Chapter 002: Crossing Over into the Three Kingdoms, Easy to be Swallowed Whole

  The ancient saying goes, "When the world is in a state of division, it will eventually unite; when it has been united for a long time, it will inevitably divide again." During the Spring and Autumn period, the Five Hegemons vied for supremacy; during the Warring States period, the Seven Powers stood together. After more than 500 years of turmoil and war, they were finally unified under Qin. After the fall of the Qin dynasty, the Chu-Han contention arose again, but ultimately, it was also unified under Han. The Han dynasty began when Emperor Gaozu rose up in rebellion after beheading a white snake, unifying the world. Later, Emperor Guangwu revived the dynasty. In the second year of Chapter and Harmony (88 AD), 10-year-old Emperor He of Han ascended to the throne and used the power of eunuchs to overthrow Empress Dowager Dou and her brother General Dou Xian. Eunuchs directly intervened in court politics, marking the beginning of eunuch dominance at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty.

  For decades afterwards, eunuchs manipulated power and fought fiercely. Emperors Zhang of Han, He of Han, Shang of Han, Chong of Han, Zhi of Han, Huan of Han and Ling of Han succeeded each other rapidly, with the court declining daily. Moreover, local tyrants and bullies levied heavy taxes and seized land, while continuous natural disasters caused ordinary people to struggle on the verge of hunger and death.

  In the second year of Jianning, on a day in April when the moon was full, the Emperor sat in the Wende Hall. Just as he was about to ascend to his throne, a strong gust of wind suddenly arose from the corner of the hall. A green dragon was seen flying down from the beams above and coiling itself around the chair. The Emperor was shocked and fell over, and his attendants quickly helped him into the palace, while all the officials rushed to escape. In an instant, the dragon vanished. Suddenly a fierce thunderstorm with hail broke out, which did not cease until midnight, causing damage to countless houses. In the fourth year of Jianning, in February, there was a great drought throughout the empire, and an earthquake struck Luoyang; also the sea overflowed its banks, and all the coastal residents were swept away by huge waves into the ocean.

  "The Longyou" first appeared at the end of the Han Dynasty, but tracing its origins, the term "Longyou" comes from the Longshan Mountains on the border of Shaanxi and Gansu. In ancient times, the west was considered the right side, so the area to the west of the Longshan Mountains was called Longyou. The region that started from the east of the Longshan Mountains and extended to the Shazhou area was initially set up as the Longyou Road. This region includes most of present-day Gansu, Xinjiang, and the area east of Qinghai Lake. The Longyou region is located in the western part of the Loess Plateau, bordering the Qinghai-Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Loess three major plateaus, with unique natural conditions. This region has historically been a channel for cultural and trade exchanges between China and the West - the Silk Road, as well as a frontier area for successive Chinese dynasties to operate in the Western Regions and defend the northwest border. On this magical land, the Longyou culture was born and created by local ethnic groups, with its origins dating back to ancient times, complex composition, rich connotations, distinctive features, and unique functions, making it an important regional culture on par with others. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it belonged to the Xiliang region, and our story begins here.

  In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Longyou was located in Xiliang, with a vast territory and sparse population. The people under its jurisdiction were fierce and simple. Three hundred miles southeast of it, there was a small mountain village called Huangjiacun. Huangjiacun was tens of miles around, with no human habitation, where more than 200 households had lived for generations. Among them, there was a family named Huang, whose master was Huang Yuan, who married Jiangshi and had some thin fields, which could be said to be able to make a living without being forced by life. At that time, this place was unknown to the world, with no donations or taxes, and it would not be an exaggeration to call it a paradise on earth.

  In the second year of Jianning, on a day in April when the moon was full, Ms. Jiang gave birth to a son and named him Xiao. The whole family celebrated.

  Unexpectedly, heaven's unpredictable winds and clouds brought chaos to this secluded village first.

  At that time, the Emperor, now known as Emperor Ling of Han, indulged in eunuchs and external relatives, causing the people to suffer, only for his own selfish desires. He cleverly established names and extracted heavy taxes, but that year was also a disaster, it was the fourth year of Jianning, the whole country suffered a great drought. I don't know about other places, but in Liangzhou, bandits rose up everywhere, gathering crowds to wreak havoc.

