Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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He paced furiously, the hem of his robe fluttering with each step. The study had grown quiet save for his heavy breathing. ”This Lie Fan,” he growled, fists clenched, ”he has subjugated Jing Province in one sweep, and now even the entire of the southern land bends before him!”

At that moment, a servant arrived, bowing low. ”My lord, Masters Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and Xi Zhicai await you for you outside, they asked for permission to enter.”

”Send them in. Now.”

The three men entered moments later, each bowing deeply before taking their seats. Xun Yu, was calm as he looked at the scattered remnants of the tea cup and said nothing. Cheng Yu stroked his beard thoughtfully, while Xi Zhicai leaned forward, his eyes sharp.

Cao Cao wasted no time. ”The three of you must have heard the news. Shi Xie in Jiaozhi is no longer neutral. He had pledge his allegiance to Lie Fan now. Tell me, what are we to do?”

Xun Yu was the first to speak. ”My lord, we must acknowledge that the balance of power has shifted drastically. Lie Fan now controls eight province, You, Ji, Qing, Yan, Xu, Jing, and Jiaozhi. The resources at his disposal, population, grain, ports, military strength, far exceed ours.”

Cheng Yu nodded. ”Even with our control over the there province of Bing, Sili, and Liang, we aren’t even half of his strength. Perhaps less, considering our campaign in Liang province to suppress the Ma Clan in their rebellion.”

Xi Zhicai’s tone was blunt. ”We can no longer have control and the initiative on the board anymore, my lord.”

Cao Cao sat back down heavily, steepling his fingers. ”Then what would you have me do? Wait? Surrender? I will never do so.”

Xun Yu spoke carefully. ”We must stabilize Liang province first, my lord. Once the Ma Clan is subdued, redirect resources to strengthen our internal defenses. Reinforce our position in Sili as we neighbor the ventral plains under Lie Fan command. If direct confrontation is not an option, we must find ways to weaken Lie Fan indirectly.”

Cheng Yu added, ”Foment unrest. Fund dissidents in his provinces. Exploit old rivalries. Find the chinks in his alliances. We can utilize any scheme.”

Xi Zhicai gave a grim nod. ”And if possible... truly ally ourselves with Liu Zhang. I’m sure that even if Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da doesn’t want to ally with us, they see that the situation is vastly different now.”

Cao Cao’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t argue. His pride ached, but he was no fool.

”Then do it,” he said finally. ”Send word to Guo Jia and Jia Kui. Tell them to accelerate the pacification of the Ma Clan. And also I wanted the there if you to start laying the seeds of rebellion in Jing and Jiaozhi, as Lie Fan had just take control over them meaning many people in power was dissatisfied with him.”

”Yes, my lord,” the three said in unison.

Far to the southeast, the Sun Clan was equally shaken. In the vibrant capital of their domain, Sun Ce and Sun Jian stood together in the war room, reading the same news that had sent shockwaves throughout the land.

”Shi Xie...” Sun Ce muttered, disbelief etched across his face. ”He’s really joined Brother Lie Fan.”

Sun Jian wore a look of grim understanding. ”We knew this would come eventually, Shi Xie being subjugated by Lie Fan. But we didn’t expect Shi Xie woudlcpledge his allegiance and not this soon as well.”

Sun Ce turned to his father. ”This means it’s just Liu Zhang and Cao Cao now that stands in Brotehr Lie Fan way, father. Well Liu Zhang is a ghost, and only holds Yi Province in name, not in power so it mean Cao Cao was the only obstacle left.”

Sun Jian nodded. ”And that makes Lie Fan the only one with chances of hegemony. Even if Cao Cao was very hard to handle, with the resources and talent at Lie Fan disposal, Cao Cao will fall.”

A tense silence followed. Then Sun Ce asked, ”What do we do, father? Do we still stay hidden, or do we announce our allegiance to Brothee Lie Fan as well?”

Sun Jian’s eyes narrowed. ”We wait for Lie Fan to gave use the word. As we become his vassal in secret, Lie Fan has position us to pressure Shi Xie and it worked. We have fulfilled our part. So now we just have to wait.”

He folded the missive carefully. ”We need to reach out to Lie Fan. Let him know that we remain loyal, and await his next instruction for us.”

Meanwhile, inside Chengdu’s stately inner city, the atmosphere was anything but calm. In the heart of Yi Province, Liu Zhang’s personal study was bathed in the fading afternoon light, the orange glow casting long shadows across the lacquered furniture.

Scrolls lay scattered across the floor, some half unrolled, others crumpled from where they had slipped from Liu Zhang’s trembling hands.

The lord of Yi Province sat slumped at his desk, the color drained from his face. His robe, richly embroidered with cranes and clouds, hung loosely on his shoulders, as though even the weight of the silk was too much to bear in that moment.

His fingers nervously tapped the polished wood, his eyes darting every so often toward the closed door as if he expected bad news to come crashing through it at any second.

”Lie Fan...” Liu Zhang muttered, voice thin as paper. ”He’s taken Jiaozhi... Shi Xie has bent the knee... Eight provinces under one man...” His breathing quickened, eyes wide, heart pounding as if it wanted to break free of his chest. ”I— I must act... must call them in...”

