Changshan Egg-Bursting Kick / The Great Fire of Luoyang

"It was pointless. By coming here, we had already let the daimyo's scheme succeed. Why waste more effort?"

Discouraged Brother could not get comfortable no matter how he lay on the ground, so he simply began answering Fujimaru Kyoya's question.

The daimyo had invited the Water Mirror Manor students over not to solve the puzzle at all, but to put pressure on the strategists under their command.

"Brother, you have sharp insight. The daimyo seized on the students' desire to prove themselves and deliberately built a stage for them. Not only could they observe who possessed talent in advance, they could also pressure the strategists under their command."

At that moment, a splendid youth walked over. He was about the same age as Fujimaru Kyoya, yet his bearing was extraordinary. Standing among the crowd, he had the air of a crane among chickens.

"But this truly is an opportunity. So long as one can see through Dong Zhuo's scheme in that secret letter, one can enter the daimyo's notice. Are you truly not tempted in the slightest, brother?"

The splendid youth stared fixedly at Discouraged Brother and Fujimaru Kyoya.

Other than those two, every student present was deeply interested in that secret letter. Whoever could decipher its contents would surely become famous in one stroke.

Yet these two were treating it as though it were nothing?

"I already have the answer."

Just then, a voice arose from the crowd. It belonged to a man with a birthmark on his face. His expression was solemn as he took the letter, but after folding it several times, he obtained a string of information.

"Lure the enemy with an attack. Set fire to the northern woods. The wind will fuel the flames. Destroy the enemy vanguard."

A few short sentences laid out Dong Zhuo's counterattack plan.

"The words in this letter can produce many such messages through special folding methods. I have already thought of more than ten. I can write them down one by one later."

The moment he said this, the tent erupted in an uproar. A secret letter that had remained unsolved for so many days had been cracked in such a short time.

"Fledgling Phoenix" Pang Tong?

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the birthmarked man before him. He did not look as ugly as the legends claimed. Instead, that birthmark gave him a measure of dignity.

"Let's go."

After hearing Pang Tong's answer and the praise from those around him, Discouraged Brother left.

"Brother, did you see through it?"

The splendid youth looked at Discouraged Brother in surprise, as if Discouraged Brother had exposed some hidden answer. It startled him somewhat.

"I didn't see through anything."

Discouraged Brother took Fujimaru Kyoya away to find a place to rest. He then took out medicinal herbs he had prepared long ago and began brewing them. This medicine was for Fujimaru Kyoya.

"You saw through it?"

Fujimaru Kyoya knew this sleep-loving companion well. Even that Splendid-Robed Young Master could not be fooled by the words "I didn't see through anything," so how could Fujimaru Kyoya be fooled?

"It's an open scheme. There's nothing to be done."

Discouraged Brother sighed. Only after confirming that no one was inside the military tent did he reveal his answer.

"Dong Zhuo marched his troops to Luoyang with insufficient forces. Even with a fierce general like Lu Bu, he could not possibly contend against the Allied Warlords. Retreating was his only correct choice."

"Retreat? Then that secret letter just now..."

"Bait."

Discouraged Brother gave his answer.

Anyone with eyes could see that the realm was about to fall into chaos. It was practically certain that many from Water Mirror Manor would enter the world. Dong Zhuo had therefore used this secret letter as bait, making the daimyo invite Water Mirror Manor people to interpret it.

His purpose was not only to seize those scions of great clans as hostages, but also to catch all the Water Mirror Manor strategists in one net. Those who would not serve him would be destroyed as well, so they could not be left for others.

"Dong Zhuo is that smart?"

Fujimaru Kyoya was somewhat surprised. In his impression, Dong Zhuo was merely a lecherous old man with a huge belly.

"Anyone who leaves behind a name in an era has strengths. Even failures have sides unknown to others. Dong Zhuo's name will surely be remembered by later generations, but Dong Zhuo was not the one who devised this scheme."

Discouraged Brother was certain that Dong Zhuo had not come up with this plan. Could it have been Li Ru?

"Since the letter is fake, then you..."

