The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[Zamarak500]

When you say not too much writing you mean you will just cover the two in Tao Qians court right?

Nan, I mean more I'll take it easy today or for a few days and not write so not to hurt my hands too much (don't want things to be like with Dragon Kin and have to take almost a year off). So next chapter won't be today.

 

[stnylan]

And... I've already forgotten who people were and had to go consulting the character list

I think the chaos has some way to run yet.

 

[Midnite Duke]

My Simon & Garfunkel song for the 0 dip characters is "The Sound of Silence". My view of 0 dip is not of a mute or incoherent speech but rather very blunt and snarky. 0 dip will tell it like they view it with no regard for anyone's feelings. My basic research on Jincheng is it a major coal mining area, so I was wondering if the game had id'ed it as mountain. @Zamarak500, can you please console command Jincheng's flag from Puke Green to a vibrant Cedar (Jincheng's city tree) Green. I am asking with my complete 0 dip skill and no one with a 23 stewardship would ever bribe . . . with their own money. Am I my liege's steward or regent?
@Massinissa the Wise, my best advice on wars would be to check the war page in the ledgers at least quarterly and flag leaders and generals as persons of special interest. In EU4, I set my notifications to give me a pop up whenever a war started or ended. Can CK2 notifications be set like that? My play style is about two steps from observer mode. I go on speed 5 with frequent pause and extensive note taking. I do a deep dive of my realm every 10 years or character change (whichever comes first). I look at royal family, council, liege, vassals and demense holdings. Every 25 years, I check the five largest realms and religions. I look especially for changes and the unusual. In my most recent 25 year check, Sunni had dropped from second to fourth and England had a 11yo imbecile Mongol Nestorian king. Everyone, thank you for reading and be safe.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

And... I've already forgotten who people were and had to go consulting the character list

I think the chaos has some way to run yet.

I already mixed two of them up.

The only thing I’m certain of is that I’m the only Liu and Specialist is also serving in Tao Qian’s lands.

 

[Dunaden]

So we have visited 5 characters so far:

Yao Shuren goes to great lengths to prove his loyalty to Dong Huang after a failed assassination attempt causes reprisals in the capitol.

Jian Xian tries to lay low and hide his mastery of tea to avoid Imperial scrutiny, but he is swayed by the beauty of Wang Diaochan to make a dangerous pledge that will pit him against Dong Huang and Yao Shuren.

Xiao Ru hatches a plan to gain power, but he is cheated out of his prize by a nine year old boy.

Xuan Su has a similar scheme, but he is much more successful and quickly rises to become Administrator of Yunzhong

Mo Jie's master Han Sui grows in power through a show of strength and generosity.

 

[Zamarak500]

My Simon & Garfunkel song for the 0 dip characters is "The Sound of Silence". My view of 0 dip is not of a mute or incoherent speech but rather very blunt and snarky. 0 dip will tell it like they view it with no regard for anyone's feelings. My basic research on Jincheng is it a major coal mining area, so I was wondering if the game had id'ed it as mountain. @Zamarak500, can you please console command Jincheng's flag from Puke Green to a vibrant Cedar (Jincheng's city tree) Green. I am asking with my complete 0 dip skill and no one with a 23 stewardship would ever bribe . . . with their own money. Am I my liege's steward or regent?

Not good enough in modding to change flags, sorry.

And Mo Jie is the steward (Main Clerk) of Han Sui, cause let's be honest who else would have that job?

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Why do you like every post midnight?

 

[Midnite Duke]

Thank you for making me steward. MOney is always important and MOre MOney is better. The bureaucracy in China during the first millennium is more important than anywhere else in the world at that time. If I do not defend my man, who else will? (The capitalized MOs are deliberate.)

 

[Midnite Duke]

I think that anyone willing to comment deserves recognition. I give 'love' and 'helpful' to authors usually and 'like' and 'agree' to commenters.

 

[Zamarak500]

190: THE STRATEGIST AND THE WARRIOR​

Tao Qian was known throughout the land as a virtuous and good man who ruled Xu Province for the people and with great care. The old man was quite popular among his courtiers and with the commoners. He was hardworking, willing to listen to others, and most importantly not too rash when implementing new policies. To many, the old humble governor was the perfect ruler. Of course, he wasn’t flawless. No one could extend his influence like he did without having the political skills to outmanoeuver your rivals. As for those that opposed him, Tao Qian could prove to be quite the cruel man, although he was smart enough to never show it in public. Now his influence had spread all over the coast and the warlord had the loyalty of many generals and advisors that made the jealousy of others.

