The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Zamarak500]

193-195: YUAN SHU AGAINST THE CELESTIAL MASTERS​

Feng Zian and Tan Zilong were dealing with a difficult situation in June 193. Yuan Shu was stuck in his capital, besieged by the fanatics of the Way of the Celestial Masters and their barbarian tributaries. Meanwhile, the two generals had a demoralized army that was too weak to do anything against the invaders. They didn’t have the troops to go fight the enemies, and even if they did the soldiers wouldn’t want to follow them right now. To all this was added the threat of Jing Province, which was still breathing down their necks from the south, ready to strike whenever they moved away. So it was both with relief and surprise that they received news of Inspector Chen Wen of Yang’s successful conquest of the southern province. This put a lot less strain on them, removing a potential enemy of the map. While Feng Zian didn’t trust this Chen Wen from supply attacking them now that he had Jing Province, Tan Zilong correctly predicted that Chen Wen would probably enter into conflict with his overlord Tao Shang now that he had more territories.

Yuan Shu might rage once he learned that Jing Province had been conquered by someone else, but among the soldiers this was simply great news. Now they only had one enemy to fight, zealots and barbarians coming from the west. Feng Zian could finally focus on saving his lord. However, this would require preparing his men and raising a few more troops. So he tried to motivate his men, to get them ready to fight while Tan Zilong went through the countryside recruiting soldiers. His passion seemed to have some effect on them and morale got better, although his outbursts against their lack of discipline almost undid the good will he had just gained. His attitude was sometimes getting on his men’s nerves, and had Tan Zilong not returned with new recruits, the mood might have soured against the famed scholar. Tan Zilong was happy to have been able to recruit a few hundred men, believing that they now had a shot at saving their lord. Meanwhile, Feng Zian complained that the new recruits weren’t trained enough for battle, blaming Tan Zilong for it.

Thankfully, Tan Zilong casually shrugged this off and the two men went back to saving Yuan Shu. Both began to plan a strategy to retake the seat of their lord, which was still besieged by the zealots of the Way of the Celestial Masters. Tan Zilong wanted a complex strategy to attack the supply lines of the enemies, remove their path of exit, demoralize them and THEN strike them down. However, Feng Zian found this strategy far too slow. The city might fall in the meantime. No, it was better to go in with a frontal assault and destroy the enemy by using surprise to their advantage. Still, he knew that Tan Zilong was technically his superior, so he would respect hierarchy should Tan Zilong enforce his authority. Bu the de facto Commandant was wise enough to know that this would only divide them, and instead chose to accept Feng Zian’s plan.

Never the less, Tan Zilong insisted that they needed information. One had to know the enemy better than it knew itself, after all. “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy”, as the Art of War said. So he sent Chang Nu with a small force as reconnaissance to find out what was the situation. Chang Nu was still recovering from battle wounds which had left him disfigured, the right side of his face being covered with scars. Still, he took the job, even if he grumbled and passed his frustration on his men. He was able to gain some good intel, finding out that the besiegers weren’t exactly in the best shape themselves, even with their larger army. Discipline had fallen to a new low in their ranks as they angrily awaited Yuan Shu’s surrender. And then there were the barbarians which composed most of their army. These were proving unruly, often leaving camps to go pillage the countryside.

Meanwhile, Feng Zian tried to rally the local magistrates to their cause, insisting that it was their duty to come to their lord’s aid. However, he found them unwilling to cooperate, preferring to see who would emerge victorious of this little struggle. This angered Feng Zian to no end and he began unleashing his men on the domain of the magistrates, punishing them for what he saw as betrayal. While this did nothing to help their overall cause, these small successes did bolster’s the morale. When Chang Nu returned, he was all too happy to violently force the magistrates back in line, doing the dirty work for Feng Zian and Tan Zilong to ensure that they had access to the full resources of the local cities.

It was finally in late September 193 that they moved in on the enemy. Tan Zilong decided that disinformation was the key, so he disseminated messages that their goal was actually to attack the territories of the Celestial Masters, hoping this would force the enemies to abandon their siege. This led to panic among the besiegers, although they still remained in place. However, they did launch a failed assault on the walls of the city, which considerably downed their morale. Then Feng Zian led the vanguard at night, attacking the besiegers while they slept. Feng Zian was eventually pushed back, but he did enough damages to even the odds a little bit when the true fighting came the next day. Chang Nu and Feng Zian were able to maneuver around the barbarians to isolate them from the zealots, which allowed them to force the Di barbarians into an early retreat while Tan Zilong defeated the army of the Celestial Masters. Victory was theirs.

Soon after the victory, Feng Zian sent envoys to Yuan Shu to tell him that they had chased the enemies away. However, Yuan Shu was just as suspicious as ever and believed this was a ploy from the besiegers, choosing to instead cower inside the walls and refuse them entrance. This annoyed Fen Jian and Chang Nu, who sent another envoy that was once again rebuffed. Yuan Shu believed himself far too smart to fall into that kind of trap! The men were beginning to growl, as they had expected resupply from inside the walls. Frustration ran high enough that Chang Nu actually put the city back under siege for two days until Feng Zian realized what was happening and gave Chang Nu a beating (which was a good way to vent his own frustration as he hadn’t practiced his martial arts in a while). It took a full week for Yuan Shu to finally accept that this wasn’t a ploy and that his men had really saved him.

Not that he was thankful for it. When he received Feng Zian, he criticized him for not coming to his rescue right away, unaware of all the problems they had to deal with from the betrayal of Sun Jian onward. While he had many times come to his lord’s defense, the scholar had no intention of taking these insults lying down. He went ham on his lord, screaming at him and criticizing his insolence. “You treated Colonel Sun like dirt and he betrayed you! I stood by you and saved you from your enemies, yet you treat me in the same way! SHOULD I HAVE ACTED LIKE SUN JIAN AND ABANDON YOU?” This was enough to make Yuan do a one-eighty. He now praised Feng Zian for saving him and thanked him for his service, giving him rewards and gifts and declaring that he was truly his greatest hero. While this calmed Feng Zian, this also stroke his growing ego, which would only continue to grow in the coming months.

Zhang Lu wasn’t happy when he learned of his army’s failure to take over the region. He sent a letter to his liege Liu Yan of Yi Province asking for help in his conquest, but was rebuffed. Liu Yan was at the time dealing with a barbarian revolt in the south led by Meng Shamoke. When the soldiers returned to their master, Zhang Lu chastised them for failing to take Yuan Shu’s territories. The betrayal of Sun Jian had given them the perfect opportunity and they blew it. This was especially problematic as neighbors had began to attack Zhang Lu in the absence of his army. He needed that victory now more than ever, but couldn’t spare his returning men. Thankfully, he could still send the Di barbarians that served him. And so he did, ordering them to take some of the border villages as a first step toward taking over Yuan Shu’s territories.

What Zhang Lu hadn’t realized was that the barbarians in his service had been massively hurt by the victory of Feng Zian, with many of the survivors fleeing in the night. This left a few hundred men to go do the job of a few thousands. Still, when news of a barbarian army crossing the border reached Yuan Shu, he immediately dispatched Feng Zian and Chang Nu to go deal with it, leaving Tan Zilong with him to assure the defense of the capital should the worst come to pass. Feng Zian met the armies in February 194. He outnumbered the barbarians six to one, making this whole affair an especially easy one. It was more of a slaughter than a battle. Following this success, Feng Zian began to feel like he was the best general Yuan Shu had at his disposal. So he sent Chang Nu to demand that he be appointed Commandant. He deserved it, after all. The scarred man was enough to convince Yuan Shu that yes, Feng Zian was clearly deserving of this new position!

This left the issue of Tan Zilong, on who the position of Commandant had felt following the betrayal of Sun Jian. Yuan Shu found a solution to this by “promoting” him to a more administrative post by his side. Just to make sure there were no tensions, Feng Zian was quickly assigned to organize the defense of the border with the Celestial Masters after he was made Commandant, only coming back to Yuan Shu’s capital to accept his posting and leave his wife (who would give birth to his second son a few months later). His excuse was that the border camps weren’t a place to raise children, but both knew that he just wanted his wife out of the way so he could enjoy women on the border. And now that he was a powerful official and a hero, he could surely find himself something better than whores! His wife was annoyed but could do little to oppose his decision.

