Chapter 55: Matters of the Great Han Dynasty

After a good hour of eating and drinking to his fill, Zhang Fei shouldered his serpent spear and sat at the edge of the meteorite crater, waiting for Xu Chu to emerge.

"Hey there, fellow! Do you dare to fight me on foot? Fists and weapons have no eyes; how about we test our hand-to-hand combat skills?" Xu Chu emerged this time without his horse, and his tone was much less abrasive than before, though it was clear he was still reluctant to submit. As for a weapon, after searching the Xu family estate for a long time, he could not find a single one that suited him well, so he had played a clever trick when he rushed out.

"Bring it on! Old Zhang never takes advantage of anyone!" Zhang Fei thrust his serpent spear into the ground, stood up, and shook his arms. His arms and legs instantly swelled by a circle, and his waistline expanded as well.

"Though I don't know who you are, my father said that if I win, you have to let me come with you, and you must not treat me poorly afterward because of this." Xu Chu patted his chest and said loudly.

"Then come on! Win or lose, Old Zhang won't give you any trouble!" With a roar, Zhang Fei stamped hard on the ground and charged straight at Xu Chu.

"Thud!" A black light erupted from Xu Chu, nearly rivaling Zhang Fei's. He made no attempt to dodge Zhang Fei's punch, tightly clashing fist against fist instead, for strikes where flesh met flesh suited him best.

"Thud!" Following two consecutive muffled impacts like beating drums, Zhang Fei and Xu Chu each stepped back half a pace, then strode forward again, raining blows upon each other with fists and feet, accompanied by a continuous stream of dull thuds.

Xu Chu's heavy foot kicked hard into Zhang Fei's chest. Zhang Fei grabbed it fiercely, intending to fling Xu Chu away, but Xu Chu leaped up and directly drove his other foot straight into Zhang Fei's chest, leaving Zhang Fei completely breathless.

"Black savage, let you taste my true power!" Seeing that Zhang Fei had taken two solid blows from him, Xu Chu was confident that these two kicks should have stripped even a fierce tiger of half its life. Even if the black charcoal opposite him had used inner qi to fend off most of the attack, the remainder would be more than enough to make him suffer.

With a tiger-like pounce, Xu Chu pressed both hands onto Zhang Fei's shoulders, slamming him directly to the ground, preparing to subdue this fellow right then and there. Mounted combat might not be his strong suit, but in foot combat, Xu Chu believed his brute strength was enough to deal with any living creature moving on the surface of the earth.

Zhang Fei was driven straight into the loess soil by Xu Chu's pounce. The ground, which had been thoroughly packed down during their exchange of blows, was instantly blasted into a human-shaped crater. Zhang Fei felt a wave of dizziness, and by the time he recovered his wits, he was already pinned deep in the dirt.

Seeing Xu Chu straddling him and raising a fist to greet his blackened face, Zhang Fei flew into a rage. He blocked Xu Chu's fists with both arms, drew a deep breath, and unleashed a furious roar directly at Xu Chu, who was about to headbutt him.

Chen Xi covered his ears. Even from such a distance, the roar made his heart race; this was practically a sonic weapon! The impact must have made Xu Chu, taking it full-on, feel utterly nauseous.

Chen Xi had guessed correctly. Facing this almost point-blank roar, Xu Chu had no way to dodge and truly had to bite the bullet to take Zhang Fei's blow. Instantly, his head spun and dizziness overwhelmed him, but the "Tiger Fool" was a fool indeed. Desperately enduring the nausea and qualms, a black light burst forth from his entire head as he smashed it viciously into Zhang Fei's forehead, driving Zhang Fei's head straight into the loess.

Having done this, Xu Chu struggled to stand up, only to be struck squarely in the face by a desperate, all-out punch from Zhang Fei, who was still dizzy and seeing double. He tumbled like a rolling gourd and collapsed onto the ground, lying side-by-side with Zhang Fei. The only difference was that Zhang Fei's upper body and head were mostly embedded in the loess, while Xu Chu lay flat on his back.

