Yuan remained in his thatched cottage in Nanyang.

Zhuge Jun, still quite young, also stayed there.

Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang had left, and only Pang Tong and Pang Degong occasionally came to visit. Yuan, relying on his magic and the connections of Pang Degong and Mister Shui Jing, kept abreast of events in the outside world. He learned that Cao Mengde (Cao Cao), with his grand ambition, was wielding his power across the land and had unified the north.

Then Liu Biao died, and Liu Cong succeeded him.

Liu Cong was even worse than his father; he surrendered directly.

Liu Xuande (Liu Bei), whose troops were stationed outside, knew nothing of this. By the time he realized what had happened, it was too late. He had no choice but to abandon the city. Guan Yu gazed at Fancheng one last time, his phoenix eyes slightly widened. He slammed his weapon heavily against the city gate, leaving a deep mark, and said coldly:

"The hatred of today,"

"Will surely be repaid."

Then he spurred his horse and rode after Liu Xuande.

Just eight words.

To others, it sounded like an empty threat.

No one knew that this man, forced into exile for his chivalrous deeds, would return here ten years later. It was here that he would reach the pinnacle of his life, flooding the seven armies, slaying generals, and shaking the Middle Kingdom with his might, forcing Cao Mengde to consider moving the capital.

Eventually, when later generations of military families read of such heroic actions in the official histories, they felt as if they were reading mythology. Even during the distant Northern and Southern Dynasties, when mentioning brave generals, they would compare them to Guan and Zhang.

While passing through Jingzhou, Liu Bei had no intention of attacking Liu Cong, and instead called out loudly from horseback.

But Liu Cong, whether out of guilt or fear, did not dare to show his face.

What happened from Xiangyang to Dangyang was a scene almost impossible to imagine in that chaotic world.

It was the most romantic legend of that cruel era. In the land most attached to its home soil, tens of thousands of people followed a general who had repeatedly been defeated, abandoning their homes to go with him.

Cao Mengde was stunned for a long time.

Finally, he sighed, "He is a hero."

Those around him knew the weight of those words. They all knew how much Cao Mengde valued Liu Xuande. Eight years ago, it was Cao Mengde himself who had recommended Liu Xuande to be General Who Guards the East of the Great Han.

The previous General Who Guards the East had been Cao Mengde himself.

Later generations looking back at this era would find that in those dark years, heroes and枭雄 (xiāo xióng, ambitious and ruthless figures) often crossed paths, briefly converging. But they were, after all, different people, and they eventually went their separate ways. And because he had once admired and approved of this man so much, Cao Mengde quickly made a decision.

"He must be eliminated."

He personally led five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry on a night pursuit.

His strategists found it difficult to understand. Leading troops into battle was always dangerous, and it seemed that in Cao Cao's eyes, eliminating Liu Xuande was more valuable than securing his current territory.

…………………

"Yuan ah, haha, this old man has come to find you!"

"Although my body is weak, can I still drink?"

In front of the thatched cottage in Nanyang, Pang Degong, his hair white but still vigorous, arrived with his nephew, Pang Tong. Yuan was only thirty-seven years old, but already had white hair at his temples. He coughed and invited the two to sit down. Zhuge Jun's wife helped prepare the meal.

They said they had come to drink.

But everyone knew that Yuan's body was not well. He was only drinking water.

After a while, Pang Degong's expression turned grave, and he asked, "Yuan, do you know what Kongming (Zhuge Liang) is doing?" Yuan merely nodded faintly. The old man sighed, "Heroes are rising all over the land, and talented individuals flock to them. With Kongming's talent as the Crouching Dragon, there is nowhere in the world he could not go. Why did he choose Liu Xuande?"

The Taoist, with white hair at his temples but an increasingly ethereal aura, asked:

"Who are the heroes Pang Degong speaks of?"

"Is it those we discussed in Yingchuan years ago?"

Pang Degong recalled their past discussions. For scholars and hermits, discussing the heroes of the world while drinking tea was a refined pastime. He did not try to avoid the topic, stroking his beard and sighing, "Indeed. Looking at things now, Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu were brutal and not part of our Central Plains orthodoxy, so let's not mention them. Yuan Benchu (Yuan Shao) and Yuan Shu were once powerful, but they have both declined. But at least the Sun family in Jiangdong is a good choice to carve out a territory."

"Sun Jian, Sun Ce, and Sun Quan, three generations of brave and heroic rulers."

"Kongming's elder brother is also there, and is highly regarded."

"As for Kongming, the best choice would naturally be that person..."

The Taoist raised his eyes, "Cao Mengde?"

The old man did not speak.

He coughed a few times and said faintly, "Jingzhou is not far away. Cao Mengde annexed this place. Although Yuan is not a well-informed person, I know that Mister Shui Jing has already joined Cao Mengde's ranks. It seems that Pang Degong has come to persuade me, for my sake, or for A-Liang's (Zhuge Liang)?"

