New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Cao Cao took the wine cup, personally filled it with warm wine, and handed it to Pan Feng.

Pan Feng waved his hand dismissively, displaying a heroic spirit.

"Pour the wine, I'll be right back!"

After saying this, he turned and strode away, picked up his axe, leaped onto his horse, and went out of the city to meet the enemy.

Watching Pan Feng ride away on horseback, the various lords sighed with emotion.

"What a valiant general! What ambition!"

"Brother Wenjie, having such a general is better than having ten thousand soldiers!"

Han Fu stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

"I have General Pan Feng; Hua Xiong's dog head is within my grasp!"

Only Cao Cao's lips curled slightly, revealing a subtle, sly smile.

Yuan Shu was slightly taken aback. Pan Feng hadn't drunk the poisoned wine. Could it be that Hua Xiong was truly going to perish at his hands this time?

He looked at Liu Bei beside him, wanting an answer. Liu Bei, however, stared at the note in his hand and slowly shook his head.

"Pan Feng is not coming back."

The note read in bold:

Strange tales about the rules surrounding Hua Xiong.

[Rule 1: Hua Xiong's transformation into a bizarre centaur state occurs when he is mounted on a warhorse. This state automatically ends upon dismounting.]

[Rule 2: In his bizarre centaur form, Hua Xiong is invulnerable to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire, and immune to all physical and magical damage.]

[Rule 3: The weakness of the strange centaur lies in Hua Xiong's warhorse. Severely injuring the horse will instantly kill Hua Xiong.]

[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.

[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.]

[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.]

[Rule 5: This rule was personally added by the Heavenly Will. Tonight, an assassin will attempt to kill Yuan Shao. Please ensure his safety.]

After reading the first three rules, Liu Bei felt both sorrow for Pan Feng and joy for himself.

The tragedy lies in the fact that even if Pan Feng hadn't drunk the poisoned wine, he was still doomed to die.

Unless he can discover Hua Xiong's weakness and severely damage his warhorse, he has no chance of survival.

But the possibility is extremely slim. Pan Feng is wielding a hundred-pound axe. Logically, in mounted combat, one would only attack the rider; who would think of cutting down his horse?

So where does this joy come from?

What pleased Guan Yu was the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand, which was twelve feet long. That's about 2.77 meters. A blade of that length would be perfect for cutting off Hua Xiong's horse's legs.

Moreover, Hua Xiong has won two consecutive battles and has become arrogant. And an arrogant army is bound to be defeated!

As Liu Bei read the fourth point, he became even happier.

According to the storyline, after Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong without wine, Cao Cao, in order to recruit the three brothers, would send them a thousand catties of grain, a hundred catties of cooked meat, and ten jars of fine wine. Wouldn't it be perfect to use these to feed Hua Xiong's wife and help her improve her fighting strength?

That's great!

Upon seeing the fifth rule, Liu Bei's expression turned serious.

Fate had given him an extra message. And this message was of paramount importance.

Tonight, an assassin will attempt to kill Yuan Shao. We must protect him at all costs.

Why did the assassin want to kill Yuan Shao? Was he one of Dong Zhuo's men, or was he sent by a mysterious force?

Liu Bei was filled with doubt. He had a vague feeling that the plot was deviating from the original story.

However, it's not a major problem. Even if history does change dramatically, he can handle whatever comes his way.

Liu Bei memorized these pieces of information, put away the note, and planned to deal with it all at once later.

The drums on the city wall thundered, and the shouts of battle shook the heavens and the earth, as if the sky were collapsing and the mountains were crumbling.

The city gates swung open, and a man rode out on horseback like an arrow, heading straight for Hua Xiong.

A murderous aura swept over him, and Hua Xiong slightly opened his eyes.

The two clashed. After five rounds, Pan Feng knew that he could not win by fighting with all his might, and that he would eventually run out of energy if he continued to fight. So he feigned an opening, turned his horse around, and fled while dragging his axe behind him.

Hua Xiong pursued relentlessly, his horse's hooves pounding the ground like a torrential downpour.

Reaching the open space before the pass, Pan Feng's lips curled into a cold smile. Hua Xiong, you've fallen for my trap!

The Axe-Dragging Strategy!

