Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

As the night drew to a close, a faint, pale light began to appear on the horizon.

After he finished speaking, dawn was breaking.

The gloom and frustration that had been building up in Zhuge Liang's heart for days vanished, and his usually gentle and calm eyes were now filled with a dazzling, star-like light.

Zhuge Liang no longer hesitated and immediately stood up: "Zimao, come with me."

The two walked one after the other, stepping into the cool morning frost, toward Liu Bei's residence.

At this time, Liu Bei also did not sleep all night.

The room was dimly lit, and he sat alone at the table, his fatigue and anxiety almost overflowing from his brow.

Unable to borrow Nanjun, with no way to enter Bashu, and no gate in the map of the Central Plains.

After a life of constant wandering, he finally saw a glimmer of hope, only to be slammed back into the mire.

Longzhong Plan?

That's more like a distant dream.

Just then, a servant came to report: "My lord, the military advisor requests an audience."

"Please come quickly."

"My lord!" Zhuge Liang called out as he entered, his voice brimming with excitement.

Liu Bei looked up, forcing a tired smile: "Kongming, you haven't rested all night either? So excited, have you thought of a way to break the deadlock?"

He asked the question softly, looking at his trusted strategist with expectant eyes.

Zhuge Liang did not answer directly, but stepped aside, revealing Gu Sulin behind him.

"My lord, tonight I have found a highly capable scholar who can not only resolve the current predicament in Nanjun, but also lay the foundation for your unification of the world!"

Liu Bei's gaze sharpened and landed on Gu Sulin.

He wore a simple blue robe, stood tall and straight, and had a gentle and dignified demeanor.

Such young people are countless in this chaotic world.

For some reason, Liu Bei felt a sense of stability from him that was similar to when he first met Zhuge Liang.

"And who is this gentleman?"

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly: "Gu Sulin, courtesy name Zimao."

Gu Sulin bowed calmly and politely: "Gu Sulin greets Magistrate Liu."

Liu Bei slightly raised his hand, his voice still tinged with weariness: "Please rise, sir. Since Kongming speaks of you so highly, he must indeed have exceptional insight. I am currently in a desperate situation, caught between a rock and a hard place. If you truly have a good plan, I am willing to treat you with utmost sincerity."

He didn't put on airs like a lord; he only had the most genuine desires of a ruthless and persistent hero.

Gu Sulin stood up, his expression calm and his voice steady: "The predicament you face today is solely due to Zhou Lang."

Liu Bei sighed deeply, a bitter look flashing in his eyes: "Sir, you have insight. But now, the grand strategy that Kongming devised for me has not even begun, and it has already been blocked by Zhou Yu. We cannot gain control of Nan Commandery, Jingzhou is incomplete, Bashu cannot be entered, and the Central Plains cannot be conquered..."

"Is there... still a way out?"

A simple question for directions reveals the desolation of half a lifetime.

Zhuge Liang stepped forward, his expression solemn: "My lord, the path is right before us. Zi Mao has already told us the famous saying—Zhou Yu, though strong, is nearing his end. At least half a year, at most a year, this man will surely die."

boom--!

Liu Bei suddenly stood up, his eyes wide open, his face filled with disbelief: "Kongming, what did you say?!"

Is Zhou Yu going to die?

That Zhou Yu, who was at the height of his power and whose fame shook the world, was actually nearing his end.

The news was so shocking that he couldn't believe it for a moment.

Liu Bei then looked at Gu Sulin: "What makes you so sure, sir?"

Gu Sulin said softly, "I come from Jiangling. Gongjin has just been wounded by an arrow and has not yet healed. Moreover, he is hot-tempered and unwilling to rest. He works day and night, which must have aggravated his injury. The Wu army is concealing the truth about Gongjin's injury and only says that he is fine. Please, my lord, discern the truth."

Zhuge Liang also said in a deep voice: "My lord, Zi Mao's words are not divination or prophecy, but are based on reason and logic, and are by no means unfounded."

Liu Bei stood there, stunned, his mind blank.

"So...Nanjun...can borrow it?"

Zhuge Liang laughed heartily: "Borrowed, borrowed! My lord, do you still remember when we were at Longzhong Thatched Cottage, I planned the world for you? Not only was Nan Commandery borrowed, but Zimao also perfected the Longzhong Plan for you!"

Liu Bei was even more bewildered: "What? Perfect the Longzhong Plan? Mr. Zimao..."

Gu Sulin then presented the revised Longzhong Plan to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was greatly alarmed.

He secured Jingzhou and Xiangyang, captured Bashu, took Hanzhong, and broke through Xiangfan... Even the specific route of the Northern Expedition was included in Gu Sulin's new strategy.

Each word was as clear as metal and stone falling to the ground.

Liu Bei was shaken to his core, feeling as if a vast new world, far more expansive than before, was slowly unfolding before him.

But he was, after all, a ruthless and powerful figure, and he quickly calmed down.

"Mr. Zimao's plan sounds grand and ambitious, but..."

He looked at his most trusted strategist: "Kongming, we once discussed launching a two-pronged attack from Jing and Yi provinces, but now we want them to stand side by side, with Yi province supplying Jing province for the northern expedition... How can the people of Yi province accept this? And how should Jing and Yi provinces be divided?"

Zhuge Liang seemed to have anticipated Liu Bei's question. He stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said solemnly, "I have already made up my mind. If you enter Shu, I will help you guard Jingzhou; if you launch a northern expedition, I will help you guard Yizhou. For your sake, I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei froze on the spot once again.

"To fulfill the general's ambition, I am willing to serve him with utmost loyalty!"

In the past, Zhuge Liang also said the same thing in Longzhong.

Liu Bei's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and his voice choked with emotion: "Kongming...you..."

Zhuge Liang's expression was resolute, his eyes piercing: "My lord, with me here, the rear will be as stable as Mount Tai, and all the generals will remain in their positions. Eastern Wu will not dare to break their alliance, and Cao Cao will not dare to invade the south. Once the situation in the world is settled, our army can concentrate its main force and march north from Jingzhou, directly striking the Central Plains!"

This is what true understanding between ruler and subject is like...

Gu Sulin steadied himself and quietly added, "My lord, with Master Kongming overseeing the rear, the greatest guarantee of a successful Northern Expedition is certain. In this way, though the north is strong, we can defeat them in a single battle!"

Liu Bei looked at the two men before him: one was determined to defend his foundation, and the other was planning a grand future for him.

He spent half his life wandering, suffering repeated defeats, living under the roof of others, anxious and fearful like a homeless dog.

Only today did he realize—

His grand undertaking is truly about to begin!

"Okay, okay!"

With tears welling in his eyes, Liu Bei strode forward, grasped Zhuge Liang's hand in one hand and Gu Sulin's in the other, and sighed deeply, looking up to the sky:

"Having gained both Zhuge Liang and you, sir! Truly, Heaven has not forsaken Liu Bei, nor has it abandoned the Han Dynasty! With the three of us, lord and ministers, working together with one heart, we will one day surely recover the Central Plains and ensure the continuation of the Han Dynasty!"

Outside the window, the winter sun rises, its golden rays spreading across the earth, dispelling the chill and gloom of the night.

Starting from this morning in the fourteenth year of Jian'an, a Shu Han dynasty completely different from its historical counterpart officially began.