The Last Days of the Han (Three Kingdoms AAR)

[The Meme King]

Really interesting to see the change of direction that the story has taken. Until recently, Liu Siyuan, Jiang Xian and Gongsun Zan felt like the natural protagonists of the story, with a special focus on Yang province and the Han court. Now with all those characters dead within one or two years off each other, the focus shifts to Liang province as what would previously be only a supporting cast to their stories becomes the main characters of this new one.
I'm very excited to see the political shenanigans that will result from having Xuan Su, Pan Zheng, Mo Jie and Yao Shuren in the same court, all of these characters with very different and incompatible goals they want to achieve.
Loving this change of direction, excellent work @Zamarak500 !

 

[Midnite Duke]

How many of his nine lives has Xuan Su used? Thanks for updating

 

[Zamarak500]

Really interesting to see the change of direction that the story has taken. Until recently, Liu Siyuan, Jiang Xian and Gongsun Zan felt like the natural protagonists of the story, with a special focus on Yang province and the Han court. Now with all those characters dead within one or two years off each other, the focus shifts to Liang province as what would previously be only a supporting cast to their stories becomes the main characters of this new one.
I'm very excited to see the political shenanigans that will result from having Xuan Su, Pan Zheng, Mo Jie and Yao Shuren in the same court, all of these characters with very different and incompatible goals they want to achieve.
Loving this change of direction, excellent work @Zamarak500 !

Yeah, the years 206 and 207 saw some of the biggest twists and turns, completely changing the political landscape. To say that a decade ago we had Lü Bu, Niu Fu, and Chen Wen being big characters, yet now they're all dead and their domains have disappeared or been broken up.

How many of his nine lives has Xuan Su used? Thanks for updating

Hum, let me count...

1. Survived assassinatin his first liege.
2. Got sick at some point and almost died.
3. Survived the wrath of Lü Bu for not making the Black Mountain Bandits campaign go faster.
4. Survived Lü Bu's wrath for stealing lands from vassals.
5. Switched side and abandoned Lü Bu instead of dying there.
6. His recent submission to Yao Shuren to save his skin.

I think he's on his seventh now. Not much left, he better be careful.

 

[Bibliophile]

It occurs to me that with Jiang Xian and Liu Siyuan dead and only eight main characters left, that means that half the cast are now on the same side (nominally at least; Xuan Su would kill the other three the second he thought he could 1) benefit from it and 2) get away with it; Pan Zheng is only loyal for as long as he thinks he’s on the winning side as proven by his last boss; Mo Jie is probably the least likely to betray Yao Shuren but I can see him do it if he ever thinks Yao might be more harm than good for the people of Liang).

Excuse the above tangent. My point is that it’s really cool to see so much of the cast together under the same banner. It makes me eager to see their potential interactions in this context. I am curious how long the other four can last until they to are pulled into Liang’s orbit (if Liang lasts long enough and emerges as the victor like I hope).

 

[Zamarak500]

207-208: WE NEED A REGENCY​

The sight of Feng Zian rising up triumphant was followed by the cheers of the Yuan soldiers and the horrified looks of the Jing troops. Liu Siyuan just laid there, dead, a sword through his throat. Feng Zian kicked his enemy’s corpse a few times out of frustration before slowly making his way to his camps. Some soldiers came to his help, putting him on a horse so he could parade in front of his troops as the victorious hero that he was. Liu Siyuan had been one of the greatest duelists of China, yet by using the element of surprise and his martial art skills, the warrior scholar had emerged triumphant from this battle to the death. Soldiers literally dragged him back to his own tent so he could be checked by the physician. Before he was finally brought to a bed, he screamed “HEAVEN FAVORS US! LET US TASTE VICTORY!”, which only helped boost the morale of his men.

Meanwhile, the reaction to the duel was quite different on the other side of the field. People were horrified, panicking at the realization that their invincible leader was dead. Soldiers were sent to recuperate his corpse and bring it back to camp, where everyone could confirm that it was indeed Liu Siyuan. Morale plummeted, especially as the command structure now began to collapse on itself. Yang Weili was by far the most experienced officer present, and probably the highest ranking too. However, many of the lower officers quickly butted head with him as he found himself forced to assume command. This was ironic, considering that Liu Siyuan had brought him to ensure that the strategist wasn’t left in charge of an army. The officers wanted to make funerary arrangement for their lord now, even as Yang Weili pointed out that they still had a battle to fight. The officers went ahead and started the preparations anyway, which was just the kind of opportunity the Yuan forces waited for. While the Jing troops were distracted, Feng Zian ordered an attack on the enemy position. Even with their larger army, the Jing forces were easily routed, made even worse by the fact that many officers focused on saving Liu Siyuan’s body over actually leading the fight.