Both men were currently dizzy with ringing ears, but their mouths kept moving as they continued to hurl insults at each other. As they cursed, they both burst out laughing.

"Xu Chu, you're not bad. Zhang Yide of Yan invites you to join us in Mount Tai. My eldest brother wishes to restore the Han Dynasty, and what he needs most are brave warriors like you. There are endless Yellow Turbans to kill and battles without end over there." Lying on the ground, Zhang Fei managed to extend a hand in an inviting gesture.

"Good!" Xu Chu reached out and slapped the back of Zhang Fei's hand, then laughed heartily. "I believe a savage like you won't misjudge a man."

After staying the night at the Xu family estate, Liu Bei departed with Xu Chu, Xu Chu's elder brother Xu Ding, and a dozen or so broad-shouldered, sturdy men. It was unclear what the Xu family fed these men, but judging by their physiques, they were no less impressive than Zhang Fei—truly stout warriors of imposing build. The head of the Xu clan had also agreed with Liu Bei that once Mount Tai stabilized, the entire family would migrate there. It seemed they had completely thrown in their lot with Liu Bei.

Afterward, no major events occurred. Liu Bei led his men all the way back to Mount Tai, which was his base of operations. Although the realm was currently in chaos and no one would hold him accountable even if he arrived past schedule, Liu Bei, who still retained a shred of reverence for the Han Dynasty, did not wish to undermine the remaining rules over such trivial matters. If even he, a member of the imperial clan, refused to abide by the laws of Han, who else would?

Even if only to preserve the last shred of decency for the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei would never allow himself to trample upon rules that seemed already to have been utterly shattered by others. The imperial clan existed precisely to protect the Han Dynasty; even if they fought among themselves internally, they would never allow outsiders to meddle. Just like Liu Biao, who, despite internal instability, mustered a grand army for the sake of the Han banner and struck down the Fierce Tiger of Jiangdong in one blow.

"Is Sun Gongtai dead?" Liu Bei looked at the intelligence report in his hands. Lacking a professional intelligence transmission system, by the time Dong Zhuo far away in Chang'an learned of the news, Liu Bei's report had only just arrived.

"Wasn't it just as we guessed earlier? Shot into a sieve by a hail of arrows?" Chen Xi said with a light chuckle. "Whoever makes a vow is bound to have someone carry it out. The Han Dynasty hasn't fallen yet, and Sun Jian was simply too arrogant."

"Just as Zichuan anticipated. But does Zichuan know who took in Sun Jian's family and soldiers?" Liu Bei put away the report and deliberately tested him.

"Yuan Shu, of course. Only he would bother to collect Sun Jian's corpse. Although that fellow has a bad reputation, he truly possesses the demeanor of a knight-errant. Whatever solemn words he speaks, he will never go back on them. Sun Jian's family has at least been left with a sanctuary," Chen Xi said with lingering interest. "Had Sun Jian lived, Yuan Shu might have forcefully seized the Imperial Seal. But with Sun Jian dead, in Yuan Shu's eyes, the Sun family—left with only orphans and a widow—no longer had anyone of comparable stature to oppose him. Even if his eyes turned green with greed for the seal, he wouldn't take it by force; that fellow cares a great deal about his own face."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly. Chen Xi's analysis was even more accurate than the intelligence he had received himself, and far more detailed. "Zichuan is truly meticulous in detail, actually deducing so much just from Yuan Shu's temperament."

"..." Chen Xi did not pick up the thread of the conversation. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Li Ru's strategy can be considered ruined. Though Yuan Shu is unwilling to seize the seal by force, he won't let anyone else reach for it either. For the short term, the matter of the Imperial Seal has come to an end. Next, it will depend on the choices made by Sun Jian's sons. If they truly are heroes of the realm, the seal will eventually fall into Yuan Shu's hands after all."

