Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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She searched his face for a long moment, then nodded. ”That’s all I ask, Your Majesty.” For a heartbeat, they stood there, the world narrowing to just the two of them, looking deeply at each other. Then, from somewhere in the garden, a servant’s voice called out, polite but insistent.

”Your Majesty! Chancellor Jia Xu, Minister of War Sima Yi, and Master Xu Kai had come, bringing urgent news from the northern frontier!”*

The moment shattered. Lie Fan sighed, but Zhen Ji merely smiled and stepped back.

”Go, Your Majesty,” she said. ”We’ll have much time to continue this.”

He nodded his head and squeezed her hand once, then turned to follow the servant. Duty, as always, came first.

In his study, Lie Fan met with Jia Xu, Sima Yi, and Xu Kai who cupped their hand and bowed respectfully. Xu Kai then immediately stepped forward and gave a letter to Lie Fa, who unrolled the missive with a flick of his wrist. The seal, with an Oriole wax, marked it as from the Oriole Agents.

The message was brief but potent,

”Your Majesty, the southern kings of Baekje, Silla, and Gaya have grown restless. Our attempts to break them from forming a tripartite alliance were a success, but Baekje and Silla have formed a defensive pact while Gaya was left out, and their envoys whispers of ’foreign interference’ in Gogirye grew louder and pushed for their kings to take action. We have detected movements along the border. Awaiting your command. Signed, Li Wei.”

Lie Fan’s jaw tightened. He had expected this. The sudden changes inside Goguryeo were too quick and not clean enough due to Sansang’s sudden growth of a spine, now its neighbors would never accept the changes without suspicion.

But at least their attempt to break off the tripartite alliance worked. It was only Baekje and Silla who made a defensive pact, leaving the weakest kingdom, Gaya, isolated. A faint, almost imperceptible, smile touched Lie Fan’s lips. This was an opportunity. He could bring Gaya to his side, make them a vassal of Goguryeo.

Then, they could strike Baekje and Silla from behind, while Goguryeo’s army, under Li Wei’s machinations and Gongsun Gong’s forces, attacked from the front. The vision of a unified Goguryeo, stretching its influence across the peninsula, flickered in his mind.

As Lie Fan pondered this strategic maneuver, Xu Kai stepped forward. ”Your Majesty,” he began, his voice respectful, ”this letter, as your Majesty has read, is indeed from Li Wei. He entrusted it to the Oriole Agents network in Gungnae to ensure its swift delivery to Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan nodded, a silent acknowledgment of the information he had already gleaned. He passed the missive to Jia Xu and Sima Yi, allowing them to read the urgent dispatch from the northern frontier.

”Thank you, Xu Kai,” he said, his gaze returning to his two most trusted advisors. ”Wenhe, Zhongda, why have you both accompanied Xu Kai here?” he asked, using their courtesy names, a sign of his trust and familiarity.

Jia Xu, who had finished reading the letter and passed it to Sima Yi, responded, ”Your Majesty, Xu Kai sent an Oriole Agent to inform us that your presence was requested here. We understood the urgency and thus came immediately.”

Lie Fan nodded again, his eyes assessing both men. Their presence underscored the gravity of the situation. ”What course of action do you believe we should take against Baekje, Silla, and Gaya now?” he asked, his voice even, though the weight of the decision lay heavy in the air.

A brief silence descended upon the study, broken only by the rustle of the letter as Sima Yi finished reading and put the letter down. Then, almost in unison, both men began to speak, each taking a turn to present their ideas and suggestions.

Jia Xu laid the letter on the desk. ”It confirms our calculations, Your Majesty, Gaya stands alone. Their king was swayed by whispers of foreign interference, too easily isolated. But that gives us an opportunity. Diplomacy, influence, and leverage, if we bring Gaya into our fold, it allows us to strike Baekje and Silla from multiple directions.”

A spark of excitement lit Sima Yi’s eyes. ”Agreed. If Goguryeo’s army under Li Wei and Gongsun Gong engages Baekje and Silla from their south, we strike from the south and west. Coordination with the Imperial Navy will block their sea routes, land and sea encirclement.”

Lie Fan moved to the window, staring out toward the sprawling capital. Morning mist curled around the rooftops, promising dawn. ”That mirrors what I had in mind.” He let his shoulders relax, but his tone remained steely. ”Let it be done. Zhongda, have the Ministry of War draft attack plans. Liaise with our Navy under Grand Admiral Zhou Yu and Deputy Grand Admiral Gan Ning. We launch only after Gaya is secured into our fold.”

Sima Yi bowed. ”As you wish, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan turned to Jia Xu. ”Wenhe, manage the provisioning. Secure rice, steel, and horses. Ensure equipment is ready to ship, both to Goguryeo’s armies and Gongsun Gong’s army when they commence the attack in the future. We cannot falter from logistics, ensuring our forces are fully provisioned for a prolonged campaign.”