While Feng Zian reorganized the troops on the border Tan Zilong reforms the administration of Yuan Shu’s territories, wanting to make sure that they were efficiently run and wouldn’t fall prey to the kind of problems that had happened over the last few years. The bureaucracy of the commandery certainly had broken down due to all this war happening within the territory. This could not stand, and Tan Zilong made sure that things went back to running smoothly, including taxes. There were a lot of back taxes that had to be paid, and Tan Zilong ruthlessly made sure that everyone paid. Had the peasantry not been cowered into submission, they might have revolted due to these new taxes. And then there were the local officials and administrators. Yuan Shu hadn’t forgotten how they had abandoned him and now worked all year to punish them. He was too cowardly to actually replace them, but he still diminished their power greatly, ensuring that they would never be any threat to him in the future. These reforms, to which was added new recruitment and training of troops by Feng Zian, took the rest of 194.

It was thus only in 195 that Feng Zian was allowed to launch an offensive against the Celestial Masters. On multiple occasions he had sent requests to do so over the previous year, but Yuan Shu had refused. Even now, he feared the idea of letting his generals lead victorious campaigns, doubly so when his territories were in shamble. But now that he had stabilized his domain and made sure to keep troops behind in case Feng Zian followed in Sun Jian’s path, he was more than willing to take the fight to the Celestial Masters. With some luck he might even be able to expand in their territories! Feng Zian soon realized as he entered enemy territories that he was far from the only one attacking the Celestial Masters. By 195 half a dozen people were trying to invade the Zhang Lu’s territories, with Feng Zian being only one of them. He did have the advantage of quickly finding the army of the Celestial Masters, allowing him to gain another victory for Yuan Shu.

However, all this victory did was open the door to the other invaders, who quickly began to besiege all towns in sight. This included the imperial armies of Duan Wei, the new Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. Seeing some use in Feng Zian, Duan Wei sent him a letter offering him to switch side and join up with the imperial army. His services were wasted under Yuan Shu. Surely a great general like him deserved more, like serving the Emperor himself (or, more accurately, serving Duan Wei). Feng Zian felt insulted by this assumption that he would easily abandon Yuan Shu like Sun Jian had done and sent the messenger packing. He was doubly angry when he learned that Duan Wei had made similar offers to the other generals trying to conquer the Celestial Masters, with similar results. Feeling insulted that Duan Wei had simply seen him as “one among many generals”, Feng Zian sent a missive to the Chancellor telling him that if he should leave the region or be destroyed on sight. Duan Wei wasn’t impressed, but never the less made sure not to go fight any useless battles he didn’t have to.

Toward the middle of the year, Feng Zian was surprised by the arrival of a scholar and his family in his camp. The young scholar, named Pan Zheng, was fleeing the chaos of Yi Province and seeking a place elsewhere. All too happy to have a fellow scholar by his side, Feng Zian encouraged the young man to stay and talk with him. Feng Zian was happy to be able to debate the classics and other schools of thoughts with someone younger, to impair his knowledge on others. But his attitude toward Pan Zheng turned sour as it became clear that the younger scholar knew far more than he did, something Pan Zheng couldn’t stop himself from commenting upon. His honesty was just as annoying as his refusal to admit the superiority of Feng Zian’s arguments, even though Feng Zian was his elder and a famed military scholar. It only took a few weeks for Pan Zheng to definitively alienate Feng Zian, who sent him packing in Yuan Shu’s direction. “My lord might have time to waste on your insolence, but I have a war to run!” he said, his ego clearly bruised by Pan Zheng’s attitude. But even with Pan Zheng gone as a distraction there was no war to fight. Only useless sieges. Feng Zian found himself besieging this or that town until December 195, when one of the other invaders managed to take most of the territories and get Zhang Lu’s surrender, which Yuan Shu used as an excuse to recall him.

 

[Zamarak500]

195: DUAN WEI AGAINST THE CELESTIAL MASTERS​

Duan Wei had played his cards right and now stood as the undisputed Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. He had betrayed Dong Huang right when it mattered and had secured control of Luoyang and the Emperor. By presenting himself as a restorer, he had also managed to pacify those that had rebelled against Dong Huang, ensuring that they accepted his rule. With the removal of Dong Zhuo’s murderers from any position of power, Duan Wei could rest easy knowing that he had free reign over the capital. While he reveled in the power he had and knew that he deserved it, Duan Wei also knew that it might not last forever if he did nothing to keep it. If Dong Huang was brought down by his inability to protect the integrity of the Han, then it seemed logical that military successes would help secure his power. And there was already one perfect target: Zhang Lu and the Celestial Masters. The sect had seized a commandery with the help of Governor Liu Yan of Yi Province, an illegal seizure of imperial territories. With Liu Yan currently facing barbarian and peasant revolts, it was an excellent time to strike. Only a week after his seizure of power, the new Chancellor ordered a campaign against the zealots, ready to restore Han suzerainty over these territories.

Duan Wei was quick to send his Grand Commandant of the Imperial Armies, Xu Rong, to go assemble troops on the western border. He wanted the troops ready as fast as possible. Xu Rong accepted the assignment and quickly went to go lead the troops in the early stages of the war, happy to finally have a liege who trusted him. Niu Fu was also ordered to go with him to help. The virtuous general tried to ask the Chancellor to be allowed to stay due to the coming events in the Imperial Capital, but Duan Wei refused (as it was why he wanted him out). Duan Wei impressed on Niu Fu his new duties until the Chancellor’s arrival, saying “General, you have aduty so important that once upon a time Dong Zhuo himself could not do it right, instead allowing me to accomplish this difficult task. It is one reserved to the elites, like you and me. A duty you clearly showed that you deserved. It is one that build character, that is given only to men deserving of the greatest honors!”

He placed him in charge of supply.

Niu Fu was a bit disappointed to be sent away from the capital, but willingly complied with the orders of the Chancellor. On his way, he was able to talk at length with his new comrade Xu Rong, with who he had little interactions up until that point. Xu Rong was a brave man who had previously served Dong Zhuo loyally while Niu Fu was a Han loyalist with a desire to restore the glory of the Han. Yet the two men were able to gain some mutual respect of one another due to their virtues, their diligence and their military skills. Niu Fu, who had been a bit paranoid due to his assignment, found his fears alleviated by his time with Xu Rong on the road. Their nice trip was interrupted however when news came that the army had already been defeated. While waiting for their arrival, the troops assembled west had been surprised by the arrival of Zhang Lu’s army, fresh of their defeat at the hand of Feng Jian. The arriving army, while two time smaller, took the imperial forces by surprise, and one officers lost his nerves and ordered a retreat. Unwilling to let this retreat turn into a rout, Xu Rong and Niu Fu went their separate ways to regroup the troops and reorganize their forces.

It didn’t take long for the people of Luoyang to learn of what had happened. Duan Wei, in a moment of arrogance, had actually allowed the messengers to tell the news in front of the court, hoping that it would be news of a great victory. Instead, he only made a fool of himself. Now it sounded like he couldn’t do better than Dong Huang. He really wished to go to the frontline and fix this, but he was already stressed enough with the preparations for the Emperor’s marriage. Plans for this had been underway ever since the warlord Sun Jian agreed to have his daughter marry the Emperor, one of the few strokes of genius from Dong Huang. The marriage was actually scheduled for 194, but Dong Huang always had to postpone it due to the conflict with Guo Si and then the revolt against his rule. While Duan Wei wasn’t keen on the idea of allowing Sun Jian to become the Emperor’s father-in-law, breaking the betrothal would make Sun Jian an enemy. At the time, Duan Wei couldn’t afford to alienate another neighbor considering he already had Guo Si, Lü Bu and Gongsun Zan right next to him. And besides, overseeing such event as the marriage and ascension of an Empress would give him much needed respect among the officials.

But Duan Wei wasn’t the only one looking forward to this event. The giant Jiang Xian had survived the recent struggle against Dong Huang, yes, but he was now completely out of power. He was allowed in court sessions, yes, but he was at the back of the courtiers, only seeable by the Son of Heaven due to his unmistakable size. He shrewdly attempted to present petitions to the Emperor, mostly ones praising the removal of Dong Huang in hope of ingratiating himself to the new Chancellor. However, these were interpreted as praising the Emperor for removing Dong Huang instead of Duan Wei, for which the later took offense. This ended any lingering hope Jiang Xian had of returning to a higher position under the current power. So instead, he hoped to align himself with Sun Jian and the new Empress to help them gain power, and thus rise alongside them.

