Chapter 100

Night, the moon bright, stars sparse

In the forest, multiple torches blazed, and above them specialized searchlights shone.

Around a bonfire, several tables were set, where Emperor Wu of Han and his several generals sat.

This scene depicts Emperor Wu of Han deploying his troops before the Hexi Campaign, taking his generals out hunting, then gathering at night for barbecue and conversation.

The actors portraying Wei Qing and Li Guang either sliced meat with small knives and devoured it heartily, or simply grabbed lamb legs and bit into them greedily.

Only Seeing Yan Li, portraying Huo Qubing, remained unmoved, silently drinking wine; Emperor Wu wondered why he didn't eat, and Huo Qubing replied the food was too crude, he didn't like it.

"Then what do you do when you're on campaign?"

"Simple—bring a few extra chefs."

The other generals were astonished, especially Li Guang, who objected: "When you're on campaign, you live by your wits—how can you bring chefs? Besides, a general who doesn't share hardship with his soldiers, who will fight for him?"

Even Wei Qing, the uncle, didn't support his nephew, believing sharing hardship with soldiers boosted morale and inspired the army.

Huo Qubing dismissed it, retorting loudly: "A compassionate man cannot command an army. What you need in warfare is not benevolence, but clear rewards and punishments—let soldiers know that victory brings everything, and that alone will kindle their desire to win."

"The most crucial thing for a commander is to win. If you can't win, even if you share every hardship with your soldiers, you're still a useless general."

"..."

Jiang Qitao, the screenwriter of Emperor Wu of Han, held great fondness for Huo Qubing, shaping him as a genius whose thoughts diverged sharply from those of other generals.

This very scene exemplifies that: it boldly refuted the mainstream "love your soldiers like your own children" doctrine, and subtly mocked Li Guang.

Li Guang loved his soldiers like his own children, shared hardship with them, yet never won battles, gained no merit, and even risked death.

Huo Qubing believed compassion shouldn't command troops, enjoyed privileges, yet those who followed him had greater chances of survival and earned rewards.

If you were a soldier, which general would you follow?

Seeing Yan Li took no stance on which philosophy was more correct, as both had advantages and drawbacks.

But Seeing Yan Li believed the historical Huo Qubing was actually quite caring and generous toward his soldiers.

The place name "Jiuquan" originated when Huo Qubing poured the wine Emperor Wu had granted him into a spring, sharing it with his soldiers.

The screenwriter likely drew inspiration for this scene from Records of the Grand Historian.

Records of the Grand Historian is a fine book, but perhaps due to Sima Qian's personal experiences, it does carry considerable subjectivity.

Especially regarding Emperor Wu's reign, Sima Qian inserted much personal bias: he greatly praised Li Guang's family, whom he favored, but treated the more accomplished but imperial in-law generals Wei and Huo with subtle literary devices—quietly adding dark details, or praising them while actually belittling them.

In Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian recorded that Emperor Wu granted Huo Qubing ten carts of wine and meat, yet Huo discarded much of the leftovers while soldiers starved.

This sharply contrasted with Li Guang's practice of sharing food and clothing with his men, prompting Sima Guang to harshly criticize it in Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government.

But Sima Qian omitted that many of the soldiers who starved while following Huo Qubing later became marquises.

Li Guang's military failures—armies getting lost and missing opportunities, or entire forces annihilated with only he escaping—were glossed over, then his character and bravery were praised.

Most outrageous was that Records of the Grand Historian mentioned Wei and Huo in the "Biographies of the Flatterers," a chapter mostly filled with male favorites.

Though their imperial in-law status might explain it, the implication still felt... questionable.

Not only did modern readers strongly object, but many ancient scholars and literati also ridiculed it—

"How could ordinary hands hope to match Sima's art of subtle praise and blame?!"

Because Sima Qian favored "subtle words with great meaning," many historians have since conducted deep analyses or attempted to overturn the interpretation of Huo Qubing's discarded food.

Huo Qubing's preference for light, mobile campaigns likely meant he deliberately discarded baggage for speed.

Han logistics were certainly mediocre, and given Huo Qubing's frequent deep incursions behind enemy lines, soldiers going hungry was inevitable.

When Seeing Yan Li first read the script, he noticed Emperor Wu of Han was deeply influenced by Records of the Grand Historian and showed little interest in the more official Book of Han.

Yet unlike Sima Qian's bias, the screenwriter greatly admired Wei and Huo, granting them many standout scenes.

Li Guang was also given a tragic yet satisfying ending: he volunteered as bait, fought to the death, and fell on the battlefield.

Thus, the debate between Huo Qubing and Li Guang over command style may not have been the screenwriter subtly mocking Li Guang—merely a touch of dark humor grounded in historical truth.

Compared to the subtle hostility and tangled grudges between the characters in the drama and the real historical figures,

Seeing Yan Li himself got along well with Lu Shuming, the actor portraying Li Guang.

He even considered himself a half-fan of Master Lu.

As a child watching Romance of the Three Kingdoms, his favorites were Lu Shuming's Guan Yu and Tang Guoqiang's Zhuge Liang; as he grew older, he came to admire Bao Guoan's portrayal of the villainous Cao Cao.

When he grew even older, Seeing Yan Li began to admire Diaochan, Xiao Qiao, Sun Shangxiang, Empress He, Zou Shi, Lady Zhu Rong...

In any case, Seeing Yan Li had now collaborated with one of his childhood idols, and had specifically pulled Master Lu aside for a photo.

Notably, on that day, Seeing Yan Li was playing the scene where Huo Qubing killed Li Guang's son, Li Gan.

One moment he killed the "son," the next he was posing for photos with the "father"—Lin Jiachuan, who took the photo, gave him a thumbs-up, praising his flair.

Besides Lu Shuming, Seeing Yan Li also got along well with Ren Zhong, the actor portraying Zhang Qian.

For one, they were similar in age; in the Emperor Wu of Han cast, young actors with substantial roles were few, and young actors had little in common with older ones, so they naturally gravitated toward each other.

For another, Ren Zhong was a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Tong Dawei was his senior—both had a decent personal relationship.

Tong Dawei, knowing they were both on the same set, specifically called to connect them, so they could look out for each other.

But if one had to name the actor who had the closest relationship with Seeing Yan Li in Emperor Wu of Han, it would still be Lin Jing, who portrayed Wei Zifu.

Handsome man, beautiful woman, similar age, and ample scenes together—their bond formed rapidly.

But recently, Seeing Yan Li had begun avoiding Lin Jing.

No choice: handsome, charming, and fond of spending money—his romantic luck was too strong.

Previously, Seeing Yan Li didn't care; as long as the woman was attractive, he'd go along half-heartedly and accept anyone. But after being burned by Qin Lan, he'd become picky.

He no longer wanted to casually entangle himself with women who clung to him constantly.

偏偏 Lin Jing was somewhat traditional; as soon as she sensed he wanted a serious relationship, Seeing Yan Li began distancing himself.

One, to avoid trouble; two, because Lin Jing simply wasn't his type—too pale and plain, average figure, and a bit dull-witted.

Making friends in the crew was fine, and saying goodbye after wrapping was fine too, but if he wanted to go further, he should still conserve his energy and go back to deal with Dong Xuan and the others.

Lin Jiachuan was quite surprised by Seeing Yan Li's choice and gave a sharp critique.

"Bro, now that you're rolling in it, you've started getting picky about food?"

"Get lost."

Seeing Yan Li couldn't help but kick him. He'd always been picky, okay? He was just being more cautious now — besides paying attention to color, aroma, and taste, he'd also started caring about the after-meal experience…

(End of chapter)