‘Shouchun City managed to hold on!’ Liu Mang cheered in his heart the moment he reached the city. Before this, Liu Mang was filled with regret. He took Gan Ning’s troops with him and thought of saving Xu Shu before abandoning Shouchun. What he did not expect was that Shouchun was not yet captured. He was very pleased with Xu Shu’s work. Just as Liu Mang was feeling happy, a general came over to him.

“Milord! We have assumed control of the city’s defences!” This general was Gan Ning. He had an unhappy tone as he reported to Liu Mang. After all, he came out to fight only to find this kind of conclusion. It would be strange for him to truly feel happy.

“Xingba! Alright, alright! Doesn’t that just mean there is no need for a battle?” Liu Mang was like a child trying to placate Gan Ning. Most generals, especially the ones with a high position would not like for a battle to start as it means death even if they also received merits. While it is understandable for foot soldiers, or 1000-man commanders, Gan Ning was already a general for Liu Mang’s navy. His position was already very high but even then, he was still unsatisfied.

“No Milord.” Hearing Liu Mang comfort him, he could not help but speak out his thoughts. It was one matter if Liu Mang stopped him from going out to fight so that he has more time to train the soldiers. However, Liu Mang had already given the go ahead and agreed that soldiers would not be elites if they do not see blood. In this entire war at Yangzhou, the navy had no presence at all. They almost had a battle but then Liu Bei retreated. Naturally, Gan Ning felt disappointed.

Liu Mang laughed. He looked at Liu Bei’s withdrawing army and thought of keeping Liu Bei around but he knew that he did not have the capability to do so. The Urban Army and the Black Flag Army were seasick and could not fight. The only ones that remained were Gan Ning’s five thousand troops. It was not worth using the navy to fight Liu Bei’s elite land troops. So, Liu Mang could only watch Liu Bei’s Army leave. He would not even allow Gan Ning to go out and fight.

“Xingba. Shouchun’s problems are now gone but do not forget that we still live in times of turmoil.” Liu Mang said to Gan Ning. Liu Bei no longer had the strength to continue his attack which mean that Liu Mang managed to defend Yangzhou. Meanwhile, Gan Ning did not understand what Liu Mang meant by turmoil. So Liu Mang could only try and explain his words better. “The battle at Shouchun is within my territory. Even if we win, my troops have received losses.” Liu Mang looked at the industrial zone that was now in ruins. He would need a lot of money if he wanted to rebuild it. Gushi, Anfeng, Hefei and Chengde was captured and burned down by Liu Bei. Although Liu Mang had a lot of citizens, they would still need to spend a lot to rebuild those cities. This meant that both Liu Mang and Liu Bei did not win. Liu Bei was not able to take Yangzhou but he was still able to destroy more than half of it, along with several months of Liu Mang’s hard work. Although Liu Mang was able to capture some of Liu Bei’s city, he could not occupy them as he lacked troops. Liu Bei also still has his White Eared elites.

Regardless, someone had schemed to take down Liu Mang. Liu Mang could clearly see that as he had advisors like Xu Shu and Liu Ye. Sun Ce, Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu had joined forces to attack him. To be pressured by others and not retaliating was not Liu Mang’s style. Liu Mang would definitely make them pay for this.

Zhang Xiu was an insignificant watchdog. Liu Mang had already killed off eight thousand of his Xiliang Cavalry. Once Liu Mang have finished creating the White Horses, he would join up with the Wolf Cavalry and wipe out Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu may have a lot of troops but they were not organized and could easily be defeated.

Liu Mang was not able to chase Liu Bei at that moment because his main army was seasick. However, Liu Bei only had infantry and would not be able to run very far. Once Liu Mang’s troops have recovered, they could chase him down. Liu Bei oalso only have Runan left at Yuzhou so Liu Mang would be able to chase him out easily.

During the time Sun Qian was captured, he had told Liu Mang about the plans in motion. Liu Mang’s entire predicament from the lack of provisions to being attacked by Liu Bei was a strategy that came from Jiangdong. It was also Sun Ce’s fault that Lu Bu was not able to send reinforcements. Liu Mang needed to plan carefully against them as unlike Zhang Xiu and Liu Bei, Sun Ce’s territory was on the opposite side of the river. Liu Mang would not be able to attack Sun Ce with the Urban Army and the Wolf Cavalry. Liu Mang needed a larger navy to ensure his victory. This was also why Liu Mang treated Gan Ning and the navy preciously. It was also why Xu Shu refused to allow Gan Ning to help out in defending Shouchun.

“Jiangdong has hundreds and thousands of navy troops. Xingba, how many thousands can you take out for me?” Liu Mang jokingly asked.

