Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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Huang Chengyan was the first to look up, his face alight with a scholar’s fervent excitement. ”Your Majesty... this... this ’wagonway’... it is revolutionary! The concept of a dedicated, smooth path for specialized carts, pulled by horses. The efficiency for moving goods, for transporting troops and supplies over long distances... it would shrink the empire! A journey that takes weeks could be reduced to days!”

Before Lie Fan could respond, Liu Ye practically slammed his hand on the table, his eyes blazing. ”And this! This ’cannon’! Forgive my outburst, Your Majesty, but this is... this is the power of heaven and earth harnessed into metal! The potential energy contained within our gunpowder mixture, channeled through this tube to propel a solid shot... it could shatter the strongest fortress walls! It would render current siege warfare... obsolete!”

He looked from the paper to Lie Fan, his mind clearly racing. ”The trebuchets and ballistas we use at Hongnong... they are children’s toys compared to the destructive force described here!”

Lie Fan allowed himself a genuine, satisfied smile. ”I share your excitement, masters. When I first laid eyes on these schematics, I saw the same potential. The ’wagon way’ for transport and the ’cannon’ for warfare. Two sides of the same coin, one to build our empire stronger and faster, the other to defend it with unimaginable power. Implementing these correctly could elevate the national power of the Hengyuan Dynasty to a height never before reached in all of history.”

Eagerly, Huang Chengyan and Liu Ye exchanged the documents, their amazement only growing as they studied the second technology. Huang Chengyan, holding the cannon schematics, muttered to himself about metallurgical requirements and the properties of sulfur and saltpeter. Liu Ye, now examining the wagon way, began sketching rapid calculations in the air, visualizing gradients and load capacities.

They then passed the documents to Jia Xu and Zhuge Liang. The venerable strategist, Jia Xu, took the cannon papers first. His usual impassivity cracked. He did not gasp or exclaim; instead, his eyes became distant, seeing not the lines on the paper, but their application on a thousand future battlefields.

”The psychological impact alone...” he murmured, almost to himself. ”To shatter a gate from a thousand paces... it would break an army’s will before the first soldier even engaged.”

Zhuge Liang, who had received the wagon way scroll, was equally transfixed, but his mind went in a different direction.

”This is not merely for war,” he said, his voice quiet but intense. ”This is for grain. For coal. For moving the lifeblood of the nation. It would stabilize prices, feed cities during famine, and allow for the development of remote regions. The economic and social ramifications are... incalculable.”

The four men, now having seen both sets of plans, began a fervent, hushed exchange, their voices overlapping with ideas and questions.

Zhuge Liang, who had finished looking at both sets of schematics, spoke again. ”Your Majesty,” he said thoughtfully, ”both of these technologies hold immense promise. But they are not without challenge. To create controlled explosions strong enough to launch these iron balls... one would need precise mixtures of out gunpowder to ensure it have the right balance. A small imbalance could destroy the cannon itself.”

”Indeed,” Jia Xu agreed. ”And the wagonways would require stable iron or steel rails, far more than our current forges produce in quantity, at least for now. So the logistics alone could drain the Imperial treasuries.”

Lie Fan nodded calmly. ”I understand your caution, my friends. That is precisely why I called the four of you here. I do not seek blind faith, I seek minds capable of turning these dreams into reality.”

He rose from his seat, his long robe flowing as he paced slowly behind his chair. ”Think of it,” he said softly, his voice carrying an almost reverent tone. ”A network of wagonways connecting every province under Hengyuan, even those foreign lands we have conquered. Trains of carriages drawn by the horses, or even by engineering force in the duture, moving soldiers and grain in days rather than weeks.”

He turned, eyes gleaming. ”And the cannon... imagine our armies armed not only with Hwacha’s, ballistas, and trebuchets, but with thunderous weapons that can tear through walls from afar. The era of siege towers and rams could end.”

The room fell silent again, but this time it was not disbelief, it was awe.

Zhuge Liang finally broke the stillness. ”It is ambitious, Your Majesty. But ambition is the seed of greatness. With careful study and controlled experiments, both projects could bear fruit.”

Lie Fan smiled slightly, his gaze settling on the young strategist. ”And you, Kongming, how would you propose we begin?”

Zhuge Liang folded his fan slowly, thinking. ”The cannon, I believe, must come first. Its materials, bronze or iron, are within our current capability. We can experiment in isolated ranges, far from the capital, until we master the balance of power and structure.”

He gestured to Liu Ye. ”Master Liu Ye, your expertise in logistics will be vital. Once we know the scale of materials needed, your reforms in mining and smelting will determine feasibility.”

Liu Ye nodded firmly. ”I can begin at once, Your Majesty. We already have foundries in Runan, Shouchun, Beiping, and Nanpi refining high grade iron for weapons. With additional investment, we can repurpose some of the forges.”

