Chapter Seventeen: Emperor Taizu of the Later Zhou and the Hongwu Emperor

Amid the vanguard, stood a young man nine feet tall, broad-shouldered with a square face, large ears, a straight nose, and a firm mouth. His lips were red, teeth white, clad in a white robe, wielding a halberd. Behind him, eight burly men accompanied him closely. Though not as imposing as the first figure, they all exuded extraordinary martial prowess. As expected, these must be Xue Rengui and his sworn brothers.

“System, scan the current attributes of these individuals.”

“Ding. Xue Rengui: Command 101, Strength 105, Intelligence 90, Politics 93.”

“Wang Xinxie: Command 72, Strength 89, Intelligence 68, Politics 65.”

“Wang Xinhe: Command 78, Strength 89, Intelligence 65, Politics 63.”

“Jiang Xinben: Command 73, Strength 88, Intelligence 68, Politics 61.”

“Jiang Xinba: Command 75, Strength 90, Intelligence 67, Politics 62.”

“Zhou Qing: Command 83, Strength 95, Intelligence 70, Politics 68.”

“Xue Xiantu: Command 78, Strength 93, Intelligence 62, Politics *****.”

“Li Qingxian: Command 69, Strength 89, Intelligence 68, Politics 64.”

“Zhou Qing: Command 71, Strength 88, Intelligence 65, Politics 66.”

Impressive—the strength scores of these eight veterans hover around 90. While they may not yet be top generals, they are undoubtedly the backbone of the army. After all, though there are many generals in Li Xiang’s forces, middle-ranking officers are scarce. The arrival of these eight seasoned warriors is timely.

“Ding. Combination skill detected. Host, would you like to review it?”

“Combination skill? What’s that, system?” Li Xiang asked curiously.

“Ding. Host, combination skills only form among multiple generals with profound bonds, such as the Twin Guardians, the Four Sons, the Four Hounds, the Five Tiger Generals...”

“Oh, then show me the effects of this combination skill. System, display combination skill.”

“Eight Veterans’ Combination Skill: Effect One—When all eight stand together on the battlefield, each gains +3 Strength.

Effect Two—If these eight are on the same battlefield as Xue Rengui, who is the supreme commander, Xue Rengui gains +1 Strength and +1 Command.”

This combination skill is quite formidable. The first effect pushes all eight to elite levels, while the second not only boosts Xue Rengui’s strength but also his command. That single point in command may seem minor, but coupled with the strength boost, it elevates Xue Rengui from an unparalleled peak to a godlike level. With these eight veterans supporting him, Xue Rengui is truly a dual-force general in both command and strength! No wonder he has been undefeated for decades, with these stalwart brothers at his side.

However, this poses some difficulties. Originally, Li Xiang intended to assign them separately as core officers within the army, but now they must continue to follow Xue Rengui. Though their immediate use may be limited, if Xue Rengui leads an entire force in the future, their value will be immense.

“Commoner Xue Li pays respects to the generals,” Xue Rengui said respectfully as Li Xiang and Fan Neng approached.

Before Fan Neng could respond, Li Xiang stepped forward, grasping Xue Rengui’s hand. “No need for formalities, Warrior Xue. Your name for valor and courage has long been renowned. Today, with your aid against the Xiongnu, our chances of victory increase greatly.”

“Generous praise, young general. May I ask from where you have heard of Xue Li’s name?” Xue Rengui asked, surprised to see a boy barely in his teens speak on behalf of the general, yet he dared not question further.

Li Xiang felt awkward. Should he admit he learned of Xue from books and dramas?

“Warrior Xue, no need to dwell on trivial matters. I have heard you have joined the army. I am delighted. There is now an urgent task—do you dare take it on?” Li Xiang inquired.

“Dare or not, I am ready. What is the mission, general? Xue Li will give his all,” Xue Rengui replied promptly. He had joined the army to distinguish himself and believed his martial prowess would overcome any challenge.