“A navy of hundred thousand?” Gan Ning’s eyes lit up when he heard Liu Mang’s words. Gan Ning had fought against the Jiangdong navy before when he was still serving under Liu Biao. He is one of the few people that were most knowledgeable about the Jiangdong navy. Gan Ning had also become famous after sending thirty thousand of the Jiangdong navy into a watery grave at Wancheng. Besides that, he was Liu Mang’s only expert at water battles. There was no one to fight with him over kills. Liu Mang’s words had certainly made him feel better.

“Xingba. Don’t get too excited. The burdens placed on you is not light!” Liu Mang said to Gan Ning. It was a good thing to have a strong will to fight but Liu Mang must also make sure that Gan Ning did not overwhelm himself with excitement. This is because Liu Biao might ally himself with Sun Ce. It was not an impossibility as Liu Biao had chosen to watch this battle unfold. It was also why Liu Mang had Wei Yan capture Yiyang as interest.

“Milord! When do we deploy the navy?” Gan Ning was no longer eyeing the Liu Bei’s Army outside the city. He impatiently wanted to have a decisive battle against the Jiangdong and Jingzhou navies.

“Don’t hurry.” Liu Mang replied. The navy does not only consist of troops but also warships. Liu Mang had given Gan Ning with his first ship at Lujiang. This ship was smaller and could barely hold two hundred men. Gan Ning initially had fourteen thousand men. Three thousand had been left behind as land troops. The remaining eleven thousand men would need a minimum of fifty five ships. To show their true capabilities, they would need seventy ships. However, they only have twenty ships with them. In other words, most of the navy did not even have a ship.

“What’s the harm in it? Milord. My army’s navy would definitely sink countless Jiangdong ships!” Gan Ning boldly declared. However, Gan Ning only had firepower. If he goes up against superior numbers and tactics, he may not win even with superior technology. On the other hand, the technology may fall into Jiangdong’s hands where they could even improve on the design.

“There is no need to hurry for now.” Liu Mang waved Gan Ning’s concerns away. “Now that Liu Bei has been chased away, Shouchun can once again continue building ships. There are also still many ships not yet outfitted with the ballista. At earliest, we could only provide them to you on the first month!”

“Report! Milord! The Military Advisor has woken up!” Just as Gan Ning wanted to continue arguing for his battle, one of the defenders of Shouchun went up to Liu Mang and gave his report.

“Yuanzhi is awake!” Liu Mang was surprised. Xu Shu had been so confused that he wanted to die together with Shouchun. Fortunately, Zhao Yun stopped Xu Shu by knocking him out. They had planned to secretly send Xu Shu away by ship but they had encountered Liu Mang along the way. Xu Shu was then sent back to Shouchun to recuperate. Xu Shu woke up in the short moment that Liu Mang was on the walls of the city.

“Quick! Take me to him!” Liu Mang shouted at his soldiers.

“Bring the horses!” Gan Ning also shouted to his navy. A few horses were sent to Liu Mang who got on and went straight to the government building. Meanwhile, Gan Ning stayed behind on the walls as a precaution.

____

“Defeat! I am defeated!” Zhang Xiu said as he coldly looked at the broken spear in his hands. A weapon was the soul of a warrior. Without his weapon, he would be much weaker than before. “Am I not even a match for you?” Zhang Xiu asked bitterly as he looked at the golden armored warrior. His question was seemingly directed to himself. Zhang Xiu never liked Lu Bu as Lu Bu followed the trend too much. Lu Bu and the Wolf Cavalry had also been so powerful that Dong Zhuo refused to act against him and bought his loyalty with the Red Hare.

The Red Hare was the best amongst the horses. Aside from martial arts, a warrior loves a good horse. Everyone became envious of Lu Bu for obtaining this splendid horse. Lu Bu then defended the Hulao Gate and reached even further heights. He became known as the strongest general in the world. At that time, Zhang Xiu was still young and naturally could not be compared to Lu Bu. He eagerly duelled Lu Bu only to be defeated. In the end, Zhang Ji had to plead Dong Zhuo for him to be spared. Since then, Zhang Xiu had been training day and night to surpass Lu Bu. He had trained hard enough to become amongst the top ten strongest general. However, he was once again defeated by Lu Bu.

“Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear.1” Lu Bu muttered out. He also know of this style as he had encountered this before. “Did you study under Li Yan?” With Zhang Xiu defeated, the Xiliang Cavalry would no longer be able to fight back. He also would not simply kill Zhang Xiu.

“Li Yan? Haha. That is my teacher’s brother!” Zhang Xiu already knew that he was defeated and his striving heart had already calmed down.

“No wonder!” Lu Bu said to himself. Lu Bu had a good friend named Li Su. Li Su was also the one that suggested for Lu Bu to kill Ding Yuan. When they were under Dong Zhuo’s service, Li Su and Lu Bu were amongst Dong Zhuo’s best generals. Li Su learned his skills under Li Yan and was almost on par with Lu Bu. Lu Bu learned of the Hundred Birds Phoenix Spear from Li Su.

