Chapter 63: General Soul?

King Wu of Qin, Ying Dang, was a monarch known for his immense strength. While showing off his might by lifting a heavy tripod, he failed to hold it, and the massive vessel ultimately crushed his lower limbs, claiming his life that very night. Among numerous sovereigns, his death was arguably one of the most dramatic.

King Wu of Qin had overestimated his own strength. Though he had already hoisted the heavy tripod, he remained unsatisfied, wishing to take a few steps forward with it in front of the crowd to demonstrate his superhuman power. It was precisely at that moment that disaster struck.

However, despite the theatrical nature of his demise, King Wu was a rather ambitious ruler. Valuing martial prowess and fond of warfare, during his reign he pacified the rebellion in Shu, established the office of Chancellor, captured Yiyang, established Sanchuan, reformed agrarian laws, readjusted border territories, dredged waterways, and constructed dikes and bridges.

"System, exclude Ying Dang and Peng Yue, and make a selection among the remaining three."

Although Peng Yue's base command rating was slightly higher than Yang Lin's, Yang Lin's achievements in martial might were far beyond Peng Yue's reach.

The only pity was that the summoned individual this time was destined to be sent to Mount Liang to act as a bandit for a short period—or perhaps not just temporarily, as he might be stationed at Mount Liang for quite a considerable duration. Given Peng Yue's background, it fitted the bandit persona of Mount Liang almost too perfectly.

Alas, compared to Peng Yue, the other candidates held far greater appeal for Wang Yu!

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Chang Yuchun: Command 97, Might 102, Intelligence 80, Politics 65, Charm 88.
Companions (4): Wife Lady Lan, Lan Yu, Chang Mao, Chang Sheng.
Equipment: Tiger-Head Gilt-Gold Spear, Wind-Chasing Black Sable Horse.
Implanted Background: A civilian warrior rescued three years ago by the host and Ning Donglai in Yanbei Province, later taken in by the host as a guard. A few days ago, he requested leave to travel with his wife to Hebei Province to visit his brother-in-law whom he had not seen in years, and happened to encounter Ning Donglai nearby. He is currently staying by Ning Donglai's side."

"Good, very good!" Wang Yu thought to himself.

Just as he had previously surmised, besides being a heavenly-tier commander, Chang Yuchun was also a heavenly-tier fierce warrior, reaching the heavenly tier in both martial might and command. Such quality was already exceptionally outstanding.

Moreover, Chang Yuchun had also brought along his brother-in-law, Lan Yu. Lan Yu was likewise a founding general of the Ming Dynasty, possessing both courage and strategy, fierce and adept in combat, who had established military merits on numerous occasions. His most prominent achievement was heavily defeating the Northern Yuan at Buyur Lake, shaking the entire world with his renown.

Of course, while Lan Yu's contributions were monumental, his personality was unruly and rebellious. He often rested on his laurels and acted with arrogance, repeatedly committing outrageous deeds, which ultimately laid the groundwork for his tragic end.

With both Chang Yuchun and Lan Yu present, coupled with Shi Zhixuan and the others, as long as these two could successfully defect to Mount Liang, assisting Mount Liang in repelling the Fourth Prince should pose little problem.

Furthermore, since Chang Yuchun and Lan Yu were bringing their families up Mount Liang, it would also win the trust of figures like Chao Gai and Song Jiang. After all, even if Chang Yuchun took his wife and children with him, backed by the system's absolute loyalty guarantee from the first ten summons, Wang Yu had no need to worry about loyalty issues.

However, several consecutive system prompt tones rang out, pulling Wang Yu's thoughts right back to the present!

"Ding! The host currently has 9 summoning points remaining, and 1 random summoning card (Politics)."

"Ding! Mount Liang series of side quests released!
Quest One: Faction Selection (This is a prerequisite quest; subsequent quests can only be unlocked upon its completion.)
1. Mount Liang Faction (Reward: 50 summoning points).
2. Fourth Prince Faction (Reward: 20 summoning points).
3. Neutral Faction (Reward: 10 summoning points).
Please complete this stage of the quest as soon as possible in order to refresh the subsequent series of quests!"

