Great Tang Plane.
Li Shimin stared at the figures on the video, unable to calm his heart for a long while.
After a long time, he slowly uttered a few words:
"Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) is truly an Emperor through the Ages!"
Du Ruhui’s expression turned somber and dark. He then said:
"Emperor Wu of Han campaigned north and south, ultimately establishing the vast territory of the Han Dynasty. It is only many years later that the prosperity of our Great Tang would emerge, with all nations coming to pay homage!"
Liu Bowen said: "Your Majesty, no matter how highly future generations rate Emperor Wu of Han, it cannot cover up the fact that he exhausted the nation with his militarism."
Emperor Wu of Han nodded, agreeing deeply with Liu Bowen's viewpoint. Watching the video on the Sky Screen, his eyes held a glimmer of anticipation; he wondered how the Sky Screen would describe him?
The video continued to play:
"Liu Xiu restored the Eastern Han. Wang Mang usurped the throne, and in the blink of an eye, the Late Eastern Han arrived. With a single fire at Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu burned away Cao Cao’s dream of unification!
In the Battle of Yiling, Lu Xun not only burned Liu Bei’s hope of entrusting his son at Baidi City, but he also burned away the hope of the Shu army to restore the Han for a third time.
Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and Cao Cao waged war against each other for half a lifetime, yet in the end, it was Sima Yi’s grandson, Sima Yan, who unified the country!"
...
Great Qin Plane.
Qin Shi Huang watched the video and couldn't help but sigh:
"This person from the future called Cao Cao, no matter how formidable he is, in the end, didn't he have his empire usurped by Sima Yi? He truly made wedding clothes for someone else!"
Li Si watched the figures on the video and sighed sincerely:
"No matter how you look at it, this Three Kingdoms period is full of regrets! No matter how capable Cao Cao was, his dream of unifying the world was burned away by Zhou Yu. And Liu Bei, who wanted to restore the Han house, ended up failing at the Battle of Yiling!"
At this moment, a few lines of text appeared on the screen:
"Cao Cao: A capable minister in a stable era, and a hero of a chaotic one!"
"Liu Bei: A life of displacement and hardship. The true reflection of us ordinary people!"
Qin Shi Huang’s eyes were full of disbelief:
"These people of the future seem to like Cao Cao and Liu Bei very much! Especially Cao Cao—what on earth did he do to earn such a high rating?"
At this point, Zhao Gao also had to sigh: "Liu Bei, a straw-sandal weaver, spent his whole life in setbacks, yet he could still become a monarch!"
Li Si nodded, his eyes filled with admiration:
"Among all the historical figures, aside from Your Majesty, the one I admire most is this Liu Bei! He never once forgot his wish to restore the Han house, though it is a pity he could not realize it in the end!"
Great Han Plane.
Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) could no longer sit still; his eyes were filled with fury.
"What? My Great Han has fallen? Wang Mang? Who is this person who dares to usurp the Han?"
"Someone, find me this man named Wang Mang immediately! Exterminate his nine clans—no, exterminate his ten clans!"
The guards received the order and hurried out.
Dong Zhongshu and the other court officials didn't dare to breathe; no one dared to offend Emperor Wu of Han at this moment.
Emperor Wu of Han felt as if his strength had been drained. He walked down step by slow step.
"I... I never imagined the Great Han would fall after only four hundred years. How will I answer to the Han High Ancestor when I go below?"
Dong Zhongshu hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, you know this in advance now. As long as you seize the opportunity, this history may yet change!"
Emperor Wu of Han nodded and continued watching the Sky Screen. When he saw that Liu Bei intended to restore the Han house, his eyes were full of expectation.
"This Liu Bei is truly a descendant of my Han house. A man who lived by selling straw sandals—who would have thought he would eventually become the ruler of Shu!"
"Looking at it, among the three kingdoms, only Liu Bei had the most humble beginnings, yet he was able to achieve a great empire! It is not easy, truly not easy!"
