Storming Nanpi (2)
"Kkkiyaaaak!!!!"
The Yellow Turbans let out screams as they fled, and I was screaming right along with them.
"Kkkiyaaaak!!!!"
It was a similar scream, but my intent was different. This was a ritual to ignite my battle spirit.
Puuuuk!
I cut down the Yellow Turban soldiers in front of me and charged straight ahead without mercy.
Roughly where the ringleader would be—that was the main castle's government office. In this game, bosses were usually plopped right in the center of such places. Game logic at its finest.
Swordsmanship 21
Strength, Vitality, Agility, and other stats have risen slightly.
Slashing through so many people had shot my stats up steeply. Strength, vitality, agility—all ticked up a bit. Raising stats was always tougher than skills anyway. But whatever, couldn't be helped.
Chopping enemies without a thought for stamina or technique was bound to create openings, but I had solid allies backing me up.
"Ha!!! Just cowards everywhere!!"
There was Guan Yu, sweeping through the enemy ranks like a broom with her Green Dragon Crescent Blade, her face alight with pure ecstasy.
"Hup!!!"
Zhang Fei covered the gaps in Guan Yu's wide swings with his swift spear thrusts.
"Take this blade from Liu Xuande!!"
Liu Bei fought like a beast too. The three of them together were unstoppable.
Creative works often painted him as a one-trick pony with charm and virtue, all soft and weak... but in truth, Liu Bei was no slouch. He had real street-fighting experience from the slums of Zhuo Commandery.
Like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, I didn't have to worry about my back and could just hack away at the Yellow Turban grunts.
"S-strong!!"
"Call the chief!!! Fuck!!!"
The Yellow Turbans were already broken, their morale shattered.
Stumbling awkwardly, they raised their swords in wide-open stances.
"Wrists!! Heads!!"
With basic swordsmanship strikes to the wrists and heads, I split the bastard's wrist and skull in one go.
Luckily, I had a tolerance for brutality. Chopping people didn't faze me much.
Thud.
Kicking aside the corpse roughly, our volunteer militia and the official troops followed right behind as we led the charge.
Once we'd breached the castle, I figured game over... but nope, it was tougher than expected.
Nanpi was a big fortress, riddled with maze-like buildings and alleys. Yellow Turbans popped out from every corner, ambushing us and slowing our advance.
"Guh!!"
"Argh!!"
Some official troops lost their lives to the surprise attacks.
Even our volunteers... a few died. Before I could protect them, they were gone clean. Nothing I could do.
Poor bastards...
If they were just randos, fine—but these were guys I knew from Zhuo Commandery. It stung.
To minimize sacrifices, I had to take down Zhang Yuanzi fast.
"Charge!!! Don't let our brothers' deaths be in vain!!"
Liu Bei bellowed with grim fury, heading for the main government building.
The central structure for officials' residences and offices loomed ahead. Half-destroyed, but crawling with Yellow Turban remnants inside.
"Clear the way!!! What're you scared of?! Let's wrap this up quick!!"
Zhang Fei charged like a human tank, roaring at the top of his lungs.
"Woooaaargh!!!"
Fueled by his cry, our soldiers surged forward like madmen.
Zhang Yuanzi's psyche boiled down to two things: bravado and desperation.
A lowly constable who'd heard about the Yellow Turbans, he'd swiftly beheaded his superiors and offered them up, rocketing through the ranks—from squad leader to platoon, century commander, and finally chief of this Nanpi outpost. Thanks to his signature cruelty and battle experience.
After that, life was sweet. Officials and haughty gentry who'd once treated him like dirt now groveled, offering tribute just to survive.
That high went to his head. Zhang Yuanzi started baring his ugly nature without restraint—simple conquest lust.
He let his men slaughter or gang-rape Nanpi civilians willy-nilly, and they lapped it up gleefully.
If he'd been smarter or more ambitious, he'd have opened the granaries to win hearts. But like any bandit, he chased short-term gains.
But luck doesn't last forever. When it sours, it crashes hard.
Losing his favorite subordinate Deng Mu, wasting 50,000 troops—his bravado rotted into recklessness. With Liu Yan's official army inbound as a sure thing, he decided to indulge before the end.
Target: Bu Yong-hwa, daughter of the famed merchant Bu Dai from Nanpi.
