"Now that it has begun, how does this gentleman view this battle?"
Sima Yi glanced at the wooden stick tucked at Fujimaru Kyoya's waist. He understood that if they came to blows now, the back of his head would likely explode. He thus joined Discouraged Brother in discussing the current battle situation.
"Luoyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack. To breach the city, there must be an insider. As the leader of the Daimyo, that is Yuan Shao's problem to solve."
"Yuan Shao... can he manage it?"
Fujimaru Kyoya muttered the name. He had managed to throw away such an overwhelming advantage at Guandu. Wasn't Luoyang an even tougher bone for him to chew?
"You know Yuan Shao?"
Sima Yi glanced at Fujimaru Kyoya. Over the past few days, he had made inquiries about the two of them and naturally knew of Zhao Tian's reputation as Water Mirror Manor's "school tyrant."
During the previous attack on Water Mirror Manor, he had even stayed behind alone to cover the others' retreat. His martial ability was formidable, though Sima Yi did not know how wise he was.
"I only heard that he was good at making plans but poor at making decisions, cherished his own life when undertaking great deeds, and forgot his life over small gains."
Of course, Fujimaru Kyoya knew that Romance of the Three Kingdoms could not be treated as historical fact. Still, this had practically become the later generations' stereotypical impression of Yuan Shao.
After all, he had lost even with such a massive advantage at Guandu. I could've done it too.
"Ah, brother Zhao, you really never read Mr. Water Mirror's On Morale."
Discouraged Brother clutched his head, looking somewhat too ashamed to face anyone.
"Mr. Water Mirror wrote in On Morale: so-called morale is nothing more than belittling the enemy and elevating oneself. If the enemy has just won, then one belittles one's own generals as reckless. If the enemy has won many times, then one belittles one's own strategists as incompetent. If the enemy is always victorious..."
Discouraged Brother looked toward Luoyang. At this moment, Luoyang was truly a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons gathered.
"Then one belittles the enemy commander as brave but lacking wisdom. With so many strategists under Yuan Shao, how could he be someone incapable of making decisions if he could make so many strategists serve him?"
Sima Yi exposed the smokescreen behind Yuan Shao's supposed inability to make decisions, then followed up with a question.
"If we use that logic, then Lu Bu would be..."
"If you use that logic, then you have fallen into his trap."
Discouraged Brother watched the gates of Luoyang slowly open. Clearly, while he and Sima Yi had been trading words, Yuan Shao's insider had finally made his move.
"What do you mean, sir?"
"It means nothing. I merely pointed out your plan. You used Luoyang as bait to lure the Daimyo into a trap, then planned to burn them all to death and help Dong Zhuo unify the realm. That is your goal, isn't it?"
Discouraged Brother looked at Sima Yi.
"You are Dong Zhuo's strategist. If we used On Morale to judge matters and regarded Lu Bu as Dong Zhuo's mastermind, that would be a grave mistake."
Sima Yi really was full of bad intentions.
Fujimaru Kyoya drew the wooden stick from his waist, waiting only for an opportunity to make the back of Sima Yi's head explode on the spot.
"Please calm down, gentlemen. Why would I help that villain Dong Zhuo? He even captured my elder brother, Sima Lang. I hate him more than anyone."
Seeing the wooden stick in Fujimaru Kyoya's hand, Sima Yi immediately retreated several more steps.
This had originally been an exchange of words between scholars, but someone had entered the fray carrying a wooden stick. How the hell was this supposed to continue?
"Water Mirror Manor's convoy was intercepted by Dong Zhuo's men before it even arrived. Without an insider, how could he have obtained such precise intelligence?"
"That only proves there is an insider among the Allied Forces. It does not necessarily mean it is me."
"But there are not many people who showed no interest in that secret letter."
Sima Yi was not a student of Water Mirror Manor, so how had he entered the military camp? Moreover, despite possessing considerable intelligence, he had shown no interest whatsoever in that secret letter. That was clearly abnormal.
