Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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”There is no need for such formality,” Lie Fan said, his tone warm yet commanding. ”We are all soldiers standing on the same battlefield. And besides”, he let his gaze sweep over the gathered men, ”it is I who should thank all of you. Without your timely intervention, taking Xiangyang in three days would have been a far more brutal endeavor.”

Kuai Liang, as the elder brother of the Kuai brothers, stepped forward and bowed once again. ”We appreciate your words, Lord Lie Fan. We did what we believed to be right. To continue serving under a hypocrite like Liu Bei would’ve been a betrayal of our conscience.”

Kuai Yue nodded solemnly. ”We chose the wrong tree to perch on, and we paid the price. But now... perhaps we can begin anew.”

Lie Fan’s smile grew more pronounced, though there was steel behind his eyes. ”If that is how you feel, then why not truly start anew, under my banner? I’ve always made it a point to welcome men of talent and principle. Each of you has proven your worth. I would be honored to have you by my side.”

There was a pause. The air grew still, as if the city itself were holding its breath. The seven men exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering behind their eyes.

It was Cang Xiu who stepped forward first, playing his part flawlessly, his expression unreadable, yet his voice calm. ”My lord, such decision is not a small one to make. Each of us has deep ties to the land and people here. While your offer is generous, we must ask for time to consider it with the gravity it deserves.”

Lie Fan inclined his head, the smile never fading. ”Of course. Time is a luxury we’ve earned, thanks to our swift victory. Think carefully, for I would have you serve me not out of obligation, but out of belief. And know this, if you choose to walk away, you may do so freely. No harm will come to you.”

The men exchanged glances, some surprised by his leniency, others calculating.

Lie Fan then gestured toward Xiangyang’s Governor Castle, where he alongside Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu will draw up provisional plans for managing the city. ”When you are ready, I would welcome each of you to speak with me further.”

The group nodded and dispersed, save for Cang Xiu, who lingered a moment longer. As the others departed, Lie Fan turned his head slightly, speaking low enough that only his spy could hear.

”You’ve done well,” he murmured. ”Rest. You’ve earned it.”

Cang Xiu gave a faint smirk. ”It’s not over yet, my lord.” Then, with the role of loyal insider still intact, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the dust choked streets of Xiangyang.

While Lie Fan secured the city, Liu Bei moved like a shadow through the back alleys of Xiangyang, his fine robes traded for the garb of a common soldier, his face smeared with soot.

He had one goal which was to escape toward his southern territory.

His residence was not far now. Hidden within its walls were secret compartments, stashes of gold, maps, and letters that could buy him passage south safely, perhaps even rally support from Shi Xie and become part of his domain, combining his with him.

The door to his private chambers creaked open.

He froze.

There, standing in the doorway, were his two former sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then Liu Bei’s face twisted into something between a smile and a snarl.

”Brothers,” he said, voice dripping with false warmth. ”You’ve come to your senses, I see. Good. We can leave together, start anew. With your strength and my wisdom, we can rebuild what we have lost! Let the past bygones!”

Guan Yu’s expression was unreadable. Zhang Fei’s fists clenched.

”You don’t get it, do you?” Zhang Fei growled. ”We’re not here to join you. We’re here to capture you.”

Liu Bei’s smile vanished.

Guan Yu stepped forward. ”You’re coming with us, Xuande. Lie Fan will decide your fate.”

Liu Bei’s eyes darted between them, then to the window. Calculating. Desperate.

”You’d hand me over to that upstart? After everything we’ve been through?!”

Zhang Fei spat. ”You stopped being our brother the moment you raised your hand to our sister in law, Lady Gan.”

Liu Bei’s face darkened. ”That woman means nothing! She’s just—”

”SILENCE!” Guan Yu’s roar shook the room. His hand went to his blade. ”Another word against her, and I’ll cut out your tongue myself.”

Liu Bei recoiled. For the first time, fear flickered in his eyes after a long time.

Then, like a cornered rat, he lunged for a dagger hidden beneath his bed.

Zhang Fei was faster.

A single punch sent Liu Bei crashing to the floor, blood streaming from his nose.

Guan Yu hauled him up by the collar. ”Pathetic.”

Liu Bei thrashed, spitting curses. ”Traitors! Oathbreakers! You’ll regret this! I’ll see you both dead!”

They ignored him. Because this wasn’t about revenge. This was about survival and justice. And about the promise they had made to Lady Gan.

To find any way for Lady Gan and her unborn child which she had just found out to survive. Because the child was innocent and mmthey think maybe by capturing Liu Bei, they could trade him for Lady Gan and the child life.

Lie Fan was reviewing reports alongside Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu with Zhao Yun, Huang Chao, and Lie Fan’s three Yellow Ghost bodyguard to guard them, when Guan Yu and Zhang Fei arrived, dragging a bound and gagged Liu Bei between them.