His most powerful vassal was undoubtedly the Inspector of Yang Province, the newly appointed Chen Wen. The province had fallen into the sphere of Tao Qian in the years that followed the start of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and since then the old governor had been able to have a say in the appointment of its new inspector. Chen Wen had been chosen because like Tao Qian he was popular with the commoners. While not especially competent, Chen Wen was a kind man who rewarded handsomely anyone that proved loyal and good. He was the sort of person to happily throw coins around in order to help others or to reward them. He was also truly cared for those that served him, treating them like friends at times (and indeed, he would develop a friendship with a few of them). He wasn’t without flaws, though. He had a high esteem of himself and did not take personal criticisms very well. He easily lost his temper in the face of adversity, ah shock to those that expected a kind and understanding man. And even if he tried to be a scholar, he still charged into battle himself, acting like an enraged beast on the battlefield. His advisors actually try to convince him not to do so, as he’s actually a lousy commander.

In the early days of February, Chen Wen was approached by his Commandant, the old Tang Mao. Tang Mao had been in the province since 150, so planned to walk over this new Inspector just like he had done with the last ones. He wanted one last war before he died, so one day he came to Chen Wen and told him that it was about time that they brought order back to Xipingru County. The fact that it was held by rebels was an insult to the authority of Tao Qian and to the righteousness of the Han and what not. Really he just wanted to win a quick war and get rich in the process. Chen Wen didn’t like the harsh words which the man used, as the old general accused him of being a scoundrel and coward if he refused. Chen Wen had no desire to be called that way and so allowed Tang Mao to lead this little war under his authority.

The Inspector of Yang Province decided that this war was the perfect opportunity to put his new strategist to use. Yang Weili had kindly accompanied him after he had offered the man a massive salary, so now might be the occasion to see if he was as good as people said. He dispatched men to go fetch him, to the opposition of Tang Mao, who didn’t want to share in the glory with some newcomer. Envoys were sent to his home, but all they found was a mess of a house with things lying around and nothing in order. The envoys actually found the strategist just sleeping under a pile of books. They called guards to drag him away and then sent servants to clean up his home. On his return, Yang Weili would complain that he couldn’t find his things anymore.

So Yang Weili found himself assigned as a commander to the campaign, with the task of assisting and advising Tang Mao when it was necessary. Yang Weili got a cold reception on day one, with Tang Mao insulting the strategist to his face and telling him: “Why do great men always get hindered by idiots?” Needless to say, Yang Weili was not impressed with the Commandant of Yang Province. He tried to suggest a strategy that would ensure a quick victory, but Tang Mao refused to even listen to it. They had the numbers. All they needed was to assemble the troops and everything would no smoothly.

This arrogant belief was shattered when the troops of Xipingru County decided to go on the offensive instead of sitting around and waiting to be destroyed, like Tang Mao had expected them to do. They entered Yang Province and began marching toward the provincial capital of Hefei. Taken completely by surprise, Tang Mao ordered everyone to retreat south and abandon the provincial capital. However, while they were in the camps, Chen Wen was still in Hefei and found himself under siege. His attendant asked him to leave, but he refused to abandon the people to their fate. Meanwhile Tang Mao was reassembling the troops down south, abandoning their lord to regroup. Yang Weili came forward and honestly told the Commandant that his tactic was putting the whole of Yang at risk. It had already left their lord at risk. “I saw nothing to prove that you are indeed worthy of the position of Commandant.”, Yang Weili boldly told him. However, he did not act on his own, not wanting to break military hierarchy. Tang Mao was quite insulted by this, and almost had the strategist arrested for daring to talk back at him. He was actually about to write the order when news came that Hefei had been freed and that the troops of Xipingru were retreating.

It would not be Tang Mao or Yang Weili that would free Chen Wen, but Liu Siyuan. As it turned out, Tao Qian had also been convinced by his commandant Liu He of launching a war. In his case, he was convinced that the people of Yang Province needed to be free of the constant raids by the remaining Yellow Turbans. The old governor agreed, although he could see the secret goals of his Commandant. Liu He wanted his cousin Liu Siyuan to distinguish himself in this campaign, thus helping their family rise in the province and making themselves indispensable to Tao Qian. To counter the power of the Liu Clan, Tao Qian decided to rely on another commander to assist Liu Siyuan, a 21 years old named Mi Fang. Mi Fang and his older Mi Zhu were level-headed and efficient assistants to Tao Qian, and so he wanted one of them to assist Liu Siyuan in his campaign against the Yellow Turbans. When Liu Siyuan got the news, he was happy to share the glory with such a respectable young man, although he believed that his authority would supplant that of Mi Fang. The two were both brave warriors who believed in justice, and so they would leave their first meeting with a good impression of the other. It would be the last time they spoke of each other in a positive way.

Their plan was to set up a supply line from Hefei, but when they learned that it was under siege the two commanders raced down to the provincial capital of Yang Province. Not wanting to face the forces of Yang and of Xu, the men of Xipingru retreated when in April when their scouts told of the approaching vanguard led by Liu Siyuan. Chen Wen was the first one to welcome him when the general came to the gates of Hefei with his army, thanking his vanguard for freeing him and giving him many gifts of gold and supply. The general gladly welcomed these gifts and even spent the night celebrating with Chen Wen in the Inspector’s home. When Mi Fang arrived with the rest of the army the next day, he was frustrated that Liu Siyuan had accepted these gifts from Chen Wen. Liu Siyuan did not see the issue, but for Mi Fang this was as if Liu Siyuan was taking all the credit and receiving bribes for it. Needless to say, this situation would lead to some mistrust between the two of them.