Back as a constable, he couldn't even meet her eyes. Now? He had the power to take her.
"Guh...!"
Bu Dai wept at the sight of Zhang Yuanzi and his daughter.
Calling her father to witness the rape? Peak sadism from Zhang Yuanzi.
"Little miss... so beautiful. Satisfy me, and I'll make you my principal wife. Yeah?"
Zhang Yuanzi grinned sleazily, shrugging off his robe.
"..."
The golden-haired beauty, Bu Yong-hwa, stared sadly at the ground.
That blatant disgust made him want to kill her—but nah, taming a woman like this was the real thrill.
Some distant clamor reached his ears, but drunk on her beauty, it felt far away.
"Chief!!! Big trouble!! The official troops...!"
His ragged subordinates burst in from the main hall, reporting in panic.
"Tch."
Zhang Yuanzi clicked his tongue, grabbing a nearby club.
Before the man could finish, he swung hard.
Crack!!
One club smash pulverized the Yellow Turban's face, spraying chunks everywhere.
"...H-heek...!"
Bu Yong-hwa's face froze at the gore exploding around her.
"Come on!! Don't hesitate!!! Think about the kids you'll bear!!"
Did the murder excite him more? Zhang Yuanzi roughly stripped her robe and pinned her down.
"...!"
Her girlish dream of giving her virginity to the man her heart chose—shattered like this? Bu Yong-hwa felt tears welling.
That was when, amid utter despair, a strangely cheerful voice cut through, grabbing attention.
"Wh-what the heck ya doin'?!!"
A thick dialect rang out.
Whoosh.
Something flew at him.
Smack!!
The stone slammed satisfyingly into the side of Zhang Yuanzi's bald head.
"Aaaagh!! Fuck!!"
Zhang Yuanzi screamed, scrambling off Bu Yong-hwa.
"What the heck ya doin'?!"
The dialect slipped out unbidden.
A bald guy was brutishly pinning a golden-haired beauty, his lower "club" raised to strike.
"You beast!!!"
Guan Yu charged like a fury, but she might not cleave the bald bastard with her Crescent Blade before he plunged in somewhere.
No choice then! I grabbed humanity's primal weapon—a rock—and hurled it with all my might.
Whiiiiiish!!!
A head-high fastball!
Thwack!!
The stone traced a clean arc straight into Zhang Yuanzi's skull.
"Aaaagh!! Fuck!!"
Zhang Yuanzi staggered, trying to rise.
"..."
No way. Thought it'd concuss him out cold? Dude took a rock to the head.
Three Kingdoms game world physics, alright. People here were built tough as hell.
Anyway, saved. The mystery blonde kept her virtue.
As Zhang Yuanzi wobbled, Guan Yu shot forward like a dragon unleashed.
"You filthy beast!!!! Take this from Lady Guan Yunchang!!!"
Using the blade's weight, she cleaved straight down vertically.
"Guh...!"
Stumbling, Zhang Yuanzi somehow blocked with his iron club.
Claaang-! Chaaang-!! Clang-!!
Even after the rock to the head, he traded a few blows with Guan Yu. Gotta admit, he had skills—enough to lead Yellow Turbans.
In the game, Zhang Yuanzi's martial prowess was surprisingly high. Trading blows with Guan Yu put him among the top in the talent-poor rebels. Impressive.
For reference, others who'd sparred with Guan Yu included Yuan Shu's Ji Ling. Ji Ling went over 30 exchanges, earning A-rank general status. Some doubt it since Zhang Fei crushed him right after—but Ji Ling was fleeing with drugged-up, honey-booze-cocktail Yuan Shu at the time. Sleep-deprived and starved, not in his right mind. Cut the slander on Ji Ling.
Anyway, irrelevant.
Mortal's a mortal, though. Guan Yu's overwhelming prowess created a violent gap.
Kiiiiing.
Despite her delicate beauty, Guan Yu overpowered the hulking Zhang Yuanzi. In their weapon lock, she shoved him back completely.
"Hup...!"
As shock threw Zhang Yuanzi off-balance, Guan Yu whipped her Crescent Blade horizontally at his neck.
"You... fucking bitch...!"
His last words.
Spluuurt!!!
The Crescent Blade sliced his neck like tofu.
Zhang Yuanzi... just a nobody born in the same era as Guan Yu...!