Ao atravessar para o final da dinastia Han, cheguei justamente no momento em que Cao Cao estava realizando sua segunda expedição contra Xuzhou, mas fui salvo inesperadamente por Liu Bei. Como um cidadão sem registro, Li Yi só podia se agarrar firmemente ao apoio de Liu Bei. O velho Liu enfrentava problemas internos e externos em Xuzhou: dentro da cidade, as facções lutavam incessantemente; fora dela, potências cobiçavam a região. Li Yi ajudou Liu Bei a planejar estratégias, conquistando as facções internas de Xuzhou e atacando com força os inimigos externos. Ao norte, podia rivalizar com Yuan e Cao; ao sul, podia conquistar as províncias de Jing e Yang; avançando para o oeste, podia aspirar ao domínio do centro da China... Yuan Shao: "Li Yi é um gênio militar; mesmo que Han Xin e Bai Qi ressuscitassem, talvez não fossem tão extraordinários!" Cao Cao: "Ao ver Li Yi, percebi quantos medíocres existem no mundo; muitos são inferiores a Yi, poucos o superam!" Liu Bei: "Quando comecei minha carreira, jamais imaginei chegar a esse ponto; tudo isso se deve à força do Primeiro-Ministro Li!"
Year One of Xingping, 194 AD.
Cao Cao, under the pretext of avenging his father’s death, launched a second campaign against Xuzhou. Wherever his army passed, tens of thousands of men and women were slaughtered, not even chickens and dogs were spared, and the Si River ran red, unable to flow with the bodies.
Tao Qian called upon Liu Bei for aid to resist Cao Cao. Liu Bei, together with Cao Bao, fought side by side in Tan County, yet they were no match and were defeated by Cao Cao’s forces. The tide of battle became dire, and the situation in Xuzhou grew increasingly perilous!
...
“…Cough…cough.”
With a fit of violent coughing, Li Yi struggled to crawl out from a heap of corpses. He drew a deep breath.
Before his eyes stretched a sky ablaze with the setting sun, and around him the wind blew, ever-present. Yet the breeze could not dispel the cloying sweetness of blood nor the stench of decaying bodies.
A thousand thoughts raced through Li Yi’s mind. He had once been an executive at a company, leading his staff on a team-building expedition in the mountains. By some twist of fate, he had become separated from the group, and after much effort to find civilization, he stumbled upon a band of savage soldiers, brandishing swords and blades, who, without a word, tried to cut him down.
Li Yi had no choice but to flee for his life. These past two days, he had been either running for his life or on the run. Never had he imagined time could pass so slowly. In those two days, all he heard was the clash of warhorses and all he saw was the