In May, Tang Mao and Yang Weili finally returned to Hefei. With news of the enemies’ flight, Tang Mao that they would go crushes these scums! But first he chose to make a stop at Hefei to have a triumphant entrance in the provincial capital. Yang Weili opposed this, saying that it would be better to go after the enemies now that it was moving back. But Tang Mao wanted to see their lord and receive the praises he deserved for his strategy. Instead of being welcomed like a hero, Tang Mao was chastised by Chen Wen, who called him a “fool like no man he had ever met” for abandoning Hefei at the first sign of adversity. After this, Chen Wen excused himself to his guests for his loss of temper, but both told him that it was his right to discipline his Commandant as he wished. Really, the only one who lost their esteem was Tang Mao.

Chen Wen had a banquet will all the generals, both his and Tao Qian’s, so to celebrate futur successes. During the meeting, Yang Weili started talking of military affairs and suggested that the two armies worked together against their enemies. He honestly believed that this would be the best way to win. Liu Siyuan was open to the idea, claiming to Yang Weili that “with my spear and your mind, the rebels will be crushed by June!” However, both Tang Mao and Mi Fang put a stop to the idea. Tang Mao didn’t want to share in the glory of taking Xipingru. He saw how the generals sent by Tao Qian were young men who could probably charge in the battlefield like heroes. There was simply no way he was cooperating with them. As for Mi Fang, he didn’t want to encourage Chen Wen and his generals in their little private war. To him, every expansion of Yang was a potential threat to the authority of Xu. In the end, no formal plan to work together was made and the rest of the banquet was particularly sour from that point on.

Tang Mao marched north with plans to defeat the enemy army and gain the glory he deserved. For this occasion, Yang Weili had prepared a plan to trick the enemy with a false retreat of the center to lead the enemies right in the middle of their army. This tactic only required calm and patience… So he could only sigh in frustration when Tang Mao ordered a massive assault on the enemy, not even waiting for the army to get in position for Yang Weili’s plan. The battle was mostly a stalemate, forcing the two armies to return to their camps and fight it out on the next day, and the day after that, and the one after that… Even if they had the advantage of number, the enemy had the advantage of terrain. This was becoming a problem. Then Yang Weili learned that the army of Liu Siyuan and Mi Fang was using a road a few hours away from the battlefield. Wanting to see if they had changed their mind about helping them (or if they could at least send scouts to give them ideas on the enemies’ formations and supplies), Yang Weili sent messengers to their camp.

Liu Siyuan was all too happy to jump into battle and go help the forces of Yang. But once again, Mi Fang put his foot down and declared that no help would be sent to Yang. Liu Siyuan was infuriated, passionately saying that they were their allies in the fight to restore order to the Han. To him, this was all a war to one day bring the whole of the Dynasty back under the Emperor. But Mi Fang had a different view on this. Unlike Liu Siyuan, his loyalty laid with his lord Tao Qian, into with the throne. He saw the expansion of Yang as a threat and so would not help them. Liu Siyuan decided that as commander he could overturn Mi Fang’s decision and led a cavalry charge in the rear of the Xipingru troops in the middle of the night, which allowed Yang Weili to make a pincer move on the distracted enemies. The enemies were defeated and forced to go hide in their castles.

Tang Mao, who had first opposed the two fighting side by side, welcomed Liu Siyuan as a guest and a friend in his camp, although Liu Siyuan was annoyed by how often the old Commandant called him “brat”. Yang Weili also came to pay his respects to the general and thank him for answering his call. To his surprise, Liu Siyuan answered by paying his respect back and by saying “And I also offer my thanks to you, general Yang, for you have provided me with an opportunity to prove my worth to all under Heaven.” Mi Fang was in a far worst mood when he reached their camp with the rest of his army. He accused Liu Siyuan of insubordination and of acting against the interests of their lords. To this, Liu Siyuan rebuked his criticisms by saying that he was the true leader of their force and that while he valued Mi Fang’s advices, there was no need to actually listen to him.

What was an unplanned stop turned out to be a permanent stay for Liu Siyuan and Mi Fang when they learned that He Yi, the leader of the Southern Yellow Turban Army, was marching toward Xipingru in hope of taking it before Yang and use it to then fight Xu and its army. So while Tang Mao and Yang Weili began to prepare sieges of the local rebel strongholds, Liu Siyuan and Mi Fang prepared defensive positions for a fight with the incoming Yellow Turbans. This time, an agreement would be made to fully cooperate, as Tang Mao wanted the honor of being the one to crush the Yellow Turbans and Yang Weili wanted to help with the defensive plans, as he feared that the two generals would prefer a “attack is the best defence” kind of strategy. On one occasion, Liu Siyuan noticed scouts watching them, and so took some of his men to personally chase them and kill them all so they could not report back to the Yellow Turbans.