"It's useless. Dong Zhuo currently holds the advantage. No one would believe he would abandon the city and flee. The information deciphered just now merely creates the illusion of an attack, buying time for their retreat."

Just as Discouraged Brother had said, it was a naked open scheme. Without knowing how Dong Zhuo intended to withdraw his troops, no one would accept such a claim.

They would only overdefend based on the information they had received, giving Dong Zhuo time to escape.

As for the person who had spoken with him just now...

"The Yanzhou Sima Clan?"

Fujimaru Kyoya did not hear Discouraged Brother mutter under his breath. His attention was instead fixed outside the tent, because he had sensed it.

"Come out."

Fujimaru Kyoya tore open the military tent in one motion, grabbed the person outside, and prepared to slam him into the ground.

[Your attack was swift, but your injuries had not fully recovered, giving your opponent an opportunity to evade.]

[You did not give up. You immediately grabbed his unusually long arm and threw him into the tent.]

[You saw his appearance clearly. His most striking features were his long arms and large ears, giving him the look of someone destined for a long life.]

"Bang~"

Fujimaru Kyoya did not care what the man looked like. He directly picked up a military cudgel and smashed it into the back of his head.

The back of the man's head burst open. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Changshan Egg-Busting Kick

Liu Bei had once believed his martial prowess was not low. He only seemed weak because he was always with his second and third brothers.

But this time, he truly began to doubt himself. He had merely passed by a military tent and overheard a particularly unique opinion, only to be knocked down by a single club strike.

Could it be... I'm really just a weakling?

"Seeing how sneaky he was, we might as well hand him over to Yuan Shao's men. Catching an informant should earn us some reward money."

"That makes sense."

Fujimaru Kyoya and Discouraged Brother looked at Liu Bei with shining eyes. Fifty thousand falling from the sky—there was no reason not to take it.

"Wait, I'm a mounted archer under Gongsun Zan. You cannot treat me like this."

Liu Bei panicked. If he was truly branded an informant, his two brothers might just turn this entire camp upside down.

In any case, he had come with his former classmate and friend Gongsun Zan. There was nothing wrong with claiming to be under Gongsun Zan's command.

"Earlier, I was merely engrossed after hearing the words of you two little brothers, so... I was not deliberately skulking about."

Hearing the answer from this big-eared fellow, Fujimaru Kyoya and Discouraged Brother exchanged a glance before releasing his restraints.

After all, if he could confidently name Gongsun Zan, then Gongsun Zan would definitely protect him. If this man was a spy, then Gongsun Zan was likely not clean either.

Fujimaru Kyoya had only come with the Water Mirror Manor group for an "on-site inspection." There was no need to get involved in the daimyo's war.

"Two little brothers, since you have such unique insight, why not..."

"There's no need."

Discouraged Brother cut Liu Bei off. If a battle could be changed by a few words, many things would be much easier.

"Using a secret letter as bait to fish for Water Mirror Manor people requires sufficient intelligence. Dong Zhuo is currently trapped in Luoyang. Under normal circumstances, where would he get such intelligence?"

"I see. There's an informant."

Fujimaru Kyoya understood Discouraged Brother's concern, but before he could think further, he saw a burly bearded man walking over. At first glance, the man saw Liu Bei, whose bleeding had not fully stopped, and the bloodstained wooden cudgel in Fujimaru Kyoya's hand.

Big Brother had been beaten? Outrageous.

Zhang Fei was naturally furious. The only reason they could follow the daimyo to campaign against Dong Zhuo was because of Gongsun Zan's favor. These past few days, they had endured countless cold stares because of this "backdoor entry."

Zhang Fei could endure all that, but these people had actually dared to beat his big brother with a stick. How the hell could he tolerate that?

[You sensed a powerful Killing Intent. A burly bearded man threw a punch at you.]

[You exchanged a punch with him. Since your injuries had not fully recovered, you immediately fell into a disadvantage.]

[You threw a handful of Lime into his eyes. The effect was outstanding.]

This was insane. What kind of world was this, where Monsters roamed everywhere?

