Battle Royale of the Sinners

Three of Tong's legions were ready to strike the central plain at any time, but Xun Yu hoped that Tong could wait a little longer.

The longer they postpone the major war between two powerhouses, the more peasants migrating to their territories. As the richest and the righteous faction of the court, this fame alone could attract merchants and nobles from around the country.

Wei Yan was one of the migrated people because of word of mouth. He came here along with other peasants because he heard that Tong had many academies in Ye.

In addition, Cao Cao had just invaded Xu Province, so civilians in his territories feared that they might get dragged into a war. As a consequence, many civilians moved north, seeking shelter under Tong's faction.

It was the best time to steal manpower resources from the central plain while Cao Cao's cities were underdeveloped.

Tong rolled his eyes after he had listened to Xun Yu's thought.

"How long until Yuan Shu act up? What's our latest spy report?"

"He will move this year. We have fed him enough, so they will definitely give Cao Cao another headache."

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April 18th, 191 AD.

Luoyang City.

Yuan Shu had been enjoying his position in the ex-capital city for years, but he started to get bored.

All the women he had were the same. All wines became tasteless, and all treasures were nothing but garbage to him.

Now that Yuan Shao had been killed by Cao Cao. He had become the new head of the prestigious Yuan Clan as he had always dreamed.

However, his heart was empty.

Every day, he kept gazing at his Imperial Seal, admiring the jade stone.

"I have everything I have ever dreamt of. I have the clan head title. I have power and territories. I have all the food and loyal subordinates. What else that I haven't had?"

He stared at the seal and his pseudo emperor crown. Then, he gazed toward the north.

"Should I become an emperor? Be one like Zhang Tong?"

Yan Xiang and Yang Hong grimaced when they overheard Yuan Shu's comment.

"My lord, you must not!"

"What are you thinking!? Don't try to pursue the throne, my lord!"

All Han loyalists screamed in a panic. As their heart was with the dynasty, no one wanted an outsider emperor.

Despite the pleas of his loyal retainers, Yuan Shu raised the seal overhead and smiled, "With this seal, I shall become the new emperor of this land! Prepare a coronation ceremony! I shall be the emperor of my glorious dynasty!"

As Xun Yu had been waiting, Yuan Shu lost his patience and declared himself emperor of a new dynasty, Zhong.

Chen Qun ran away from Luoyang the day he heard that Yuan Shu became emperor by using his Imperial Seal. He rushed to Xuchang, planning to inform everything to Cao Cao.

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Two weeks later, Liu Bei and his brothers, who were serving Yuan Yin in Hongnong, heard the news from traveling merchants.

Tong stealing the throne from Liu Xie was frustrating enough, Yuan Shu's boldness enraged Liu Bei further.

"Is our dynasty a joke!? Why is everyone trying to become an emperor!?"

Liu Bei screamed as he drank in his courtyard. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also by his elder brother's side.

Guan Yu lamented, "It's a turbulent time. Everyone is abusing their power for their self-interest."

"What about the people!? Don't they care about the innocent civilians!?"

"They do. Well, some of them. Haven't you heard all the praise from the merchants? They liked how Cao Cao and Zhang Tong are doing."

"…"

Liu Bei swallowed his words. He bit his lower lips and sulked.

"What do I need to do to get to Zhang Tong's level?"

Guan Yu shook his head, "Impossible. He is an immortal while we are merely men. Why are you competing with him, anyway? Are you jealous of his power?"

"Err, no. I didn't mean it that way."

"To be honest, I think of Zhang Tong as a good emperor. I heard he abused his edicts to tame Cao Cao, and both of them become allies. This is a move that benefits the people. Don't you think so?"

"…"

While Liu Bei was sulking, Zhang Fei flexed his wing power.

"It's not exactly impossible, first brother! Look at my back."

Two white tentacle wings fluttered behind Zhang Fei's back.

Liu Bei stared at Zhang Fei with widened eyes, "Third brother, you … HOW DID YOU GET THAT!?"

Zhang Fei shrugged, "It just came to me. Second brother has them, too. I can even feel your aura from here, right?"

Guan Yu sighed. He was being considerate of Liu Bei that he kept it a secret. Now that Zhang Fei ratted him out, he had to confess.

Four white tentacle wings flashed behind Guan Yu!

Seeing the four wings, Zhang Fei laughed, "Damn! I thought it was three. You got four now!?"

"By being virtuous, you'll get these wings naturally. Just avoid drinking, womanizing, and keep yourself disciplined, you'll catch up with me in no time."

Zhang Fei paused and stared at his wine jar. He pouted, "Bah! I just can't! I'm not a monk, second brother!"

Liu Bei's body trembled in excitement. He reached out to the wings, trying to touch them. However, his hands grabbed nothing but air.

"Wow …"

Guan Yu was smart enough to read his brother's mind, "I had a talk with a goddess. She said that once we tribute her 100,000 years of lifespan, she will teach us the trick to get stronger. I paid for it when she revisited me to tell me that I had enough. I'll try to ask her if you can get these as well."