He Yi and his men finally showed up, they quickly realized that their information were wrong as they found themselves faces with four time more men. Already expecting an uphill battle against the forces of Xu, they now had to contend with the forces of Yang Province too. He considered retreating, but Yang Weili had placed his men in such a way that any retreat would require a hard fought frontal assault. Liu Siyuan raised his spear, screaming “May the enemies of the Han fall to our righteous might!” He Yi did his best to command his men, but he was quickly forced into a duel by Tang Mao, who wanted the honor of killing the Yellow Turban leader. He Yi wasn’t so easy to beat, however, and he was able to push back the first assaults of the old Commandant before hitting him with his sword. This hit was enough to make Tang Mao lose his balance and soon he was dragged away by his horse, his broken foot stuck in the saddle. Thankfully Liu Siyuan intervened to protect the vulnerable Commandant. He Yi tried to use this opportunity to flee, but Liu Siyuan grabbed his spear at threw it at the Yellow Turban leader, striking him right in the shoulder. He Yi was barely able to stay on the horse, with his men doing their best to protect him. Yang Weili’s blockade finally broke (as Tang Mao had given him too few men), and the few remaining Yellow Turbans were able to flee back to their territories with their injured leader.

Normally, any good military commander would have followed this victory by pursuing the enemies. Indeed, this was what Mi Fang and Liu Siyuan had in mind. But then as he scouted the roads of Xipingru, Liu Siyuan saw a lady outside of her small mansion. She was well dressed, with clothes rich enough to probably be of a small of landowners. When she saw the warrior, the lady asked him if he was tired or hungry, with her family soon welcoming him as a guest. While the family was curious about his presence here, Liu Siyuan only had eyes for the woman. When the time finally came for him to leave as his men came search for him, he asked for her name. She answered Hao Huitong. As he left her house, he would keep mumbling her name, his head filled with dreams of her.

Instead of leading the troops toward the Yellow Turbans’ territories, Liu Siyuan instead returned to Lady Hao’s home to court her. He brought her rare flowers he had spent the night collecting. While touched by the attention, the lady didn’t expect much. She was content being the daughter of a simple landowner and understood that she would one day be married off. She didn’t see a possibility for her to marry such a general of the imperial clan. Never the less, she was thankful for the flowers and gave him some of her time. But then he returned the next day, having brought more gifts for her. And meanwhile, his army had yet to move up. Liu Siyuan continued to come back each day to talk with Hao Huitong or to bring her new gifts, like when he brought beautiful poetry to seduce her. While not a poet himself, he rode for hours to go meet a famous one and pay him to write his best poetry about love. With time, Lady Hao allowed herself to be seduced by him and even began to entertain the dream of being his wife, while the general continued to show his affection for her as weeks passed.

Meanwhile, the army had yet to march. Mi Fang was enraged, ordering Liu Siyuan to just move on and start attacking the Yellow Turbans again. They were here for war, after all. Liu Siyuan answered “Do not dare to command of man in love.” Before leaving to go see Lady Hao. Enraged, Mi Fang took his troops and simply marched forward after a week of waiting. Liu Siyuan’s own troops, while happy of the pause they had received, were now restless to go back to the fight. But their general was still courting his lady, no matter what they told him. Desperate, they turned to Tang Mao and Yang Weili. While Tang Mao didn’t care about this, Yang Weili agreed to help the men as payback for Liu Siyuan coming to his help in May. He went to see Liu Siyuan to Lady Hao’s home and saw how much the two were infatuated with one another. Yang Weili first pleaded that Liu Siyuan returned to leading his army, but the man refused to leave his lady behind. About to just abandon the issue, Yang Weili had a clever idea. He told the general that if he came back a war hero, surely Lady Hao’s family would agree to give him her hand. Liu Siyuan was enticed with the idea and agreed to leave. It was mid-September by them, almost a month since they should have set up to attack the Yellow Turbans.

It was finally November when Xipingru County surrendered to Tang Mao and Yang Weili. Yang Weili had suggested that they took a diplomatic assault to this so to avoid more bloodsheds and because it would prove easier, but Tang Mao had completely refused, not wanting his victory to be sullied with goodwill and peace. IUn the end, Tang Maoe got restless, and against the strategist’s advice sent his men on an all-out assault on the main stronghold, leading to the death of many on both sides. But it also led to victory, which Tang Mao proudly proclaimed as his when he returned to Hefei. He expected Chen Wen to shower him with gifts and other rewards, but instead his lord publicly slapped him in front of his troops. Chen when began shouting at him, screaming:

“If General Yang had been in charge, Hefei would never have been threatened! If General Yang had been in charge, the Yellow Turbans would have never escaped! If General Yang had been in charge, this would have been done with months ago! If General Yang had been in charge, useless bloodsheds would have been avoided!”

