Chapter 294: 【Emperor? The world

Just as the comments said.

Xin Xin Qiji’s final cry represented more than just "slaying the thieves."

It also held his obsession of over 60 years, his unwillingness to accept defeat for over 60 years.

Perhaps even Xin Xin Qiji himself had not expected that after wasting over 40 years of his life, when he finally had the chance to realize his ambitions, he would already be lying on his deathbed with only one breath left.

I wonder if Xin Xin Qiji had any regrets at this moment.

But the Blue Star netizens in the live stream could no longer bear to watch.

The live stream paused for a moment.

Fang Ming took out that screenshot of the ranking list again.

He looked at the rankings and continued reading downward: "Let’s not look at the tragic ones anymore."

"Skip this one... skip this one too..."

"Is there a more satisfying life on this screenshot of the list?"

"What do you all think?"

As his voice fell, the comments in the live stream began to chatter.

【It has to be Zhuge Liang, and he’s ranked so high!】

【How is Zhuge Liang satisfying? He exhausted his heart and blood until his death, and in the end, the Shu Kingdom was destroyed. His life's work was ruined in an instant; it’s too heartbreaking.】

【How about Cao Cao? Start: descendant of a eunuch; end: King of Wei.】

【Huang Chao, Huang Chao’s killing was satisfying!】

【It has to be Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor.】

【Zhao Zhao Kuangyin, I see the forums are discussing him very intensely right now. He is the founding Emperor of the Song Dynasty.】

Fang Ming looked at the comments. Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao were NPCs that players had encountered frequently in the [Huaxia] series, and they were characters with a lot of plot interaction.

So Fang Ming subconsciously ignored them, only becoming interested when Huang Chao and Zhao Zhao Kuangyin were mentioned.

Fang Ming’s gaze swept over the list: "Hmm?"

"Zhao Zhao Kuangyin, there really is one."

Although figures like Huang Chao and Zhu Di were not on the list, the Zhao Zhao Kuangyin mentioned in the comments appeared at the 40-plus position.

Fang Ming glanced at the comments again, seeing that [Zhao Zhao Kuangyin] had already surged into the top three of the current list, and he was somewhat surprised: "He surged all the way to first?"

"Is he that fierce?"

"Then the life experience of this founding emperor of the Song Dynasty must be quite impressive."

"However, the state of the [Song Dynasty]..."

"It really makes one suspicious."

Some Blue Star netizens in the live stream nodded.

Indeed.

Just from everything experienced in [Xin Xin Qiji]’s life, they couldn't help but think that the [Song Dynasty] should just be destroyed.

It was simply too stifling.

And the emperors were so muddled.

If someone capable of turning the world upside down had appeared within a few decades, that would be fine; they could still hold them in high regard.

But in Xin Xin Qiji’s 68-year life...

They didn't see a shred of hope at all.

It was hard to imagine what such a court and such a situation were like at the time of its founding.

After all, the lower limit had already been fully exposed.

Based on this lower limit, even if the upper limit was high, it probably couldn't be that high, right?

The Blue Star netizens in the live stream thought.

However, some Blue Star netizens who had read the forums were currently discussing it, and from the content of the discussion, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was an incredibly powerful existence.

And he was even the "world's number one."

This piqued the interest of the Blue Star netizens in the live stream.

After all, there are many kinds of "world's number one."

But looking at the comments in the live stream, this "Zhao Zhao Kuangyin" seemed to be the world's number one in martial arts?

An emperor? The world's number one?

How could those two things be connected?

While thinking this, Fang Ming also became interested. In the [Viewing Library], he found the viewing version titled [Song Taizu]: "Brothers, here we go."

"Let’s take a look at the plot of this Song Taizu, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin."

"I really know very little about him."

"He has always been a background character, yet he actually has a title like 'world's number one'."

"Let’s watch and see."

Saying this, Fang Ming had already clicked on the viewing version of [Song Taizu].

The screen slowly lit up.

A courtyard with many weapon racks appeared on the screen.

A boy of seven or eight years old was currently standing in a horse stance in the courtyard. Sweat was already pouring down his head, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably, but the tall, burly man beside him was watching.

The boy subconsciously straightened his body.

This boy was none other than Zhao Zhao Kuangyin.

And looking at the furnishings in the courtyard, as well as the attire of the tall, burly man, the Blue Star netizens in the live stream understood.

This was a "tiger son of a military family," right?

The [Viewing Version] also used a narrator to slowly introduce Zhao Zhao Kuangyin’s background.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was born into a military family; his father, Zhao Hongyin, was a general of the Forbidden Army. From a young age, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin displayed extraordinary talent, practicing martial arts, archery, and horsemanship, with strength far exceeding others.

On the screen.

As time flowed on.

The 15-year-old Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was now standing shirtless in the middle of the snow.

He held a three-stone heavy bow, his gaze slightly fixed on a pine branch in the distance.

Suddenly.

The sound of an arrow tearing through the air rang out. The snow piled on the pine branch a hundred meters away exploded, and a bird was pierced before it could even react, falling beneath the pine tree.

This scene left the Blue Star netizens in the live stream stunned.

【Holy crap? Isn't his eyesight a bit too good?】

【Is this really 15 years old?】

【A three-stone heavy bow is (360 jin), right? Can a 15-year-old pull that thing?】

【What’s that compared to Xiang Yu? He could pull it at 12; that’s even more outrageous.】

【That’s the Overlord of Western Chu; can they be compared?】

【This one is also pretty badass, right? Didn't he reach the level of world's number one later?】

【Does that count as a little overlord?】

【Regardless, this talent is absolutely flawless.】

No one in the live stream had any objections.