Fujimaru Kyoya's hands had gone numb. Why was every random nobody in this world so fierce? Would he only be fit to become a strategist in the future?

"You despicable bastard, you actually..."

Zhang Fei could not continue, because he had not expected Fujimaru Kyoya to have an even more despicable move—Changshan Egg-Busting Kick.

But that feeling... Had this guy just gotten hard?

The thought frightened Fujimaru Kyoya so badly that he retreated several steps. He had no taste for men, much less rough bearded brutes like this one. He immediately grabbed Discouraged Brother and fled.

"Bastard..."

Zhang Fei's whole body had gone numb. For some reason, he had become increasingly excited while fighting that brat and had gotten hard. Then, just as his little brother entered combat readiness, he was hit with Lime Powder and then an egg-smashing kick. He would not be getting up anytime soon.

Damn it. Next time, he would bring Second Brother and ambush that brat together.

"Third Brother, are you all right?"

Seeing his third brother's dark face turn pale, Liu Bei hurriedly fetched some vegetable oil to wash away the Lime. As for Fujimaru Kyoya, who had just left... They were all in the military camp. They would find him sooner or later.

"I'm fine. Big Brother, why were you hanging around with such a vicious brat?"

Zhang Fei had recovered somewhat by now, but he still could not understand how his kindhearted big brother had ended up with people like that.

"I merely discovered a student. If he could serve me..."

Liu Bei recalled that somewhat lonely student. He had casually deciphered the scheme in the secret letter. Would such a person truly join his command?

And that other one...

"Third Brother, how strong do you think the person who fought you was?"

"A shameless brat who fights dirty. But if we met on a battlefield, I definitely wouldn't lose to him."

Although their exchange had been brief, Zhang Fei had seen Fujimaru Kyoya's strength clearly. Even if the other party recovered from his injuries, Zhang Fei would not fear him. At the very least, that brat definitely could not beat Second Brother.

[You were extremely careful whenever you went out these days and were not caught by that burly bearded man. Before long, your injuries had improved greatly.]

[You followed the Water Mirror Manor group to a distant mountain peak. Many students were discussing strategies for taking the city here, and you discovered that the Splendid-Robed Young Master who did not belong to Water Mirror Manor was among them.]

[You discovered that Discouraged Brother was unusually awake. He was also unusually focused on the direction of Luoyang, but he was not looking at the army. He was looking at...]

"Once war begins, how many more refugees will there be?"

Discouraged Brother's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. According to his calculations, Dong Zhuo could not possibly suppress the daimyo. Once Dong Zhuo died, the realm would surely fracture into countless pieces, and endless people would lose their homes.

How could such a future not make one discouraged?

"When the realm rises or falls, it is the common people who suffer. In that case, why not help the strongest side seize the realm as quickly as possible? Would that not also be a way to save the people?"

The Splendid-Robed Young Master walked over. His gaze was likewise directed at those common people. His high spirits and Discouraged Brother's dejection seemed to give them a common topic and ideal, but...

"Does strength equal goodness?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the Splendid-Robed Young Master. He admitted that only by becoming strong could one gain more room to choose, but strength did not equal goodness.

"Brother, do you mean that in order to let a kind Lord unify the realm, you would allow this realm to endure years more war?"

"The same question applies to you. How can you guarantee that after a cruel ruler unifies the realm, he will give the people better lives?"

Fujimaru Kyoya countered.

Back then, the reason Shadow had helped the tyrant Gilgamesh was that Gilgamesh possessed a good side. So long as that side could be brought back into the light, it would be enough.

But among the daimyo, the strongest was none other than Dong Zhuo. That fat pig had not displayed a single thing that could be called good.

The Great Fire of Luoyang

"Sima Yi of Yanzhou. I have yet to ask your name."

Sima Yi looked at the two men of his generation before him. If that dejected man was exceptionally wise and had to be guarded against, then this one was fundamentally incompatible with him in ideals. The two were natural enemies from birth.

"No hurry. The battle has already begun. Let us speak after it is over."

Discouraged Brother interjected to ease the tension. At the same time, the battle of Luoyang finally began.