Chapter 274: Sixty years old, the age to venture forth

【3. Battle of Entering Shu and Pacifying Yizhou.

Following Liu Bei into Sichuan, he was the first to scale the walls and break the lines in every battle, charging at the front, breaking through Yizhou's commanderies and counties one after another, and defeating many of Liu Zhang's generals; his bravery was the best among the three armies.】

【4. Battle of Hanzhong and Mount Dingjun.

The peak battle of his life!

Adopting Fa Zheng's brilliant strategy, he launched a surprise attack from a high vantage point, slaying the famous Cao Wei general and western front commander Xiahou Yuan in battle, and incidentally killing Zhao Ang, the Inspector of Yizhou. He crushed the main force of the Cao army, directly shattering Cao Cao's Hanzhong layout and rendering peerless service for Liu Bei in taking Hanzhong.】

【In the Romance, at the advanced age of over sixty, he killed several minor Cao Wei generals in seconds and fought the prime-of-life Guan Yu for three days and three nights; his blade technique did not fall behind in the slightest, and his archery could pierce a throat from a hundred paces.】

Ying Zheng's brow moved when he saw "fought Guan Yu for over a hundred rounds."

"Guan Yu?"

He asked Gu Shanhe, "Is that the Guan Yu who was worshipped as a Martial Saint by later generations?"

Gu Shanhe nodded: "Exactly."

"Guan Yu's combat power is top-tier in the Three Kingdoms, at the level of an enemy of ten thousand."

"Huang Zhong being able to fight such a figure to a draw at the age of sixty—his strength is indeed terrifying."

Ying Zheng was silent for a while, then suddenly said:

"An old man of sixty fighting a fierce general in his prime to a draw—what if he were twenty years younger?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Bang and Liu Che were stunned.

That's right, if Huang Zhong had met Guan Yu when he was forty, what would the result have been?

No one knew the answer.

But Ying Zheng's question made the three people present re-evaluate Huang Zhong's weight.

Liu Che took a deep breath: "The First Emperor is right. Huang Zhong's biggest shortcoming was becoming famous too late, but his most terrifying aspect is also this—"

"He could fight Guan Yu to a draw at sixty; how strong must he have been at his peak?"

Liu Bang smacked his lips: "What a pity, what a pity. If he had been under my command, would I have needed to play any schemes during the Chu-Han Contention? I would have just sent him up to hack away."

The Sky Screen continued to flip. This time, it wasn't text, but a picture.

In the picture stood an old general.

His armor was old, his beard and hair were white, and the wrinkles on his face looked like they were carved by a knife.

He stood on an open field, looking up at the Sky Screen, his eyes filled with astonishment, disbelief, and a hidden, burning passion.

That was Huang Zhong himself.

Three Kingdoms Space.

Huang Zhong was originally practicing his blade in the courtyard.

At over sixty years old, he still got up before dawn every day, carrying that old blade to hack and slash in the yard.

The neighbors all thought the old man was crazy, not resting properly at such an age, dancing with blades and guns every day, not afraid of throwing out his back.

Huang Zhong didn't care what others thought.

This was what he had learned since he was a child; if he didn't touch his blade for a day, he felt uncomfortable all over.

Then the sky lit up.

He had never seen such a way of lighting up in his life.

Golden light spilled down from the sky, as if someone had poured a pot of molten gold over his head.

He looked up instinctively, his blade still gripped in his palm, sweat dripping down the handle.

He saw his own name.

Huang Zhong.

He saw his battle records.

Guan Yu, Xiahou Yuan, Mount Dingjun.

His hands began to shake.

Not because of fear, but because he couldn't believe it.

He had spent most of his life in Jingzhou, guarding a small city, fighting a few small battles, and no one had ever thought he was that impressive.

Even he himself thought that this was it for his life, that he would just be a Colonel until he died, and no one would remember him.

But the Sky Screen told him, no, that wasn't the case.

He would join Liu Bei's command in the future, become one of the Five Tiger Generals, and slay Xiahou Yuan with one stroke at Mount Dingjun.

Later, he would fight Guan Yu for three days and three nights to a draw, becoming the synonym for "old but vigorous" throughout the ages.

Huang Zhong's grip on his blade tightened.

He took a deep breath, his aged chest swelling.

The astonishment in his eyes faded away, replaced by something burning.

It wasn't excitement; it was battle intent.

