Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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”Exactly,” Ma Chao said. ”He’s feeding tens even possibly hundreds thousands of civilians, resettling refugees, and holding two provinces together with fresh blood. The fact that he sent an army to the border at all is proof of his commitment to our alliance. He’s walking a fine line. If he moved any further, he might provoke Cao Cao into an all out war, one that would tear everything he’s built apart.”

Ma Xiu nodded slowly, the lesson settling in. ”Then... we’re truly placing our hopes on him.”

”Yes,” Ma Chao said simply. ”Because he’s the only one who hasn’t turned his back on us.”

Ma Yunlu, who had been silent during this exchange, now spoke with quiet conviction. ”He won’t betray us. I believe in him. And he believed in you, eldest brother.”

Ma Chao glanced at her, his eyes softer now. ”I believe that too.”

Ma Tie traced the edge of the table with his finger. ”Then we must hope his gratitude outweighs the risk of harboring us who had become swirn enemy with Cao Cao.”

”It will.” Ma Chao’s voice brooked no argument. ”Lie Fan is no fool. He knows Cao Cao will come for him eventually. Having us, having me, strengthens his hand.”

A long silence followed, the four siblings lost in their own thoughts. Outside, the wind howled faintly through the high windows, a whisper of the cold storm to come. Somewhere beyond the city walls, Cao Cao’s armies were likely marching, calculated, inevitable, and cruel.

Finally, Ma Chao broke the silence once more.

”We must survive this,” he said. ”We owe it to Father. To Uncle Guan. To our people.”

His siblings nodded, one by one, and in that solemn chamber, the bonds between them solidified into something unbreakable.

After that, Ma Chao decide to go search for his cousin and found Ma Dai in the stables, brushing down his stallion with unnecessary force.

”You’re angry,” Ma Chao said.

Ma Dai’s hands stilled. ”Wouldn’t you be?”

”Yes.”

A pause. Then Ma Dai turned, his eyes red rimmed. ”He doesn’t have to do this. We could draw lots. We could—”

”We could do nothing.” Ma Chao stepped closer, lowering his voice. ”This is war, cousin. We do not get to choose our sacrifices. Only how we face them.”

Ma Dai’s breath hitched. ”I know that. But why him? Why now?”

”Because he volunteered.” Ma Chao gripped Ma Dai’s shoulder. ”And because he loves you enough to spare you this burden.”

Ma Dai wrenched away. ”I don’t want to be spared!”

The words echoed off the stable walls. Somewhere, a horse snorted nervously.

Ma Chao let the silence stretch until Ma Dai’s shoulders slumped. Then, gently he said, ”I know.”

They stood there, two warriors stripped bare by grief, until the lanterns guttered low.

Preparations began the very next day. The elders gathered their followers and families. Supplies were secretly divided, weapons hidden, escape routes mapped.

Scouts were sent to track the enemy’s movements while couriers departed under the guise of traders to Lie Fan’s domain, bearing letters sealed with the Ma Clan’s crest.

Ma Guan moved like a man renewed in purpose. Though age had worn down his body, his spirit burned brightly. He oversaw the training of the diversion force, handpicking veterans and loyal retainers who had nothing left to lose. Men who would buy their kin another chance.

Ma Dai never left his father’s side those days, and though he never voiced his protest again, his silence was heavy with everything he wished to say.

And so, when the dust of marching feet finally rose on the horizon, and the banners of Cao Cao’s army appeared in the distance like blood streaked thunderclouds, the Ma Clan was ready.

Wuwei, proud and defiant, stood on the edge of ruin. But within its walls, there remained a sliver of hope, a path forward carved not by victory, but by sacrifice. The kind of sacrifice only the most loyal, the most brave, and the most human could offer.

And though Ma Guan would not live to see the Ma Clan rise again, his name would be etched into its survival like stone, firm, enduring, and unforgettable.

When Cao Cao’s army finally arrived at Wuwei, the vast plains that once lay quiet now thundered with the tremors of war.

At the forefront rode Xiahou Dun, his eyepatch a stark contrast against his scowling face. To his left, Zhang He sat poised on his mount, his expression unreadable. Xu Huang and Li Dian flanked them, their banners snapping in the wind.

Behind this vanguard, the siege engines rolled forward, towering battering rams, catapults, and ladders that stretched like skeletal fingers toward the sky.

Overseeing the assault from a raised command platform were Guo Jia and Jia Kui, their eyes sharp, calculating, as they surveyed the city they intended to break.

The demand for surrender came first.

Guo Jia’s envoy rode alone, a white flag held high, and delivered a message with the practiced solemnity of one who had done this many times before, ”Lay down your arms. Open your gates. Chancellor Cao Cao promises your lives will be spared.”

Ma Chao listened with a stoic face, saying nothing at first. He stood atop the main gate’s battlements, clad in full armor, his eyes not on the envoy but on the army stretched beyond the horizon. His fingers tightened on the hilt of his spear.