His plans already went awry the second it started. Sun Jian was extremely sick at the time, so to everyone’s surprise he did not make it to the Imperial Capital for the wedding. Instead, the escort of Sun Shangxiang was led by Sun Jian’s trusted officer and friend Cheng Pu, who was to ensure the security of the future Empress and make sure that she was well treated when she arrived. Cheng Pu took an oath that his sole priority would be the wellbeing of the young lady, which put Sun Jian at ease. So when Cheng Pu arrived with the bride, Jiang Xian tried to talk to him about the possibility of an alliance. But Cheng Pu refused, unwilling to do political pacts without the express agreement of Sun Jian. Still, Jiang Xian was able to trick Cheng Pu into coming home for tea one day. Unaware of the current political situation, Cheng Pu accepted the seemingly benign invitation. However, he was forced to annul at the last minute when he told the Chancellor about this upcoming meeting. Duan Wei made it clear that Jiang Xian wasn’t part of the government and shouldn’t be bothered with, unless Cheng Pu wanted to cause a diplomatic incident.

The fourteen years old emperor was thus wed to the twelve years old Sun Shangxiang. The marriage was a great event marked with massive celebrations throughout the city. For many, this was a great distraction from the sieges and the attacks the Imperial Capital had endured over the last months of Dong Huang’s tenure. It was certainly a boost to Duan Wei’s legitimacy that he was able to organize this event, although he had to pay for it himself and worked day and night to make sure it was perfect. Gifts for the Emperor came from all corners of China, like Liu Siyuan, who took the time to send his finest horse and his best silk, even though he was in the middle of a civil war. More worrying for Duan Wei, Shisun Rui made sure to send the most lavishing gifts he could, outshining even those of the Chancellor. As for the imperial couple, things started out quite well. The new Empress’s kindness and beauty left a great first impression on the Emperor, although her lack of care for her appearance in the ensuing years would lower his opinion of her. And this, alongside her support and her greedy desire to have more, would have the unforeseen consequence of having the Emperor get more confident in his dealings with his court, a problem that would become apparent in the incoming years as he reached adulthood.

The marriage now dealt with, Duan Wei announced that he was leaving to go oversee the campaign against the Celestial Masters personally. In his absence, he left the command of the troops in the capital to the old Cao Quan. Cao Quan had been a provincial officer who had risen up over the years, although at a far slower rate than most of his contemporaries. In 194, he was finally given a powerful position by Dong Huang, who appointed him administrator of Zuopingyi Commandery in order to stop the advance of Guo Si. This promotion did not ensure his loyalty, however, as Cao Quan joined Shisun Rui and Niu Fu when they rebelled against the Chancellor. When news came of Duan Wei’s takeover, the old man was among the firsts to stand down and acknowledge him, which is why he was now trusted to keep the city safe. Jiang Xian tried to use the absence of the Chancellor to get close to Cao Quan, hoping the old man would be open to a new coup. While Jiang Xian was persuasive, Cao Quan had received specific instructions not to listen o anything from Dong Zhuo’s murderers. So the stubborn old man focused on his task without deviating from his duties, to Jiang Xian’s chagrin.

While he made his way west, Duan Wei was happy to learn that things were going a bit better. Both Xu Rong and Niu Fu had managed to reorganize their troops and assemble them so they could counterattack. Niu Fu first tried to launch a small raid against the enemies but was rebuffed. Thankfully, he had acted with prudence and suspicion, so he lost little in the skirmish. Xu Rong proved far more successful, pushing back the forces of the Celestial Masters and achieving a quick victory against them. Just in time for Duan Wei to arrive with a few reinforcements. Duan Wei thanked his generals for holding the line in his absence, although he also made it clear that he was now in charge of the whole situation. Xu Rong felt a bit hurt by this, but still fell back in line when Duan Wei began shouting orders to his subordinates.

Duan Wei quickly realized that they were late when it came to annexing the territories of the Celestial Masters, with many armies already besieging the cities held by the zealots. In an attempt to maybe gain new subordinates or make some of these armies flip to his side, the Chancellor began sending missives to all the other generals and officers. If he had hoped that it would see people flock to his side in mass, then he was sorely disappointed. None of the main commanders fighting for the other sides accepted his invitation, refusing to betray their lords or accept his authority over their domains. Only one officer took up the offer and left to go join Duan Wei and the Imperial Army: a 28 years old large brute named Xu Chu. Xu Chu wasn’t good at much else than fighting, so the offer of the Imperial Army seemed like a better place to be than under a small lord with little ambition. Duan Wei was all too happy to welcome such strong man in his force, immediately appointing him General who Manifest Might as a reward for switching side.

However, the war was clearly waning down as the territories of the Celestial Masters were by now overran by the many invaders. After a small battle where Duan Wei crushed the enemies with ease, he declared victory over the sect and packed for home, fully aware that he wouldn’t be able to take the territories. He instead appointed Xu Chu to lead the troops on the border to make sure that the Celestial Masters didn’t try anything until they had been destroyed. He would be proven right on that front, as Zhang Lu and his sect were forced to flee as the territories were taken by rebels in Jing Province, giving much needed resources to the revolt of Chen Wen. Meanwhile, Duan Wei sped up to the capital, where he would plan an immediate new campaign, this time against an enemy he would not have to share with others…

 

[Midnite Duke]

Would it be possible to get a small status report on the reader/characters? Thank you, if it is not too much trouble.

 

[Zamarak500]

Would it be possible to get a small status report on the reader/characters? Thank you, if it is not too much trouble.

As in what they're doing? Sure, although I won't get into details for everyone as their current situation hasn't been covered in the story yet (since my chapters do a lot of back and fort)

• Liu Siyuan (@EtzelHoveri ): As of the end of 195 (November, I think?), he's technically still fighting the civil war for independence, although he's actually in his domain and not on the battlefield. Is currently Magistrate of Xincai and Chengfu. No children.
• Xiao Ru (@Ixarys ): Currently a small time warlord (Administrator of Chen Commandery). The only independent character so far. Has a daughter (Xiao Xiaowen, 191) and a son (Xiao Tung, 193), both with his wife.
• Jiang Xian (@Massinissa the Wise ): Out of power since the fall of Dong Huang and the rise of Duan Wei. Mostly hang out at court trying to plot his way back into power. Has a daughter (Jiang Chang, 191) with his wife Diaochan.
• Feng Zian (@Idhrendur ): Has risen up as of 195 to become the highest military officer of Yuan Shu's army. Has three children, two sons (Feng Yong, 189, and Feng Guo, 194) and a daughter (Feng Yunxian, 191), all with his wife.
• Xuan Su (@HistoryDude ): Rose to be Lü Bu's right hand man and then annoyed him so much he was sent back home. Is about to start a conflict with another local lord as of mid 195. No children, but is the administrator of Wuyuan Commandery, Yunzhong Commandery and Shuofang Commandery.
• Hu Zan (@patpekala ): Currently Chen Wen's main general in his civil war for independence. Currently Magistrate of Yutai. Has a son (Hu Da, 191) from his first wife (Feng Ai), and has remarried since his first wife's death.
• Yang Weili (@Specialist290 ): Currently in a cell as a prisoner of Tao Shang, Governor of Xu Province. Is currently Magistrate of Xipingru. Has two children, a daughter (Yang Jicong, 191) and a son (Yang Boran, 193), both from the same concubine (no children from his wife).
• Yao Shuren (@binobo ): Currently the number-two guy in Liang Province, as well as the son-in-law and heir of Guo Si. Spend more time administrating the province than Guo Si does. Is currently Administrator of Lingxi Commandery. Has two daughters (Yao Ki, 194, and Yao Xiangjun, 195) with his wife Guo Yuyi, and is technically the stepfather of Guo Bian, Dong Zhuo's bastard.
• Mo Jie (@Midnite Duke ): Still fighting for Han Sui and the last holdout of the Liang Rebels. Continues to be in charge of administration and money in the rebel territories. As of 195, he married the 12 years old daughter of Ma Teng, Ma Yunlu. No children.
• Pan Zheng (@Dunaden ): Still focused on finding a place to read his books in peace. As of mid-195, he left the chaos of Yi province following his father-in-law's death and is travelling China. No children.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank You Very Much! This is exactly what I desired! Proud to be a Rebel Freedom Fighter! Please Wife, Make Baby!! Thank You and Please Take Care!