Jia Xu gave a short bow. ”I’ll coordinate with the Ministries of War and Works, Your Majesty. Every province in the supply chain will be aware and ready.”

Lie Fan glanced at Xu Kai. ”And you, Xu Kai. Expand the Oriole agents network, double surveillance over Baekje and Silla. Begin subtle infiltration of Gaya’s court. Plant ambassadors, agents, and influence. Whisper subtly of shared benefit under our sphere paving the way for Gaya to willingly become Goguryeo’s vassal. This is a crucial step in our overall strategy, Xu Kai, for it is through their cooperation that we can truly achieve our objective of regional dominance.”

Xu Kai inclined his head. ”It will be done, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan nodded, then gave a final order, ”Inform Li Wei and Gongsun Gong of the plan. Tell them to hold until we have confirmation of Gaya’s alignment, then attack Baekje and Silla in coordination.”

After each bowed farewell, the three advisors departed, each step marked by the weight of consequence. Lie Fan reentered his study alone.

He sighed and pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. The machinery of war had begun turning again and soon, the echo of those gears would shake the kingdoms beyond Goguryeo.

Then the days began to pass by slowly for everyone across the land as each kingdom moved its pieces on the great chessboard of the continent.

In Xiapi, Lie Fan’s court quietly prepared for the campaign in the Korean Peninsula, weaving plans in secrecy, building strength in patience.

In the south, Liu Zhang grew increasingly wary, uncertain of what storm might descend from the north. In the west, Cao Cao’s expeditions pushed steadily forward, his grip tightening over new territories.

But the greatest tremor came from the very heart of the Han Dynasty capital and Cao Cao’s capital, Luoyang.

It began like any other court session. The great hall of Luoyang Palace stood bathed in morning light, golden beams filtering through carved windows onto lacquered floors.

Civil and military officials, draped in their ceremonial robes, filled the chamber with a murmur of whispered greetings and wary anticipation. At the end of the hall sat Emperor Xian, pale faced and thin, his eyes cast down, a ruler in name only. Beside him stood the true master of Luoyang, Chancellor Cao Cao, eyes sharp, presence commanding.

The court was already tense when a eunuch stepped forward and announced a submission from a low ranking court official, one previously thought irrelevant, one whose voice never carried weight. He read aloud the contents of the petition, and the entire hall fell into shocked silence.

The document was direct and severe. It accused Emperor Xian of being unfit to rule, claiming that his weak leadership had led to chaos and suffering for the people.

Worse still, it named the recent proclamation by Lie Fan in Xiapi as proof that the authority of the Han Dynasty was now questioned by lords across the realm. The petition ended with a staggering recommendation, that the Emperor abdicate the throne and allow a more capable leader to rule and restore order.

Gasps rippled through the room. Some ministers rose in outrage, others looked away nervously. Many had already pledged secret allegiance to Cao Cao and had known this moment was coming, but even so, to hear it declared so openly in court was a different matter altogether.

The old guard, loyal to the Han to the bitter end, sputtered objections, while others played the middle ground, watching to see where the wind would blow.

As for Emperor Xian, still in his twenties but aged by a life of fear and obedience, he sat frozen, lips parted, eyes wide with disbelief. His hands gripped the armrests of his throne, but no words came. How could he protest something he had never ruled? Since boyhood, he had been moved by others’ will, guarded, threatened, and used. He did not even know how to defend himself.

Cao Cao remained silent for a time, letting the stunned quiet settle across the court like dust after a collapse. Then he stepped forward with a faint, almost theatrical frown. He raised his hand and spoke in a calm, sonorous tone.

”This... this is a troubling petition,” he said. ”How could such a thing be written? Our Emperor, chosen by Heaven, has tried tirelessly to restore the prosperity of the realm. At such a young age, His Majesty inherited a broken world. It is not His Majesty’s fault that disasters plague our people, nor is it His Majesty who summoned warlords to rise and provinces to burn.”

Many nodded, thinking for a moment that perhaps Cao Cao would put an end to the petition here and now. That he would defend the Emperor.

But Cao Cao’s words turned like a dagger slipped beneath the ribs.

”No,” he continued, ”the blame lies not with His Majesty, but with us, his ministers, who failed to guide him properly. We who allowed rebellion to fester, who lacked the vision to carry out reforms, who left His Majesty vulnerable to deceit and manipulation.”

There was a strange quality to his voice now. Regret, yes, but also precision. Purpose. ”But even so,” he said, now pacing slowly before the assembly, ”even so... we must ask ourselves. Can we allow His Majesty to continue bearing this burden? To be mocked by the provinces, ignored by lords, and defied by those who style themselves Emperors?”

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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