”Servant!” he barked, a note of desperation cracking his voice. ”Fetch Master Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, Meng Da! Immediately!”

The servant barely needed the command; the three men were already waiting outside, having anticipated the summons. They had, after all, been discussing this very news among themselves just minutes ago.

Fa Zheng, tall and lean, with sharp eyes and a cutting wit, was the first to stride through the door, followed by Zhang Song, whose round face carried a deceptively mild expression, and Meng Da, younger, more energetic, with an impatient air about him.

They bowed respectfully, concealing the flicker of amusement that passed between them as they took in Liu Zhang’s frantic appearance.

Liu Zhang’s face brightened slightly at the sight of his most trusted advisors or so he believed though his panic was still plain.

”The three of you’ve heard, haven’t you? The news... Shi Xie has submitted to Lie Fan... The man now borders us entirely! What are we to do?” His voice pitched higher as he spoke, and he gripped the edge of his desk as though it were the only thing anchoring him to reality.

Fa Zheng and Zhang Song exchanged a look before Zhang Song stepped forward, his voice soft, soothing, perfectly measured. ”Yes, my lord, we have heard. The situation is indeed troubling. But panic will not help us now.”

He clasped his hands behind his back, adopting a thoughtful pose. ”I suggest we focus on fortifying the border. Increase the garrisons, repair the watchtowers, stockpile provisions.”

Fa Zheng, always the master of dry understatement, added smoothly, *Indeed, my lord. A show of strength may buy us time. It may even deter Lie Fan from immediate aggression.” His lips curved ever so slightly. ”Better to prepare for the worst.”

Meng Da, on the side, nodded eagerly. ”I agree. We should act swiftly, issue orders to the army, make sure the defenses are tight. Yi Province may be mountainous, but even mountains can crumble without proper defenses.”

Liu Zhang nodded rapidly, a fragile sense of control flickering back into his eyes. ”Yes... yes, the three of you’re right. Strengthen the borders. Draft the announcements. Mobilize the military!” His voice steadied as he clung to their advice like a drowning man to driftwood. ”See to it immediately. I leave it in your hands.”

The three bowed in unison. ”As you command, my lord.”

As they turned to leave, Liu Zhang called out once more. ”Master Fa Zheng.”

The strategist paused, glancing back. ”Yes, my lord?”

Liu Zhang’s voice was small, almost pleading. ”Do you think... do you think Lie Fan will come for us next?”

Fa Zheng’s expression was calm and his eyes remained unreadable. ”That depends on many factors, my lord. But for now, we must prepare for all possibilities.”

Liu Zhang nodded numbly

As they turned, Liu Zhang’s shoulders sagged in visible relief. Behind the closed doors, however, the atmosphere shifted entirely.

Once out of earshot, Fa Zheng’s lips twisted into a smirk. ”He’s practically handing us the keys himself.”

Zhang Song chuckled softly, shaking his head. ”Poor fool. Still, his trust makes our task easier.”

Meng Da’s eyes glimmered with excitement. ”We should contact the generals and officials aligned with us immediately. Once Lord Lie Fan sends his order, we can sweep Liu Zhang aside like autumn leaves.”

Fa Zheng gave a curt nod. ”Yes. Let’s not waste time. The pieces are almost in place. Yi Province will be Lord Lie Fan’s soon enough.”

Meanwhile to the north of Chengdu at Liang Province, the air inside Tianshui’s Governor Castle main hall was heavy with the smell of sweat, damp earth, and burned oil. Smoke from the brazier curled lazily toward the beams overhead as Ma Teng paced across the wooden floor, his boots thudding in an uneven rhythm.

The map spread on the long table bore countless marks red for lost ground, black for contested areas, and a rapidly shrinking blue for the territories they still held.

Ma Chao, standing tall beside the map, clenched his fists at his sides. His armor was dust streaked, a long gash along his pauldron still weeping a thin line of blood. Behind them, the murmurs of their gathered generals and advisors created a low, tense undercurrent.

”Father,” Ma Chao broke the silence, his voice steady despite the exhaustion lining his face, ”Xiahou Dun’s men are pressing from the east, Zhang He is circling north through the mountain passes, and Xu Huang’s vanguard has already breached the second line of defenses.” His jaw tightened. ”We’ve lost Anding. We can’t hold Tianshui for long if this keeps up.”

Ma Teng’s hand came down hard on the table, rattling the stones and maps. His voice was hoarse but firm. ”Damn them... Anding was our shield. Without it, Tianshui is naked to the wind.”

Ma Chao’s fists tightened behind his back. His knuckles whitened as he struggled to contain his anger, but when he spoke, his voice was measured. ”Father. We must send word to Lie Fan. Now.”

Ma Teng’s sharp eyes turned to his son, assessing, weighing. He gave a curt nod. ”You’re right. He’s grown powerful, he was more powerful than us and Cao Cao now. With Shi Xie pledging hi allegiance to him, he hold eight provinces under his banner. With his strength, if he mobilize his armies on the border against Cao Cao, we may yet hold Tianshui, perhaps even turn the tide.”

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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