Chapter 276: Reviewing the Three Kingdoms Combat Power Ranking, Fifth Place: Zhang Fei

Liu Bang drank too much last night.

He has a bad habit: he can't control his mouth when he's happy.

At last night's welcome banquet, he first bickered with Ying Zheng, then dragged Gu Shanhe to drink three cups.

In the end, he didn't even let Liu Che go, insisting on grabbing his shoulders and talking about "our Liu family's hardships" and other drunken nonsense.

As a result, when he got up this morning, his head hurt as if it were about to split.

"Water..."

He lay on the couch, groaning.

"Bring me a bowl of water..."

Before the eunuch could bring the water, the sky outside the hall lit up.

Liu Bang had seen that way of lighting up yesterday, so his reaction was much faster than Ying Zheng's.

He scrambled off the couch and ran barefoot out of the hall, shouting as he ran:

"It's here, it's here! The Sky Screen is here again!"

Ying Zheng was sitting in the side hall drinking tea. Hearing the commotion, he looked out the window, put down his teacup expressionlessly, adjusted his clothes, and walked out unhurriedly.

Liu Che was already standing on the steps in front of the hall, looking up at the sky with full expectation.

Gu Shanhe was the last to come out, still holding a bowl of porridge.

He also drank a lot yesterday, but as an Immortal Master, he had to have the appearance of an Immortal Master and couldn't roll on the ground like Liu Bang.

The Sky Screen arrived as promised.

Golden light exploded from behind the clouds, as if someone had lit a big fire in the sky.

The light was thicker than yesterday, covering half the sky in gold, and even the clouds were reflected in the color of copper coins.

Then, the sound came.

It was as if it had fallen from the nine heavens, pouring into everyone's ears.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was clear, and even the barking of dogs on the street was suppressed.

【Sky Screen Gold Ranking · Reviewing the Three Kingdoms Combat Power Ranking】

【Fifth Place — Zhang Fei】

Liu Bang was stunned when he heard the two words "Zhang Fei":

"Zhang Fei? Didn't we review a Huang Zhong yesterday? Why is it someone else today?"

Liu Che explained from the side: "High Ancestor, the Sky Screen is reviewing a list. Yesterday was the sixth place, today is the fifth place, ranking down one by one."

Liu Bang suddenly realized: "Oh—just like ranking seats? Then the first place must be fierce!"

(Liu Che complained in his heart: "How much did this High Ancestor drink last night? Why is he so drunk?")

Ying Zheng didn't speak, but his eyes were already narrowed.

He calculated in his heart—the sixth place was Huang Zhong, that old general who could slay Xiahou Yuan at over sixty;

The fifth place is Zhang Fei, and the name sounds like someone even fiercer.

Then what level of monsters must the top four be?

The golden light on the Sky Screen slowly condensed, and a poem emerged word by word, each character as big as a water vat, the strokes as rigid as if cut by a knife or axe.

【Leopard head, round eyes, spirit piercing the sky, holding a spear at the broken bridge, intimidating ten thousand proud ones.】

【Sworn brotherhood in the peach garden, following the Han lord, one roar retreats the proud of heaven.】

【Rough and bold, possessing a spirit that pierces the clouds, a hundred battles of prestige marked for eternity.】

【Living as a hero, dying as a heroic ghost, the heroic spirit of the Three Kingdoms belongs to Yide.】

Liu Bang read it once and smacked his lips: "This poem is okay, but it's a bit exaggerated."

Liu Che looked at his ancestor helplessly and didn't dare to respond.

Gu Shanhe took a sip of his porridge and said slowly: "This is just the beginning, there's more exaggeration to come."

The Sky Screen ignored the discussion below, the golden light continued to flow, and lines of text began to pop out.

【Reason for Ranking】

【Temperament like fire, majestic and peerless, bravery crowning the three armies as an enemy of ten thousand;

Roaring to retreat a million Cao troops at the Dangyang Bridge, crushing the famous Cao Wei general Zhang He in the Battle of Baxi;

Sworn brotherhood in the peach garden, following Xuan De for life, charging into battle and invincible, sitting firmly in the fifth seat of the Three Kingdoms Combat Power Ranking by virtue of peerless martial valor and majestic spirit.】

Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow when he saw the six words "roaring to retreat a million Cao troops."

"One person, roaring to retreat a million-strong army?"

His tone carried obvious disbelief.

