I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 643 The one who rescued the enemy general was clearly a mysterious shaman from the Great Luo Dynasty! (Please subscribe)

Zhou Meng suddenly jolted awake, instantly realizing he had misspoke. He quickly covered his mouth and nervously looked around. Fortunately, the nearby soldiers were still in a daze and no one noticed what he had said.

He broke out in a cold sweat; if these words got out, it would be a grave offense of disrespect.

It's no wonder Zhou Meng lost his composure. Although he had seen many powerful figures, this was the first time he had ever witnessed someone like Li Chen, who seemed to be able to manipulate the power of heaven and earth with every move and change the course of a battle with ease. The shock he felt was simply too great.

Xu Zifeng, on the other hand, appeared much calmer. He had witnessed Li Chen's battles with those renowned supreme experts from all corners of the world, and those battles were truly earth-shattering, like a battle between gods.

In his opinion, His Majesty probably didn't even use one percent of his strength just now, and had to carefully control the force, for fear of accidentally hurting his own army.

When Sergei retreated back to his temporary camp, his few dozen remaining guards were all disheveled, covered in blood, and slumped dejectedly in the snow. The air was thick with the atmosphere of defeat and despair.

The entire team was like a wilted eggplant, completely devoid of the spirit they had shown when they set out.

A centurion, a man of upright character with a face bearing gruesome scars and undried bloodstains, could no longer suppress his resentment and growled at Sergei, "General! I've said it before: Han Tie Guan is not to be trifled with! Our repeated setbacks in our previous reconnaissance are proof enough!"
If only we had heeded the advice and retreated earlier, we wouldn't be in this predicament! Twenty thousand elite troops! Almost completely wiped out! How are we going to explain this to Great Khan Tuoba Zhen? How are we going to explain this to Grand Duke Andrei?!

If it were the old Sergei, he would have been furious if someone had talked back to him like that, and might even have been court-martialed.

But at this moment, he sat on a rock, dejected and broken, like a defeated rooster, his magnificent armor covered in mud, snow and blood.

He merely moved his lips in response to his subordinates' accusations, ultimately saying nothing, his face burning with shame and a deep sense of self-awareness.

He knew that the responsibility for this crushing defeat lay entirely with his own stubbornness.

The surviving soldiers silently gathered their remaining equipment, the atmosphere terribly oppressive.

Everyone understood that this place was not safe to stay in and they had to leave as soon as possible.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, and Li Chen (Master Urge), cloaked and with mysterious paint on his face, appeared silently at the edge of the camp like a ghost.

Sergei looked up and saw his master's figure. As if grasping at a lifeline, he scrambled over and knelt down in the snow with a thud, his voice choked with endless fear and gratitude.

"Master! Thank you so much for saving my life! If you hadn't arrived in time, I would have been torn to pieces!"

Recalling the terrifying scene of the earth changing color and a single blow sending thousands of troops flying, his awe for his master reached its peak.

Li Chen, playing Master Ulge, had shed his fierce and domineering aura from that day, appearing instead kind and benevolent. Although the makeup made this benevolence seem somewhat eerie, in the eyes of the Great Luo people, it was an auspicious sign. He gently raised his hand, and a soft force lifted Sergei up, his voice gentle: "It's good that you're alright. I sensed that you were in danger when you activated the talisman, and I knew you were in peril. Fortunately, I arrived in time."

His gaze swept over the chaotic and demoralized camp, and he asked with feigned concern, "Child, you look dejected and listless. Have you encountered any difficulties? Tell your teacher."

These words seemed to unleash a torrent of emotion in Sergei. Head bowed, he recounted in detail how he had been ambushed, how he had been crushed by the Tian Ce army, and how he had suffered a crushing defeat, his recounting growing increasingly filled with regret.

“Master, this matter is very strange. Tian Ce clearly had an ambush set up in advance, deliberately luring me in! They must have discovered my previous reconnaissance operations long ago! It is my incompetence that has caused the deaths of so many brothers!”

I...I've read so many military books, thinking myself an expert in military strategy, but now it seems I'm utterly unfit for commanding troops and fighting! I've let down my father, I've let down the Khan, and most of all, I've let down these fallen soldiers!

In the end, his tone even carried a hint of self-loathing.

Li Chen listened quietly, and only after he had finished speaking did he slowly shake his head and say in a hoarse yet seductive voice, "No, child, you are wrong. What wrong have you done?"

Sergei suddenly looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, his face full of confusion: "Master? This crushing defeat, with such heavy losses, isn't it my fault?"

"Of course not." Li Chen said with certainty, and began his twisted logic, "Think about it carefully. If you were commanding not 20,000 detachments, but a million-strong army, well-trained and well-supplied, with many fierce generals and strategists under your command, would you still be so cautious and make such slow progress?"

"If you had several strong subordinates like your master, with even a little skill, would you have been in such a sorry state when we were ambushed today, needing my personal rescue?"

He paused, then continued to guide the discussion: "Even at the moment of discovery, if your deputy hadn't questioned you, shaken morale, and delayed that precious opportunity, would you have been able to charge decisively and catch the enemy off guard?"
Sometimes, failure isn't due to flawed decision-making, but rather insufficient execution—a lack of authority!

These words, like seeds imbued with magic, quietly fell into Sergei's heart. He pondered them carefully, and felt that they seemed to make some sense.
If I had held great power and had countless strong men under my command, perhaps I wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat today?
Seeing that his expression wavered, Li Chen intensified his efforts, his voice becoming lower and more seductive: "Kid, you are one of the most talented young people I have ever met in military affairs!"

But your biggest problem is a lack of self-confidence! You always doubt your abilities, you're always hesitant and timid, and you always have to consider other people's opinions and feelings before doing anything!

If you had the authority to mobilize a million troops, and everyone had to absolutely obey your orders and perfectly execute your every plan, would you still be defeated today?

"Power. Absolute obedience," Sergei murmured to himself, the flames of ambition that had been extinguished in his eyes reignited by these words, and burned even more fiercely!
Yes! It's not that my plan is bad, it's that I don't have enough power!
If I were a Grand Duke or an Emperor, wielding supreme power and possessing inexhaustible resources, how could I have suffered such a humiliating disgrace today?!

Seeing that Sergei had been completely bewitched and had fallen into an extreme thirst for power, Li Chen added the crucial final push, his tone resolute and filled with boundless trust and support:
"Remember, child, in this world, no one has the right to question you except your teacher! Whatever your ambitions or aspirations, go for them boldly! Even if the sky falls, your teacher will be there to support you!"

"You are my only disciple. I believe that anyone I, Urge, have chosen is definitely not a coward or a mediocre talent!"

(End of this chapter)