Chapter 421 - Lu Bu"s Campaign
Zhou Cang followed the blood on the ground toward the north. However, no matter how fast he ran, he could not catch up with Pu Jing.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Does he know the body enhancement technique?"
Zhou Cang was frustrated. He shouted, "FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, YOU COWARD!!"
His voice was so loud that Pu Jing, who was carrying Zhuge Liang on his shoulder and running with his full speed two kilometers away, could hear it.
The former KGB glanced back with a sneer, "Don"t lump me with those braindead generals, sucker! No matter how Zhang Tong raised you, you aren"t my match!"
Despite his thought, Pu Jing continued running away, using his wing power to boost his speed. Although the cut wound on his chest was still fresh and b.l.o.o.d.y, he ignored the pain and kept retreating.
On Pu Jing"s shoulder, Zhuge Liang bit his lower lips.
To survive, he did something unforgivable.
He pressed the [Yes] b.u.t.ton and joined Pu Jing"s Clan!
Although it was vexing that he was enslaved, Zhuge Liang was still optimistic.
By skimming through Pu Jing"s clan chat log, he learned many things about this clan and their movements, which broadened his horizon. With the existence of this clan chat and the long-distance communication, Zhuge Liang thought of many strategies with the clan chat as the key.
Also, he found a loophole in Pu Jing"s plan!
It had been only a few minutes after Zhuge Liang was kidnapped, he sneered at Pu Jing, who was still carrying him.
"Ah, Pu Jing, Cao Cao. I know what you"re trying to do. Unfortunately, you should have killed me instead. Hahaha!"
Zhuge Liang had a plan to ruin Cao Cao and Pu Jing. Since they were so desperate to have him in their clan, he might as well pretend to join them and destroy them from the inside.
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The chase lasted for 50 hours without a rest. Unfortunately, Zhou Cang"s one wing power boost was no match against Pu Jing"s two wings.
He returned with empty hands as he reported back his failure to the clan chat.
Zhou Cang: "I"m sorry. I"ve failed everyone."
Tong: "Don"t be. It"s my fault for letting my guard down. I didn"t expect that the others would have been this ruthless."
Zhou Cang: "What about the villagers and Sima Hui, your majesty?"
Tong: "We"ll take them to our kingdom as planned. It"s a pity that we didn"t get any of them back, but we got Liu Biao"s promise to surrender. That"s a good achievement."
Tong did not blame anyone for this failure. Even if Zhuge Liang died, he would lose nothing.
However, had Zhuge Liang joined with other forces, at best, the future battles would have been a little more difficult.
Tong was optimistic about his plan. As long as his men continued to cultivate, their wings and their immortal power would help him unify this country and end this civil war.
The only problem was the other reincarnators, especially the G.o.ddess Liu Yang.
While Tong was reading the clan chat, he was lying on his bed while his favorite consort, w.a.n.g Yi, aka Liu Yang, was riding him, drooling and smiling while her tongue was sticking out of her mouth. It was still daytime, but it was his day off today, so they enjoyed their extended s.e.xy time.
"I wonder where that G.o.ddess is. What is she planning?"
.
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April 15th, 192 AD.
Ju Shou suggested that Lu Bu should march out of Wuwei after he had finished reinforcing the defense. Since Zhang He"s unit would take a detour around the mountain ranges between the Bing Province and Liang Province, they should reach here in a month or two.
By that time, Zhang He"s Ghost Legion would replace Lu Bu"s units in Wuwei as he could expand their territory south.
Lu Bu and Gao Shun reviewed their military status. Currently, the Qiang Tribes from the west had surrendered to Lu Bu because of his fame. Aside from his 60,000 redhare hors.e.m.e.n, an additional 10,000 Qiang hors.e.m.e.n joined forces with the G.o.d of war.
The Qiang Tribesmen were similar to Xiliang Cavalry, which excelled in speed and devastating charge. These riders were monstrous in the jousting abilities that they could puncture a standard iron imperial armor with their iron spear. However, they traded their speed with their defenses, which they were armed with light leather armor.
