Chapter 100: Lin Jiachuan: Brother, You

Night, the moon bright, stars sparse

In the forest, multiple torches glowed, with specialized searchlights hovering above them

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

This scene takes place before the Hexi Campaign, when Emperor Wu deployed his troops, took his generals hunting, then held a nighttime 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 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 cooks”

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

Even Wei Qing, his 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 ignite their hunger for triumph”

“The most crucial quality for a commander is winning. 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, favored Huo Qubing, shaping his genius mindset to stand out sharply from other generals

This scene exemplifies that—it boldly challenged the mainstream “love your soldiers like your own children” doctrine, and subtly mocked Li Guang

Li Guang loved his soldiers, shared their hardships, yet never won battles, gained no merit, and risked death

Huo Qubing didn’t care for compassion—he enjoyed privileges, but those who followed him had better chances of survival and earned rewards

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

Yan Li took no stance on which philosophy was more correct—he acknowledged both had advantages and drawbacks

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

The place name “Jiuquan” came from Huo Qubing pouring the wine Emperor Wu had gifted 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 great book, but perhaps due to Sima Qian’s personal experiences, it carries noticeable subjectivity

Regarding Emperor Wu’s reign especially, Sima Qian inserted considerable personal bias—he lavishly praised the Li Guang family, whom he favored, while subtly employing Chunqiu brushwork toward the more accomplished but imperial in-laws Huo and Wei, quietly inserting dark details or praising while belittling

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

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

But Sima Qian omitted one key fact: many of the soldiers who starved under Huo Qubing later became marquises

Li Guang’s failures—armies getting lost and missing opportunities, or entire forces annihilated while he escaped alone—were glossed over, then he was praised for his character and bravery

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 find this deeply unsatisfying—even ancient scholars and literati mocked it relentlessly—

“How could ordinary hands ever 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 rehabilitate Huo Qubing’s reputation regarding the discarded food

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

Han logistics were certainly limited, and Huo often operated deep behind enemy lines—soldiers going hungry was inevitable

When Yan Li first read the script, he noticed Emperor Wu of Han was heavily 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 held Wei and Huo in high regard, giving them many standout scenes

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

So the debate between Huo Qubing and Li Guang over command styles may not have been the screenwriter’s subtle jab at Li Guang—just a touch of dark humor grounded in historical truth

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

Yan Li 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, he loved Lu Shuming’s Guan Yu and Tang Guoqiang’s Zhuge Liang; as he grew older, he came to admire Bao Guoan’s villainous Cao Cao

Later still, Yan Li began to admire Diaochan, Xiao Qiao, Sun Shangxiang, Empress He, Zou Shi, Lady Zhu Rong...

Regardless, Yan Li had finally collaborated with one of his childhood idols, and had even specifically pulled Master Lu aside for photos

Notably, that day Yan Li was filming the scene where Huo Qubing kills Li Guang’s son, Li Gan

One moment he kills the “son,” the next he’s posing for photos with the “father”—Lin Jiachuan, who took the picture, gave him a thumbs-up, praising his flair

Besides Lu Shuming, Yan Li also got along well with Ren Zhong, who played Zhang Qian

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

Also, Ren Zhong was a graduate of Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Tong Dawei was his senior—they 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 we’re talking about the actor who bonded most closely with Yan Li in Emperor Wu of Han, it was Lin Jing, who portrayed Wei Zifu

Handsome man, beautiful woman, similar age, plenty of scenes together—their bond formed rapidly

But recently, Yan Li had started avoiding Lin Jing

No choice—he was handsome, charming, and spent lavishly; his romantic luck was too strong

Previously, Yan Li didn’t care—if a woman was attractive, he’d go along with it, welcoming all advances; but after being burned by Qin Lan, he’d become selective

He no longer wanted to mess with women who clung to him constantly

Lin Jing was somewhat traditional—once she sensed he wanted a serious relationship, Yan Li started pulling away

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

He was fine making friends on set—once filming ended, they’d part ways; if he wanted more, he’d conserve his energy and return to deal with Dong Xuan and the others

Lin Jiachuan was astonished by Yan Li’s choice and delivered a sharp critique

“Bro, now that you’ve gotten rich, you’ve started being picky about food?”

“Get lost”

Yan Li couldn’t help but kick him—he’d always been picky, but now he was more cautious; beyond appearance, taste, and aroma, he now cared about the aftertaste...

(End of chapter)