He suddenly turned around, his arms bulging with veins, and hurled the hundred-pound giant axe at Hua Xiong with all his might.

The giant axe tore a ghastly arc through the air, its blade reflecting the sun with a blindingly cold gleam.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a deafening sound rang out—

Clang!

That was the sound of metal clashing against metal, sharp and piercing, straight to the eardrums.

Pan Feng's eyes widened, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

The loud noise just now was not caused by Hua Xiong blocking with his weapon.

The massive axe, weighing a hundred pounds, struck Hua Xiong squarely on the neck. Yet, it was deflected forcefully by his neck.

Pan Feng stared intently, his heart sinking. Good heavens, is this even human? A hundred-pound battle axe struck head-on, and it's completely unharmed!

He was so terrified that he turned his horse and fled. In his panic, he lost control and fell off the horse.

Hua Xiong rode in, his hoofbeats sounding like the end of the world to Pan Feng.

A soft, dripping sound came from beneath him; his crotch was already soaked.

Hua Xiong grinned, revealing a sinister smile, and with a swift movement, his blade fell. Another head rolled to the ground.

The soldiers on the city wall were terrified at the sight and whispered among themselves.

Inside Chenliu City, Cao Cao was still explaining his strategy for suppressing the rebels.

"If we wish to capture Luoyang, we must first break through the Hulao and Sishui passes. The troops of our eighteen garrison commanders can advance in five routes."

"Alliance Leader Yuan can lead a single force to attack and capture..."

"Disaster! Disaster!"

Hearing the messenger's stumbling footsteps, Liu Bei's lips curled into a smile. Just as expected, everything was going according to plan.

All the feudal lords turned to look at the messenger. Han Fu was especially anxious, leaning forward with a worried look in his eyes. Had Pan Feng also been defeated?

The messenger was panting heavily, his face ashen, and his voice trembling.

General Pan fought Hua Xiong for five rounds, gradually losing ground. He then turned his horse and fled, dragging his axe behind him, intending to use the "dragging axe" trick. Hua Xiong indeed fell for the trap and spurred his horse to give chase!

Han Fu's eyes lit up. This "dragging axe" tactic was a deadly move that Pan Feng had been practicing diligently recently, and it had never failed him, allowing him to slay countless generals. With Pan Feng using this tactic, wouldn't the little Hua Xiong be a piece of cake?

Unexpectedly, what the messenger said next left everyone present, except Liu Bei, dumbfounded.

"General Pan's axe-dragging trick... succeeded! He cleaved Hua Xiong in the neck with his axe, but Hua Xiong was simply inhuman!"

"The massive axe, weighing a hundred pounds, struck him squarely in the neck, yet he was completely unharmed!"

"On the contrary, General Pan was beheaded by Hua Xiong after he regained his senses, dying with his eyes wide open in disbelief!"

What!

Yuan Shao's mind went blank, and the wine cup in his hand slipped from his grasp and shattered on the ground with a crash.

The feudal lords were all dumbfounded. Some doubted they had heard correctly, while others pinched their thighs, thinking they were dreaming.

Yuan Shao composed himself, seriously suspecting that the soldier was giving a false report. His face darkened, and he questioned him sternly.

"Is this true? Do you know what the punishment is for falsely reporting military intelligence?!"

The messenger had a mournful face, but his tone was extremely earnest.

"My lord, I witnessed it with my own eyes! If even half of this is false, may I be struck by lightning!"

Cao Cao toyed with the wine cup in his hand and sighed softly.

"The wine was still warm. Hua Xiong is truly a divine being."

Liu Bei chuckled inwardly. Good heavens, others kill Hua Xiong while the wine is still warm, but he's done it differently – Hua Xiong kills Pan Feng while the wine is still warm.

History has truly changed dramatically.

Yuan Shao slumped in his seat, feeling that what he had seen and heard today had shattered all his lifelong understanding.

He rubbed his throbbing temples and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Pass down the order: close the city gates tightly and forbid anyone from entering or leaving. If the enemy dares to attack the city, drive them back with a hail of arrows."

Hua Xiong's two consecutive victories have dampened the morale of the allied forces, causing their ranks to waver. Yuan Shao's order was therefore extremely prudent.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had the order been given than an untimely voice suddenly rang out.

"slow!"