Fujimaru Kyoya and Discouraged Brother had not been interested either, but they had been far away at Water Mirror Manor and could not possibly have been plotting for Dong Zhuo. That left Sima Yi as the final suspect.
"Once Luoyang falls, the Daimyo will surely rush into the city. If they can find either Emperor Liu Bian or Emperor Liu Xie, they can wield the emperor to command the Daimyo. Having set such bait, you knew they would have no choice but to take it."
"But what benefit would that bring me?"
Sima Yi still refused to admit that he was the insider or Dong Zhuo's strategist.
"It is simple. Dong Zhuo is foolish. Supporting a fool to claim the realm and then replacing him is far easier than supporting a clever man."
He could see that far ahead?
Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Discouraged Brother in surprise. The Sima Clan's usurpation of Great Wei would not happen until many years later.
He was surprised that Discouraged Brother could see through it already, and even more surprised that Sima Yi had already entertained thoughts of seizing the realm.
"The Han Dynasty is declining, and the realm is in chaos. You want to sweep across the land through overwhelming force, then wait for an opportunity to launch a coup and shift all past mistakes onto Dong Zhuo. You would then become the hero who ended the troubled age and establish a nation of your own. Am I wrong?"
"Would that be so bad?"
Sima Yi did not care that his thoughts had been exposed. Though the Sima Clan was doing well among the great families, it did not possess the strength to seize the realm.
No one would believe such "mad ravings."
"End the troubled age as quickly as possible, then govern benevolently to soothe the people and usher in three hundred years of dynastic prosperity. That is not impossible."
"Impossible. Your conduct is crooked from the start, so how could you sit securely? A realm seized through conspiracy will not be cherished by its people. You will not cherish it, nor will your descendants. Your dynasty will fracture before fifty years have passed, let alone enjoy three hundred years of prosperity."
Three hundred years of prosperity?
Discouraged Brother dismissed it with contempt. The Zhou Dynasty had lasted eight hundred years, while the Han Dynasty had lasted four hundred. Even if Sima Yi truly succeeded, he would have to thank heaven if his dynasty lasted two hundred years.
"But do you have a better method?"
Sima Yi was equally dismissive. He would swiftly pacify the realm, usurp power afterward, and then have the Sima Clan write the history books. Right and wrong, merit and fault—he would judge them all himself.
"..."
Silence.
Discouraged Brother fell silent. He had no better method either. In his calculations, the realm had not entered an age of great peace after its great chaos.
He had no better solution.
"But while you are discussing the realm so freely, the people are suffering, aren't they?"
Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the chaotic city of Luoyang. Because of the Daimyo's assault, the citizens within stood only a hair's breadth from death.
Fire. A tiny spark ignited within Luoyang.
The blazing inferno quickly swept through the entire city, and a scene like hell unfolded before Fujimaru Kyoya's eyes.
The Great Fire of Luoyang? Why... had he tampered with it?
The Great Fire of Luoyang had been part of Sima Yi's calculations, but it absolutely was not supposed to be lit now. Starting it too early would only make the Daimyo hesitate.
Sima Yi looked at Discouraged Brother. The only one who had seen through the situation was...
"You are not the only one who saw through your scheme. If I am not mistaken, you brought many people this time to capture Water Mirror Manor's students as hostages. But where are the crucial few?"
Just as Discouraged Brother had said, Sima Yi had indeed brought many people to capture those from Water Mirror Manor.
Using the children of great families to threaten those families was only one purpose. More importantly, he intended to wipe out all the dangerous people in one stroke.
"Pang Tong saw through your secret letter and still entered the trap because he wanted to use this Great Fire of Luoyang to observe the Daimyo's reactions. As for the others, during this time, they found people they wished to assist."
Perhaps others could not see the key point at a glance as Discouraged Brother could, but with so much time having passed, how could they not realize something was amiss?
"The first to make his decision was Zhou Yu."
