Chapter 001: Awakening

  Zhongping 6th year, autumn, August, Gengwu day.

  Luoyang City North, Xiao Ping Ferry.

  The night is dark and vast, the cold air presses in on people. A autumn rain has just passed, the air is filled with a bleak and chilly flavor, the chill goes straight to people's hearts.

  Liu Bian stood in the waist-high wild grass, his whole body icy cold, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, making a clicking sound. He stared blankly at the turbulent Yellow River rushing by.

  On the horizon behind him, a red glow appeared, which was the firelight of Zhuque Tower in Luoyang City. The tall Zhuque Tower twisted in the firelight, and the raised eaves seemed to be a phoenix reborn from the ashes, about to spread its wings and fly high.

  Even though it was more than ten miles away, Liu Bian could still feel the scorching heat. However, this scorching heat couldn't warm his heart, but instead made him feel a bone-piercing chill, as well as deep despair and endless curses towards heaven.

  "Don't...don't play like this..." His teeth chattered, his voice was like a mosquito's hum, and his words were tinged with tears: "Don't play like this, I was just joking, don't take it seriously."

  The heavens and earth were silent, only the river water was churning and gurgling loudly, as if mocking Liu Bian, this poor guy.

  Liu Bian lowered his head, with endless sorrow and remorse surging in his mind.

  It's not right, it's not proper to speak without restraint in front of the Bodhisattva, boasting about becoming an emperor, grasping the power of heaven and sleeping on a beauty's lap. The result was that he fell into the Three Kingdoms era and possessed this wretched body. He did become an emperor, but had been enthroned for only a few months, and couldn't be said to be happy - in just a few days, he would be overthrown by Dong Zhuo, the butcher of Western Liang, and then poisoned to death by Li Ru.

  Because he was Liu Bian, the Han Shaodi Emperor in history, where he is standing now is by the Yellow River.

  A few hours ago, the great general He Jin was killed, and Yuan Shao's brothers launched a military coup, setting fire to the Zhuque Hall. He and his brother Liu Xie were taken out of the palace by Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others, and after walking for a while, they arrived at the banks of the Yellow River. Just now, right before his eyes, Zhang Rang and others were forced into the rolling Yellow River to feed the fish by a long sword. Perhaps that was when Liu Bian's soul left his body due to fright, allowing him to take over.

  Having traveled through thousands of years and suddenly realizing this point, Liu Bian almost peed his pants.

  Is there such a thing? Buddha, you're really humorous.

  Maybe... it's just a dream? Maybe I'll wake up soon. Liu Bian secretly pinched his own arm, and immediately felt a stinging pain that almost made him cry out loud. It's not a dream? Then isn't that too heartbreaking? Forget it, I might as well jump into the river like Zhang and the others. Die early and be reborn early, maybe the Buddha will show mercy, and when I open my eyes again, I'll still be in the 21st century. Being poor is okay, being bitter is okay, at least it's better than being this miserable emperor.

  Liu Bian lifted his heavy footsteps and walked towards the Yellow River.

  The Yellow River's waves crash louder.

  "Be careful, brother." Liu Bian had just taken two steps when a small tender hand grabbed the left sleeve of his robe.

  "Your Majesty, be careful!" Another small and weak hand reached out and grabbed his right sleeve.

  He didn't need to turn his head, the child on the left was his younger brother Liu Xie, who would later be known as Emperor Xian of Han. The girl on the right, who was about the same age as him, was his imperial consort Tang Ying.

  His younger brother is only nine years old, and in a few months after his own death, he will become the last emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, and he will be a puppet for thirty years. I don't know if his future is more tragic than death, so he still has the mood to care about himself now.

  As soon as he thought of his younger brother, a strange warmth suddenly surged up in Liu Bian's icy heart. This should be a memory from his past life; in the 21st century, he didn't have a younger brother and wouldn't have had such feelings - no choice, who let Dad and Mom support the good national policy of having only one child, making me not even have a playmate.

  Who would have thought, this life has a younger brother, perhaps the only benefit?

  Liu Bian involuntarily turned around, looking at Liu Xie. Liu Xie looked up with a small face, his face wet and uncertain whether it was rain or tears, but the concern in his eyes was very real, making Liu Bian's heart soften.

  "Ah... younger brother, I..." Liu Bian didn't know what to say. His eyes scanned around and saw that Liu Xie was holding a heavy stone ball in his arms, long and shaped like a giant egg. The stone ball was very heavy, and Liu Xie was struggling to hold it. Liu Bian hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it: "Let me help you carry it."

  Liu Xie hesitated for a moment, looked at Liu Bian, then at Shi Kui, bit his lip, and handed the stone ball over.

