Chapter 1

The setting sun was like blood, and the autumn wind was bleak.

On the desolate official road, a group of more than thirty people were walking eastward with their heads hanging low, braving the cold wind in silence.

At the front of the group, a young man with his head bowed low rode his horse slowly, his face heavy with worry.

As the eldest son of the late Governor of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, Tao Shang had once held a prominent position. Now, not long after his father's death, the new governor, Liu Bei, had sent him to serve as the magistrate of Haixi, far from Xiapi. When he left Xiapi, none of the former officials who had served under Tao Qian came to see him off.

On the way from Xiapi to Haixi, the local officials they passed through mostly treated them with cold indifference, a stark contrast to the flattery and warmth they had shown in the past.

"Indeed, the world is cold and fickle. Now that Xuzhou is Liu Bei's territory, it's no wonder I, the former governor's eldest son, am not well-received. If only my stepfather had passed the governorship to me..." Tao Shang, sitting on his horse, sighed deeply, filled with helplessness.

In fact, Tao Shang's soul was that of a modern person from the 21st century. Before his death, he was playing a historical browser game called "Heroic Souls." He had just finished the Eastern Han level and was about to enter the Three Kingdoms level. Unexpectedly, after falling asleep in front of his computer, he woke up 1,800 years in the past, becoming Tao Qian's eldest son, Tao Shang.

Although his position as the eldest son of a state governor seemed prestigious, Tao Shang could only secretly lament.

As a history enthusiast, Tao Shang knew that Tao Qian, because his two sons were mediocre, had, before his death, passed the governorship of Xuzhou to Liu Bei and entrusted him to take care of his two sons, Tao Shang and Tao Ying.

After some initial reluctance, Liu Bei, with the support of the Xuzhou aristocracy like Mi Zhu, took over the governorship. However, he did not pay much attention to taking care of Tao Shang and Tao Ying.

Tao Ying was given a minor post and was currently recuperating in Xiapi, while Tao Shang was directly removed from the decision-making circle in Xiapi and sent to the remote and desolate county of Haixi to serve as the magistrate.

Clearly, as the original heir to the governorship, even though Liu Bei had secured his position, Tao Shang still posed a potential threat, which was why he was sent to the remote Haixi County, ensuring Liu Bei's peace of mind.

"Travelling through time for over a thousand years to this world of heroes, am I to live out my days in obscurity, leaving behind only a vague mention in history books: 'Tao Shang, son of Tao Qian, life unknown'? I am not willing, not willing at all..." Tao Shang clenched his fists, his face filled with determination.

Da, da, da...

A lone rider approached, interrupting Tao Shang's thoughts.

A young girl rode up, blocking Tao Shang's path. She dismounted and knelt, saying, "I am Xiao Huan, the personal maid of the second son. I pay my respects to the eldest son."

Tao Shang bent down to look at Xiao Huan. She had bright eyes, a delicate face, and smooth skin. Her long black hair flowed like a waterfall, and despite her coarse clothing, her graceful figure was evident. She was a beautiful young woman, but her status as a maid made her lack a certain grace.

"Why aren't you in Xiapi taking care of your younger brother? What are you doing here?" Tao Shang asked suspiciously.

"The second son... he... he..." Xiao Huan's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice choked. After a moment, she sobbed, "He has passed away."

"What?" Tao Shang was shocked, his face changing.

Tao Shang had only recently arrived in this time, and he had no emotional connection with Tao Ying. What shocked him was not Tao Ying's death but the speed of it.

He had just visited Tao Ying in Xiapi before leaving, and at that time, Tao Ying's condition was not life-threatening. In less than a week, he had died.

"Could it be that Liu...?" Tao Shang's face darkened, a chilling suspicion forming in his mind.

Xiao Huan had composed herself and said in a hoarse voice, "Before he died, the second son asked me to come and warn the eldest son. He suspected that someone had secretly poisoned him, causing his illness. Please be cautious, and do not fall victim to the schemes of the wicked."

Someone had poisoned Tao Ying!

A bolt of lightning struck Tao Shang, making him shudder. His face showed shock, but it also confirmed his suspicions.

Tao Shang suspected that the person behind the poisoning was Liu Bei.

Since Liu Bei took office, Tao Shang and his brother had been either given minor posts or sent away. All signs pointed to Liu Bei's suspicion and fear of them threatening his position.

Liu Bei was a formidable leader, not the tearful Liu Bei of the novels. A formidable leader would not hesitate to use such ruthless methods to achieve his goals.

Even if Liu Bei was magnanimous and only suspected Tao Shang and his brother without intending to kill them, it did not mean that his subordinates, like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, would not secretly harm them.