Their arrival cause Zhao Yun, Huang Chao, and Lie Fan’s three Yellow Ghost bodyguard to be on alert, but seeing them having no weapons they let their guard down slightly, but when they saw who they bring along with them, they were surprised.

The once great warlord was a pitiful sight, his face bruised, his robes torn, his eyes burning with impotent rage.

Guan Yu shoved him forward.

”We bring you a gift, Lord Lie Fan.”

Lie Fan with surprise on his face arched a brow. ”So I see. I don’t expect for General Guan Yu and General Zhang Feu to be the one capture Liu Bei for me.”

He then stood and stepped closer, studying Liu Bei with cold detachment.

”Brother Xuande,” he mused. ”How the mighty have fallen.”

Liu Bei glared and snarled behind his gag.

Lie Fan ignored the venomous glare Liu Bei cast his way. The captured warlord’s muffled curses were little more than background noise to him now. Instead, Lie Fan turned his full attention toward Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, his expression unreadable save for the faint narrowing of his eyes.

”You bring me your sworn brother,” Lie Fan said slowly, voice cool and composed. ”And what I must ask, Generals, is why? Why betray your bond now?”

He let the question hang in the air like a blade suspended by a thread, though he already knew the answer. The Oriole Agents had fed him enough on his way to Xiangyang, enough to know that the oath between the three brothers had fractured long before this moment. Still, he wanted to hear it from them, to see their conviction firsthand.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei dropped to their knees in unison, the act not performed out of humiliation, but sincerity.

”We broke that oath the moment we saw his true face, Lord Lie Fan,” Zhang Fei growled, his head bowed low. ”Liu Bei is no brother to us, not after what he did to Lady Gan. He raised his hand against her. Our own kin!”

Guan Yu added, his voice heavy with solemnity, ”We serve virtue, not blood. Our loyalty was to the man we thought Liu Bei was. But that man is dead. This one,” he gestured toward Liu Bei, ”is a tyrant clothed in silk. We deliver him to you, Lord Lie Fan, in exchange for a single favor.”

Lie Fan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. His eyes flickered briefly to Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu, who all subtly straightened where they stood. They knew too well that any favor Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would ask might carry weighty consequences.

Liu Bei snarled behind his gag, the cords at his wrists tightening as he strained against them, his muffled voice erupting in rage. His face contorted with disbelief. He had expected anger, perhaps even judgment. But betrayal? This was beyond what his pride could stomach.

Lie Fan tilted his head. ”And what, may I ask, is the nature of this favor?”

Guan Yu lifted his head, calm but resolute. ”Spare the life of Lady Gan, Lord Lie Fan. Let her and the child she carries live.”

Zhang Fei continued, his voice nearly cracking with emotion, ”She is with child, Lord Lie Fan. Liu Bei’s child. But she has done no wrong. Neither has the unborn child. We beg of you, grant her mercy.”

The hall fell silent as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei’s words hung in the air. Even the wind beyond the high windows seemed to hush. As for Liu Bei, who was still bound and seething, went still at the revelation, Lady Gan was with child. His child.

Lie Fan studied the two kneeling generals, his expression unreadable. The surprise on his face was genuine, though not for the reasons the others might have guessed. He *had* known of their broken oath—the Oriole Agents had delivered that information days ago. But the revelation of Liu Bei’s unborn heir? That was new.

A child.

A living legacy of Liu Bei’s bloodline.

A potential threat to his rule.

Lie Fan exhaled slowly. ”You ask for mercy,” he said at last, his voice measured. ”Not for yourselves, but for an innocent woman and a child who has yet to draw breath.”

Guan Yu lifted his head, his piercing gaze meeting Lie Fan’s. ”We do.”

Zhang Fei, more blunt than Guan Yu, added, ”The child has done no wrong. Neither has Lady Gan. If blood must be spilled, let it be his.” He jerked a thumb at Liu Bei. ”Not theirs.”

Lie Fan said nothing as he hear that. His gaze darkened, distant as though staring through the walls of the governor’s manor and into the great abyss of possibility. He walked a slow circle, hands clasped behind his back.

His mind working swiftly of the pros and cons of the two decision laid before him.

The pros are by sparing Lady Gan and the child would secure Guan Yu and Zhang Fei’s loyalty, two of the greatest warriors of this era, bound to him not by force, but by gratitude. It would also paint him as merciful in the eyes of the people, a ruler who did not punish the innocent for the sins of the father. And It would further erode Liu Bei’s spirit, knowing his line would continue, but he would not live to see it.

As for the cons are the child, when grown, could become a rallying point for dissent, a figurehead for rebellion. Liu Bei’s allies, those still loyal, might seek to use the child against him in the future. And lastly, mercy, in their world, was often mistaken for weakness.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains

Age: 33 (200 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 1325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 951 (+20)

VIT: 613 (+20)

AGI: 598 (+10)

INT: 617

CHR: 96

WIS: 519

WILL: 407

ATR Points: 0