by the Commander-in-Chief! I even personally led the attack that day!"
Shameless! Shameless! Shameless!
The veteran general Huang Gai trembled with rage: "Borrowing credit for the east wind wasn't enough, now you're even trying to steal the straw boats? Why don't you steal Cao Cao's credit too? Why don't you say he did it all by himself?"
Zhou Yu remained surprisingly calm, though the teacup in his hand was shattered, and tea mixed with blood seeped from between his fingers. Xiao Qiao exclaimed in alarm and quickly fetched a silk handkerchief to bandage his wound.
"It's alright." Zhou Yu brushed away the blood, his phoenix eyes burning with a cold flame. "Keep watching."
If he watched to the end, he would probably be even more unable to control himself. He thought he didn't care what others said about him, but this TV series made him angrier and angrier. How could there be images and sound at the same time?
Are you afraid others won't look closely?
Huang Gai offered a self-inflicted injury ruse, which resulted in him being publicly reprimanded and beaten by Zhou Yu. He then feigned surrender to Cao Cao.
Upon seeing this, Huang Gai burst into laughter: "This part is true!" He lifted his robe, revealing a hideous scar on his back, "This beating I took wasn't for nothing!"
Finally, we got to Huang Gai. If you didn't know him, you'd think he was just a minor character with very few appearances.
Cheng Pu teased, "You just love to show off, always insisting on doing it yourself."
Sun Quan was moved and said, "General, you have suffered."
Zhou Yu frowned as he stared at the screen: "Strange...why doesn't the drama mention Kan Ze's feigned surrender?"
Lu Su pondered, "Perhaps it's to...highlight Zhuge Liang?" Having devoted so much ink to Zhuge Liang, they certainly wouldn't skimp on this aspect.
Sure enough, the next scene showed Zhuge Liang "predicting" that Huang Gai would use the self-inflicted injury ruse.
Oh my god, this is infuriating!
"What utter bullshit!" Cheng Pu cursed. "The plan was devised by Gongjin, what does it have to do with that country bumpkin?"
Zhou Yu suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh tinged with a chilling coldness: "Good, very good. After stealing the credit for the Battle of Red Cliffs, now they're even trying to steal the credit for the self-inflicted injury ruse." He abruptly stood up, his white robes billowing without wind. "I'll see just how shameless they can be!"
In the scene, Zhuge Liang builds an altar and performs a ritual to summon a southeast wind, which helps Zhou Yu succeed in his fire attack.
The tent was deathly silent.
After a long silence, Lü Meng said softly, "That day, it was clearly the Commander-in-Chief who observed the celestial phenomena and determined that there would be a southeast wind three days later..."
Lu Su sighed, "Should we even attribute the timing of the day to him?" Isn't this showing too much favoritism towards Zhuge Liang?
Was it really not written by a descendant of Zhuge Liang?
Instead of getting angry, Zhou Yu laughed, but the laughter was chilling: "Wonderful... I, Zhou Yu, spent three months mobilizing troops at Chibi, but it's not as good as Zhuge Liang's fifteen minutes of charades?"
I had grown accustomed to playing the villain to highlight Zhuge Liang, but seeing this scene still left me deeply saddened. Zhou Yu, who thought he could at least not be remembered for generations, had come to this...
Why did it have to come to this...?
Xiao Qiao held his hand anxiously, only to find his palm was icy cold. She could only tighten her grip, hoping to pass on some warmth.
Sun Quan's eyes flashed with murderous intent: "This Zhuge Liang... truly deserves to die."
On screen, Zhuge Liang devised three schemes that infuriated Zhou Yu, causing his arrow wound to burst open. Before his death, Zhou Yu looked up to the sky and sighed, "Since Heaven gave birth to Yu, why did it also give birth to Liang!" Through the spread of the TV series, this sentence has probably become everyone's first impression of Zhou Yu. Who still remembers Zhou Yu, who was a man of feather fan and silk turban, who could destroy enemy ships with a smile?
"Absurd!" Cheng Pu was the first to slam his fist on the table, his white beard trembling with anger. "When did Gongjin become so narrow-minded!"
Enraged, Huang Gai slammed his fist on the table: "That country bumpkin Zhuge Liang, how dare he be compared to Gongjin?"
Lu Su, who was observing closely, turned extremely ugly: "Borrowing the east wind was clearly something Gongjin (Zhuge Liang) obtained by observing celestial phenomena, how did it become Zhuge Liang's supernatural power?"
Sun Quan's expression shifted from shock to anger, finally settling on an indescribably complex look: "Gongjin...this..."
Zhou Yu remained surprisingly calm, though a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes: "My lord, this is a scene from the later 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' People 1,800 years from now will view me, Zhou Gongjin, in this way."
Lu Meng suddenly pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "Look! That's Cao Cao!"
"Stop!" Sun Quan suddenly shouted, "Rewind, that scene from just now!"
Zhou Yu pressed the pause button, and the scene froze on Cao Cao standing at the bow of the ship, reciting a poem. "Let us drink and sing, for how short is life..." In the drama, Cao Cao is full of heroic spirit, but the narration describes him as arrogant and overbearing.
They slandered Zhou Yu, smeared Eastern Wu, and even portrayed Cao Cao as so charming that Sun Quan slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Enough! Shut down this filthy thing!"
What was Cao Cao, who wasn't even as tall as his sword, doing standing at the bow of the ship? Wasn't he afraid of falling overboard?
Zhou Yu shook his head: "No, my lord, keep watching." A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes, "We can always learn something from this."