"I heard that the Xu family's eldest daughter was captured by a captain under Cao Mengde, so Yuanzhi (Xu Shu) had no choice but to turn to Cao Mengde's side. You have come here today, I'm afraid, for me and A-Jun (Zhuge Jun), planning to use the same trick again, to threaten A-Liang, is that it?"

The old man's face showed a hint of shame.

Zhuge Jun looked at the old man in disbelief.

Pang Degong did not mention his own difficulties, but only sighed, "Cao Mengde is both literate and martial, and he is also the Prime Minister of the Great Han. He defeated Lü Bu and Yuan Shao, and has already unified the northern part of the Middle Kingdom. His power is immense, and who can resist him? The Jian'an style is naturally extraordinary."

The Taoist put down his teacup and murmured, "The Jian'an style, the Jian'an style."

He reached out and actually took wine, pouring it directly into his teacup. Zhuge Jun wanted to stop him, but was pushed away. He tilted his head back and drank, then suddenly coughed violently. He had not drunk this kind of thing, which was extravagantly brewed from grain, since he was a child. Because it consumed grain, the Taoist could not bear to spit it out.

He just coughed for a long time. Pang Degong was worried and wanted to help him, but the Taoist waved everyone away. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and said, "In the fourth year of Chuping (193 AD), the massacre of Xuzhou, hundreds of thousands of men and women died."

The old man was stunned.

The Taoist lowered his eyes, poured more wine, and took another gulp, muttering to himself.

"In the second year of Xingping (195 AD), Cao Mengde massacred Yongqiu."

Again he drank wine, and said again:

"In the third year of Jian'an (198 AD), Cao Mengde massacred Pengcheng."

"In the ninth year of Jian'an (204 AD), Cao Mengde massacred Yecheng."

"In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207 AD), Cao Mengde went to Liucheng and defeated the Wuhuan."

"Among them, one hundred thousand Han Chinese surrendered and were all slaughtered."

At this moment, the Taoist's face was flushed red from drinking, but his eyes were becoming brighter and brighter.

He took another big gulp of strong wine, and spoke of his past anger, "Yuan Benchu fought Gongsun Zan for two years, their grain was exhausted, and they plundered the people of Qingzhou."

"That year, there was no green grass in the fields, only piles of white bones."

"Yuan Shu, the area between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers was emptied, and people ate each other."

"And that Little Tyrant of Jiangdong you mentioned, Sun Ce, led troops across the river, occupied Kuaiji, and slaughtered Dongzhi!"

"And his younger brother, Sun Quan, raised troops to attack Yuan Shu, and when his grain ran out, he slaughtered the entire city!"

"Just this year, Pang Degong, just this year."

"Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu and slaughtered his city."

The Taoist said each sentence, his aura becoming heavier and heavier, but he was already drunk. He stood up, pointed at the old man with his fingers, and suddenly thought of the fire that lit up the sky when he was a teenager, and the figure who fell in front of him, the old and young women who had their heads cut off. Zhuge Jun had always been with him, seen him smile, seen him angry, but had never seen the serene Taoist look as if he was crying and raging:

"What Jian'an style? What heroes of the world? Cao Mengde alone has slaughtered nearly a million civilians, but he is still alive, still alive! And those are just the people who have died at their hands now. How many more will there be in the future?"

"And you want me to go to Cao Mengde's place to treat his illness?"

Pang Degong murmured, "But, Yuan, you are different. You have great talent..."

The Taoist waved his sleeve angrily and said:

"Only now do I know that I am different from you."

"Lord Pang, we are not the noble guests invited by him as honored guests, not friends drinking and singing together. We are just ordinary people. How many such people are there? The man who carries firewood for you from the foot of the mountain, the little daughter of the teahouse who brings you tea, the children chasing chickens and dogs by the roadside, it's you, it's me!"

"They are slaughtered batch after batch, falling down like wheat. Pang Degong, they are not killing one by one, they are killing city after city! I know that the history books of later generations, the famous scholars of today, will only remember Cao Mengde's ambition and vigor, unifying the northern lords, know that the Little Tyrant was brave, know that Sun Quan was a young hero."

"They know the big things of those big figures, assassinating Dong Zhuo, fighting Lü Bu, driving out Yuan Shao, pacifying Jiangdong."

"But I am just an ordinary person."

"In the eyes of us common people, we just want to live. The heroes of the world are all butchers. In the eyes of the people, only one can be called a hero!"

Pang Degong was silent, and said softly, "If Cao Mengde unifies the world, wouldn't there be no more war?"

The Taoist staggered and sat down, only replying, "We are not fighting for simple unification, are we? We are standing up because they are cruel. The world we hope for should not have things like massacring cities, nor should there be famine and cannibalism."

"How terrifying would it be if a king who likes to massacre cities ruled the world."

"He is a Han official. If he rebels and becomes a ruler, what a terrible impact will it have on later generations..."