  The stone ball was cool and Liu Xie's eyes were fearful.

  Liu Bian held the stone ball in one hand and pulled up Liu Xie's hand with the other, turning it over several times. The stone ball was very rough, dull and unshiny, with some spots on it, looking like a large quail egg. It didn't look good, but it felt heavy, and it was unknown where Liu Xie got the strength to hold it in his arms all the time. Nor did he know what treasure this was, so that Liu Xie would have such eyes.

  "What is... this?"

  Liu Xie twitched his mouth and his eyes were somewhat hesitant.

  You little brat, still trying to play tricks on me? Don't you know I'm a dying man? Liu Bian was very depressed.

  Tang Ying watched with cold eyes and didn't say a word.

  "Brother..." Liu Xie suddenly turned his head, looking into the distance. Liu Bian followed his gaze and saw a small flame in the distance, which grew larger and was accompanied by a rumble of thunder that grew louder and closer. Liu Bian couldn't help but feel some surprise. The rain had stopped, there shouldn't be any thunder, what was this sound?

  This should be... the sound of horseshoes. Liu Bian suddenly had an epiphany and his face turned pale in an instant.

  Dong Zhuo has arrived. The man from Xiliang, carrying an aura of bloodlust, brought three thousand Xiliang iron cavalrymen with him, rushing overnight from Liangzhou to formally ascend the imperial court of Great Han, showcasing his ruthlessness and cruelty to the world, mercilessly destroying everything, pushing Great Han into the depths of despair.

  He took a glance at his panicked younger brother Liu Xie, and a wave of sorrow surged in his heart. Dong Zhuo had arrived, and he would soon be dead; having finally gained a younger brother, he was unable to protect him.

  He took another look at Tang Ying, who was biting her lips tightly, her face pale.

  Iron cavalry like the wind, that little spark quickly turned into a ball of fire, and then became a sea of flames. The faint sound of horseshoes rapidly transformed into deafening thunder. The earth shook, with sounds surging like a tide, as thousands of Western Liang iron cavalry charged in front of Liu Bian and others, surrounding them in the middle, circling around them, their horseshoes almost kicking at their faces. For a moment, the sound of horseshoes, the clash of weapons, and the fierce shouts of the soldiers merged into a giant wave, engulfing and sweeping them away.

  Among the crowd of stars, Dong Zhuo's enormous figure emerged before Liu Bian. Under the backlight of the flames, he was like a mountain, weighing heavily on everyone's heart, including Liu Bian's. An unspeakable terror enveloped him, causing his legs to tremble, his teeth to chatter, and his gasps were audible even to the deaf.

  Dong Zhuo also heard it and cast a contemptuous glance at Liu Bian, shouting: "I am Dong Zhuo! Where is the Emperor?"

  His voice was like a crack of thunder, piercing people's eardrums. Liu Bian was so frightened that he shuddered, and the stone ball in his hand slipped, almost falling to the ground.

  Liu Xie's face turned pale, but he took a step forward and stood in front of Liu Bian.

  At almost the same time, Tang Ying also stepped forward and protected Liu Bian.

  Liu Bian was taken aback, and immediately became so flustered that his face turned red and his neck thickened. He didn't expect that after two lifetimes as a human being, he would actually need a nine-year-old child and a woman to protect him. They did it so naturally, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, that Liu Bian couldn't help but wonder what kind of incompetence and weakness he must have had in his past life for them to react this way without hesitation.

  "How dare you! The Son of Heaven is here, and you don't dismount to pay your respects?" Min Gong rushed forward, drew his sword and shouted loudly. Although he was a civil official, he was extremely fierce. Not long ago, it was he who forced Zhang Rang and others to commit suicide with his sword, the notorious Ten Eunuchs were like helpless children in front of him, crying and bidding farewell to Liu Bian brothers, and then jumped into the Yellow River.

  Dong Zhuo didn't dismount, nor did he give Min Gong a straight look. He kicked his warhorse, and the tall horse took two steps forward, its head reaching Min Gong's face, with the foam from its mouth almost splashing onto Min Gong's face. Min Gong involuntarily took a step back, gripping the sword in his hand tightly, but didn't dare to thrust it out.

  "The Son of Heaven is here, there is an imperial edict to withdraw the troops!" The Minister Lu Zhi stood up and said loudly. He was eight feet tall, with a majestic appearance, and had a good voice, like a bronze bell, when he spoke, he was more powerful than Min Gong. Not long ago, it was he who shouted and snatched Empress He from Zhang Rang and others. Seeing him take the stage, Liu Bian felt a little relieved, lowered his sleeves, and secretly watched all this.