While they retreated inland, Yang Weili sent news of his lord’s death to Xincai. As had been the case in the main army, the court was horrified and saddened at this news, most especially Liu Siyuan’s widow Lady Hao Huitong. For all his increasing flaws over the years, her husband had still continued to love her, and she responded with love. They were lovers, and his death clearly left her saddened and horrified. But now came the bigger problem of succession. Now, Liu Siyuan had two sons, Liu Tao and Liu Kun, seven and five years old respectively. While it was decided that Liu Tao would succeed his father, a seven-year-old didn’t exactly provide great leadership in time of war. In normal circumstances, a safe bet would have been to assume that Wei Yan would have swooped in to assume a regency. Liu Siyuan’s protégé had always been ambitious, and it would have surprised no one to see him continue his lord’s work. It would have been expected and probably accepted by the province as the obvious choice. But the issue was that Wei Yan had not been present for his lord’s death, nor was he at court when the news broke out. At the time, he was leading the secondary vanguard, where he had yet to be informed of his liege’s passing.

So everyone at court turned to Lady Hao. She was well liked among the courtiers and known for her generosity. While the generals might have preferred one of their own to lead the regency, seeing the mother of the new governor protect his interest would be difficult to oppose. However, she knew that she was not up for the task, especially as she was still grieving for her late husband. She was in no shape nor in the right state of mind to lead a province and prosecute a war. She needed someone she could trust; someone she knew was righteous and competent. As he had left a good impression on her during their first meeting all the way back in 190, she offered the regency to Yang Weili.

When messengers arrived to tell him of his new appointment, Yang Weili did his best to refuse. Considering his track record, giving him control of a province should be the last option to consider. And besides, while Liu Siyuan had indeed appointed him as Designated Regent, it was clear that the late governor never intended for him to actually take the position. But the officials sent to him pleaded the strategist to accept his new duties. Jing needed stability, and he was their best shot at it. After much convincing, Yang Weili relented to their demands. However, either out of laziness or continuous refusal to accept his new powers, Yang Weili would only exercise his regency powers when it came to prosecuting the war. He instead left the rest of his duties to none other than Lady Hao, which rendered his appointment somewhat pointless by placing upon her the exact duties she tried to avoid.

But Yang Weili did do one thing with his regency powers to help the day-to-day affairs of the province. Knowing that Lady Hao would need help, he called back into service his son-in-law Wei Kang, who had recently been sacked by Liu Siyuan because he was Yang Weili’s son-in-law. Having previously been Assistant Administrator of Jing, his return on the council was meant to show that someone experienced was there to help stabilize the affairs of the province. It also helped that Wei Kang and Lady Hao got along perfectly well, the two of them having much in common. However, Wei Kang soon found himself overwhelmed by the administrative duties of the war with Yuan Shu, which left him unable to help Lady Hao in her own duties. Once again, the widow of Liu Siyuan found herself abandoned and left to handle a job that was far too much for her.

And that need for someone to assist her opened the door to a member of the most hated class of ancient China: a eunuch. This eunuch was a court physician named Bozu, who claimed to have been sent to Jing Province by the current Emperor Qianfei to signal his support for the invasion. Now, whenever it was true or not (and later evidences would actually give credit to his story), Bozu quickly saw an opportunity to rise above his lowly station of a simple palace eunuch. Arriving at court just before Liu Siyuan’s death, Bozu was able to get close to his widow as Yang Weili focused on the war and Wei Kang found himself less and less available. Soon enough, Lady Hao began to rely heavily on the ambitious doctor, who whispered in her ears criticisms of the regent for refusing to help her. Yang Weili should be here, shouldn’t he? There were other generals to command the war, but only one regent. And he was absent. Meaning that he couldn’t oppose the machinations of Bozu.

This had all taken place by the time Wei Yan was finally made aware of his liege’s death, which made him furious. He had missed his window of opportunity to play a key role in safeguarding his liege’s duty. Now that the news was out and the regency was firmly in place, all he could do was accept the current situation. To his credit, and unlike the eunuch Bozu, Wei Yan offered his full support to the regent Yang Weili, doing his work as Commandant and sending him advises on military matters. This did not mean that he had no ambition, just that he respected the chain of command and focused on winning Liu Siyuan’s last campaign before giving in to his own desires. He would help Yang Weili complete the campaign to ensure Liu Siyuan’s legacy. And in case the regent failed, someone would be needed to make sure that a mistake did not turn into a catastrophe.

On the Yuan side of things, Yuan Shu was not happy to learn of the success of his general. Defeating Liu Siyuan had been great, yes, but now Feng Zian was celebrated as a grand hero, some calling him the great defender of the Han. He was the one supposed to be defending the Han! Not Feng Zian! Even worse was the fact that Feng Zian then turned around to organize a marriage for his second son Feng Guo. Considering how he had not been able to arrange his first son marriage, he would be damned if he didn’t have a hand in this one. This time he secured a betrothal with the niece of Zhang Cheng, the Administrator of Yingchuan Commandery and one of the most influential officials under Yuan Shu. Adding to that the fact that Zhang Cheng’s brother (the girl’s father) was also a magistrate and the marriage between Feng Zian’s daughter and Tan Zilong’s son, and it became clear why Yuan Shu was panicking. What Feng Zian did out of simplicity (easier to marry within families you know than one living far away), Yuan Shu saw as a network being built to undermine him.

