Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!

Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12

___________________________

A flush rose to Shi Xin’s cheeks, but he pressed on. ”We were... rash,” he admitted. ”The thought of bending the knee, of submitting without a fight, it shamed us. Shamed me. But...” His voice faltered, and he looked to his brothers for support.

Shi Zhi stepped up, speaking quickly as if to fill the silence. ”We have considered the advisor’s words, Father. Lie Fan is no ordinary conqueror. He is methodical. Merciless when needed. He does not merely defeat enemies, he absorbs them. His rule brings stability... and survival.”

Shi Hui grimaced but nodded reluctantly. ”It would not be shameful to submit if it means preserving Jiaozhi to be still under the Shi Clan rule.”

Shi Gan added softly, ”And preserving the Shi clan.”

Shi Song, youngest and boldest, stepped forward. ”If we fight, we die. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But it will come. And then what of the people? What of our family? We will be names carved on a forgotten stone, Father.”

The study grew still.

Shi Xie looked at them, really looked, and saw not the brash, impetuous boys they had once been, but men weighed down by the same dread he carried in his chest.

A strange warmth bloomed in his heart. They had grown. Hardened by the world, but wiser for it.

”None of you truly wish for war,” he said, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. ”Yet none of you dare say what you want plainly.”

They shifted uncomfortably. Even Shi Xin, the boldest among them, could not meet his gaze.

”You fear losing my favor more than you fear losing your lives.”

The smile faded. He set his hands on the table before him, palms flat.

”You are right to fear. I am not an easy man to please. But I am not a fool. I see the truth before me, even if my pride screams to ignore it.”

He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling the scent of old parchment and candle wax, grounding himself.

When he opened them again, his voice was iron.

”I will send an envoy to Lie Fan. We will pledge our allegiance.”

The words, once spoken, seemed to lift a physical weight from his chest. He sat back in his chair, feeling decades older but strangely... lighter.

The sons exhaled almost as one. Relief flooded their faces, though Shi Xin tried to hide it behind a scowl.

”However,” Shi Xie continued, ”we do this not as beggars, but as men of dignity. We offer loyalty, but we demand respect. We show that Jiaozhi is not a petty fief to be trampled.”

He turned his gaze to Shi Gan. ”You will be the envoy.”

Shi Gan’s eyes widened. ”Father—”

”You are steady. You do not speak foolishly. You will go to Xiapi, and you will kneel if need be. But you will also look Lie Fan in the eye as a man, not a worm.”

Shi Gan bowed low, though his hands trembled slightly. ”I will not fail you, Father.”

Shi Xie nodded. ”Good.”

He reached for a brush and parchment, his hand steady as he began drafting the formal letter of submission. His sons watched silently as he wrote, the scratch of the brush against the paper the only sound in the room.

When he finished, he sealed it with his personal sigil—a dragon coiled around a lotus, a symbol of peace born from strength.

Then he looked up.

”Prepare gifts,” he ordered. ”Silks, jade, spices. And a hostage.”

His sons stiffened.

”Who will it be father?” Shi Xin asked, voice tight.

Shi Xie’s eyes softened with sadness.

”Shi Song,” he said.

The youngest flinched, his face going pale. But after a moment’s hesitation, he bowed deeply.

”I will go, Father.”

Shi Xie’s throat tightened, but he forced himself to nod.

”You will be treated well,” he said gruffly. ”Lie Fan is not a tyrant. And one day, when our bond is stronger, you will return.”

Shi Song smiled faintly, though his eyes gleamed with unshed tears. ”I will make you proud, father.”

”You already have,” Shi Xie said quietly.

He dismissed them then, each son bowing once more before filing out into the night. Only Shi Xie remained, slumped in his chair as exhaustion swept over him.

He stared at the sealed letter, the map, the flickering candle.

”I have chosen survival over pride,” he thought. ”May Heaven forgive me.”

And somewhere deep in the humid night, the first stirrings of change rippled through Jiaozhi, carrying the scent of new tides on the wind.

Shi Gan would soon set out with a small but distinguished entourage, carrying the hopes of Jiaozhi on his shoulders. Shi Song would travel alongside him, silent and resolute, the living bond that would tie Shi Xie’s line to the rising power of Lie Fan.

Far to the north, in Xiapi, Lie Fan rested within his residence, unaware yet of the submission that would soon arrive at his feet, another piece on the vast chessboard falling neatly into place, as the Oriole Agent’s message to inform him hadn’t arrived yet.

The morning sun bathed the courtyard of the Lie Clan Residence in a golden, almost lazy light. The spring air was fresh, filled with the scent of blooming peonies and the faint tang of water from the nearby canal. Birds chirped merrily on the rooftops, their songs blending with the laughter of children.

Lie Fan sat cross legged on a low, cushioned platform under the shade of a large parasol, a rare sight of utter informality. Around him, his children tumbled and played, their bright voices weaving through the garden like an invisible tapestry of joy.

