Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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(A/N: I changed Yamato to Yamatai, I confused Yamatai with Yamato, who was said to be the successor of Yamatai in the later period)

And with it, a pretext to turn his eyes across the sea. Gongsun Gong stood atop the palace ruins of Seorabeol and looked east. The peninsula was now under Hengyuan Dynasty control fully. But the horizon called. The land of Wa would soon feel the weight of Hengyuan’s ambition.

It took three days to fully pacify Seorabeol.

Three days of blood, of fire, of screams echoing through the capital as Gongsun Gong led the clearing of the remnants of Silla soldiers that fighting a street guerrilla attack.

And when it was over, Gongsun Gong stood in the courtyard of Silla’s palace, his boots slick with gore, his armor dented and bloodied.

Before him was an old man, who was the commander of the remnants of Silla soldiers kneeling on the ground, as his sword was broken, and his body bleeding from a dozen wounds.

”Your king has abandoned you,” Gongsun Gong said quietly. *Yet you fought like demons, attacking my men in the streets through guerrilla.”

The old warrior spat blood onto the marble floor. ”For Silla. Not for him.”

Gongsun Gong nodded. Then, with a single motion of his hand, he granted the man a warrior’s death.

With Seorabeol’s truly pacified, the last remnants of Silla’s resistance crumbled. The cities still holding out surrendered one by one. The people, weary of war, accepted the new order, especially when Gongsun Gong proved a surprisingly merciful conqueror.

Food was distributed. Order was restored. The criminal elements that had thrived in the chaos were hunted down and executed publicly.

And the common folk, who had been abandoned by their own king, began to whisper that perhaps this new Emperor, this Hongyi, was not so terrible after all.

Only the Gaya army found no such goodwill. Wherever they marched into the southern cuties they have conquered and pacified, the people glared. Supplies went ”missing.” Roads were mysteriously blocked. The Silla folk, even in defeat, could not forgive Gaya’s betrayal.

Gongsun Gong observed this with quiet amusement. ”The heart of the people is not so easily won,” he remarked to his aides.

On the other hand, to the far east, several ships carried King Naemul and his court alongside several thousands of soldiers seeking refuge to Wa, to the Yamato court, where they would plot, and wait, and dream of vengeance.

The fleet of Silla ships cut through the waves, its sails straining against the wind as it carried the last remnants of Silla’s nobility eastward.

Inside King Naemul’s royal ship, the salty air mixed with the pungent scent of seaweed and sickness. The Queen leaned over the side once more, retching violently into a bronze basin as a servant held her robes back.

Her face was pale, her hands were trembling, and she had never been a good sailor. King Naemul stood beside her, his hand gently rubbing small circles across her back.

”My love,” she whispered hoarsely, wiping her mouth with a silk cloth. ”How much longer must we endure this until we reach Yamatai?” she asked weakly, her voice trembling between bouts of nausea.

King Naemul’s eyes softened even though filled with exhaustion, and his fingers gently brushed the sweat dampened strands of hair from her forehead.

”Roughly two weeks, perhaps less if the winds favor us,” he said, offering her a cloth to wipe her lips. ”The seas are favorable, but the distance is great. I will ask the servants to prepare a tonic for your stomach. Please, endure a little longer.”

The queen swallowed hard, her throat raw from vomiting. ”I will endure,” she murmured, though her fingers dug into his arm like claws. ”For our children. For our family. For Silla.”

King Naemul looked back at the ship’s deck. His courtiers and generals were huddled together, some praying, others staring silently at the horizon.

Soldiers manned the rails, their weapons close by, ever alert despite the sea’s deceptive calm. The remnants of Silla drifted eastward, broken but not yet beaten.

Around him, the fleet stretched across the horizon, dozens of ships carrying nobles, generals, scholars, and what remained of Silla’s royal guard. Their banners, once proud symbols of a kingdom, now hung limp, as if ashamed.

He knew his task was not only to protect them but to preserve hope. Hope that one day they will return. Hope that vengeance could be taken.

Then he saw his eldest son, Crown Prince Silseong, standing at the prow, his knuckles white as he gripped the railing. The young man had not spoken since they fled Seorabeol.

King Naemul approached silently. ”The sea air will clear your mind.”

Silseong did not turn. ”Will it also clear the shame of running like a thief in the night, Royal Father?”

The king’s jaw tightened. ”We did not run, Silseong. We retreated to fight another day.”

”With what army, Royal Father?” Silseong finally looked at him, his eyes burning. ”Our soldiers are dead. Our people are enslaved. And we, we flee to beg for scraps from the Yamatai Queen like starving dogs.”

King Naemul’s hand shot out, gripping his son’s shoulder. ”You are the Crown Prince of Silla. Act like it.” His voice was low, dangerous. ”The Yamatai court owes us blood debts from some time ago. They will shelter us. And when the time comes, they will lend us their armies.”

