That's How Liu Bang Won

A strong wind carrying fine sand blew in from afar, the banners of the Dusk Warband fluttered, dark clouds loomed over the city, and the army outside the city stood in imposing formation. The legion commander stood with his hand on his sword, looking towards the direction of Valentan.

"Goth a man of strong character who admires warriors. If we invite him with courtesy and he dares not come, he will be a coward and will be despised and ridiculed by his countrymen."

The ruler of the Dusk Warband slowly said, "If he abandons the city and flees, Valentan will be unable to cope with our many tactics without him stationed there. When we capture the city, we will kill one out of every two people we encounter, and then tell them that it was Kang De's abandonment of the city that led to Valentan's massacre. We will then make them spread this tragedy, so that Kang De will bear this indelible stain and blood debt."

Upon hearing this, the adjutant paused, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

The legion commander turned to look at him and sneered, "Are you trying to say that we were the ones who massacred the city, so why would the Goth People hate us? You're wrong. You need to understand that most humans don't dare to hate those who truly deserve hatred; they only hate those whose hatred won't bring any consequences. How could they dare to hate us? We really will kill them, city by city."

"And that small group can be divided into two types. The first type are the true patriots, who know they should hate us. The other type know Kang De's innocence and we are hateful, but they won't hate us; they'll even be happy because we've handed them a knife."

The adjutant lowered his head. "Yes, sir."

The legion commander said calmly, "Therefore, he will definitely come, and he will definitely stay."

The adjutant chimed in, "Then he will eventually fall into our hands."

The legion commander glanced at him again, smiled faintly, and said nothing.

He waved.

The infantrymen of an army rallied in unison, extending an invitation from the Dusk Warband to His Highness Kant, husband of Princess Tina Kang De the Duchy of Goethe and from Cathay, to come out of the city for a gathering.

I swear by the honor and dignity of the elves that I will never harm or ambush anyone.

The mages whipped up a whirlwind, their shouts echoing through the air, while the mounted archers drew their bows and hurled arrows—arrows with the arrowheads removed and letters tied to them—into the city. They wanted not only Kang De to know, but everyone in the city—soldiers, nobles, and commoners alike—to know.

The members of the court of the country they serve and protect are located in this city.

Vidal Chamber of Commerce.

When Preston relayed the elves' invitation, Leona immediately said, "We can't go! Elves are untrustworthy; they're good at spreading rumors and disguising their dishonesty as trustworthiness. We can't believe them! Now that they know your identity, they're determined to capture you alive to threaten Tina, so you should leave Valentan immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Preston instinctively glared at Leona, the Imperial woman.

"My brother said the Second Prince's reinforcements will arrive in three to five days," he said. "If you leave, Valentan will definitely not be able to hold out, that's one thing. Secondly, if you run away at a time like this, what about your reputation? The elves are masters of spreading rumors; if they start publicizing it, your reputation will be ruined!"

He stepped forward, bowed his head, and said sincerely, "I have my own selfish reasons. Without you, Valentan might have fallen yesterday, and many people would have died. So, emotionally, I don't want you to leave. But that's not the whole reason. I'm not lying. If you leave, the elves won't miss the chance to smear you! It's better to stay and wait for reinforcements to arrive so we can work together to defeat the elves. That's the best outcome!"

At this moment, Leona stopped Kang De and said seriously, "Reputation is important, but life is more important than reputation. As long as you're alive, even if you're smeared and framed for a while, you'll eventually be cleared of the stigma. If one day you raze the capital of Twilight Moon, you won't even need to clear your name; a bunch of people will be vying to help you clear your name..."

A look of worry crossed the girl's face. "Do you understand what I mean? Since the elves know your identity, they will definitely want you. You are the only chance to deter Tina's northern operations. Strategically speaking, the elves have a reason to get you at any cost. It's too dangerous for you to stay! They keep talking about reinforcements, but what if the reinforcements don't come, and instead the elves' reinforcements arrive? What then?"

Enraged by this, Preston drew his sword. "You imperial bitch..."

Kang De pulled Leona behind him, his eyes cold and sharp. "What do you want to do?"

Preston was taken aback by his gaze, then snapped, "She's an Imperial, she can't be trusted. How can you side with her?"

"I don't trust nations, but I trust individuals. Even if she's an elf, if I judge her trustworthy, then she's trustworthy. You cannot insult or harm my friend!"

Kang De said coldly, "She got herself involved in this mess because of Tina and me. I understand your wariness and hostility towards the Empire, but watch your mouth!"

Preston's face turned bright red; he was caught between drawing and sheathing his sword, and he was panting heavily with anger.

