The Birth of the Legendary Trash Squad
There was a reason behind the strategic(?) decision to temporarily set his official class as a general in Liu Bei's army—Kim the general.
'I can always change my Heavenly Mandate later, even if it's a pain.' It was possible by spending 10 Fate Points or completing a specific advanced quest related to Heavenly Mandates.
Since he had to roll with Liu Bei's forces anyway, picking some kind of class seemed better than scraping by as a no-buff novice. So, he went ahead and changed classes to general. Better to grab any buffs he could, right?
'Fate Points... I think I've got about 4 saved up from last time.' It was a long way to 10, but throwing himself into the historical events unfolding in this Central Plains would rack them up fast.
You can now organize soldiers under your command.
The moment he became a general, an indicator for his unit members popped up right next to him.
It was a system unique to generals. He could assign soldiers under his command, train them up, and set their specialties. It seemed fun at first... but it turned out not to be.
This was an open-world RPG. The goal was to roam the Three Kingdoms world freely, but just having squad members to manage felt suffocating right off the bat.
'And the AI is straight-up trash.' He had to manually ping and command them one by one to make them somewhat useful.
Still, everyone plays games their own way. Kim actually enjoyed raising his squad quite a bit. He grinded out 500 elite warriors, each one a one-man army. It took insane effort.
Anyway. Gazing at his status window, he felt a wave of nostalgia. He'd snagged the general-exclusive taunt skill One-on-One Duel, plus some minor stat bonuses. Surviving in Liu Bei's army just got a whole lot easier.
"Hm. Kim. Fine work."
That's when Liu Bei approached.
A notification only he could see appeared in his status window. An exclamation mark hovered over Liu Bei's head—something related to Heavenly Mandate.
"As expected of you, Kim. You're exceptionally skilled at reading the flow of battle."
Liu Bei nodded with a smile.
"You're too kind."
Kim replied offhandedly.
"However, it pains me to see a man like you charging off alone every time."
Liu Bei sighed.
'Ah, that's what this is about.' Once you built up some reputation in an organization, the faction lord would hand over a detachment of soldiers. That's when squad-building really kicked off.
"Wouldn't it make our strategies even better if Kim had his own independent unit?"
Liu Bei beamed.
"Hm. True enough."
Honestly, he wasn't expecting much in terms of combat power, but raise them steadily and it'd be a different story.
'When I eventually quit Liu Bei's army, I'll take the ones I've trained with me.' Then do some mercenary work... or open a restaurant and use them as waitstaff. Problem solved.
"Hm. There are those five soldiers from Pingyuan who gathered resources this time. I'd like to assign them to you, Kim Gong."
Liu Bei grinned widely.
"... "
Honestly, he'd prefer the guys from Zhuo Commandery. But he couldn't say that. They were basically Liu Bei's personal guard now.
The Zhuo Commandery crew were proven talents. These new ones were survivors from the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the recent Youzhou pacification—top-tier fighters. He knew they'd hold their own in a scrap. Elites who could each take on five foes solo.
But the members assigned to him were greenhorns from Pingyuan, full of starry-eyed dreams when they joined.
'And it's not like I can make demands...' He knew how short-handed Liu Bei's army was. Five-man independent units were the only ones around. A real tearjerker startup.
'Out of 500 whole soldiers, that's 5!! I'm responsible for 1/100th of our national defense!'
"That... among the recent recruits, there are a few lacking in warrior qualities, you see."
Liu Bei flashed a warm smile.
But something felt off in that gentle grin. Liu Bei always made that face when dropping awkward news.
"Wait. Lacking qualities?"
"Heh heh."
Liu Bei turned his head with a good-natured chuckle. Hey, old man.
"You're an excellent warrior, Kim Gong. If you train them properly, they'll become a great asset. I trust you."
Liu Bei patted his shoulder with a laugh.
In short, he was dumping the trash on him. That bastard Liu Bei... couldn't drop his guard around him.
"Ehh? Big bro!! Why only give the good stuff to Kim?! Gimme an independent unit too!! Independent unit!!"
Zhang Fei immediately scowled.
"He's right. Yide joined you first, Lord Xuande. You can get to me later."
Kim tried to pass the buck.
"Heh. This is the right lineup for Kim Gong. You're valiant, Yide, but not skilled at handling people. That's why I'm giving it to Kim."
Liu Bei shook his head with a smile.
"I've already called your five brothers and sisters ahead."
Liu Bei glanced that way.
"Lord Pingyuan!! You called for us!!"
A soldier snapped a crisp salute.
Oh. Spirited speech at least. Maybe not total trash? As he turned to look, a wave of dizziness hit him.
Bald head, naked except for underwear. Stark naked in the middle of the camp, with just a crude club at his waist. Looked like a poor sap stripped by bandits.
'Uh... where'd you sell your clothes or armor?' He had to ask. Bald as a cue ball... what kinda old-school look was that?
"Ah! I can't wear anything metal—iron poisoning! So I use a wooden club for a weapon!"
The bald lunatic grinned.
"What about cloth or leather...?"
"Cloth and leather make my skin freak out too! So I keep as much skin exposed to the air as possible!"
Baldy beamed.
Surviving battles half-naked like that was the real miracle.
