Jihan: Aiding Liu Bei

Every Three Kingdoms fan has their own share of regrets on Liu Bei's behalf. Taishi Ci was unmatched in loyalty. He had once been on good terms with Liu Bei, yet ultimately went to Eastern Wu. Tian Yu and Qian Zhao, two young friends whom Liu Bei himself had valued, both became famous generals guarding Cao Wei's northern frontier. After Xiapi fell, Gao Shun died alongside his Trapped Tiger Battalion, never to serve Xuande. Gan Ning wandered for half his life before joining Eastern Wu, where he became one of the fierce generals among the so-called “rats of Jiangdong.” Xu Shu joined Cao Cao for his mother's sake and never offered a single strategy for the rest of his life. A single arrow at Phoenix Fall Slope claimed Pang Tong, turning “With either the Crouching Dragon or the Young Phoenix, the realm may be secured” into a half-fulfilled prophecy. There was the snowy night when Guan Yu was stranded at Maicheng, the long sigh in Baidi City, Wei Yan's frustration when his clever plan to march through Ziwugu was rejected, and Zhuge Liang's sorrowful cry amid the autumn winds of Wuzhang Plain: “I can no longer take the field to fight the rebels.” These regrets made up the romantic tragedy of the Ji Han dynasty, whose founder “died before his expedition could succeed,” and became a thorn in the hearts of all Three Kingdoms fans. In this book, you'll find a way to resolve every one of those regrets. The protagonist, Lu Yi, courtesy name Zijian, is a member of the Lu clan of Lujiang and a trusted adviser behind the scenes in Liu Bei's camp. He manages the rear like Xiao He and secures the frontier with Ma Yuan's strategic skill. He doesn't steal the peerless martial prowess of Guan, Zhang, and Zhao, or the strategic brilliance of the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix. At each turning point in history, he simply gives events the most reasonable little push in the right direction. This book strictly imitates the semi-classical, chaptered style of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with parallel chapter titles and closing poems. It doesn't rewrite the major historical framework, only carefully reasoned details. No System, no cheats, no harem. Every regret put to rest has a reasonable chain of cause and effect.