Chapter 5

The girl looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, standing a little over 1.5 meters tall. She was like a budding flower, with her long hair tied back, revealing a full forehead and delicate features.

Her skin was not fair but rather a bit dark, likely due to frequent sun exposure. However, this did not detract from her youthful charm; instead, it added a healthy vitality.

"Oops! Little girl, you came at an inopportune time. The simplified version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' sold out a few days ago," Old Sun said with regret.

"Is that so!" The girl couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Why do you want to buy this book?" Zuo Xiaoyou was a bit curious. Most people who read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' were men, and it was rare for women to read it. Zuo Xiaoyou guessed, "Are you buying it for someone else?"

"No," the girl shook her head. "I want to read it myself."

"You want to read it?" Zuo Xiaoyou looked at the girl. "Do you like this kind of book?"

"Yes, I do!" the girl said. "Recently, there was a section from 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' in my textbook. I really liked it and wanted to learn more. But I've been to several bookstores, and they only had the classical Chinese version, which I couldn't understand."

"So you wanted to buy a simplified version, right?" Zuo Xiaoyou smiled.

"Um-hum." The girl nodded, her disappointment evident. "But I've looked in many places and couldn't find it."

"There are very few simplified versions," Old Sun said. "Without the original text for reference, it's hard to understand the original meaning. Only people without much knowledge read this version... I'm not saying you, little girl."

The girl rolled her eyes and asked, "Will you have the simplified version in stock in the future?"

"I'll keep an eye out for you!" Old Sun said. "But this book sells very slowly, so I can't guarantee it."

"Oh."

Seeing the girl's disappointed face, Zuo Xiaoyou took a copy of the original 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' from the bookshelf and handed it to her. "If you want to learn more about the content of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' I can explain it to you."

The girl was taken aback, a bit wary. "You..."

"Don't misunderstand me." Zuo Xiaoyou shrugged and made a funny face. "I'm not a good person."

"..."

"Ha ha ha..." Old Sun laughed, choking on his saliva and coughing. "You really aren't a good person."

Zuo Xiaoyou glared at him. "Just because I haggled with you a bit! Is this your way of getting back at me?"

"Ha ha ha..."

The girl finally understood Zuo Xiaoyou's sense of humor and couldn't help but giggle, her eyes twinkling, which looked very pretty.

...

"Speaking of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' we first need to understand what kind of book it is. We also need to recognize that 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is not history but a popularized novel based on historical events from that period."

In a cold drink shop, Zuo Xiaoyou and the girl sat across from each other, eating ice cream while Zuo Xiaoyou explained the background of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' to her.

"To put it simply, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is a historical novel. It features real people and events, but the detailed plot is mostly fabricated. It shouldn't be treated as historical fact."

"So 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' isn't history!" The girl exclaimed, a bit disappointed. "Then the story of quenching thirst by thinking of plums in the textbook isn't true either?"

"I can't say for sure," Zuo Xiaoyou smiled. "This story comes from Liu Yiqing's 'Shi Shuo Xin Yu' from the Southern Song Dynasty. The content is roughly as follows: 'When Cao Cao was on a campaign and lost the water supply, all the soldiers were thirsty. He then ordered, ‘There is a large plum grove ahead, full of ripe plums. The sweetness and sourness can quench your thirst.’ The soldiers, hearing this, all salivated, and thus they reached the water source.'"

The girl blinked, seemingly admiring him. "You explained it so well."

"Thank you." Zuo Xiaoyou smiled.

"But I didn't understand."

"..."

After explaining the meaning of the classical Chinese text, the girl suddenly understood. "It's similar to what we learned in the textbook!"

Of course, it's the same story, so it's similar.

Zuo Xiaoyou cleared his throat. "Since the story of quenching thirst by thinking of plums comes from a Song Dynasty document, I can't be sure if it really happened in history. But since it's recorded, let's assume it's true."

"Isn't that too unrigorous?"

Hong Kong was under British rule at the time, and education was well-developed, emphasizing rigor. Zuo Xiaoyou's answer didn't satisfy the girl.

"Don't take history too seriously, or you'll lose," Zuo Xiaoyou shook his head. "The broad outline of history is correct, but the details are unclear. For science, we need to be factual, but for history, it's enough to get the general idea."

The girl thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay! Let's assume the story happened in history."

Zuo Xiaoyou smiled, took a bite of ice cream, and said, "But don't take the stories in 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' too seriously. Just enjoy them as a novel and find them interesting."

"Is 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' that fake?" The girl was very curious.

"I'll ask you a few questions," Zuo Xiaoyou looked into the girl's eyes. "Have you heard of the Peach Garden Oath?"

"Yes," the girl nodded. "Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, the Peach Garden Oath."

"What about the Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu?"

"I've heard of it," the girl nodded.

"Crossing Five Passes and Slashing Six Generals?"

