Chapter 379: First Anniversary Summary and Thanks for One Hundred Alliance Masters

First Anniversary Summary and Thanks for One Hundred Alliance Masters

First Anniversary Summary and Thanks for One Hundred Alliance Masters

When I wrote this book, I had hopes for its performance, but I never expected to reach one hundred Alliance Masters — I can only say that all of you truly caught me off guard.

Although this thanks was promised earlier, suddenly opening the document, I didn't know where to begin for a moment. After thinking it over, I can only start from the very beginning and find something to say.

The origin of this book was an attempt during my sophomore year. Back then, I wanted to write a book about the White Horse Gongsun, to write my own Three Kingdoms. I imagine many male readers in their chuunibyou phase have had this idea... but just as everyone would expect, that book reached over a hundred thousand words, was completely unreadable, and eventually Qidian cleaned its library and deleted it.

But ever since then, for all this time, a story's embryonic form has never dissipated from my mind — a cavalry power rising in Liaoxi, how it would settle grudges with delight, which territory to take first, which place to strike next, which general to recruit first, which advisor to gather later, how that battle should be portrayed, how that battle should be made to look cool, and then while listening to some song, suddenly a new scene fantasy would arise, and as time passed, more and more things would gradually be forgotten.

In other words, as time goes by, this thing continuously evolves and changes along with your knowledge, outlook on life, and worldview. The only difference from most readers is that the vast majority will gradually forget this kind of thing and then throw themselves into life, whereas I inadvertently stepped into the field of web fiction.

So before the first book had even ended, I directly told some very familiar readers that my next book would be about the Three Kingdoms... but the feedback I got was very poor. Many readers told me outright that the Three Kingdoms had been written to death. Some even told me that I could write it, and for the sake of our reader friendship they would reward an Alliance Master, but I shouldn't expect them to jump from Korean entertainment to the Three Kingdoms to read a worn-out conquest story.

In fact, my first few Alliance Masters were all rewards given out of respect from old readers — the so-called "our relationship is so good, even if I don't read your book, I can still give you an Alliance Master."

Then, circling back, I'm not a particularly resolute person. At the time I was very hesitant — one worry was about the performance, another was concern about readers drifting away... An important reason for starting a new book while working part-time was that around the time the previous book was finishing, my real-life social activities were almost completely cut off, and I had even just broken up with my girlfriend. So my interactions with some readers became a kind of dependency for me. I was terribly afraid that after that Korean entertainment novel ended, all the friends I knew would disappear, and I would be left alone to the point of having no sense of security at all.

But... what if I really wanted to write it? What about those fragments I had imagined in my mind, the dialogues I had thought of, the character endings I had envisioned, that I especially wanted to display? Even including the determination to write the ancient prose in the so-called spoiler-style summaries that were popular during my sophomore year — what then?

So I had to write it, and write it with fresh ideas, and start the book as soon as possible... It was at that moment I decided to write about people, not simply about the conquest process and story. People are the most important, characters are the most important. I must respect every character as much as possible, whether good or bad, righteous or villainous — I must respect the logic of their existence.

Of course, I wrote it very poorly. Looking back now, some characters were written too deliberately, some plotlines failed to reflect the characters' distinctiveness, and as for some historical inaccuracies and clumsy ancient prose, that goes without saying. The hardest part was using a so-called outline and plot to connect those fragments I wanted to express... coupled with the demands of updating, this led to disagreements over the direction of the plot and the collapse of character portrayals.

But fortunately, everyone has been very tolerant. Everyone was willing to put up with me — otherwise, how could there be one hundred and one Alliance Masters after one year of writing, at around two million words? Among those one hundred and one Alliance Masters, there are surely those who rewarded out of personal regard without reading the book... but setting that portion aside, I believe the majority chose to reward because of the book itself. So I am especially grateful to everyone.

Then, for the latter half of this book, I still have conceptual fragments from my own chuunibyou period — Yuan Shao's ending, Cao Cao's ending, Liu Bei's ending, Lu Bu's ending, the endings of many minor characters and historical figures... and the development of the situation, and how this character Xun Dog continues to act pretentious... So it's still the same words: thank you all for your tolerance and support. I will do my utmost to continue writing slowly, and you all take your time reading.

That is all.

Hastily written at five in the deep night. If there are any errors or omissions, please forgive me.

Appendix One — The list of one hundred and one Alliance Masters, roughly in chronological order.

Appendix Two — Making up for yesterday's chapter, Xun Dog's "Order to Seek Worthies."