He waved his sleeve and said softly, "Lord Pang, please leave..."

Pang Degong was silent for a long time, then left.

In the end, he did not join Cao Mengde like Mister Shui Jing, but went straight to Deer Gate Mountain and never appeared in the world again. When Yuan woke up the next day, he opened the door. A thin mist dampened his clothes. A young man stood at the door, quiet and gentle. He cupped his fist and said:

"Master Yuan."

"Tong is willing to follow you to see the benevolent world created by Liu Xuande."

In this year, Liu Xuande was defeated and in a miserable state.

But this battle was also the purest light in this chaotic world, allowing this era to stand out from countless histories of warlords carving up territories and heroes scheming against each other.

In the midst of the constant city massacres by various lords and heroes, the Middle Kingdom was covered in blood, but there appeared a king who led the people across the river, slowing down his speed, causing him to be separated from his wife and children, and almost die. There was Zhang Yide (Zhang Fei), who, despite hating his brother's decision, still took twenty or so men, made a vow to die, and defended Changban Slope.

There was also a young and heroic general who rode alone to his death to save people.

The young strategist in a feather fan and silk scarf had gentle eyes.

Guan Yunchang (Guan Yu), who had previously separated his troops, arrived from the waterway and broke the deadlock.

……………………

Yuan and Zhuge Jun left Nanyang to join Zhuge Liang and Liu Xuande.

Liu Xuande was no longer the young ranger that the young Taoist had once seen.

And the young Taoist's temples were already white.

Liu Xuande's eyes showed joy, he pointed at Wei Yuan and laughed repeatedly, and finally just patted him heavily on the shoulder, only smiling and asking, "Today we meet again, does Mister think that Bei (Liu Bei) has done even one ten-thousandth of what you said back then?"

The Taoist nodded.

The ranger of that year scratched his nose, a little embarrassed: "Is it really only one ten-thousandth?"

The young strategist beside him chuckled.

Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide were still steady and imposing.

Yuan sat on the side, watching the young man who was half his disciple and half his younger brother, his eyes bright, as if about to emit light. Slowly, Yuan actually felt that he could really see the Great Han that his teacher had hoped for. He nursed Liu Chan's body and learned about this era.

That young strategist was like a sword, forged for a very long time, and only when he met Liu Xuande did he finally begin to show his edge, cutting through thorns and obstacles. At his peak, Yuan could see that the strategist's tone was gentle, his plans were in hand, and there were many like-minded people around him, some famous, some not so famous.

Everyone surrounded Liu Xuande.

But he could also perceive that the young man's character had never changed.

Calm and composed, yet full of fiery heat and warmth.

When his strategy finally completed its crucial step, he would even be so excited that he could not sleep.

Until that year.

Guan Yunchang met his end.

In October of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219 AD), Cao Cao and Sun Quan launched a full-scale attack. In order to kill Guan Yu, the Wei and Wu kingdoms almost mobilized all their strength. Guan Yunchang also had to face two traitors. Even so, he still broke through the blockade, and in the end, he refused to surrender and died.

After his death, the three kingdoms all buried him with the rites of a feudal lord.

………………

"Yunchang is gone..."

"Yes, his personality was too arrogant."

The Taoist with completely white hair leaned against a tree and murmured, "But if he wasn't arrogant, would he still be Guan Yu?"

"He was arrogant and valued loyalty and righteousness, arrogant towards aristocratic families, but kind to the people."

"Guan Yunchang, to have all the famous generals in the world fight you with all their might, that's quite a spectacle."

But no one had expected it.

Including Yuan and that strategist.

After Guan Yu died, Zhang Yide also followed him.

And that man who had dedicated his entire life to the world.

For the first time in his life, he sent troops out of personal anger.

It is unknown how later generations would view this king, but throughout his life, he had never stained himself with the blood of the people. He had once whipped a督邮 (dū yóu, a type of low-level official) for his personal grievances and abandoned his post, a youthful act of defiance. He had also fought against the strongest feudal lords in the world for the sake of the people, and after half a lifetime of displacement, he finally gained a piece of the world, but in the end, he disregarded everything for the sake of his brothers.

Looking at the entire world, counting the past and the future, there was no other king who had taken such actions.

Yuan had seen Liang (Zhuge Liang) after that.

The latter locked himself in his room for several days before coming out.

Yuan vaguely saw himself in the other's eyes -

Those who had once walked side by side were now left alone.

The dead were dead, but the living still had to bear that final great wish.

The former young man's gaze fell on the Taoist, and he said softly:

"Master Yuan... please grant me the Nine-Section Staff."

"And the Seven Stars Magic."

ps: The next chapter will be the end, and it should be about the same length as the Yellow Turban arc.

Zhuge Liang's army management: Entering and leaving like guests, not looting, even those collecting firewood do not hunt, as if they are in their own country.

Thanks to 亿万恒沙 (Yi Wan Heng Sha) for the myriad reward!