Liu Bei POV

“Chen Dao, if you can go quicker, go… Haa… Don’t bother about me.”

My stamina wasn’t much to begin with, and now that I had to run with my heavy swords, I was practically drained not long after I’d begun running. This is also the first time I’m running around the city walls, where the bricks are hard and uneven.

“No, my lord just needs to work harder for a little bit longer.” Chen Dao pointed ahead as she continued running.

I looked ahead and saw a crowd of people, and heard yells for blood and slaughter.

d.a.m.n it! They really did set up the cloud ladders already.

“Look, my lord!” Just as I was feeling dismayed at the current situation, Chen Dao pointed below the city. I looked down and involuntarily gasped.

Outside the west gate, troops were crowding all around and gathered near the cloud ladders set up against the towers.

“How many… Is this…” I squeezed these words out between pants.

“Based on a rough count, I would say at least 6-7,000.”

Kuh, 6-7,000.

“Look over there, my lord. Zhu Zhi and her troops are there as well.”

As expected, Zhu Zhi was there below the city, and had begun setting up their own cloud ladders.

“There will be at least 8,000 like this!”

Eh! We’re doomed now! We should have bolstered the defences on both sides at the start. Our side has been led around from the start!

“My lord, stand at the back, I’ll open a path for you.”

“Be careful!”

Chen Dao nodded and shot forward like an arrow, tearing into the chaotic battle up ahead,

“Alright everyone, defending the city takes top priority! Don’t look below! Just kill all the enemies in the city and we’ll win!” I did my best to invigorate the troops around, and also to bolster my own guts.

“Oh!!!!”

But who knew that everyone around seemed really motivated and energised by my words.

And when we charged full force into the fray, I didn’t detect a shred of cowardice from them, or from myself. On the battlefield, I was just another soldier, and just a nail in the defence of the city. And so, I raised my twin swords and danced with everything I had.

To defend myself, and the city.

Ya!

I swung my twin swords about and did my best to make my attacks less lethal. If I can knock them out without injuring them, I will do so. If I can injure them without kill them, I will do so. I don’t feel that this is a weakness of mine, nor is this a show of benevolence. This is just my nature as someone from the future.

“Uncle!” While I was fighting hard in the crowd, a voice that called out to me from some distance away drew my attentions. There’s only 1 person who will call me this way after all.

(TL: Guan Ping doesn’t count. She calls him 舅舅 which is maternal uncle, while Liu Qi calls him 叔叔 which is paternal uncle.)

“Liu Qi! Are you alright?!” I practically roared out at her and began to force my way over to where she was.

“I’m still okay!” Liu Qi yelled back as she wielded her longsword and blew away several troops that charged at her with elegant movements.

This surprised me as the Liu Qi in my impression had the weak scholarly sort of image yet now that she was embroiled in battle, she showed no weakness at all nor did she seem like a scholar.

After some trouble, I finally made my way to Liu Qi and put my back to hers, “How is it?! Can we hold this gate?”

“The gates would have fallen after the first wave, but now it looks like we can hold on for another 3-4 waves.”

So we’re still going to fall!

Looks like our reinforcement wasn’t of much help.

“My lord, please move to the back a little.” Wen Ping said as she leapt down and landed in front of Liu Qi, slas.h.i.+ng across at the same time, killing a row of enemy soldiers.

“A ruler ought to join the battlefield in person, and it’s not like I never learned how to wield a sword. Wen Ping, you don’t need to bother about me. Go and help Lord Gan Ning, overturning the cloud ladders takes greatest precedence at this time.” Liu Qi pointed in the distance as she said so. Over there, a white scarf was swaying about.

Gan Ning was amongst the enemy troops, and slas.h.i.+ng away at the enemies with her blunt edge as usual, sending them flying with no external wound at all.

When she came to a cloud ladder, she slashed apart the cloud ladder in 1 swift and steady blow.

Gan Ning’s martial prowess is truly impressive, I thought as I looked at her movements.

“Ya!” A soldier charged at me just as I was appreciating Gan Ning’s movements. I too did as Gan Ning did and dodged the attack before knocking him away. I couldn’t send him flying though, and could only knock him to the side and to the ground.

“Uncle is learning from Lord Gan Ning and being benevolent too?”

“I guess.” I smiled bitterly as I replied Liu Qi. I knew my limits yet why was I doing this? To what end?

Who knows?

“Yaaaaaa!”

Un? I heard an enraged roar from the chaos which sent a chill down my spine. I looked into the distance but I couldn’t see the one who roared out.

“Uaa!”

While I was still searching for the source, a figure flew out from the crowd as she cried out. Lucky for her that she managed to regain her balance mid-air and land on her feet, though somewhat shakily.

I looked at the person and got a shock. The one who was forced into such a predicament was Chen Dao who had charged ahead of me earlier.

“Chen Dao?! What happened to you?” I hurriedly went up and asked her.

“Back away, my lord!” But she roared out at me to stop without explaining anything, “The opponent this time is a little dangerous.”