After some thought, Li Xiang shared the matter involving Xiong Huo and Xing Tian. “Warrior Xue, would you lead a squadron of elite cavalry to support those two?”

“Rest assured, general. I will fulfill the mission and not betray your trust,” Xue Rengui vowed solemnly.

Delighted, Li Xiang said, “Very well. Since you are new and have yet to prove yourself, I cannot grant you a high rank immediately. But I will appoint you as a Battalion Commander. How does that sound?”

“No, general. As a newcomer, I cannot rashly accept such a high post. Let me accomplish this mission first, then reward can come,” Xue Rengui answered with hesitation.

Li Xiang laughed. “Haha, I know your abilities well. This battle is your chance to prove yourself. A mere battalion command is hardly a burden. Please, do not refuse.”

Moved, Xue Rengui responded, “I will return victorious for you, general, repaying your kindness in recognizing me.”

“Ding. Congratulations, host. You have gained 10 summoning points for Xue Rengui, 67 points for the eight veterans, with 85 summoning points remaining.”

...

With Xing Tian and Xue Rengui acting together, Li Xiang felt assured. No matter how strong Emperor Jin Taizong Wanyan Wuqimai’s forces were, at most only Mountain Lion Tuo had reached a divine level. With Xing Tian and Xue Rengui, two fierce generals, they could hold their ground.

“System, begin reading other balancing characters.”

“Ding. Balanced character two: Chen Wang Chen Sheng of the Qin Dynasty uprising army. Command 80, Strength 83, Intelligence 79, Politics 82, Charm 89. Inserted identity: newly recruited disciple of Zhang Jiao. Accompanied by seven figures: Wu Guang, Wu Chen, Zhang Er, Zhou Wen, Chen Yu, Ge Ying, Zhuang Jia.”

“Ding. Balanced character three: Founding Emperor of Later Zhou, Guo Wei. Command 98, Strength 97, Intelligence 95, Politics 97, Charm 96. Inserted identity: a colonel in the Qingzhou army, wronged by officials and aristocrats, who killed his superior in anger and fled to the nearby hills. Accompanied by one person: Chai Rong.”

Chen Sheng was understandable; the peasant uprising had limited capabilities. Under the system’s influence, their future feats could be far more exciting, but compared to the present, Chen Sheng and his group might barely make waves.

Guo Wei, however, was a different matter. Born into chaos and raised in the military, he was brave and powerful, straightforward and headstrong, skilled in strategy, adept at managing troops, rising through ranks to become Grand Chancellor. Using military strength as his foundation, he replaced the Later Han and epitomized military authority during the Five Dynasties. He also advocated thrift, harshly punished corruption, and forbade military harassment of civilians, helping the turbulent northern society since the late Tang dynasty begin to stabilize.

Though Guo Wei brought only one companion, Chai Rong was no less capable. Had Chai Rong not died young, Zhao Kuangyin’s rise to power might never have occurred. Seeing these two balanced characters appear made Li Xiang’s head ache—two more formidable foes in the future.

“Ding. Balanced character four: Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Command 98, Strength 92, Intelligence 97, Politics 99, Charm 99. Inserted as the eldest son of the Zhu family in Jiangnan. Accompanied by six figures: Zhu Sheng, Zhu Wenzheng, Mu Ying, Tang He, Feng Sheng, Deng Yu.”

Hoo, Zhu Chongba had arrived as well. Li Xiang’s headache grew, but this threat was still distant. Jiangnan was a region he could ignore for now, focusing first on the immediate troubles.

“System balance complete. Congratulations, host. You have received one random summoning card. You have one historical beauty summoning card and one random summoning card remaining. Summoning points left: 85. Would you like to continue summoning?”

Li Xiang considered briefly and decided not to summon. Keeping one summoning opportunity reserved was like holding a trump card.

“Alright, system, no more summoning for now. You may stand down.”