  Huangjiacun was considered a secluded village, evading the government's surveillance. Unexpectedly... one day, a group of thousands of bandits invaded Huangjiacun...

  Although the people of Xiliang are known for their bravery, how can generations of farmers resist bandits from the same region, let alone thousands of armed fugitives? In the end, they could not withstand it. Huang Yuan took his wife Jiang Shi and their two-year-old son Huang Xiao, risking their lives to flee into the deep mountains, escaping with their lives.

  The war broke out, and the three members of the Huang family wandered around, drifting like duckweed, following the refugees to flee east and west, avoiding the war.

  A large number of refugees, forced by hunger, tree bark, grass roots, tender leaves... anything edible, the refugees devoured everything like a swarm of locusts, leaving nothing behind, and even worse...

  Also don't know how long it took, Huang Zhongxing reluctantly opened his eyes. Where is this?

  The face that entered his eyes was like a female beggar, with a face full of dust, and couldn't conceal her joy at all. "Xiao'er, you're awake, thank goodness my child is safe and sound." The woman, who looked like a beggar, excitedly shed tears when she saw the son in her arms open his eyes, and her trembling voice made Huang Zhongxing's heart warm as well.

  Xiao Er? Why am I called Huang Xiao now? Could it be that I've been reincarnated? But why did she say I woke up? Reincarnation should mean being born again, right? But how do I still have memories of my past life? Unless... Suddenly, two words flashed through his mind: transmigration! Could it be that I've transmigrated? In my past life, I read a lot about transmigration novels and had some understanding of the concept. But could it really be true that I've transmigrated?

  Huang Zhongxing turned his head and looked around, oh my god! How can there be so many people? And... they're all beggars! No way! Other people's transmigrations aren't big shots or nobles, how come I ended up as a beggar? Is this the Beggars' Sect?

  He looked down at himself, and only then did he sadly discover that he was in the body of an infant! Had he been reborn? No, looking at this body didn't seem like a newborn baby, but rather a two or three-year-old child. It seemed that he had indeed crossed over! Huang Zhongxing thought to himself.

  Looking at the woman who was still crying while hugging herself, is this really my mother in this life? After hesitating for a moment, Huang Zhongxing tentatively called out in a low voice, "Mom?"

  The woman heard this and was stunned for a moment, then asked urgently: "Son, what do you call me? You should call me Mom, how come after being unconscious for several days, your brain isn't working properly either? Son, are you okay, don't scare Mom."

  Daughter? Isn't that mom? This... looked around again, huh! How come the guy also has such long hair? These clothes... seem to have seen them before, hmm? Seem to have seen them somewhere, ah, yes! Saw them on TV! These seem to be ancient clothes, right? Is this not modern times? I...

  Calm down the unrest in my heart, looking at this mother in front of me, this is indeed my mother in this life. Seeing her tears non-stop, Huang Zhong's heart ached and couldn't bear it, so he spoke out to comfort her: "Mother, you misheard earlier, I'm fine, don't cry anymore."

  "It's okay, it's okay!" The woman muttered to herself while wiping away her tears.

  Having occupied someone else's body, he felt a sense of responsibility. Huang Zhongxing thought that although he wasn't a particularly good person, he had this realization: if he were to be reborn, he would also have parents; now he just had an extra memory, nothing more. Having figured it out, his heart felt a wave of comfort.

  "The bandits have arrived, everyone run quickly..."

  A shrill cry suddenly came from afar.

  The beggars heard the words and suddenly became chaotic, like headless flies, scattering in all directions. At this time, a sturdy man ran to Huang Zhongxing's mother and shouted loudly at her: "Yinger, let's go quickly, the bandits are chasing again, really relentless! Ah? The son woke up?" A hint of joy appeared on his anxious face.

  "Hmm, I just woke up, it's been a short while, Brother Yuan, the bandits have arrived, let's hurry and escape!"

  "Quickly, come on, son I'll carry you, let's hurry and escape." He stretched out his hand to pick up Huang Zhongxing, grabbed his mother's hand, chose a direction, and ran off quickly.