Chen Dao was frowning and had a stormy expression. Looks like she is having a really hard time. I looked at her clothes, and saw that they were torn and tatters. Only her chest guard was still unscratched and hanging on her.

“Yaa!!!!”

“She’s here! Back away, my lord!” Chen Dao got into a stance and yelled out with alarm when the voice came.

In the next moment, a black shadow charged out of the troops with 2 gleaming lights by its sides that formed 2 white arcs aimed at for Chen Dao.

When Chen Dao saw this, she hurriedly used her spear to block them, making *Zeng* *Leng* *Leng* *Leng* clas.h.i.+ng sounds in quick succession and drawing sparks on Chen Dao’s spear.

“Kuh!” The black shadow’s strength seemed to grow with every blow, forcing Chen Dao back, who was by now practically kneeling on the ground.

“Yaa!” But luckily, Chen Dao was somehow able to shrug off the black shadow with a concentrated push.

When the black shadow landed on the ground, a long braided ponytail landed on the ground as well. I looked over, and found that the one who attacked Chen Dao was actually a child not more than 12-13 years of age.

Her gaze was sharp, her face was flushed and her facial features were still rather childish. Looking below, she was wearing a sleeveless s.h.i.+rt with a wavy lace pattern in the shape of a flower at her chest that seemed more like clothing of European origin than of Chinese origin. Further below were her hands which held twin swords that had exceptionally tips which gleamed under the sun.

“Mum often said that Jing state has many famous and talented warriors. Could it be that I haven’t met any from Jing state yet?”

“Yes, she isn’t from Jing state.” Liu Qi hurriedly replied.

Oi oi oi, what’s the point of answering that so seriously at this time?

“So what?! There are also many famous warriors in Yu state!” Chen Dao was still really energetic despite all her injuries. When she finished, she charged at the little girl again.

“Chen Dao! Stop!” I hurriedly stopped her when I saw that she had succ.u.mbed to her battlel.u.s.t.

“Un… Yes!” Even in such a state, she was still very obedient to me, and stopped her charge.

Whether it was Chen Dao or me, both of us knew that we were not a match for that little girl so it would be best to buy some time instead of trying to push ourselves.

Just then, the little girl pointed her swords at us, “I don’t wish to fight with you lot. I just came with my mum to lay siege to the city. Now that we have taken the city, my mission is complete, and so is my mum’s.”

Mum? Who’s her mum?

“I’m sorry, little girl. But defending the city is our mission.” Liu Qi slowly said as she took a step forward, “Only when you have retreated can we consider our mission completed, for both me and my uncle.”

“Hmph.” The little girl snorted and shrugged, “In that case, I’ll just have to end it quickly.”

When she finished, the little girl flew out and charged at Chen Dao.

“Wen Ping!” Liu Qi called out loudly in the same instant.

“Geh!” Chen Dao was caught unawares and frantically tried to get into a proper stance–

*Ding*!

But someone stopped the 2 blades before they reached Chen Dao.

“You called, my lord?” That person was Wen Ping who had just ran off just now. Wen Ping’s voice was weak but very rea.s.suring.

“The one with the flying saucer hat, where are you from?”

“… From Jing state.”

Just as Wen Ping finished, the little girl took half a step back before resuming her charge once more.

“Yaaaaa!” She roared out with fury as she charged. Her voice was that of a child and was very sharp so her roar made all of us in her surroundings squint and cringe.

*Ding* *Ding* *Ding*!

Several clear clas.h.i.+ng sounds rang out as Wen Ping responded with a speed that matched that of the little girl and blocked her innumerable blows.

“Yaa!” The little girl did a feint with 1 of her shortswords, and slashed upwards from Wen Ping’s waist with the other shortsword.

“…” Wen Ping wordlessly stepped back and raised her neck to dodge the blow.

“Ah! Ah!” But the girl caught up and continued her frenzied attacks which Wen Ping successfully defended.

From where I was, Wen Ping was looking rather ferocious after 1-2 rounds of this.

“Kuh, what a strong warrior general.” Liu Qi exclaimed.

“Lord Wen Ping, I’ll a.s.sist you!” Just as Liu Qi spoke to me, Chen Dao who was covered with wounds spoke up and flew at the little girl.

Wen Ping and Chen Dao fought 1 behind the other, with a long sword and a long spear, against the little girl. But the girl quickly leapt up and landed between them, making it difficult for them to fight against the little girl together effectively and forcing them to maneuver and re-adjust their positions.

“Liu Qi, should we be helping them?” I asked as I stepped forward and made to join in but was stopped by Liu Qi.

“Uncle’s intentions are good but now that their 3-way battle is raging on, if we join in and that little girl discovers that we’re the main commanders of the troops here, she will concentrate her attacks on us. This will make it difficult for Wen Ping and Lord Chen Dao to fight at their fullest.”

But just standing and watch this is just way too painful.

Is there no way to turn things around now that things have progressed this far?!