Yuan Shu tried to take the attention off Feng Zian by organizing the betrothal of Emperor Qianfei, something that was sure to get everyone to focus on him for once. However, his plan only caused controversies and scandals. He arranged for a betrothal between the young Emperor and a distant cousin of his, Lady Liu Yen, sister of the Prince of Dongping. Their link was quite distant indeed, being only related through Emperor Guangwu (25-57), the restorer of the Han and the founder of Eastern Han. When told of this, Emperor Qianfei balked. At the time, marrying someone with the same surname was considered incest, even with such distant familial link. In a first sign that he might not be the puppet Yuan Shu had thought, Emperor Qianfei tried to suggest alternatives, maybe even a relative of the Yuan Clan. But Yuan Shu was firm on this. After all, making the Han Emperor look like a degenerate would only make it easier when he finally usurped the throne. Emperor Qianfei, knowing his weakened position, had to agree, although he did make plan to eventually demote Liu Yen to concubine and take a proper wife.

Feng Zian, unaware of the machinations withing the Imperial Capital, simply pushed forward with his campaign. However, his troops soon found their newfound drive stalled by walls and enemy cities. Sieges had a way of affecting morale, and the victorious force of Feng Zian was no different. Even with the death of their leader, the cities of Jing Province refused to open their doors to what was clearly the rightful Han army. After all, wasn’t the emperor on their side? So why were they still opposing him? Then Feng Zian learned of the stupid betrothal organized by Yuan Shu and went into a rage. He was a Confucian scholar and knew full well how much of a no-no this was, and how much it would weaken their moral position in China. He could see the effect of this in person. The most pious and loyal to the Dynasty began to desert in disgust, especially with the sieges zapping everyone’s morale. And all Feng Zian could do was write angry letters to Luoyang asking what the heck Yuan Shu had been thinking.

Meanwhile, Yang Weili was finally able to catch a break and accomplish something in this war. While they had lost a lot of troops, all he had to do was call upon Wei Yan to come reinforce the main army to solve this issue. Once he had the whole army, he decided that it would be safer to avoid the Yuan army for a while. They needed a victory to boost morale, as the troops were now afraid to face Feng Zian in open battle. So they instead moved on Xinye, which was the county technically under Feng Zian’s control. With the Grand Commandant absent, the Jing forces found themselves facing his son Feng Yong instead. He had stayed in Xinye against his father’s wishes to ensure the defense of the region. Feng Yong, while clearly outmatch, still proved an annoying opponent to Yang Weili. The strategist had hoped for a quick advance, yet the hardworking young man kept getting in their way. Even in the bitter end, he was one of the last to leave the county, making sure that everyone got away safely. He only abandoned the defense in January 208, when he was informed that his pregnant wife was safe and had given birth to a girl, Feng Ruoxin. When informed of his son’s heroic defense, Feng Zian abandoned the siege and angrily made his way home. While furious of his son recklessly risking his life, in private he expressed pride at Feng Yong’s conduct.

While Yang Weili was finally on the offensive, he quickly started to suffer from problems coming from the rear. Bozu was clearly trying to amass as much influence as possible at court, and it was working. He had the ear of Lady Hao, who relied more and more on the eunuch doctor. And what did he do with this influence? He tried to undermine the generals. He saw them as dangerous, not only as threats to his own power, but also as stop gaps toward a full Han restoration. After all, having powerful commanders running around couldn’t do. Better leave it in the hands of trusted officials, or better yet, eunuchs. The first victim of Bozu’s rise was Qu Duyi, the former Commandant who had botched the first battle of the war. Already on the out with Liu Siyuan, he found himself banished to his commandery through Bozu’s influence. As Yang Weili might have been the only one able to save him, Qu Duyi preferred to leave than beg. He would never return to prominence. The former Commandant would die in 210 from an infected wound received in battle, aged 44.

