In the next moment.
Chen Ye grabbed Xu Chu by the shoulder armor with one hand and supported his massive thigh with the other.
Then, under Xu Chu's astonished gaze, Chen Ye suddenly exerted his strength.
"Up!"
Chen Ye shouted in a low voice.
Immediately, Xu Chu's entire body was lifted into the air.
Xu Chu roared and struggled, but it was all in vain.
Against absolute strength, resistance was pointless.
With Chen Ye's current power, lifting 400 pounds was nothing at all!
Moments later.
Chen Ye had hoisted Xu Chu's massive body above his head!
A normally built young man lifting a giant three times his size over his head...
The sight was utterly surreal!
And yet, it was happening right in front of everyone.
Everyone was stunned!
The entire arena fell silent, with only Xu Chu's roaring voice echoing...
"Put me down!!!"
...
Chen Ye didn't intend to make things difficult for Xu Chu; after holding him up for a moment, he gently set him back down.
"General, you've conceded!"
After landing, Xu Chu panted heavily, his bull-like eyes glaring fiercely at Chen Ye.
But he didn't dare step forward again.
This young man before him wasn't human—he was a monster...
"Good!"
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from below the platform.
A middle-aged man wearing a floral-patterned battle robe walked forward.
When the soldiers saw this man, they all bowed and saluted.
"Greetings, Chancellor!"
At this time, Cao Cao hadn't yet declared himself emperor, so everyone addressed him as "Chancellor."
"Zhongkang (Xu Chu), stand down!"
Upon hearing Cao Cao's command, Xu Chu silently stepped back, showing great obedience.
Cao Cao then stepped onto the platform, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Chen Ye.
"What a hero!"
Cao Cao couldn't help but praise him: "I never expected that in my army, there would be such a fine man—a true tiger general of our time!"
A tiger general of our time!
This was the highest praise imaginable.
Immediately, countless people around stared at Chen Ye with envy and jealousy.
"Chancellor, you flatter me!"
Chen Ye cupped his fists and bowed respectfully.
After all, Cao Cao was a mighty ruler, and Chen Ye had to show him the proper respect.
"You have gained 1 point of renown, current renown: 7,739/1,000."
"You have gained 1 point of renown, current renown: 7,740/1,000."
"You have gained 1 point of renown, current renown: 7,741/1,000."
...
The system notifications continued without pause.
Chen Ye's renown was increasing rapidly.
"Listen well, Luo Xiu!"
Cao Cao suddenly called out loudly: "Luo Xiu, your strength is unparalleled. You are a rare tiger general. I value your talents and hereby appoint you as the Duwei of Tiger Might, with a fiefdom of 500 households!"
Duwei!
This rank allowed one to command a military unit, just below a general.
(Military ranks: Wuzhang, Shizhang, Bozhang, Dubo, Duwei, General.)
Cao Cao had directly given Chen Ye the rank of Duwei and granted him a fief of 500 households, which was a highly generous reward.
Chen Ye was very satisfied and immediately changed his address: "Thank you, my lord, for your favor!"
"My lord!"
In the Three Kingdoms period, this was how a subject would address their ruler.
This title was not used lightly. Ordinary soldiers were not qualified to call Cao Cao "my lord."
Hearing Chen Ye's address, Cao Cao laughed heartily:
"Today, having Luo Xiu by my side is like adding wings to a tiger. How can we not achieve great things?"
Seeing how much Cao Cao valued Chen Ye, all the soldiers were filled with envy.
Cao Cao then suddenly asked: "Luo Xiu, do you have a courtesy name?"
A courtesy name was an additional name given to an adult male in ancient Chinese culture, typically reflecting virtue or character.
In ancient times, Han Chinese men would receive a courtesy name at their coming-of-age ceremony, and it was considered impolite to address them by their given name thereafter.
Chen Ye, of course, did not have a courtesy name, so he replied honestly: "I do not have one yet."
"Oh?"
Cao Cao smiled and asked, "How about I give you one?"
In ancient times, courtesy names were usually given by elders or mentors.
Cao Cao offering to give Chen Ye a courtesy name was clearly an attempt to draw him closer.
When the generals heard this, they were all envious, their eyes practically turning red...
Cao Cao offering to give him a name was an honor Chen Ye would not refuse: "I am honored by your kindness, my lord!"
Cao Cao laughed heartily, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Xiu means to cultivate or refine, as in cultivating righteousness and concealing it with propriety... Since your name is Xiu, your courtesy name shall be 'Zhongye,' meaning you will cultivate virtue and establish great achievements!"
In ancient times, a courtesy name had to be related to the meaning of the given name.
For example, Zhao Yun was called "Zilong," meaning "Son of the Dragon," because "Yun" could be associated with dragons.
As a modern person, Chen Ye didn't really understand these customs.
But since Cao Cao had given him the name, he would use it.
"Thank you, my lord, for the name!" Chen Ye cupped his fists in thanks.
Cao Cao smiled in satisfaction and then loudly declared to everyone: "Today's martial exhibition—those who performed well shall be rewarded!"
Hearing this, the Reincarnators were all overjoyed.
Cao Cao continued in a loud voice: "Soldiers, today you may rest. Tomorrow, the army marches south to punish the rebels!"
"May my lord achieve swift victory!" the generals all shouted in unison.
...
After the martial exhibition dispersed, countless Reincarnators gathered around Chen Ye.
"Lord Shura, we're here."
"Boss, we'll follow your lead from now on."
"Master, lead us to win this battle!"
Looking at the faces of these Reincarnators, Chen Ye smiled slightly.
Not all of the Reincarnators had shown up, like that Iron Bull who didn't come.
But having most of them present was already impressive.
For those who didn't come, it didn't matter. The rewards for this battle would be distributed based on individual contributions.
In other words, those hoping to coast by would only receive a very small reward.
"Alright, let's work together to win this battle," Chen Ye said.
Now that he was the Duwei of Tiger Might, he could command a unit of a thousand men.
Bringing some Reincarnators into his unit was entirely feasible.
Since Chen Ye knew the plot, winning this battle wasn't going to be difficult.
The most important thing now was to figure out the current situation and what year it was.
"Wait here for a moment, I'm going to gather some information."
Just as Chen Ye was about to leave, a general appeared in front of him.
"Zhongye, where are you headed?" the general asked with a smile.
It was none other than Xiahou Yuan.
Beside him was Iron Bull, who stood respectfully behind Xiahou Yuan, giving a slight nod to the Reincarnators.
The Reincarnators, however, didn't seem too eager to interact with him...
Seeing Xiahou Yuan, Chen Ye's eyes lit up. Xiahou Yuan's arrival was perfect, as he could ask him for some information.
…