 

[Ixarys]

Ah, I’m glad to see that my character is going well. I’m not giving this AAR the attention it deserves, as I have really hard time to remember chinese names and who is who (the fact that I don’t know much about this period doesn’t help). Anyway, keep it up !

 

[EtzelHoveri]

I am good with both and trying to follow this story closely, but I'm having trouble remembering everything going on(except what is happening with my guy of course). That was a great suggestion, and thank you Zamark for posting this.

 

[HistoryDude]

Xuan Su is doing well and has lands... Excellent.

 

[Zamarak500]

Thank You Very Much! This is exactly what I desired! Proud to be a Rebel Freedom Fighter! Please Wife, Make Baby!! Thank You and Please Take Care!

NO! Wife, don't make babies yet! I don't want the FBI to raid my AAR!

Ah, I’m glad to see that my character is going well. I’m not giving this AAR the attention it deserves, as I have really hard time to remember chinese names and who is who (the fact that I don’t know much about this period doesn’t help). Anyway, keep it up !

I am good with both and trying to follow this story closely, but I'm having trouble remembering everything going on(except what is happening with my guy of course). That was a great suggestion, and thank you Zamark for posting this.

It's true that the way I decided to make the AAR can get confusing, especially if you're not used to the names. I don't notice it, but that's mostly because I know the whole plot and who goes who (I have a full view of the thing), so I don't notice when some characters get two months IRL between their chapters (like Feng Zian). Sorry if it's hard to follow at times.

Xuan Su is doing well and has lands... Excellent.

Yeah, he's currently the one with the most lands by far. He's doing quite well for himself.

 

[Zamarak500]

194-196: STORIES FROM LIANG​

Liang was now free of Dong Huang’s influence and under the control of Guo Si. For Han Sui, who had always dreamed of freeing Liang Province from the central government, this was his greatest dream come true in a horrible and twisted way. Dong Zhuo had been one of the most brutal generals when it came to repressing the Liang Rebellion, and now one of his subordinates had freed the province and turned it into his personal fiefdom. This was a scary situation the rebel leader found himself in, and he understood perfectly that there was a high chance that he would be the next target. So on the advice of Chenggong Ying, he decided to act first by sending weapons and supply to some of the Di tribes in Liang Province. Han Sui now planned to launch a simultaneous assault to take back Liang Province just as the Di people rose up against Guo Si. If they prepared enough and timed it right, it might be just what they needed to get rid of Dong Zhuo’s generals and free their province once and for all.

As the one in charge of the administrative and management of the rebels’ lands, Mo Jie played a big role in the shipment of weapons and supply to the Di tribes. He made sure to supervise the shipments personally, stubbornly refusing to let Han Sui or Chenggong Ying take some of the workload off his shoulders. So when came the time to ship a massive amount of weapons, Mo Jie insisted that he be allowed to deliver the shipment to the barbarians. Ma Teng was quick to point out that the last time he went alone to go meet barbarians, he was captured and sent as prisoner to one of Guo Si’s generals. Everyone agreed that an escort had to go along with him. Ma Chao volunteered to go, but Han Sui believed that his temper would not prove appropriate to negotiations with the Di tribes With Ma Teng and Chenggong Ying refusing to abandon their duties in the rebel territories, the duty of leading the escort fell onto Wang Bi, the only one who was worse than Mo Jie when it came to speaking his mind.

Wang Bi was extremely prudent during the whole trip, always taking far more precautions than even necessary and making sure there would always be enough soldiers to stop any threat that might come at them. He went so far in his security measures that some began to accuse him of outright cowardice. Wang Bi tried to defend himself against this slander, loudly declaring his innocence, but no one seemed to understand a word of what he was saying. Thankfully, they all reached their destination before this whole affair could degenerate into a bigger issue. Mo Jie and the other rebels were warmly welcomed by the Di tribes, who celebrated their arrival as they awaited their shipment of weapon with impatience. What neither Mo Jie nor Wang Bi realized was that the barbarians were hedging for a fight and could barely wait to rise up in revolt. So when Mo Jie expressed that they had to be ready when the time came, misunderstanding followed. The barbarians understood it as meaning that it was time to rise up against Guo Si. Galvanised by what they saw as the greenlight from Han Sui’s representative, the Di people rose up in revolt in early January 195.

Guo Si was mightily annoyed that the Di tribes dared to revolt against him. He was the master of Liang Province, the successor of Dong Zhuo! Yet, barbarians tried to humiliate him by revolting. He immediately ordered his troops to assemble to go destroy this nuisance. Yao Shuren was quick to volunteer to go help his father-in-law on campaign, but he found himself angrily rebuffed by the drunk Governor. As it turned out, Guo Si had not taken well to the fact that many gave Yao Shuren credit for winning the war with Dong Huang. He was angry to have to share his moment of glory wit his subordinate, eve if that subordinate was family. While Yao Shuren did his best to stay on the good side of his lord by playing the humility card, Guo Si’s alcohol consumption only worsened from that point on. Not wanting to share the glory again, he instead entrusted Yao Shuren with the administration of his provincial capital. This was done at the suggestion of his adoptive daughter Guo Yuyi, who used one of his moments of drunken weakness to convince him to let her husband in charge.

Guo Si instead brought with him his trusted general Hu Zhen, who was still as loyal and supportive as always even if he was the oldest of the former officers of Dong Zhuo still around. For his loyalty, the now almost 50 years old general was rewarded with the position of Administrator of Hanyang Commandery. The position had previously been held by Jin Xuan, but his multiple fuck ups had convinced Guo Si that he was a lost cause and not worth keeping around. This didn’t stop Hu Zhen from suggesting that Jin Xuan be given a second chance. The drunken governor shruggingly agreed, not caring as long as Hu Zhen was the one managing him. Jin Xuan was thankful of the opportunity, and once again reaffirmed his complete loyalty to Guo Si, which did little to make Guo Si care about him. The three of them then departed to go crush the rebels. It only took them a few weeks to crush the revolt and massacrer the rebelling Di barbarians, ruining the plans Han Sui had been working on for the last months.

In the absence of the Governor, Yao Shuren did an excellent job keeping the province running. His wife Guo Yuyi did her best to help him in his duties, which he appreciated as always. Once again, the couple had each other’s back, with Guo Yuyi often writing letters to Guo Si in an attempt to smooth things over between her adoptive father and her husband. She wasn’t the only one to be trying to do so, however, as Hu Zhen also attempted to improve Yao Shuren’s image while on campaign with Guo Si. He understood that Yao Shuren was still Guo Si’s heir, which meant that everything would run smoother if everyone got along. This show of loyalty would be greatly appreciated by Yao Shuren, who would only speak well of the older Hu Zhen from now on. As Guo Si was on his way back, he learned that Dong Huang had been overthrown by Duan Wei of all people, which only soured his mood even more. He began to rile against Heaven and Duan Wei, screaming “That idiot in charge of supply is now ruling the Han while I am still stuck in Liang fighting puny barbarians! How fate can be unfair!”

In the rebel territories, news of the failed revolt did not go well with Han Sui and his allies. This was soon accompanied by the horrible news of Han Sui son’s death at the age of 1. All of this led the aging rebel to recluse himself for the period of mourning, leaving Ma Teng and Chenggong Ying in charge for a few months. The temporary situation only led old disputes to reappear. Any feud they had had been pushed aside to focus on the joint rebellion. Now that it had failed, Ma Teng and Chenggong Ying once again began to argue over who had the most power within the rebel force. Chenggong Ying had never fully accepted the arrival of Ma Teng, who had immediately assumed a position of power equal to his as he was Han Sui’s fellow comrade from the early days of the Liang Rebellion. For Ma Teng, he did not hold a position of equal power to Chenggong Ying; he surpassed him in rank. Ma Teng thus expected Chenggong Ying to be nothing more than a subordinate, and seeing him act like his equal was a problem he often complained to Han Sui. It didn’t mean that he didn’t recognize Chenggong Ying’s talent, on the contrary, just that he thought that the younger man should know his place.