Jia Xu leaned forward, ever the strategist. ”And I would suggest secrecy,” he said quietly. ”If word of these weapons reaches Cao Cao and Liu Zhang before we are ready, they will either rush to copy us or unite against us in fear. Let these developments remain under veil, an imperial project known only to those within this chamber and the Oriole Agent network.”

Lie Fan’s eyes glimmered approvingly. ”Wise as ever, Wenhe.”

Then his gaze turned toward Huang Chengyan. ”And you, Master Huang? You’ve said little.”

The old scholar’s eyes were still upon the cannon diagrams, but now a faint smile played on his lips. ”I was only imagining, Your Majesty, what it must feel like to command the sky itself. To wield sound and fire as a weapon...” He looked up, his gaze sharp despite his age. ”If this device can be mastered, it will make the world tremble. But we must build it with patience, for such power demands understanding, or it will destroy its wielder.”

Lie Fan nodded solemnly. ”That is why I trust you to oversee its research. You will head the experimental division for the cannon’s development, aided by the artificers of the Inner Workshop.”

The old man bowed his head deeply. ”It will be my honor, Your Majesty.”

Lie Fan turned next to Liu Ye. ”And you, Ziyang, the wagonways will be your domain. Begin by testing on a smaller scale, short tracks within the capital, perhaps connecting the eastern and western storehouses. If it succeeds, we expand outward.”

Liu Ye’s face lit up like a child granted a dream. ”At once, Your Majesty! I already have ideas for wheel designs to minimize friction. If we can use iron fittings instead of full wooden rails, we may preserve resources.”

Zhuge Liang smiled faintly at his enthusiasm. ”He will not sleep for three nights now,” he murmured, earning a quiet chuckle from Jia Xu.

Lie Fan smiled as well, though his gaze was distant, thoughtful. ”I do not mind if he doesn’t. The world waits for no one, not even emperors.”

He looked around the room, his tone softening. ”All of you, understand this. We are not merely building weapons or machines. We are laying the foundation of an age. If we succeed, the Hengyuan Dynasty will not only rule by sword and decree, but by wisdom and progress.”

The four men bowed deeply. ”Your Majesty’s vision shall be our guide.”

Outside, faintly, the midday drums from the city guard tower sounded across Xiapi, a heartbeat of the capital that seemed to echo in the chamber itself.

Lie Fan closed the scrolls one by one and gestured for his Oriole Agents disguised as servants to take them away for safekeeping. ”Begin your preparations immediately,” he said. ”I will authorize a special fund from the Imperial Treasury for your research. Wenhe, ensure all involved are sworn to secrecy under imperial seal.”

”As you command, Your Majesty,” Jia Xu replied.

As the meeting concluded, the advisors rose and bowed once more before departing. One by one they stepped out into the sunlight beyond the chamber doors, Zhuge Liang deep in thought, Huang Chengyan muttering quietly about alloy compositions, Liu Ye already sketching something in the air with his fingers, and Jia Xu smiling faintly to himself, as if he could already see the shape of the future being forged.

Lie Fan remained seated for a while after they were gone. He turned toward the window, where the faint breeze stirred the curtains.

Meanwhile to the far southeast of Xiapi, in Chengdu, the dim chamber was carved deep beneath the rear courtyard of the Chengdu palace, a forgotten servant’s cellar once used to store dried grains during the Shu lords’ rule.

Now, it was transformed into Emperor Xian’s hidden refuge, far from the gilded halls where his every word was monitored, and where his imperial title was little more than a mask worn by others. A single oil lamp cast unsteady light across the low ceiling and damp stone walls. Its flame trembled with every breath of the emperor, as though it too shared his unease.

Emperor Xian sat upon a small lacquered stool, a far cry from the throne he once commanded in Luoyang or Chang’an. His robes, though still finely embroidered, had grown worn at the edges.

A teapot rested before him, the faint scent of jasmine rising with the steam. He stared at it absently, his thin hands folded before his chest, eyes clouded with the exhaustion of years spent surviving rather than ruling.

The capital of Chengdu, though peaceful on the surface, had become his cage. Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da controlled the court, manipulating decrees in his name, sending envoys, commanding armies, and deciding policies, all while presenting themselves as loyal servants of the Han.

Their charm and cunning had bound every minister to their will. The emperor’s words, once the voice of heaven, were now treated as ceremonial flourishes, empty of power.

Yet Emperor Xian still had secrets or so he thought.

He had secured this chamber years ago, with the help of a few trusted eunuchs, to serve as a sanctuary for private meetings beyond the eyes of Fa Zheng’s spies. But unbeknownst to him, the Oriole Agents, those shadowy operatives who answered only to Lie Fan, had long since discovered it. Every visitor, every whisper, every flicker of light beneath the floorboards of Chengdu Palace was known to them.

And so tonight, when Emperor Xian awaited his envoys with guarded anticipation, somewhere in the unseen rafters above, invisible eyes watched and listened. The emperor set down his teacup with a soft clink. The faint sound echoed unnaturally loud in the small chamber.

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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