Fortunately, a moment later, another group of riders galloped in, and the soldiers outside greeted them one after another. A mediator arrived, and Mayor Nick walked into the courtyard. He glanced at the embarrassed and helpless Preston. Although he didn't know what had happened, he knew what to do.

"Sergeant Preston, please return to your assigned battle zone immediately and monitor the elves' movements."

Preston sheathed his sword, gave Kang De one last deep look, and strode away.

Mayor Nick was the only one left in the courtyard; the others who had come with him were waiting outside.

The ruler of Valentan looked radiant, his eyes sharp and bright, as if the weakness and madness he had displayed yesterday were merely a dream... only a few specks of gray hair remained at his temples.

His first action was to apologize.

"I apologize on his behalf," Nick said, bowing his head. "He must have said some rude things."

Kang De said calmly, "Mayor, are you going to apologize on behalf of your brother without first distinguishing right from wrong?"

"No need to figure it out, just think about it and you'll know why they're arguing." Nick smiled. "Yesterday you turned the tide and saved the entire city, he already admires and respects you greatly, so why would he have a verbal altercation with you? Today's dispute must be because of something new that happened today."

Kang De's curiosity was piqued. "Please continue."

"It's not something that needs a long explanation," Nick sighed. "It's a common human failing... He learned of your identity and admired your actions and abilities, so he considered you a fellow countryman, one of the Goth People. This is a form of identification, which is a good thing, but sometimes it can turn into a bad thing."

"Because he identifies with you and considers you one of the Goth People, he will naturally expect you to stand in the Goth People's position and act like the Goth People. What's worse, he confuses the concept of the Goth People with his own feelings and demands that you share the same thoughts and positions as him, which is simply asking for trouble."

Upon hearing this, Kang De laughed, "What does the mayor think?"

Nick said softly, "I think you don't care much about the high status and noble identity you gain by marrying Princess Tina. In fact, you might say that marrying Princess Tina doesn't mean you've become a Goth People, but rather that Princess Tina should become Cathayan."

--I'm not even particularly concerned about marrying Tina.

But these words cannot be spoken aloud, neither in front of Nick nor anywhere else.

What if it actually smells good?

Nick continued, "Living on this continent, nine out of ten men with any sense have dreamed of marrying a princess. Besides the beauty of the woman, what they desire most is the status and power that come with it. After all, on this continent, marrying a good wife can be worth twenty years of hard work."

"But I think that your love for Princess Tina certainly wasn't for Teldrassil's power and status."

"Because the elves invaded Goth, the outcome was clear. Princess Tina declared that you were dead. If you were a greedy person who coveted power and wealth, you would certainly have preferred not to get involved in this mess. But you did come, and you concealed your identity, voluntarily protecting the city and turning the tide several times."

The mayor, looking at Kang De with a sincere expression, said, "Therefore, I believe that you chose to fight for Goth at this time for love and responsibility, not for power and status. Someone as remarkable as you could have taken those things yourself if you wanted them."

"..."

Damn, that feels so good.

Yes, that's me. You're right. Say more.

Kang De smiled slightly and said, "Mayor, you flatter me. However, since you've gone to such lengths to say nice things... please feel free to speak your mind."

"I'm not here to talk," Nick replied. "I'm here to listen."

Kang De raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The mayor glanced at Leona, who looked wary behind Kang De, and slowly said, "I can roughly guess what happened just now. Preston asked you to stay, and Miss Leona asked you to leave. That's why the conflict arose. I think Miss Leona and Preston both misunderstood something. How could someone like you listen to the opinions and suggestions of others? You and I both want to take our destiny into our own hands."

He paused for a moment, then said softly, "Whatever the outcome, accept it calmly."

Upon hearing this, Kang De's heart stirred slightly as he gazed at the tall, elegant noble mayor opposite him.

The other person bowed slightly, a perfect gesture of courtesy that was flawless.

"Kang De Highness, greetings. As you can see, the elves have extended an invitation. How to respond, what decision to make—I await your reply and will fully cooperate with you, whether you stay or leave, whether you accept the invitation or refuse... Please make your decision."

He said it calmly.

"It doesn't matter what happens?" Kang De said. "Any option that brings shame upon Teldrassil?"

"Yes." Nick straightened up, his tone serious and solemn. "In this city, there is no Teldrassil, only Valentan. What you're talking about doesn't matter to me."

Leona seemed to have thought of something, her expression turning strange and subtle. She frantically poked Kang De's back with her fingers, looking utterly disgusted.

--An option to shame Teldrassil.

Is it what I'm thinking? Hey! This is more than just shame! If we do this, the Taidariel Family will be destroyed in spirit and honor today!

