Chapter 206: History

History's Top Ten Strategists No. 1: Zhuge Liang (style name Kongming).

Era: Late Han → Three Kingdoms (Shu Han).

Titles: Sleeping Dragon, Martial Marquis, the Eternal Prime Minister.

The moment the inscription appeared, the figure formed in light and shadow silenced the entire clamorous myriad realms at once.

He was a middle‑aged scholar, eight chi tall, face like a crowned jade, wearing a silk headscarf, a crane‑feathered cloak, and holding a feather fan.

Sometimes he sat alone in the thatched cottage, pondering over a map, his gaze clear and resolute;

Other times he stood before the army tent, his feather fan lightly swaying, commands steady, his troops solemnly obeying;

More often, his back was bent over the desk, writing swiftly, candlelight stretching his shadow long upon the wall piled with documents, as if he never grew weary.

His gaze is the most complex of all that have been tallied to this day.

"When the campaign was launched, a true name to the world; stars fell in the autumn wind over Wuzhang Plains. Though his body perished, loyalty, righteousness and wisdom forever illuminate history."

"Zhuge Liang… Zhuge Kongming…"

Ying Zheng whispered the name, his expression unusually solemn.

Even separated by centuries, the weight this name carries, the ultimate devotion of 'exhausting oneself, dying only after the task is done' and its tragic heroic hue, can move any monarch.

Li Si and the others held their breath, knowing this was the champion of the strategists' list, the grand finale.

The voice of the heavens was no longer mere narration; it resembled a timeless tribute and homage:

Zhuge Liang, style name Kongming, also called the Sleeping Dragon.

Among the brilliant constellation of strategists, he was neither the most cunning, nor the most detached, nor even the longest‑lived.

Yet when speaking of 'purity', of 'the ultimate', of fusing wisdom, loyalty, ideals and personal destiny without reservation into an almost impossible undertaking and burning for it until the last breath—through the ages, only this one man.

He was like a meteor, burning all his light and heat solely to illuminate the faint hope of restoring the Han lineage.

Even if he ultimately fell into darkness, that instant brilliance and trajectory became the most tragic, brightest, indelible mark in the Chinese spirit's sky.

Act One: Reclining in Longzhong, Awaiting the Heavenly Timing.

The scene shifts to Longzhong in Nanyang, Jingzhou, where mountains are clear, waters beautiful, and a few thatched huts stand.

The young Zhuge Liang, in plain clothes and simple diet, spent days tilling fields, discussing mulberry and hemp with farmers;

At night in the thatched cottage, he observed the stars, performed calculations, studied classics, and engaged in free‑wheeling discourse with friends Cui Zhouping, Shi Guangyuan, Meng Gongwei, commenting on the realm's heroes.

He often compared himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi; contemporaries mostly disagreed, but friends Xu Shu and Cui Zhouping recognized his great talent.

One day, Xu Shu came to bid farewell, intending to join Liu Bei in Xinye, and said to Liu Bei: "Zhuge Kongming is the Sleeping Dragon; would the General be willing to meet him?"

Liu Bei replied: "You and I will go together."

Xu Shu shook his head: "You may meet him, but you must not force him to come. The General should detour his carriage to visit him."

(You may go to see him, but you must not let him come to you. You should go personally to visit.)

Thus the 'Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage' began.

First time, Liu Bei went with So we will have: Guan Yu and Zhang Fei; the boy said the master had gone out.

The second time, braving the snow, they only met Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jun.

The third time, Liu Bei fasted and bathed, choosing an auspicious day to go again.

Zhuge Liang was napping at noon, and Liu Bei stood on the steps quietly waiting.

After a while, Zhuge Liang awoke, reciting a poem: "Who first awakens from the great dream? I have always known myself. The thatched cottage enjoys a spring slumber, while the sun outside lingers slowly."

Only then did he straighten his robes and go out to receive the guest.

It was Liu Bei's sincerity that knocked open the Sleeping Dragon's mountain gate;

It was also Zhuge Liang himself, awaiting a wise lord worthy of his wisdom and ideals.

This mutual choice set the course for decades of turbulent events.

Act Two: The Longzhong Discussion, Blueprint for Dividing the Realm.

Inside the cottage, Liu Bei pushed aside his attendants and sought counsel from Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang unfurled a hand‑drawn map of the world's situation, his finger lightly tapping, voice clear and composed:

"Since Dong Zhuo's arrival, heroes have risen, countless have crossed provinces and counties."

