The first year of Xingping, 194 AD.
Cao Cao, under the pretext of avenging his father, launched his second campaign against Xuzhou.
His army slaughtered hundreds of thousands of men and women, leaving no chickens or dogs alive; the Si River ceased to flow.
Tao Qian invited Liu Bei to join forces to resist Cao Cao.
Liu Bei and Cao Bao joined forces in Tan County to resist Cao Cao's army, but ultimately they were defeated.
The battle became a stalemate, and the situation in Xuzhou was precarious!
...
"...Cough...cough."
With a violent cough, Li Yi struggled to crawl out from the pile of corpses.
He took a deep breath.
Before him was a vast expanse of sunset, and in his ears was a gentle breeze.
But the breeze carried with it the lingering stench of blood and the putrid smell of rotting corpses.
A thousand horses galloped through Li Yi's heart. He was a high-ranking company executive, leading his employees on a team-building mountain climb.
Unexpectedly, he became separated from the main force by a series of unforeseen circumstances. When he finally found himself among the crowds,
he was met with a group of ferocious soldiers, baring their teeth and brandishing swords, ready to kill him without warning.
Li Yi had no choice but to flee.
For the past two days, he had been either fleeing or on his way to escape.
He had never imagined that time would pass so slowly.
For two days,
all he heard was the clamor of warhorses, and all he saw was the somber sound of flying blood and flesh.
If Li Yi hadn't been physically strong, he would have been one of the corpses scattered on the ground.
Looking at the severed limbs and broken bodies, Li Yi couldn't help but sigh.
For the first time, he understood what it meant to be a dog in times of peace rather than a human in times of chaos.
In times of chaos, human life was truly as worthless as grass.
Li Yi didn't consider himself a saint, but seeing the piles of white bones before him, he still felt an indescribable sorrow.
Perhaps this was the feeling of shared fate, of sympathy for one's own kind...
He straightened his spirits and continued forward.
Li Yi was not a sentimental person, nor did he like to utter unnecessary words.
The weak complain about their environment, while the strong change it.
Facing setbacks, crying and wailing is not the behavior of a true man; only by rising to the challenge can one have a chance to survive in this cruel world!
Li Yi took off his backpack and checked its contents.
Binoculars, lighter, chewing gum, first-aid kit… all the necessary mountaineering gear was there.
Even in the most difficult times, Li Yi didn't abandon his backpack.
He knew these things were crucial and unique in this era…
Li Yi took out a wafer biscuit and chewed it; this was his last one.
These past few days, it had been his only source of energy, the strength to evade the bandits' pursuit.
"Kill!!"
Suddenly, the neighing of warhorses echoed behind him.
A small cavalry squad, wielding long swords, charged towards Li Yi with a roar.
Li Yi was startled and immediately got up and ran.
He hadn't gone two steps when he collided head-on with another cavalry unit.
Li Yi's heart skipped a beat. He thought, "Could this be my doom?"
Although he had somewhat suspected he might have transmigrated these past two days, he hadn't had a pleasant time.
Constantly evading the bandits, he hadn't had a chance to utilize his transmigrator advantages.
Was he really going to die here without knowing why?
Just then, a middle-aged general shouted loudly to Li Yi from ahead,
"Young man, come this way quickly!"
Fortunately, Li Yi had studied classical Chinese and could understand the general's words to some extent.
He hurriedly went to meet him, and the middle-aged general caught Li Yi, drew his sword, and cut down a charging knight!
What skill!
In the blink of an eye, the enemy was slain.
Only by witnessing this scene firsthand could one feel its awe.
With the middle-aged general having killed the enemy, the remaining enemy soldiers scattered and fled in all directions.
Seeing this, one general volunteered,
"Brother, let me go after them!"
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged general waved his hand and replied,
"No need to chase, saving lives is the priority."
With that, he dismounted and went forward to catch Li Yi.
The fierce expression he had displayed when facing the bandits vanquished him, replaced by a gentle smile as he kindly asked Li Yi,
"Young man, are you alright?"
Li Yi was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself that this man, surrounded by a group of followers, must be extremely wealthy and powerful.
Yet, he was willing to lower himself to care for a commoner like himself—this was very rare in ancient times.
Such a person was definitely destined for greatness; he had to cling to this powerful figure!
