“Servant of three surnames, I shall take your dog’s life!”
“Lu Bu the child, how dare you insult our Shu Han Emperor! Hasten and offer your neck to receive death!”
Guan Xing and Zhang Bao cried out in unison…
They led the last remnants of their army, charging towards Lu Bu, charging towards the elite cavalry of Great Wei.
“Director Qian…” Liu Bei looked back at Sun Qian, “Everything I needed to say is in this letter. After this battle, Cao Cao will not trouble you. You must return to Ba Shu and deliver it to the Prime Minister and A Dou with your own hands.”
“Yes… yes…” Sun Qian’s reply was choked with sobs.
Originally, this task was entrusted to Jian Yong by Liu Bei…
But as fellow villagers from Zhuo Commandery, Jian Yong refused… Having come this far together, the people of Zhuo Commandery… live and die as one!
Sun Qian… could not bear to refuse Liu Bei…
But…
He looked at the two letters in his hand.
He knew that for Ba Shu in its current state… these two letters were worth more than anything.
“Your Majesty, fare… farewell!” Sun Qian stammered out his cry.
“Hahaha!” Liu Bei laughed, drawing his Twin Treasure Swords from his scabbard…
He pointed towards Lu Bu charging at him, towards the countless Cao troops, “My generals, heed my command! Follow me to slay the enemy! Shu Han shall not perish!”
“Shu Han shall not perish…”
“Shu Han shall not perish!”
“Shu Han shall not perish!”
The generals and soldiers shouted in unison. Most of these soldiers were veterans… who had followed Liu Bei through thick and thin. An affection that transcended lord and servant, an affection that transcended life and death, was already forged between them!
“Kill…”
*Wuwuwu…*
The horns of Shu Han sounded once more.
The soldier blowing the horn was already covered in wounds, but even with his last ounce of strength, he dedicated it all to this final cry of Shu Han!
*Wuwuwu…*
Accompanied by the sound of the horn…
As the Shu soldiers charged forward, they sang aloud.
“Why say we have no clothes? We share the same armor. The King leads his troops, sharpen our spears and halberds…”
“Don our iron armor, gird our long sabers. Conquer with you, for the road is long…”
“Loyalty and righteousness fill the sky, our spirits reach the stars. Our commander cherishes us, like parents…”
*Tada…*
*Tada…*
Many Shu soldiers no longer had horses. They marched with powerful, resolute steps, charging towards the Wei army’s cavalry as infantry.
Faith…
These veterans possessed faith!
Spine…
These veterans, destined not to die but to wither, forged Shu Han’s final spine with their flesh and blood!
At this moment, all the Shu soldiers seemed possessed…
At this moment, the power coalesced within the Shu army surpassed death, surpassed everything!
…
*Boom…*
*Clang!*
The Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and the Sky-Piercing Halberd clashed in the air…
Brilliant sparks erupted between heaven and earth.
At this moment, the Serpent Spear and the Crescent Blade converged into a single, immense force, like a mountain collapsing, smashing fiercely against the Sky-Piercing Halberd before them!
*Clang!*
Metal striking metal…
Sparks flew like scattered stars on the mountain peaks.
“Hahaha… even if your fathers, Guan Yun Chang and Zhang Yi De, fought together, they might not be my match!”
“You mere juniors, your martial skills are so pathetic, playing with fire before a master, like ants trying to shake a tree!”
With Lu Bu’s roar, the Sky-Piercing Halberd, carrying an overwhelming force, rapidly pushed back the attacks of Guan Xing and Zhang Bao.
What followed closely…
Was peerless martial skill that made them both “dizzy and entranced.”
*Clang…*
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
Fighting two opponents, but under the continuous assault of the Sky-Piercing Halberd, Guan Xing and Zhang Bao could only defend…
They retreated again and again, their warhorses seeming to whinny in sorrow.
One戟, two戟, three戟… five戟…
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade and the Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear were directly struck and twisted.
Lu Bu’s eyes were bloodshot…
He channeled all his strength, the Sky-Piercing Halberd as if it had become one with him…
*Clang!*
With a sharp crack, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade was sent flying by the Sky-Piercing Halberd.
