The smile on Cao Cao's face deepened, filled with the delight of finding a kindred spirit.
He even tapped his fingers lightly against the table, the resulting "tap, tap" sounding especially clear in the quiet hall.
"Interesting. Interesting."
"This Yang Feng's assessment of the realm's situation actually coincides with mine."
Cao Cao's opinion of Yang Feng rose another notch.
This was not merely admiration, but confirmation.
He had long felt that although Yuan Shao appeared to command vast wealth and power, with his family's reputation of producing Three Excellencies for four generations ringing to the heavens, he was really just an indecisive fool, strong on the outside but hollow within.
As for the likes of Liu Zhang, Liu Biao, and Lü Bu, in his eyes, they truly were no different from "wine sacks and rice bags." He had simply felt too embarrassed to say it so bluntly himself.
He had never expected Yang Feng, who had proclaimed himself emperor far away in Shouchun, to lay bare the secret in a single remark-and announce it to everyone.
Hadn't he just spoken Cao Cao's own thoughts aloud?
How satisfying.
"My lord, you are wise."
Below him, the adviser Guo Jia smiled faintly and cupped his hands.
"Though this Yang Feng has some insight, he has merely recognized the hegemony my lord is destined to achieve."
"His ability to see that Yuan Shao must lose shows considerable discernment, but ultimately, the leading figure of this realm must still be you, my lord."
Xun Yu chimed in as well.
"Indeed. However sound his analysis, it is merely discussing warfare on paper."
"To truly decide victory a thousand miles away, we must still rely on my lord's magnificent talents and grand strategies."
The advisers began praising Cao Cao, one after another. Their words affirmed Yang Feng's analysis while attributing it all to Cao Cao's own wisdom and martial prowess.
As Cao Cao listened, his smile deepened. He waved a hand and turned his gaze back toward the Heavenly Screen, full of anticipation.
Meanwhile, in Ji Province.
Inside Yuan Shao's residence, the atmosphere was the complete opposite of that in Yan Province, oppressive as the sea before a storm.
"Outrageous!"
"Outrageous!"
Yuan Shao slammed the table. An expensive jade cup bounced up, fell to the floor, and shattered.
He trembled all over with rage, his face turning the color of pig liver as he pointed at Yang Feng on the Heavenly Screen and unleashed a torrent of abuse.
"Who the hell does he think he is?"
"A mere yellow-mouthed brat dares make reckless pronouncements on the state of the realm!"
"I, Yuan Shao, have plentiful troops and commanders, ample provisions, and four provinces under my control! Fierce generals gather beneath my banner like clouds, and advisers like rain!"
"How could I possibly lose to Cao Aman, that descendant of a eunuch?"
"What an absurd joke!"
What he took the greatest pride in was his family's record of producing "Three Excellencies for four generations," and what he despised most was Cao Cao's disgraceful family background.
Now, an emperor who had appeared out of nowhere was declaring before everyone under heaven that he, Yuan Benchu, was certain to lose to Cao Cao. It hurt worse than being slapped in the face.
Below him, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and the other advisers hurriedly knelt to soothe him.
"Calm your anger, my lord."
"What the Heavenly Screen says is merely Yang Feng's personal opinion."
"It was a private conversation between him, Fa Zheng, and Li Yan. It cannot be taken as truth."
"Indeed, my lord. These are insolent ravings. Why let them anger you and disturb your mind?"
"Our army has strong soldiers and sturdy horses. How could someone with as few troops and as little strength as Cao Cao compare? My lord will surely triumph in a single battle and sweep the Central Plains clean."
After hearing their reassurances, Yuan Shao's expression eased somewhat, but his gaze toward the Heavenly Screen remained filled with venom and murderous intent.
Elsewhere, in Xiapi, Xu Province.
"Aaaaaah!"
Lü Bu's roar nearly tore the roof off.
He snatched up the square-tipped painted halberd before him and slammed its butt into the ground, instantly cracking the hard bluestone slabs.
"A wine sack and rice bag!"
