Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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Zhang Ren chimed in with a nod. ”Under Liu Yao and Liu Zhang, our troops lacked real combat experience. But now, under His Majesty Emperor Hongyi’s coming banner, it’s a new era. We need hardened men, not parade soldiers.”

Fa Zheng clasped his hands behind his back. ”And I agree. If we’re to serve him properly, we need soldiers who’ve stared death in the eye and lived to tell the tale. The rawness of our troops was the one flaw I saw in our ledgers. But now... after this? With veterans like yours training them? That flaw is mending.”

Then he turned his gaze to Meng Huo. ”Especially your people, King Meng Huo. Their sabotage...” Fa Zheng chuckled. ”Let’s just say the reports we received from our spies in the Wei camps were... colorful to say the least.”

Meng Huo grinned broadly, thumping his chest. ”Bah, that was just a taste. We Nanman always say that the best trap is the one you don’t see until you’re dying.”

Zhang Song raised an eyebrow. ”Yes, about that. You didn’t really hide a tiger among our troops, did you?”

Meng Huo laughed. ”Oh, we did. Ahui Nan has raised many tigers since they were cubs. They eat Han rice and enemy flesh.”

Everyone laughed, even the typically stiff Yan Yan.

But the humor faded as Fa Zheng turned serious again. ”As much as I admire your creative sabotage... please, no tigers in Zitong.”

”Or snakes,” Meng Da added, looking a little pale.

”Or scorpions and other poisonous insects,” Zhang Song muttered.

Meng Huo raised his hands. ”Fine, fine! I was joking. I’ll save those tricks for the forest paths.”

Everyone sighed in relief.

As the room calmed again, Fa Zheng suddenly turned toward the large tactical map spread across the war table. ”That’s precisely what I was thinking.”

His eyes flickered, and then he moved quickly, marking points along the road between Jianmen Pass and Zitong.

”This stretch,” he began, ”represents the road Cao Cao and his Wei Army must travel to reach us. We know he’ll come. We know he’ll be angry. And most of all, we know he’ll be cautious now.”

”So we hit him before he hits us is what you are proposing,” Zhang Ren said.

Fa Zheng nodded. ”Exactly. I propose we use this forest corridor, and these mountain ridges here,” he pointed at several locations on the map, ”to lay ambushes, traps, and supply disruption units.”

He looked at Meng Huo. ”Can your tribesmen help? Their knowledge of the forest, their skill in guerrilla warfare...”

Meng Huo stroked his beard. ”If it’s tricks and traps you want, you’ll have more than your fill.”

Fa Zheng continued. ”I want the roads to be so dangerous, so terrifying, that every step forward feels like walking through death’s shadow. Venomous animals left behind, pit traps, and night assaults. Fake retreats leading to collapses. Confuse them. Exhaust them.”

Zhang Song added, ”Meanwhile, we use the time to turn Zitong into a fortress. Reinforce the walls, dig moats, stockpile food, dig hidden tunnels beneath for surprise exits.”

Meng Da nodded in agreement. ”We also begin a misinformation campaign. Let loose rumors that more soldiers and supplies are coming from every corner of Yi Province, even the southern part. We make Cao Cao paranoid.”

Yan Yan crossed his arms. ”With our veteran core and new troops drilled daily, we can hold this town for a year if needed.”

Zhang Ren smirked. ”And bleed Cao Cao dry with every step.”

Meng Huo gave a toothy grin. ”Let’s see how brave the tiger lord is when the jungle bites back.”

The council continued late into the night, each man offering his insight, each mind sharpened by the knowledge that they were all that stood between Cao Cao and the full conquest of Yi Province.

As night fell over Zitong, the city buzzed with activity. Blacksmiths hammered out fresh weapons, masons reinforced walls, and soldiers drilled under torchlight. The scent of oil and heated metal hung thick in the air, a promise of the fires to come.

Yan Yan stood atop the battlements, watching the distant horizon where Jianmen Pass lay. Somewhere out there, Cao Cao was licking his wounds, counting his dead, and plotting his next move.

Zhang Ren joined him, handing over a cup of warmed wine. ”Thinking too hard will sour the taste of victory.”

Yan Yan took the cup, grunting. ”This isn’t victory. Just the prelude.”

”True. But what a prelude it’s been.”

They drank in silence, the weight of the coming storm settling over them.

Somewhere below, Meng Huo’s laughter echoed through the streets as his tribesmen regaled Han soldiers with exaggerated tales of the tiger’s rampage. The sound was oddly comforting, a reminder that even in war, there were moments of levity.

Fa Zheng’s voice carried up from the courtyard, barking orders to a group of engineers.

Zhang Ren sighed. ”He’s not going to sleep tonight, is he?”

Yan Yan snorted. ”Not a chance.”

On the other hand, to the north, in the ruins of Jianmen Pass, Cao Cao stood amidst the ashes of his would be victory. The fires had been put out, the dead buried, and the venomous creatures purged, but the sting of the Han’s last laugh remained.

Guo Jia approached, his usual calm demeanor frayed at the edges. ”Your Majesty, the scouts report the Han forces have fully withdrawn to Zitong.”