Bozu’s presence at court was clearly making people uncomfortable. A eunuch with influence in Xincai? This spelled nothing but trouble. Many officers quickly started to complain about this to Yang Weili. Wasn’t he the regent? Shouldn’t he do something? However, he refused to even consider it. He needed to focus on the war, with the rest being secondary. If Bozu wanted influence at court, then let him have it. But then Wei Yan started to agree with them that the eunuch had to go, fearful that he might be on the doctor’s enemy list. He started to conspire with officers to remove him permanently, but they found themselves blocked from Xincai. The city had been put under lockdown due to a slow fever epidemic, making access to court difficult. Which is why they needed the regent on board. At first, Yang Weili was horrified at the idea. Murdering him? What kind of villains were they? But eventually, the officers were able to convinced Yang Weili of the necessity of their plan. They were actually helped by Bozu, as news came that he was openly questioning the regent’s ability to lead the war. While he never wanted the job in the first place, being on the frontline made him realize that a change of command now might ruin the precarious advantage they had gained. By March, Yang Weili relented to the requests from the other officers. Bozu needed to be removed.

As the regent, his envoys had a far easier access to Xincai than anyone sent by the generals. With the usual report from the frontline came a few men ready to do the deed. Considering that there was an epidemic, surely no one would question it when they found the doctor dead. Maybe he contracted the disease. Maybe the relative of someone he couldn’t save stabbed him in the night as revenge. Who knew? Not Yang Weili, as he was too disgusted with himself to actually get personally involved in the details of the assassination. He organized the whole thing and gave them the means, but he did not want to know how they would do it. He probably should have, as he might have been able to stop what happened next. Whatever plan was agreed went horribly wrong, as someone made a critical mistake at some point in the operation. When he received news from the provincial capital, Yang Weili was horrified to learn that it was not Bozu who ended up being killed, but the young Liu Tao.

Nine months after his father’s death, the new governor had died in suspicious circumstances. The generals who had been part of the plot were just as horrified as Yang Weili when they learned this news. The court blamed it on Yuan Shu, but they all knew that it had somehow been their fault. Lady Hao was broken by the death of her son, who unlike her husband had been under her care when he died. Now all that remained was her second son Liu Kun, who succeeded his brother in a hasty ceremony. While she still kept Yang Weili as regent, she appointed her trusted Bozu as co-regent. By now, no one in the army had the will to fight this decision, ashamed of their actions.

Many of them, including the regent, actually thought of resigning out of shame. But Wei Yan stepped forward and stopped them. “Is this the extent of your loyalty?” he shouted. “What will you say to the spirit of our lord after your death? That you failed him and never made up for it?” He then went on to argue that there was only one way to make up for their crime: win this war and restore the Han. After long talks, they all agreed that this would be the way to go. They swore an oath to win this war or die trying. “Our fate pale compared to the Great Han! We swear to restore it to glory, as per the wishes of our lord! May Heaven be witness to our oath!”

 

[Bibliophile]

Wow. Whoever had the job of assassinating Bozu supremely botched the job. I suppose the only silver lining is that the forces of Jing province are now more committed to restoring the Han dynasty.

On the Yuan Shu side of things. He continues with his habit of making stupid decisions (ie:forcing the emperor to commit incest) and declaring himself a genius for it while ignoring the glaring flaws in his plan (ie: sure it will be easier to overthrow an emperor with a reputation for degeneracy, but cultivating that reputation in the middle of a war for your survival is costing you loyal troops and making everyone mad at you). At least Feng Zian is on the path to reconciling with one of his sons.

Yang Weili’s refusal to take on the full duties of regent, and the consequences thereof, once again highlight the theme of this story where good people falter and struggle when given the reins of power. (Hey @The Meme King where does Yang Weili stand on the rankings of character morality after this update, I’m genuinely curious?)

 

[Midnite Duke]

Mix-Up Mash-Up. We need the Barbarians to save the Han Dynasty! Thanks for the update

 

[Zamarak500]

207-208: THE XIAO CLAN​

After two years of war with Tao Shang, Xiao Ru had come out of this with… nothing. Well, that was not actually true. He did start to suffer from gout just as the war was ending. Clearly what he wanted to gain out of this. Now seeing his mobility reduced, the Governor of Chen Province would have to stay in his new provincial capital of Chenguo. He had actually first thought of just visiting the city, but with his gout acting up he decided that staying permanently would be simpler. Gongsun Zan might have led troops while suffering from it, but Xiao Ru wasn’t going to put himself through this pain. Besides, the fallen warlord had to rely on alcohol to make it bearable. It was annoying that the proper living quarters were not yet fully prepared for him, though. That complain didn’t stop him from sending news to his family to get down to Chenguo. If he was moving there, then so would they. With some luck, seeing his family move this fast would speed up the migration process between capitals.

Weirdly enough, some of the coffers were found a lot less full upon arrival than Xiao Ru remembered. Had someone skimmed from them? Considering the hastening pace of the transfer from Ku County to Chenguo, it might have been expected that something might be lost. But the gold? Xiao Ru’s wife, Lady Xia, promised to help her husband fix this, even if she was responsible of the theft. Being the daughter of a merchant, she had learned a trick or two from her father on how to “disappear” merchandise. Bandit attacks, rebels, hungry animals, evil spirits, or whatever other excuse worked. She had to work quite hard to derail the investigation over the lost gold. While Xiao Ru did suspect his wife at some point, he convinced himself that if she was stupid enough to steal him right under his nose, then he would have realized it by now.

