New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

The Nineteenth General's Mansion was rather shabby, consisting of nothing more than a small thatched hut.

Liu Bei looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then called a young general to his side. This was none other than the limited-edition general card that Guan Yu had obtained out of thin air after Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong, according to the rules: Hua Xiong - Qing Dynasty Soldier Edition.

Liu Bei scrutinized the man for a moment and realized that he looked exactly like Tang Xiaohu, the villain in a certain TV series. So, he didn't bother to think about it and simply patted him on the shoulder, affectionately bestowing upon him the name: "From now on, you will be called Tang Xiaohu."

Tang Xiaohu was moved to tears and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing several times to Liu Bei.

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

Liu Bei's forehead immediately creased with annoyance. Good heavens, this must be the work of a screenwriter from a Qing Dynasty drama who wandered onto the wrong set. The constant use of "Master" made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he quickly remembered the fourth rule in the Hua Xiong's strange tales, and felt relieved.

[Rule 4: After defeating Hua Xiong, you will receive a limited-edition general card: Hua Ci - Qing Dynasty Soldier Edition.]

They will address you as "Master, Master," so please be prepared and don't be surprised.

He composed himself and solemnly instructed, "Go to Yuan Shu's place. Take a thousand catties of gold, a hundred horses, and five hundred shi of grain. Tell him it's the reward for beheading Hua Xiong, and that Lord Xuande has sent you to collect it."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaohu was so shocked that his mouth dropped open. He counted on his fingers for a while before finally speaking hesitantly with a mournful face.

"Master, my lord... are you mistaken? Alliance Leader Yuan promised a reward of a thousand taels of silver in public..."

"There's a sixteen-fold difference between a thousand catties and a thousand taels! Besides, it seems that Alliance Leader Yuan didn't mention providing any grain..."

Liu Bei glared at him irritably, inwardly cursing: "Just go when I tell you to! Why all this nonsense? Do you think my math was taught by the PE teacher?"

"Of course I know that, there's no need for you to remind me. Just go and mention my name, Liu Bei."

Tang Xiaohu dared not argue any further, and could only nervously make his way to Yuan Shu's tent. He kept muttering to himself, hoping that Yuan Shu's men wouldn't slap him across the face without saying a word.

Liu Bei watched Tang Xiaohu's departing figure, secretly making plans in his heart.

According to that rule:

[Once the limit is reached, Hua Ci will inherit Hua Xiong's bizarre transformation condition and will be absolutely loyal to you, at your disposal.]

He sought help from Yuan Shu precisely because the two of them were among the few normal people in this bizarre world. The only way to avoid being corrupted was to help each other and stick together for survival.

Once the five hundred bushels of grain are in hand, they can be used to feed Tang Xiaohu, in order to improve his combat power according to the rules.

[Hua Ci possesses an extraordinary talent: she can permanently increase her combat power by consuming food, with the maximum increase being equal to Hua Xiong's original combat power.]

If anyone else dared to ask for such an exorbitant price, they would probably have been slapped across the face and thrown out the door long ago.

But Liu Bei had already secretly contacted Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu then pounded his chest and solemnly promised that as long as Xuande asked, he would do his utmost to help him.

Upon hearing his words, Liu Bei felt a genuine sense of gratitude.

Rule 1: Any two people plotting together will be eavesdropped on. Ensure a third person is present in your situation.

Sure enough. He and Tang Xiaohu had barely finished their private conversation when Guan and Zhang, as expected, walked in from outside. Tang Xiaohu had just left when they arrived, like two eavesdroppers on a scheduled rendezvous.

Zhang Fei glanced back at Tang Xiaohu's back, then grinned and approached him.

"Brother, who was that person just now? I've never seen him in the army before!"

Liu Bei took a leisurely sip of water. The appearance of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei was exactly what he had expected.

"That's my newly recruited general, named Tang Xiaohu. From now on, we're brothers."

Zhang Fei grinned widely, exchanged a glance with Guan Yu, and his smile became even more mischievous.

"Of course, of course! Don't worry, brother, we'll treat Little Tiger like our own brother!"

Guan Yu also stepped forward and clasped his hands in congratulations.

"My elder brother is now a regional commander. He is the commander of the nineteenth garrison."

"From now on, we can stand on equal footing with those various feudal lords."

Liu Bei shook his head slightly, as if pouring a bucket of cold water over Liu Bei's head.

"Not necessarily. My position as general is merely a figurehead."

"No soldiers, no provisions. Let alone the Nineteenth Division, even the First Division is just an empty title."

