SWDnovel Chapter 277 - 257: Wishing to Acknowledge (Someone) as a Foster Father and Searching for Zhu Geliang
Chapter 277 - 257: Wishing to Acknowledge (Someone) as a Foster Father and Searching for Zhu Geliang
Chapter 277: Chapter 257: Wishing to Acknowledge (Someone) as a Foster Father and
Suddenly, in the palace, the void stirred, and a golden-armored figure appeared before them.
Upon seeing the figure, the three intuitively knew it was the Monkey King and promptly paid their respects, "Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian greet Ancestral Martial!"
Wukong nodded slightly, then recounted the situation in the Western Cattle Hezhou, finally saying, "Now that the Kingdom of Tianzhu has been established in the west, it will surely compete with the Han dynasty in the future. My visit is to remind you to start making preparations early."
The three exchanged glances, with Liu Bei being the first to say, "Ancestral Martial, Your Majesty, if the west dares to infringe upon our great Han, I vow to defend our territory to the death!"
Sun Jian then declared with a clenched fist, "Our great Han’s strength far surpasses that of the western nations, rather than waiting for enemies to attack, we should strike first, advancing into the Western Cattle Hezhou!"
After pondering for a moment, Cao Cao said, "Ancestral Martial, our great Han had interactions with some kingdoms in the Western Cattle Hezhou early on.
Back when the Duke of Dingyuan advanced into the Western Regions, he also marched into the Western Cattle Hezhou and took over Elephant Country and Ussang Country, but the army was halted at Yellow Wind Ridge and had to retreat.
However, for over a century since, we’ve had trade relations with those western kingdoms near the Han dynasty, so they are not unfamiliar to us.
According to information gathered over the years, the geography of Western Cattle Hezhou is complex, often inhabited by a mix of demons and the Human Race, with demons sometimes entrenched in certain mountains and great swamps between the kingdoms.
If we are to truly become enemies with Western Cattle Hezhou, these are all troublesome problems that need to be considered."
After listening, Wukong got a general impression of the three, concluding that Cao Cao appeared to be the strongest in ability. However, Liu Bei and Sun Jian must also have their exceptional qualities to serve as prime ministers.
Afterward, he inquired about the talents mentioned by netizens.
The three were surprised. Why would Ancestral Martial care about these individuals?
But they answered truthfully.
Liu Bei said, "Ancestral Martial, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are my sworn brothers, and there are also Zhao Yun, Fa Zheng... and others, who often take orders from me, but they are all servants of the Han as well."
Sun Jian added, "Ancestral Martial, the Sun Quan you mentioned is my youngest son, Zhou Yu is the brother-in-law of my eldest son Sun Ce, and there are also Tai Shici, Gan Ning... and others under my command."
Cao Cao replied unhurriedly, "To report to Ancestral Martial, Xun Yu, Guo Jia... Dian Wei, Xu Chu... and others all serve loyally under my command."
Wukong realized, it seems that this was the historical inertia netizens had referred to. Even with the altered timeline, these remarkable individuals had all aligned themselves with the original leaders of the three major factions.
And Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian became prime ministers, likely for the same reason, since they originally were leaders of those three factions.
However, he hadn’t heard them mention the names of Lu Bu, Zhu Geliang, or Shi Mayi, all of whom were individuals the netizens emphasized.
So Wukong inquired again, "Where is Lu Bu?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three men shifted; they could tell that Ancestral Martial seemed particularly interested in Lu Bu!
Liu Xiu, smiling, interjected, "Master, the Lu Bu you speak of now has quite the reputation. He is the strongest martial genius the Han dynasty has seen since the establishment of the martial path.
His talent isn’t any less than that of the Demon King; having cultivated for only thirty-odd years, he has already reached the peak of the Celestial Man boundary, just one step away from becoming a Celestial God."
"Oh?" Wukong’s interest piqued, "Bring him to me at once."
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian looked at each other with varying expressions.
Soon, a towering and formidable figure burst into the Ancestral Martial Palace, visibly excited.
Yet upon noticing Cao, Liu, and Sun, Lu Bu’s expression immediately stiffened.
When he saw Emperor Liu Xiu, he respectfully paid his homage.
At the same time, he curiously glanced at the Monkey King beside him, speculating in his mind but not daring to confirm.
Liu Xiu grinned and said, "Lu Bu, Ancestral Martial specifically summoned you here today, hurry and pay your respects."
Lu Bu promptly performed a grand bow, "I pay my respects to Ancestral Martial!"
Wukong looked him over and praised with a smile, "Truly a martial arts genius."