While Chen Xi was discussing Li Ru, Li Ru was drinking with Jia Xu, venting the fury burning in his chest. Dong Zhuo had disappointed him far too much. All talk of grand ambitions and sweeping boldness was merely the product of his own wild imagination; in reality, Dong Zhuo simply wanted to return to his old hometown to live out his days, incapable of caring for anything else.

And then there was Lu Bu, that bastard. Having lost over ten thousand elite cavalry, the man was now even more guarded after rumors were put out by others. Li Ru now longed to seize any opportunity to simply kill Lu Bu and be done with it. That scoundrel was not of one mind with them at all. Were it not for Lu Bu's formidable strength, the protection of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, and the absence of any overt offense on his part, once an attempt to eliminate him failed, the Dong Zhuo army would likely never know peace again.

Killing Lu Bu was not difficult; the hard part was how to plug the mouths of the gossiping world. Ever since Lu Bu entered the Dong Zhuo army, relying on his astonishing martial prowess, he had become a banner for the faction. To cut him down without any reason, purely based on suspicion, would be the height of absurdity! It would not only destabilize the military morale of Dong Zhuo's forces, but the lords of the Guandong region would surely clap and cheer. Such an act of grieving one's kin while gladdening one's enemies was naturally something a wise man like Li Ru would never do.

"Come, Wenhe, drink." With a bitter expression, Li Ru handed a cup of wine to Jia Xu. In front of Jia Xu, he never needed to put on airs; he spoke his mind freely, whatever was on it.

Jia Xu said nothing, simply accompanying Li Ru in drinking. He listened to everything the other said and stored it deep in his heart. Precisely because of his close friendship with Li Ru, he clearly understood what kind of state Chang'an was currently in. It could be said that without Li Ru's suppression, the entire Chang'an region would likely have fallen into complete chaos by now. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the Xiliang Wolf Cavalry looked at each other with hostility; Lu Bu and the Xiliang generals looked at each other with hostility; and Dong Zhuo holed up in Mei County, endlessly plundering wealth. The entirety of Chang'an was in utter turmoil.

Whenever Li Ru recalled his original ideals, only to witness the chaos beneath the walls of Chang'an and hear the agonizing screams of families torn apart, his heart ached bitterly. His disappointment in Dong Zhuo had gradually transformed into hatred. He came from a humble background; he had wanted to alter an era where all wealth and wisdom were monopolized by the aristocratic families. When he made his grand vow, he had prepared himself for sacrifice—not only sacrificing others, but sacrificing himself as well.

Yet now, looking at the human tragedy unfolding beneath the city of Chang'an, Li Ru asked himself in the silence of his heart: had the lives of ordinary people changed? Yes, but unfortunately, they had not improved as he had always delusionally imagined; instead, they had become far more wretched.

The exploitation of the noble families might result in broken families and years where people struggled to get a full meal, but that was ultimately limited to a minority.

Think about it: before Dong Zhuo arrived, Chang'an, under the rule of the elite clans, at least had the capacity to put a veneer of gloss over these tragedies, and they still knew enough to distribute grain and set up porridge kitchens during famine years. At the very least, it looked peaceful.

Now Dong Zhuo had ripped away all that veneer, allowing those tragic scenes to occur on a massive scale. The entirety of Yongzhou had plunged into this misery—families torn asunder, people resorting to cannibalism. Chang'an had turned into a living hell, and he, Li Ru, was the creator of this hell.

He had once wished to end the monopoly of wealth and wisdom held by the noble families, and he had been prepared for sacrifice. But having witnessed these present tragedies, Li Ru no longer dared to imagine what path lay ahead of him.

Though the path of reform and transformation was paved with corpses, and the bones that fell right before the dawn were bound to be those of the reformers themselves, at least one could feel the warmth of the light. Yet now, Li Ru could no longer see the slightest glimmer of light on his path forward. Casting his gaze about, he saw only scene after scene of human tragedy. Was this the path he had sought? No! Absolutely not!