Chapter 27: Only Fast Not Broken

  Another amazing thing? Liu Bian clicked his tongue, but didn't say a word. He had just seen Zhang Hua draw her sword and saw it clearly. He had always thought that Zhang Hua was just warming up and hadn't gone all out yet. But from Wang Yue's words, did she already go very fast?

  Why do martial generals need good horses and treasured swords? Because they require two things: strength and speed. Good horses have great power and are fast, while treasured swords are more solid and sharper, able to withstand greater force and pierce through the enemy's armor.

  One power can subdue ten parties.

  The ultimate martial art is speed, nothing can defeat it.

  These two principles are almost eternal truths. It's not that techniques are useless, but techniques only work when the difference in strength and speed between the two sides is small. Once the gap reaches a certain level, even the best technique will be of no use.

  Two horses crossed, only in the blink of an eye, even the best skills had little time to display, whoever was faster would be able to seize victory before the opponent could strike. Whoever's strength was greater would be able to break through the opponent's defense and hit with one shot.

  Like Zhang Liao and Lü Bu, a duel between top-notch players is usually decided in one round, with only one chance to make a move. The importance of technique far outweighs that of speed and strength.

  So, even a layman like Liu Biao knows the importance of speed. Because he has to face Lü Bu, the first general of the Three Kingdoms, and even against Zhang Xiu, the king of northern guns, Liu Biao does not have full confidence, so he wants to see how fast Zhang Xiu can be.

  Wang Yue said Zhang Chou was already very fast.

  Liu Bian was hesitant and suspicious, so he sent someone to summon Zhang Xiu. As for the previous blow, Zhang Xiu seemed very satisfied, walking quickly with big strides, taking off his helmet, holding it under his arm, and giving a military salute: "Your Majesty, I am wearing armor, please forgive me for not showing full respect."

  "That's very good." Liu Bian nodded for him to relax a bit, first praising him a few sentences, then asked: "Can you be even faster?"

  Zhang Xiu was taken aback, seeing Liu Bei's smiling face, thinking that Liu Bei was very satisfied with him. After hearing this, it seemed that things were not so simple. He thought for a moment and nodded: "I'll try again."

  As soon as he heard this, Liu Bian's heart sank. Obviously, Wang Yue was right, Zhang Huan had already done his best just now, and trying again wouldn't make much difference. Was it that his own eyesight had improved or that Wang Yue's eyesight wasn't actually very good?

  Liu Bian's doubts fell into Zhang Liao's eyes, and Zhang Liao became somewhat apprehensive. The Emperor attached great importance to him, not only promoting him from under Dong Zhuo, but also bestowing upon him an imperial horse and a precious spear. If he could not satisfy the Emperor, even if he defeated Lü Bu, what would be the point?

  Zhang Xiu descended from the platform, ordered people to re-erect the spear signs, himself held a spear and mounted his horse, concentrated his breath for a moment, brought his spirit to its maximum value, suddenly opened his eyes, let out a loud shout: "Charge!" He fiercely kicked his warhorse and rushed forward.

  It was as if the horse had sensed Zhang Xiu's vital energy, and this time it gave its all, its four hooves almost leaving the ground, like a flash of lightning, galloping away. The sound of the horse's hooves was like a clap of thunder, rumbling and approaching.

  "Dang, dang, dang!" The series of sounds still echoed in everyone's ears. Zhang Hua had already completed another charge. He slowly reined in his warhorse and lowered his head. Without looking back, he knew he had missed again. Of the twelve gun shields, two were intact.

  On the road, Liu Bian looked at the two intact gun plaques and didn't know what to say for a while. In his opinion, Zhang Xiang's speed had improved significantly compared to the first time, and the gun shadow was slightly blurred. However, he knew that he was not proficient in shooting techniques, so he didn't dare to speak randomly and still needed to ask Wang Yue, an expert, for his opinion.