“But… my lord…” Tang Mao tried to defend himself. But Chen Wen would have none of it.

“And now I’m wondering why it took me so long to put him in charge!”

He stripped Tang Mao of his position and sent him back to his Commandery in disgrace, where he would die the following year. Yang Weili was extremely thankful that his lord had taken his side of the argument. He fell to his knees and thanked him for the appointment of Commandant, although he felt unworthy of such position. Chen Wen, while appreciating his general’s humility, still insisted, saying that Yang Weili was the only one he could trust. In fact, he would also trust him with ruling Xipingru County as its new Magistrate. This show of respect and trust between the two men would be the beginning of their strong friendship.

A month later the Yellow Turbans were forced to abandon Xincai and leave it to the armies of Xu. Mi Fang and Liu Siyuan were victorious. Instead of staying like Mi Fang wanted so they could deal with the remaining rebels, Liu Siyuan left as soon as victory was achieved and raced to Lady Hao’s house. But when he arrived, he was shocked to find it mostly empty. He stopped at Yang Weili’s new residence in the county, where the strategist told him that he heard from servants that Lady Hao was on her way to become the concubine of an administrator in Yu Province. Liu Siyuan barely stayed long enough to thank Yang Weili for the information before he left again, riding day and night to reach his beloved. After two days he was able to reach their carts, where he jumped off his horse and demanded Hao Huitong’s hand in marriage. Her family, either afraid of what the general would do if they said no or seeing an opportunity in marrying their daughter to a rising general, agreed. Lady Hao was overjoyed as Liu Siyuan grabbed her and brought her back to Xipingru, where the two were married.

When he returned home, he was forced to defend his conduct in the war, as Mi Fang had begun to slander his decisions and demanded that Tao Qian had him executed for insubordination. Liu Siyuan responded in kind, complaining that he was the one who won all battles and helped their allies of Yang, while Mi Fang was too cowardly to help others in time of need. The two men were probably ready to jump at each other’s throat, but Tao Qian put an end to this. To the horror of Mi Fang, the old governor sided with his rival on the issue and even awarded him Xincai to rule in his name. Liu Siyuan thanked his lord and packed for his new home. Meanwhile, Mi Fang swore on his ancestors that he would rid Xu Province of this damn Liu Siyuan.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

So found myself a wife. On friendly terms with my new strategic neighbor. Took a thirteen point bump up in combat ability. All in all a pretty good few months for me.

Greatly pleased to see I’m rivals with Mi Fang.

Will you be mentioning interesting officials who join our courts?

 

[Zamarak500]

Will you be mentioning interesting officials who join our courts?

If there are any and they become relevant (and if you keep your court long enough for that ), then courtiers will get mentioned.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

You might want to edit the first post then. Add a list of everybody that Siyuan kills and another list of everybody who serves him so we can keep track because obviously he will conquer the known universe.

 

[HistoryDude]

Tang Mao's quote was right... he's just the idiot here.

Hopefully, pride doesn't destroy too many realms.

Well, that was... certainly romantic. Can't say it was good strategically, but love isn't rational.

 

[Specialist290]

I'm rather pleased to see Yang Weili moving up in the world -- though I'm sure he's just content to buy yet more books with his newly expanded salary while his house gradually falls down around him

That being said, while his budding friendship with Liu Siyuan is interesting (and wonderfully ironic, in light of Yang's inspiration) to watch, I have this feeling that their relationship won't remain all sunshine and roses for long, if for no other reason than the fact that their masters are seemingly on a collision course for power and influence in the region.

 

[patpekala]

Sorry for the late review! I thought I'd get it on mail, again but NOPE!

Chapter 2:
Congratulations Xuan Su, you damn monster. You're so far the most successful of us. I'm so jelly.

Also, there's this part at the start where Ying Shao was Ying Bao. Sorry, this typo confused me for a bit and annoyed me too.

Chapter 3:
Yay, Liu Siyuan and Yang Weili got promotions! Cool. Very cool. Even better that their friends and helping on another to get rid of the rivals.

*put on sunglasses* The duo: Liu Siyuan and Yang Weili. Partners against crime. Cops to the very end. The movie is coming out 2021.

 

[EtzelHoveri]

Also, there's this part at the start where Ying Shao was Ying Bao. Sorry, this typo confused me for a bit and annoyed me too.

I know what you mean. There was a number of Li instead of Liu in chapter 3.

I was worried at first that I had named my guy very close to another character in the same region. Took me a minute to realize that he was just missing the u.

 

[Zamarak500]

I know what you mean. There was a number of Li instead of Liu in chapter 3.

I was worried at first that I had named my guy very close to another character in the same region. Took me a minute to realize that he was just missing the u.

Ok, so the Li are typos. The Ying Bao was just me being convinced his name was Ying Bao and not checking it up cause for some reason I was 100% convinced it was Ying Bao.

 

[HistoryDude]

I just realized that I created Xuan Su...

