Wandu Mountain City,
The Royal Palace.
As the sleeping quarters of King Dong Goryeo, King Go Bogu, this palace was not built in a grandiose manner. There were no carved beams or painted rafters, nor steps of white marble.
Why?
Perhaps because they were poor! After all, Goguryeo had virtually no commerce or agriculture; its profits all came from domestic livestock. And who would pay for livestock? The Great Han? Liaodong was a poor region, struggling to feed itself, how could it afford to consume meat? Buyeo? Don't be ridiculous! Perhaps they raised more cattle and sheep within their own borders than you did!
Yet, besides the Great Han and Buyeo, there was no one else nearby! Could they really expect the hundreds of thousands of people within Goguryeo to consume it all internally? It wasn't impossible! But if everyone raised their own and ate their own, what would the royal family eat?
Therefore, even though the common people within Goguryeo were not extremely poor, Go Bogu, as the King of Goguryeo, was not truly wealthy. No! It would be more accurate to say he was incredibly poor. Without the support of the nobles, Goguryeo wouldn't even be able to feed its army.
Because of this, Go Bogu, as the newly appointed King of Goguryeo, had been actively seeking solutions. Border raids were one of them. Although the people of Liaodong might be poorer than them, even a small amount of grain was still valuable. Moreover, the Han people had an ingrained habit of hoarding grain. If they could capture just one city, it would be enough for the Goguryeo royal family to feast for a long time.
Of course! Go Bogu was aware of the risks, so he was actively seeking allies. Buyeo, for instance!
At this moment, within this unpretentious palace, Go Bogu was meeting with a Buyeo envoy.
"Your Majesty~!"
Facing Go Bogu's request for an alliance, the Buyeo envoy looked troubled and said, "If we both serve the Han, isn't forging an alliance rashly a bit problematic?"
"Serve the Han?!"
The Buyeo envoy's words struck a nerve, and Go Bogu's temper flared. It was a disgrace! He, the dignified King of Goguryeo, the ruler of a nation, had to revere the Great Han as a superior power? He must be dreaming! If they had the guts, they should come and fight him here; he'd like to see if they had the ability!
Thinking of this, Go Bogu's expression turned somber, and he glared coldly at the Buyeo envoy.
"Go back and tell Wei Choutai that it's either an alliance, or I will destroy him first!"
"That's all!"
"Just relay my exact words to him and see how he chooses!"
With that, Go Bogu waved his hand, signaling the guards to escort the Buyeo envoy away.
However, just as the Buyeo envoy was about to depart, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the palace.
"Is the King here?"
"Yes..."
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry and report to the King!"
"This..."
The palace guards were about to say that the King was meeting a guest, but the person outside clearly had no patience.
"Make way!"
"This General..."
"What is it?"
Seeing that the person outside was about to storm in, Go Bogu couldn't sit still any longer. He walked forward and, looking at the military officer standing outside with a grim expression, said, "You Ju, if this is not urgent, you will receive fifty military strokes!"
"Your Majesty~!"
The military officer, addressed as You Ju, heard this and, with a thud, knelt on one knee before Go Bogu.
"The scouts from the army have reported that unidentified cavalry has been spotted outside the royal city!"
"What?!"
Go Bogu was stunned for a moment. When he recovered, his already grim expression became even more unpleasant.
"Since it's only suspected now, then go and find out exactly who they are!"
"Useless!"
"What are you people I raise for? Can't even handle such a small matter?!"
"..."
Facing the spittle that was almost hitting his face from Go Bogu, You Ju reminded him sternly.
"Your Majesty, the expeditionary army reported a few days ago that someone named Gongsun Zan from Liaodong invaded our Goguryeo!"
"???"
The King of Goguryeo faltered upon hearing this, then slowly seemed to understand.
"You suspect that those unidentified cavalry are from Liaodong?"
"Highly likely!"
Although You Ju asked as a question, his tone was firm.
"This, this..."
Seeing the serious expression on You Ju's face, the King of Goguryeo began to panic.
"He, I, I am a vassal of the Han! How dare Gongsun Zan invade us?"
"Is he trying to rebel?"
"Quickly send someone to notify the Provincial Governors of Liaodong and Youzhou, and have them bring Gongsun Zan back for punishment!"
"???"
As the King of Goguryeo's words fell, not only You Ju but even the Buyeo envoy, who had not yet left, was stunned.
What was going on? When he was called a vassal of the Han just now, he looked disdainful, and now he remembered he was a vassal of the Han? How shameless!
However, whether the King of Goguryeo was shameless or not seemed to have nothing to do with him. But the news he had inadvertently overheard was of great importance to him. He made up his mind! After leaving, he would secretly leave the city and hurry back to Buyeo. No matter what, since the Great Han had decided to attack Goguryeo, Buyeo had to lend a hand!
...
Although the progress in Liaodong was slightly ahead of schedule, it did not affect Ye Feng's duel with Lu Bu.
Outside the Suanzao Camp,
The two armies were arrayed against each other.
Twenty thousand fully armed and ferocious cavalry faced off against Lu Bu's three thousand Bingzhou wolf riders.
Of course!
This was just a superficial display; the real confrontation was between the two individuals in the center of the armies.
