Chapter 002: The Vermilion Horse Dragon (Seeking Bookmarks and Recommendations)

  "Please mount the horse, Your Majesty." Dong Zhuo stood up and stepped aside, his face showing three parts surprise, five parts discontent, and two parts hesitation.

  Dong Zhuo felt something was off as soon as he knelt down, and when the knights behind him shouted, he suddenly woke up. He secretly lifted his head to size up Liu Bian, only to find that Liu Bian wasn't particularly tall or majestic, nor was there a dragon behind him. Dong Zhuo thought carefully and realized that he had just been momentarily dazed, mistaking the Yellow River behind Liu Bian for a giant dragon and its flowing water sounds for the dragon's roar.

  At this moment, he dismounted from his horse, knelt on the ground, and changed his angle. When he saw Liu Bian, he lost that awe-inspiring majesty and became an ordinary young man. Although he stood upright with a solemn expression, he could not intimidate someone like Dong Zhuo.

  Dong Zhuo had been riding horses and traveling all over the world since he was an adult, and had seen countless masters. After becoming a soldier in his prime, he had even more battles to fight, killing people like flies, and had long since forged true killing intent, how could he be subdued by such a young man?

  He felt a little regretful and wanted to turn over and get up, but he also hesitated.

  Although I had long heard that the emperor was not only young but also weak and incompetent, after all, he is still the emperor, and the imperial dignity is not something that anyone can contend with. What if the rumors are wrong, and the emperor is not as weak and incompetent as they say? If I rashly offend him, won't I be asking for trouble?

  In the brief moment when Dong Zhuo was on the ground, countless thoughts surged through his mind. When he stood up, he had already made up his mind, so he stretched out his hand to invite the Emperor to mount his horse.

  Get on his horse.

  His horse was a fierce steed that had followed him for many years, and only he could ride it. Anyone else who tried to mount it would inevitably be thrown off and possibly even trampled. Dong Zhuo didn't dare let the horse trample the emperor, but he could make the emperor take a tumble and lose face, as revenge for being deceived into bowing earlier.

  Liu Bian felt the change in Dong Zhuo's momentum, and the eyes of this sturdy Western Liang man, who looked like a bear, were clearly flashing with cunning light, just like a hungry wolf, waiting for him to reveal his weakness.

  Liu Bian had never ridden a horse, but he could tell that this horse was different from the others. Dong Zhuo was tall and sturdy, weighing at least over 200 jin, yet this horse could still easily carry him galloping, its strength was naturally not small. And horses with great strength usually have big temper too. As the saying goes, what kind of person plays with what kind of bird, can someone like Dong Zhuo ride a horse with a gentle temperament?

  In the 21st century, horses have become pets for the rich. He drives the fastest cars and has even flown a plane, but he can't ride a horse. If he suddenly gets on one, he'll definitely make a fool of himself.

  "General, you have come from afar and must be tired... I... " Liu Bian paused for a moment to savor the title, then continued: "How can we take your horse? Besides, General, this horse has already been overworked, I don't want it to suffer any more."

  Dong Zhuo's face twitched twice, somewhat annoyed. Was Liu Bian laughing at his weight? He couldn't help but hum a sound, and with a fake smile said: "Your Majesty is benevolent, I admire that. Since that's the case, then I'll contribute a precious horse to Your Majesty, for Your Majesty to ride."

  He said, not allowing Liu Bian to decline, with a wave of his hand, he had someone bring over a horse without a saddle. Liu Bian took one look and couldn't help but secretly feel regretful. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have pretended to be arrogant just now. The horse Dong Zhuo was riding didn't seem like a good horse, whereas the horse in front of him right now was exactly a fierce beast.

  This horse is one zhang high, eight chi at the shoulder, and from head to tail it's about one zhang two chi long, taller than Dong Zhuo and longer than his horse, its body is a whole size bigger. Its entire body is fiery red, shaking its head and swishing its tail, like a rolling flame, the knight holding its reins is being pulled along unsteadily, stumbling to the east and west.

  Is this a horse?