This loss of gold did not sit well with the Chief Clerk Yuan Yi. Just as Xiao Ru, he was the kind of man to want the law followed and enforced, through torture if necessary. So seeing gold disappear with no culprits to show for it enraged the old man. He humbly asked the Governor to find the guilty and punish them. But when the investigation came back with nothing, Yuan Yi once again insisted that people be punished. Feeling that it was a veiled criticism of his regime, as he had been the one conducting the investigation, Xiao Ru rebuffed his complains. Yuan Yi didn’t know what he was talking about, clearly. Unlike his lord, the Chief Clerk did not take it personally, although he came out of it soundly disappointed in him.

In May 207, with his family fully installed in their new capital and the officials following as fast as possible, Xiao Ru decided to focus on his family. To be specific, he focused on finding a bride for his eldest son and heir Xiao Tung. After all, the Xiao Clan had to continue, and for this his son needed to produce a boy of his own.

Xiao Tung was fourteen now, a strong teenager that grew into quite the different man than his father. While Xiao Ru had, to his great shame, been raised the son of a gardener, Xiao Tung was born soon after his father’s arrival in You Province. This meant that he was too young to remember anything before his father becoming a warlord, meaning that he was raised as the noble son of a powerful official. While his father wanted him to become an efficient ruler like him, Xiao Tung always showed greater affinity toward warfare. He read the Art of War and always awaited battle reports as someone awaited a new book. He personally admired Han Xin, the great general who helped unify China and form the Han Dynasty. His ambitions to equal his hero led to the young men getting wounded during training, leaving him with a scar running over his nose. This event taught him humility, as he lacked the arrogant bravado of his father growing up. In other words, not the heir Xiao Ru wanted, but still a decent one.

The choice of his son’s bride would prove one of Xiao Ru’s most controversial decisions. While his daughter was married to Cao Cao’s son, this had always been an alliance of circumstances, aimed against Gongsun Zan’s growing power. But with Gongsun Zan finished and dead, the two men found themselves rivals in the conquest of the newly freed lands. So the Governor of Chen Province instead looked for allies against Tan Shenquan and Tao Shang. And that’s when he remembered the Xianbei presence in Qing Province, the territories still held by Budugen the Great. He knew that the warlord Yao Shuren had betroth one of his daughters to Budugen’s second son to secure his borders. Xiao Ru decided to follow a similar policy by arranging a marriage between Xiao Tung and Budugen’s third daughter, the thirteen years old Changle. This caused uproar. Yes, it had been an ancient Han tradition to marry princesses and ladies to the barbarians. But sullying a son with a barbarian bride? This was unworthy of any respectful Chinese! Even Lady Xia tried to stand up for her son’s honor, to no avail.

The deal was made, and Changle was sent to Chenguo where she received a cold reception from court and awkward apathy from her fiancé. Xiao Tung was extremely uncomfortable with the match, especially with everyone telling him how he deserved better. Still, he did not get on his high horse and gave his wife a chance. And Changle did try. She was a smart teenage girl and understood why people didn’t like her. Desperately seeking to be accepted, she worked tirelessly to fit in, wearing dresses that she didn’t like, learning the language as best as possible and acting as any lady at court would. She would be the wife of one of the most powerful men of China one day, so she needed to act the part. But her efforts were never enough. She always looked and talked like a barbarian in the eyes of the other ladies, with her mother-in-law never giving her a chance. She was constantly ridiculed for being able to ride a horse, which was perceived as unladylike. This quickly turned to bullying against the newcomer. While it became to impact her morale and happiness, she still continued to try, always falling short of what they wanted.

____________________________________________

“This is it for the lesson, young lord.” said his tutor. “You are progressing well.”

“Thank you, master.” Xiao Tung respectfully responded.

The scholar nodded and stood up, with the young lord offering him his scrolls of text. Today had been about philosophy. It was not exactly his forte, but he did enjoy learning how to become a better man. His tutor had done a fantastic job, considering how he had to change the curriculum at the last minute. They were supposed to review the history of the Xiao Clan, but father had put an immediate stop to it. When Xiao Tung humbly asked his father why, the Governor responded something along the lines of:

“Why? Is it not enough for you to be of higher birth? Do you need to be the son of the Yellow Emperor in Heaven to feel any worth?” he shouted (although with a lot more stuttering), before ordering Xiao Tung out.

The tutor grabbed his last remaining scroll.

“Young lord, I do expect you to study the works of Master Fu for our next class.”