Thus the marriage of Ma Teng’s daughter to Mo Jie, who had been a long time supporter of Han Sui since the early days of the Liang Rebellion, would be the perfect event to bring everyone together. Mo Jie had already won the Ma Clan’s eternal respect by saving them from Guo Si when their territories were conquered. As a reward for saving them, Ma Teng had decided that it was a good idea to arrange this marriage. With Mo Jie being an appreciated member of Han Sui’s inner circle, this allowed him to be the bridge between the two sides of the rebel force. Everyone celebrated this new union, and the event was extremely positive to the morale of the rebels, who really needed something nice following the failure of their recent plan. Mo Jie enjoyed this celebration greatly, although he wanted to quickly go back to work.

Meanwhile, Guo Si was looking south at the current destruction of the Celestial Masters with envy. He especially looked at some of the Di tribes that helped the Celestial Masters. They had recently been destroyed fighting first the forces of Yuan Shu and then the imperial army of Duan Wei. Guo Si saw an opportunity in this. The barbarians were weakened and tired. If he was to attack them now, they wouldn’t be able to resist. His recent experience with the barbarian revolt had convinced him that outright annexation wasn’t a viable option, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t add these barbarians to his subjects. With a quick war, he could find himself with the barbarians paying him tribute and providing him with a new source of revenue and troops for his expansion.

As a devious test to his son-in-law, Guo Si offered him to lead the campaign, even though he had no desire to see Yao Shuren outshine him again. The younger man saw the ruse and dodged it masterfully. Someone else might have suggested that Guo Si instead lead the campaign, as he was the governor. But this would leave Yao Shuren in the provincial capital alone, which Guo Si might perceive as an attempt to amass power in his absence. Instead, he suggested someone unthreatening to lead the campaign, the loyal Hu Zhen. Guo Si agreed with the decision since Hu Zhen’s loyalty and lack of ambitions were well known at this point. Yao Shuren thus passed the test while cultivating the loyalty of Hu Zhen, who was all too happy to lead troops again. And Hu Zhen proved a perfect choice for this campaign. He destroyed what troops the Di still had to oppose him, took their villages quite fast and was back home victorious by December.

As 196 started, the Di barbarians within Liang realized that their people might be stuck under Guo Si forever if they didn’t do something about it. Yes, they had failed last year, and yes, their fellow tribesmen had been forced to submit to their enemy. But it didn’t stop them from trying again. When Guo Si learned of this, he was enraged. Had they not learned their lesson last time? He immediately took his troops and marched them up north, taking Hu Zhen and Jin Xuan with him, just as he had done the previous year. He was going to teach those damn barbarians not to mess with him again. His frustration over the revolt led to him drinking more and more. Hu Zhen tried to keep his liege off the bottle, but this only resulted in angry rants from Guo Si about Hu Zhen sticking his nose in something that he shouldn’t. When they finally faced the barbarians in February 196, Guo Si was completely drunk, and ordered a frontal charge with himself leading it. He took no precaution to protect himself, which made him an easy target for the rebels. All it took was one arrow landing in his neck to throw him off his horse. As he bled on the ground, the cavalry following him trampled over his body, and once the dust of the battle settled it became clear that Guo Si had been dead since the early stages of fighting.

Hu Zhen and Jin Xuan had just achieved complete victory when they were told of Guo Si’s fate, which led to a dispute on how to proceed. Jin Xuan proved a massive annoyance as he decided to remain loyal to his lord until the end. As Guo Si’s wife was pregnant, he wished for the child to succeed Guo Si should it be a boy. Considering the deteriorating relationship between Yao Shuren and Guo Si over the previous year, there was a good chance that the former governor would have also come to this conclusion had he lived. But Hu Zhen insisted that Yao Shuren was now the one in charge of the province, a choice supported by the majority of the troops. Never the less, Jin Xuan broke rank and sent a messenger to warn Guo Si’s wife of her husband’s passing. This saved her life, as she learned of Guo Si’s death before Yao Shuren and fled the provincial capital, rightfully fearing that Yao Shuren would follow his rise to power with a purge of potential rivals. She would indeed give birth to a son, and the two would live in fear and hiding for the rest of their lives. She was long gone when Hu Zhen’s messengers arrived to tell Yao Shuren about what had happened. The strategist could only smile at this news. Five years ago, he had been a minor officer in Dong Zhuo’s army, and now he ruled a whole province. And there was no way he was going to stop there.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Supply officer of a rebel army and gunrunner to rebels, I (Mo Jie) am developing serious street cred. With a pretty young wife, I could even be called "The Man of the Neighborhood". Thank you for updating, please be ever vigilant.

 

[HistoryDude]

Liang Province is not doing well.

Of course, the rebels are failing epically too...

 

[Zamarak500]

195-196: A QUICK WAR NEXT DOOR​

Xu Chu had been left on the border after their “victory” against the Celestial Masters, as Duan Wei put it. This was a big exaggeration of the truth, considering that their territories were now under the control of Chen Wen and his Yang rebels. Never the less, morale was high after the few victories of the Imperial Army, and so they were ready to believe whatever Duan Wei sold them. Xu Chu certainly believed that they had won. And now he had received the position of commander of the western border, making sure that no problems came from their new neighbors. Xu Chu took the assignment with zeal and stood still as Duan Wei made his way back to the capital. It didn’t take long for the new general to grow bored in his new post. In an attempt to alleviate his current situation, he often fought with the men, which didn’t please the officers under his command. It quickly stopped being fun for the men too when he started beating them for the most minor offences, just because he wanted an excuse to hit someone. Xu Chu as clearly not made to be garrison commander.

But Duan Wei had already left in a hurry for the capital, leaving the command of the troops to the ever so loyal Niu Fu. Xu Rong offered to take command of the larger army while the Chancellor sped up to the Imperial Capital, but Duan Wei insisted that he wanted his Grand Commandant with him. They would need to quickly assemble troops for his new campaign, after all. The recent war, while a victory on paper, hadn’t produced any gain in territories. This was seen as a big problem by Duan Wei, who had hoped to expand the reach of the Han Dynasty. And then there was the issue of leaving the capital for too long. He had left Cao Quan in charge of it, but who knew how that giant Jiang Xian could manipulate things in his absence? The Chancellor needed to return and resecured his power on the Emperor. And the best way to do that was to have the teenager approve another campaign.

Duan Wei hoped to go meet with Cao Quan upon arrival as he entered Luoyang. Instead, he was quickly met by envoys of the Emperor who requested that the Chancellor immediately come back to the Imperial Palace to do a report on the recent campaign. Taken by surprise, Duan Wei found himself with little choice other than to accept the summon. After all, it was requested by the Emperor himself. Yes, Duan Wei was mightily annoyed that his puppet decided to give him orders all the sudden, but he had to maintain some sense of protocol and court etiquette if he didn’t want to end up murdered like Dong Zhuo. The man leading the envoys also caused Duan Wei to worry about the current situation in the capital. The official who came to meet them to bravely order him around was the old Liu Si, a distant imperial relative of the Emperor. It wasn’t really Liu Si who worried Duan Wei, but the old man’s family. Liu Si’s son was the famed warrior Liu Siyuan. Having the old man now in a position of power made Duan Wei fear that his son was also here, possibly with other imperial relatives ready to challenge his authority.

Having no other choice, he sent Xu Rong to prepare the men and went to meet with the young monarch. The Emperor was awaiting him for a public audience. This was a smart move, either on the teenager’s part or on whoever was advising him. Duan Wei had to be a lot more restrained in public, which hindered his ability to control his puppet. The Emperor was quick to welcome him, to which Duan Wei did the usual bows and said the right things, although he gritted his teeth while doing so. He quickly learned from that Liu Si now occupied the position of Minister Herald, meaning that the stooge he had placed at the head of that ministry had been replaced.

Duan Wei immediately tried to shift things toward a positive note, declaring the complete success of the recent campaign against the sect unlawful occupation of imperial territories. However, the Emperor surprised him by pointing out that a victory without gains was hardly a victory. Duan Wei quickly took back control of the discussion by explaining that this was a victory, considering how awful the imperial army had operated under the traitor Dong Huang. The mention of Dong Huang was enough the make the Son of Heaven remember the way Duan Wei had taken over, and so the young monarch would begrudgingly gave back control of court to his Chancellor out of fear.

