Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 686 Just Assume I Believe It
Cao Cao once imagined the scene after he successfully "unified the world".

As an elder, he wanted to comment on Sun Quan's shortcomings and say that he was still far behind his father and brothers.

He wanted to expose and ridicule Liu Bei's words of benevolence and righteousness in person, and let him see with his own eyes that the emperor wanted to respect him.

But he never thought that at this moment, Liu Bei called his victory a lucky victory, and attributed the victory to the river in front of him.

This was hard for Cao Cao to accept. His instant defeat was a stroke of luck for Liu Bei. Didn't that mean he had no chance of winning no matter what, the only difference was how fast he would lose?
Cao Cao then said angrily:

"Even a three-year-old child knows that the Qi River flows southward to join the Ying River. What's the point of this?"

But Liu Bei asked calmly:

"Where does the Ying River go?"

"The Yingchuan River flows into the Honggou River, and then flows into the Fei River and joins the Huai River!"

"Where will the Huai River flow?"

"It's like entering the sea."

"What is the sea?"

Cao Cao finally lost his patience:
"Liu Xuande, why are you so weird?"

"Have you joined the Five Pecks of Rice Sect?"

Liu Bei burst into laughter, and then he simply drew his sword and slashed on the ground:

"The Huai River flows into the sea, and a thousand miles eastwards there is the country of Japan, which has no idea of ​​propriety and righteousness."

"Two thousand miles south of Yangzhou, there are the countries of the South Seas. You can sleep well all day without worrying about starvation or cold."

"Beyond the three thousand miles of the South Sea Islands there is a vast island, eight thousand miles in circumference, all iron ore, no human habitation."

Cao Cao frowned and leaned forward with difficulty to look at the lines Liu Bei had drawn on the ground with his sword.

But Liu Bei was still talking excitedly:

"In the southernmost part of our Han Dynasty, there is precious rice in Rinnan County, which can be harvested three times a season and is not afraid of pests or drought."

"Two thousand miles south of Rinan County, there is a narrow sea route that is the gateway to the Han Dynasty. If we cannot..."

"Xuan De, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect is all the words of evil people. It's ok to deceive people, but you can't believe it blindly!"

Cao Cao interrupted Liu Bei's narration solemnly. Of course, it was mainly because he could not see any precious rice from the various lines scratched on that pitiful mudflat, let alone the iron mines within a radius of 8,000 miles.

The misleading teachings of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect are too bold.

After saying this twice, Liu Bei simply shook his head and stepped on the painting on the mudflat in front of him, and chose to go straight to the point:
"Meng De, if I tell you that my victory today is what the Han people of a thousand years will hope for, you will definitely not believe it?"

During this conversation, Cao Cao also lamented the passing of time. Liu Bei was a hero in the past, so how come he has become like this now?
But at the same time, the severe pain in his body was still reminding him of his identity as a prisoner and reminding him of Liu Bei's swift and lightning victory.

Although what Liu Bei said was absurd and bizarre, it was completely different from the descriptions in ancient books such as "uncountable", "unknowable" and "innumerable". Instead, it described the distance clearly.

After thinking it over, Cao Cao tried to test it out:

"I believe?"

As if to make amends, he said:

"After all, Xuande's reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known to the world. If there are future generations..."

Before he finished speaking, a sharp voice interrupted:

"My lord, now that we have finished our business here, we should set off now."

Liu Bei nodded and smiled:
"I just thought he was Meng Dexin. He just said one thing wrong."

Then he pointed at the person who came and said:
"The person that future generations admire is Kong Ming. I am not worth mentioning."

Cao Cao's eyes widened immediately. He had a handsome face, a dignified appearance, and a majestic demeanor, which made people's hearts tremble.

"Does Xuande have such a beautiful jade?"

With a faint glance at Cao Cao and not taking it seriously, Kong Ming bowed to his lord, who was a hands-off boss, and left.

Liu Bei laughed at Cao Cao's exclamation, then sheathed his sword and said:

"Since Kong Ming has said so, Meng De, please follow me back to Xuchang."

The prisoner had no right to refuse, but after hearing so much, Cao Cao couldn't help but be curious:

"Xuan De doesn't want to kill me?"

After taking a deep look at Cao Cao, Liu Bei turned and left, with a word from afar passed over with the wind:

"I will defeat you in the afterlife, so your life and death will be decided in the afterlife."

Prime Minister Cao shook his head and said to himself:

"If I had known this, I would have killed Zhang Lu. Leaving him in Yecheng is a waste of rice and flour."

Looking at Xuchang from afar with its neat walls, open city gates and changed flags, Liu Bei felt unprecedented relief.

Twenty-five years have passed, time has passed, and the host and the guest have changed. Today, Xuchang is no longer the cage and nightmare it once was.

The city gate was decorated with lights and lanterns. Liu Bei saw with his own eyes the gray-haired heads wearing crowns inlaid with gold and jade, wrapped in Shu brocade that came with him from Bashan, and the jade belts were also shining. They were lined up neatly in front of the city gate, all looking at him with their hands behind their backs. He also saw the miserable Cao Cao being carried behind them.

The closer they got, the more Liu Bei felt that the light reflected by the beautiful jades was too dazzling.

He saw a gemstone come out of the line, swaying back and forth imperceptibly, followed by a slow and old-fashioned voice:
"General Zuo is an extraordinary man who has done extraordinary things and achieved extraordinary achievements. When Cao Cao was in power, no one dared to speak out. He insulted the culture and the people hoped that he would be defeated."

"Now that General Zuo has wiped out the evil and rebellious forces and has captured the tyrannical minister, why not bring him to justice here?"

Cao Cao, who still had half of his body unable to move, looked as if it was not unexpected. At this moment, he suddenly thought of Dong Zhuo.

When Dong Zhuo was executed, his old friend Cai Bojie was convicted and died in prison for crying out for him. Now that he has been defeated, is he even worse than Dong Zhuo?

Or has Yingchuan, the leader of the world's aristocratic families, never seen the magic cannon that Zhang Fei talked about?

Liu Bei looked at the dazzling jade and gold ornaments, and finally chose to pull the reins. Dilum horse obediently continued to move forward, passing through this area of ​​​​jewels and treasures and entered the city.

The sound of horse hooves stepping on the stone slabs made a crisp "clacking" sound, which was extremely obvious in this quiet city gate, and then Cao Cao laughed.

He laughed so hard that he even coughed up blood. He wiped it off hastily, and Cao Cao, who couldn't walk, was carried straight through here. He even had enough strength to shout:
"I am about to die, so why should I be afraid?"

Because the lord did not give any orders, the soldiers and officers could only pretend that this group of people did not exist for the time being. Those who should enter the city entered the city, those who should set up camp set up camp, and those who should patrol patrolled. The city gate soon became lively again, and the rows of gold and jade inlaid gates seemed out of place.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery of Xuchang, Liu Bei asked Pang Tong beside him:

"Shi Yuan, I just..."

"My Lord, why do you have to regret it again?"

"Not regret."

Liu Bei thought about it for a moment and said seriously:

"I'm just afraid that my impulsive behavior will cause you and Kong Ming to have more official duties."

Pang Tong blinked, waved his feather fan and said nonchalantly:
"Today's military affairs are like a drop in the ocean compared to what Kong Ming said."

"Moreover, the Imperial College already has a rudimentary new school of thought, which will inevitably conflict with the classics, and it is not something that can be changed or improved by the will of the lord."

Liu Bei also put his mind at ease for the time being:
"Fortunately, I didn't miss the light curtain discussion tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)