Chapter 905: Consolidation
Chapter 905: Consolidation
September 25, 2017
The appointment of Lu HaiKong as the new leader seemed effortless, and the other lords quickly submitted to his authority.
The reason for this outcome wasn't solely due to Lu HaiKong's 'Kingly Aura'.
The lords gathered around Lu HaiKong, knowing they had a purpose in being there.
For these outsider lords, their intention was to challenge Dong Zhuo, not to play house with Yuan Shao.
The arrival of Lu Bu, especially his second appearance, was the most shocking and influential moment, surpassing the impact on the NPC lords.
Everyone realized that Lu Bu's strength far exceeded what was historically or fictionally recorded, especially his second form, which unleashed a level of power that could be described as freakish.
Even without transforming, Lu Bu could hold his own against Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the other three. This alone was freakish, but Lu Bu had another transformation state, making it hard to imagine how they could defeat Dong Zhuo with just Lu Bu's strength.
After witnessing Lu Bu's transformation, the outsider lords understood the immense challenge of defeating Dong Zhuo. With just Lu Bu's freakish strength, the system's evaluation of Dong Zhuo's power would undoubtedly be off the charts.
Realizing the difficulty of the task, they reevaluated their current state. They soon concluded that continuing to follow Yuan Shao's antics would not lead to success.
While they were clear that Yuan Shao's leadership would not bring victory, they remained uncertain about who could.
Just then, Lu HaiKong's appearance gave them hope.
Especially when Lu HaiKong effortlessly defeated Lu Bu and captured Hua Xiong, the outsider lords were in awe. Even top historical generals seemed to struggle against Lu HaiKong's 'Kingly Aura'.
Witnessing this, everyone cursed Lu HaiKong, but they also knew that to complete the 'Feudal Lords' Challenge Dong Zhuo', they had no choice but to rely on Lu HaiKong.
The outsider lords began to worry, concerned that Lu HaiKong might use their troops as cannon fodder.
Such worries were inevitable in this situation, but with Lu HaiKong now the leader, their concerns could only be kept to themselves.
In any case, Lu HaiKong's leadership was now a done deal, and no amount of discussion would change that. They could only focus on helping Lu HaiKong defeat Dong Zhuo.
On Lu HaiKong's side, after assuming leadership, he immediately got to work.
As he had mentioned before, he was far from satisfied with the current state of the alliance. In his view, it was a loose collection of powerful individuals, not a true alliance.
Lu HaiKong's first task as the new leader, was to consolidate the alliance's strength.
Lu HaiKong's leadership was far more authoritative than Yuan Shao's, and with the 'Alliance Control' ability, his authority as the leader was beyond comparison.
With this ability, Lu HaiKong's actions would not be questioned by the other lords, even if they didn't fully cooperate. At most, they would stand by and observe, not interfering with Lu HaiKong's plans.
Without interference, Lu HaiKong's consolidation of the alliance's strength took just one day.
Of course, one day wasn't enough for a thorough consolidation, but fortunately, Lu HaiKong didn't need to unify the entire alliance's forces. He just needed to understand the alliance's strength, know who was under his command, and be able to call upon them when needed. Naturally, logistics would be centralized.
Through Lu HaiKong's consolidation, several discoveries were made.
The most significant finding was the alliance's military might and the array of top historical generals. At this point, the alliance boasted an impressive roster of generals, including Lu HaiKong's own group, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian's groups, as well as top historical generals from the outsider lords.
For instance, Yuan Hong's Zhang He, Kong Qing of Beihai's Taishi Ci and Niu Jin, and Pang De, who came with Ma Teng.
A rough estimate placed the number of top generals at over a dozen, and there was a possibility that some might have gone unnoticed. With such a formidable group of generals, Lu HaiKong's confidence grew.
Lu HaiKong, the brilliant military strategist, had been studying the various factions within the alliance, and his findings were quite intriguing.
Among the factions, there were some truly bizarre and unique ones. While none seemed to match the might of his own elite force, the Ironblood Riders, some of these factions could potentially outmaneuver them in certain scenarios.
Each faction had its own distinct characteristics, and some of their abilities were so extraordinary that they could potentially overpower the Ironblood Riders in specific situations. Lu HaiKong gained a profound realization from this study.
Perhaps he was indeed ahead of the curve in terms of military might, but this didn't guarantee invincibility. A single misstep, and even a seemingly insignificant faction could potentially give him a hard time.
"Maybe after this battle, I should collect some unique troops to experiment with," Lu HaiKong mused, his mind momentarily drifting to the idea of testing out these unusual factions.
However, this thought was fleeting, and he quickly refocused on the impending campaign. In Luoyang, a different yet intriguing situation was unfolding.
Dong Zhuo had barely survived the night with the corrupted Seal of the Nation, but the cost was the Seal itself. The dragon energy within it had been depleted, and even the Seal seemed to be tainted by the demonic energy.
It could be said that the Seal of the Nation was now in a semi-dormant state. The power that had once resided within Emperor Liu Xie had vanished, leaving him in a vulnerable state.
It wasn't surprising that the Seal, which had always been a symbol of the nation, was now tainted. Emperor Liu Xie, witnessing this corruption, felt a sense of despair.
As the young emperor stared at the corrupted Seal, Dong Zhuo returned to his General's Mansion.
At that moment, news from Lu Bu's side arrived, and it was not good news for Dong Zhuo.
"So, Lu HaiKong has arrived, and not only did he drive away Lu Bu, but he also captured Hua Xiong?" Dong Zhuo's face darkened slightly as he heard Li Ru's report.
Li Ru's face also held a grim expression, "It's my fault. I didn't anticipate Lu HaiKong's arrival, and now Hua Xiong has been captured."
"Enough, there's no point in dwelling on this now. Mistakes happen, and no one expected Lu HaiKong to arrive so quickly. Regret is useless now, and you know I don't want to hear about this." Dong Zhuo waved off Li Ru's attempt to explain.
Dong Zhuo paused, his gaze once again falling on Li Ru, "Now that Lu HaiKong is here, what's our next move? Do we launch a full-scale attack before he consolidates the alliance's power, or do we try to sow discord among them?"
"A full-scale attack might not be the best idea, and as for sowing discord..." Li Ru's words trailed off as footsteps approached from outside.
The footsteps stopped outside the door, and a voice announced, "Report! Urgent news from Runyang! Lu HaiKong has defeated Yuan Shao and declared himself the Alliance Leader!"
Upon hearing this news, Li Ru's face showed a hint of resignation, "Looks like we don't need to bother with sowing discord. We'll just wait for his attack."
Dong Zhuo paused for a moment, then his face broke into a bold smile, "Never mind that. If he's here, then so be it. It's been years since I've had a proper battle, and if this is my chance, then so be it."
(End of Chapter)
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