Guan Xing, along with it, was knocked off his horse…
*Pfft…*
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Guan Xing saw that his abdomen had been sliced open by the crescent moon edge of the Sky-Piercing Halberd, a gaping wound.
Blood flowed profusely, his trousers, his body… all were covered in blood.
The pain had not yet struck…
But from the wound… the endless coldness… like the cold wind on the mountain pouring into his wound, chilling him to the bone, making him feel how close he was to death!
“Cold… cold…”
Guan Xing stammered out the word “cold”…
In a daze, he seemed to see his father…
He saw that heroic man with a green hat, a face like a red date, clad in green robes, holding the Spring and Autumn Annals in one hand… stroking his long beard with the other, gazing at him from afar.
“Father…”
“My son tried his best!”
“Father… your son is useless! Unable to turn the tide!”
“My son is worthy of loyalty and righteousness! Father is proud of you!”
*Thump…*
*Thump…*
Guan Xing fell to the ground, his breath ceasing in an instant…
He died with his eyes closed, his appearance quite peaceful!
Perhaps… it was a final surge of light, allowing him to see the father he longed for.
“Father… your son is coming to accompany you!”
This sentence was like a brand, forever seared into his heart.
Afterward…
All was silent, and everything returned to peace.
“Waaaaa!”
Seeing Guan Xing fall, Zhang Bao went mad. He abandoned his defense… the Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear thrusting out repeatedly, as if he wanted to perish with Lu Bu.
“Tricks of a petty performer!”
Lu Bu responded unhurriedly, Zhang Bao’s attacks becoming increasingly erratic.
“Hmph…”
With a cold snort, Lu Bu seized an opportunity, the Sky-Piercing Halberd thrusting straight out…
Then… beneath the sun’s rays… a “lifting slash”…
*The halberd’s edge pierced directly into Zhang Bao’s body, and then he was lifted into the air by the Sky-Piercing Halberd.*
*Ooh…*
Instantly, Zhang Bao’s pupils widened, they contracted, his heart tightened… and then, a feeling of powerlessness caused him to close his eyes in resignation.
“A general who only knows brute force cannot change the tide of a battle. Your father, Zhang Yi De, was like this, and so are you… I, your lord, was once like this!”
Throwing Zhang Bao’s corpse aside… Lu Bu felt a pang of melancholy.
Before Bai Men Tower, he, like Zhang Fei and Zhang Bao, had tried to change the battlefield and the times through his martial prowess…
But reality had dealt him a harsh blow!
Heartbreakingly painful!
The Marquis of Wen, Lu Bu of that time, and Lu Fengxian of Jiuyuan at this moment, though one person, his state of mind had completely changed!
Lu Bu shifted his gaze from Zhang Bao’s cold corpse…
He narrowed his eyes and surveyed the entire battlefield.
It seemed that this place… had entered its final stage!
…
“Ah…” With Jian Yong’s mournful cry…
He fell before Liu Bei.
He had blocked a fatal戟 for Liu Bei.
“Ah…”
At this moment, Liu Bei’s demeanor changed completely, and he roared with heart-wrenching anguish.
First, Lang, Deng Zhi, and Chen Dao were buried in the explosion…
Now, Zhang Bao, Guan Xing, Jian Yong by his side… all fell one by one before his eyes, killed by the Wei army.
In just a moment…
The last thousand-plus men were all slaughtered.
Liu Bei found… amidst the sea of corpses, only he was left wielding his Twin Treasure Swords, hacking away like a madman, but there was no one before him.
“Kill…”
“Kill…”
“Kill…”
“Shu Han will not rest! Shu Han will not perish!”
Liu Bei continued to swing his Twin Treasure Swords like a madman… his eyes filled with madness, his voice hoarse with fury.
It seemed… he wanted to hack out all the hardships, the injustices he had suffered in his life, all the bitterness he had endured, all the suppressed pain in his heart, until… his hair was disheveled, his clothes in disarray… only then did his chopping slow down.
“Big-eared bandit…”
Lu Bu’s eyes were filled with anger and disappointment…
Angry that the hypocrite who had nearly killed him, the fake benevolent one… was right before him, and if Lu Bu wished, he could sever this hypocrite’s head at any time!