"I'm fine..."
Li Yi shook his head, expressing his gratitude to the middle-aged general.
"If it weren't for your rescue, General, I would have died at the hands of the bandits." "Thank you for saving my life, General. May I ask your honorable name?"
The middle-aged general replied,
"I am Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande."
"This gentleman beside me is my second brother, Guan Yu."
"Cao Cao led his troops to raid Xuzhou. I was entrusted by Magistrate Tao to come and defend against him."
"Just now, I was leading my troops on patrol when I unexpectedly encountered you being forced into a corner by the bandits. Fortunately, I arrived in time."
"Otherwise, you might have died at the hands of the bandits."
Liu Bei?
Li Yi was taken aback. The man before him was none other than the historically renowned Emperor Zhaolie of Han!
The man beside him must be Guan Yu, even more majestic and imposing than on television.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu were defending against Cao Cao's army in Tan County, which must have been in 194 AD.
In that year,
Cao Cao launched his second campaign against Xuzhou, committing endless bloodshed.
Yuan Shao dominated Hebei, constantly fighting with Gongsun Zan.
Sun Ce started his career in Jiangdong, gradually breaking away from Yuan Shu's control.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei was still wandering, searching for a territory of his own…
and this territory would soon arrive. Once obtained, Liu Bei would have the opportunity to truly step onto the playing table,
competing with warlords like Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu for supremacy.
There was no mistake!
After quickly clarifying the current timeline, Li Yi calmed himself.
He was highly adaptable, and adhering to the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," he imitated Liu Bei's bow.
"So it's Lord Liu, I've heard so much about you!"
This was the art of conversation.
Li Yi deliberately addressed Liu Bei as "Lord" instead of "Prefect."
Liu Bei was originally the Prefect of Pingyuan, and should have been addressed as "Prefect."
But when he came to support Tao Qian, Tao Qian, to bolster Liu Bei's prestige, recommended him as the Governor of Yu Province.
Although this governorship was nominal, the process was legitimate.
Addressing Liu Bei as "Lord" was tantamount to indirectly acknowledging his position as Governor of Yu Province—a sign of respect.
Liu Bei felt a surge of goodwill and smiled,
"Young man, do you also know me, Liu Bei?"
What hero doesn't yearn for fame?
Liu Bei had only recently arrived in Xuzhou, and even a commoner had heard of him—how could he not be pleased?
"...Hehe, Lord Liu's name is renowned far and wide; even this rustic from the mountains has long heard of you."
Seeing that Li Yi, though disheveled, possessed a dignified and elegant bearing, Liu Bei's goodwill grew even stronger. He then asked,
"I observe that young man's speech is refined and eloquent; you are no ordinary person. This is not the place to speak."
"Why don't you come with me back to Tan County?"
Li Yi was secretly delighted; this was the protection he had longed for.
"How dare I disobey!"
he replied, and followed Liu Bei back to Tan County.
On the way, Guan Yu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up:
"Brother, what do you think of this man?"
Liu Bei replied without hesitation:
"His appearance is upright, he doesn't seem like a villain."
"Why do you ask such a question, my good brother?"
Guan Yu frowned, gazing at Li Yi walking ahead.
He wasn't one to gossip behind people's backs.
But Li Yi's appearance was truly strange!
He had neither hair nor a beard, looking like a bandit who had been shaved.
But most people who were shaved had their faces disfigured.
This man, however, had upright features and fair skin, which was really odd.
Guan Yu didn't want to speak ill of people behind their backs, and he was also afraid that his elder brother would suffer, so he could only say:
"This man has a strange appearance, strange clothes, and an unknown origin."
"These are turbulent times, brother, you must be careful and wary of bandits."
Liu Bei, however, didn't take it seriously and shook his head lightly.
"If he doesn't speak, how can we know his origins? I'll find out after I ask him."
"Besides, I see this man has an upright appearance; he's definitely not a bad person."
"He was also forced into a corner by the bandits before, you saw it with your own eyes, why have you forgotten?"
Guan Yu remained silent.
Liu Bei smiled slightly and patted his shoulder.
"Who is loyal and who is treacherous, who is good and who is evil, cannot be summed up in a single sentence."
"When we return to Tan County, the matter will be settled."
With that, he spurred his
horse forward.
(End of Chapter)