Lu Bu transferred this unit to Gao Shun as he was an expert charger. As for the redhare knights, they separated into three regiments, each numbered 20,000.
One of the regiments stationed in Wuwei to wait for Zhang He"s units. As for the other 50,000 riders, they marched south, heading toward Jincheng County, the former territory of Han Sui, the sworn brother of Ma Teng.
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May 13th, 192 AD.
Lu Bu sieged Jincheng County and took over the commandery. Since Khan"s attention was on the Jing Province of Liu Biao, he did not reinforce Liang Province.
Ju Shou noticed the lack of defensive lines in the areas. He left a message in the clan chat, asking Tong for permission to expand rapidly.
Tong gave his permission. With the authority of the emperor, Ju Shou pulled the 20,000-man regiment from Wuwei to attack Anding Commandery, while Lu Bu and Gao Shun separated.
Gao Shun took a regiment of 20,000 men and 10,000 Qiang Cavalry to attack Tianshui, a former headquarter of Dong Zhuo. As for Lu Bu, he took the other regiment to occupy Wudou Commandery, which located south of Tianshui.
Zhang He"s Ghost Legion changed their plan mid-way. With the competent Lu Bu taking down counties left and right, they turned south, regrouping with a regiment of Lu Bu in Anding. Then, he launched an attack on Chang"An.
By the end of June, 192 AD, Lu Bu took down four commanderies, while Zhang He claimed Chang"An, which shocked the land.
Khan was caught off guard. He had to recall his troops, which was gathering at Yongan Commandery, located west of Jiangling of Jing Province.
The plan to attack the Jing Province was canceled, and his army, numbered 300,000 soldiers, gathered at Zitong to protect Khan"s kingdom from the two legions.
The brainwashed generals, Ma Teng, Ma Chao, Han Sui, and other vice commanders, followed Khan to Zitong, preparing for a decisive battle between 130,000 elites against their 300,000 cloned troopers.
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July 4th, 192 AD.
Zhang He"s units of 60,000 men marched to Hanzhong, the former territory of Zhang Lu, the cult leader of Five Peck of Rice.
Instead of defending this strategic commandery, Khan sent an emergency order to Hanzhong"s governor to use a scorch earth tactic, burning the city and its granary. As for the garrison forces, they retreated to Jiameng Pa.s.s, which located north of Zitong Commandery.
Jiameng Pa.s.s was the gate toward the inner Yi Province. Had Khan lost the control of this checkpoint, Lu Bu and Zhang He could puncture their territories with their overwhelming cavalries.
Khan was aware of that, which was the reason he gathered his men at Zitong.
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July 15th, 192 AD.
The Redhare Legion and the Ghost Legion gathered at Jiange County, which was a minor county north of Jiameng Pa.s.s. All forces had to pa.s.s this county to reach the checkpoint. Thus, they decided to gather here for the last preparation, getting ready for a decisive battle.
Lu Bu, Gao Shun, Ju Shou met with Zhang He and his subordinates. As this was the second time that Zhang He got to meet Lu Bu face-to-face and Lu Bu had once tried to recruit him, Zhang He was not comfortable to work with this G.o.d of war.
"Nice to see you again, kid. I can see that you"re stronger than when we"ve first met."
Zhang He had a wry smile on his face, "You, too. How many wings do you have? I can"t gauge your power with my meager skill."
"Just four. I"m reinforcing my foundation and basic skills before I climb to six wings. Well, what about you?"
"Ugh, at the moment, three. You"re still training the basics?"
"Basic training and power management is everything. Without a solid foundation, those wings are nothing but a decoration. You should master the body enhancement technique before you get to four wings. Or else, you won"t be able to handle the sudden jump in strength and speed. Also, if you can, try to master the blood manipulation. You can recover from injuries faster with it. It"s helpful."
Lu Bu became talkative when he discussed martial arts. He was enjoying it since it had been a long time that he talked to a master martial artist.
".. Y-You"re right."
"How about it, wanna spar? Let me see your current strength and your wing mastery."
"Err, we have to manage our troops. I don"t think I have enough time-"
While Zhang He was dragged into Lu Bu"s pace of conversation, the white hair G.o.d of war forced Zhang He into a friendly duel.
