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

___________________________

Xu Chu roared, swinging again. ”Die, filthy barbarian!” Meanwhile around them, King Duosi and Ahui Nan intercepted Cao Ang and Xiahou Yuan who wants to come to support Xu Chu, their duel a whirlwind of steel and fury as they exchanged moves of their own.

Below, the tide surged. But the defenders, battered and bloodied, held.

Each hour they endured was a blade through Cao Cao’s patience, a triumph in service for their lord Liu Zhang, not knowing that they were serving other lord who was far away in Xiapi.

Far from the frontlines, in a secluded command tent, Fa Zheng unrolled a fresh map, his fingers tracing the latest movements.

”They’re committing their elite generals now,” he murmured. ”Xu Chu. Xiahou Yuan. Cao Ang. Cao Cao is growing impatient.”

Zhang Song smirked. ”Good. The longer he focuses here, the less attention he pays to Your Majesty’s movement and his true purpose.”

Meng Da, ever the pragmatist, folded his arms. ”But we can’t hold forever. Our soldiers and the Nanman are fierce in defending the pass, but they have limits.”

Fa Zheng’s eyes gleamed. ”We don’t need forever. Just long enough for Your Majesty to achieve his purpose.”

Both Zhang Song and Meng Da nodded their head in agreement. They knew the war was far from over. And that each stand, each sacrifice, bought time. And time, more than anything, was the most precious weapon of all.

Back in Chengdu, at the the imperial gardens of Chengdu, was filled with a carefully cultivated illusion of tranquility. Cherry blossoms drifted lazily through the air, their petals settling on the surface of a small, artificial pond where koi fish darted beneath the water. Emperor Xian walked beside Liu Zhang, their steps slow, their conversation light, as if the world beyond these walls did not exist.

”It has been some time since I last saw my younger sister,” Liu Zhang remarked, plucking a leaf from a low hanging branch. ”She writes occasionally from her husband’s estate in Xiangyang. Apparently, their son has taken up archery.”

Emperor Xian nodded absently. ”Family is a blessing. I often wonder what my own children might have like to do, had fate been kinder.” His voice was soft, tinged with the quiet melancholy of a man who had long since accepted his powerlessness.

Liu Zhang opened his mouth to respond when hurried footsteps interrupted them. A messenger, his face streaked with dust from the road, bowed deeply before them.

”My Lord and Your Majesty, I brought ,news from Jianmen Pass.”

Liu Zhang straightened. ”Speak.”

”The battle continues without change. General Yan Yan and Zhang Ren hold the line, but casualties mount. Master Fa Zheng reports that the stalemate will persist for some time yet.”

Liu Zhang exhaled deeply, frustration coloring his tone. ”So it continues.”

A heavy silence followed. Liu Zhang exhaled through his nose, his fingers tightening briefly around the leaf he still held. Emperor Xian’s gaze drifted to the pond, watching the koi circle aimlessly.

”This is... not ideal,” the Emperor murmured at last.

Liu Zhang crumpled the leaf in his palm. ”No. But it is not disastrous either. We still hold the pass. Cao Cao bleeds as we do.”

Emperor Xian’s lips thinned. ”For now. But your forces are outnumbered, cousin. The longer it draws on, the more dangerous it becomes. A stalemate favors Cao Cao in the long run. His resources are deeper. His reinforcements are much more.”

A spark of irritation flashed in Liu Zhang’s eyes. ”Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da have never failed me, Imperial Cousin. If they say we can hold, then we will hold. They have never failed me.” His voice carried the fervent conviction of a man who needed to believe his own words.

Emperor Xian offered a thin smile and a polite nod. ”Of course. I trust your judgment, cousin.”

But behind his compliant expression, the Emperor’s thoughts churned. Fa Zheng. Zhang Song. Meng Da. Their names slithered through his mind like serpents. He had seen their kind before, men who smiled to his face while plotting behind his back. Men like Cao Cao. Like Dong Zhuo. Like every vulture who had ever feasted on the carcass of the Han Dynasty.

These three were no different. He was certain of it.

Hundreds of miles to the northeast, where the new borders of Goguryeo and Gaya met, a different kind of meeting was taking place.

A lavish pavilion had been erected in the no man’s land between two armies. On one side, the combined forces of Gongsun Gong and Goguryeo stretched as far as the eye could see, a sea of black and crimson banners, their numbers vast enough to make the earth itself tremble. Tents stretched across the horizon. The message was clear.

The Gaya army, though proud, was dwarfed by the combined forces of Goguryeo and Hengyuan Dynasty’s northeastern front.

Inside the grand pavilion adorned with silks and banners, Gongsun Gong, Marquis Zhenbei of Xiangping, waited with quiet dignity. Flanked by soldiers of the Goguryeo auxiliary army and his own banners, he watched as the King of Gaya arrived.

King Jinji of Gaya adjusted his robes as he stepped into the pavilion, his eyes scanning the interior. The space was elegant but sparse, a low table set with tea and delicate dishes, a handful of guards standing at attention. And at the head of the table, a single man waited.

