Chapter 321 - Heroes: Ling Cao, Mi Zhu
Chapter 321: Heroes: Ling Cao, Mi Zhu
Apart from the Water Margin and the army of Yue Fei, the Twin Dragon Island also had the Han Dynasty background.
Therefore, some heroes from the Han Dynasty were also summoned this time.
However, because Ji Ye hadn’t fused any offering for a while, most of the offerings he used this time were Excellent and below. Hence, the heroes summoned weren’t famous historical figures. Instead, they were people like Li Ju, Xin Wuxian, Yin Qi, and Zhi Buyi…
It was only normal that such things should happen. Because according to the rules of the Land of Inheritance, real historical figures were given a lot more value than fictional heroes.
Theoretically, famous historical figures like Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun were all Transcendent heroes, and the Twin Dragon Island had to rise to the Transcendent level before it could summon them at a large scale.
Although none of them were popular heroes, two of them were still relatively well-known talented men of the Han Dynasty.
Pa!
A test was taking place on the water.
A warrior wearing a red scarf around his head struck down with a dagger. The glinting blade then cut a 10-meter-long jellyfish into halves!
It was the Icy Jellyfish the Phoenix Ship met three days ago. The Extraordinary Rank-6 creature was suspected to have a Transcendent bloodline and had the ability to freeze water into ice.
At the time, Zhou Yu happened to be on the ship and was able to kill the monster with the Song of Courtship. Icy Jellyfish’s Soul, the Superior offering they obtained from the monster, was quite a pleasant surprise.
Apart from those used to summon Qin Ming and Zhang Qing, this was the only Superior offering used in the sacrificial ritual this time.
Naturally, the hero summoned was also Superior.
[Ling Cao]
[Level: Extraordinary Rank-6]
[Rarity: Commander]
[Description: He was a man of Yuhang of the Wu Kingdom and was known to be a chivalrous and courageous man. When Sun Ce rose in arms from the south of Huai River, Ling Cao went on many punitive expeditions as a vanguard and was often the first to climb up a city wall!]
Yes, he was a hero of the Three Kingdoms era.
Although Ling Cao wasn’t one of the top warriors of the Three Kingdoms, Ling Tong, his son, was one of the most famous generals of the Wu Kingdom. Together with generals like Gan Ning, Zhou Tai, Huang Gai, and Jiang Qin, Ling Tong was one of the “Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong”!
That was to say, contrary to the heroes of Yue Fei’s army, Ling Cao was less famous than his son.
Of course, even though Ling Cao might not be very famous, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t capable.
Because he was a vanguard of the Wu Kingdom and a legendary “man of sacrifice who climbed the first”.
In ancient times, when an army attacked a city, the first soldier to climb onto the city wall would take the most credit, hence the name.
In a battle, those who stayed behind in the barracks to attend to garrison duty might not be the capable ones. For instance, the job of military inspector was usually given to court eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty.
However, those who could climb onto the city wall first in a battle definitely needed to have martial prowess as well as the courage to face death without fear!
When Ling Cao was in Sun Ce’s army, he was often said to be the first to climb up a city wall.
Needless to say, he was a formidable soldier.
“Chief Ling!”
Zhou Yu was excited when he saw the hero summoned by the offering he obtained.
“Governor!”
Ling Cao was equally excited when he bowed to Zhou Yu.
Both he and Zhou Yu had been with Sun Ce since the beginning, and both had offered him a great help.
Zhou Yu was Sun Ce’s childhood friend. He would always give Sun Ce advice and help him to run the kingdom in peace.
Whereas Ling Cao fought for Sun Ce in wars, attacking cities and capturing territories.
Zhou Yu was more superior in terms of their status.
But to be able to find an old acquaintance here in the Land of Inheritance was already a pleasant surprise for the two heroes of the Three Kingdoms.
But soon, they found another old friend.
A middle-aged man of letters was summoned by an Excellent offering. Wearing a brocade robe, the man struck one as being honest, sincere, and refined in manner.
[Mi Zhu]
[Level: Extraordinary Rank-6]
[Rarity: Commander]
[Description: A wealthy businessman from Xuzhou. He had supported Liu Bei with 2,000 servants and gold, silver, and silk. He had also married his younger sister to Liu Bei. He is familiar with horsemanship and archery and is an expert businessman!]
“Mi Zhu?”
Both Elder Zhou and Elder Meng seemed surprised.
Just like Ling Cao and Zhou Yu, Mi Zhu was also a historical figure of the Three Kingdoms era.
But he wasn’t from the Wu Kingdom. He was a member of the Shu Kingdom.
Maybe Mi Zhu wasn’t as famous as the five “Tiger Generals” or civil officers like Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Fa Zheng.
But after Liu Bei became the King of Hanzhong, he made Mi Zhu the “General of Anhan”, which was a position even higher than that of Zhuge Liang. It made Mi Zhu the highest-ranking official of the Shu Kingdom.
Back in the days, Lü Bu first took refuge with Liu Bei when he was in a desperate situation, and then when Liu Bei and Yuan Shu were in a stalemate, he sent troops to attack Xiapi, where Liu Bei’s foundation was located, which almost cornered Liu Bei.
Mi Zhu was the one who had financed Liu Bei with a large amount of gold, silver, and other resources, as well as an army made up of 2,000 of his servants. The aid enabled Liu Bei to rise again, which in turn led to the establishment of the three kingdoms that ruled the land.