Disappointed that this figure who haunted his dreams, his nightmare for countless nights, was now in such a pathetic state. How tragic… how tragic!
“Kill… kill!”
Liu Bei was still hacking like a madman…
Lu Bu gripped his Sky-Piercing Halberd and said in a deep voice, “Big-eared bandit, all your men are dead!”
“All dead?”
Upon hearing Lu Bu’s voice, Liu Bei stopped swinging his Twin Treasure Swords, “My brothers… all… all died in battle? You… you all… all went before me!”
Tears streaming down his face, Liu Bei lowered his head… and scanned the corpses, the bodies still gushing blood.
Since childhood, he had a dream… a dream of pure perfection.
His dream was to turn the luxuriant mulberry tree at the entrance of his home into the imperial canopy. He did not want to hold the umbrella for the emperor, but to sit under the canopy himself, to be the emperor!
A declining imperial relative, he craved to prove himself, he craved to sit in the highest position above ten thousand people.
He craved it deeply.
This was a pure, naked desire…
*Rise above the common!*
*Rise above the common to the greatest extent!*
But… but this world was not his alone to rise above. By what right did he have it? By what right?
Cao Cao had a grandfather who was a “Marquis” and a father who served as Grand Master of Ceremonies, Grand Administrator of the Granaries, and Grand Commandant;
Gongsun Zan had a good father-in-law, a Commandery Administrator, in the late Han Dynasty…
Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu hailed from families of four generations of dukes and ministers…
Lu Bu had adopted father Ding Yuan, a frontier general…
Liu Biao, Liu Zhang… though both were of Han imperial lineage, yet… Liu Bei was not worthy to carry their shoes.
This was reality…
All Liu Bei could do was squat at the gate of Zhuo County, shouting and selling the straw mats and sandals his mother had woven the night before…
Would he live a lifetime of mediocrity like this?
No…
Liu Bei wanted to resist, to fight against fate.
He performed admirably within his clan, befriended his clan brothers, was humble, polite, intelligent, and prudent. He needed the help of his clan to go to Mount Goushi to study under Lu Zhi.
But in the end, out of nearly a hundred students… Lu Zhi didn’t even know who Liu Xuande was?
He formed volunteer troops and campaigned against the Yellow Turbans… His achievements were no less than any other general, but in the end, he was only enfeoffed as a County Lieutenant… and was dismissed by the Censor because Emperor Ling wanted to cut expenses and dismiss many officials…
He tied the Censor to a tree and whipped him with willow branches… he completely disregarded his image.
It was his brother Zhang Yi De who took the blame for him, who carried the infamy of whipping the Censor…
When eighteen lords gathered to attack Dong, the three of them with their horses went without hesitation.
Drinking wine to behead Hua Xiong…
Three heroes fighting Lu Bu…
Finally, they made a name for themselves?
Indeed! Futile!
After the farce of eighteen lords attacking Dong concluded, he had no choice but to seek refuge with his good brother Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan did not entrust him with important responsibilities, but handed him over to his subordinate Tian Kai… appointing him as Governor of Pingyuan!
Just like that… eating and waiting to die, living a life of mediocrity?
No… absolutely not!
Liu Bei’s dream of rising above the common… never changed!
Xu Zhou’s Tao Qian sought rescue… He learned from his bitter mistakes… went to Xu Zhou, he never thought of claiming Xu Zhou for himself… it was Chen Deng who told him what to do when he dared not think!
Although, in the end… it was still a failure.
He sought refuge with Lu Bu, but Lu Bu guarded against him;
He sought refuge with Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao did not trust him;
He sought refuge with Liu Biao, but Madam Cai regarded him as a thorn in her side…
While he was lost and bewildered, it was the appearance of Zhuge Liang… it was Kongming who told him what to do when he didn’t know what to do!
Dividing the realm into three…
Forming an alliance with Wu to resist Cao…
The great battle of Chibi!
If not for Cao Yu, perhaps… perhaps he would have won!
Perhaps the realm would now be divided into three…
Unfortunately… unfortunately, there are no ifs.