After watching the segment, a long while later, his eyes were full of regret:
"In the end, Liu Bei did not restore the Han empire. A pity, what a pity!"
Han High Ancestor Liu Bang looked at the Sky Screen before him with tear-filled eyes.
"Liu Bei, you did not fail your ancestors! In the Battle of Yiling, you gave everything to avenge your brothers, only to have your dreams extinguished by a fire! I am proud of you!"
Liu Bang nodded, his eyes streaming with tears, and his heart full of appreciation and affirmation for Liu Bei.
Three Kingdoms Plane: Cao Cao saw that after struggling for half a lifetime, he was ultimately defeated by a fire from the "scoundrels of Jiangdong," and he was furious. He slammed the food he was eating onto the table.
"Audacious scoundrels of Jiangdong! How dare they burn away my dream of unification? How dare they?"
"Where are Zhang Liao and Xiahou Dun? Mobilize an army of 500,000 immediately! Follow me to annihilate that brat Sun Quan!"
Just then, Guo Jia walked in, looking at Cao Cao with a smile.
"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord!"
Hearing this, Cao Cao was stunned. He asked with eyes full of confusion:
"Guo Jia, where does this joy come from?"
Guo Jia pulled Cao Cao’s sleeve and sat down beside him.
"My lord, you have this Sky Screen—that is a massive stroke of luck! This Sky Screen can see the past and the future, which means you can avoid mistakes you would have otherwise made. This will surely accelerate your path to unification!"
After hearing Guo Jia’s analysis, Cao Cao couldn't help but nod. He immediately recalled the soldiers who had gone to deliver his order and continued watching.
When he saw that the empire he had built with his own hands was eventually stolen by Sima Yi’s grandson, Cao Cao couldn't control his anger and flew into a rage again.
"Audacious Sima Yi! Audacious Sima Yan! The empire I, Cao Cao, built was actually taken by the likes of you! Arghhh!"
A roar echoed from inside the tent!
Guo Jia stepped forward again and said: "My Majesty, since you know what happens in the future, what you must do now is nip the danger in the bud!"
As he spoke, Guo Jia made a 'chopping' motion. Cao Cao realized what he meant.
"Indeed, Fengxiao’s words are wise! I recall that in Pi’s residence, there is a man named Sima Yi!"
Having realized the truth, Cao Cao immediately shouted at the guards outside the door:
"Someone, kill Sima Yi and his entire family! Exterminate their ten clans! Do not spare even the children or the elderly! Remember, execute this in secret—do not let anyone find out!"
Cao Cao’s eyes were filled with malice. He was the type of man who would rather betray the world than let the world betray him!
Liu Bei watched the video on the Sky Screen. When he saw the parts about himself and Guan Yu, his breathing stopped.
When he saw the foundation he had worked so hard to build being burned to ash by a single fire, he collapsed onto the ground. His eyes were filled with despair, and he closed them, shaking his head helplessly.
"How can this be? Has the hope of me, Imperial Uncle Liu, to restore the Han house truly been extinguished?"
"Oh, Heavens! I, Liu Bei, never forgot for a single day my grand ambition to restore the Han house, yet you tell me my second and third brothers have died! The foundation I worked so hard to build will be destroyed in an instant! Woe is me!"
Nearing fifty years of age, Liu Bei wept. He truly had not expected that he, too, would fail to restore the Han house in the end.
Zhuge Liang walked in and, seeing Liu Bei on the floor holding his head and weeping, hurriedly helped him up. He was very surprised and couldn't help but ask:
"My lord, why are you holding your head and crying like this?"
After hearing Zhuge Liang’s words, Liu Bei told him what he had seen on the Sky Screen.
Zhuge Liang fanned himself with his feather fan and said dismissively:
"My lord, there is no need to worry. What appeared on the Sky Screen has not yet come to pass! Since the Sky Screen can see the past and future, perhaps we can find a way to alter the original course of history!"