After all, if he was this badass at 15, one could imagine what he would grow into.

In any case, he could definitely take on ten of them at once.

The screen continued to shift.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was now an adult and chose to travel alone, which made the Blue Star netizens in the live stream sigh at his boldness and skill.

One had to know.

This was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, where warlords, powerful families, and bandits were everywhere.

It was an era that made Blue Star players feel uncomfortable just reading the records and some of the plots; bones lying on the side of the road was not just a figure of speech.

On the screen.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin’s journey was naturally not all smooth sailing.

He encountered bandits and was hunted down.

But Zhao Zhao Kuangyin had grown up in a military family, and his father was a commander of the Forbidden Army; just by standing there, he was a head taller than those malnourished bandits.

Not to mention his burly physique; often, it was Zhao Zhao Kuangyin chasing down ten or so bandits to kill them.

Unless the opponents had bows and arrows, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin would temporarily avoid their edge.

Just like that.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin traveled and fought all the way until he reached Luoyang.

Subsequently.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin chose to join the army.

He joined under the command of Guo Wei, the Privy Councilor of the Later Han.

During the new recruit selection, he defeated ten people in a row, becoming famous.

The screen shifted through Zhao Zhao Kuangyin’s military life.

Although he was a new recruit.

He was the first to charge in every battle, not only getting promoted but also gaining a great deal of prestige.

Many soldiers wanted to join under Zhao Zhao Kuangyin’s command.

Because with such a leader, even if they only had soup, they would be full.

Soon.

Time arrived at 951.

At this time.

On the screen.

Late at night.

Under the city gate of Chanzhou.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin led several death-defying soldiers, sneaking to the foot of the city wall. Seeing the guards not far away, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin suddenly erupted, charging in front of the guards in an instant.

With one slash, he severed the neck of the guard.

Before the guards could react.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin swung his war saber, cutting down three people in an instant, even shattering the iron armor on the soldiers; this scene was terrifying.

The death-defying soldiers behind Zhao Zhao Kuangyin also rushed over, controlling the iron chains at the city gate, and the hidden army outside the city rushed in quickly.

Zhao Zhao Kuangyin on the screen did not stop.

He hacked at the guards with his war saber, and seemingly feeling the saber wasn't enough, he snatched a long spear, piercing the chest of a guard with a single strike.

With a push of his foot.

The spear carried the soldier as he charged into the city, the sounds of slaughter continuing throughout the night.

Until dawn.

The screen returned to Zhao Zhao Kuangyin. At this time, he was covered in blood, having severed the enemy's flag, while his superior, Guo Wei, ascended the throne amidst the support of the crowd, establishing the Later Zhou.

But the eyes of the Blue Star netizens in the live stream were not on Guo Wei, who was ascending the throne to establish the Later Zhou.

But on Zhao Zhao Kuangyin, whose battle robe was stained with blood.

Fierce.

Simply too fierce.

From the moment Zhao Zhao Kuangyin snuck over with his death-defying soldiers and then erupted to shatter three soldiers with three slashes, the Blue Star netizens in the live stream were stunned.

They knew Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was skilled in martial arts, but they didn't expect him to be this skilled.

Shattering three people with three slashes.

That’s right.

It was literally shattering them; one slash beheaded the first soldier he encountered.

The subsequent two slashes were swung diagonally.

Directly shattering the iron armor on the soldiers; one could imagine the state of the flesh beneath the armor.

This was also Zhao Zhao Kuangyin’s first full-power outburst.

After a night of bloody fighting, he was only slightly out of breath.

And his entire battle robe and armor were stained red with the blood of enemy soldiers.

This was a full night of killing.

The Blue Star netizens now understood a bit; was this "satisfying" life of Zhao Zhao Kuangyin purely because he was too fierce?

That’s why it looked like a satisfying story.

With this level of martial prowess.

It would be a "satisfying" life in any dynasty.

No matter why the [Song Dynasty] was so weak, this [Founding Taizu] Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was truly fierce.

A casual slash, and iron armor was shattered just like that...

Even in history, he ranks among the best.

On the screen.

With Guo Wei’s ascension, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin, having made great contributions, was promoted to Commander.

But he left the center of power.

Four years later.

Guo Wei, who established the Later Zhou, passed away. His biological sons had been killed by the Later Han emperor years earlier due to suspicion, so the throne of the Later Zhou fell to his adopted son, Chai Rong.

After Chai Rong ascended the throne, Zhao Zhao Kuangyin was once again heavily relied upon and entered the core of the Forbidden Army.

It was also this year.

The Northern Han allied with the Khitan to launch a massive attack on the Later Zhou.

The screen shifted.

The characters [Battle of Gaoping] slowly appeared.

The perspective appeared above the battlefield.

Characters representing the Later Zhou and Northern Han floated above both sides.

However, the situation for the Later Zhou was not optimistic.

The Northern Han cavalry had already crushed the Later Zhou’s right flank. The perspective shifted above the battlefield, and the Blue Star netizens in the live stream even saw Chai Rong personally commanding at the front line, but he still couldn't stop the momentum of the collapse. ===== CHAPTER 297 =====

The scene shifts.

The words "Battle of Gaoping" slowly appear.

The perspective appears above the battlefield.

Large characters representing the Later Zhou and Northern Han appear in the sky above both sides.

However, at this moment, the situation on the Later Zhou side is not optimistic.

The Northern Han iron cavalry has already crushed the right flank of the Later Zhou; as the perspective drifts over the battlefield, the Blue Star netizens in the live stream even see Chai Rong personally at the front lines commanding, yet he still cannot stop the momentum of the rout.