After Red Cliffs, the question remained: who would hold Jing Province?

Sun Quan claimed it was his by right of conquest. Liu Bei argued that the people wished him to govern. Both were right. Neither would yield.

"Borrow it," Zhuge Liang suggested with a smile that revealed nothing. "From Lord Sun."

Sun Quan, needing Liu Bei as a buffer against Cao Cao, reluctantly agreed. But the loan would haunt their alliance for years. Every diplomatic message carried unspoken accusations about the debt.

Liu Bei used Jing as a springboard. From here, he planned his expansion into the Riverlands of Shu — the fertile western territories where mountains formed natural walls against invasion.

In Jing, he recruited more followers. In Jing, Zhuge Liang refined his administration. In Jing, the dream of restoring the Han dynasty seemed, for a fleeting moment, within reach.

But Cao Cao was rebuilding in the north, Sun Quan was sharpening his patience in the south, and the peace would not last.