Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 102 A Demonic Eye in a Chaotic World, A Wicked Dragon Enters the Realm

After Guan Yu and Zhang Fei killed the nameless junior general, Liu Bei led his army to scatter the pursuing troops, finally managing to regain some morale.

Upon reaching Fule County, one or two groups of soldiers who had arrived earlier were already waiting to join them. They were all dressed in rags and covered in dust.

After reorganizing his troops, Liu Bei rested in Fule City.

Perhaps because Liu Bei had promised full pay after the war, defeated soldiers would occasionally come to join them.

If he just leaves, wouldn't all his efforts to survive, risking his life, be for nothing?

Therefore, almost everyone who could escape from the plains of Changping and knew the way came to Fule to find Liu Bei.

Of these troops, the good ones numbered four or five hundred, while the bad ones numbered only a few.

These men wept and prostrated themselves before Liu Bei, saying that they had encountered the general Ji Ling.

"Lord Xuande, you may not know this, but Ji Ling is nearly ten feet tall and wields a three-foot-long broadsword with ease. Anyone who bumps into him will die, and anyone who touches him will perish."

We were completely helpless; those around us were slaughtered, leaving a sea of ​​blood.

After they finished crying, another group, which had also suffered heavy casualties and had only a dozen or so survivors, immediately became dissatisfied.

"fart!
You encountered Ji Ling, but who did we encounter?
It was clearly Ji Ling who was chasing us; he had a blue face and fangs, and looked like a ghost.

What he was using was not a broadsword at all, but a divine sword that could cut through iron like mud, capable of flying a hundred paces away.

We only saw his banner from afar, and then the people around us disappeared one after another, their numbers dwindling. They must have been beheaded by his swift, flying sword.

Just then, some of the newly returned soldiers saw the two sides arguing and stepped in to mediate. Their tone was fearful and their words were even more shocking.

"Stop arguing. The Ji Ling you all met was a fake. The one we met is the real one."

Ji Ling didn't use any weapons; his strength was immense. With just a reach of his hand, he grabbed several people and carried them away as easily as lifting chickens.

What sea of ​​blood, what flying swords at a hundred paces? What you say is utter nonsense. Lord Xuande, do not believe it.

Why do you think Ji Ling didn't use weapons, but instead reached out and grabbed people?

To be honest, I have a fellow villager who serves in Cao Cao's army. There lies a shocking secret of Yuan Shao's camp, which only I know.

He forbade me to tell anyone else, but I am telling you all today. Do not spread this around.

It turns out that these 100,000 Yuan soldiers were all hungry ghosts under Yuan Gong's command, who had to eat people every day, otherwise they would surely mutini.

Why arrest people and take them back? Just to stockpile food supplies.

The man spoke with such conviction and logic, his arguments were consistent and coherent, that the crowd couldn't help but believe him.

In short, whenever asked, any unit that suffered heavy casualties must have encountered Ji Ling.

It was as if Ji Ling was not only incredibly powerful and unmatched, but also elusive and capable of teleporting, allowing him to simultaneously pursue troops in various locations.

After listening to the reports from these people one by one, Liu Bei knew that most of what the defeated soldiers said could not be trusted, but because of the power of word-of-mouth, he believed some of it.

After all, even if you don't believe he has three heads and six arms or is all-powerful, it's not wrong to believe he has superhuman strength, right?

You may not believe that his three-foot-long sword is so deadly that a single blow will kill you, but you can't be wrong to believe that he can move through a vast army as if it were empty, right?

You might not believe he has a blue face and fangs, that he eats human flesh raw, and that he drinks human blood, but that seems believable!

Liu Bei vaguely remembered that he seemed to have heard similar rumors from Cao Cao's camp.

At this moment, his gaze towards Guan Yu held a newfound understanding.

It turns out that Ji Ling of Nanyang is such a vicious person. No wonder he was able to make my second brother lose his temper and flee after only three moves due to a moment of carelessness.

Afterwards, his second brother fought him seriously, and with all his might, they fought for more than a hundred rounds without a clear winner.

This even forced his second brother to have specially customized armor to fight him again.