Hm. Okay. The others...
"Ah, hello..."
A busty beauty, but with an insanely gloomy vibe. She held a spear, but like a cane—zero strength. She fixed her eyes on the ground when their gazes met.
"Heh heh... pleased... this old bag... will burn for Lord Xuande... heh heh."
Next to her, an ancient geezer past 80, like a withered tree.
Shivering.
Dragging a rusty sword from who-knows-where.
Okay. Bald Panties Man, Gloomy Busty Girl, and Gramps. Why the hell did these folks enlist? That was the mystery.
The other two...
"Hm. Where are the remaining two?"
Liu Bei asked.
"Heh heh... died in the last fight..."
The old man bared toothless gums.
"Th-they died so pathetically..."
Gloomy Girl drained morale with her whisper alone.
These three were the founding members of the legendary Kim Independent Unit.
"... "
He wanted to cry.
"Yide. It seems I'm not the vessel for an independent unit after all. Give it to Lord Yide."
No need to check the status window. Pure trash-tier squad.
"Ah... now that I think about it, giving the independent unit to Kim was a brilliant choice, big bro Xuande!! Let Kim handle it!!"
Zhang Fei flipped his stance instantly.
Quick on the uptake.
"Take good care of them, Kim."
Liu Bei patted his shoulder, full of trust.
He wanted to wail.
"K-Kim... hang in there."
Guan Yu awkwardly patted his shoulder with clumsy comfort.
Meanwhile.
In the Han Dynasty of 187 AD, the court was a total hotbed of chaos—no exaggeration.
With the Yellow Turban Rebellion quelled, the infighting between the Ten Attendants and the Pure Stream faction had reached a boiling point.
As the emperor teetered on the brink of death, the power struggle heated up. The succession battle bubbled to the surface, pushing the court past the point of no return.
Ding. Ding-deok.
Cao Cao lounged with a courtesan, idly plucking a pipa and humming a tune.
"What the hell, bro!!! What're you doing!!"
Xiahou Dun exploded, grabbing for Cao Cao's collar.
"...Gross."
Xiahou Yuan muttered at the courtesan snuggled against him.
She was exactly Cao Cao's type: a sultry, mature beauty.
Having watched their cousin's consistent tastes and womanizing, Xiahou Dun and Yuan couldn't help feeling a bit repulsed. Family romance gets gross after a while.
"What's the problem? I'm relaxing."
Cao Cao set down the pipa.
"No way!! Back in Luoyang, you promised if we followed you, three square meals with meat every day!!! You'd make us successful!!! What's with this wasting time!!!"
Xiahou Dun yelled.
"Y-yeah... Didn't General He Jin summon you to discuss something?"
Xiahou Yuan asked.
It was well-known that General He Jin, the Pure Stream faction, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and others were scheming together.
"Ah, yeah. Got kicked out. Haha. They were all too hot-blooded—troublesome. I'm gonna keep chilling. Working with those fired-up types would just burn me out."
Cao Cao shrugged.
"What?!! Back to playboy life?!! You bastard!!"
Xiahou Dun raised a fist.
But she froze at the sight of Cao Cao.
Hand buried in the courtesan's cleavage, kneading away—but his face burned with intense fervor. A piercing gaze that instilled strange faith in Xiahou Dun and Yuan.
"The court will soon be a bloodbath. General He Jin will be a cold corpse next. The Ten Attendants will follow. This whole place will turn into a graveyard. The Han has no future."
Cao Cao spoke blasphemy that would make anyone blanch.
"Dun, Yuan. Link up with Cao Hong, gather the family, head back to Qiao Commandery, build strength. Contact Le Jin and the rest, recruit able-bodied men, train them. I've already spoken to Cao Ren. Rally troops together and stay vigilant."
Cao Cao issued an unexpected order.
"Bro... why so sudden? You're scaring me."
Xiahou Yuan sensed something ominous in his tone.
"Just follow my lead. I'll join you soon."
Cao Cao winked, patting their shoulders with a grin.
Cao Cao never acted without reason. Knowing that, Xiahou Dun and Yuan obeyed.
But that was that.
"Bro. Stop groping women like that. Gross." "Yeah..."
Xiahou Dun and Yuan brushed off their shoulders where his hands had been.
"... "
Cao Cao felt an inexplicable melancholy at his once-adoring cousin sisters turning prickly in real time.
And at that moment, others awaited the coming chaos too.
The Western Liang troops, who should have returned home, dragged their feet, lingering near Luoyang instead of heading back.
The court had issued disbandment orders, but Dong Zhuo deliberately ignored them.
"My lord. Will the opportunity really come?"
Li Jue and Guo Si questioned Dong Zhuo.
"Hmph. I can already smell the burning from Luoyang."
Dong Zhuo licked his lips with a seductive smile.
"Soon they'll call for us. Summon their hunting dog to fight for them. Then we sink our teeth into those fools' throats."
Dong Zhuo's eyes gleamed with greed toward distant Luoyang, his voice thick with certainty.
Meanwhile.
"Yes!!!"
Kim cheered in ecstasy as his swordsmanship proficiency finally hit 31. Forget the era's grand destiny—he was hooked on the RPG thrill of slicing enemies and powering up.