On the day Zhang Jiao, the Yellow Turban Celestial Master, died, the winds and clouds shifted, and heaven and earth stirred.
A white screen unfurled among the clouds, taking stock of the Three Kingdoms' most remarkable figures for all to see.
Episode One: There's no undisputed best scholar, but there's only one best warrior. Let's take a look at the Three Kingdoms' uncontested number-one fierce general and his career as a turncoat
Ding Yuan: My neck feels cold.
Dong Zhuo: My neck feels cold.
[An expulsion vote has been initiated for "Lü Bu"... "Lü Bu" has been removed from the group chat.]
Episode Two: "If Fengxiao hadn't died, Wolong would never have emerged" - A rundown of the wildest claims made by the Bright-and-Black fans
Guo Jia: Achoo! Who's wishing me dead? And who's this Wolong?
Xun Yu: Fengxiao, you should lay off the wine and get some exercise.
Hua Tuo: My Five-Animal Exercises will build your strength and health. Would you gentlemen like to give them a try?
Guo Jia (alarmed): No, thank you!
Episode Three: Cao Pi, Liu Shan, or Sun Liang: Who was the best second-generation emperor? (Bonus: Emperor Kangxi's schedule for pushing his children to excel)
Cao Cao: I'm a professional at making babies. Give me that schedule.
Liu Bei: I should've dropped you on your head at Changban Slope. Give me that schedule.
Sun Quan: A son should be like Sun Zhongmou. I'm the best second-generation ruler myself! Give me that schedule.
Episode Four: The ultimate winners? Nothing matters more than living a long life! An in-depth look at how the Sima clan rose to power by picking up the scraps
Sima Yi: This person must be talking nonsense. I won through my own ability.
Episode Five: Did idle philosophical talk ruin the country? Climate change? Uncovering the root cause of the Upheaval of the Five Barbarians
As the images played, the chaotic world a hundred years in the future unfolded before everyone's eyes. The Central Plains lay devastated, and the people were plunged into misery. They fell silent.
"How about we deal with the problems outside first, then fight each other?"
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Xie Yuqi is a history buff whose self-produced Three Kingdoms series has become hugely popular on a video-sharing site.
After uploading the final episode, she planned to wrap up the series for good. But then a group of mysterious people flooded the discussion board. Their usernames were those of various Three Kingdoms figures, and they seriously discussed "how to stop the Upheaval of the Five Barbarians, starting from the end of the Han dynasty." The thread racked up tens of thousands of replies.
Seeing how interested everyone was, she decided to make a few bonus episodes. She edited videos while interacting with the people in the thread, assuming they were just a few history lovers role-playing online.
It wasn't until much later, when she dreamed of a peaceful and flourishing age that had never appeared in history, that she realized the people in that thread weren't role-playing.
Theme: Learn from history to understand what we gain and lose.