Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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The messenger, though bearing a letter that Ma Chao himself write, was clearly nervous as he was led into the main hall of Xiapi’s governor’s castle. There, Lie Fan was accompanied by his inner council, Jia Xu, Xun You, Chen Qun, Liu Ye, Chen Gong, Lu Su, Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu.

The atmosphere in the hall was tense, for while the Ma Clan had believe they were truly in a secret alliance with Lie Fan, his true feelings on the matter were known only to his closest advisors.

The messenger, with a bow, presented the letter to Lie Fan. Lie Fan’s page takes it and presented the letter to Lie Fan, where Lie Fan take the letter and read the contents carefully, his expression unreadable as he absorbed the message.

When he finished reading, Lie Fan chuckled inwardly, though his face remained composed. The letter was exactly as he had anticipated, a plea for support, an acknowledgment of the Ma Clan’s weakening position, and a request for Lie Fan to step in as their ally.

It was clear that the Ma Clan’s rebellion was crumbling under the weight of Cao Cao’s army onslaught, which make sense as the generals leading Cao Cao’s was Xiahou Dun, Zhang He, Xu Huang, and Li Dian, with Guo Jia and Jia Kui as their strategist, it would be matter of time for Ma Clan rebellion to end.

The messenger, sensing the shift in mood, awaited Lie Fan’s response with bated breath. After a long pause, Lie Fan put the letter aside and addressed the messenger with deliberate calm. ”Tell Lord Ma Teng and Young Lord Ma Chao that while I understand their predicament, I cannot mobilize my forces at this time.”

His voice was steady, his tone diplomatic. ”Our supplies are stretched thin from the campaign against Liu Bei, and much of our provisions have already been sent to aid the common people in Jing and Jiaozhi provinces.”

Lie Fan had no intention of immediately offering his help. Instead, like he had planned, he sought to further weaken the Ma Clan and slowly draw them into his fold.

This was not the time for open conflict or swift intervention, it was time to wait, to allow the Ma Clan’s desperation to grow, and to exploit the opportunity when the moment was right.

The moment Lie Fan’s calm, measured refusal left his lips, the effect on Ma Chao’s messenger was immediate and palpable. The man’s face drained of color, his knees buckled, and with a ragged intake of breath, he collapsed forward onto his knees, the slap of flesh against polished stone echoing through the hall.

”Lord Lie Fan!” the messenger cried out, his voice raw with desperation. ”Please, I beg of you my lord, mobilize your forces! Without your aid, my lord Ma Teng and Young Lord Ma Chao at Tianshui will be swept away by Cao Cao’s armies like reeds before the flood, and forced to retreat to Jincheng. You are our only hope to withstand this onslaught!”

The hall fell utterly still, the tension wound tight as a drawn bowstring. The inner council watched, their sharp minds noting every twitch of Lie Fan’s expression, every flicker of emotion across the messenger’s face.

Lie Fan, already mastered the arts of composure, allowed himself a measured pause, fingers steepled under his chin, eyes hooded in contemplation.

He let the silence stretch, heavy and suffocating, until even the messenger dared to hope. Then, with a sigh as soft as falling snow, he reached out and lightly tapped the edge of the letter on the table.

”I... understand the plight of the Ma Clan,” Lie Fan murmured, voice low and seemingly burdened with the weight of responsibility. ”To abandon kin in their hour of need weighs upon my heart, My armies are stretched thin, and grain stores are low after the Jing and Jiaozhi campaigns. But...”

Before he could continue, Jia Xu stepped forward smoothly, his long sleeves brushing the floor. His expression was as unreadable as polished jade, but his eyes glimmered with the cunning that had earned him the nickname of Poisonous Strategist.

”My lord,” Jia Xu said silkily, bowing with a graceful sweep of his arm, ”I must advise caution. While the Ma Clan’s situation is dire, we must first look to our own house. Our armies are weary from the campaign against Liu Bei. Our grain stores run dangerously low. To mobilize our army now, with hollow bellied soldiers, is to court ruin.”

”An army that marches hungry is an army that mutters, and from muttering comes disorder, and from disorder, discontent will fester, discipline will crumble, and Cao Cao’s forces will cut through our men like wheat before the scythe, leading to our defeat.”

The messenger flinched as if struck. His shoulders sagged, his hands clenched into fists on the stone floor. His mouth opened, then closed, words deserting him as Jia Xu’s cold, ruthless logic pierced through the last of his desperate hope.

Lie Fan let the silence stretch just Then, with a heavy sigh, he .

Lie Fan allowed the moment to steep in despair and long enough to convey reluctant agreement before offering a sliver of light. With another long sigh, he waved a hand gently and then rubbed his temples.

”Be at ease, honored envoy. I will not send my men now, but neither will I turn a deaf ear to your plea. Remain here in Xiapi for a time. I shall direct my stewards to scour the lands for grain, to seek every avenue to provision an army. Should we gather enough to mobilize... then perhaps the banners of army may ride to the Ma Clan’s aid to relieve your pressure at Tianshui.”