I am very happy at how well I'm doing...

 

[Zamarak500]

190-191: DONG ZHUO’S GENERALS​

The White Wave Bandit had been formed in 188, when a remnant of the Yellow Turbans started their own rebellion and took control of Xihe Commandery. Their presence so close to the Imperial Capital was an affront to the Han court, especially as their leader Han Xian had been raiding the surrounding cities with the support of Xiongnu mercenaries. The chaos that had gripped Luoyang in the recent years had forced the court to tolerate them, but now Dong Zhuo had established his complete control over the capital. In term of internal affairs, he doubted that anyone would be stupid enough to oppose him anymore. It was thus the perfect time to go to war and deal with these rebels. And he didn’t even have to leave the capital to win this war! After all, he had elite generals at his disposal that could do the job for him. And with such a great victory, he might even have that brat of an Emperor give him his throne…

If there anyone could destroy any enemy, it was his adoptive son Lü Bu. Lü Bu was the fiercest warrior of the realm, a real hero that could crush all of Dong Zhuo’s enemies. He had Lü Bu summoned in front of the court, where he was given the titles of Commander-in-Chief and General of Northern Pacification. For his part, the mighty warrior was all too happy to be given command of an incoming campaign. Finally he could gain more glory for himself. Dong Zhuo then ordered all officials to publicly show their support to the campaign through a “donation”. Needless to say, the gold came flowing in. Lü Bu used most of that gold to enrich himself or equip his men with better weapons and armors. While no one would criticize this publicly, Yao Shuren and other more apt strategists would argue between themselves that this money could have been better used on improving supply lines. But no one had the guts to say anything to Lü Bu other than praises. The man was arrogant and self centered. Any criticism would be taken as an insult. Worst, Dong Zhuo might see it as an opposition to his adoptive son or even to himself. Thus, out of a mix of survival, fear and loyalty, all of Dong Zhuo’s generals would accept Lü Bu’s orders without any protest.

Guo Si and the other generals were called later that month to plan the war. They laid maps all around the palace and had soldiers bring them reports of the terrain. This was quite inconvenient to officials trying to do their job, but it also meant that they weren’t the focus of Dong Zhuo’s men anymore. By mid-April, Lü Bu decided that he had enough of all this waiting and decided to launch the campaign. Of course, Han Xian and the White Wave Bandits did not simply wait for the attack when they learned that Lü Bu had been appointed General of Northern Pacification. Han Xian saw what this meant for him, so he called to his help the Black Mountain Bandits, another faction of former Yellow Turbans who had taken territories between Bing and Ji. The two would try to resist the might of Dong Zhuo’s imperial army, an arduous task to say the least.

Lü Bu took command of the main army with plans of charging in and exterminating the bandits within a month. To do so, he took as his side commanders the generals Li Jue and Xu Rong. Li Jue was around 20 years older than most of the other generals serving Dong Zhuo, and in fact had been among the earliest recruits of the warlord, serving him way before his rise to power. Even if he was in his fifties, the old general was still robust and as sharp as ever. Sharp enough to play Lü Bu’s ego and convince the Commander-in-Chief that he needed Li Jue with him, at least. Xu Rong was somewhat more puzzling. He was an honorable man who liked to reward friends, having been the one to recommend that Gongsun Du be appointed to the Liaodong peninsula (a region Gongsun Du still ruled as his personal fiefdom). Xu Rong was also zealous and courageous in his service of the Dong Zhuo, so Lü Bu found him to be just the right kind of man for this expedition.

Yao Shuren asked to join the main force with Lü Bu, if only so he could share in the glory by advising the general, but Lü Bu refused. Yao Shuren was just some rooky strategist. What use could he be to the great Lü Bu? The great general instead affected him as an advisor to Guo Si, who had been put in charge of a different army tasked with stopping the Black Mountain Bandits from linking up with the White Wave Bandits. Neither men were happy with the appointment. Guo Si wanted to see some of the real action as saw this as something of an insult to not be appointed alongside Lü Bu. Meanwhile, Yao Shuren was forced to be part of the secondary army. Never the less, neither complained openly to the Commander-in-Chief.

And in fact, it was that appointment that would lead to the first combats. Yao Shuren was tasked of leading a small 500 men group to link up with Guo Si’s force when he ran into a small group of White Wave Bandits. Not wanted to waste this opportunity to strike at the enemy, he had his force trail them and ambush them that night. Most bandits panicked when they saw the enemies coming out of nowhere and fled their camp, trying to get refuge in the town of Huguang. Yao Shuren didn’t have time to waste encircling the town and actually put it under siege to force the bandits to surrender. His actions were already outside of the orders he had received. Guo Si might grow impatient if he wanted too long to join him. There was also the issue of the main White Wave Bandits, which might come relieve a prolonged siege. So he ordered the houses set on fire to flush them out. When one of his sub-commanders protested, he had the man executed for insubordination and turned to the rest of his troops, saying:

“Do not feel sympathy or pity for bandits, as they will show none to your families when the survivors come back to take revenge.”

