The War Horse of Cao Cao's Army [Romance of the Three Kingdoms] - Chapter 1

There are many people who love Romance of the Three Kingdoms content.

Among them, I like it especially more, devouring not just games but also every new novel, drama, and movie related to it.

That’s why, on that day, I was once again searching for another Romance of the Three Kingdoms piece.

“Are you a fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Yanyi) or the official history (Zhengshi)? If it’s fun, why not enjoy both!”

Unless they really go overboard with reinterpretations, I usually end up watching most of them.

And, after all, doesn’t Yanyi have its own flavor, just as Zhengshi does?

With that in mind, I clicked option 3 [Both] on the site survey.

[Which side do you prefer: Wei, Shu, or Wu?]

Honestly, it didn’t really matter which option I chose.

Option 4 was for “Other Forces.” Clearly, it was meant for people who would pick the Jin Dynasty under the Sima family after Wei, Shu, and Wu, or occasionally the hipster picks like Lü Bu’s or Yuan Shao’s forces.

And option 5 was “I don’t care about any side,” so naturally, I picked 5.

To be honest, no matter which faction you choose, the lords and their retainers each have their own charm, don’t they?

The other question was whether you preferred civil or military officials, but did that even matter during that time?

“Civil officials would go to war, and military officials would come back from war and handle administrative work. Why bother drawing a line?”

That’s just how things were in that era.

In novels or comics, military officials are always depicted wearing armor and carrying swords wherever they go, while civil officials are shown in formal attire, whispering strategies to their lords and scheming in the background.

But I couldn’t just understand that era so simply. Back then, whether you were a civil official or a military officer, you had to know everything to some extent if you wanted to be recognized by your lord and survive.

Next came another question.

[Which part of an era in Romance of the Three Kingdoms do you like the most?]

“Hmmm~ The Warlords’ Rivalry, the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Red Cliffs, the Invasion of Shu… well, they’re all great.”

[Which region do you prefer the most?]

“Well, as long as it’s not Xu Province during Cao Cao’s time, I’m good. Oh, if it’s before Cao Cao came to Xu Province, then it’s fine.”

For each question, I kept answering with something along the lines of ‘I like them all.’

And since entering all these answers would enter me into a draw for tickets to a Romance of the Three Kingdoms talk show panel, I was pretty excited.

All this time, joining Romance of the Three Kingdoms related groups on forums or in open chat rooms was just a hobby. But this—this was a chance to actually be a panelist on a famous Romance of the Three Kingdoms broadcast.

After carefully filling in all the answers and double-checking everything, I submitted the application.

“Please take care of me, Three Kingdoms Tube. I’ll be waiting!”

…That was the last moment of my modern life.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era.

Was this one of those typical reincarnation stories set in the Three Kingdoms? I thought so, but then I found myself in an extremely rundown house, living as the only son of a poor elderly couple who worked the land.

I couldn’t believe it, but it seemed I was born as just an ordinary commoner at the end of the turbulent Han Dynasty.

So confused by the situation, I spent a long time not fully grasping the reality of it. Only after quite a while did I finally understand what had happened.

I have fallen into hell.