Chapter 82

Zhen Ding stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Zhen Ding felt a bit uneasy when he saw Lin Bei staring at him. No matter how good-tempered this demon dragon lord might be, every time Zhen Ding saw the different physique of the demon dragon, it reminded him that this was a monster, fundamentally different from him. Even though the demon dragon didn’t eat people, understood human language, and knew human affairs, it was indeed true, but it would also be quite normal for the demon dragon lord to eat people, right?

Lin Bei didn’t realize that his gaze had such a strong effect. In fact, the eyes of snakes were always cold, and even if Lin Bei was ecstatic, others couldn’t tell; they all looked the same, as if staring intently at someone, ready to eat them at any moment.

"Lord... Lord??" Zhen Ding felt a bit uneasy, really wanting to run away. The demon dragon lord was still staring at him. Was he thinking about which part of him to start eating from?

Lin Bei was snapped out of his daze by Zhen Ding’s call and saw that Zhen Ding seemed a bit scared. He felt inexplicably puzzled. Was he afraid of me? Afraid I wouldn’t make the deal? He nodded and said, "I agree to your request, but I’m curious why you need so many elephants."

Elephants weren’t something anyone could afford to keep. They ate a lot and produced a lot of waste. If oxen were considered precious in ancient times, then keeping elephants would be ten times more precious. Zhen Ding wanted a pair of male and female elephants, five of each, which seemed like he was planning to start an elephant farm.

Zhen Ding was already a bit intimidated and extended the thought that if he didn’t say it, the demon dragon might eat him. Then he thought, since this was a monster, it shouldn’t be a big deal to tell it. He carefully said, "Does the lord know about war elephants?"

Lin Bei had only a vague idea before, but now he understood. War elephants, Lin Bei knew all about them.

War elephants were elephants trained by ancient people and used in battle to charge at the enemy. The earliest known use of war elephants was by the infamous King Zhou of Shang. Later, people in Myanmar, Thailand, and India also trained war elephants on a large scale.

Seeing Lin Bei nod slightly, Zhen Ding breathed a sigh of relief. "The lord truly knows." He thought it was fortunate he hadn’t lied.

"Your clan, the Zhen family, wants to train war elephants?" Although Lin Bei knew about war elephants, he hadn’t heard of the Zhen family having any in historical records. The Zhen family originally supported Yuan Shao, and later Zhen Mi married Cao Pi, but war elephants never appeared on the battlefield. According to the original history, the Zhen family didn’t have war elephants. But if Lin Bei really caught ten elephants for the Zhen family, war elephants might actually appear. With war elephants, would Brother Mengde still be able to defeat Brother Benchu at the Battle of Guandu? Lin Bei was quite doubtful.

"Lord, it’s not our Zhen family. We are acting on behalf of someone else." Zhen Ding was a bit frightened. Although the Han dynasty was in decline, its influence was still enormous. If this news got out, the Zhen family would be in big trouble. But Zhen Ding didn’t dare to lie to Lin Bei, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Does the lord know Mr. Ziyuan? This is what Mr. Ziyuan entrusted us to find."

Mr. Ziyuan? Who the hell is he? Lin Bei knew Zilong, but Ziyuan? Lin Bei really didn’t know. He knew many people from the Three Kingdoms period, but there were many more he didn’t know. However, since he was called "Mr.," he was probably a scholar.

"Who is Mr. Ziyuan? What is his full name?"

"Xu You, Xu Ziyuan."

Oh, that guy. When Lin Bei heard the full name, he recognized him. Xu You was a famous scholar. Historical records described him as bold, talented but immoral, and quite greedy. He started as a strategist for Yuan Shao but later turned to Cao Mengde because Yuan Shao didn’t follow his advice. Xu You’s anger had serious consequences, directly leading to Yuan Shao’s defeat at the Battle of Guandu. In a sense, Xu You was the greatest contributor to the victory at Guandu. However, he later became quite arrogant, often calling Cao Mengde by his nickname, Ahman, in public. Even Cao Mengde’s heroic heart couldn’t tolerate it, and he eventually had Xu You killed by Xu’s own fat hands. He was a rather tragic figure.

"What did Xu You want you to do with the elephants?" Lin Bei asked.

"I don’t know." Zhen Ding shook his head. "Mr. Ziyuan is a great talent, but I can’t fathom his intentions."

"When did Xu You mention this?"

"It was last year when someone from our clan informed us."

Lin Bei opened his mouth, suddenly remembering an important question. He knew it was the Three Kingdoms period, but he hadn’t asked what specific year it was. He couldn’t help but ask, "What year is it now? What is the era name?"

"The era name this year is Guanghe, the sixth year of Guanghe."

Lin Bei thought, "What the hell, it’s already the sixth year of Guanghe? 183 AD? Next year is the first year of Zhongping? Zhang Jue will start a rebellion? I thought there were still a few years left, but it’s only a few months away."

"Are you sure?"

"Lord, this year is indeed the sixth year of Guanghe. You can ask the teacher; he will definitely know." Zhen Ding said confidently. There was no reason for him to remember this incorrectly.

Lin Bei’s stomach ached for a moment. He thought, "These strategists of the Three Kingdoms period are indeed formidable. Xu You must have already seen the fall of the Han dynasty. He’s always been bold, so he had the Zhen family’s business find elephants and train them into war elephants for future wars. Since Xu You can see it, people like Jia Wenhe and Xizhizai, who are almost divine in their wisdom, must also see it. I wonder what they are up to."

After a moment, Lin Bei said to Zhen Ding, "I agree to your request. I will catch the elephants for you as soon as possible."

Zhen Ding was overjoyed and thanked Lin Bei repeatedly.

Lin Bei ignored him. They say a butterfly flapping its wings can affect the other side of the Atlantic. Ten elephants were much more powerful than a butterfly. Next year is the first year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Lin Bei couldn’t stop it, so he might as well not worry about it. History hasn’t changed much so far, but if these war elephants are put into battle, will they cause Cao Mengde’s defeat at the Battle of Guandu? Lin Bei was somewhat looking forward to it.

PS: In this book, some famous people from the Three Kingdoms period may be born earlier or later. If there are inconsistencies with historical records, please don’t compare them, or you will be very frustrated. Thank you for your cooperation.