It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 20: Handing Over the Drink

After defeating Bao Xin, the vanguard of the royalist army, and even taking down Sun Jian, known as the Tiger of Jiangdong, Hua Xiong became emboldened, seemingly seeing no obstacles in his way.

He directly approached the front of the coalition forces and spoke.

“There’s no need to spill meaningless blood! If anyone dares to face Hua Xiong, come forth!”

It was a life-or-death duel, a contest between generals to determine victory or defeat.

This must be the famed single combat I had only heard about.

It was like watching a showdown between martial arts masters, drawing my attention instinctively.

The first to step forward in response to Hua Xiong’s bold challenge was a man called Yu She.

A calm silence settled over the battlefield as the dust blew around us.

Others might not have been able to see clearly due to the dust, but my eyes were different.

I could read every expression, gesture, and nuance of speech with precision.

The earth was ripe, and Hua Xiong’s courageous figure was illuminated by the sun—how could one not see it?

Only I knew his true nature.

Of course, the lords, unaware of this fact, simply scoffed.

“That lowborn fool… His confidence is boundless.”

Among them, Yuan Shu watched the scene with a face flushed red, making me think the bastard had gone mad.

To speak frankly, wasn’t it because of him that they had suffered two defeats already?

If they had just followed the initial plan and placed Sun Jian at the vanguard, Bao Xin wouldn’t have died, and if they had supplied the army’s provisions on time, none of this would have happened.

He spoke of loyalty and righteousness, but in the end, it was all for his selfish gains.

It made me sick.

A sigh escaped me.

Though I knew history would unfold as it was meant to, it was a scene I didn’t particularly want to witness, knowing that defeat was inevitable.

Finally, the storm arrived.

The eyes of the warlords were filled with the belief that defeat was impossible.

But history would prove otherwise.

“Who’s next?”

At Hua Xiong’s thunderous shout, Yuan Shu flinched and stood up.

Yu She’s head was hanging from Hua Xiong’s spear.

Then, Governor Han Fu sent his top general Ban Feng, but he met the same fate.

Even without knowing the future, it was easy to sense their defeat.

Hua Xiong was truly a formidable opponent.

He was on a different level compared to Qing Niujiao, whom I had faced before.

Even Yuan Shao, who had maintained his composed demeanor until now, began to crack.

“If only Wen Chou or Yan Liang were by my side, that ignorant fool would be…”

He muttered under his breath.

The atmosphere was tense.

No one dared to step forward recklessly anymore.

It was truly a desperate crisis.

The morale of the coalition forces was utterly crushed by Hua Xiong’s might, and the battle was turning increasingly unfavorable.

It was then.

“…I, Guan Yu, will sever the traitor’s head and return.”

A long, flowing beard, an imposing height of eight feet, and a pair of fierce eyes…

None of that applied here.

Her height was tall, but not quite eight feet, and she didn’t have a beard.

At least, the fierce gaze was present.

Along with Beiping Governor Gongsun Zan, three people had joined the coalition.

They bore a similar appearance.

Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu.

All three of them had jet-black hair and eyes.

Liu Bei, in particular, had noticeably large ears, befitting her reputation as the one with “big ears.”

The problem was, they were all women.

Liu Bei followed up on Guan Yu’s words.

“The bowmaster here, Guan Yu, played a significant role during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Though her abilities may seem meager compared to those gathered here, if you allow her to go, she will bring back Hua Xiong’s head.”

She was grinning from ear to ear, as if she found the situation amusing.

“How dare you speak out here!”

Yuan Shu stood up abruptly, but Liu Bei’s smile never wavered.

“If I have offended the Lord of Nanyang, I deeply apologize. I, Liu Bei, though having lived a lowly life, as a member of the Liu family, cannot stand by and do nothing in this situation.”

Her pitch-black eyes gleamed as she spoke.

“Of course, I do not intend to act rudely in front of the loyal lords here. However, my younger sister Guan Yu is far more capable than myself, and if you grant her a single chance, you will not regret it.”

While lowering herself, she praised her sister.

At the same time, she emphasized her connection to the imperial family, ensuring her name was imprinted on the warlords’ minds.

