Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 34

Chapter 59: Success and Failure, All Turn to Nothing in the End

News of Dong Zhuo's death spread quickly across the land. Lu Bu became the man closest to the Son of Heaven, but his reign as hegemon did not last long. Wang Yun's defection made the noble clans who had originally supported him waver.

"It must be Xun Yu's doing. Now that the Deposed Emperor Liu Bian is dead, only Liu Xie remains as emperor. Xun Yu also wants to restore the Han Dynasty's orthodox line—taking back the Son of Heaven is a necessary step."

Zhuge Liang looked at Fujimaru Kyoya, who was once again covered in injuries. Though he should have expressed deep sympathy at this moment, the fact that this guy had coaxed an Immortal back made even him want to kick a man while he was down.

"Brat, what's that look in your eyes? I'm just homeless for now, that's all."

Consort Yu also caught the meaning in Zhuge Liang's gaze. These young whelps really did catch wind and mistake it for rain—if the report was biased, you'd have to take responsibility too.

"With Chang'an settled, I should be heading back."

"Back?"

"Back to my hometown. Farm. Get married."

Zhuge Liang clearly understood the limits of this friend of his. If they kept staying together, he'd probably be forced into giving strategic advice again.

That completely clashed with his passive, reclusive mindset.

"But I just got an imperial decree for Liu Bei from the emperor. This guy is now a legitimate Imperial Uncle, with the capital to establish himself in this chaotic world."

Fujimaru Kyoya still hoped the Crouching Dragon would come out of seclusion soon. Maybe then fewer people would die in this land.

"Liu Bei isn't ready yet."

Zhuge Liang still refused to emerge.

In truth, Liu Bei's character did suit his ideals. A benevolent lord like that was rare in times of chaos—but benevolence alone wasn't enough.

What Zhuge Liang wanted wasn't just Liu Bei. He wanted a Liu Bang.

"Then I'll go with you. You've sent me to such dangerous places so many times, so I'm not giving you a wedding gift."

The Crouching Dragon's emergence didn't have to be rushed. Besides, marriage was a major life event. Once Zhuge Liang was married, some things would be out of his hands.

Then Huang Yueying would nag him every day: "Look at Old Zhou, the Grand Governor of Jiangdong," "Look at Old Guo, the Military Advisor of Cao's army," "And look at you..." The terror of a midlife crisis—it was time for him to get a taste of it early.

Seeing Fujimaru Kyoya's smile, Zhuge Liang's stomach began to ache.

[You attended Zhuge Liang's wedding. Because you truly didn't give a single coin as a gift, you became the center of attention.]

[You once discussed your views on the current state of the world with Consort Yu. She seemed somewhat interested in your naive ideas, so she began her human observation project on you.]

[Though you lived in seclusion with Zhuge Liang, you never ignored the great affairs of the world. Over the years, you watched the movements of all sides, often discussing strategy with Zhuge Liang until dawn.]

"Liu Bei's in trouble."

Fujimaru Kyoya heard that Liu Bei had been betrayed by Lu Bu. Not only had he lost Xuzhou, but he had been driven to Xiaopei. His situation didn't seem good.

"What's that got to do with me?"

Zhuge Liang said indifferently, but his eyes were fixed on the map of the various provinces, as if plotting something.

"If it's got nothing to do with you, then why are you still fixated on your 'tripartite division of the world'?"

"This... I didn't say that. Lu Su proposed the tripartite division. I'm just seeing how capable Lu Zijing really is."

Zhuge Liang, caught red-handed, quickly put away the map on the table.

The truth was, he had been hesitating about whether to come out of seclusion. Otherwise, why would Fujimaru Kyoya have spent so long here, warming a cold seat with a hot face?

This time, Zhuge Liang denied his intention to emerge. But according to news from Consort Yu, not long ago, Zhuge Liang had mentioned Liu Bei to Xu Shu, hinting that Xu Shu should go help him.

"Still afraid?"

"Mm."

Zhuge Liang admitted it openly.

"Actually, Sima Yi's choice was the 'correct' one."

Zhuge Liang could see the future, so he could judge how clever Sima Yi's decision was. Since fate was unavoidable, one might as well become the final beneficiary.

First, he helped Dong Zhuo, then he placed bets on both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao—always clinging to the strong, using any means to unify the world as quickly as possible.

That was the "correct" thing.

Chaos, no matter how you looked at it, was never a good thing.

"But 'correct' isn't necessarily a good thing, is it?"

Fujimaru Kyoya understood that so-called "correctness" wasn't always a good thing.