At the sides, all vice commanders gestured as if they were praying for Zhang He.
"Rest in peace."
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Two hours after the small talk, Zhang He collapsed on the ground, panting in exhaustion.
Lu Bu stood firm without wearing any armor. However, his wooden pike was broken in half.
Despite Lu Bu"s overwhelming angelic power, which reinforced the durability of the wooden pike, Zhang He broke it with his skills and polearm mastery.
Both of them had sparred for two hours without rest, but Zhang He failed to land a blow on Lu Bu"s body. It was a one-sided battle.
Lu Bu used 30% of his strength in this duel, but Zhang He had spent 90%. The latter even used the overclock mode to keep up with Lu Bu"s speed, but the G.o.d of war took it with ease. Since a three-winged angel and a four-winged one was on a different league, this result was natural.
Still, Lu Bu was impressed, "Well done, kid."
"T-Thanks."
"I can tell that you"re good with your overclock mode, but a few strikes were unrefined. I"ll write you a note about my personal techniques, so you can use it as a reference when you train. Oh, don"t give it to Zhang Tong, though. I don"t want him to know my secret technique yet. I need to get a rematch with him in the future."
Zhang He laughed. After a long bout, he understood Lu Bu"s character a bit.
He was just like a lonely little boy without a friend to play with. Because he was too good at his craft, he did not have many people to share his interests.
"He"s actually a good guy. I wonder why his majesty and Lu Bu don"t get along."
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The cooperation between the two legions got smoother after Zhang He let go of his prejudice against Lu Bu. On the contrary, they got along after the friendly spar.
At night, they had a drink together. As Lu Bu was drunk in a good mood, his tongue slipped, "I have a daughter, and I"m worrying if she can find a good man. Say, Junyi, have you married?"
"I"m still single, senior Lu."
"Wanna marry my daughter? She"s only 10 at the moment, but I"m sure she"ll grow into a beautiful woman."
*PFFFT*
Zhang He spat his wine.
"Does he think I"m a lolicon like his majesty!? I have my f.u.c.king standard, dammit!"
Drunk and offended by Lu Bu"s offer, Zhang He"s tongue also slipped, "I"m not his majesty, senior Lu. I"m not interested in children. Heck, why don"t you offer your daughter to his majesty? Maybe he can treat you better, or maybe he will see you in a better light. Cai Yan gave his daughter to his majesty, and he"s enjoying his wealth, fame, and prestige! He"s an important minister in the court now."
Enlightened by Zhang He, combined with his drunk mentality, Lu Bu texted in the clan chat.
Lu Bu: "Zhang Tong, marry my daughter!! She"s 10 this year, and she"s pretty!! Then, give me a duke t.i.tle as a wedding gift!!"
Everyone: "…"
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All clan members in the clan chat were astonished and shocked by Lu Bu"s sudden proposal.
Meanwhile, Tong was also drunk in l.u.s.t as he was uniting with Diaochan"s teen body and her endless stamina. Tong recalled that Lu Bu"s daughter was Lu Lingqi, so he jested in the chat for a laugh, trolling Lu Bu.
Tong: "I don"t mind collecting famous women in my harem. Give her to me, and I"ll make you a f.u.c.king Marquis of a Province."
In an instant, Lu Bu replied.
"DEAL!!"
Everyone: "WHAT!?"
Tong was flabbergasted.
"I was kidding. Wut?"
Medusa, in her Diaochan form, paused. She grabbed his t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es and clenched them in anger.
"Oh? Taking another woman so soon? I"m tolerant enough to overlook your favoritism treatment on w.a.n.g Yi, but you"re taking in another under-aged girl again? My daughter and I have not been impregnated yet, but you want someone else to f.u.c.k!?"
"Ow, Ow, Ow, I"m sorry!!"
That night, there was no sultry moan from a consort. Instead, it was Tong"s crying voice as Diaochan tortured him an entire night.
All officers in the court also could hear it.
Te Langpu: "Press F to pay respect."
Everyone: "F"