Still, this didn’t explain what had happened in his absence. As far as he was aware, his puppet lacked a backbone when he left to go to war. Yet now he openly criticized him at court and appointed his own ministers? Having put off his meeting with Cao Quan long enough, he quickly went to go meet with the older commander who had been left in charge of the capital in his absence. Cao Quan explained who was the one who had started this whole affair, the one that Duan Wei had always been worried about: Jiang Xian. The older man explained how Jiang Xian made overtures toward him in Duan Wei’s absence and how he had rebuffed them each and every time. While the Chancellor was happy with this show of loyalty, it still didn’t explain how things turned out that way. Cao Quan explained that when that didn’t work, Jiang Xian used the court as his new tool to undermine Duan Wei.

The giant began to petition directly to the Emperor, going as far as taking the unprecedented step of “asking for the Son of Heaven’s opinion on issues”. He asked what kind of tea was most appropriate according to the Emperor, if he wanted to hear the scholars of the academy, that kind of nonsense. At first hesitant to act without Duan Wei’s approval, he began to be pushed toward a more active role by Empress Sun following Jiang Xian’s suggestion that the Empress’s salary be doubled. Of course, Jiang Xian was smart enough to never advice something as dangerous as an appointment for himself or the removal of Duan Wei. But when the officer Duan Wei had appointed as Minister Herald fell ill, the snake was quick to suggest the long serving Liu Si as replacement. Cao Quan, who had been put in charge of the garrison, didn’t saw a need to participate in court affairs, which left the field open to Jiang Xian. The Emperor, who already knew the giant as the one who came to him to sign the edict declaring Dong Zhuo a traitor, began to see in him a possible savior from his position as a puppet. And so the Emperor had started to take arbitrary decisions with little oversight.

Duan Wei realized that the situation could get out of hand if he didn’t do something. Now more than ever convinced that he needed to launch another campaign to legitimize his position, he still decided to stay in Luoyang for the rest of the year in order to regain a grip on things. Jiang Xian, who had realized that he would be in the crossfire of the Chancellor, invited him to his home for tea. While he felt confident when Duan Wei accepted, he panicked when he saw the Chancellor arrive in full armor with the Grand Commandant and other soldiers at his side. Duan Wei had been around for the purge of his former lord Dong Zhuo, after all, and Jiang Xian still had nightmares of that stressful time of his life. Thankfully, Duan Wei had no plan to start massacring his opposition… again. What he had done when he overthrew Dong Huang would be hard to justify this time around. So he instead had a “nice talk” with the giant and his wife, explaining how he might need to send Jiang Xian on a diplomatic mission to Liang Province if things continued like that. Considering the previous animosity of Guo Si against him, Jiang Xian understood that this would be a one-way trip and promised to end his efforts to restore imperial power. Duan Wei was forced to accept this as his mind was already moving toward his plans for the next campaign.

Duan Wei also tried to make overtures to Liu Si, not wanting to make an enemy of this new player on the board. And who knew? If he could turn the father to his side, maybe the son would agree to come serve him in the Capital? At the very least, Liu Si accepted to help him serve the Emperor. He feared Duan Wei, but he also trusted the honorable Niu Fu, who had publicly expressed his support for Duan Wei. This was enough for the Chancellor to turn his focus on his planned campaign. Since going west would mean fighting Guo Si, Lü Bu or now Chen Wen, he decided that the best target would be one of the small warlords that came out of the collapse of Yu and Yan Provinces. Restoring imperial authority in these regions would be a great boon to his authority and would secure his position permanently. After much considerations and consultations with Xu Rong, Duan Wei decided that the best target was Administrator Ban Ding of Yingchuan Commandery. The main reason was that Yingchuan Commandery bordered the Imperial Capital, and so could be a threat should anyone conquer it. Or, from what he heard of Ban Ding, the Administrator might take a shot at Luoyang by himself. Better to take it out first.

Duan Wei went in front of the Emperor and explained all these considerations, how Ban Ding was a massive threat to the security of the capital and how he had to be taken out. Once again, he petitioned the Emperor for an imperial campaign against an enemy of the Dynasty. This time the Emperor did not make much fuss and agreed to the campaign against Ban Ding, appointing Duan Wei to go bring back these territories in the imperial fold. In January 196, Liu Si was ordered to send messengers throughout the realm to tell everyone that Ban Ding was now an enemy of the Han and would soon be crushed by the Imperial Army. Xu Rong was sent to recruit troops in the countryside while Duan Wei awaited on the border. Niu Fu was also sent orders to pick up as much men as he could before joining them. Xu Rong quickly had a few hundred men ready on the border, with more on their way. The mobilisation was slow, but it would be an impressive force once assembled, Xu Rong promised. Duan Wei would finally show his full might to everyone who had doubted him

In February 196, a month after Duan Wei officially declared war, Xu Chu was warned of the change of leadership in Liang Province. Guo Si had died fighting a revolt and Yao Shuren had succeeded him. This was seen as important news, and messengers were dispatched for Luoyang to warn Duan Wei of this development. On their way to the Imperial Capital, they met with the army of Niu Fi, who was still leading his men toward the east to join up Duan Wei’s new campaign. The general was quite nervous when he learned of this change. He didn’t know who this Yao Shuren was, only knowing him from his reputation. This meant that Niu Fu had no idea if the new Governor was going to attack at a moment’s notice. Should he slow down to see what Yao Shuren would do? Should he turn around and go help Xu Chu defend the border? Or maybe he should stop and ask Duan Wei for further instructions? While in the end he continued east, this little panic slowed down his advance by a week, which would have terrible consequences.

As it turned out, Ban Ding had not been amused at this whole declaration of war. The fact that Duan Wei had declared him an enemy of the Han and now treated him as just another easy target annoyed him to no end. This was nothing less than an insult to his personal greatness! If Duan Wei expected Ban Ding to stand idlily and await his doom, then the Chancellor would be thoroughly disappointed. In March, Ban Ding and his army marched toward the border and used the cover of the night to surprise the yet fully assembled imperial forces. Duan Wei, who was confident of the coming victory, didn’t see this surprised attack coming at all. He was unprepared, had less troops and it was the middle of the night. It was a quick victory for the forces of Ban Ding. Worst, yet, as Xu Rong retreated, he realized that Duan Wei was not with him. The Chancellor had in fact been captured by the enemy’s soldiers, who brought him in front of Ban Ding. Duan Wei demanded that he be released at once, or else they would regret it when the imperial army came back for him. Ban Ding, feeling slighted by Duan Wei’s reaction, ordered that Duan Wei be release of his head, which he sent to Luoyang as a sign that he was not to be messed with.

News of Duan Wei’s death sparked agitation at court. Liu Si immediately began to move for the restoration of imperial powers, advocating that the Emperor was now old enough to take back the reins of the Dynasty. This was the great moment Liu Si had always waited for, the moment when the Han Dynasty came back from the decline it had spiraled in. But Liu Si and his hardline loyalists weren’t the only one attempting to fill in the vacuum left by Duan Wei. Jiang Xian realized that it was a rare occasion to get back in charge and moved to restore “the old righteous order at court”, wishing the Han to return to a time of officials advising the Emperor and handling his affairs. It was basically what they had previously enjoyed, but without a Dong Huang to stop them. He even contacted his former associate Shisun Rui as well as Yang Biu, the son of their late leader Yang Biao. Jiang Xian told them to rush for the imperial capital so they could reassert good governance around the Emperor. While both groups made as much noise as possible, they lacked control of the garrison, which was still in the hands of Cao Quan. Both tried to sway him to their side, but he stubbornly stuck to the directives Duan Wei had given him, even if the Chancellor was now dead. No, before he would await someone else before making a decision, someone who could take control of the situation better than he would.

Then Niu Fu finally arrived in Luoyang.

The loyalist general was still under orders to join up with Duan Wei and had yet been made aware of the Chancellor’s fate. It was only when he camped his troops outside of the capital that he was told of the current situation. When they learned of his arrival, many officials turned to him and asked him to ensure peace in the capital. Cao Quan also offered to give him control of the capital, putting himself under his command. Taken aback, Niu Fu refused to set foot inside of the capital, suspecting it was a trap from which he would not come out alive. It was only when Shisun Rui arrived that Niu Fu was convinced by his former ally to enter the capital. Shisun Rui soon reaffirmed his power at court, quickly outshining Jiang Xian and Liu Si in the current debate. He immediately petitioned the Emperor that Niu Fu be made Chancellor, something applauded my many.