If that was the case, now that Tao Ying had been poisoned, the next target would be Tao Shang.

"Damn it, I have only a few dozen soldiers, no generals, and no strategists. They can harm me easily. Am I to be so unlucky, to be killed in such a miserable way after finally traveling through time?" Tao Shang clenched his teeth, his face dark with determination.

"Beep... The Heroic Souls Summoning System is binding to the host." Suddenly, a strange voice echoed in Tao Shang's mind.

"What the hell?" Tao Shang was startled, almost falling off his horse.

"Beep... The Heroic Souls Summoning System has completed binding. The host, Tao Shang, can now use it. The system has gifted you 70 initial Benevolence Points and 70 initial Cruelty Points."

"Damn! Isn't this the historical game I was playing before I traveled through time? How did it end up in my head?" Tao Shang was both surprised and delighted, laughing out loud.

The nearby Xiao Huan and the dozens of soldiers around him were all shocked by the sudden change in their previously dejected eldest son.

They had no idea that Tao Shang was overjoyed because he had found a way to survive.

Tao Shang had played this game for a few weeks before traveling through time and was familiar with its content. He knew that Benevolence Points were earned by the ruler through any act of benevolence, while Cruelty Points were earned by acts of cruelty.

Benevolence Points and Cruelty Points could be used to summon the spirits of historical figures from before the Three Kingdoms era, attaching them to chosen bodies to become his subordinates.

Benevolence Points corresponded to martial and leadership abilities, while Cruelty Points corresponded to intelligence and political skills. With the 70 Benevolence Points and 70 Cruelty Points gifted by the system, Tao Shang could summon a general with a martial or leadership score of around 70 and a strategist with an intelligence or political score of around 70.

With this system, Tao Shang could summon powerful figures like Bai Qi, Xiang Yu, Li Mu, and Wei Qing, forming a strong force even as a lone commander, and carve out a place for himself in this chaotic era.

"But, will the spirits of these great figures accept their new reality and serve me willingly?" Tao Shang asked doubtfully.

"These famous generals and spirits will have their memories erased before being summoned, retaining only their personalities and intelligence, and they will default to serving you. However, the higher their abilities and the stronger their personalities, the lower their initial loyalty. As you interact with them, their loyalty may increase, leading to their unwavering loyalty, or it may decrease, leading to their betrayal. It depends on how you manage to increase their loyalty."

Hearing this, Tao Shang took a deep breath, thinking that if he accidentally summoned a powerful figure like Xiang Yu with negative loyalty, he might be killed immediately, which would be counterproductive.

"First, I'll summon a powerful general to protect me on my way to Haixi, and then I'll find a way to summon more spirits. In this era, talent is the most valuable. With talent, I can recruit soldiers and form my own base. Then, I can seize the opportunity to take back Xuzhou from Liu Bei and even aim for the world."

Tao Shang's thoughts turned to the future, and his confidence grew. "Let me see which generals I can summon."

"Beep... The Heroic Souls Summoning System is activated. Displaying the list of spirits."

Tao Shang closed his eyes, and a list immediately appeared in his mind.

"First general of the Warring States, the Butcher Bai Qi, Leadership 100, Martial 70, Intelligence 80, Politics 50, 100 Benevolence Points required, initial loyalty -30."

Seeing Bai Qi's name, Tao Shang became excited, but the 100 Benevolence Points and -30 initial loyalty quickly dampened his spirits.

"Western Han general, the Flying General Li Guang, Leadership 70, Martial 80, Intelligence 40, Politics 30, 70 Benevolence Points required, initial loyalty -5."

The list continued with names like Li Mu, Ying Bu, and Han Xin, and even the tyrant Zhou Wang. The hundreds of names of powerful generals and spirits made Tao Shang's head spin.

Unfortunately, most of the spirits either had too low loyalty, making them risky to summon, or required more Benevolence Points than he had. In short, the ones he wanted, he couldn't summon, and the ones he could summon, he didn't want.

"Why are their loyalties so low? If I can't summon most of the powerful figures, isn't this system just a scam?" Tao Shang grumbled.

"Low initial loyalty is due to the host's low initial charisma. The host currently has a charisma of 20. You can increase the initial loyalty of the spirits by increasing your charisma."

"Can you speak a bit slower? I wasted my time complaining." Tao Shang's spirits lifted, "Tell me, how can I increase my charisma?"

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden commotion arose from the woods on both sides of the road. Over thirty masked bandits rushed out, mercilessly attacking the terrified soldiers.

Tao Shang's face turned pale.