Volume 1, Chapter 9: The First Summoning, Yue Fei Reports for Duty
The city of Chang'an, over two hundred miles away, was shrouded in deep darkness. On the glazed tiles of the Weiyang Palace, a bird or two hopped about, chirping softly.
Liu Xie was caught in an internal struggle—debating whether to take Empress Fu Shou and make her his woman in truth—when a relentless stream of system notifications began to echo in his mind:
[Ding! Jia Xu has employed a strategy; the intelligence of the target, Zhang Ji, has temporarily decreased by 2 points.]
[Ding! Jia Xu has employed a strategy; the intelligence of the target, Fan Chou, has temporarily decreased by 2 points.]
[Ding! Jia Xu has employed a strategy; the intelligence of the target, Li Jue, has temporarily decreased by 2 points.]
[Ding! Jia Xu has employed a strategy; the intelligence of the target, Guo Si, has temporarily decreased by 2 points.]
[Ding! Jia Xu has employed a strategy; the intelligence of the target, Duan Wei, has temporarily decreased by 2 points.]
[Ding! Fan Chou’s loyalty +30, current: 75.]
[Ding! Zhang Ji’s loyalty +25, current: 75.]
...
Seven or eight notifications followed in quick succession! This mass-debuffing ability of Jia Xu’s was truly formidable. It seemed his schemes were beginning to take effect.
I cannot afford any mistakes in my part of the plan. If the strategy fails and the Ma-Han coalition forces launch a counterattack, the consequences will be dire. The coalition not only boasts top-tier warrior Ma Chao but also the elite Pang De, and Ma Dai’s prowess is nothing to sneeze at either.
On our side, our strongest warrior is Xu Huang, who could barely hold his own against Pang De, and he is under Yang Feng’s command, making him difficult to deploy. Zheng Sen and Hu Che’er, even fighting together, might not defeat Ma Chao—unless Hu Che’er could quickly snatch Ma Chao’s weapon in the heat of battle to reduce his martial power by five points.
But given Ma Chao’s capabilities, he surely possesses special skills, and likely powerful ones at that. It seems that to counter unknown risks, I must summon a warrior!
[System, initiate warrior summoning, focus on martial prowess.]
[Ding! The host currently possesses 208 points of National Destiny. Do you wish to deduct 100 points to summon a warrior?]
Yes, absolutely! Why else would I have summoned you!
[Ding! Summoning initiated. The host may exclude one of the five warriors currently in the summoning pool before the final random selection. The candidates are:]
First: Qin Qiong, a famous general from the end of the Sui and beginning of the Tang Dynasty. Command 88, Martial Power 97, Intelligence 78, Politics 70, Charisma 90.
Hearing that the first candidate was Qin Qiong, Liu Xie beamed. This was someone who could go toe-to-toe with Ma Chao. Excellent, excellent.
Second: Lin Chong, the famous "Panther Head" from the Water Margin. Command 65, Martial Power 96, Intelligence 75, Politics 50, Charisma 80.
Hm? One of the 108 Heroes? As an instructor of 800,000 imperial guards, is his martial power only 96? He was in the top tier among the heroes of Liangshan!
[Lin Chong’s true martial power may be formidable, but given his lack of standout achievements in "Water Margin," the system rates his martial power at 96. Compared to the Three Kingdoms era, he is stronger than Wen Chou but weaker than Zhang Fei.]
Fine, you’re the boss. But while his martial power is decent, his other stats are lackluster. He’s not fit to lead an army. He’s one to be excluded.
Third: Yue Fei, the famous general who resisted the Jin. Command 99, Martial Power 97, Intelligence 99, Politics 65, Charisma 97.
Yue Fei, Yue Wumu? The Yue family spear is invincible, and the Yue army is unstoppable. Not only can he lead troops, but he can also train them. His hidden trait might even be eternal loyalty! Who doesn't love Yue Fei? Who doesn't mourn for him? To have him become a summoned character is a pleasant surprise! With such high command, martial power, and intelligence, he is exactly the talent I need. He alone is worth more than several summons!