Unfortunately, Li Su died young. It was said that Li Su was executed by Lu Bu after failing in his mission but it was impossible for Lu Bu to kill him personally as Li Su was almost as strong as Lu Bu. The truth was that Li Su was dying from an illness. That being said, there were many who died from illnesses and fade away from history. Li Su did not want this to happen so he chose to die under the hands of the world’s most fearsome warrior.

“Even the Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear is not good enough to defeat you! Are you truly the God of War?” Zhang Xiu asked Lu Bu as he tried to comfort himself. He would feel better if Lu Bu was truly the God of War. After all, it would be difficult for a man to overcome a God.

“I am not a God of War! I am not what you are imagining of! It is not that the Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear is no match for me! You are simply too weak!” Lu Bu shook his head and replied, humiliating Zhang Xiu.

“Lu Bu! You!” Zhang Xiu gritted his teeth. “Lu Bu, it is okay to kill but not humiliate others! I cannot say anything as I was the one defeated but was there a need to shame me? I won’t let you go even if I become a ghost!” Zhang Xiu was a person who loved his pride. This was what the people of ancient times treasured the most. Naturally, they preferred to win but they only treated their losses like scars. What they were most afraid of was being humiliated by others. Similarly, Zhang Xiu was willing to believe that Lu Bu was too strong but he could not believe that he was too weak.

“A ghost? Haha!” Lu Bu reacted in disdain. If ghosts truly existed, there would have already been many ghosts looking for him. “Zhang Xiu. I have fought against the Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear before! I may be proud but I will admit that I did not win against that person!”

“What?” Zhang Xiu was stunned. ‘A person that Lu Bu did not manage to defeat? Who was this person?’

“Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear! The idea is that hundreds of birds constantly change and become everlasting. The hundreds of birds will evolve into phoenixes and cry out to the world!2”

“How did you know that?” Zhang Xiu was astonished. These were the words his teacher told him. It was also the words that signified his inheritance of the skill. An outsider like Lu Bu should not have been able to recite those words.

“I would not be able to against the phoenixes but you are only the birds!” Lu Bu sneered at Zhang Xiu.

“The Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear does not only need martial skills but it also needs a militaristic mind! A phoenix is the Emperor for birds because of its tolerant nature. Although you show skill, you do not have a mind of a phoenix. You are not tolerant. That is why you are defeated! Zhang Xiu, you are too disappointing! Last time, your uncle Zhang Ji implored Dong Zhuo for me to spare your life! Did you think Dong Zhuo alone was enough to stop me?” Lu Bu coldly looked at Zhang Xiu. When Zhang Xiu had provoked Lu Bu, Lu Bu was already disgusted with Dong Zhuo. In other words, he did not care about Dong Zhuo at all. “I spared you because I wanted to see how far you could go as a person who studied under the same style as Li Su! But it seems that you are still too disappointing!”

“You!”

Zhang Xiu was unable to refute Lu Bu’s words because Zhang Xiu did not truly finish inheriting the skill. His master Tong Yuan had once told him that the Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear was not suitable for him as he lacked a tolerant heart. At that time, Zhang Xiu had thought that Tong Yuan was simply undervaluing him but he now found out that this was the truth.

“Your spear is cold and forceful. It does not have tolerance3. If you had fought with your own spearmanship, I may not have won as easily!” Every warrior obtains their foundation and then adepts in their own way. One who is truly strong would inherit their predecessor’s skills and turn it into their own.

The Hundred Birds and Phoenix Spear was powerful but it belonged to a predecessor. Even Lu Bu would have been surprised had he not encounter this style before. It was unfortunate for Zhang Xiu that Lu Bu had fought against one who was stronger. Zhang Xiu’s imitation was unable to move Lu Bu and even allowed Lu Bu to point out Zhang Xiu’s problems.

“I…!” Zhang Xiu looked at his own spear, unsure about what to say. Zhang Xiu had gotten this far in his refinement yet he did not have his own style. He was only a joke, lying to himself. Lu Bu called his speamanship worthless. Lu Bu’s words allowed the perceptive Zhang Xiu to understand his mistakes and improve himself but would there still be a chance? He has already fallen into Lu Bu’s hands. Zhang Xiu could only close his eyes and await his death.

“Kill! Save General Yang Wu!” A roar came out from an intruding army, carrying the banner of Liu.

______________

Literal translation (all birds looking up to the phoenix spear). Ended up that way because I have terrible naming sense (took me two hours trying to figure out what to do with this). This is not a spear but a style name 百鸟朝凤枪. Tong Yuan taught this style to three people, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Ren and later on, Zhao Yun. However, Zhao Yun surpassed his master and ended up with another style. 七探蛇盘枪. Something along the lines of Seven Searching Snake Coiling Spear… which I would probably not use if it does come out in the story. On a side note, 百鸟朝凤 without the 枪 (spear) is a figurative way to say ‘peace under a wise ruler.’

Some kind of philosophy to the style. Made me remember Biyo/Birdramon.