  Lu Zhi was the teacher of Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan, a renowned Confucian scholar with great prestige. With such an impressive reputation, he should be able to intimidate Dong Zhuo. As soon as this thought occurred to him, he suddenly became somewhat agitated, as if a warm current had surged into his body.

  Even Liu Xie raised a glimmer of hope, and his originally trembling small body relaxed a bit.

  Dong Zhuo sneered: "You are all high-ranking officials of the state, yet you cannot rectify the imperial court, and as a result, the country is in chaos. What use is there for your armies?"

  Lu Zhi's voice was like a mighty bell, but Dong Zhuo's voice was like a giant axe that shattered the bell with one strike. Lu Zhi's momentum weakened, he glanced at the Western Liang soldiers behind Dong Zhuo and involuntarily let out a sigh, taking a step back to avoid Dong Zhuo's frontal attack.

  With a soft "ting" sound, the long sword in Meng Gong's hand fell to the ground and disappeared into the grass.

  Dong Zhuo cast a scornful glance at them, his gaze sweeping around the room before coming to rest on the embracing Liu brothers. Feeling Dong Zhuo's murderous glare, Liu Bian was frightened into lowering his head. He tightly wrapped his arms around Liu Xie, shielding him with his own body. Liu Xie also felt Dong Zhuo's oppressive aura, but he refused to back down. He bit his lip hard, preventing himself from crying out loud.

  Tang Ying clenched her fists, her eyes wide with rage, like a mantis blocking a chariot or a cicada shaking a tree.

  Dong Zhuo shook his head secretly, the young man in front of him was useless, hiding behind a child and a woman, not even daring to raise his head. If he was the newly enthroned emperor, how could the great Han dynasty not perish? His eyes flashed, just about to shift his gaze away from that trembling body, suddenly felt something unusual, involuntarily moved back, staring intently at Liu Bian.

  Liu Bian didn't notice him, he just discovered a strange situation.

  The stone ball in his arms was getting cooler and colder, with invisible water vapor rising up and entering his body, spreading rapidly. The surroundings seemed to be moving away from him, whether it was the powerful Dong Zhuo, the restless Western Liang Iron Cavalry, or Liu Xie and Lu Zhi, all of them were moving away from him. His mind was a complete blank, with only one sound getting louder and louder.

  It was the sound of water flowing, growing louder and louder, pounding against his eardrums, surging through his entire body, as if the whole Yellow River had poured into him, endless and boundless.

  An indescribable force filled his entire body, washing away every pore, washing away his boundless fear. He miraculously calmed down, gently pushing aside the self-calm Liu Xie and Tang Yi, walking towards the mountain-like Dong Zhuo, saying word by word: "The Son of Heaven is here, why not dismount?!"

  His voice was not loud, but every word was clear and entered the ears of each person, even the farthest knights could hear it clearly.

  The originally loud and bustling banks of the Yellow River suddenly fell silent. The Western Liang cavalrymen, who had been shouting loudly, tightly closed their mouths, sheathed their blades, and the warhorses that had been prancing and neighing stood still, lowering their heads and tails. Even the sound of clashing weapons disappeared, as if the three thousand iron riders had suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving an eerie silence.

  Liu Xie involuntarily turned around, looked at Liu Bian, covered his mouth, and choked back his surprise.

  Tang Ying turned her head, looking at Liu Bian with a surprised expression, covering her pale lips with her hand, overjoyed.

  Lu Zhi turned his head and looked at Liu Xie in surprise, with an incredulous expression on his face.

  Min Gong's soul was gone, he raised his head and looked at Liu Xie, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a word.

  Liu Bian stood in the midst of the grass, with the surging and roaring Yellow River behind him, as if it were a giant dragon descending from heaven, propping up Liu Bian's body. Although Liu Bian was not yet as tall as Dong Zhuo's horse head, he seemed to be standing on cloud, looking down at them condescendingly.

  Dong Zhuo sat upright on his horse, his eyes wide with incredulity as he stared at Liu Bian. Among the thousands of people present, probably only he had seen the strange change that had occurred in Liu Bian's body. In just a blink of an eye, the young man who was trembling with fear had transformed into another person. A deep, resonant voice boomed in his ear, leaving a lasting echo that captivated his heart: "The Son of Heaven is here, why not dismount?!"

  Dong Zhuo involuntarily slid off his horseback and fell to the ground, trembling with fear as he said: "Your subject Dong Zhuo pays homage to Your Majesty."

  Three thousand Western Liang iron cavalrymen sprang up like a dream come true, dismounting in unison and shouting in unison: "Greetings to Your Majesty!"

  Listening to this thunderous roar, Lu Zhi and others felt relieved. They put down their weapons without hesitation, knelt down in the grass, and trembled with fear, saying: "We pay homage to Your Majesty!"