Chapter 1

In the first year of Chuping (190 AD), March.

Fenshui Pass.

It was noon, and the atmosphere was solemn.

A flock of birds, returning north as the weather warmed, flew nervously over the banks of the Fenshui River, startling a flock of egrets.

The north wind gradually picked up, cutting like a blade across the pass.

On the walls of the pass, battle flags, aided by the wind, fluttered like flames.

At a glance, there were eighteen battle flags in total, representing the eighteen warlords who had been summoned by imperial decree to suppress Dong Zhuo.

"Five years... exactly five years..."

Under the darkest corner of a faded yellow "Han" flag, a tall, stern-faced young general stood, his gaze calmly fixed on the western road.

He wore a black armor robe and held a large, gleaming battle axe, his deep eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions.

He was Pan Feng, a famous general of Ji Province.

"Neither a prince nor a king, a thousand chariots and ten thousand cavalry march to the northern mountains..."

Pan Feng gazed at the rolling dust and the scattered military camps, sighing deeply.

For his body belonged to Pan Feng, but his soul was that of a modern man from two thousand years in the future.

Five years ago, Pan Feng had died suddenly while reading a novel at night, causing his soul to leave his body and travel through time.

By a twist of fate, he had been transported to the world of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, merging with the same-named general Pan Feng.

It all seemed so absurd.

But over the past five years, Pan Feng had adapted to this new life.

As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time traveler" or "穿越者"), he did have a "golden finger" (a metaphor for a special ability or advantage).

However, this "golden finger" seemed to be somewhat abnormal.

...

[Ding...]

[Host: Pan Feng, Eighth-Rank General, Information as follows]

[Strength: 85]

[Intelligence: 62]

[Leadership: 64]

[Administration: 59]

[Attributes: None]

[To date, the host has completed 1825 sign-ins.]

[By signing in for a full five years, the system will activate, and the host will receive the first new player sign-in reward. Please keep up the good work.]

Pan Feng had been signing in every day since he arrived, a total of 1825 days, and he was just one day away from completing five years of sign-ins.

These five years had been a long wait for Pan Feng, and he had almost forgotten how he had endured them.

Over the past five years, he had experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but Pan Feng had never taken part in the battles. They had won without his involvement.

The leader of the Yellow Turban rebels in Ji Province had died from overindulgence the night before the attack, causing the rebels to scatter in disarray the next day.

Thus, this effortless victory earned Pan Feng the reputation of an unparalleled general.

Recently, Dong Zhuo had led his troops into Luoyang, deposing the emperor and installing a young one. The news enraged the warlords across the land.

Yuan Shao, a descendant of four generations of high officials, holding the imperial decree provided by Cao Cao, summoned the warlords to come to the aid of the emperor.

This call to arms gathered eighteen warlords from all over the land, all converging on Luoyang to suppress Dong Zhuo.

Pan Feng knew that these eighteen warlords were not good people and had no intention of getting involved in this mess.

However, his lord, Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province, insisted on leading troops to gain experience.

Pan Feng, as the top general of Ji Province, had no choice but to follow.

He also knew that in the original historical timeline, Pan Feng had died in this campaign against Dong Zhuo, becoming a laughingstock.

But Pan Feng was not too concerned about this. After all, times had changed, and as long as he kept a low profile, he would not follow the same path.

Moreover, in just half an hour, at the hour of Wei (1 PM), he could sign in again, complete his final sign-in, and receive the legendary new player reward, changing his fate.

In his previous life, he had endured the humiliation of kowtowing to his superiors and groveling in the workplace.

Was he, Pan Feng, going to grovel like a dog in this chaotic era?

No!

He would never work for anyone again!

He had had enough. He was now waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the system's sign-in reward.

"I have lived two lives, inheriting Pan Feng's martial skills and possessing foresight beyond my time. Why not seize this opportunity in the age of heroes and carve out my own place?"

Pan Feng tightly gripped his axe, the wind cutting like a knife against his face, his mind swirling with thoughts.

Shortly after, a cloud of dust rose from the western horizon, and the sound of hooves thundered.

Pan Feng looked up and saw a thick black line slowly rising from the horizon.

At the edge of his vision, the black line grew thicker, and a dense aura of killing intent accompanied the bone-chilling north wind.

Then, "Dong" flags, blazing like the sun, fluttered on the horizon.