"Choose the Mount Liang Faction!" Wang Yu made his selection without the slightest hesitation. He had already made up his mind about this matter long ago, but he had not expected the quest to be triggered at this exact moment.

Moreover, looking at the quest details, different difficulties corresponded to varying rewards. Although this quest served as a prerequisite with relatively minor rewards, following the principle that even a mosquito is meat, Wang Yu naturally would not turn down an injection of summoning points.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 50 summoning points. Current remaining summoning points: 59.
Quest Two, Quest Three, and Quest Four have been unlocked..."

"Quest Two: Secretly assist the Mount Liang forces in repelling the Fourth Prince's current offensive.
Quest Reward: Super-first-class summoning card x2, 80 summoning points.
Quest Three: Secretly assist the Mount Liang forces in defeating the Dachang imperial court's offensive against Mount Liang. (Quest duration: Two years)
Reward: 100 summoning points, Super-first-class summoning card x1, Heavenly-tier summoning card x1.
Quest Four: The host secretly gains actual control over Mount Liang.
Quest Reward: 120 summoning points, Complete Martial Soul of the Invincible General with Heterochromia, Chang Mao x1.
Note: Aside from quests, Martial Souls can be acquired by awaiting the unlocking of other system functions."

"System, what is going on? Didn't I already have Chang Mao? What on earth is this Martial Soul?" Wang Yu could not help asking aloud.

"Ding! Certain individuals in the system possess two sets of data: official historical records and vernacular fiction. When the set with lower numerical values is summoned, the other set of data transforms into a Martial Soul. Upon absorbing the corresponding Martial Soul, the general's high-attribute abilities will overwrite the low-attribute ones."

Very well, upon hearing the system's explanation, Wang Yu understood.

It seemed that the Chang Mao brought along by Chang Yuchun must be the historical figure Chang Mao. In history, Chang Mao's achievements fell far short of those of his father, Chang Yuchun, and records in the *History of Ming* merely stated: "Because of Yuchun's merits, Mao was enfeoffed as the Duke of Zheng, granted a stipend of two thousand shi, given an hereditary certificate, yet he was arrogant and childish, unversed in affairs."

However, if placed within the storytelling tradition of *The Ming Yinglie*, Chang Mao's status was vastly different. The storytelling of *The Ming Yinglie* rated Chang Mao quite highly, and his achievements even surpassed those of his father.

The book described him thus: "Chang Mao, who styled himself 'Grandpa Mao,' was the son of Chang Yuchun. Wielding a Yu Wang trident, he was the foremost fierce general at the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Resourceful in battle, he was known as the 'Invincible General with Heterochromia.' Dominating the world with few rivals, even when encountering matched opponents, he would harbor mischievous plots in his belly. Having followed Zhu Yuanzhang on campaigns for many years, he established illustrious military merits."

Therefore, setting other aspects aside for the moment, in terms of martial might, the Invincible General with Heterochromia, Chang Mao, could definitely beat the currently summoned Chang Mao to a pulp.

In other words, once he completed this quest and Chang Mao fused with this Martial Soul, he would possess the martial might of the fictional Chang Mao.

Chang Mao's strength in the novel firmly belonged to the top tier—a prowess that likely approached the level of a divine general. Figures like Lü Fang and Tian Zaibiao fought him to a standstill, while individuals like Tuo Jinlong, despite possessing four protective treasures and fighting fearlessly to a draw with Chang Mao over a hundred-odd bouts, inwardly conceded that they could not withstand another twenty or thirty blows.

In short, the reward for Quest Four was tantamount to directly rewarding Wang Yu with a divine general.

Wang Yu had already quietly formulated quite a few plans regarding Mount Liang in his mind. Now, with this series of quests added, he attached even greater importance to Mount Liang than ever before.