  Is this my father? Being held in the arms of this man, Huang Zhongxing sized up this man, with a rustic and honest appearance. Bandit? Aren't bandits just robbers? Why chase beggars? Is this group not beggars?

  In the following days, from his parents and others, Huang Zhongxing finally understood a lot. Firstly, this was Western Liang at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Secondly, the world was in chaos, and people were struggling to survive.

  Late Han? I heard it's now the fourth year of Jianning, 172 AD. Wait, isn't this the late Han? Didn't the Yellow Turban Rebellion happen in 184 AD? Is the Three Kingdoms era approaching? Haha, finally get to see the legendary Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun... and that super intelligent Zhuge Liang! Famous people...5555555, for now let's not think about it, first fill my stomach then talk!

  It's been two days since I've eaten, now it's not just food that can't be found, even grass roots and tree bark are nowhere to be seen. Some people have already started eating dirt...

  Moving his two short legs, he searched around but didn't find anything to eat. With a bitter face and clutching his stomach, he walked weakly to a huge stone and sat down against it. His tired nerves were thinking randomly, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Ah! In the past..." Hmm, now that I think about it, those are all my juniors, right? Hehe, the Red Army's 25,000-mile Long March was probably not much better than this. Who knows if these days will ever end or if I can still see a few more sunrises. Hiss, transmigration... my transmigration is really too miserable!

  "Huang Yuan, have you thought it through? If we continue like this, we'll all starve to death."

  Suddenly, a sneaky voice came from behind the giant stone. Hmm? Huang Yuan? Isn't that my dad? What's going on? As soon as it involved his own father, Huang Zhongxing's ears perked up and he listened carefully.

  "Brother Wang, she is my own flesh and blood, how can you ask me to be so heartless?"

  Behind the giant stone came the voice of Huang Zhongxing's father in this life. Eh, flesh and blood? Dad only has one son, is he talking about me?

  "Hmph, your flesh and blood are dear to you, but mine aren't? A son can be born again if he's gone, but once you're dead, there's nothing left. You think about that carefully."

  My son is gone, but I can still give birth to another one. I'm not dead yet! The more I listen to Huang Zhongxing, the more confused I become. Which act is this supposed to be?

  "I understand the reasoning, but this is cannibalism! Even a ferocious tiger wouldn't eat its own child, I just can't bear to do it!"

  What?! Huang Zhongxing, who was hiding behind the rock to eavesdrop, was suddenly stunned, feeling as if the sky had collapsed. That low voice, in his ears, was like a thunderclap: "Dad... is going to eat me?"

  "I couldn't bear to eat my own child either, that's why I swapped with you. Alas, how else could we survive?"

  Is it "easy to exchange children and eat them"? Huang Zhongxing's mind suddenly flashed with this phrase, which he had seen before but dismissed with a smile. Today, however...

  "Alright then, let's exchange tonight, otherwise Yan'er won't agree to it. It'll be more convenient after she falls asleep."

  Dad, you...you're really heartless! This body is your own flesh and blood! You'd actually...

  "Alright then, let's meet here tonight."

  "Uh-huh."

  The two people made an appointment and quietly left.

  Behind the giant stone, Huang Zhongxing was panting heavily with his mouth wide open. What a society where people eat each other! He used to think it was just an idiom, but today he truly experienced it. However, the one being eaten turned out to be him! And the one who sold him out was actually his own father!

  Even ants struggle to survive, let alone Huang Zhongxing. If he were just a two-year-old child, his fate of being killed and eaten today would probably not have changed. However, in the body of this two-year-old child is another soul, the soul of a 30-year-old member of the Dragon Squad. How could he sit back and wait for death? Looking towards the direction where his mother was, Huang Zhongxing resolutely turned his head, the desire to survive supporting his body as he walked towards the not-too-distant mountain range. According to what the refugees said, that mountain is called Lóng Shān.

  This world, no wonder the whole country is in chaos, no wonder Zhang Jue rebelled, no wonder heroes are vying for power, no wonder... I also want to vie for power over the world! Heaven has entrusted me with this mission, if I don't die today, let me come back tomorrow and put an end to this chaotic era of Three Kingdoms!

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