Afraid that Niu Fu might turn out to be another Dong Zhuo should power be refused to him, the Emperor offered Niu Fu the Chancellorship. But once again Niu Fu refused the invitation, as he did not seek power for himself, even if it was now becoming evident that it was falling upon his laps. He instead took the position of Intendant of Henan in order to ensure order within the capital and its surroundings. He then sent missives to Xu Rong informing him of the changes that had occurred. Xu Rong was all too happy to let Niu Fu be in charge and gladly submitted himself to his authority. Soon after, Niu Fu decided that the situation was too volatile for a war and sent gifts to Ban Ding, who agreed to a peace, mostly because Niu Fu treated him with the respect he felt like he deserved. Following this successful peace, Niu Fu was once again offered the position of Chancellor. This time he agreed to the pleas around him and accepted the appointment, although he felt uncomfortable being given such powers. And so began Niu Fu’s time at the top. He quickly hoped for unity and peace, unaware that the Emperor now considered him responsible for blocking his attempt at regaining his full authority. And neither did he notice Jiang Xian, who now aimed for nothing less than to take Niu Fu’s job from under him…

_______
PS: Well Duan Wei turned out to be a disappointment. And here I was, convinced he would be the one to usurp the Emperor. I was so hyped for him that I was actually thinking of names for his dynasty when he died. Well no more Chancellor now, I’m moving away! Following the death of Dan Wei I switched to playing Xiao Ru (@Ixarys ). Also from that point on I only play as yours characters.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Guessing you won’t be telling everybody that it is obviously the future leader of China, Liu Siyuan?

 

[Midnite Duke]

The best laid plans of men . . .

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Of mice. I very much doubt man had anything to do with it.

 

[HistoryDude]

Well, the Han collapse is in full swing now.

Or, maybe, the Han Restoration?

 

[Zamarak500]

195-196: THE LAST STRETCH​

With the incoming army of Tao Shang taking everyone by surprise, Chen Wen was forced to flee his provincial capital of Hefei, soon to be followed by the old Lu Jun. But while they fled south to go seek refuge with the forces being assembled by Hu Zan, the garrison led by Su Dai still remained behind. Su Dai had no desire to stay and fight, but he was appointed Commander of the Hefei garrison, which meant it was his duties to remain here. He was a loyal servant of Chen Wen and would zealously accomplish his duties. So he stayed, even though he knew he wasn’t up to the task. So when the armies of Tao Shag arrived at the gates of Hefei demanding that they be allowed to enter, Su Dai refused. Tao Shang asked him “Will you not obey your lord?”, to which Su Dai answered “I am but loyal to my lord, and I will not let him down.” before refusing once again to open the gates, leading to a siege of the provincial capital.

But as much as Su Dai was loyal and willing to obey Chen Wen’s orders, he did not have the skills to lead a defence effectively. He was a decent enough administrator, yes, but a commander he was not. Thankfully, Su Dai had the wisdom of bringing his loyal general Bu Baoxun when he was affected to Hefei. Bu Baoxun, while not as happy about their submission to Chen Wen as his liege was, still did his very best to prepare the city in the case of a siege, beating the guards into shape and preparing for the eventuality of an assault. With Su Dai securing enough supply to last for months, they were more than ready to hold out when Tao Shang presented himself. When Tao Shang realized this, he tried to send bribes to Bu Baoxun, convinced that the general would switch side once he realized that Tao Shang could reward him handsomely. But when he received the gift from a spy in the city, Bu Baoxun was so enraged that he hit the spy enough times that the poor man could no longer see. Not as if he would have a lot of occasions to see again anyway, as he was tortured for information and then executed in public, allowing Su Dai and his general to clean the provincial capital of Xu spies.

Tao Shang had hoped to enter the city immediately, thus striking a blow from which the rebels would not have come from. Instead, he found himself in a long siege that he was not prepared for. Tao Ying, who had been left in charge of the province in Tao Shang absence, soon received demands for more supply as it became clear Su Dai would not open the doors of the city. Tao Ying, afraid this was some sort of test from his brother, was quick to send as much supply as he could, not even considering that he didn’t have the manpower necessary to protect this supply. Hu Zan noticed, though, and from his new position in the south he launched a few raids to test the waters, with the Xu troops unable to hold the supply they were transporting. Tao Shang saw this as a humiliation, and began to berate his brother with missives, criticizing him on his failure to keep the supply protected. This would have a far bigger effect on Tao Ying than intended, as he began to fear that his brother now wanted him dead.

Worst news came from the north in January 196 as the war with Liu Yi of Runan was turning badly. While the rebel general Huang Zu had indeed fought Liu Yi and triumphed, this had done nothing to stop the administrator’s campaign against Tao Shang, especially after he explained to Huang Zu that this was all a misunderstanding and that they were in fact fighting against the same enemy. Huang Zu was too arrogant to admit that this battle had been wrong, and it was only when he learned of Chen Wen’s flight south that he made peace and moved south. This allowed Liu Yi to continue his campaign for Anyang, and soon Tao Ying sent panicked missives to his brother, pleading him to do something before Liu Yi attacked Xu Province. Annoyed, but realizing that he needed to focus his efforts on keeping his southern provinces, Tao Shang finally resigned himself to his loss and sent envoys to Liu Yi. The Administrator of Runan Commandery wished to have this war done with, as he feared that his northern neighbour Xiao Ru was eying his territories. After offering massive bribes to the envoys and gifts for Tao Shang, it was quickly agreed that Anyang County could be Liu Yi’s.

As he marched from the north, Huang Zu found himself in a pickle. The quickest way to Hefei and the enemies was through the territories of Liu Siyuan. The issue was that the two had left each other on such bad terms that it might lead to open conflict should he pass again through Xincai and its surrounding territories. A more diplomatic man might warn Liu Siyuan of the threat on Hefei, pleading him to put aside their differences for the time being and go defeat Tao Shang once and for all. Huang Zu instead sent a missive, demanding, no, ORDERING Liu Siyuan to let him pass.

“I am to go defeat our enemies while you hide in your house. Your lands will be opened to me, and I shall pass through them and resupply from your people. And since you aren’t using your troops, given them to me at once.”

Needless to say, Liu Siyuan was not amused. Was this some kind of sick joke? He certainly did not appreciate the tone of the missive. Against the pleas of Jiang Gong, who hoped that they could remain united against the true enemy that was Tao Shang, Liu Siyuan decided to go on the border of his territories. Accompanied by Su Ta and a large contingent of troops, he made sure to block the entrance to his territories, refusing to let Huang Zu pass through them. This angered Huang Zu to no ends, but he decided that Liu Siyuan was bellow him and not worth the effort. Why bother with this failed warrior whose only claim to fame was his imperial ancestry? However he justified it, this decision would force Huang Zu to take a far longer route around Xincai, having first to pay to get through the territories of warlord Li Tong before making his way throughout Jing Province. This was a drag that slowed him considerably. Liu Siyuan considered this a victory, unaware that his actions had deprived Hu Zan of troops he desperately hoped for.

Unable to have news of Huang Zu’s situation, Hu Zan was forced to act with the troops he had. He needed the men, although he was all too happy to not have to handle Huang Zu. Ever since Chen Wen’s flight from Hefei, the Inspector of Yang Province had been the guest of Hu Zan. At the time, he was recruiting troops in the south and preparing in the eventual case the north was endangered. How right he was when Chen Wen came running and asked for his help. Hu Zan did everything to make his lord feel home, welcoming him as his master and respecting his authority. However, it quickly dawned on him what kind of opportunity this situation was presenting him. Yang Weili had been captured. Huang Zu was in the north of the province, with no news from him coming in. Liu Siyuan had returned to his domain and would probably protect his home first and foremost. Su Dai and Bu Baoxun were stuck in Hefei. Everything rested on his shoulders. Finally, he had a chance to show Chen Wen how great he was. Finally, he would show that he was the best general of Yang Province. He would turn this war around and win it all by himself!

Since he could not rely upon Huang Zu, Hu Zan began to launch small raid of the growing supply lines from Xu Province, securing a large amount of supply from his troops. Feeling emboldened, the young general then moved to retake the cities conquered by the Xu forces since the start of the war. The garrisons left behind were minimal, as Tao Shang had recalled most of the troops to help his siege of Hefei. The Governor of Xu’s sole focus on Hefei blinded him to the rebel’s moves. Hu Zan quickly launched his liberation effort, which was helped by the locals being all too willing to welcome back Chen Wen’s authority. Chen Wen, who had settled in the south with his court, was all too happy to hear of these victories. For each city Hu Zan took back, Chen Wen sent him rewards which only motivated Hu Zan to liberate more. By the end of March 196, only the towns around Hefei were still under the control of Tao Shang and his men.