"He actually dared call me, Lü Bu, a wine sack and rice bag!"
Lü Bu's eyes were bloodshot, his appearance that of a crazed tiger, veins bulging on his forehead.
"That Yang Feng is nothing but a lowborn bastard who came from slavery! How dare he?"
"How dare he insult me like this?"
"I am Lü Bu, Marquis of Wen, unrivaled under heaven!"
"I'll kill him!"
"I'll cut his corpse into ten thousand pieces! Only then will the hatred in my heart be quenched!"
Who the hell did he think he was?
He actually dared judge me like that.
He was simply courting death.
Seeing this, the adviser Chen Gong beside him sighed inwardly, but hurriedly forced an anxious expression onto his face and stepped forward to dissuade him.
"Calm your anger, General! Please calm your anger!"
"It isn't worth getting angry over such a petty man! It isn't worth it!"
"He is merely indulging his tongue. Why stoop to his level, General?"
Chen Gong offered persuasion aloud, but his heart was ice-cold.
This Yang Feng truly was formidable.
His judgment of people was far too accurate.
His lord was brave enough, but possessed little strategic ability, was obstinate and self-willed, and was easily swayed. Wasn't he the perfect portrait of a "wine sack and rice bag"...?
Alas, what a pity.
If I were serving such an enlightened lord, why would I worry about failing to accomplish a great undertaking?
Meanwhile, on Wolong Ridge.
Zhuge Liang was utterly dumbfounded.
He stood rooted to the spot as though struck by lightning, his mind completely blank.
Those words...
Weren't those words all things I had thought of myself?
Every word of this "Yizhou Plan," every strategic conception, was clearly part of the plan to pacify the realm that he had repeatedly worked through over the past few years and treasured like a precious jewel.
He was ten thousand percent certain that he had never spoken of this theory to another soul. Even his friends Xu Shu, Cui Zhouping, and the others only knew that he possessed great talent, not what he specifically had in mind.
But where had this man named Yang Feng learned it?
Could I have talked in my sleep?
Or could such an astonishing coincidence really exist, with someone devising exactly the same strategy as me?
No matter how hard Zhuge Liang pondered it, he could find no explanation. He felt as though his entire worldview had been shaken.
He thought for a good while before finally giving up.
If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it.
He shook his head, suppressed his tangled thoughts, and focused his attention on the Heavenly Screen once more.
He wanted to see just what earth-shaking spectacle would unfold next when Yang Feng, who had snatched his extraordinary strategy out from under him, was "draped in the yellow robe."
At the same time, in Yuzhou.
The three brothers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, had also gathered together and were looking up at the Heavenly Screen, their expressions complicated to the extreme.
"Elder Brother..."
Zhang Fei scratched his head and broke the silence in his rumbling voice.
"This... this Yang Feng on the Heavenly Screen has commented on all the lords of the realm. How come he hasn't even mentioned us?"
Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as well, and the hand stroking his long beard stopped in midair.
Indeed.
Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Sun Ce, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Lü Bu... even Ma Teng and Han Sui of Western Liang and Zhang Lu of Hanzhong had been named.
Only the three brothers had been completely ignored, as though they did not exist in this time and space.
Could there already be no place for the three brothers on the future stage of history?
A profound sense of loss welled up in all three of their hearts.
Yet, disappointed though they were, their admiration was genuine too.
Liu Bei let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with astonishment and longing.
"For his analysis of the realm's situation to be so precise... he truly is formidable."
"If only a talent capable of ordering heaven and earth like his could serve me..."
He stopped halfway through and shook his head with a bitter smile.
The man was already an emperor, while he was still living under someone else's roof. What could he possibly offer to recruit him?
"Formidable. Truly formidable."
Guan Yu also voiced his heartfelt admiration.
"I wonder what the scene will be like when he is draped in the yellow robe next."
"The main event is finally coming."
Under the gazes of countless people across the realm, some astonished, some furious, some doubtful, and some envious.
The Heavenly Screen finally stirred once again.
The golden light began to flow, and the scene slowly unfolded.