While he looked down and nodded, Xiao Tung felt a bit disappointed. With the generals now returned from the campaign, he had hoped to go see them and learn from the war against Xu Province. Father told him that it had been a resounding victory, but from the mood at court he guessed that it had been closer to a draw. He thanked his teacher once again before wandering off through the mansion. He didn’t want to go back to studying for the moment, so he just wandered off aimlessly. His father had started to allow him to attend official matters, so maybe he could go see him and…

“…sob… sob…”

Xiao Tung stopped as he heard someone crying. It was a woman, or maybe a girl, he wasn’t sure. It was close to him. Worried that someone might be hurt, he quickly made his way to the origin of the sound, a room a few doors from where he stood. It took him a moment to realize whose room it was. After all, he rarely visited it. As he stood on the doorframe, he could see his wife sobbing on her bed, tucked together with her head buried in her knees. The sight was quite heartbreaking.

It was only when he took a step toward her, his hand raised in her direction, that Changle finally realized his presence. She quickly stood up and dried her eyes. She did her best to redress her clothes to look presentable, even if Xiao Tung tried to indicate that he didn’t care.

“Husband.” she said, her voice sounding broken. “I-Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I just…”

He stopped for a moment, hesitating on how to brush the subject. He wondered how his father would approach this situation before shrugging off the idea. Father would not have even entered the room in the first place, so this was no help. As he wondered what to say, he noticed how red her eyes were.

“I heard crying, so I thought… well, I thought I would check if you were alright.”

“No I’m not!” she cried. “I’m trying to be the best lady possible, but it’s never enough! Sniff.”

Xiao Tung was taken aback by her surprising honesty.

“I keep doing what I’m supposed to do, what you people tell me to do, but you still all hate me!”

“We don’t hate…”

“Yes! You all do! Your lord father barely looks at me when I’m in the room. At beast he throws me gold to make me go away. Your mother looks at me as if I was an animal that snuck in your home. Everyone else keeps calling me names when no one is looking. I’m sick of it. I’m never good enough for all of you!”

She cried again, and Xiao Tung still had no idea how to react. He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, to be sympathetic. But really, he just felt bad because he didn’t know how to react. His father had not prepared him for married life, and he was completely unsure how to act.

“I’m sorry… It was unworthy of me, as your wife… I have to keep trying, even if I keep failing… sob… I miss home…”

“Is there anything I can do?” Xiao Tung asked.

She gave him a sharp glare for a moment, before turning away in shame of having done so.

“Now you care?”

“I-I always cared.” he tried to defend himself.

“Have you? You have been ignoring me ever since our marriage? I tried, but this is the longest conversation we ever had. You avoid my gaze when I look at you.”

The boy wanted to respond, but then realized that she was right. He had been avoiding her. Everyone had been telling him that she was unworthy of him, that he shouldn’t bother. And as always, he trusted them and followed their unreliable advises. He had been avoiding her eyes, and trying his best to spend as little time with her as possible. Xiao Tung had gone so far as to avoid doing his marital duties after the first night. Yet at no point had he taken time to wonder what effect it would have on Changle. For a long time, he just acted humbly as everyone expected him to, like a selfish bastard. He cursed his own blindness.

“I’m sorry.” he whispered to his wife.

It was clearly nowhere near enough to regain her trust for the weeks of pain she had suffered because of him. But this would have to be a start. He sat on the bed next to her. After a moment of silence, he offered her a hug. Changle took it, and she cried as much as she needed.

“I’m sorry.” Xiao Tung repeated. “I’m going to help. Please, let me help.”

“… ok.” she finally answered.

________

Xiao Tung made his way through the mansion, now determined to go seek help. Something had to be done to make Changle’s life easier, to stop all that bullying. While he had promised to help, he readily admitted that he could not do it alone. Of course, he couldn’t run to father with this problem. At best, Xiao Ru might feel the need to show that he was a good father-in-law, but this would do little to improve Changle’s overall life. And whatever the outcome, father would see it as a sign of Xiao Tung’s weakness, a proof that the heir could not handle his own problems. That, and Xiao Ru was already busy enough as it was that he might just dismiss it out of hand. No, better to go to someone Xiao Tung knew would help.

“Bin!” he shouted as he knocked at the open doorframe.

The younger boy sitting down at the table looked up at his older brother. The eleven years old Xiao Bin was the third son of Xiao Ru. He was in the process of reading some scrolls, probably left by his own teacher. Father had made sure that each of his sons had their own teacher, which also meant that each teacher had a reason to push their pupil to excel as much as possible. In this, Xiao Bin had proven the best of Xiao Ru’s five sons. Even Xiao Tung admitted that his younger brother was quicker than him. Even if he was three years younger, Xiao Bin had proven to have a better understanding of politics, intrigues and administrative affairs than the heir. It was a fact that Xiao Tung was too often reminded by his father. When one day he asked his father why some soldiers had to be executed with their entire families for desertion, Xiao Ru simply answered “Ask B-Bin, he gets it.” Thankfully, the two brothers became close friends instead of rivals, and Xiao Bin had always looked up to his brother.