A sudden gale blew through, driving the flames within Luoyang toward the Imperial Palace, where lay what every faction desired.
"Gong Jin, they say you are skilled at controlling water. I never expected you to be so skilled at fire attacks as well."
Within Luoyang, Sun Ce, who had long since secretly infiltrated the city, set fires everywhere. With the wind, the flames would soon spread through the entire city.
"Within Water Mirror Manor, I am unmatched in judging the momentum of water and fire. Bo Fu, let us hurry to the Imperial Palace."
"The Imperial Palace? Are we going to seize an emperor alongside Yuan Shao?"
"No."
Zhou Yu shook his head. The Sun Clan was far too weak to contend with Yuan Shao or Dong Zhuo. Even if they obtained an emperor, they could not keep him. What they wanted was not a living person, but a dead object.
"We are taking the Imperial Seal."
"Zhou Yu wants to seize the Jade Seal?"
Sima Yi clenched his teeth in secret. He had personally acted as an insider among the Daimyo's forces, which allowed him to confirm intelligence at once, but it also left him with less flexibility within Luoyang.
The emperor was indeed important, but to accomplish great things, one needed the Jade Seal.
If the Sun Clan obtained the Jade Seal, whether they used it themselves or handed it to someone else in the future, they would gain enormous benefits.
"Seize the seal amid the chaos, then shift the blame for burning the city onto Dong Zhuo. Senior disciple, your calculations are impressive, but they are also cold-blooded."
Discouraged Brother looked at the citizens. What had these people done to deserve the suffering of being scorched by such flames?
"No wonder those people were absent. But it does not matter. There will still be gains today."
Sima Yi looked at Discouraged Brother. This great fish was more valuable than any Zhou Yu.
"The other day, Mr. Water Mirror bestowed the title of Fledgling Phoenix upon Pang Tong. I presume the name Crouching Dragon was reserved for you, sir. May I ask your name?"
"Zhuge Liang. A nobody."
"Then Crouching Dragon, please accompany Dong Zhuo to Chang'an for a temporary stay."
In that instant, Fujimaru Kyoya flashed behind Sima Yi and swung his wooden stick at the back of his head, smashing his entire body into pieces.
"An illusion?"
"Only a Substitute. The real body in the distance is likely suffering badly."
Zhuge Liang seemed to have expected this. After all, how could a conspirator possibly place himself in danger so easily?
"What do we do next?"
Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Zhuge Liang. Though he had guessed something of the truth, the Zhuge Liang before him was still somewhat different from the one he remembered.
"What else can we do? We run before we get captured."
"And after we run?"
Fujimaru Kyoya followed close behind him.
"After that..."
"Did you see it? The Great Fire of Luoyang."
"Yes."
"I want to save people."
Fujimaru Kyoya had long prepared himself for the cruelty of this era, but when such things happened before his eyes, he still could not simply turn away.
"I have no way to save them."
It was difficult to imagine the Zhuge Liang he knew saying such words.
"I have calculated countless possibilities, but the Heavenly Mandate cannot be defied. The Han Dynasty's fortune has reached its end."
"So what?"
Fujimaru Kyoya felt nothing in particular about the fall of the Han Dynasty. After all, what dynasty in the world could prosper forever? But...
"Many people are suffering. I intend to help them."
"Even if the future is a tragedy, and everything you do becomes a bubble, will you still help them?"
"The future is rooted in the present. Only heaven knows what the future will be, but if I save someone's life now, then they can live one more day."
Fujimaru Kyoya believed the future was important too, but if people could not even survive the present, what future could they speak of?
"Consider it helping a friend. Zhao Tian asks Crouching Dragon to come down from the mountain."
Fujimaru Kyoya held out his hand, and Zhuge Liang took it.
"I will only help you once."
"Then let's go."
"Wait, what are you doing?"
Zhuge Liang was stunned. Fujimaru Kyoya had actually grabbed him and leapt straight off the cliff. They would die!
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