Chapter 7: The Training Begins

Seeing him like this, Liu Bei grew even more agitated.

“Your Majesty, what is going on here? Why would Cao Cao bring you to this place?”

In truth, Liu Bei already had his own suspicions, though he had yet to confirm them.

“Imperial Uncle Liu, after all that has happened, can you still not see it?”

“Cao Cao wants the imperial court at his own doorstep. He wants to be the one in charge of the court.”

“Though I am still the emperor in name, here in Xuchang, it is Cao Cao’s world.”

“Do you really think I can still govern?”

“All I can do is drink and make merry day after day, pretending to be a useless fool.”

“Otherwise, I might not even keep my life.”

Liu Xie spoke with deep emotion, and by the end Liu Bei’s eyes were wide in disbelief.

“Y-Your Majesty, do you mean to say that Cao Cao…”

Liu Bei could hardly believe his ears.

“Yes, I have no other choice,” Liu Xie sighed heavily once more.

That night, Liu Bei and Liu Xie spoke in secret for a long time in that room.

At last, Liu Bei’s resolve became unwavering.

He would restore the Han dynasty.

It was almost exactly as history had recorded.

After Liu Bei left, a faint smile curved Liu Xie’s lips.

For now, aside from Lady Fushou and Fu Wan, he had gained another loyal minister in Liu Bei.

Just as Liu Xie had expected, soon after Cao Cao, in the name of the Son of Heaven, appointed Liu Bei as Governor of Yuzhou.

He even provided him with troops and supplies.

They were all busy with their own schemes, and while they busied themselves, half a month passed.

On the appointed day, Liu Xie again made his way punctually to the palace wine cellar.

The moment he descended, Liu Xie raised an eyebrow and let a small smile play at his lips.

More than twenty men, each dark as coal, stripped to the waist, had dug out a vast chamber beneath the cellar.

As soon as Liu Xie appeared, all twenty dropped to their knees with a heavy thud.

“Your Majesty, please punish us! We have failed to complete the task you set for us.”

All spoke in unison, then bowed their heads to the ground.

Liu Xie, however, seemed utterly unconcerned, crouching at the entrance to the underground chamber and looking down.

“Punish you? For what? Am I going to kill you all?”

“I’m counting on you to achieve great things for me in the future. Get up.”

Liu Xie showed them great leniency.

In truth, from the beginning he had never expected them to complete the whole area at once.

He knew full well that the twenty of them could not possibly finish it.

Let alone with just a few shovels in their hands.

Even in the twenty-first century, with some semi-mechanized equipment, it would be impossible.

Yet now, with only twenty men, they had managed to dig out a space of over thirty acres.

This efficiency was beyond Liu Xie’s expectations.

Moreover, the interior was kept remarkably neat.

“Good. From now on, you will train here. Soon, I will prepare weapons for you.”

Liu Xie nodded in satisfaction.

In fact, having them dig out this underground space was itself a form of training.

The task of a hundred acres was meant to make them anxious, to push them beyond their mental limits.

Now, it seemed, the effect was quite satisfactory.

“Your Majesty, what other training is there next?” the twenty asked, already dreading his answer.

If this was called hellish training, it truly was hell.

“No rush, rest for now.”

“Remember, from this day forward, you will eat, drink, sleep, and relieve yourselves here.”

“In two months’ time, you’ll move on to another place for training.”

Liu Xie’s mind was already turning over new plans.

In the days that followed, Liu Xie prepared a great many training materials for them.

Each received a sharp curved blade, a pure iron spear, a bow far heavier than any used by ordinary men, and some logs and similar items.

All were smuggled into the underground chamber in secret.

Next came the training methods Liu Xie had learned in the twenty-first century.

And compared to the twenty-first century, he increased the intensity still further.

Gradually, he realized something important.

That the people of this era were physically much stronger than those of the twenty-first century.

In the era of cars and washing machines, many tasks had been replaced by machines.

But here, everything depended on human strength.

Thus, people of this age were far hardier than modern folk.

Moreover, these twenty had all been elite soldiers, descendants of the generals who had served the founding Emperor.

They hated Cao Cao to the core.

As a result, the effects of the training soon became obvious.

Of course, everything was conducted in utmost secrecy; Cao Cao could not be allowed to discover their activities.

Meanwhile, Liu Xie continued to play the part of a foolish, self-indulgent monarch.

The twenty trained mostly at night.

Liu Xie would come down to the cellar to supervise their training after dark.

During the day, palace maids and eunuchs danced and played music while he lounged on his couch, feigning sleep.

At night, beneath the wine cellar, the twenty ran and trained tirelessly in the nearly thirty-acre space.

“Your Majesty, we now feel brimming with strength,” one said, running over in excitement.

“If we’re in a favorable position, we’re confident we could take on a hundred men apiece!”

Liu Xie nodded slightly.

“Don’t slack off—keep at it.”

“The situations you’ll face in the future will be perilous.”

“If you’re not strong enough, there’ll be only one outcome.”

“And from now on, everyone will train in real combat.”

Liu Xie spared no effort in their training.

He knew what lay ahead for them.

He himself counted on them to help him rise again.

So, he showed no mercy in their regimen.

He often had the twenty spar with one another—always with real weapons.

Naturally, injuries were common, and many were hurt.

But Liu Xie was unmoved.

So long as no one died or was maimed, as long as future plans were not threatened, they could train as hard as they liked.

Among these men, Liu Xie shed all imperial airs, blending in as one of them without a trace of formality.

But a few mornings later, just after Liu Xie had finished overseeing training and lain down to rest, Cao Cao burst into the palace at the head of his men.

He did not seek out Liu Xie, but instead ordered his men to search the premises.

“Your Majesty, there’s trouble!” a palace maid came running in, flustered.

Liu Xie, who had just lain down, sat up with a start.

“What did you say?”

“Your Majesty, Cao Cao is leading a search all over the palace!” the maid cried, nearly frantic.

“Don’t panic, nothing will happen. Stay calm,” Liu Xie hurried to soothe the nerves of the maids and eunuchs.

If their anxiety drew Cao Cao’s suspicion, the consequences would be dire.