After saying that, he stood up, his gaze falling on the mottled floor, and spoke to the two of them expressionlessly.

"Second brother, third brother. We brothers have suffered humiliation since we entered the pass to join the alliance. Those eighteen warlords have not taken us seriously at all."

"In this chaotic world, the only way to gain a foothold is to rely on one's own abilities, suppress bandits and make contributions, and only then can one achieve great things."

The expression on his face as he said these words was rather intriguing. Only he knew that beneath that righteous and stern expression, he was desperately suppressing a smile.

He almost burst out laughing, especially when he mentioned the phrase "suffered humiliation".

Fortunately, the eighteen warlords were reasonably mild-mannered. Given the foolish things Zhang Fei had done since entering the city, if it were someone with a more violent temper, the three brothers would have been beaten out of Chenliu City long ago.

Zhang Fei listened and wholeheartedly agreed, indignantly echoing his sentiment.

"Big brother is absolutely right! Before second brother killed Hua Xiong, those bastards looked at us like we were looking at dog shit!"

"Once Second Brother kills Hua Xiong, they'll be eager to fawn over us three brothers."

Then, he changed the subject, looked at Guan Yu, and said something with a forced smile.

"Second Brother, you killed Hua Xiong, which deprived me, Old Zhang, of the chance to show my skills."

"When that bastard Lü Bu arrives, you're not allowed to steal the credit anymore; you have to give me the chance."

"If you don't give in, I won't acknowledge you as my second brother!"

Having said that, Guan Yu had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Liu Bei watched this display of brotherly affection with a cold eye, finding it amusing to himself.

In the new Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei appear to have sworn brotherhood in the Peach Garden, but in reality, they are not familiar with each other.

Before long, Tang Xiaohu returned in a grand procession, carrying a thousand catties of gold, a hundred horses, and five hundred shi of grain. What was particularly eye-catching was that he was followed by about a thousand able-bodied soldiers. Liu Bei was both surprised and delighted to see this.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that these thousand elite soldiers were an extra gift from Yuan Shu, intended solely to ensure Liu Bei's safety.

Liu Bei felt a warmth in his heart. He knew that the feudal lords who gathered for an alliance all brought their own private armies, which they never readily gave to outsiders. A thousand elite soldiers, while not a formidable force in this new Three Kingdoms world, were nonetheless a free gift, demonstrating Yuan Shu's profound sincerity.

Even a rough and impulsive man like Zhang Fei couldn't help but be astonished. He was so moved by Yuan Shu's generosity that he almost burst into tears on the spot.

Liu Bei immediately divided his thousand elite troops in two, allocating five hundred to each side and entrusting them to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were overjoyed and quickly accepted the orders, excitedly running off to train the troops.

Liu Bei then allocated all five hundred shi of grain to Tang Xiaohu to train his combat strength. Time flew by. An hour later, the five hundred shi of grain were completely consumed. Liu Bei was dumbfounded, but Tang Xiaohu waved his hand, indicating that he really couldn't eat anymore.

At that moment, a series of cracking sounds emanated from Tang Xiaohu's body. His originally thin and withered body seemed to be infused with an invisible force, expanding rapidly like an inflating balloon.

In the blink of an eye, a burly man with thick, pillar-like limbs and bulging muscles replaced the previous frail appearance.

Liu Bei was overjoyed and immediately ordered Tang Xiaohu to mount a warhorse. He wanted to personally verify whether Tang Xiaohu had truly inherited Hua Xiong's strange body, which was impervious to swords and spears and water and fire, as the rules stated.

He drew his twin swords, mustered all his strength, and slashed fiercely at Tang Xiaohu. A piercing clang of metal rang out, the blade striking like metal. Looking closer, Tang Xiaohu was completely unharmed, not even a scratch remained.

Just as the note said, it is impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire!

Liu Bei was overjoyed, but after a moment, he calmed down and sighed softly.

Unfortunately, while Tang Xiaohu inherited Hua Xiong's near-invincible and bizarre physical body, he also inherited his fatal weakness. If an opponent bypassed him and attacked only his horse, Tang Xiaohu's life would be in imminent danger.

As he pondered this, a pair of eyes in the shadows blinked suddenly. He had been so excited that he had completely forgotten he was currently in the midst of a conspiracy between the two. All the strange changes that had just occurred had been observed without a trace by those eyes in the shadows.

Liu Bei was completely unaware of this. He glanced at the sky and saw that it was almost time for Cao Cao's victory banquet, so he composed himself and instructed Tang Xiaohu to summon Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to come and join him.