She kept smiling without any change in expression. Who could possibly think of her as a threat?

If everything she did was calculated, then Liu Bei was truly a frightening figure.

However, if she did it unknowingly, that was even more terrifying.

“How dare you! What makes a mere bowmaster think she can speak here! What of our dignity if we send a mere bowmaster to fight?”

Of course, Yuan Shu didn’t care about such things.

The man was a fool.

Not that I couldn’t understand his point. A bowmaster from the frontier wasn’t exactly a prestigious position.

Given that Yuan Shu had been subtly bringing up people’s backgrounds, there was no way he would tolerate such a thing.

Even Yuan Shao, who had remained silent, only watched with his golden eyes.

Though Guan Yu maintained a stoic expression, she seemed to realize how things were going and slightly lowered her head.

Now, it’s your turn, Cao Cao.

It was finally time for her to do something other than cling to me and annoy me.

Praise their loyalty, offer them a drink, and comfort them.

That’s your role.

And this is the moment when their fateful relationship, which I had read about in history, begins!

But… why…

What are you doing?

Time passed, and yet Cao Cao, for some reason, stood there, staring blankly into space.

What the hell is she doing?

“Wait.”

Thankfully, Cao Cao finally stepped forward.

Yes, that’s right, at last—this could’ve ruined Guan Yu’s debut—

“I highly admire your loyalty. I, Cao Cao, deeply respect such righteousness and loyalty. However, there is a time for everything, and now is a time for victory.”

Uh… what?

“Therefore, I believe you should step forward.”

Why are you looking at me—

“What do you think?”

Cao Cao’s red eyes gleamed.

They resembled those of a hunter who had finally captured her long-awaited prey.

Naturally, Yuan Shu objected, as did the other warlords.

The reason wasn’t much different from before.

Her background.

It was all about her background.

For the first time, I felt grateful toward that idiot Yuan Shu.

Then, Zhang Yang, who had been quietly sitting nearby, stood up.

“I agree with ‘General Who Fights to the Death’. He may have had only two hundred troops, but he achieved remarkable feats. He even presented me with the head of Qing Niujiao. His skills are beyond doubt.”

Even you… Were you serious when you said that before?

“What’s so great about taking down a bunch of mere bandits!”

Yuan Shu’s face was now on the verge of exploding. His patience seemed to have reached its limit.

At that, Yuan Shao finally spoke up.

“The Black Mountain Bandits are no ordinary bandits. You must be the Mad Dog of Bing Province.”

His golden eyes looked directly at me.

There was a distinct difference between his gaze and that of the other warlords.

Gold.

It was gold, radiating nobility and grace.

Wasn’t his character supposed to be different from this?

He was so imposing that I felt weak in the knees.

“However, as Lord of Nanyang has said, we cannot ignore the difference between a bowmaster and others in rank. Such a thing cannot be allowed.”

Cao Cao smirked faintly at Yuan Shao’s words.

“As expected, we’ll only know the outcome once we’ve tried. And even if he loses, it won’t be much of a loss. Rumors are like fruit—they grow with the help of many hands. If people are calling him the Mad Dog, isn’t it because many have spread the tale? He will fight bravely on this battlefield, so Hua Xiong won’t see him as just a frontier bowmaster, my lord.”

“‘General Who Fights to the Death’, you speak highly of him.”

“As I said, only time will tell.”

Yuan Shao, hang in there! Don’t give up now!

But my hopes were in vain, as Yuan Shao merely showed a flicker of interest.

Desperately, I looked toward Liu Bei, but she was still smiling as if everything was going splendidly.

Finally, Cao Cao grabbed the cup of wine that had been sitting on the table and filled it.

“So, go forth and fight. I believe in your victory.”

Her bold gesture left no room for further objections.

Either they thought there was some hidden plan, or they were convinced that even if someone like me died, it wouldn’t be much of a loss.

But what about Liu Bei’s position now?

What about Guan Yu’s debut?

One move could change everything.

If it went like this, would I have to live out my life in this world with this fool’s head?

Was that even possible?

“The wine will get cold. Drink it quickly.”

Ah, for real.

I shut my eyes tightly.