They had never seen Guan Yu, who looked down on all the heroes under heaven, treat an opponent so seriously.
Seeing that Liu Bei's gaze was somewhat strange, Guan Yu narrowed his long, phoenix-shaped eyes and furrowed his brows.

"Brother, what do you mean? Don't believe these defeated soldiers' lies."

"I've fought Ji Ling myself. Aside from his impressive hidden weapons, in terms of pure skill, he could only last thirty rounds against me at most." Liu Bei gave him an "I understand" smile. "Of course, I trust you, brother!"

"Ji Ling is nothing more than a target for sale in front of my second brother."

Guan Yu: "."

That doesn't sound like something you really believe.

Ji Ling, I, Guan, will surely kill you to prove my name.

By noon the following day, Liu Bei had gathered over ten thousand defeated soldiers in Fule County who had come to collect their pay, but Sun Qian still hadn't shown up for their appointment.

Looking back, the vast estate and army that Tao Gongzu entrusted to Xuzhou, leaving him, has now dwindled to just over ten thousand men.

Liu Bei felt he had failed Tao Qian's high expectations, and thinking of Sun Qian, who was probably already dead, he felt even more grief and his eyes reddened once again.

However, he also knew that now was not the time to weep, as Yuan Shu's army was strong and might catch up at any moment.

Despite missing Sun Qian, he dared not linger in Fule any longer. He sent a message to Jian Yong, who was guarding Liang State, to ask Cao Cao for help, while he led his troops to Pei State to find Mi Zhu to pay the soldiers.

Without Liu Bei's obstruction, all parts of Chen eagerly awaited Yuan Shu's surrender, and soon Yuan Shu annexed Chen.

The palace of Prince Chen was dimly lit by candlelight.

Yuan Shu sat arrogantly on his throne, looking down as he reviewed matters concerning the people's livelihood, granaries, and taxes within the territory of Chen.

His ministers, both civil and military, stood silently on either side of him.

The officials who were originally under the command of King Chen could only kneel and wait outside the palace, awaiting their summons and roll call, as well as their unknown fate.

"The Grand General, the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xuanming, and the son of King Xiao of Chen, Liu Chong, the King of Chen, brought his Chancellor Luo Jun to the court for an audience."

Before Liu Chong could speak, Chancellor Luo Jun snorted coldly and stepped forward proudly, "Traitorous scoundrel! How dare you summon my king?"

Your Majesty need not fear him. Let me rebuke him in court. Even if I cannot harm him, I will at least make him stagger.

Upon hearing this, Liu Chong looked horrified. In a moment of panic, he rushed forward and grabbed Luo Jun, nodding and smiling obsequiously at the messenger.

"Prime Minister Luo is old and senile, and his ramblings should not be taken seriously. Please forgive him, General."

As they spoke, he quietly took Luo Jun's hand and slipped gold and silver into his sleeve. Only after the soldier left did he release Luo Jun and earnestly persuade him.

"My Prime Minister!"

I know you are loyal and righteous, but I must also consider the current situation.

Who is Yuan Gonglu? He is the most ruthless man in the world! He first defeated Liu Yao, then Cao Cao, and now even Liu Bei is no match for him.

What's the use of cursing him at this point? The best course of action is to feign compliance and protect yourself.

Seeing that Luo Jun was still indignant, Liu Chong sighed.

"Alright, Prime Minister, try not to say anything later and just watch my expression."

"I understand Your Majesty's meaning. How could I not know these principles?"

Please rest assured, I will certainly follow your gaze and rebuke him when the time comes!

Liu Chong: "."

Upon arriving at the main hall, Liu Chong, determined not to suffer a loss, respectfully bowed.

"Liu Chong, the young prince, greets the great general."

Liu Chong slightly raised his face and saw the person sitting high on the throne, amidst the flickering candlelight, put down the bamboo slip in his hand and looked up at him.

Truly like a demonic eye in a chaotic world, like a wicked dragon coiled up.

The evil dragon looked down at him with its head held high and asked with a light laugh.

"Why does the Prince of Chen, a man of national dignity and royal lineage, perform such a grand ceremony before me?"
Do you intend to lead my loyal and virtuous officials into unrighteousness?

(End of this chapter)