  Wang Yue didn't speak for half a day. Liu Bian turned his head in surprise, only to find that Wang Yue's eyes were wide open like bronze bells, and his eyeballs were about to fall out of their sockets. "Can people... be so fast?" Wang Yue had already forgotten that he was a guard in front of the king, staring straight at Zhang Heng on the horseback, speechless.

  "So this time is indeed faster than last time?"

  Wang Yue was like a dream come true, and he hastily said: "Your Majesty's words are indeed correct. This time it was much faster. With my eyesight, I can no longer see his gun posture clearly. If two days ago that trial, he could be so fast, I didn't even have the power to fight back."

  Liu let out a sigh of relief, so to speak, his own eyes were not problematic, and his vision was indeed stronger than that of ordinary people, barely able to be mentioned in the same breath as Wang Yue, who had specially trained her eyesight.

  At this time, Zhang Xiang walked up with a face full of shame. "Your Majesty, I made a mistake, please let me try again."

  Liu Bian smiled: "That's right, you missed it. There are two gun plaques that were not shattered. However, look at this - these two gun plaques are in the second half, and all seven gun plaques in the front are gone."

  Wang Yue also smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right, General Zhang. You have only one chance to strike against Lü Bu. With your current speed, you can shatter seven gun shields in a row, and your stability is already enough to fight against Lü Bu. As long as Lü Bu is human and not a god, it will be absolutely difficult for him to defeat you."

  Zhang Hua felt relieved after hearing this. He laughed and said, "If Lü Bu is truly a god, then I am defeated, but it's enough to comfort me for the rest of my life. My master once said that people are just people, and those who can become war gods are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. If I'm lucky enough to meet such a person and witness the majesty of a war god, even if I die at his hands, it's still an enviable fate."

  "Zi Zhang, don't belittle yourself. In just two days, you've made such great progress, I think you have the potential to become a god." Liu Bian laughed: "Go ahead, have a fierce and satisfying battle with Lü Bu, winning or losing is no longer important. A thrilling fight is what truly matters."

  Zhang Xiuexin's face flushed with anger, she bowed and curtsied, then strode downstairs with her head held high.

  ……

  Lü Bu reined in his warhorse, raised his head and gazed at the majestic city of Luoyang, his brow furrowed.

  He had walked all the way, and had seen Luoyang City several times. Luoyang City was magnificent, even in Mengjin, he could see the Vermilion Bird Gate of Luoyang City. However, this did not leave a good impression on him, the burnt Vermilion Bird Gate did not make him feel the majesty of Luoyang City, but made him feel a sense of disappointment, and even some ominousness.

  The Zhuque Gate is a symbol of the imperial palace and a symbol of Luoyang. It was burned down like this, isn't the fire of the great Han also about to be extinguished?

  This was Lü Bu's first time in Luoyang, the first time he saw the legendary Zhuque Platform, but it gave him a sense of desolation at sunset. The closer he got to Luoyang City, the more obvious this feeling became. He seemed to see an old man in decline, no longer with the air of looking down on the sky, only left with memories of past glory, unclear mouth and tongue, still wearing magnificent clothes, but the muscles and bones under the magnificent clothes had long since decayed.

  "Does Lü Fengxian, a scholar of poetry, lament the arrival of spring and autumn?" Under the city gate, Jia Yu rode his horse over and shouted loudly: "Do you want to compose a poem?"

  Lü Bu burst out laughing and put away his emotions, walking up. "Wen He brother, what brings you here?"

  "His Majesty ordered me to come and welcome you, how dare I not follow?" Jia Xu turned his horse's head around, and rode alongside Lü Bu into the city, smiling: "His Majesty said that no matter whether you can defeat Zhang Xiu or not, you are a rare and fierce general, worthy of being welcomed."

  Lü Bu's face lit up with joy, and he immediately retorted: "What do you mean by whether or not I can defeat Zhang Xiu? I will definitely win; the only difference is in how many rounds it takes."