The Xiliang troops under Dong Zhuo had arrived!

"I am General Hua Xiong! Any of the rebels in Guanzhong, dare to face me in a decisive battle!?"

At the front of the army, a black-armored general with disheveled hair, dragging a battle saber, his eagle-like eyes filled with fierce killing intent, stood.

Behind him, the nerves of the thousands of Xiliang soldiers were taut, their weapons gripped tightly, their eyes filled with murderous intent, staring at Fenshui Pass.

Hua Xiong, you have finally arrived...

Pan Feng, well-versed in the Three Kingdoms from his previous life, knew that this Hua Xiong would be the one to cut him down, leading to Guan Yu's famous feat of "Warming Wine and Slaying Hua Xiong."

Guan Yu had gained fame in one battle, while Pan Feng had become a laughingstock.

How ironic.

[Detecting...]

[Hua Xiong, Ninth-Rank General, Information as follows]

[Strength: 90]

[Intelligence: 60]

[Leadership: 75]

[Administration: 55]

[Attributes: None]

"It's strange, Hua Xiong's strength is only 5 points higher than mine. Even if I were to retreat, I shouldn't be killed in one strike..." Pan Feng looked at Hua Xiong's stats, his brows furrowed in confusion.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and a scout rushed through the layers of guards to Pan Feng.

"General, Lord Han requests your presence at the parade ground. The alliance leader has summoned the generals to discuss battle strategies."

Pan Feng took a deep breath and waved his hand. "I understand, I will go immediately."

As Pan Feng picked up his axe and walked to the parade ground, he glanced at the sign-in time.

30 minutes left.

...

Pan Feng arrived at the parade ground and saw the eighteen warlords seated in two rows.

At the head of the table, a middle-aged man, clad in armor, commanded the scene.

He was tall and imposing, exuding an aura of authority, giving the impression of a man who commands respect without raising his voice.

Especially his half-open, deep-set eyes, which made it difficult to discern his emotions, only adding to the chill in the air.

This man was Yuan Shao, the famous descendant of four generations of high officials, Yuan Benchu!

At that moment, the warlords were drinking and toasting, seemingly oblivious to the drumbeats and the overwhelming aura of killing intent outside the pass.

"Lord."

Pan Feng greeted and found a seat next to Han Fu.

"Please rest assured, Lord Yuan. My brave general Liu Sandao, not to mention Hua Xiong, could slay even Lü Bu in three strikes!"

Zhang Chao, the governor of Guangling, raised his wine cup, boasting confidently to Yuan Shao.

"Ha ha ha ha—Excellent, excellent. After the victory, I will report to the emperor and credit Governor Zhang with the first merit in suppressing the rebels..."

"Report—"

Before Yuan Shao could finish, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from the gate.

A scout rode in, dismounted hastily, and reported with a panicked expression, "Lord, a battle report from the front! General Liu was slain by Hua Xiong in a single strike!"

This news stunned everyone!

It was like a thunderbolt striking Zhang Chao, who had just boasted about his general's prowess, only to receive this grim news.

And... and he was killed in one strike!

"This... This is impossible..."

Zhang Chao muttered, his body swaying, almost losing his balance, and the wine in his cup spilled to the ground.

"Governor Zhang—Quickly, support him!"

Yuan Shao called out in alarm, immediately ordering his guards to help Zhang Chao.

Surprisingly, Yuan Shao did not seem too surprised by this outcome.

He slowly put down his wine cup, stood up, and scanned the warlords, shouting, "How dare he! This bandit has slain one of our generals. Who among you will face Hua Xiong?"

Zhang Chao had just been carried away.

"This..."

For a moment, everyone looked at each other, feeling awkward.

Han Fu shifted in his seat, as if he was about to stand up and speak.

Pan Feng's mind was filled with a thousand curses, and he quickly grabbed Han Fu's shoulder, whispering, "Lord, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? Let's give them this opportunity as a favor."

"Reasonable, reasonable."

Han Fu nodded and settled back down.

At that moment, a general in iron armor stepped forward from behind Yuan Shu, who was seated next to Yuan Shao.

He strode forward confidently and said, "What is there to fear from Hua Xiong? I will go and slay this bandit!"

Everyone looked at him and saw that it was Yu She, a fierce general under Yuan Shu.