Silseong’s nostrils flared, but he said nothing.

Naemul exhaled, releasing him. ”Grief is a luxury we cannot afford. Not yet.”

He turned his gaze westward, where the horizon swallowed the last traces of their homeland. Somewhere beyond those waves, Seorabeol burned.

And in his heart, a vow took root. ”We will return.”

Meanwhile, far across the sea, in Xiapi, the heart of the Hengyuan Dynasty beat with triumph.

Lie Fan, now Emperor Hongyi, sat at the head of his council chamber. The letter in his hand bore the imperial seal of Gongsun Gong. His sharp eyes scanned its contents with growing satisfaction. The final report of Seorabeol’s fall and Silla’s complete capitulation.

He read the words aloud, voice steady and regal. As he finished, his gathered ministers and generals gave a short bow in unison.

”Congratulations, Your Majesty,” said Jia Xu, standing nearest. ”It is due to Heaven’s favor and your wise leadership that this campaign has concluded so swiftly.”

”Indeed Your Majesty,” added Sima Yi, folding his arms with a small smile. ”Baekje and Silla, two ancient kingdoms, fell within a mere forty five days. That is no small feat.”

”Thanks to Gongsun Gong’s prowess and the Goguryeo under Your Majesty’s thumb,” said Xun You. ”And the carefully placed Oriole Agents who made it possible to sway Gaya.”

Lie Fan chuckled, a deep and satisfied sound. ”It is not only Heaven’s favor, but all of your tireless efforts that have led us here. But our work is far from over. Baekje and Silla are gone, but they have left a power vacuum.”

Huangfu Song stepped forward, his expression grave. ”Now that Goguryeo occupies most of the former territory, and Gaya controls the southern region, the peninsula may fracture if left unchecked, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan nodded. ”Which is why it is time to pressure Gaya. They were useful, but we must now ensure they become vassals of the Hengyuan Dynasty.”

He turned to Zhang Liao. ”Send a formal envoy, but keep the Oriole Agents active. If persuasion fails, destabilize their court. Offer the people of Gaya the same order and mercy that Gongsun Gong brought to Baekje and Silla.”

Zhang Liao bowed. ”It will be done, Your Majesty.”

Huangfu Song at this time cleared his throat. ”And what of Yamatai, Your Majesty? King Naemul’s escape gives them a pretext to interfere.”

Lie Fan leaned back onto his chair, his finger tapping at the table in front of him. ”Let them try. While we don’t know much about the Yamatai court, I have heard that in their land the kingdoms weren’t just them, but fractured into many parts and were too busy squabbling over land to unite against us. By the time they realize the threat at their shores, it will be too late.”

Jia Xu then stepped forward. ”Your Majesty, since the eastern campaign has borne fruit, may I suggest we begin the southern expedition? Shi Xie and the Sun Clan must have been waiting for your word.”

Lie Fan became silent, tapping his fingers against the wood of his throne. For a moment, the room held its breath. Then he nodded once, firmly.

”Yes. Inform them it is time. The south must be brought under our influence. Champa and Funan are much weaker and disorganized compared to us. With Cao Cao and Liu Zhang clashing at Jianmen Pass, they will be too distracted to even realize a large army was moving southward.”

Jia Xu bowed deeply. ”I will have the letters dispatched immediately.”

And so they were sent.

In the south, the messengers rode swiftly to the domains of Shi Xie and the Sun Clan. The commands of the Emperor arrived like thunder, and preparation began immediately. Armies were mustered. Grain and iron collected. The wheels of war turned again.

Meanwhile, in the mountains of Yi Province, it trembled under the thunder of war. All of it was due to the battle at Jianmen Pass, the situation was a storm of steel.

Liu Zhang’s forces, numbering 450,000 strong, held the mountain bastion with grim resolve. Towering cliffs and narrow passes gave them the advantage, but Cao Cao’s 650,000 men attacked relentlessly, their black banners blotting out the horizon.

Flaming projectiles flew through the air as siege towers crept up the slope. The screams of dying men echoed across the mountain canyons. The river below ran red with blood.

Cao Cao, in his command tent, leaned over a map stained with ink and ash. His head throbbed from pain, but he would not let it show.

”Break them at the eastern gate,” he ordered. ”I don’t care what it costs. Take the pass.”

Xiahou Dun, his face streaked with soot, bowed deeply. ”Your Majesty, we cannot continue like this. The men are exhausted.”

Cao Cao’s fingers drummed against the armrest of his chair. ”And Liu Zhang’s forces?”

”Equally battered, Your Majesty. But they have the advantage of terrain.” A muscle twitched in Cao Cao’s jaw. He had expected Liu Zhang to fold quickly and end the war in a short time. But instead, the man had divided to dug in like a cornered rat, which was also what he expected but he didn’t expect the resistance would be this big.

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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