Zhuge Liang told him what to do, but Cao Yu also told Cao Cao how to respond!
“Hahaha…”
“Hahahahaha…”
“…Hahahahahaha…”
Suddenly, Liu Bei burst into mad laughter, as if possessed.
The past flashed by like smoke… his experiences of these years all flickered before his eyes… he had realized his childhood dream, becoming the Emperor of Shu Han, sitting in the “imperial canopy carriage”!
He had never imagined that even realizing this dream was due to… Cao Yu’s invention of the “flying ball” and his unjust seizure of Yi Province.
Ironic… how ironic!
Now, the people around him were dying one by one, his second brother Yun Chang, his third brother Yi De… Fa Zheng, Li Yan, Guan Xing, Zhang Bao, Mi Fang, Ma Liang…
Even now, on the vast White Salt Mountain, with Shu generals’ corpses and scattered soldiers’ remains everywhere, yet… he… he, Liu Bei, was still alive.
“I, I have lost!”
“But Lu Fengxian, I tell you, I did not lose to the Sky-Piercing Halberd in your hand. I lost to the Emperor of Great Wei, that Hidden Dragon, Cao Yu!”
“I came close to success countless times. I cooperated with Xu Yuan Zhi, mobilizing six armies to encircle and suppress Cao Cao. I took advantage of the Guan Du War to launch a surprise attack on Xudu. I ambushed thousands of troops at Bowang Slope… but… all these were resolved. They were resolved by Cao Yu, or by Cao Yu’s disciples, or by Cao Yu’s generals.”
“Today, I admit, I… the Emperor of Shu Han is inferior to the Emperor of Great Wei. My death today at Baidi City is merely the victor takes all, the loser is defeated. I have no regrets!”
Liu Bei uttered these final words. He was skilled at concealing his thoughts, he had hidden them all his life… pretended all his life, endured all his life.
In the end, he no longer wanted to endure.
He laid his cards on the table… he was simply not as good as Cao Yu, far from it, greatly so!
“Heh heh…” Lu Bu sneered, raising his Sky-Piercing Halberd, as if to swiftly sever Liu Bei’s head and end his life.
“Wait!” Liu Bei spoke again, “I am the Emperor of Shu Han. An emperor has his own way of dying!”
Saying this, Liu Bei turned his back. He raised his Twin Treasure Swords, one towards the sky, one towards the earth!
Lu Bu did not know what he intended to do…
But his grip on the Sky-Piercing Halberd tightened, maintaining extreme vigilance.
As for Lu Xun…
Arriving slowly, he saw this scene.
He was the first to cry out, “We respectfully bid farewell to the deceased Emperor Liu Bei of Shu Han!”
As soon as these words were spoken…
Tens of thousands of Great Wei soldiers roared in unison.
“We respectfully bid farewell to the deceased Emperor Liu Bei of Shu Han!”
“We respectfully bid farewell to the deceased Emperor Liu Bei of Shu Han!”
“We respectfully bid farewell to the deceased Emperor Liu Bei of Shu Han!”
The voices echoed, resounding for miles.
The entire White Salt Mountain, the entire Baidi City…
Cao Cao, Lu Xun, Zhou Yu, Lu Bu, Gao Shun, Lu Su, Xu Chu, Gan Ning, Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, Ling Tong, Xu Sheng…
Countless officials and military officers of Wei… all witnessed this scene.
Listening to the thunderous shouts of “We respectfully bid farewell to the deceased Emperor Liu Bei of Shu Han” that filled heaven and earth…
“Worthy of being the maternal clan of the Great Wei Emperor!”
“Lu Boyan, thank you!”
Liu Bei’s gaze darkened. With his Twin Treasure Swords, one from top to bottom, one from bottom to top, he simultaneously slashed across his neck… a streak of blood splattered between heaven and earth, reflecting colorful hues under the sunlight.
*Clang!*
The Twin Treasure Swords fell to the ground, colliding with the mountain rocks and stone steps with a crisp sound.
Then…
*Thump… thump…*
Accompanied by the splashing blood from his neck, the Emperor of Shu Han, Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, fell upon this mountain peak!
…
…