The next day.
Fenric, wearing a light armored vest and seated atop a tall horse, held a machete in hand, standing at the head of the army.
Thanks to the system, Fenric instantly became proficient in horsemanship upon contact with the steed.
Of course, the skill was only temporary—once he left this world, it would be forgotten.
"I didn't expect this to be The Battle of Red Cliffs," Fenric murmured with a mix of surprise and excitement.
The current time was September of the 13th year of Jian'an.
At this very moment in history, the legendary Battle of Red Cliffs was about to unfold.
Initially, Fenric had thought joining Cao Cao's camp was a blessing. After all, during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao wielded the greatest power.
But now... it seemed he had fallen into a deep pit.
According to historical records, Cao Cao would suffer a catastrophic defeat at Red Cliffs—not only losing a large portion of his army but also forfeiting any hope of unifying the realm in the short term.
It would be the most devastating loss since Cao Cao's rise.
This battle would also shape the eventual tripartite division of the land and lay the foundation for the Three Kingdoms.
"In history, Old Cao lost 590 reputation points in this battle! And the Sun-Liu alliance won mostly by trickery," Fenric mused. "But now that I know the plot, if I can warn Cao Cao in advance, can we avoid defeat?"
He frowned.
"Hmm... that Zhuge Liang is troublesome. If I don't deal with him quickly, he'll just cook up another scheme."
(Note: Zhuge Liang was a military commander of Shu as well as its chief strategist.)
Fenric was self-aware—his greatest advantage wasn't superior intellect, but his knowledge of the future plotlines.
In terms of strategy, he couldn't match Zhuge Liang.
Behind him stood the Samsara army—every one of them had chosen to follow Shura's path voluntarily.
BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!
Suddenly, the drums of war thundered.
Fenric's eyes lit up.
He knew what this meant—Cao Cao was beginning his pursuit of Liu Bei.
At this moment, Cao Cao's forces had taken Xiangyang City. Ahead lay Dangyang County.
And according to the historical timeline, this would lead to the famed Battle of Changbanpo.
This battle was renowned for the performances of two legendary figures.
One was Zilong of Changshan—who tore through Cao's army with his silver spear, slaughtering his way in and out seven times to rescue the young Liu Shan(*son of Liu Bei). No one could stop him.
The other was Zhang Fei. At Changban Bridge, a single earth-shaking roar from him sent General Cao's troops fleeing in fear, buying time for Liu Bei's retreat.
"Zilong and Zhang Fei, huh?" Fenric smiled. "Let's see if your martial arts can match my fists."
With that, he led the Samsaras alongside the main army toward Dangyang County.
—---
That Morning — Changban Slope
Cao Cao's army arrived at the battlefield.
Standing atop Jingshan Mountain, Cao Cao surveyed his forces flowing like a tidal wave through the land, and a surge of pride swelled in his chest.
With hundreds of thousands of soldiers, countless generals and advisers, and half the Han empire under his control, Cao Cao brimmed with confidence.
The day he would unify the realm and ascend to the throne of Heaven itself seemed within reach.
Those who once looked down on him—could they ever have imagined that he would rise so far?
Lost in thought, a smile crept across his face.
But two thorns still remained—Sun Quan and Liu Bei.
With the current momentum, Cao Cao didn't believe he could lose.
Sun Quan? Just a brat.
Liu Bei?
Cao Cao looked down and laughed at the crumbling state of Liu's army.
Then suddenly, a flash of silver caught his eye.
A general was charging through the ranks below, a silver spear dancing in his hands like lightning.
Intrigued, Cao Cao quickly asked, "Who is that man?"
At this time, Zilong's fame had yet to spread widely, so most of Cao's camp didn't recognize him.
Cao Hong immediately stepped forward and shouted toward the battlefield, "General! State your name!"
"I am Zilong of Changshan!" Zilong's voice rang out like thunder.
Even as he declared his name, his spear continued to move like a phantom—taking several of Cao's soldiers with it.
"A rare warrior indeed!" Cao Cao's eyes gleamed with admiration. "Pass down my order—do not kill him! I want him captured alive!"
Cao Hong relayed the command at once.
Originally, under normal circumstances, Zilong could've been taken down easily with a single volley of arrows.
But because Cao Cao sought to spare him out of appreciation for talent, no one dared to release a cold arrow—allowing Zilong to break through the encirclement with Liu Shan in hand and make history.
Fenric stood within the marching army.
He wasn't a vanguard, so he hadn't been on the front lines.
But the silver-spear-wielding warrior rampaging through Cao's forces like a phantom had already caught his attention.
"That must be Zilong of Changshan," Fenric muttered, eyes narrowing with admiration.
If Xu Chu represented brute strength, then Zilong embodied unmatched speed.
His movements were lightning-fast—strikes and retractions nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The spear in his hand danced like a silver dragon.
Most could only see a flicker of silver before a wound bloomed on their body—killed before they could even react.
"By order of the lord—whoever captures Zilong alive will be richly rewarded!" a messenger shouted while racing down the line.
Fenric's eyes gleamed.
He turned to the Samsaras behind him and asked, "Anyone interested in taking him on?"
But after seeing Zilong's performance, the Samsaras all hesitated. Their expressions were serious. One by one, they shook their heads.
"Lieutenant Zhongye, we'll leave it to you," someone said.
"Yes, sir. That guy's way too fast. His agility must be over 200. We're not touching that."
Fenric gave a small nod.
He nudged his horse forward and galloped toward Zilong.
His movement drew immediate attention.
"Lord! Look! That's Arush Zhongye—he seems to be going after Zilong!" Cao Hong shouted to Cao Cao.
"Oh?" Cao Cao raised his eyebrows, intrigued.
Not just Cao Cao—generals like Xu Chu, Pang De, and others all fixed their gazes on the unfolding scene.
Zilong's speed and strength had left them speechless.
Even they would struggle to stand their ground against him—capturing him alive would be almost impossible.
But perhaps... Zhongye, the man Cao Cao had personally praised as the Tiger General of the World, might just be capable of it.