When ordinary people faced the "Trolley Problem," they often fell into a moral dilemma chasing so-called "correctness." But the "Trolley Problem" had never been a problem for Fujimaru Kyoya.

Because the very existence of the "Trolley Problem" was a mistake. Searching for "correctness" within a mistake—that was a premise even third-rate sci-fi novels wouldn't use.

If anyone asked Fujimaru Kyoya about the "Trolley Problem," the answer they'd get would definitely be his fist.

"Yeah. 'Correct' is just 'correct,' nothing more."

Zhuge Liang muttered to himself, his mind already turning over Lu Su's idea of tripartite division, planning to replace one of the three legs with Liu Bei.

"Sometimes I really envy you. You seem to be afraid of nothing."

"Is that so?"

"I'm terrified. I'm afraid that after I give it everything I have, I still won't be able to change a thing. In that case, it's better not to change anything at all from the start."

Over these years, Zhuge Liang had resumed his calculations. Even though every result fell short of his hopes, this time he simply refused to stop.

"Failure? Are the two of us so special?"

Fujimaru Kyoya asked.

"No."

Zhuge Liang understood. Beneath the tides of history, they were nothing more than mayflies drifting between heaven and earth—how could they claim to be special?

"Then are our lives worth more than anyone else's?"

"No."

Zhuge Liang had never considered himself noble, nor did he believe the lives of princes and nobles were worth more than those of common folk.

"Then there you have it. There are only two of us. If we save two people, we've broken even. Everything after that is pure profit. This is a deal where we can't lose—what's there to hesitate about?"

Fujimaru Kyoya and Zhuge Liang were never special. They had come into this world with the power to change history, but they themselves were not exalted.

"Yes... a deal where we can't lose."

Zhuge Liang no longer hid that map. Instead, he hung the crumbling territory of the great Han before his eyes, and at last, he made up his mind.

These four hundred years of splendor, wind, and rain—after all...

"Success or failure, in the end, it all turns to emptiness."

Author's Note and Some Replies

As the title says, I'm going to be published tomorrow. But exactly when the first chapter after publication goes up depends on what time I wake up. I'm extremely grateful to the readers who have stuck with me through the recent drama—thank you so much.

Also, I've enabled a fan value requirement. I received word today that Hedgehog Cat has been flooded with a large number of reports—specifically targeting this book.

After all, everyone here is just here to read. When you come across a book you don't like, you might curse or argue, but how many people actually go out of their way to report it?

Is it because my writing is too explicit? Or am I promoting reactionary rhetoric?

I think before I do something like that, people wouldn't bother hitting the report button, right? Especially since I haven't even gone paid yet—all the content is free. I've even told everyone not to rush into tipping or gifting, so there's no scam involved.

Right now, there seems to be a group of people stirring up trouble. I've already silenced quite a few small accounts that only ever commented on this book. Of course, some people were mistakenly banned. Those people have found me one by one, and I've unblocked them. If anyone else was wrongly banned, you can come to me to get it lifted. The group info was posted before.

As for the character setting issues, those were always things that could be discussed. You raised concerns about character derailment, I gave my explanations, you weren't satisfied, and today I revised the chapters. It only took one night—mostly to adjust my mood and delete the posts that kept stirring up the "green" drama.

As for some of you whose posts I deleted but didn't ban, I just wanted everyone to calm down and not be used as pawns by those with ulterior motives.

I hope that one day, if you stop reading my book, it's because I can't write a good story anymore—not because you left in anger after being swept up by a mob.

The fan value requirement I set isn't high, and I'll lower it depending on the situation. For tomorrow's update, besides the basic two chapters, I still owe 26 out of the 28 chapters from the bounty. I'll pay those back during the publication period.

I hope everyone stays calm and judges a book by the quality of its story.

Thank you all so much for your understanding.

Thank you.

Chapter 60: Was "Benevolence and Righteousness" Ever a Hypocrisy?

Zhuge Liang and Fujimaru Kyoya's days of seclusion were peaceful, but that didn't mean time had stopped.

During this period, Liu Bei was not having an easy time. Back when Fujimaru Kyoya helped him secure the title of Imperial Uncle, it thrust him into the spotlight of every warlord in the land.

But he hadn't adjusted his mindset.

He had taken Xuzhou in the name of benevolence and righteousness, only to face Cao Cao's massive army. At that critical moment, Fujimaru Kyoya once again took the alias "Zhao Yun" to come to his aid, barely holding off Cao Cao's assault and buying Lü Bu time to launch a surprise attack, forcing Cao Cao to retreat to his home base.

