The night wind blew through the gaps of Xuzhou's west gate. The sight down below truly defied logic. Lu Bu, the monster whose name alone was enough to stop babies from crying across the Chinese mainland, was still kneeling on the muddy ground. His head was bowed low, waiting for an answer. Liu Bei stared at the man with bated breath. The Imperial Uncle slowly raised his hand. "Wait here, General Lu. I must consult with my advisors," Liu Bei said in a loud voice that shattered the silence. Liu Bei immediately signaled the guard captain. The iron-reinforced wooden gate that had been slightly open was shut tight and locked with a giant wooden beam. Once the gate was closed, Liu Bei turned around. He walked quickly up the stone stairs to the command room on top of the tower, closely followed by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Jo Fan. As soon as the command room door closed, the previously quiet atmosph

The stuffy air inside the rundown tavern felt increasingly suffocating. The flickering, dim oil lamp light reflected the gleam of the three pouches filled with pure gold pieces on the wooden table, wet from spilled wine. The three low-ranking officers of the Bingzhou army stared at the gold with bated breath. Wang Kai smiled faintly. Cao Cao's spy knew exactly that the loyalty of starving men was very easy to buy. He slowly reached inside his black robe, ensuring his movement didn't trigger panic in the three savage men before him. A small bamboo scroll was placed on the table. A bright red wax seal bearing the dragon emblem, symbolizing Prime Minister Cao's power, was affixed neatly to it. "This gold is a small gift for the three of you," Wang Kai said in a very calm, hypnotic tone. "But this scroll is not for you. This letter must reach the hands of your master, the God of War Lu Bu. And you must hand it over when he f

Three thick bamboo scrolls landed on the wooden table with a loud thud. Jo Fan looked at the three legendary generals in front of him with an ice-cold stare. There was no more hesitation in the white-haired young man's eyes. The threat of Lu Bu's thirty thousand Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry had forced his brain to work at maximum capacity. "General Guan, the middle scroll is for you," Jo Fan commanded. His voice was hoarse but radiated absolute authority. Guan Yu stepped forward. The God of War picked up the bamboo scroll and opened it slowly. His sharp eyes swept over the rows of formation diagrams and tactical instructions drawn in charcoal. Guan Yu frowned deeply. "Phalanx Formation? Guerrilla Tactics?" Guan Yu mumbled, spelling out the foreign terms written there. "Long spears crossed to form a tight wall, but the army divided into small independent units?" "Exactly. I don't want our infantry to just be

Two days is a very long time if you have to spend it without being able to feel your own legs. Jo Fan sat scowling in a chair fitted with two large wooden wheels on its left and right sides. His legs, wrapped in thick cloth, were completely frozen from the waist down. The motor paralysis caused by the spinal nerve overload when forging the lightweight steel blueprint was truly agonizing. However, there was one thing that brought a little comfort to his pride. This wooden wheelchair was no ordinary chair. Upon hearing the news that the Military Advisor who had saved their city had fallen ill and paralyzed, the best carpenters in all of Xuzhou had worked through the night. They built him a dragon-carved wheelchair out of select wood, complete with soft silk cushions donated by the Mi family. More than that, the man currently pushing the wheelchair from behind was no ordinary soldier. "Turn left a bit,

The afternoon air at the Pingyuan training ground felt like a giant grill. Thick brown dust flew through the air, mixing with the pungent smell of sour sweat and vomit. The footsteps of tens of thousands of men struck the sandy ground in a messy rhythm, but not a single one of them dared to stop. The new recruits ran along the city borders. They wore no armor. They were shirtless, their skin sunburnt raw and blistered. On their shoulders, each man carried a solid teak wood log weighing dozens of kilograms. A young soldier in the middle of the formation tripped over a rock. His trembling, exhausted legs could no longer bear the weight. He fell face first. His wooden log slammed into the dirt. The young man's stomach churned violently, spewing bitter yellow bile into the dust. The other soldiers who saw him almost stopped too, but a giant shadow suddenly blocked the sun above them. "Who told you to sto