Appendix One:

Er Niu

Xiao Ming

Feng Yu Da Lao

Hu Lu Shu

Mo Shaoshang

Shou Li Xian Yu Kun

Ye Mie Zhi Guang

Sao Rui

Tai Mei

Tian Guo De Jie Cao Jun

Beng Yue Lei Shou

Xiao Jiong

Cha Ji

Xiao Xiao

Shan Zhe Gu

Zhu Zi Yao Yao

Ye Xu Wei Lai

Ji Mo

A Lei Ge

Sofia Ruo Bing

Sui Yuan Xian Hong Chen

Qi Li Gu De Cang Shu

Li Sai Liu Da Zhu Jiao

Lighterjt

Le Yan Shan

Ma Lao Gong

Ming Ming Bai Bai

Huang Ma Mei

Xiong Xing Tian Xia

Yi Ning Wei Zhi

Yu Zhuang De Ba Ba

Sheng Guang Shan Xian

Wu Xin Wu Ding

Zhen Long Zhi Bao Yan

Huang Lao Jiu

Chao Ji Niu Da Da

Jing Yao Yao

Wu You Xiang

Xie Shen Zhou

Sorry

Jinse Qiujia

z Calls Ze

Big Brother Zhong Kui

Bai Yang Da

Seventh-Floor Tenant

Uncle Ze

Six Cricket

After All, It's Just a Dream

Cold Rainy Night

Zi Yu Lan Shan

Bug's Childhood

I'll Go Move the Train Station Here

Sunny Boy, I'm Seventeen

chen828

SooO_LaZy

Zhang Weiyu

Tong Tang

Gu Xiaotian

Farewell Pavilion Song

Still Want to Love Across Lifetimes

A Yue

N/A

Always Silent

Jun Yixing

Big Brother Huan Yu

Words of Mortal Life

Piggy

Blank Banner

If You're Sick, See a Doctor

Iron-Blooded War Wolf Li Hongzhang

Knowing Is Impossible

Useless Scholar Chen Yu

He Canfeng

Du Chenque

Tiger-Skin Diamond Gourd Baby

Xiao Xiao Descending

I Am the Cold-Faced Killer

Love Without Strings

Old Master of the Yagumo Family

Hibiscus Color

Defying Fate to Change Destiny II

King of Home Swapping

Qin Weiyong

Three Offices and Nine Bureaus

Little Seaweed Explodes

Imperial Vault

Xin Huo

Little Ling Ke Realm Subduing Dragon Celestial

Fuck Your Mom, Be Your Dad

Mirror of the Sky 1900

Misaka Mikoto Style

That Streak of Nosebleed

Black Ice Technology

Elopement Quit

Dancing Crow

White Agarwood

Where Will It End

Ice Ice Blaster

The wilderness stretches vast, the snow lies silent.

Appendix Two:

Since antiquity, when a ruler received the Mandate of Heaven or restored a dynasty, has there ever been one who did not obtain worthy men and noble gentlemen to govern the realm together with him? And when they obtained such worthies, did these men ever come from beyond the lanes and alleys? Was it ever merely a chance encounter? It was because those above sought them out and took them. Now the realm is not yet settled, and this is precisely the urgent moment to seek out worthies.

Meng Gongchuo would have excelled as an elder of Zhao or Wei, but he could not have served as a grandee of Teng or Xue. If only incorruptible men could be employed, then how would Duke Huan of Qi and Emperor Gaozu have dominated their ages?!

Now in this realm, could there be one like Jiang Shang, wearing coarse cloth yet bearing jade within his bosom, fishing by the banks of the Wei? And could there be one like Chen Ping, who took his sister-in-law and accepted gold, yet had not met a man ignorant of his worth? And could there be one like Zhang Tang, who raged at the filth of the world and wished to cleanse the realm with law and method? And could there be one like Wu Qi, who harbored talent and sought authority, yet had no place to flee to? And could there be one like Han Xin, who endured the humiliation of crawling between another’s legs, only to stand as a halberd-bearer before a gate?

Therefore I say: you few, on my behalf, proclaim to the realm that my thirst for worthies is as desperate as thirst itself. I shall raise men for talent alone, and having obtained them, I shall employ them.

To those who seek profit, I am willing to share my wealth; to those who seek fame, I am willing to share my renown; to those who seek ritual courtesy — though Xun is without talent, I am willing to emulate the Duke of Zhou, who would spit out his food mid-meal, so as to win the hearts of all under Heaven. Only I harbor a slight selfish wish: I desire comrades of like mind, who would cleanse the realm and rescue it from peril and chaos. Once they arrive, those who take up arms shall share my battle robe; those who take up the brush shall share my mat.

This, and nothing more.

(End of Chapter)