Fourth: Ran Min, the Heavenly King of Martial Mourning. Command 88, Martial Power 102, Intelligence 72, Politics 60, Charisma 85.
The Heavenly King? His martial power is a staggering 102! But he has flaws—he is quite brutal. If I summon him and there is no one to suppress him, what if his loyalty drops and he kills me to take my place?
Fifth: Han Shizhong, a famous general of the Southern Song. Command 95, Martial Power 93, Intelligence 85, Politics 72, Charisma 88.
Han Liangchen is a capable commander, though his martial power is slightly lower—perhaps on par with Pang De or Xu Huang—but his ability to lead troops is superior.
This first summoning pool is of high quality. The dilemma is that I can only exclude one. If I remove Lin Chong and summon Han Shizhong, no one will be able to stop Ma Chao. But Lin Chong is not the right choice for this early stage. Looking at the stats, Liu Xie noticed a problem: What about special abilities?
[Special abilities cannot be inspected until the warrior is summoned.]
Fine, you’re the system, you win. Exclude Lin Chong. Although his martial prowess is good, he is the worst choice given the current situation.
[Ding! Summoning initiated. Please wait patiently.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host. After consuming 100 points of National Destiny, you have successfully summoned Yue Fei. Current identity: one of the host’s imperial guards in Luoyang, who returned home to mourn his mother and has now returned after the mourning period.]
[Current remaining National Destiny: 108. Does the host wish to summon again?]
The candles in the bedchamber flickered violently. Liu Xie looked at the success notification and laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! I am truly the Son of Heaven! To summon a god of war on my very first try!"
"Your Majesty!" Zheng Sen burst in, raindrops still clinging to his iron armor. "A general in white robes has arrived at the palace gate, claiming to be Your Majesty's guard."
Liu Xie knew it was Yue Fei!
"Quick, bring him in! No, I shall go to greet him myself!" Before Liu Xie could finish, the palace doors were pushed open.
Standing at the threshold was a sturdy man, eight feet tall, with a vertical furrow between his brows like a sharp sword pointed at the sky. As he knelt on one knee, his Zhanlu sword clattered against his bright-light armor, emitting a sound like a dragon’s roar.
"Your subject, Yue Fei, has caused Your Majesty worry. I deserve to die for this!"
Looking at the heroic man before him, Liu Xie’s eyes filled with tears of excitement. Finally, I have a general I can truly rely on! It’s not that Jia Xu isn't good, but his strength lies in strategy, whereas Yue Fei is a commander of armies, a true governor-general.
Liu Xie stepped forward to help Yue Fei up, saying with emotion, "With Pengju’s return, it is like parched seedlings receiving sweet rain, or withered wood meeting spring. One day, we shall be like firewood waiting for the spark, and with the east wind, our flames shall soar to the nine heavens."
Afterward, Liu Xie discreetly had the system scan Yue Fei to obtain his details. Data cascaded like a waterfall across the system’s light screen in Liu Xie’s eyes:
Yue Fei, courtesy name Pengju.
Command: 99
Martial Power: 97
Intelligence: 99
Politics: 65
Charisma: 97
Special Abilities:
[Legacy of Wumu]:
Effect 1: The morale of the troops under his command never drops and they never flee.
Effect 2: Strict discipline, grants "Military Discipline Reinforcement" (reduces the probability of friendly confusion).
Effect 3: When the friendly force is at a disadvantage, for every 10% difference, all troop attributes increase by 10%. For every soldier lost, the remaining troops' attack power increases by 0.1% (up to a 50% cap).
Effect 4: When the friendly force is at an advantage, for every 10% difference, enemy morale decreases by 10% (no cap).
[Loyalty to the Nation]:
Effect 1: Loyalty to Han monarchs is always 100%.
Effect 2: When fighting against non-Han forces, his soldiers’ martial power +25%.
Effect 3: All army attributes +15% during defensive battles.
Liu Xie stared at the detailed capabilities of Yue Fei, unable to calm his heart for a long time. The smugness he had felt about gaining special abilities was utterly shattered in this moment. *This* is what a special ability truly looks like—two skills with seven effects! Truly heaven-defying!
But, I love it!