"Bring wine, let me personally toast to the brave warrior!"

Yuan Shao, delighted, ordered his guards to pour a bowl of wine for Yu She.

"Thank you, Lord Yuan."

Yu She drank the wine in one gulp, then threw the bowl and left with his saber.

"This Liu Sandao was defeated too quickly. General Yu, remember to take your time, so as not to embarrass anyone."

As he left, Yuan Shu added, with a smug smile.

"Yuan Shu, what do you mean by that? If you hadn't withheld supplies, my Changsha troops wouldn't have been defeated!"

This comment enraged a silver-armored general, who could no longer sit still.

It was Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha.

Sun Jian's troops had been the vanguard in the attack on Dong Zhuo, but due to Yuan Shu's withholding of supplies, they had been defeated by Hua Xiong.

Sun Jian had even lost his capable general, Zu Mao, and now, with Yuan Shu's taunt, he could not remain silent.

"Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong, exudes a formidable aura even from a distance."

"Quick, check his information."

Pan Feng, intrigued by the confrontation, requested the system to provide information.

[Sun Jian, Ninth-Rank General, Information as follows]

[Strength: 94]

[Intelligence: 71]

[Leadership: 82]

[Administration: 63]

[Weapon: Ancient Heavy Saber]

[Attributes: Unknown]

"94 strength, truly deserving of his reputation. I wonder how his son, Sun Ce, compares."

Pan Feng examined Sun Jian's stats, his mind racing with thoughts about Sun Ce's strength.

After all, the three Sun family members of Jiangdong—Sun Jian, brave and decisive; Sun Ce, fierce and valiant; and Sun Quan, skilled in politics—each had their own strengths.

Pan Feng also glanced at the sign-in time.

10 minutes left.

"Brother Wentai, why are you so angry? I have already admitted that I was misled by a traitor, which delayed the front lines."

Yuan Shu, with a sly smile, raised his wine cup and falsely apologized to Sun Jian, "Rest assured, I will send Yu She to slay Hua Xiong and avenge your previous defeat."

"You..."

Yuan Shu's words were laced with sarcasm, further enraging Sun Jian and his men.

"Enough, no more arguments!"

Just as Sun Jian was about to erupt, a man stepped forward from the side. He was seven feet tall, with narrow eyes and a long beard, the valiant cavalry commander, Cao Cao, also known as Cao Mengde.

The imperial decree that summoned the eighteen warlords was written by Cao Cao.

Six months ago, Cao Cao had attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo with a seven-star sword but failed and was forced to flee Luoyang.

After escaping, Cao Cao began using the imperial decree to recruit troops and prepare to suppress Dong Zhuo.

However, the eighteen warlords each had their own ulterior motives, which frustrated Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, holding Sun Jian's arm, persuaded him, "We are all servants of the Han, here to save the emperor and eliminate the traitor. With the enemy still outside the pass, how can we fight among ourselves?"

"Tch..."

Yuan Shu sneered, arrogantly saying, "Hua Xiong is nothing, he only scares cowards like you..."

"Report—"

Before Yuan Shu could finish, the sound of galloping hooves approached.

"Quickly, how many rounds did it take Yu She to slay Hua Xiong?" Yuan Shu, playing with his wine cup, asked the scout with a confident smirk.

"Lord, Yu She was slain by Hua Xiong in less than three rounds!"

"What did you say!?"

Clang!

Yuan Shu's wine cup, which he had just raised to his lips, fell to the ground, spilling the wine over his long beard.

His eyes widened in shock, as if he had heard the most unbelievable news.

Yu She was also slain by Hua Xiong in less than three rounds!?

Not only Yuan Shu, but everyone present, except Yuan Shao, was stunned by this news.

"This Hua Xiong, is his skill even greater than Lü Bu's..." Cao Cao took a deep breath, his mind racing.

After a moment, Yuan Shao, frowning, slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "This bandit dares to be so arrogant! Who among you will face Hua Xiong?"

His command was met with silence.

Hua Xiong had slain two top generals, intimidating everyone into silence.

Yuan Shao sighed, "How regrettable, if either Yan Liang or Wen Chou were here, they would not allow Hua Xiong to act so recklessly!"

"Lord Yuan, do not worry!"

Han Fu, rising angrily, declared, "I have a top general, Pan Feng, who can slay Hua Xiong!"

(To be continued...)