Gongsun Gong.

The King frowned. Where was the Goguryeo representative?

”Your Excellency,” he began, bowing slightly. ”I am Jinji, King of Gaya. I come in peace, seeking to strengthen the bonds between our peoples.” He hesitated. ”Might I ask... where is the envoy from Goguryeo?”

Gongsun Gong did not rise. He gestured to the empty cushion across from him. ”Sit.”

The command was not unkind, but it carried an undeniable weight of authority. King Jinji swallowed and obeyed.

Once the King had settled, Gongsun Gong poured tea for them both. The steam curled between them like a silent omen.

”Let me introduce myself, I am Gongsun Gong,” he said at last. ”Marquis Zhenbei of Xiangping. Servant of Emperor Hongyi of the Hengyuan Dynasty.”

King Jinji’s cup froze halfway to his lips. ”...Emperor Hongyi?”

Gongsun Gong’s smile was razor thin. ”There is no Goguryeo representative because there is no longer a need for one. I represent both their interests and my liege, Emperor Hongyi of the Hengyuan Dynasty. Goguryeo is now a protectorate of the Hengyuan Dynasty. Its armies answer to the Emperor. As do I.”

The teacup trembled in the King’s grip.

Outside, the wind stirred the banners of two hundred thousand soldiers, all loyal to a single master.

The conversation that followed was a masterclass in political maneuvering. Gongsun Gong spoke of trade agreements, of mutual prosperity, of the benefits of aligning with a rising power. His words were honeyed, but his eyes were flint.

King Jinji, to his credit, held his ground. ”Gaya has always been independent. We have no wish to be absorbed by any empire, no matter how benevolent.”

Gongsun Gong sipped his tea. ”A noble sentiment. But the world changes, Your Majesty. Baekje and Silla learned that lesson. So did Goguryeo.” He set down his cup with deliberate care. ”But the world changes. And it is best to walk with the tide than be swept away. So the question is... will Gaya learn it peacefully? Or must we teach it?”

Behind him, Oriole Agents had already begun working. In the court of Gaya, ministers, generals, and scholars received generous gifts, flattery, or, when necessary, more persuasive encouragement. Allegiances shifted. Quietly, steadily, and at fast rate.

The threat hung in the air, unspoken but deafening.

King Jinji’s face paled.

At that moment, a messenger hurried into the pavilion, whispering urgently into Gongsun Gong’s ear. The Marquis’s expression did not change, but something in his posture sharpened.

”Interesting,” he murmured. Then, to the King, ”It seems your chief minister has just pledged his loyalty to the Hengyuan Dynasty. Along with half your court.”

The blood drained from King Jinji’s face. How could such thing happened the moment he left his capital? It means they had been working in his capital all this time.

Gongsun Gong at this time rose from his seat. ”Think on the offer of my liege, Your Majesty. But do not think too long. As it also a form of your answer for us.”

As he strode from the pavilion, the armies of Hengyuan and Goguryeo shifted, a silent, looming reminder of the future bearing down on Gaya. The King of Gaya stared at his tea. He felt the eyes of two armies watching. And in the shadows, unseen hands continued to pull strings.

After Gongsun Gong left the pavilion, King Jinji remained seated for a moment longer, frozen as though the very marrow of his bones had turned to ice. The silence weighed heavy, broken only by the faint clatter of teacups trembling on the tray beside him.

Then, slowly, he rose, his limbs unsteady, knees barely holding. One of his guards rushed forward to steady him, and it was only with the man’s quick reflexes that the King did not collapse entirely.

”Let go,” Jinji muttered, jerking his arm free with sudden force. The guard obeyed, stepping back in silence as the King walked stiffly, with trembling pride, toward his camp.

The pavilion, the banners, the host of soldiers, all of it blurred around him. His thoughts were a hurricane.

Inside his command tent, King Jinji ripped open a lacquered case containing his personal messenger scrolls. He scribbled a hurried message in his own hand, sealing it with the royal emblem of Gaya. The parchment was brief, frantic in tone:

”To Her Majesty the Queen, Has the Chief Minister betrayed me? Is the court no longer ours? I beg of you, reply swiftly. — Jinji”

He tied the note to the leg of a messenger bird, released it into the air, and watched as it vanished toward the east.

Then his hands shook as he paced the length of his command tent. The silken walls, once a symbol of his royal status, now felt like a cage closing in around him.

Had his own chief minister truly betrayed him?

The thought was a knife twisting in his gut. Minister Park had served his father before him, a man of unwavering loyalty, or so he had believed.

”My king,” his guard captain murmured, stepping inside with a bow. ”The men grow restless. They see the enemy numbers. They hear whispers of...” He hesitated.

”Of what?” King Jinji snapped.

”Of betrayal. From the capital.”

King Jinji’s jaw clenched. So the rot had already spread to his own camp. He should have known. Gongsun Gong would not have revealed such information unless he was certain the damage was already done. ”Send word to the generals,” Jinji ordered. ”No one is to speak of this. Anyone spreading rumors will be executed for treason.”

______________________________

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