Shu-Han Empire!

Gasen froze when the man in silver armor suddenly appeared before him!

That terrifying speed... he had to be a Titled Douluo, right?!

Now that he was closer, Gasen could feel even more clearly just how terrifying the other man's aura was!

It was like an ant looking up at an elephant!

Like a candle flame facing the blazing sun!

Even though the man's build looked about as tall and sturdy as his own,

Gasen could not help but feel incredibly small!

Even so, he still supported himself with his spear, unwilling to kneel and submit to this enemy of unknown origins!

Because he knew that once he submitted, the nearby villages and even Langya City might be reduced to ruins!

He could not possibly be this man's match.

But if his defiance could earn the other man's respect, perhaps he might show these places some mercy...

As Zhao Yun looked at the flushed man, who was nearly collapsing yet still refused to kneel, he suddenly understood why his lord had told him not to harm these people.

For a country to have soldiers who would rather die than submit—even if only a few—was that country's good fortune!

It reminded Zhao Yun of those cowards from his previous life who had surrendered directly to Eastern Wu, causing General Guan to die in Jingzhou!

If those people had been as unyielding as the man before him,

Jingzhou would not have been lost, and Shu-Han's hope of restoring the Central Plains would not have become increasingly distant...

Zhao Yun sighed inwardly and withdrew the pressure bearing down on Gasen.

Gasen, whose entire body had been tense until then, suddenly felt the pressure ease!

Instead, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as cold sweat drenched his body!

Yet he still clutched his spear with both hands, unwilling to simply fall over...

Watching the unfamiliar man walk straight toward him, he thought the man was about to kill him.

He glared fiercely at him with a pair of bull-like eyes...

Yet Zhao Yun was amused by Gasen's expression and sincerely praised him:

"You are quite something! My lord probably did not expect you to have such integrity!

"This general will not kill you, nor will I kill your subordinates.

"But from this day onward, you and your subordinates must serve this general!

"Otherwise, there will be only one outcome..."

After hearing the threat from this powerful man, Gasen's expression grew even uglier.

He looked back at his subordinates, who were still kneeling on the ground, then laboriously pushed himself up with his spear and replied to Zhao Yun:

"Honored sir, thank you for sparing my life...

"But as a soldier of the Pelagi Kingdom, I have received my officer's trust and care. I will never surrender to an enemy!

"Please treat my subordinates well. I will persuade them to submit to you!

"As for me..."

Gasen said no more, but his resolve to die was obvious.

Seeing Gasen call him an enemy, Zhao Yun could not help laughing.

"Who told you I was your enemy?"

Gasen's expression changed as he asked in confusion:

"You are not our enemy? Could you be someone sent by the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family?"

Zhao Yun shook his head.

The confusion in Gasen's eyes deepened.

"If you are neither from the Star Luo Empire nor the Heaven Dou royal family, then could you be... from Spirit Hall?"

Zhao Yun shook his head again, his expression instantly turning solemn.

"By my lord's command, this general has come to liberate you!

"From this day onward, you, your subordinates, and this Nanyang Village shall belong to my lord's territory!

"It belongs neither to Star Luo nor Heaven Dou, nor does it belong to Spirit Hall. It belongs to an independent new empire—

"the Shu-Han Empire!!"

This was not a name Zhao Yun had come up with himself. Zhuge Ming had told him about it before.

As a devoted fan of the Three Kingdoms, and fortunate enough to share a surname with that Chancellor,

Zhuge Ming had always held the Shu-Han of the Three Kingdoms in special affection.

Perhaps that country was not as romantic as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms made it out to be, and it had many flaws.

But Chancellor Zhuge's spirit of striving to defy fate, of doing what he knew could not be done, was enough to move him deeply!

Since the Chancellor had been unable to restore the Han dynasty and return to the old capital in his own era,

then he, Zhuge Ming, would fulfill the dream of unifying the world upon this Douluo Continent!

To commemorate Chancellor Zhuge's painstaking devotion, he had chosen the name "Shu-Han Empire"!

In this other world, he swore that he would—

revive the Han for a third time!!

"The Shu-Han Empire???"

Hearing the name of an empire he had never heard of before, Gasen was utterly bewildered.

However, he noticed that this powerful Titled Douluo actually had someone above him—a "lord"?

A lord should be someone akin to a master or supreme leader, right?

And someone capable of commanding a Titled Douluo... could he be a Super Douluo? Or even a legendary Limit Douluo?!

At that thought, Gasen's heart trembled, and he grew even more awed by the existence behind this powerful man!

But soon, he still shook his head and refused.

"Even if you are not my enemy, my family is still in the Pelagi Royal City behind the front lines.

"If I surrender to you, then once the Pelagi Kingdom finds out, my family will be put to death!

"So I can only die in battle or flee. Surrendering to you is not an option..."

Seeing Gasen remain so stubborn, Zhao Yun fell silent.

He did not grow impatient because of it.

As a general who had once led troops into battle, he understood the other's concerns very well.

Even though this world was a fantasy world of extraordinary martial strength,

many military systems still had much in common with those of his previous life.

Soldiers' families were often kept under control in the army's rear areas.

Once a soldier surrendered, it was equivalent to abandoning his family.

If the ruler was particularly hot-tempered, he would often execute the families of all those soldiers who had defected.

But Zhao Yun also knew that unless it could be confirmed that a soldier had truly surrendered to the enemy, they generally would not casually touch that soldier's family.

After all, as long as they were people, they could always be of use.

A sensible ruler would not waste valuable population for nothing.

Thinking this, Zhao Yun smiled reassuringly at Gasen.

"Rest assured. Surrendering to this general does not mean betraying your country.

"As long as no one knows the Shu-Han Empire exists, who would dare say that you have betrayed your homeland?

"Besides, are you truly satisfied with this country's military policies?

"Are you happy to see so many male commoners of this kingdom die on the battlefield?

"If there were an opportunity to change such national policies, would you be willing to try?"

Zhao Yun's final words struck straight at Gasen's heart!

He had witnessed too much misfortune in this country and naturally hoped it could change.

That way, the people of his hometown, as well as male commoners throughout the country, might no longer be forced onto the battlefield!

After all, with a Titled Douluo like this and the great figure behind him, their high-level combat power far surpassed that of the Pelagi Kingdom!

Perhaps the Pelagi Kingdom truly ought to change rulers...

Gasen no longer hesitated. He dropped to one knee before Zhao Yun and pressed his right hand over the left side of his chest.

"As long as my family's safety can be guaranteed, I, Gasen... am willing to serve the general!"