Chenchen and Yaoyao, the ten year old twins, were in the middle of an intense game of touhu, trying to throw small sticks into the narrow neck of a tall bronze jar. Chenchen had a surprisingly deadly aim, causing his sister to pout cutely in protest every time he scored another point.

Meanwhile, Yanyan and Nuonuo, the two six year old girls born at the same time though not technically twins, were busy chasing after a colorful silk ball, their little faces flushed with excitement and their hair streaming behind them like black banners.

Lie Fan watched them with a rare, unguarded smile, his heart warmed by the simple scene. These were the moments he lived for, the stolen pieces of peace in a life otherwise consumed by power, war, and ambition.

He was clapping and laughing when a discreet cough caught his attention. A servant stood nearby, bowing low, holding a small tray with a sealed letter resting atop it.

The man’s clothing was ordinary, unremarkable, but Lie Fan’s sharp eyes noted the slight stiffness in the man’s movements, the careful precision.

Lie Fan rose to his feet in one smooth motion, dusting his hands against his robes. His children barely noticed, still engrossed in their games.

With a nod of thanks, he took the letter, dismissing the agent with a glance. Moving to a quieter corner of the courtyard, he broke the seal and unfolded the parchment.

His brows knitted almost immediately as he began to read. Line after line, his expression shifted from confusion to surprise, then to something thoughtful, and contemplative.

Shi Xie... surrendered?

Lie Fan read the letter again, slower this time, making sure he hadn’t misread it.

Shi Xie, the governor of Jiaozhi, the man who had ruled the southern lands like a king in all but name for decades, had decided to pledge allegiance to him. Not only that, he was sending his fourth son Shi Gan to lead the formal delegation, and offering his youngest son, Shi Song, as a hostage to prove the sincerity of his oath.

For a long moment, Lie Fan stood there, the breeze tugging gently at the parchment in his hand. His children’s laughter floated around him, a world apart from the enormity of what he had just learned.

Shi Xie... submitting without a fight.

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward into a small, knowing smile.

How fascinating.

In his past life, Shi Xie had indeed been famous for his pragmatism. When Sun Quan declared himself Emperor of Eastern Wu, Shi Xie readily pledged allegiance, seeing the shifting tides of power and choosing survival over pride. His loyalty preserved his family’s rule over Jiaozhi for a time, until his death.

Lie Fan’s mind worked quickly, the memories of his past life layering themselves over the present.

After Shi Xie’s death, it was his third son, Shi Hui, who succeeded him. Shi Hui, however, lacked his father’s foresight and wisdom. When Sun Quan attempted to split Jiaozhi into two provinces, thus reducing the Shi Clan’s power, Shi Hui rebelled in a desperate bid to maintain their autonomy.

The rebellion was crushed with brutal efficiency and some intrigue was involved as well. Shi Hui was captured and executed.

Shi Gan and Shi Zhong, alongside other members of the clan, were reduced to commoners, and the pair of brothers died in criminal deaths not long after, their lineage extinguished in disgrace. Shi Xin, the oldest and had stayed in Jianye, managed to survive but faded into obscurity, his bloodline ending without descendants.

The Shi Clan, once mighty and revered, had been reduced to footnotes in history even though in the history of Kingdoms in Vietnam, Shi Xie was revered and even deified.

Lie Fan folded the letter carefully and tucked it into his sleeve, his mind already racing several moves ahead.

Why now? He mused. Why surrender now, when he could have stalled, delayed, or even played both sides for a few more years?

But even as the question formed, the answer was clear.

Shi Xie was old, weary of constant uncertainty. The North and the Central Plains were dominated by Lie Fan’s growing power. Jiaozhi was far from the central plains, but isolation could only protect him for so long.

With the tides turning decisively against the likes of Liu Bei and the internal weakness of Liu Zhang, Shi Xie must have calculated that pledging loyalty now would preserve his family’s power and lives far better than any vain show of resistance.

Pragmatic to the end, old fox.

Lie Fan chuckled quietly to himself, feeling a rare sense of admiration for the elder statesman. It wasn’t often that someone chose survival over pride with such clear eyed determination.

Still... it was a windfall.

With Shi Xie and Jiaozhi under his banner, he would have complete control over the southern trade routes, silks, spices, and precious stones. Wealth and supplies would flow into his coffers like never before.

And more importantly, it meant that his only real opposition left was Cao Cao.

As for Liu Zhang... Lie Fan smiled again, this time a bit colder.

Liu Zhang won’t even be a problem.

He had already planted the seeds through Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da. They had pledged their loyalty in secret, and their task was simple: slowly guide Liu Zhang into surrender, gently... or with a push if needed.

Bloodless if possible, but blood if necessary.

Lie Fan shook his head, feeling a strange buoyancy in his chest. Things were falling into place faster than he had ever dreamed. He turned back to the courtyard. Yaoyao had finally managed to win a round of touhu, raising her arms in triumph while Chechen poked her with his sticks in playful outrage. Yanyan and Nuonuo had collapsed onto the grass, breathless and giggling, their silk ball was forgotten.

______________________________

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