As he entered the room, Xiao Tung took a hold of his brother’s clothes, placing them so that they looked presentable.

“Bin! You have to take better care of your appearance!” Xiao Tung expressed in disapproval. “You haven’t even done your hair.”

“Oh.” Xiao Bin said, shrugging in a clear lack of care for what his brother was saying.

“Seriously, do I have to do everything here?”

“No, just that.” Xiao Bin said with a smile. “I am pretty good at the rest.”

Xiao Tung sighed. Even father’s punishment hadn’t managed to solve this bad habit. Xiao Bin really needed to take better care of himself.

“What brings you around?” Xiao Bin asked as Xiao Tung tried to do his hair. “Want to play go?”

This brought the older brother to a stop. He knew why he came. As much as he wanted to have fun with his brother, he had serious things to talk about.

“It’s about Changle.”

“The savage?” Xiao Bin asked.

For this, the younger brother received a slap at the back of the head.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t call her that!” Xiao Tung warned him. “She is my wife and your sister by marriage!”

“Alright, alright! So what do you need?”

“I need to help her, but I don’t know how!”

“With the bullying.” Xiao Bin added.

“Yes, and… Wait, you noticed it?”

“Of course. Hadn’t you?”

Xiao Tung tried his best to hide his shame as much as he could. Xiao Bin saw right through it.

“Oh.” was the only answer the younger brother had to this revelation.

“If you knew, why not help her?”

“Why? Your wife is a liability for anyone other than father, who just sees a political tool in her. You saw how mother talks about her. Honestly, the less you spend time with her, the better for you.”

“Well… no! I can’t just abandon her like that!”

“She seems strong enough to stand on her own.”

“I just want to make her life a bit easier.” Xiao Tung said. “And I need your help for that. Please, Bin. I really need you on this one.”

“Okay.” Xiao Bin answered almost immediately.

“R-Really?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it would be harder, for some reason.” Xiao Tung admitted.

“You are my brother, Tung. I will always have your back. Always.”

________

“Are you sure about this?” Changle asked. “You don’t need to do this for me.”

“You are right, sister.” Xiao Bin agreed. “But I do have to do it for Tung, if that makes sense.”

“Thank you, Bin.” the older brother said.

“You already thanked me twice, no need for more. Now go.”

Xiao Bin pushed his younger brother and his wife inside the hall, where court was currently in session. It was quite the sight, all those people standing up in the room. On their left were the generals and officers of Chen Province, while on the right the officials stood as they awaited a chance to come forward and speak their mind. And at the end of the room facing them all was father, the only one seated. Xiao Tung might not always agree with his father or appreciate his harsh rules, but it was in moments like these that he was reminded that Xiao Ru was a true ruler, a great man living among his subjects.

The trio slowly made their way among the officials, trying their best not to get too much attention. The last thing they wanted was for father to stop what he was doing and shout at them for interrupting court business. As they walked, they could hear some of the officials snickering at them.

“Young lord, women are rarely allowed here.” one said.

“She barely qualifies, so I am sure our lord will make an exception.” another added.

Xiao Tung could feel Changle’s grip tightening around his arm. Had she been dealing with this since her arrival? He could only blame himself for not noticing earlier as they continued to advance, eventually getting close enough to be able to hear father shouting.

“T-T-That regent! How d-d-d-dare he?” Xiao Ru fumed in front of the court. “We will need to act a-ap-ap-appro-appropriat- to respond.”

Xiao Tung had always been curious why his father had such difficulty speaking at times. On some rare occasions, he could say full sentences without a fault, yet most of the time he was barely able to align three words without stuttering. He wondered if it was hereditary.

“There needs to be a response.” said an official. “Surely the regent could be summoned to answer for this.”

“Yes.” Xiao Ru agreed, clearly trying to use as little words as possible.

“My lord, let me go with an army, and I will bring him to you!”

One man stepped forward from the pack of generals, clearly wishing to be given the assignment. Just like every other general, he was wearing a full armor, although no weapon of any kind. He was particularly noticeable, with his missing limb and his eyepatch. Xiao Tung recognized him as general Zhang Yan. He heard that the man was a great commander, although father had forbidden him to talk to the general for some reason.

The displeasure showing on Xiao Ru’s face made it clear that Zhang Yan’s request would be refused.

“Ding Yan.” he called, with the Assistant Administrator standing up at the mention of his name.

“Yes lord!”

“You go f-f-f-fetch the regent.”

“Yes lord.” Ding Yan answered.

Xiao Tung was listening to the discussion when his brother gave him a little tap to get his attention.

“Now or never.” Xiao Bin said. “Father is about to end court.”

“What do I say?”

To this, Xiao Bin whispered the right words in his brother’s ear. Now convinced that he could do it, Xiao Tung gave a last nod to his brother before walking out of the pack, right in front of his father’s seat where officials usually presented their petitions. He bowed, as per protocol, and presented his grievance.

