Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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”Let him come to us,” Zhang Song added smoothly. ”Let the world see him as the aggressor. Let him be the tyrant who crushes the lands of the remnants of the Han Dynasty and Liu Zhang. Then, and only then, shall the hearts of men turn against him.”

Liu Zhang, still seething, began to pace again. ”But how... how can we just sit here and do nothing? The Liu blood flows through me. The Emperor... Liu Xie... even if distant, he is still kin.”

After a long silence, Liu Zhang turned to face them once more. ”Then at the very least... let us request that Liu Xie be brought here. That he might live out his life in peace, surrounded by family. I am his kin. Perhaps I may even offer him some comfort.”

Fa Zheng’s face tensed. He responded carefully. ”My lord... I understand your heart. Truly. But such a request would not come without a price. Cao Cao would see it as a provocation or worse, a trick. He would never let Liu Xie go freely. He would demand something in return. Something... heavy.”

”Then let him demand,” Liu Zhang said, his voice lowering.

Meng Da, who had been silent all this time, now spoke. ”Cao Cao may offer the hand of peace, but he keeps a dagger behind his back. If we request Liu Xie, it may give him the excuse he needs to claim we’re plotting sedition. We must be cautious.”

Zhang Song nodded slowly. ”Not yet, my lord. Wait until Cao Cao moves first. Let him draw his sword and cross the line. Then all the world will see his ambition for what it is.”

Liu Zhang exhaled. The fire in him dimmed, but the embers remained. His shoulders slumped. The fight drained out of him as quickly as it had come.

”So we do nothing?” he whispered.

”For now my lord,” Fa Zheng said gently. ”But not forever.”

”...Very well. I shall wait. But mark my words, this crime against Heaven will not go unanswered.”

The three advisors bowed in unison.

”We will be ready my lord,” Fa Zheng said.

And with that, the strategy shifted once more. In Chengdu, the fire of righteous fury had stirred in a man thought too soft for politics. In Xiapi, the gears of counterattack were turning behind silent walls. In Luoyang, the golden dragon robe was being tailored for a new ruler.

Three men, three thrones. Each claiming the will of Heaven. But only one could remain standing when the war of emperors came to its end.

As the advisors bowed and withdrew, leaving Liu Zhang to his thoughts, Zhang Song lingered just outside the door, his sharp mind already turning to the future.

”We should inform this news to Xiapi,” he murmured to Fa Zheng. ”Your Majesty Hongyi will want to know of this... development.”

Fa Zheng smirked. ”Oh, I’m sure he already does.”

Meng Da, who had just caught the tail end of their exchange, interjected, ”Of course, His Majesty will know through his own intelligence network, but it’s still better for us to send a letter informing him of this matter. It’s a form of reaffirming our loyalty to him as well.”

Zhang Song and Fa Zheng nodded their heads in agreement. Fa Zheng added, ”Of course, I understand such a thing. I was just saying that His Majesty himself would know of this news by himself eventually, irrespective of our letter.”

With that, the three of them walked together, through the quiet corridors of Liu Zhang’s residence, their footsteps echoing softly against the polished wooden floors. The air was thick with the scent of incense and the weight of their unspoken thoughts.

Zhang Song was the first to break the silence. ”I never thought I’d see the day Liu Zhang showed actual backbone,” he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief.

Fa Zheng let out a quiet chuckle. ”Neither did I. The man has spent his entire life being led by others, first his father, his father’s chief advisors, then us. To see him actually rage... it was quite impressive actually.”

Meng Da, ever the pragmatist, folded his arms. ”Impressive, but inconvenient. If he pushes too hard for Liu Xie, it could disrupt His Majesty’s plans.”

The three men exchanged glances. They were, after all, not truly loyal to Liu Zhang. Their allegiance lay with Lie Fan, the true power behind their machinations in Yi Province. Their purpose was simple, keep Liu Zhang and Cao Cao locked in a stalemate, bleeding each other dry while Lie Fan expanded his influence elsewhere.

But now, Liu Zhang’s sudden burst of defiance had thrown a complication into their carefully laid schemes.

”So,” Zhang Song said slowly, ”if Liu Zhang truly insists on demanding Liu Xie’s release, do we let him? Or should we... persuade him otherwise?”

Fa Zheng tapped his chin thoughtfully. ”If we let him pursue this, it could force Cao Cao’s hand prematurely. But if we shut him down too harshly, he might start questioning our loyalty or worse, his own weakness.”

Meng Da’s lips curled into a smirk. ”Then we walk the middle path. We let him think he’s making the decision, while ensuring it aligns with His Majesty’s interests. As we have done so.”

”And if Cao Cao refuses?” Zhang Song asked.

”Then Liu Zhang’s anger grows, and his resolve hardens,” Fa Zheng replied. ”Which, in the long run, serves us just as well.”

They reached the courtyard, where the evening breeze carried the faint scent of plum blossoms. A servant approached, bowing deeply before presenting a sealed letter.

”For His Majesty,” Zhang Song said, taking it. ”A reaffirmation of our loyalty and a report of today’s... unexpected developments.”