  It seemed as if Dong Zhuo had heard Liu Bian's inner voice, and with a hint of pride, he said: "Your Majesty, this is the heavenly horse I have obtained, named Red Hare, which can travel 1,000 miles during the day and 800 miles at night. Only such a precious horse is worthy of Your Majesty's status! Your Majesty, please mount the horse!"

  So this is the legendary Red Hare, a horse that only heroes like Lü Bu and Guan Yu can ride. How can I possibly do it?

  Looking at Dong Zhuo's detestable smiling face, Liu Bian was very angry. He tightly hugged the stone ball in his hand, glared at Dong Zhuo, and then glared at the monstrous Chi Tu, secretly seething with rage in his heart. Dammit, why not just use the stone ball to smash this guy to death? Should I smash Dong Zhuo first or smash this horse first? However, these two beasts don't seem to be kind-hearted, if it were me in the past, there would be no problem at all, but can my current small body handle them?

  Seeing Liu Bian's sharp eyes, Dong Zhuo suddenly felt a chill in his heart, and he once again felt that unspeakable majesty from Liu Bian. Before he could understand what was happening, the originally unruly Chi Tu suddenly let out a snort, and obediently walked to Liu Bian's side, lowered its head, and affectionately rubbed against Liu Bian's arm.

  This move made everyone including Dong Zhuo stunned.

  Liu Bian himself was also stunned, is this thing still that strange monster from just now? How did it start selling cute?

  Something even more astonishing happened, after the Red Hare horse rubbed its legs twice, it knelt down beside Liu Bei with its front legs bent, and even lowered its head. It shook its head from time to time, looking back at its own back, as if inviting Liu Bei to sit on its back.

  Liu Bian was at a loss, crying and laughing at the same time, and didn't know what to do for the better.

  Dong Zhuo was stunned. He didn't know why Chi Tu, which he himself only dared to ride occasionally when it was in a good mood, would be so obedient today and even voluntarily asked Liu Bei to ride it.

  Lu Zhi and others were also stunned. However, Lu Zhi was a learned scholar who was well-versed in the Three Rites, and he suddenly had an idea. He stepped forward and said loudly: "Your Majesty, according to the 'Zhou Li', a horse over eight feet tall is considered a dragon. This horse is exactly eight feet tall, making it a dragon breed, suitable for Your Majesty to ride. Please mount the horse."

  After hearing Lu Zhi's words, Dong Zhuo's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes looking at Liu Bian were somewhat unusual.

  That's right, a horse over eight feet tall is a dragon. Although he hadn't read the Book of Rites, he had heard this saying. Since Red Hare was a dragon horse, only a true dragon could ride it, and ordinary people didn't have the good fortune to enjoy the service of a dragon horse. He had owned this horse for several years but hadn't been able to ride it more than a few times. Liu Bei was an emperor, a true dragon breed, so when the dragon horse saw him, it naturally also bowed its head and obeyed orders. It was reasonable that it would be so obedient.

  Why did Yuan Shao say that the Son of Heaven is weak and asked me to lead troops into the capital? Is he deceiving me?

  Just as Dong Zhuo was in a state of panic, Lu Zhi walked up behind Liu Bian and gently pushed him, whispering in his ear: "Your Majesty, please mount your horse immediately, or there will be changes."

  Liu Bian suddenly woke up with a start, knowing that the situation was critical and he couldn't afford to hesitate. He hastily stepped forward, carefully mounted his horse, and Lu Zhi, fearing an accident, stretched out both hands, ready to catch Liu Bian at any moment.

  Against his expectations, Red Hare got up extremely carefully, and Liu Bei almost didn't feel any shaking. Red Hare stood up. Liu Bei let out a breath of relief, looked around, and suddenly felt himself to be exceptionally tall, with everyone around him being shorter than himself by a head, including the burly Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo who only reached his waist. For a moment, he had an air of overlooking all the mountains.

  The red rabbit raises its head and neighs loudly, taking a step forward. Thousands of war horses respond in unison, lowering their heads to make way, as if a king has arrived.