At this, the messenger’s head snapped up, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes as it lit up with fragile hope. He kowtowed deeply, forehead pressed to the cold stone.

”My lord Lie Fan, your mercy is as boundless as the heavens! I know that whatever you set your hand to shall surely succeed. Heaven itself must favor a hero of your greatness.”

Lie Fan gave a gracious, faint smile, as he waved his hand dismissively. ”Enough. Go, rest. You’ve ridden hard to bring this message.”

Lie Fan with a soft clap, summoned a servant to guide the envoy away to the quarters prepared for him. Only when the echo of their footsteps faded beyond the doors did the mask slip from Lie Fan’s face, his pleasant expression cooling into sharp calculation.

He turned to his council, dark eyes sweeping across the circle of gathered minds. ”Well,” he murmured, tapping a finger lightly against the armrest of his chair, ”now that the performance is over, how long do you all believe the Ma Clan can hold out?”

Jia Xu was the first to speak, eyes half lidded. ”Their rebellion is destined to crumble, my lord. With Cao Cao’s veterans such as Xiahou Dun, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Li Dian, pressing from the front, and Guo Jia and Jia Kui guiding the blade, I would give them six months at most. Hunger, exhaustion, and despair will do the rest.”

Xun You, as the calm tactician, folded his hands in his sleeves. ”I would be more conservative, my lord. If Ma Teng and Ma Chao retreat into the western passes and fortify, they could stretch their resistance. Perhaps ten months. But make no mistake, they cannot win, only delay their fall.”

Chen Qun, the stern jurist, spoke next. ”I agree with Master Xun You, my lord. Ma Teng has ruled the northwest for decades. He knows the terrain, and his men are hardy. That said, their strength wanes by the day. Ten months, no more.”

Liu Ye tilted his head, lips curved in a thoughtful half mile. ”They are fierce, but desperate my lord. Desperation sharpens men, but it also blinds them. If the right wedge is driven between father and son, or between Ma Chao and his lieutenants, they may unravel even sooner. I would wager on eight months.”

Chen Gong, tapping his chin thoughtfully with his finger, added, ”Their greatest weakness lies in overconfidence, my lord. Ma Chao is valiant, but he is young and impetuous, and Ma Teng couldn’t control him. With the right push, his rashness could bring disaster upon their heads. Six to nine months.”

Lu Su, looking form the perspective of balance, offered his view with quiet deliberation. ”If no external force intervenes, a year and no more, my lord. But if the Qiang people under Han Sui previously rally to them, or if unrest spreads in Cao Cao’s rear, they may yet last longer. One year, perhaps a year and a half, though that is the limit.”

Sima Yi, his formidable mind already working, spoke with quiet confidence. ”A year and a half is the longest possible estimate, but only under optimal conditions, my lord. I suspect one year is the true ceiling of their resistance, given their lack of provisions and allies.”

Zhuge Liang, the brilliant Sleeping Dragon, leaned forward, eyes glimmering with insight. ”Their downfall is inevitable my lord, but the manner of their fall will determine how useful they are to us. If we intervene too soon, we inherit their burden. If we wait too long, Cao Cao will sweep them away, and we will face his strengthened hand. Timing, my lord, is the key.”

Pang Tong, the sly Fledgling Phoenix, chuckled softly. ”If we stir the pot just right my lord, spread a few rumors here, a false promise there, we can hasten their fall without lifting a finger. Eight months, no more.”

Xu Shu, calm and reflective, was last to speak. ”I believe they can hold for a year if left untouched, my lord. But if their supply lines are cut or a key betrayal occurs, six to eight months is more realistic.”

Lie Fan nodded slowly, absorbing each opinion, weighing the threads of thought like a weaver before a loom.

”We shall continue to watch,” he said at last. ”Let the Ma Clan sweat and struggle. Let them bleed. When they are on the brink, when their need is absolute, then, and only then, shall we extend the hand they so desperately crave. But it will be on our terms and they will have no choice but to come to us.”

His gaze swept the circle, steel glinting behind the serene mask.

”In the meantime, Wenhe, Gongtai, I task you with drafting correspondence to the influential people in the Qiang people under Han Sui previously. Spread whispers of Ma Chao’s recklessness, of Ma Teng’s waning strength and control. Fan the flames of doubt. Ziyang, Shiyuan, devise ways to disrupt their grain routes without implicating us. Gongda, Changwen, create a fake review our own provisions that determine how soon we could feasibly mobilize, so that Ma Chao’s envoy would belief us even further.”

The council murmured their assent, already shifting into motion, their minds turning like the gears of some vast, inexorable machine.

As the hall emptied, Zhuge Liang lingered, stepping lightly to Lie Fan’s side.

”My lord,” he murmured, voice soft, ”you play a delicate game. But the west is a tempest. Even the most skillful sailor must respect the storm.”

Lie Fan smiled faintly, his eyes sharp as a drawn blade. ”Then let us be the storm.” Outside, the lamps of Xiapi flickered to life, casting long, wavering shadows across the walls. In the quiet night, the messenger of the Ma Clan sat in his appointed quarters, sipping thin wine, clinging to the hope that salvation was near.

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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