"Cao Cao compared to Yuan Shao has a modest reputation and fewer followers, yet Cao was able to defeat Shao, turning weakness into strength; this is not only heavenly timing but also human scheming."

"Now Cao commands a million troops, holding the Son of Heaven to command the lords; this truly cannot be contested."

"Sun Quan controls Jiangdong, having ruled for three generations; the state is precarious but the people are loyal, and the capable are employed—this can serve as aid but not be coveted."

"Jingzhou, north of the Han and Mian rivers, reaches the South Sea, east links to Wu, west to Ba and Shu; a martial state whose lord cannot hold it—perhaps Heaven provides it for the General; does the General desire it?"

"Yi Province is rugged yet fertile, spanning a thousand miles; the land of Heaven's Treasury, which the founding emperor used to establish the imperial legacy."

"Liu Zhang is weak and obscure, Zhang Lu is in the north; the people are prosperous and the state rich yet unaware of benevolence, and the wise seek a bright ruler."

"The General, being of imperial lineage, with trust and righteousness known across the seas, gathers heroes, thirsts for talent; if he can command Jing and Yi, secure their strongholds, pacify the western tribes, soothe the southern Yi and Yue, ally outwardly with Sun Quan, and internally refine governance."

"If the world changes, order a senior general to lead Jingzhou's troops toward Wan and Luo; the General himself leads Yi's forces out of Qinchuan—who among the people would dare refuse simple fare to welcome the General?"

"If truly so, the hegemonic ambition can be achieved, and the Han lineage revived."

This is the timeless 'Longzhong Discussion'.

In just a few hundred characters, it analyzes the world's trends, primary contradictions, self‑positioning, strategic steps, and ultimate goal with unparalleled clarity, providing the then‑destitute Liu Bei a clear, actionable blueprint for founding a state and achieving supremacy.

After listening, Liu Bei's mind cleared, and grasping Zhuge Liang's hand he said: "Having Kongming is to me what water is to a fish!"

"Before even leaving the cottage, I already know the realm will be divided into three."

"This is not prophecy; it is a top‑level strategic deduction built on countless data analyses, psychological guesses, and geographic assessments."

"Zhuge Liang's scheming, from the first step, is the grand scheme of governing the nation and the world."

Act Three: The Red Cliffs Turmoil, Alliance with Wu against Cao.

The blueprint just set, the test arrives.

Cao Cao unified the north, leading an 800,000-strong army (so-called) southward; Liu Cong surrendered, Liu Bei fled to Dangyang, in imminent peril.

Zhuge Liang volunteered for the mission, went to Jiangdong, and persuaded Sun Quan to ally with Liu Bei against Cao Cao.

In the Jiangdong court, the pro-surrender faction was mighty.

Facing the questioning of Zhang Zhao and others, Zhuge Liang remained calm, refuting each point, and directly pointed to the crux of Sun Quan's hesitation:

"If you can match the Central Plains with the forces of Wu and Yue, it would be better to sever ties early; if not, why not halt troops, bind armor, face north, and serve them!"

After the provocation, he further analyzed the weaknesses of Cao Cao's army:

"Cao Cao's forces, having come far, are weary… moreover, the northerners are unaccustomed to naval warfare… the people of Jingzhou who have submitted to him do so only under coercion, not out of genuine allegiance."

Ultimately persuading Sun Quan, they formed the alliance.

At the Battle of Red Cliffs, although Zhuge Liang was not the frontline commander, his participation in planning—especially his precise prediction of the southeastern wind—

(Although "borrowing the eastern wind" is a fictional embellishment, it reflects his image as versed in astronomy and geography.)

It provided crucial support for the allied forces' fire attack to victory.

After the battle, Liu Bei took control of most of Jingzhou, and the tripartite standoff among the three kingdoms began to take shape.

A scholar's single tongue can withstand a million soldiers.

Zhuge Liang's diplomatic wisdom and adaptability reached their peak at Red Cliffs.

【Fourth Act: Entrusting the Orphan at White Emperor City, Laboring Day and Night】

However, the execution of the strategy was full of uncertainties.

Guan Yu lost Jingzhou and fled in defeat to Maicheng;

Liu Bei, seeking revenge, suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Yiling, retreated to White Emperor City, and fell gravely ill.

On his deathbed, he summoned Zhuge Liang to entrust his after‑affairs…