The Rise of History’s Most Powerful Empire

"Choice pending, host."

"Host may choose between A Step into the Past, Twin of Brothers, Three Kingdoms, Little Li's Flying Dagger and Water Margin."(T/N: wuxia books.)

The host soon came with the answer.

Each time he had to choose from among five worlds.

‘Which is best though?'

‘Twin of Brothers' is filled with pre celestials, patriarchs and grandmasters. They even have the power to bend space.' 

Pre celestial meant third grade. Patriarchs were at peak third grade and grandmasters could shatter space in the fifth grade.

It was a violent world that he, a second rank, had no place in.

Little Li's Flying Dagger's highest rank was fourth, if not third. But in this world strength wasn't everything. 

A certain poison existed that could kill anyone. Then there were the insidious ploys that had everyone's fate under control. 

‘For an innocent guy like me going in, it will end with my poor little life wasted at the hands of another. Too dangerous.'

That left Water Margin, Step Into the past and Three Kingdoms. No one in these worlds had abilities. At best, some could hold their own against dozens of men based on training and talent, of no threat to him and his forces. 

‘A Step Into the Past is a hard pass. The feudal system is still ruling strong and the world in constant conflict.'

And the Warring States was a period in history where China's military was most comprehensive.

With no one backing down and each state fielding hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Once the warring stopped, the death toll was in the millions.

There was no way he could come up with so many people in a short time and join the fighting. He'd be a sitting duck.

The Song dynasty in Water Margin was weak, with its military decayed.

Though this world was special in one way, the other nations outside of Song were powerful and at war just like in the Warring States period.

Dali, Tibet, Western Xia, Liao dynasty, Korea Goryeo, Japan and many others all had their own nation and administration. 

Each of them could take out hundred thousand soldiers if not more.

‘In Song, there might be millions of troops but they're weak and wasted, mowed down like grass in front of these veteran armies.'

Like that Daoist woman who came and overthrew Song and Liao with her 300,000 female cavalry.

Liao, who had the smallest population ended up crushed while Song was done in by its large population and unable to display its advantage.

For him to control a nation, he needed a certain army as well. The few hundreds he had were hardly helpful

‘With so many strong countries around me there's no way I can mess around in this world. Pass.'

That left Three Kingdoms, although chaotic, there were no strong barbarians outside, only small tribes. 

It was also the end of the Han dynasty. No matter how strong the army, it couldn't be used to its full advantage with how filled with contradictions it was. 

The prologue to this era was the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The Han dynasty needed the entire country's power to quell it and it still took more than a year.

‘It'll give me enough time to raise an army, use it to hold the pass that connects Sichuan and the court for joining, then I can do anything.'

‘As long as I can wrest control of Hanzhong before Han armies quell the rebellion.'

Sichuan and the court got in touch through Hanzhong, the ancient roads built by King HUiwen of Qin from the Warring States period. Controlling this province would mean I control the connection between these two forces.

‘I'll just then follow Liu Yan's example in using the rebellion as an excuse to close myself from court and proclaim myself emperor. 

‘By the time the Han finished with the yellow turbans, they'll then find a Qiang uprising in Liangzhou.

The uprising would be led by Bei Gongyu, Bian ZHang, Han Sui and Ma Teng, making it engulf the entire Han dynasty.

It wouldn't stop until the death of Emperor Ling, needing Dong ZHuo's help to quell it by paying half of Liangzhou, as a price to earn this sinister official's aid.

‘And the next four years of peace will make taking Sichuan easy, thanks to the system as well.'

‘By the time the feudal lords rise to suppress Dong Zhuo, I'd have the base Liu Bei had after the three kingdoms formed.'

‘In fact, Liu Bei can't even touch me, since Sichuan has a higher population and is not as ravaged, with its facilities intact.'

‘While other heroes had around thousands or the rare ten thousand army, I would swoop in with hundreds of thousand.'

"System, I choose the Three Kingdoms."

"Three Kingdoms confirmed. Will the host like to go now or wait. But no longer than a year."

‘I knew it. It's even letting me go within a year, how convenient.'

"Delay it for now. I'm not strong enough."

Zhong Yu now returned to the 1,000 fortune he just had. How to spend it? He could get 10,000 people or 2,000 soldiers.

To attack Three Kingdoms, he'd need ample soldiers and people. Why did Cao Cao, Sun Quan and Liu Bei have everything in control? 

Because they had powerful clans supporting them. And what did that mean? I meant the will of the common people. 

They controlled the public opinion like the empire did. By going along with the people's views, the lords gained thousands upon thousands of supporters. 

A rebellion was the last thing anyone wanted, or could handle.