Cao Cao’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. ”And what do you think they are doing now?”

”No doubt waiting for us with open arms.” Guo Jia’s lips thinned. .”And likely a few surprises.”

Xi Zhicai joined them, his robes still smudged with soot from the fires. ”We’ve secured the pass, but it’ll take weeks to fully repair. Do we wait, or...?”

Cao Cao’s gaze turned south, toward Zitong. His fingers unclenched from his sword hilt as he exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. The decision had formed in his mind like ice crystallizing in winter, hard, clear, and unyielding.

Cao Cao decided to wait, and his voice carried the weight of a sovereign who understood the patience required to win a campaign. ”We will not move on Zitong until Jianmen Pass is at least half restored. Let the men rest. Let our wounds heal. Let our banners fly strong again. Only then do we march south.”

The words carried the weight of imperial authority. Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai exchanged a glance, the relief in their eyes poorly concealed.

They had feared their lord might order an immediate march, driven by wounded pride after the humiliation at Jianmen Pass. But Cao Cao was no reckless warlord. He was the Emperor of Wei, and emperors knew when to bide their time.

Guo Jia offered a nod of approval as he looked Cao Cao. ”Your Majesty’s wisdom spares the army from greater losses. We can use this time to gather supplies and replenish our numbers.”

Xi Zhicai added, ”And the soldiers’ morale, shaken by... unfortunate surprises, must be rebuilt. A fearful soldier is a liability. But a rested one with vengeance in his heart, he will charge into fire.”

Cao Cao allowed himself a tight smile, but there was no mirth in his eyes. ”Rebuild the pass. Fortify it. Make it our anvil for the coming hammer. Zitong will fall. Yi Province will follow.”

Guo Jia bowed deeply. ”A wise decision, Your Majesty. Zitong will not fall to haste, but to preparation.”

Xi Zhicai added, ”The Han have shown their fangs. Let us sharpen ours before biting back.”

Cao Cao nodded, already turning toward the ruined fortifications. ”See to it. I want this pass functional within two weeks. Double patrols, I won’t have Fa Zheng’s agents slipping through to sabotage our efforts.”

”Yes, Your Majesty,” both men replied.

As his strategists moved to carry out his orders, Cao Cao allowed himself one last look southward, toward where Zitong lay hidden beyond the mountains.

And with that, the reconstruction of Jianmen Pass began. Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai threw themselves into overseeing the logistics, organizing labor crews to clear rubble, engineering units to restore walls, and medical staff to treat the wounded.

New supplies were rerouted from Hanzhong, and reinforcements were summoned from northern strongholds to bolster the depleted ranks. Bit by bit, the Wei Army regained its posture.

Meanwhile, in to the east, far from the smoking ruins of Jianmen Pass, the city of Xiapi pulsed with order and focus.

At the heart of the newly declared Hengyuan Dynasty, Emperor Lie Fan sat in his council hall, flanked by three of his most trusted minds, Jia Xu his Chancellor, Xun You his Grand Commandant, and Chen Qun his Grand Secretary.

The topic was delicate, international diplomacy masked in secrecy.

On the table before Lie Fan sat a sealed scroll. Its wax bore the intricate sigil of Queen Himiko of Yamatai. It had arrived via Gongsun Gong, still stationed in the Korean Peninsula under the guise of supporting Goguryeo while discreetly consolidating Hengyuan dominance over Baekje and Silla.

Lie Fan tapped the sealed parchment against his palm. ”Before we proceed... your thoughts on our previous missive?”

Jia Xu stroked his beard. ”We walked the razor’s edge, Your Majesty. Neither rejecting nor conceding. It bought us time.”

Xun You nodded. ”And by framing it as Goguryeo’s actions, we’ve maintained plausible deniability. Yamatai still suspects foreign involvement but cannot prove it’s us, Your Majesty.”

”Good.” Lie Fan handed the letter to Chen Qun. ”Read it aloud, Changwen.”

Chen Qun bowed, then carefully broke the seal and unraveled the parchment. His voice filled the chamber.

”From Queen Himiko of Yamatai, to the representative of Goguryeo and its allied dynasties,

’I have read your message, and while I respect the offer of diplomacy, I cannot hide my disappointment. The land that once belonged to King Naemun and his Silla people should be returned. That your letter did not outright reject nor concede is something I accept, but let me be clear, if not for the diplomatic path you’ve extended, I would have already declared war.’”

The room grew still.

Lie Fan’s lips twitched. ’So the shaman queen shows her teeth at last.’

Jia Xu raised an eyebrow. ”Fiery words. But not unexpected.”

Chen Qun continued, unwavering.

”’However, I will honor your proposal. Let diplomacy decide the fate of these lands. Let us meet in a neutral location, a small island south of the peninsula. My envoy will be sent with translators and full authority to speak on my behalf. We expect your side to bring a representative empowered to negotiate and speak the truth. We also expect you to name the foreign powers supporting the takeover of Baekje and Silla. Such transparency will prove your sincerity.’”

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 35 (202 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