Chapter 55: Matters of the Great Han Dynasty

Chapter 55: Matters of the Great Han Dynasty~

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More than half an hour later, Zhang Fei, having eaten and drunk his fill, sat on the edge of the meteorite crater with his serpent spear resting on his shoulder, waiting for Xu Chu to emerge.

"You there, man! Do you dare to fight on foot? Blades and spears have no eyes; let us test our fists and feet!" This time, Xu Chu did not come out on horseback, and his tone was not as aggressive as before. However, it was obvious he refused to back down. As for weapons, he had searched the Xu Family Village for a long time without finding anything suitable, so he had played a little trick when he ran out.

"Bring it on! Old Zhang never takes unfair advantage of anyone!" Zhang Fei slammed his serpent spear into the ground, stood up, and shook his arms. Suddenly, his limbs swelled by a full circle, and his waistline expanded as well.

"Though I know not who you are, my father said that if I win, you must let me go with you, and you must not mistreat me because of this matter in the future," Xu Chu said loudly, patting his chest.

"Then let's do it! Regardless of whether I win or lose, Old Zhang will not cause you trouble!" After Zhang Fei finished speaking, he let out a thunderous roar, stomped his foot heavily, and charged toward Xu Chu.

*Thud!* A black light erupted from Xu Chu's body, nearly as intense as Zhang Fei's. He did not dodge Zhang Fei's fist; instead, he clenched his own fist and struck back. Direct, flesh-on-flesh combat was the most suitable method.

*Thud! Thud!* Two consecutive dull sounds, like the beating of a drum, rang out. Zhang Fei and Xu Chu each retreated half a step before taking a large stride forward, exchanging blows. This was followed by a continuous succession of muffled impacts.

Xu Chu's large foot kicked into Zhang Fei's chest. Zhang Fei grabbed him fiercely, intending to throw him back, but unexpectedly, Xu Chu leaped up and used his other leg to kick Zhang Fei's chest squarely. This blow left Zhang Fei completely winded.

"You black barbarian, let me show you my prowess!" Seeing that Zhang Fei had taken two solid hits from him, Xu Chu was confident that even a tiger would be half-dead from these two kicks. Even if the black-skinned fellow across from him used internal qi to absorb most of the impact, the remainder would be enough to take him down.

Xu Chu lunged forward, pressing both hands onto Zhang Fei's shoulders and pinning him directly to the ground, preparing to move in and subdue him. He might not be a match in mounted combat, but in foot combat, Xu Chu believed his brute strength was sufficient to handle any living creature on land.

Zhang Fei was slammed directly into the yellow earth by Xu Chu's tackle. The ground, which had been compacted by their previous exchange of blows, was struck so hard that a human-shaped crater was formed. Zhang Fei felt a wave of dizziness; by the time he regained his senses, he was already pinned in the dirt.

Seeing Xu Chu straddling him and raising a fist toward his dark face, Zhang Fei flew into a rage. He braced Xu Chu's fist with both hands, took a deep breath, and unleashed a violent roar directly at Xu Chu, who was attempting to headbutt him with his bald head.

Chen Xi covered his ears. Even from such a distance, the roar made his heart race; it was practically a sonic weapon. Xu Chu, who took the hit head-on, likely felt nauseated.

Chen Xi's guess was correct. Facing this near-zero-distance roar, Xu Chu had no way to dodge. He truly had to grit his teeth and take the blow. Instantly, his head spun, but being the "Tiger Fool," he endured the nausea. With his head erupting in black light, he slammed his head into Zhang Fei's, driving Zhang Fei's head straight into the yellow earth.

After doing this, Xu Chu struggled to stand up, but he was overcome by dizziness and blurred vision, falling back to the ground. At that moment, Zhang Fei, also dizzy and lightheaded, threw a desperate punch that landed squarely on Xu Chu's face. Xu Chu tumbled back and lay on the ground beside Zhang Fei. Fortunately, while Zhang Fei's upper body and head were embedded in the yellow earth, Xu Chu was lying flat on the surface.

Both men were now dizzy with ringing ears, yet they continued to trade insults. As they argued, they both eventually burst into laughter.

"Xu Chu, you are not bad. Yan Ren Zhang Yide invites you to our Mount Tai. My eldest brother needs fierce warriors like you to uphold the Han Dynasty. There are endless Yellow Turbans to kill and endless battles to fight." Lying on the ground, Zhang Fei managed to extend a hand in an inviting gesture.

"Fine!" Xu Chu slapped Zhang Fei's hand and laughed loudly. "I believe a barbarian like you won't misjudge a man."

After staying overnight at the Xu Family Village, Liu Bei departed with Xu Chu, Xu Chu's brother Xu Ding, and over a dozen burly, broad-shouldered men. It was unclear what the Xu Family Village had been feeding these people, but looking at their physiques, none were inferior to Zhang Fei; they were truly powerful warriors. The clan leader of the Xu Family Village also agreed with Liu Bei that once Mount Tai was stabilized, the entire clan would relocate there, appearing to have completely pledged their allegiance to Liu Bei.

There were no further major incidents. Liu Bei led his group back to Mount Tai, which served as his base. Although the world was in chaos and no one would hold him accountable for staying past his allotted time, Liu Bei, who retained a shred of reverence for the Han Dynasty, did not wish to break the remaining rules over such a trivial matter. If even a member of the imperial clan did not abide by the laws of the Han, who would?