The missive was carefully worded, a masterpiece of subtlety and subtext. It detailed Liu Zhang’s outburst, his sudden determination to act, and the advisors’ measured response. But woven between the lines was a question, what does His Majesty wish us to do?

Three days later, across rough roads lined by swollen rivers and fields bursting with harvest promise, an Oriole marked courier sped toward Xiapi under a grey dawn sky. The scroll it carried was heavy with meaning, sent by Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Meng Da, translated into formal script for transmission to Lie Fan and his court.

Inside the imperial office, Jia Xu knelt as he handed it to Lie Fan, his face grave. The Emperor broke the seal, unrolled the parchment, and read:

”...Your Majesty, be informed that Governor Liu Zhang’s court has felt the bloodline’s burden once more. The desire to bring the former Emperor Liu Xie to Chengdu has been spoken aloud. Though not yet demanded, the sentiment is clear. Should Liu Zhang be permitted, or worse compelled, to take this step, it would draw Wei’s sword and bind Chengdu in open conflict. We believe, Your Majesty, that this is the moment to press your advantage. We require your command.”

— Your obedient servants, Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Meng Da.

Lie Fan stared at the words, silence settling around them like dusk. He looked over at Jia Xu, who inclined his head.

”What is your opinion, Wenhe?” Lie Fan asked softly. ”If I order Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Meng Da to support Liu Zhang’s demand for Liu Xie... if we use the Oriole Agents to extract the former emperor and bring him to Chengdu... what then?”

Jia Xu’s eyes gleamed with understanding. ”You would resurrect the Han in Yi Province, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan nodded. ”Liu Xie would be proclaimed emperor once more. Liu Zhang would fly the banner of the Han, rallying those still loyal to the old dynasty to come to him. And as for Cao Cao...”

”Would have no choice but to crush them to smithereens” Jia Xu finished. ”Drawing his forces south, away from our borders in the west.”

A slow smile spread across Lie Fan’s face. ”Exactly, Wenhe. While Cao Cao is busy fighting a ’righteous’ war against the ’restored’ Han Dynasty in Chengdu to secure his upcoming Wei Dynasty legitimacy, we focus on securing Goguryeo’s peninsula and the southern kingdoms and chiefdoms south of Jiaozhi. And when the time is right...”

”Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Meng Da would deliver the entirety of Yi Province into your hands without any trouble,” Jia Xu said. ”A flawless stratagem, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. ”But there are risks in this plan of course. If Cao Cao moves too quickly, if his army crushes Liu Zhang’s army before we’re ready...”

”Then we lose nothing of value, Your Majesty.” Jia Xu replied coolly. ”Liu Zhang was always a means to an end for you. And Liu Xie? Was just a figurehead. Their deaths would only further paint Cao Cao as a tyrant.”

Lie Fan considered this. Then, with a decisive nod, he reached for his brush.

”Then let it be done, Wenhe. We will play this game to its end.”

The reply to Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Meng Da’s letter came several days later into their hand, and the reply was succinct but clear. ”Support Liu Zhang’s demand. Let him play the righteous lord. The Oriole Agents will handle Liu Xie’s extraction. When the time comes, Yi Province will be ours.”

The three advisors read the message in the privacy of Zhang Song’s study, then burned it.

”So,” Fa Zheng murmured, ”we are to stoke Liu Zhang’s fury and let him challenge Cao Cao openly.”

Meng Da smirked. ”And when the dust settles, His Majesty will claim both victor and vanquished.”

Zhang Song sighed. ”Then we had best prepare. Liu Zhang will need just enough support to make his defiance credible... but not enough to actually win.”

Fa Zheng chuckled. ”A delicate balance. But one we are well versed in maintaining.”

After that, a meeting took place in the dead of night, in a secluded chamber beneath Zhang Song’s residence on the same day.

The air was thick with the scent of burning oil lamps, their flickering light casting long shadows across the faces of the three advisors and the hooded figure seated across from them, a high ranking Oriole Agent known only as Yun Que (Cloud Sparrow).

Yun Que placed a small, meticulously drawn map on the table. ”Liu Xie and his family are being held at the Willow Grove Estate, fifty li southwest of Luoyang. Cao Cao’s men guard them, but not heavily, he considers them no real threat.”

Fa Zheng studied the map, tracing the estate’s perimeter with a finger. ”How many guards?”

”Twenty at any given time,” Yun Que replied. ”Rotating shifts. The household staff are all Cao Cao’s people, of course.”

Meng Da leaned forward. ”And the family? How many are we extracting?”

”Liu Xie, his empress, their two children, and several women both young and old. The rest...” Yun Que’s voice trailed off. The unspoken truth hung in the air. The rest of the Liu clan had already been quietly eliminated by Cao Cao, which was an eradication to ensure the Han Dynasty was down for good.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 34 (201 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 2325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 966 (+20)

VIT: 623 (+20)

AGI: 623 (+10)

INT: 667

CHR: 98

WIS: 549

WILL: 432

ATR Points: 0