Ye Feng vs. Lu Bu!
However,
Just before the duel was about to begin, Ye Feng realized he had forgotten something.
He had forgotten to check Lu Bu's attributes! Although the dog system always said one hundred attribute points were the peak, he himself was already at one hundred and three! What if this kid was even more monstrous? Would he be kneeling today?
Thinking of this,
Ye Feng deliberately lowered his head to look at the warhorse under Lu Bu's crotch, shaking his head with a hint of regret.
"Lu Fengxian, are you going to fight this Provincial Governor with this horse? Don't renege on the deal if you lose!"
"You..."
Sensing the dismissiveness in Ye Feng's tone, Lu Bu became even more enraged. But he also understood! A good horse could provide an unimaginable boost to combat power. Thus, Lu Bu instinctively glanced at Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who were following behind him. If he remembered correctly, Yuan Shao had very good warhorses. Cao Cao's seemed decent too? In any case, he, a veritable general, was riding a common, inferior army horse.
"This..."
Noticing Lu Bu's gaze, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who had just caught up, were taken aback. What did he mean? He wanted a horse? But the warhorses under them were no ordinary steeds, how could they lend them out? So, after exchanging a look, Yuan Shao and Old Cao simultaneously looked at Liu Bei, who had just arrived.
"Hmm?"
Noticing the gazes from Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, Liu Bei's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Uh oh!
These two bastards are trying to trick me again? No way! I came here to watch the show, not to be tricked by you!
However,
Just as Liu Bei resolved to defend himself rigorously to prevent being tricked by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao...
"Brother Xuande!"
"Come!"
Yuan Shao waved to Liu Bei. When Liu Bei approached, he pointed directly at the warhorse under Liu Bei's crotch and said to Lu Bu, "Fengxian, what do you think of this warhorse?"
"Although it's not comparable to the swift steed of Provincial Governor Ye, it can still be considered one in ten thousand good horses!"
"Hmm..."
Lu Bu heard this, instinctively looked it over, and reluctantly nodded. "It's passable! While it won't allow me to exert one hundred percent of my strength, it's enough to defeat that rogue Ye."
"That's good!"
Yuan Shao selectively ignored the latter part of Lu Bu's words and waved to Liu Bei. "Brother Xuande, go and switch with Fengxian first, and we can discuss it after they're done fighting!"
"Ah?"
"Ah what? Hurry up!"
"..."
Liu Bei, who hadn't intended to agree, could only dismount with tears in his eyes as Lu Bu approached. He was scared! Whether it was a three-on-one or a one-on-one, he didn't seem to be their match. At this moment, Liu Bei deeply missed his two sworn brothers, wondering how they were doing.
While Liu Bei and Lu Bu were exchanging warhorses, Ye Feng wasn't idle either.
"System, quickly, show me Lu Bu's attribute panel!"
"Received!"
As the system's voice faded, a virtual panel appeared before Ye Feng.
...
【Lu Bu】
Courtesy name: Fengxian.
From Jiuyuan County, Wuyuan Commandery, Bingzhou. Skilled in archery and horsemanship, valiant and martial, known as the "Flying General." Currently called "Among men, Lu Bu; among horses, Red Hare."
Martial Prowess: 100
Leadership: 98
Intelligence: 87
Politics: 65
Skills: Horsemanship, Halberd Mastery, Swordsmanship, Archery Proficiency...
Special Attributes: Flying General (When commanding cavalry, all soldiers' martial prowess increases by 1, and morale increases by 20%.)
Special Attributes: Group Combat (When facing an attack by more than two people, martial prowess gradually increases... up to 2 points.)
...
"Hiss~!"
"As expected of Lu Fengxian!"
Looking at the attribute panel that appeared before him, Ye Feng couldn't help but gasp.
Flying General?
Group Combat?
If these two attributes were activated simultaneously, wouldn't he be almost as strong as himself? Even with his Overlord attribute, he could only... crush him! So that's how it is! After contemplating for a moment, Ye Feng finally relaxed. The Overlord attribute was truly formidable! For troop command, it increased overall strength by twenty percent, which meant how much attribute value was increased? Twenty percent of one hundred and three? Six point five? This...
"Ding!"
Perhaps sensing Ye Feng's internal fantasies, the system promptly issued a reminder:
"Esteemed Host, the Overlord attribute's characteristic of increasing strength when commanding troops refers to overall strength, not simply martial prowess!"
"???"
As the system's words fell, the smile on Ye Feng's face froze.
"What do you mean?"
"It means your increased martial prowess will fluctuate at most between 1 to 3 points!"
"No way?"
After confirming he hadn't misheard, Ye Feng became anxious.
"I can understand if you say it's calculated by overall strength, but why would the increase in martial prowess fluctuate?"
"Is it one point or three points?"
"Patience, Host!"
Sensing Ye Feng's increasingly agitated tone, the system quickly soothed.
"Host, this depends on your current state, such as whether you are ill or in other conditions. However, under normal circumstances, it is a fixed increase of two points. Please be assured!"
"Hmph~!"
Having successfully reclaimed his rights, Ye Feng let out a dissatisfied snort.
"The dog system is just begging for it; next time, I'll have to squeeze it hard!"
System: "???"