It was in April that Hu Zan finally decided to make a move against Tao Shang. This was the result of Huang Zu finally sending an envoy to tell Chen Wen that he was closing in on Hefei. Unwilling to let the older general get all the credit and seeing this as an opportunity to finally regain the numerical advantage, Hu Zan pushed forward toward Hefei. The ensuing battle saw Tao Shang attacked from all sides. From the west, Huang Zu and his troops, while tired, were all too willing to kill the Xu soldiers when they arrived. From the east, Hu Zan launched a prudent but efficient attack, unsure if Huang Zu could be relied upon for a coordinated full on twin assault. From Hefei itself, Bu Baoxun took this opportunity to attack and finally break the siege. But what no one on both sides ever saw coming what the fourth assault from the north, led by none other than Zhang Yan. The former leader of the Black Mountain Bandits had escaped Lü Bu’s fury and made it for the south, recruiting many followers while on the road. He happened to arrive just in time for the Battle of Hefei. Seeing an opportunity, Zhang Yan chose to throw his lot with the rebels, using his small force to attack the weakened northern defense of Tao Shang. The Governor of Xu Province had no choice but to retreat, yet his arrogance led him to stay far longer than he should have, allowing his troops to suffer far more losses in the process.

Tao Shang was on the run. Hefei was freed. Chen Wen was overjoyed with this news and made it straight for his provincial capital. In the meantime, the victors found themselves with a few issues to resolve. Hu Zan, Huang Zu and Bu Baoxun each claimed that the victory was theirs. While most at the time would eventually relent that Huan Zu had done the most in the battle, Hu Zan’s political talents would ensure that he be the one who would be credited this victory by the later historians. Hu Zan also demanded authority over Hefei in Chen Wen’s absence. Su Dai was completely fine with this, but Bu Baoxun insisted that Su Dai was the highest authority until the Inspector arrived. And then there was the biggest problem of them all: what were they supposed to do with Zhang Yan? The bandit leader had helped, yes, but he had been declared an enemy of the Han. Zhang Yan didn’t know how they would react either, which is why he stayed away from their camp and made sure to always have his men prepared to fight.

But then Chen Wen arrived and simply rewarded everyone before deciding to organize a feast in their honor. This included Zhang Yan, who was welcomed at court as one of the heroes of the day, securing his place in Yang Province. During the ensuing feast, Zhang Yan would meet Lu Jun, the old advisor who had fled alongside Chen Wen. Fearing the rise of expansionist officers like Yang Weili and Hu Zan, Lu Jun decided that he needed to get his own great general to defend his ideas for Yang Province, especially if people like Hu Zan of Huang Zu started to show too much ambitions. So he approached the former bandit leader and offered him a place by his side. Zhang Yan saw no reason to refuse the offer. While he didn’t care one bit about the political and ideological arguments of Lu Jun, being given wealth, power and control over Lu Jun’s army was an excellent position to find himself in. This partnership would prove so satisfying for both that Lu Jun would start to recruit other rebels and bandits into his service, most notably former Yellow Turbans searching for a new home.

The feast could only last so long, however, and soon Hu Zan and Huang Zu were ready to go back on campaign. As a reward for his efforts in winning back Hefei, Chen Wen appointed Hu Zan as the leader of the campaign against Xu Province. Huang Zu so angry that he stormed in Chen Wen room to complain, only to be met by a just as angry Chen Wen, who berated him for waking him up so late at night. He was the Inspector of Yang, damnit! He was not going to accept this kind of pressuring from his men! So Huang Zu, who he had first planned to appoint leader of the vanguard, found himself only appointed as a subordinate otoHu Zan. Huang Zu actually considered doing just as Liu Siyuan had done and go home, but the chance to fight again on the battlefield was too enticing for him to quit, especially now that they were winning.

Now that they were winning and that they knew no possible threat could come from the north, Hu Zan wished for Liu Siyuan to rejoin the war effort. Having his troops and his talent by their side would ensure that the war would decisively be won. Huang Zu fumed when he learned of this. Hu Zan was in the middle of writing his message to Liu Siyuan when Huang Zu stormed in, grabbed the letter in anger and threw it in a fire outside the tent. He then made it abundantly clear that he would not tolerate this pompous prince by their side. If Liu Siyuan was in, then he was out. Hu Zan tried to reason with him, but he once again had to accept that Huang Zu was an emotional man who did not follow reason. In the end, Hu Zan decided that it was better to keep Huang Zu happy than lose his troops and bet on the possibility of Liu Siyuan joining him. He abandoned any plan to contact the scion of the Han.

In July the rebel army met with what remained of Tao Shang’s forces and defeated the governor once more. If this defeat was bad news for Tao Shang, he would receive even worst ones from home. Having grown convinced that his brother was going to have his killed for failing to protect the supply, Tao Ying felt as if he was against the wall. Seeing no other option, the younger brother revolted, hoping to use Tao Shang’s absence to take Xu Province for himself with little fighting. This left Tao Shang in a difficult position. Now he might lose more than his southern territories. If things continued like that, he might lose everything. His advisors begged him to abandon his campaign against Chen Wen, to return home and go defeat the traitor Tao Ying. But Tao Shang was too invested in his southern territories, too prideful to recognize defeat when only a year ago he was on the verge of victory. It was only the following month that he grudgingly acknowledged the inevitable and sent messengers to Hefei, offering Chen Wen to talk peace.

Chen Wen and Tao Shang met in Hu Zan’s domain, which was on the border between Xu and Yang. Hu Zan, who was already granted the honor of being the host of this meeting, was also allowed to be present to it as a reward for his role in winning the war. Liu Siyuan also showed up, insisting that he was an equal in this war and thus had to have a role in the talks. While Chen Wen was still frustrated that the warrior had abandoned them in the middle of the war, he welcomed him as a friend as if nothing had happened. Things started on a though note as Chen Wen insisted that Yang Weili be released from his two years of captivity before any discussion took place. This annoyed Hu Zan, as he had hoped to have replaced Yang Weili in Chen Wen’s eyes by now. But the Inspector of Yang Province insisted that his friend had to be freed. Tao Shang, who didn’t care much for the strategist, accepted the demand, and Yang Weili reunited with his lord at the negotiations. It was a dry and short affair, with everyone wanting to get this over with. Tao Shang accepted that Chen Wen and Liu Siyuan were no longer under his authority, allowing them to go free. It had taken three hard fought years, but they were finally free of Tao Shang. They had won.

Liu Siyuan as quite pleased with the meeting. As he left for his now independent domain, he was stoped by Tao Shang, who asked: “Even now, I do not understand? Why did you betray me, after all I did for you? You were my greatest warrior, yet you became a traitor.” Liu Siyuan retorted: “I was indeed you greatest warrior. Yet you ignored me for lesser unworthy men and allowed yourself to be lied to. When I wished to help you rid yourself of this influence, you accused me of treason. You pushed me to treason. Considering how you rewarded my loyal cousin, I have clearly made the right choice.” He left a saddened Tao Shang behind and returned to Xincai. When he arrived home, however, one of his happiest days turned into one of his saddest. Messengers from Luoyang brought news. His father, Liu Si, had finally died of old age while he was at the negotiations. As he organized the funerals, he cried in front of the funeral tablets, his father, his imperial ancestors and Heaven itself. He would crush the rebels, the barbarians and the traitors. Before he breath his last breath, he would save the Han and reunify China.

 

[HistoryDude]

There are divisions even amongst the ostensibly loyal.

It seems as if the "Three" Kingdoms period will soon start in earnest.

 

[Zamarak500]

I should probably clarify why the writing has been more or less inexistant over the last weeks.

I'm in the process of writing what will be the first chapter of my master thesis, which I have to give in... two weeks, give or take.

Considering it's half written and I've just realized I've been using the wrong norms of presentation this whole time, it's going to take priority on Last Days of the Han until I have given it to the evaluators. This might mean that the AAR will barely get any attention from me until mid-end April (depending how much the oral presentation of it will necessitate preparation).

Thought I should warn you all, as always.