"YES, PLEASE! TELL THE GODDESS, I DO ANYTHING TO GET THESE WINGS!!"

Guan Yu revealed a wry smile on his face, "I'll try. For now, let's think about how we can survive this ordeal. Are we going to continue serving Yuan Shu?"

"Definitely no! We'll leave him ASAP!"

"Then, where should we go next?"

Liu Bei gulped as he could not decide where he should go.

Going north to shelter under Tong was not an option. Going west would betray the Han Dynasty as they might have to serve the Xiongnu.

"Heading south or east?" Zhang Fei pondered.

Guan Yu had an idea, "How about we continue pretending to serve Yuan Shu, but we'll send messengers to Liu Biao and Cao Cao that we'll work with them. Anyone that helps us, we'll assist them in taking out Yuan Shu's forces from this city. We'll be able to contribute to the people this way?"

Liu Bei laughed, "Genius! You're a genius, second brother! Let's do that!"

As such, Liu Bei and his brothers continued staying in Hongnong.

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The emergence of Yuan Shu's Zhong Dynasty enraged Liu Biao as Guan Yu had thought. The warlord recalled his men from the south to Xiangyang right away, planning for a campaign against this Han traitor.

In May, Liu Bei's messengers also arrived at Xiangyang, the capital city of Jing Province, which was the home base of Liu Biao.

"Liu Bei? Who is this?" Liu Biao had forgotten the name of this [Liu].

Kuai Liang, Liu Biao's advisor, whispered to his lord, "It's the lapdog of Yuan Shao in the last coalition against Xiongnu, my lord. He's the one with long ears and long arms."

"Ah? The moneyman in the rumor? What does he want?"

"The message said that he is currently residing in Hongnong, and he is willing to cooperate with us if we launch a campaign against Yuan Shu. He also requests that he gets to keep Hongnong once we vanquished Yuan Shu."

Liu Biao sneered, "Haiz, a greedy bastard. Still, we're going to take on that traitor anyway. Can we request reinforcement from our emperor?"

"I've already dispatched our messengers to Ye. I think his majesty won't allow Yuan Shu to live. They will help us."

Although Liu Biao did not approve of how Tong seduced He Xing and used her as a stepping stone to the throne, he still liked Tong since he retained the name of the Han Dynasty and kept Liu Xie as the crown prince.

The past events also proved that Tong only waged war against Xiongnu and other traitors, which were also another factor that Liu Biao favored this emperor's war policies. The Jing Province's administrator leaned a bit on Tong's side.

This was what Xun Yu had aimed, the righteous image of a just emperor. Tong would be able to gather all Han loyalists under his banners in the future without shedding a drop of blood. Once both Liu Yan and Liu Biao could accept Tong's governance, they would automatically submit to Tong when their borders connected, just like Kong Rong.

"What about Cao Cao? Is he still his majesty's subordinate?"

From an outsider's point of view, Cao Cao had already surrendered to Tong, so they thought Cao Cao was a part of the emperor's faction.

The advisor laughed, "Cao Cao is busy expanding his forces south toward Shouchun and Lujiang. He will have to move his main forces from the central plain if his majesty sends his decree, though. It depends on his majesty's action, but I think Cao Cao will help us, too."

"Good. Then, let's prepare our forces. We'll take Wan County first, then we will head to Hongnong of this Liu Bei later. As for Luoyang, we'll leave it to Cao Cao and his majesty."

As such, the quiet Liu Biao mobilized his forces.

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Yi Province

Liu Yan also heard the news, but his hands were tied.

Khan, Liu Yang, Ma Teng, Ma Chao, and all of their subordinates invaded their territories.

They managed to use the natural defense of this region, but they could not handle Khan's endless army. They had slaughtered 150,000 soldiers of Khan, including former subordinates of Dong Zhuo, such as Li Jue and Guo Si, but they could not handle Ma Chao's elites, the Xiliang Cavalry.

Yan Yan, the grand commander under Liu Yan, managed to stop the Xiongnu invasion at Jiameng Pass, southwest of Hanzhong.

However, his 50,000-man army was exhausted by the prolonged war. Even after they had killed so many soldiers, Khan's cataphracts and Ma Chao's Xiliang cavalry managed to breach the defensive lines and reached Zitong County behind them. 

June 12th, 191 A.D.

A messenger came to Yan Yan, telling him that Zitong County had fallen to Khan and Ma Chao.

"Sir, we'll be isolated if we keep on defending this pass. We have to retreat!"

Yan Yan was frustrated. He did everything he could, but he had failed.

Still, Yan Yan was a veteran general. He examined his region map and pointed at Mianzhu Gate, which was the last line of defense between Zitong and the capital city of Yi Province, Chengdu.

"We'll detour Zitong and regroup with the others at Mianzhu Gate! We'll travel light and use every secret passage as we head there. Tell the troop, do not use the main road since Xiliang soldiers are deadly in horseback!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"