Her feelings at that moment were indescribable, and her movements became increasingly exaggerated. Just then, she heard Kang De say, "Well, I happen to have an idea..."

--No, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!

She didn't care about anything else and grabbed Kang De's arm. "Hey, hey, hey, this..."

To his surprise Kang De turned to look at her with a look of disgust and said, "You want to play that game again? No way, we can't do anything reckless this time. No matter what, the idea of throwing excrement on the elven officers is just too..."

Leona's eyes widened. "You..."

Mayor Nick frowned. "What's the point? It will only anger the elves, serve no purpose, and make Prince Kang De and Valentan a laughingstock. It's better to avoid them altogether."

Kang De nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, I've been saying that about her all along. A young lady like her, actually liking to do that kind of thing, it's really not good. She should be more reserved..."

Leona erupted in fury. "You... you... you... you... you..."

--Damn it, you dare joke about me? I'm not a pervert, why would I play with shit? That's disgusting.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. I'm planning to go and meet the elves."

Kang De said calmly, "They exposed my identity to force me into a corner, leaving me no choice but to stay in the city and surrender. I hate these kinds of schemes and tricks the most. Since they're resorting to such methods, I might as well stay here, kill them all, and then leave. That would be more elegant."

"Since they're so filthy, we don't need to talk about any code of honor."

He turned to Iron Son and asked, "How's the high-velocity shell coming along?"

The Autobots asked, "What does Father mean?"

Kang De waved his hand dismissively, then said decisively, "I plan to emulate the story of the Feast at Hongmen. I will feign attendance, engage in superficial pleasantries with the other side, and once all their important figures have arrived, I will secretly issue an order to unleash long-range artillery fire, thoroughly decimating the area around the banquet, killing as many as possible. That's how Liu Bang won the Chu-Han Contention."

The people present looked at each other, speechless for a moment, and no one chimed in to say that the plan was brilliant.

Nick barely understood Kang De's plan—the other man intended to use his strange alchemical methods to blow up the banquet, preferably killing all the elves in attendance.

He asked directly, "How can your safety be guaranteed?"

Kang De waved his hand and said, "I have my own way of getting out of here, don't worry about that."

The ability he obtained from the Crimson Scroll is his greatest guarantee for this trip. Time acceleration is secondary; the most useful thing is the spatial anchor. As long as he sets up spatial coordinates in the city, he can activate his ability to return to the White Mist World, and then travel through time again, appearing directly in the city. At that time, he can also take the opportunity to trick these sons of bitches—you didn't expect that, did you? I can teleport; you can't catch me at all.

He would never go if he didn't have the ability.

He thought for a moment, then said, "By the way, do you have any potent poisons? Half-Step Smiling Death's or something... anything with strong or unusual toxicity, as much as you want, send it all to me."

"..."

Nick opened his mouth.

He was just about to warn the elves about the possibility of poisoning him.

So you were planning to do it yourself all along?

He thought for a moment and advised, "Your plan is probably not going to work, because the elves will surely be on guard, with their mage ranks ready to provide support. Your methods may not be effective."

"We'll never know if it will work if we don't try. Even if we can't kill the elves, intimidating them will do," Kang De said. "The elf feast is never a pleasant one. They've already revealed my whereabouts and name, so they're clearly up to no good. Therefore, we must retaliate. We must approach it with a murderous intent."

He said to Mayor Nick, "Negotiations with the elves should be held to determine the location of the banquet, and then defensive preparations should be made..."

As for me...

He stretched his neck and sneered, "I'm going to prepare a big surprise for them."

Outside the city, before the elven camp, the legion commander stared at Valentan for a long time, then turned and said, "Order all units to begin mobilization. If we can capture Kang De later, we will take advantage of the situation to attack the city!"

The adjutant looked puzzled, but still bowed his head and replied, "Yes, sir."

"Lord Ailras, I'll teach you something," the legion commander said calmly. "Elves are born noble, with their own beliefs and principles, but those so-called promises, so-called trustworthiness, so-called dignity, so-called pride are all false pretenses, used to deceive outsiders... The reason we haven't torn off the pretense is because the price wasn't right, but now, the time has come to redeem it."

"If we can capture Kang De alive in a moment, then there's no need to spare anyone in this city. After tomorrow, the elves will still be a noble group of people who keep their word, are proud and honorable, and stand above the lowly humans."

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PS1: Damn it, I got annoyed by an idiot today and was irritated for half the day, which lowered my writing efficiency... I guess I'm too good-natured. The extra chapter will be postponed to tomorrow. I remember. Goodnight everyone.