This, coupled with the execution of the officer, convinced the men that it was better not to get in the way of Yao Shuren. So they did as asked and torched the village down. And just as planned, the bandits were forced out, with the majority of them ending up killed. While bloody, this action would be praised in the capital by Dong Zhuo, who would grant the title of General who Guard the Empire for his actions.

It was only in June that Yao Shuren joined up with Guo Si. He found the general was in a bad mood. Already frustrated at his failure to prove the guilt of Jiang Xian a few months back, he now sulked over the snub of Lü Bu, who had refused to appoint him to the main army. As he waited for Yao Shuren to link up, Guo Si had passed his frustration on the troops by training with them and beating them in practice fights. It had gotten bad enough that people were actually happy to see Yao Shuren arrive with his men, as it meant an end to the beatings. Alongside them was probably the only general under Dong Zhuo who lacked any ambition: Hu Zhen. Hu Zhen was well into his forties, but had no desire to rise higher than he already was. He was happy as a simple general serving Dong Zhuo, although many suspected that his reluctance to get higher was out of fear that it would make him a target for his lord of his fellow generals.

The three generals marched their troops east, hoping to attack the Black Mountain Bandits in their territories. The arrival of a messenger made it clear that they had been outpaced. The messenger came from Duan Wei, the general who had been left in charge of the supply. Duan Wei had established his position in the north of Sili Province, between the capital and the territories of the White Wave Bandit. To his surprise, the forces of the Black Mountain Bandits came out of nowhere and attacked his camp, forcing him to retreat toward Luoyang. Guo Si was infuriated when he heard this, and so ordered his troops to speed up and advance south. He wasn’t going to let the supply line get destroyed like that. What would Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu think of him if he allowed that to happen? He was quickly joined by a detachment sent by Duan Wei to coordinate their efforts. Guo Si more or less talked his way into making Duan Wei a subordinate, although his anger almost ruined everything at the last moment. Yao Shuren was impressed by this. Maybe being affected with Guo Si wasn’t so bad after all.

To Guo Si’s anger, the Black Mountain Bandits had already fled back when they arrived in August. Instead of finding enemies to kill, they simply found Duan Wei having reoccupied his camp and re-establish supply lines. With their commander too frustrated to do the talking, Hu Zhen and Yao Shuren came forward and talked with Duan Wei about the current situation. Duan Wei explained that his scouts had learned that the Black Mountain Bandits had chosen to go into White Wave Bandit territories, hoping to link up with their allies. Duan Wei was willing to offer a hundred cavalrymen if they wanted to pursue them. That night, Guo Si summoned his fellow generals to talk it out. Yao Shuren suggested that they follow the Black Mountain Bandits and eliminate them before they linked up with their allies. Guo Si liked this idea, especially as it gave him an excuse then deal with the White Wave Bandits before Lü Bu, and maybe even win the war before the arrogant general could. Hu Zhen suggested that they first ask for Lü Bu’s permission, but Guo Si discarded that idea. He was going in, and that was that.

In late September, they finally reached the Black Mountain Bandits and swooped in. While their forces were equal in size, the strategies suggested by Yao Shuren proved to be the turning point of the battle, putting the cavalrymen offered by Duan Wei to great use. With the bandits undisciplined and unfocused on this small force, they did not see the cavalry until it slammed in their back, breaking the enemy cohesion. Guo Si also as able to kill one of the bandits leader in the middle of the fighting, leading them to panic. Still, the enemies were able to inflict quite the casualties, and Hu Zhen even suggested at some point that they wait for Lü Bu’s help, which Guo Si rejected.

Guo Si and his generals were able to defeat the Black Mountain Bandits, with half of their men perishing in the battle. While Yao Shuren wanted to lead a pursuit, Guo Si stopped him. The older general believed that it would be better to celebrate this victory and to send news of their victory to the capital first. Beside, surely Duan Wei could handle to scraps. The men hailed Guo Si as their hero, although he also made sure to thank Yao Shuren for his strategic advices. Yao Shuren saw what Guo Si was trying to do here, to secure his loyalty, and was happy to give it to him. Lü Bu had showed that he only valued himself, so it was better for the young strategist to instead align himself with another general.

But then the White Wave Bandits showed up the very next day. Both Hu Zhen and Yao Shuren had suspected that there might be enemies close when the soldiers in charge of night watch spotted what looked like scouts. Still, neither had expected to have the main White Wave Bandits army fall upon them like that. Maybe a vanguard, but not the whole army. Guo Si ordered his men to take position as the bandits began charging at them. Yao Shuren grabbed a horse and tried to rally his troops in a formation, but it was difficult when he was barely able to coordinate with his fellow generals in the chaos that followed the attack. Han Xian was leading his White Wave Bandits in the attack. His skills in commanding the assault proved that he was a worthy adversary for any general of Dong Zhuo. In fact, his surprised attack was about to destroy the forces of Guo Si.