It was the battle intent that had been suppressed for most of his life and finally found an outlet.

He plunged his blade into the ground, the blade sinking three inches into the soil, standing straight.

"Good."

He said one word to the Sky Screen.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was steady.

Weiyang Palace Side Hall.

Liu Bang looked at the old general in the picture and suddenly fell silent.

He remembered that he didn't become emperor until he was forty-eight.

Before that, he was a village head, a hoodlum, a stray dog chased and beaten by others.

Everyone thought his life was over, but it wasn't.

Huang Zhong was the same.

Still practicing his blade at sixty, still waiting for an opportunity. If it were anyone else, they would have accepted their fate long ago.

Liu Bang raised his wine cup and toasted toward the Sky Screen: "Huang Zhong, I toast you."

Ying Zheng glanced at Liu Bang, rarely refraining from mocking him.

He also remembered something.

He remembered ascending the throne at thirteen, taking personal control at twenty-two, and unifying the world at thirty-nine.

He had killed many people and buried many people along the way, but he knew clearly that some things could not be solved by killing.

People like Huang Zhong were the kind you couldn't kill off.

He could endure, wait, and maintain a peak state at sixty; this was much harder than the sharp spirit of a twenty-year-old.

Liu Che watched the reactions of the two ancestors and secretly took note—

The name Huang Zhong would have to be raised in the historical evaluation of the Han Dynasty from now on.

The picture on the Sky Screen disappeared, and the golden light condensed into text again.

【Humorous Paragraph-by-Paragraph Commentary by Emperors Through the Ages】

Gu Shanhe glanced at these words, his mouth twitching.

He had added a small feature when he released the Sky Screen, allowing emperors of later generations to comment in real-time.

He originally wanted to add some fun, but he didn't expect these emperors to be more talkative than the last, with some comments longer than the main text.

Ying Zheng also saw the line "Humorous Paragraph-by-Paragraph Commentary by Emperors Through the Ages" and frowned.

"What does this mean? I have to comment too?"

Gu Shanhe waved his hand: "As you wish, if you don't want to comment, don't."

Liu Bang, however, became interested and rubbed his hands: "How do I comment? Just say it directly?"

Gu Shanhe pointed to the Sky Screen: "Whatever you say now, the Sky Screen will record."

Liu Bang's eyes lit up, cleared his throat, and said loudly to the Sky Screen: "I think this Huang Zhong is not bad!"

A line of text immediately appeared on the Sky Screen—

【Han Gaozu Liu Bang: I think this Huang Zhong is not bad!】

Liu Bang watched his name appear on the sky, grinning from ear to ear.

"Good fellow! My name can also go up to the sky? This is a matter of bringing honor to my ancestors!"

Ying Zheng watched this scene expressionlessly, his mouth twitching slightly.

The following comments popped out one by one from the Sky Screen, so fast it was dizzying.

【Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng: Good fellow! Self-taught and still able to master peerless blade techniques and divine archery? Worthy of being a fierce general of the Three Kingdoms.】

Ying Zheng looked at his name and the words "Good fellow" appearing side-by-side on the Sky Screen, his face turning blue.

"I didn't say that."

Gu Shanhe blinked innocently: "I said, if you don't want to comment, don't. But the Sky Screen generates it automatically, and I can't control it."

Ying Zheng took a deep breath and didn't speak again.

Liu Bang laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

【Han Gaozu Liu Bang: Wonderful! Hiding and enduring in his youth, only to shock everyone in his old age; he knows how to endure and accumulate strength just like me, a late bloomer, suits my taste!】

【Han Wudi Liu Che: Nanyang produces fierce people! To reach this realm without a master, his talent is heaven-defying; if he had entered my Great Han army, he would definitely be a peerless god-general guarding the frontier!】

Liu Che saw his comment go up to the sky, felt good, and turned to Gu Shanhe:

"Immortal Master, this feature is good. From now on, I can say whatever I want."

Gu Shanhe didn't respond, picked up his wine cup, and took a sip.

【Sui Wendi Yang Jian: Not relying on a master's background, relying entirely on his own hard strength, much more reliable than those military generals who get ahead by relying on family status; he is a practical fierce general.】

【Tang Taizong Li Shimin: Still able to fight fierce generals in his twilight years, this physique and battle intent—there are few among my Great Tang generals who can compare; truly formidable!】 ===== CHAPTER 275 =====