Liu Bang also scratched his head: "This is too exaggerated, right? What is the concept of a million-strong army? Even if a million people stood there and let you hack, you wouldn't be able to finish hacking until your hands were soft."

"One person roars once and can scare them away?"

Liu Che hurriedly explained: "Two ancestors, this (million) should be a figurative number, meaning there are many people, not really a million."

Ying Zheng snorted coldly: "Figurative? That can't be too far off either."

"Three thousand people is called many, thirty thousand is also called many, a million?"

"Those who write history books have no gatekeepers on their mouths."

Gu Shanhe put down his porridge bowl and wiped his mouth: "The key is what effect that roar achieved."

"Whether the pursuing troops run or not doesn't depend on how loud your voice is, but on whether you dare to stand there."

"One person standing on the bridge, facing thousands of troops and horses, if it were you, would you be afraid?"

Ying Zheng opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

He remembered the people and things he had seen on the battlefield.

When the army is chasing and killing, as long as one person who doesn't retreat appears in front, the soldiers behind will start to drum in their hearts—

Why doesn't this person retreat? Is there an ambush?

Is there something we don't know about?

Fighting a war is not just about blades and guns, it's also about people's hearts.

The Sky Screen continued to flip down.

【Personal Basic File】

【Lifespan: 165 AD – 221 AD】

【Ancestral Home: Zhuo Commandery, You Province】

【Courtesy Name: Yide】

【Mentorship: No clear record of a master in official history; born with divine strength, fond of martial arts and fighting, self-taught in spear techniques, horsemanship, and battlefield combat techniques. Born with the talent of a war general, self-taught, his bravery was the best in the world.】

【Nicknames: Tiger General of the Broken Bridge, Fierce Zhang Fei, Enemy of Ten Thousand, Bear-Tiger General, Round-Eyed Thief (enemy nickname), one of the Five Tiger Generals, Zhang Yide of Yan.】

Liu Bang turned to ask Liu Che when he saw the words "Zhuo Commandery, You Province": "Is this place far from my Pei County?"

Liu Che was stunned for a moment and calculated: "Not too close, it's over a thousand miles away."

Liu Bang nodded: "That's a northerner. Northerners are big and have loud voices, so it's somewhat believable that he could roar to retreat an army."

Ying Zheng glanced at him and didn't speak.

He noticed the words "no master," "born with divine strength," and "self-taught."

Same as his thoughts when looking at Huang Zhong yesterday—

A person who had no master to teach him and relied entirely on his own practice to rank fifth on the Three Kingdoms Combat Power Ranking must either be gifted to the extreme or hardworking to the extreme.

Or both.

【Zhang Fei's Life History and Allegiance Trajectory】

【In his early years, he slaughtered pigs and sold wine in Zhuo Commandery, befriended heroes of the world, met Liu Bei and Guan Yu by chance, and they were like-minded. Sworn brotherhood in the peach garden, from then on followed Liu Bei for life.】

【Loyal to only one person in his life, never betrayed his lord, followed Liu Bei to rely on: Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, never left, and was one of the founding heroes of Liu Bei's rise.】

Yang Jian's comment popped out from the Sky Screen at this time.

【Sui Wendi Yang Jian: A rough person, but has a heart of loyalty, following his lord for life without leaving; truly rare.】

Liu Bang didn't respond rarely after reading this line.

He remembered the group of people under him.

Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, Guan Ying, which one of them didn't kill their way out with him from Pei County?

At that time, he, Liu Bang, was a village head, just a small official in charge of ten miles, but those people followed behind his butt, never frowning through mountains of blades and seas of fire.

Later, he became emperor and enfeoffed them as marquises.

But what about Zhang Fei?

Following Liu Bei through hardships for most of his life, from a commoner who sold wine and slaughtered pigs to a fierce general famous throughout the world.

From beginning to end, he never changed his master.

"Not easy."

Liu Bang suddenly said this, his tone rarely serious.

Ying Zheng looked at him and didn't say anything.

The Sky Screen continued, this time it was battle records. A long string, dense and packed.

【Zhang Fei's Participated Battles】

【Peach Garden uprising against the Yellow Turbans, Battle of Hulao Pass, Three Heroes Fight Lu Bu, Battle for Xuzhou, Battle of Xiapi, Battle of Dangyang Bridge at Changban, Battle of Jingnan Pacification, Battle of Baxi Dangqu, Battle of Hanzhong, preparations for the Battle of Yiling.】 ===== CHAPTER 277 =====