chapter 26

{City of Luoyang, East Canal}

{sfx: pong~}

{sfx: pong~}

chapter 26 Politics And Prejudice

[?]: The Fifty-sixth!
[?]: That…
[?]: that man was Ma Kun the Swift Blade from the Guandong army!

[Hua Xiong]: Huang Gai! You coward! When will you stop hiding?

[HX]: Come out and fight me to the death!

[Dong Zhuo]: You’ve killed everyone here. Where could Huang Gai be?

[DZ]: Looks like he was shot in the water and drowned.

[HX]: One more…

[HX]: There’s… one remaining.

{sfx: hoo~}

[Yuan Wei]: The Ho brothers of Yuan Shu’s army; Cui Guang and Ma Kun of Wang Kuang’s army; and Bai Yong of Yuan Shao’s army…

[YW]: See, Dong Zhuo! Compared to these patriots who sacrificed for their country…

[YW]: see how petty, cruel and ignorant you are!
[YW]: The world will forever remember your treachery and dishonor!

[HX]: There’s still this babbling old fool.

[YW]: Heavens, please note the names of these martyrs.
[HX]: Yuan Shao is about to die. So he’s useless to us, right?

[YW]: Today, let the spirit of patriotism bring justice to all!

[YW]: Their die-hard heroism will haunt you like ghosts!

[YW]: We curse you to not only fail to conquer the world…

[YW]: but be condemned by every generation!

[YW]: Both oral tradition and written history will forever speak of your evil!

[YW]: Everyone will turn against you, even family!

[YW]: That’s right! You will be killed by one of your own! Your son perhaps!

[?]: Nonsense! My Lord, let me kill him!

[DZ]: A nice scolding!
AH~

[DZ]: A nice scolding… from an ignorant shrew!

[DZ]: Imperial Han fell, but not by my hand.

[DZ]: It fell because of parasites like you!

[DZ]: With the country in turmoils, you corrupt officials ignored the plight of the people while lining your own pockets.

[DZ]: As the Grand Tutor, you failed to advise the emperor and investigate the bureaucrats, causing unrest throughout the land. How dare you lecture me about humanity and justice!
{sfx: hoo~}

AH~

[DZ]: Do you care more about this country that you corrupted, or your wealth and fame?

Heavens, please disregard his baseless accusations! Our motives are sincere and honorable.
(“…our hearts as bright as sun and moon”)
Our hearts… cannot be corrupted!

[DZ]: The Heavens would not bless men like you who value self-interest over reform!
[DZ]: Hell awaits you after death, where you’ll be haunted and cursed by the innocents who died in vain!

[DZ]: Yuan Wei, you have neither the foresight to guide the country nor the ability to save it!
[DZ]: You don’t even understand the desire of the people!
(“…heart”)

The desire of the people!?

The basis of governance is the desire of the people!

This is Dong Zhuo’s political ideology…

Like thunder to my ears.

Our governing methodology pales in comparison to the tyranny of an usurper!
Unbelievable as it is, I can’t help but be moved.

Why do I feel so small?
(“I gradually trivialized/diminishing”)

Or is it…
HOH~

Dong Zhuo who is becoming larger than life?
(“dong zhuo in my heart continuously expanding”)

Is this an illusion?

Or… fact?

{gasp~}

{sfx: pong~}

[HX]: Huang Gai!?

Hmph!

My, my!

{splash~}

[?]: It’s Huang Gai! He’s not dead yet?
[?]: Archers! Quickly!

[?]: Release!

{sfx: sha~}

How long do I have to keep running?

Damn it!
Aren’t I a Commander of the Auxiliary Corps?

[?]: Who knew that guy could hide under the cart for so long.
[?]: Haha, still end up dead.
[HX]: He got off easy.

[DZ]: Hua Xiong, it’s time to go to the City of Kings.

[HX]: Does that mean… Yuan Shao has escaped the palace?

[DZ]: The burning of the palace was meant to decimate his troops. Now his remaining force can only escape to the City of Kings.
[DZ]: Lü Bu has an ambush there. We’ll attack from the rear.

[DZ]: That’s the true meaning behind
(“this is the world’s number one scheme”)

[DZ]: “gather below the city” – the greatest scheme in the world.
{sfx: pa~}

[?]: Move out!

{sfx: sha~}

{sfx: shoom~]

Red… Is it water, or blood?

It feels so hot even though I’m in the water…

What… in the world is this place?

{sfx: hoo~}

AH~

HUFF~

Is he a man or a devil?

He…

He’s grinning!

No mortal can withstand that much pain.

Unless he really is a devil?

Heavens!

{sfx: cha~}

So I did enter hell!