Although Mi Zhu had started off as a businessman and wasn’t good at designing strategies or commanding troops, because of his “initial investment” in Liu Bei and the constant help he had been giving him, Mi Zhu had remained an influential figure of the Shu Kingdom.
“Hello, Mr. Zizhong!”
Zhao Yun walked into the Temple of Providence in his silver armor, addressing Mi Zhu by his courtesy name. He had just come out of his seclusion and had reached Extraordinary Rank-8. He gave Mi Zhu a friendly nod when he saw him.
Mi Zhu’s sister was none other than Lady Mi, who had chosen to drown herself in a well in Changbanpo so that she wouldn’t become a burden to Zhao Yun, who needed to fight his way out of a heavy encirclement with Ah Dou, Liu Bei’s infant son.
Although someone like Mi Zhu wasn’t very famous and overall, he wasn’t a Transcendent hero, but he was good enough to be summoned as an Extraordinary Superior one.
But now, he was willing to be summoned by an Excellent offering.
He had definitely “undervalued” himself!
That was to say, he was the first hero who had voluntarily responded to the summons of an offering of a lower grade.
“Maybe he’s here for the Marquis of Hanshou Village.”
Elder Meng was lost in his thoughts as he watched Mi Zhu, who had gone to greet Ji Ye after exchanging a few words with Zhao Yun.
“The Marquis of Hanshou Village? As in Guan Yu, Lord Guan the Second?”
Mister Bug seemed surprised.
“You know what the Marquis of Hanshou Village is?”
Qin Yueyu didn’t expect him to know that.
The Marquis of Hanshou Village was Guan Yu’s peerage. Although it wasn’t a rare piece of information, a lot of people from Chidragon still didn’t know it.
“Of course I know that. Lord Guan the Second is the patron saint of we gangsters!” Mister Bug said proudly.
“Plus, I also know that it was Mi Fang’s fault that Lord Guan the Second was defeated in the end. Mi Fang was Mi Zhu’s younger brother.
“Mi Fang held grudges against Lord Guan. After delaying some military intelligence, he was worried that Lord Guan would punish him, so he surrendered the city he guarded to the Wu Kingdom, cutting Lord Guan off. Lord Guan had to run for Maicheng instead and ended up getting killed by Lü Meng!” Mister Bug explained in a whisper.
Of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu was the most special one.
Even someone like Zhuge Liang or Cao Cao was only considered as a sage or ambitious antihero by the future generation.
But Guan Yu was deemed a deity or a “holy ruler” in the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays, he was also regarded as an embodiment of loyalty and courage.
Although Mi Zhu had nothing to do with Guan Yu’s death, in the ancients’ view, the wrong things done by one family member would bring disgrace to the whole family and make the rest of the family unable to hold up their heads.
In fact, after Guan Yu died from Mi Fang’s betrayal, Mi Zhu tied himself up and went to ask for Liu Bei’s punishment. Liu Bei comforted him, saying that he shouldn’t be held responsible for his brother’s crime, and had treated him as politely as before.
However, the guilt of Mi Fang’s betrayal made Mi Zhu ill, and he died from it before long.
The fact that Mi Zhu had chosen to be summoned by a lower grade offering was probably his way to show his guilt.
“No wonder he was Liu Bei’s angel investor. That was a very clever choice!”
Guo Wei adjusted his high-tech glasses.
He studied the businessman from the Three Kingdoms era. The man seemed slightly uneasy as he spoke to Ji Ye, and in history, he was said to be an honest, simple, and refined man.
The “refined” part was correct, but the “honest and simple” part might not be the case.
Other things aside, of all the heroes from the Han Dynasty background, maybe only a handful of them were brave enough to “undervalue” themselves.
Moreover, although Mi Zhu had made that choice, as an Extraordinary Rank-6 hero, he had to have some Extraordinary power, despite the fact that he was a man of letters.
For instance, in the test battle just then, dozens of magma cannonballs had been fired by the Magma Monster, which was made from an Excellent Extraordinary Rank-6 Fire Core. However, none of the cannonballs hit Mi Zhu, who was a rather frail-looking man.
Because every time a cannonball was fired, Mi Zhu was able to move to a safe spot, as if he could predict where it would land.
According to In Search of the Supernatural, Mi Zhu went to Luo Yang once for business purposes, and on his way back, he saw a beautiful woman, who asked for a ride.
Mi Zhu got out of his carriage and let the woman sit there instead. About 10km later, she got off and thanked Mi Zhu.
She said, “I’m the Star Lord of Fire, and the Celestial Ruler has ordered me to burn your house down. To thank you for the ride, I’m telling you this in advance so that you can save your valuable belongings in advance. I’ll visit you later tonight.”
Shocked, Mi Zhu quickly went back home and moved all his belongings out of his house.
As it turned out, a great fire indeed burned his house to the ground that night, but there was no injury, and all his belongings were saved.
Apparently, the man should have some talent ability that involved “avoiding fire” or “making money”.
“With Mr. Mi Zhu here, I’m sure the Twin Dragon Island will have many advantages in doing business!” Ji Ye spoke to Mi Zhu in a kind voice.
Although Mi Zhu wasn’t a counselor or even a civil officer, he was a wealthy businessman of ancient times, which was even harder to come by. Moreover, he was an incredibly rich businessman who had tens of thousands of servants and spongers and hundreds of millions of properties.
In modern-day terms, he would be the richest man of a province at least.
The next time when the Twin Dragon Island entered the City of Humans, his wealth would be a great help.
However, speaking of the richest man of the province…