Even if it was merely to preserve the last shred of dignity for the Han, Liu Bei would not allow himself to touch these rules that seemed to have been trampled into the dust. The imperial clan existed to protect the Han; even if they fought amongst themselves, they would not allow outsiders to interfere—much like Liu Biao, who, despite internal instability, mobilized his great army to strike down the "Tiger of Jiangdong" in the name of the Han.

"Is Sun Gongtai dead?" Liu Bei looked at the intelligence in his hands. Because there was no professional intelligence transmission system, the news only reached Liu Bei just after Dong Zhuo, far away in Chang'an, had received it.

"Isn't it exactly as we guessed? Shot through with arrows like a sieve?" Chen Xi said with a light smile. "Whatever one bets on, someone will execute it. The Han Dynasty hasn't fallen yet; Sun Jian was too arrogant."

"It is as Zichuan predicted. But does Zichuan know who took in Sun Jian's family and soldiers?" Liu Bei put away the intelligence, testing him intentionally.

"Yuan Shu, of course. Only he would go to collect Sun Jian's remains. Although that fellow has a poor reputation, he does possess a certain heroic flair; once he speaks solemnly, he does not go back on his word. Sun Jian has essentially left a sanctuary for his family," Chen Xi said with interest. "If Sun Jian hadn't died, Yuan Shu might have forcibly seized the Imperial Seal. But with Sun Jian dead, in Yuan Shu's eyes, the Sun family is just a group of widows and orphans with no rivals left. Even if he covets the seal, he won't seize it by force; that man values his reputation highly."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly. Chen Xi's assessment was even more accurate and detailed than the intelligence he had received. "Zichuan is truly meticulous, to deduce so much from Yuan Shu's temperament."

"..." Chen Xi did not respond immediately. After a long silence, he spoke, "Li Ru's scheme has been neutralized. While Yuan Shu may not wish to seize the seal by force, he won't let others reach for it either. The matter of the seal will be settled for the time being. Next, it will depend on the choices of Sun Jian's sons. If there truly are heroes in this world, the seal will eventually fall into Yuan Shu's hands."

While Chen Xi spoke of Li Ru, Li Ru himself was drinking with Jia Xu, venting the fury in his chest. Dong Zhuo had disappointed him immensely. All that talk of grand ambitions and immense courage was nothing but his own delusions; in reality, Dong Zhuo simply wanted to return to his hometown and live his life, caring for nothing else.

And then there was Lu Bu. That bastard. Having lost over ten thousand elite cavalry, the rumors were now making everyone even more wary. Li Ru wished he could find an opportunity to kill Lu Bu right now. That bastard was not of one mind with them. If it weren't for Lu Bu's overwhelming strength and the protection of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, and the fact that he had committed no explicit fault, the failure to suppress him might mean the Dong Zhuo army would never know peace again.

Killing Lu Bu was not difficult; the difficulty lay in how to silence the public outcry. Since joining Dong Zhuo's army, Lu Bu had become a banner for the forces due to his staggering martial prowess. To strike him down without reason, based merely on suspicion, would be an absurdity of global proportions! Not only would it destabilize the morale of Dong Zhuo's army, but the lords of Guandong would likely applaud. A wise man like Li Ru would never do something that would please the enemies and grieve his own people.

"Come, Wenhe, drink." With a bitter expression, Li Ru handed a cup to Jia Xu. In front of Jia Xu, there was never a need for pretension; he said exactly what was on his mind.

Jia Xu remained silent, merely accompanying Li Ru in his drinking. He listened to everything the other man said, committing it to memory. Because of his friendship with Li Ru, he knew exactly what the situation in Chang'an was like. It could be said that without Li Ru's suppression, all of Chang'an would likely have descended into total chaos. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the Xiliang Wolf Cavalry loathed each other; Lu Bu and the Xiliang generals loathed each other; and Dong Zhuo spent every day guarding Meiwu, constantly plundering wealth. All of Chang'an was in turmoil.

Whenever Li Ru thought of his original ideals while looking at the chaos beneath the walls of Chang'an and hearing the screams of families being torn apart, his heart ached with unbearable pain. His disappointment in Dong Zhuo had gradually turned into hatred. He came from a humble background; he wanted to change this era where wealth and wisdom were monopolized by the great aristocratic families. When he made his grand vow, he was prepared for sacrifice—not just the sacrifice of others, but his own.

But looking at the human tragedy beneath Chang'an, Li Ru asked himself: has the life of the common people changed? Yes, but unfortunately, it had not improved as he had dreamed; it had become even more wretched.

The exploitation of the aristocratic families would create families torn apart and people who rarely saw a full meal, but that was ultimately only a minority.

Think about it: before Dong Zhuo arrived, at least under the rule of the aristocratic families, Chang'an had the capacity to mask these tragedies. They knew to release grain and distribute porridge during years of famine; at least, things appeared peaceful.

Now, Dong Zhuo had stripped away all the masks, allowing these tragedies to occur on a massive scale. All of Yongzhou had fallen into such misery—families separated, children traded for food. Chang'an had become a hell, and he, Li Ru, was the creator of this hell.

He had once wanted to end the monopoly of wealth and wisdom held by the great families, and he had been prepared to sacrifice everything. But after witnessing these current tragedies, Li Ru no longer dared to imagine what lay ahead on his path.

Though the road of reform and change is paved with corpses, and the bones left behind at the dawn of a new era will inevitably belong to the reformers themselves, at least one can feel the warmth of the light. But now, Li Ru could see not a single glimmer of light on his path forward. Looking out, there were only scenes of human tragedy. Was this the path he had sought? No! Absolutely not!

(End of Chapter)