After that, Fujimaru Kyoya kept shuttling between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. If you called him a general under Liu Bei, he was never around for long—completely the type who took orders but didn't report in. Yet whenever Liu Bei was in danger, he always showed up at the critical moment.

Because of this, he never managed to secure an official position in Liu Bei's army. Instead, he felt more like Liu Bei's personal bodyguard.

After Liu Bei stabilized Xuzhou, Fujimaru Kyoya returned to Jingzhou to enjoy the countryside with Zhuge Liang. Meanwhile, Lü Bu, unable to defeat Cao Cao, was taken in by Liu Bei but then seized Xuzhou, forcing Liu Bei to survive in Xiaopei.

Zhuge Liang had long foreseen this. He deliberately told Fujimaru Kyoya not to help Liu Bei. As he had said, what he wanted wasn't just Liu Bei—he wanted a Liu Bang.

After this incident, Liu Bei indeed grew a lot. He allied with Cao Cao to corner Lü Bu. Even after Chen Gong transformed Lü Bu into Mechanical Lu Bu, Liu Bei still relied on the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and countless fierce generals to defeat him.

He even managed, through his words in front of Cao Cao, to make Cao Cao resolve to kill Lü Bu.

It was only at this point that Liu Bei finally became worthy of Zhuge Liang's guidance. Unfortunately, the next protagonist was not him.

The protagonist of Guandu was Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. At this time, Liu Bei was merely a retainer under Yuan Shao. When Yuan Shao fell, where could he go?

"Third Brother, what did Kongming say in his letter?"

Liu Bei was exhausted in both body and mind. Ever since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he and his brothers had been running around, their only goal to restore the Han Dynasty. Yet the more they tried to restore it, the more chaotic the world became.

Imperial relatives each claimed territory as their own, while the other warlords harbored ulterior motives.

Sun Ce in Jiangdong, Ma Teng in Xiliang, Cao Cao in Xuchang, and at most Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan still on the run—the world had become a boiling pot of chaos.

How could such a Han Dynasty be restored?

"Elder Brother, that man said in the letter... Liu Biao of Jingzhou is gravely ill and won't live long. We could—"

"Say no more."

If Liu Biao had no heirs, then Liu Bei, as a member of the imperial clan, taking over his territory might be justified. But Liu Biao still had sons—how could he seize another man's inheritance?

"Elder Brother, right now we still need a foundation to develop from. Jingzhou truly is..."

Even Guan Yu could not help but offer his counsel.

After all these years of pledging allegiance to countless men, none of it had ever amounted to anything. So why not seize a territory of their own and become one of the warlords?

"I do not refuse Jingzhou out of womanly softness. It is simply that this contains a test from Master Kongming, and I cannot let him down."

Though Liu Bei still held benevolence in his heart after the affair with Lu Bu, he also understood that he could not place that benevolence above the lives of his brothers.

Both of his sworn brothers possessed valor unmatched by ten thousand men. Had they followed a warlord like Cao Cao, they would surely have become figures of renown across the land. Yet here, with him, they scraped by from dawn to dusk.

"A test?"

The two were baffled. Even if it were a test, it should have been to see whether Liu Bei had the boldness to take Jingzhou. Why would refusing Jingzhou be Zhuge Liang's test?

"Second Brother, Third Brother, what do we have left now besides the title of imperial clansman?"

Liu Bei asked with a hint of self-mockery.

"At this moment, all we have left is 'benevolence and righteousness.' If I were to seize Jingzhou for the sake of the realm, then that image of peerless virtue would crumble in an instant, and from then on, there would never again be any possibility of contending for the empire."

This layer of meaning was not deep. It was precisely what Zhuge Liang had deliberately let Liu Bei see, deliberately let Liu Bei choose.

In Liu Bei's eyes, which was more important—Jingzhou or Zhuge Liang? How to make that choice was the final hurdle for whether Zhuge Liang would emerge from seclusion.

Even if none of those around him understood, Liu Bei truly had no intention of taking Jingzhou. So what was the cost?

When Liu Biao died of illness, Cao Cao's great army also drew near to Jingzhou. Liu Biao's son, Liu Cong, surrendered without even notifying Liu Bei, leaving Liu Bei to face Cao Cao's forces alone.

Flight became the only option.

Remembering the massacre Cao Cao had carried out when he attacked Xuzhou, Liu Bei had no choice but to take the common people with him as he fled. He even abandoned his own wife and children for their sake.