"I've heard of it."

"Drinking Warm Wine and Beheading Hua Xiong?"

"I've heard of it."

"Borrowing the East Wind?"

"I've heard of it."

"Um-hum." Zuo Xiaoyou paused and sighed. "Unfortunately, these are all fake."

"Ah?" The girl was shocked. "All fake?"

"All fake," Zuo Xiaoyou said firmly. "In history, these events didn't happen... well, the oath between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei is real, but whether it happened in a peach garden is unknown."

"How can the Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu be fake?" The girl seemed very concerned about this, her tone a bit agitated.

"Don't get upset," Zuo Xiaoyou smiled. "Didn't I tell you? 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is a historical novel, not historical fact. Most of the stories are fabricated, but they are so well-written that many people believe they are true."

After a pause, seeing the girl's emotions calm down, Zuo Xiaoyou continued, "Do you know the historical context of the Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu?"

"No," the girl shook her head. She didn't know much about 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' and most of the stories she knew were from hearsay, just bits and pieces.

"This event happened during the campaign against Dong Zhuo," Zuo Xiaoyou explained. "At that time, Cao Cao failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo and fled, eventually returning to his hometown." He then added another event, "During his escape, Cao Cao met the Lu family, and he mistakenly killed them, saying the famous line: 'I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me.'"

"Ah, that's where that line comes from!" The girl was amazed and indignant. "Cao Cao is such a bad guy."

Zuo Xiaoyou smiled but didn't defend Cao Cao. He continued, "After Cao Cao returned to his hometown in Chenliu, he spent all his wealth to recruit soldiers and called on the heroes of the land to campaign against Dong Zhuo. The lords formed an alliance in Suantao, known as the campaign against Dong Zhuo. The Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu happened during this campaign."

"Oh, I see." The girl suddenly understood and asked excitedly, "If this event really happened in history, why isn't there a Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu?"

"Ha ha..." Zuo Xiaoyou pointed to the original 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' in the girl's hand. "You can look at the content. How many lords were involved in the campaign against Dong Zhuo?"

"I'll look at it later." The girl put 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' in her backpack and smiled at Zuo Xiaoyou. "Brother Zuo, tell me, how many lords were there?"

Zuo Xiaoyou smiled helplessly. "The novel says there were eighteen lords, but in history, there weren't that many. Of course, that's not important. What's important is that the novel mentions one of the lords, the Governor of Beiping, Gong Sunzan. Gong Sunzan was Liu Bei's classmate, like a primary school friend. At that time, Liu Bei was just following Gong Sunzan around, but in history, Gong Sunzan didn't participate in the campaign against Dong Zhuo. This indirectly proves that Liu Bei didn't participate either."

He paused. "Even if Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei did participate, given their low status, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to distinguish themselves. The story of the Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu is just a fabrication by Luo Guanzhong to glorify Liu Bei's group."

"Liu Bei's group?" The girl was interested in this part.

"Yes," Zuo Xiaoyou said. "'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' tells the story of the Wei, Shu, and Wu groups from their creation to their final fates. Liu Bei, the founder of the Shu group, was the leader. Liu Bei rose from a humble background to become an emperor, with the Five Tiger Generals—Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong—and brilliant strategists like Zhuge Liang. His three visits to the thatched cottage to invite Zhuge Liang to join him and the founding of the Shu Han dynasty made him the ideal ruler in the hearts of scholars."

"Luo Guanzhong, the author of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' was clearly a scholar. He naturally preferred rulers like Liu Bei, so 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is a novel that glorifies Liu Bei and belittles Cao Cao. Think about it, if Liu Bei's group was as powerful as the novel suggests, they would have unified the Three Kingdoms and wouldn't have been defeated by the Wei and Jin dynasties, leading to their downfall after two generations."

"Oh, so Liu Bei's group is the Shu Han kingdom!" The girl fully understood, her tone filled with disappointment. "I didn't realize so many famous stories were fabricated."

"Not entirely fabricated, but they did draw on some historical facts," Zuo Xiaoyou smiled. "And 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' has made significant contributions."

"What kind of contributions can a book make?" The girl was puzzled.

"Think about it," Zuo Xiaoyou said. "Without 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' who would pay attention to this period of history? Who would care about the figures from this period? Take you, for example. If you hadn't read a small part of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' would you be interested in this history?"

The girl shook her head honestly.

"That's the point," Zuo Xiaoyou smiled. "Without 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' this period of history would be as neglected as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period."

"What is the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period?" The girl asked.

"See," Zuo Xiaoyou said. "Even a middle school student like you doesn't know, let alone the common people. So 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' still has value, at least in making people aware of this period of history."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "Okay! Even if the stories are fake, the characters are real."

"Not entirely."

******

Thank you to 'sam~tang' for the 200起点币 (Qidian coins) tip.

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