As thing seemed lost, someone pointed out at the horizon. There stood an army twice as big as the ones fighting, with the famous horse Red Hare at the front of it. Lü Bu raised his weapon to the sky, screaming “Friends, rejoice! Today you enter my legend!” before ordering the assault. This took the enemies by surprised, and Han Xian found himself in the same situation as the one he had only just put Guo Si and his men. Lü Bu made his way through every enemy he could, raking a larger body count than anyone else. Yao Shuren couldn’t stop himself from being both impressed and scared by this larger than life warrior. Guo Si had no desire to let Lü Bu get all the credit and ordered his troops to abandon their defensive posture and launch an all-out attack. To his credit, Han Xian was able to escape the battle with a large part of his troops. This angered Lü Bu, who went on to blame Guo Si for failing to capture the bandit leader, even though Guo Si had to deal with the brunt of the enemy force. “General Guo, why did you have to spoil my victory?” he asked.

Needless, to say, Guo Si had a lot on his mind and was all too willing to answer. However, Hu Zhen came forward and advised him to simply keep shut and take it. “Do not forget that he is our lord’s son. Any insult against Lü Bu shall be taken as an insult against him. And who are we to doubt or criticize the great Dong Zhuo?” Guo Si took the hint and stopped the discussion from escalating any more by excusing himself and going back to his troops.

Guo Si and his troops did not stay with Lü Bu a day longer than needed. Both were ambitious men with short tempers, which was a recipe for disaster should they stay together. Lü Bu did offer him to link up with his men and join his staff, but Guo Si had no desire to relinquish the autonomy he had to play second-in-command. He instead left to return to his actual assignment: hunting down the Black Mountain Bandits. Duan Wei and his supply line had sent reports to Guo Si that his scouts had spotted them going south. As it turned out, the Black Mountain Bandits’ leader, Zhang Yan, had decided to use the opportunity of the whole army being occupied with Han Xian to go for Luoyang itself. Of course, both Hu Zhen and Yao Shuren made it quite clear to Guo Si that this was inacceptable. In fact, if Zhang Yan made it anywhere near Luoyang, there was no saying what punishment Dong Zhuo would give them.

Through late November and early December, Guo Si and his generals faced Zhang Yan on multiple occasions. The first time was when the bandit leader left an ambush for the scouts sent by Guo Si. Thankfully, Yao Shuren suspected that he would use this tactic, as he had heard from Duan Wei that Zhang Yan was fond of this move. Guo Si sent Yao Shuren with enough men to support the scouts, and when the ambush finally came the bandits found themselves outnumbered and vulnerable.

Then they faced Zhang Yan at the town of Shequanju. Hu Zhen had led vanguard for two days straight to catch up with the bandits. While Zhang Yan outnumbered Hu Zhen, the commander was careful not to make aggressive moves and so was able to old long enough for Guo Si to arrive with the rest of the troops. Seeing the writing on the wall, Zhang Yan ordered that his men pillage the town for good and supply and retreat. With the defeat at Shequanju, Zhang Yan found himself forced to abandon his hope of attacking Luoyang, as now Guo Si would always keep a position south of the bandit.

The two armies faced again two week later. Guo Si was edging for a battle after he learned that Lü Bu had defeated an entire cavalry force of Xiongnu mercenaries who had joined Han Xian (it was actually the same mercenaries used by Xuan Su up north, as they had just continued south after the war). Guo Si ordered an engagement at Heyang. Hu Zhen and Yao Shuren weren’t keen on this battle as the men were tired. Even worst, the fighting started quite late as the sun was setting off. Due to this, the troops fought for less than an hour before going back to their camps to sleep, with Guo Si suffering only 12 losses while Zhang Yan lost 30 men. The next day they found out that Zhang Yan had fled his camp with his men in the middle of the night, and so Guo Si was able to send reports to the imperial court of a “total rout”.

By early January 191, Lü Bu could only expect the enemies to fall soon. He had destroyed the main force sent against him by Han Xian and the White Wave Bandits, forcing them to go into hiding. He defeated the barbarians hired to stop him. Dong Zhuo had even petitioned the Emperor to order an imperial campaign against Han Xian so that vassals would come support him, although he felt like he didn’t need that help. Even Guo Si was having successes, having completely routed the Black Mountain Bandits from what he read in the reports. Thing would be over in a matter of weeks, if not days. And he would come back basking in triumph. And who knew, maybe with this victory he might not need Dong Zhuo anymore…

His thoughts were interrupted by a messenger arriving in the camp. “REPORT! REPORT!” he screamed. The men fell to his knees as he entered the command tent, handing the general a piece of paper. Lü Bu took it out of the man’s hands and looked at it. Another report of Guo Si? Or maybe it was Duan Wei sending details of this month’s supply? No, it had the imperial seal, so it came from the capital. What could Dong Zhuo possibly want? He opened the missive, and his eyes grew wide.