The drama shows the scene where "Zhou Yu offered a plan, but lost both his wife and his army." Liu Bei married Sun Shangxiang, but ultimately returned safely to Jingzhou, making Eastern Wu a laughing stock.
"Absurd!" Xiao Qiao was filled with shame and indignation, her pretty face flushed red. "How could my husband use such a despicable trick? Such a scheme is too lowly for my husband to do."
But Zhou Yu, enraged, laughed: "Why would I, Zhou Yu, need to scheme against others with a woman? Later generations fabricating such despicable stories is simply an insult to the reputation of Eastern Wu!"
He may not be exactly upright, but at least he doesn't need to rely on women to scheme against others; this is yet another slander against him.
Zhang Zhao was deeply worried: "If this play is passed down to future generations, won't people all think that our Eastern Wu uses all sorts of underhanded tricks?" What if those who don't know the inside story see it? Will this reputation follow them for generations?
How can later generations refute such a chord with so many voices?
Lu Meng sneered, "If that's the case, then we'll make Liu Bei truly 'lose both his wife and his army'!" He wanted to attack Liu Bei now; the previous attacks were just minor skirmishes, but this time he was serious.
A cold glint flashed in Sun Quan's eyes: "Ziming's words are exactly what I was thinking." With the immortal artifacts, we have gained a huge advantage on the battlefield. If we don't press our advantage now, when will we?
At this moment, the scene shows Zhuge Liang going to Chaisang to mourn Zhou Yu, weeping bitterly before the coffin, and everyone praising his magnanimity.
"Hahahaha!" Zhou Yu suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter tinged with madness. "What a magnanimous Zhuge Liang! He first angered me to death, and then came to feign mourning?"
I'm furious.
Lu Meng gritted his teeth: "This bastard...this bastard..." He has no shame whatsoever.
Sun Quan grabbed Zhou Yu's shoulder and said, "Gongjin..." Steady.
The river wind howled, and the flickering candlelight swayed. The television screen reflected the ashen faces of the crowd. Zhou Yu, dressed in pristine white, lightly touched the last button on the remote control—the final chapter of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which he had deliberately saved for everyone to watch.
"Does my lord truly wish to see it?" Lu Su's voice trembled slightly. "Just now I saw Zhuge Liang fall at Wuzhang Plains, wasn't that... the ending?"
Even after all that has been said about Zhuge Liang, seeing him die at Wuzhang Plains still brings tears to my eyes. How could they not understand the feeling of unfulfilled ambitions?
"Look." Sun Quan's thin lips beneath his purple beard pressed into a straight line. "I want to see who will ultimately rule this world."
The struggle for supremacy among the three kingdoms must have come to an end, right?
Who ultimately won this world: the young heroes of Eastern Wu, or Shu Han or Cao Wei?
On the screen, the scene shifts to Sun Quan ascending the throne and establishing the Wu Kingdom, with the reign title "Huanglong". Civil and military officials kneel and shout "Long live the Emperor!" in a magnificent scene.
"Oh?" Sun Quan's purple beard twitched slightly, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "So I really can become emperor?"
The veteran ministers, including Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, trembled with excitement and bowed to congratulate him, saying, "Our lord is ordained by Heaven!" It turned out that Eastern Wu had won the world, and it was only right.
The screen lights up, and the next image is a striking depiction of Sima Yi's grandson, Sima Yan, receiving the abdication and becoming emperor.
No, who are you, bro?
"Crack!" Cheng Pu slammed the bronze wine vessel in his hand onto the ground. "How could another member of the Sima family have declared themselves emperor?!"
Huang Gai suddenly spat out a mouthful of wine: "Cough cough...that Sima Zhongda who got beaten to a pulp by Zhang Liao in Hefei? His grandson?!"
It's laughable that someone like that could gain power.
Lu Meng suddenly burst into wild laughter, tears streaming down his face: "Hahahaha! Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are dead! Zhuge Liang is dead! Cao Cao is dead! My lord... we are all dead! In the end, the one who won was Sima Yi, who was so scared by my lord at Ruxukou that he dared not fight?!"
A deathly silence fell over the tent. The solar generator whirred shrilly, as if mocking these heroes of a chaotic world, whose lifelong ambitions had ultimately benefited others.
Zhou Yu suddenly chuckled. He elegantly lifted the celadon wine pot, the amber liquid rippling in the cup, his phoenix eyes sweeping over the shocked faces of the crowd, "The three families of Sun, Cao, and Liu have fought for their entire lives, yet the Sima family of Hanoi has benefited from it."
However, the scene shifts, and Wu eventually surrenders to Jin. Sun Hao, carrying a jade disc and leading a sheep, leaves the city to surrender, and the foundation of Eastern Wu is destroyed in an instant.
"Insolence!" Sun Quan slammed his fist on the table, shattering it with a crash. "How could my empire be so humiliatingly lost?!"
That's so pathetic.
It ignites a burning anger within me that lingers for a long time.
Lu Su said with deep concern, "My lord, if things really develop this way, wouldn't all our efforts have been in vain?"
So why bother working so hard now? The outcome is already decided anyway.
Sun Quan's eyes flashed coldly: "Knowing the future, how can we sit idly by and wait for death? I will never allow Eastern Wu to become a prisoner of the Sima family!" He narrowed his eyes: "Gongjin, can this be sent to Cao Cao's camp?"
Zhou Yu was taken aback at first, then understood, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "My lord is wise."
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Author's Note: Thank you all for your blessings. I have no way to repay you except with this long, delicious chapter [Let me see it!].
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