”Tell Guo Jia this,” Ma Chao finally said, his voice clear and unyielding. ”The Ma Clan may fall, but the Ma Clan does not kneel!”

The envoy bowed without a word and then wheeled his horse around and ride back.

That evening, the first siege engines rolled forward.

The brutal siege of Wuwei had begun.

From the command platform, Jia Kui and Guo Jia coordinated the assault with methodical precision. Guo Jia’s eyes rarely left the battlefield, tracking movement like a hawk.

Jia Kui stood beside him, calling out commands to the signal bearers. Siege towers, ladders, and battering rams advanced steadily, shadowed by the disciplined formations of Cao Cao’s elite brigades.

Xiahou Dun led the first wave at the eastern wall, roaring commands as his soldiers advanced under a hail of arrows. Zhang He and his troops moved with swift precision at the southern wall, while Xu Huang brought his legendary strength to the western flank. Li Dian’s brigade supported wherever pressure was greatest, their flexibility key to Guo Jia and Jia Kui’s strategy.

Within Wuwei, Ma Chao took position at the front lines, stationed at the main gate. His armor was already dusted with the ash of war, and his spear never left his side. Beside him stood Pang De, grim and composed, issuing orders to archers and ground troops alike.

The two of them cutting down the first wave of climbers before they could crest the walls. Arrows rained down around them, thudding into shields and flesh alike.

”Ladders!” Pang De bellowed as a wooden ramp slammed against the parapet.

Ma Chao was already moving. He vaulted onto the battlement, his spear a silver blur as he severed the hands of the first soldier to reach the top. The man screamed, tumbling backward into the mass of bodies below.

To the right, Ma Dai and Ma Tie held their ground against Xu Huang’s relentless pressure. Ma Dai’s spear darted like a serpent, piercing throats and eyes, while Ma Tie bashed skulls with his mace. Their bond as kin was forged further in the crucible of battle, fighting side by side with resolute determination.

”Hold the line!” Ma Dai snarled as a Cao soldier nearly breached their defenses. Ma Tie responded with a brutal swing, sending the man flying off the ladder.

To the left, Ma Xiu and Ma Yunlu resisted the cunning assaults of Zhang He. Ma Xiu, though barely more than a boy, wielded his sword with surprising skill, his movements sharp and precise.

Ma Yunlu despite her smaller stature, moved with unrelenting focus, her arrows never missed, each shot finding the gap between helmet and breastplate. She rallied the archers and kept morale high, her commands swift and unhesitating.

”Aim for the officers!” Yunlu called, nocking another arrow. Her shot took a Cao captain through the eye, sending his men into disarray.

Their strategy was simple, elegant in its desperation, hold the walls, buy time, and watch for the moment that would mark their escape. It was not about winning. It was about surviving.

Meanwhile, far from the city, the couriers began their harrowing journeys. Disguised as traders, they carried messages of hope and desperation toward Xiapi. Not all would make it. Some were caught by bandits and never heard from again. Others fell into Cao Cao’s traps, captured, tortured, yet steadfast to the end. Not one betrayed their mission.

But four survived.

Three weeks of hardship, evasion, and vigilance brought them at last to the great walls of Xiapi. They entered under false pretenses, but their arrival had not gone unnoticed.

Lie Fan had already been watching.

From the moment they left Wuwei, his Oriole agents had tracked their progress. The elite intelligence network he cultivated sent their reports that arrived before the couriers themselves. So when the four men entered his palace, exhausted and wary, they found a reception unlike any they expected.

Lie Fan sat calmly at the center of the main hall, dressed not in ceremonial finery but in the muted robes of a statesman at work. The previous messenger from Ma Teng and Ma Chao stood nearby, having remained in Xiapi for continued coordination.

The four couriers dropped to one knee in unison, heads bowed. ”Esteemed Lord Lie Fan, we bring word from Our Lord Ma Chao.”

Lie Fan smiled faintly. He motioned for his page to collect the letters. As instructed, the page handed him only one, he’d been told the messages were identical.

The seal broke cleanly. Lie Fan read in silence, his eyes scanning swiftly but thoroughly.

Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.

The words were everything he had hoped for: Ma Chao requested asylum, not only for himself, but for his entire clan, his loyalists, and what remained of their military strength. It was a plea, but also a pledge.

Lie Fan exhaled through his nose, resisting the urge to show too much satisfaction.

Finally, he folded the letter carefully and placed it on the table beside him. Rising from his seat, he stepped toward the couriers.

”You have done well,” he said. ”Tell Young Lord Ma Chao that his message has been received, his courage noted, and his request... accepted.” The relief on the men’s faces was palpable. One of them, barely older than twenty, looked as though he might weep.

Lie Fan continued, ”I will send word at once to my men. The Ma Clan will have shelter under my banner. But they must reach the border first. That path will not be easy.” He turned to the four messengers, nodding. The he looked at his page. ”Prepare my order. And summon Chen Qun, Lu Su, and Xu Shu. We must plan for their arrival.”

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains

Age: 34 (201 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