“Lord father!” he spoke. “There is a matter I would like to bring up to you!”

He waited like this for a solid minute, his eyes turned to the ground. He wondered why his father was taking so long to answer. Chances were that he was unsure if he even wanted to deal with this.

“What is it?” Xiao Ru finally said.

“It concerns the unfair treatment of my wife by the officials of Chen Province.”

This caused a small uproar, with some officials and generals either laughing or screaming that it was complete nonsense. As the teenager raised his head, he could see that this was quickly getting on his father’s nerves.

“I d-de-demand com-comple-complete… SILENCE!”

Everyone went mute in that instant, obeying the Governor’s order. Xiao Tung couldn’t stop himself from being impressed.

“What about the Xianbei p-p-princess?” Xiao Ru asked.

Maybe it was father’s cold and uncaring voice or the way he referred to Changle as “the Xianbei princess”, but Xiao Tung could feel anger rising within him. Thankfully, he was able to keep it bottled, knowing full well that this would only hurt their case. He just needed to say what Xiao Bin had told him.

“By marriage, Changle is my wife.”

“I know. I arranged it.”

“She might have been a Xianbei princess before, but as my wife she is a member of the Xiao Clan, your Clan father.”

Xiao Ru said nothing, which was as good of a signal to continue as any.

“Any insult against her, any degrading comment directed at her, those are against a member of our family.” Xiao Tung explained. “It reflects on me, and on you. If this is allowed to continue, it will make others think that they can insult our esteemed clan under your roof, that your family does not deserve respect.”

It seemed to have hit home, as father’s eyes narrows. He looked around the hall, with many officials and officers trying their best to avoid his gaze.

“Who?” Xiao Ru asked his son.

To this, Xiao Tung proved hesitant. While he wanted the bullying to stop, was he ready to point the finger at others, knowing full well how his father might react? Clearly, Xiao Bin did not have the same worries, as he stepped out of line to point at the two officials who had insulted Changle earlier.

“They attacked her reputation when we entered court, father.” Xiao Bin explained.

The two men tried to speak words of defense, but they didn’t have the time to do anything. Father snapped his fingers and pointed the two officials. Guards quickly grabbed them and dragged them away screaming, a horrible sight for sure.

“Anyone else?” Xiao Ru asked his court.

The following silence was perceived as a no.

“No one s-speak a-against my f-family a-again.”

This statement was the end of it. Now anyone trying to bully Changle would find themselves in father’s crosshair. Xiao Bin offered his brother a smile while Changle went to join her husband in front of everyone.

“Thank you father.” she said as she bowed in front of Xiao Ru.

The Governor dismissed her and the rest of court with a wave of the hand, clearly tired and wishing to retire. Xiao Tung was all too happy to leave and go celebrate with his wife and brother.

“Tung.”

He turned around to see his father signaling him to approach.

“When d-did you grow a backbone?” his father asked with pride in his voice.

Xiao Tung smiled.

“When I found something worth standing up for.” he answered.

____________________________________

The marital issues of his son arrived just as Xiao Ru was dealing with problematic subordinates in the north of his territories. When he had annexed Chenliu Commandery, he had allowed the regents of young Zhang Rou to continue to administrate the commandery. However, the leading regent saw an opening for expansion while their liege was fighting Tao Shang and got greedy. Qiao Mao, the administrator of Dong Commandery, had died in 206 and left it to his teenage son. The death of a potential big player was seen as an opportunity by some of his neighbors, and soon the new administrator found himself attacked on multiple fronts. The regents hoped to take it over and then use their newfound lands to free themselves from Xiao Ru. Of course, they did not ask for permission before launching their war.

This was seen as borderline treason by Xiao Ru once he was made aware of the situation. While two of his sons and his daughter-in-law attended, the Governor of Chen Province made the decision of bringing the leader of the regency to have him answer for his crimes. While Zhang Yan offered to go do the job, by this point Xiao Ru was suspicious of the former rebel leader. Instead, he sent the trustworthy Assistant Administrator with an army to go arrest the regency. While the head regent would end up executed in a brutal manner (being sawed in half and left to bleed out under the sun), the rest of the regency was given a free pass. After all, he wanted to help them in their war. Using their invasion as an excuse, Xiao Ru launched his own assault against Dong Commandery in late June.

By right of being in charge of the campaign, Ding Yan was able to pick his subordinates, something that Xiao Ru still trusted him with. To much surprise, he picked his predecessor Li Fengzhu. The old man had been disgraced after being blamed for the useless war with Tao Shang and the failure to win. In fact, it was Ding Yan’s assessment of the war that had accidentally resulted in his downfall. However, neither man had any hatred for the other. Li Fengzhu was all too happy to be given a chance to redeem himself, and Ding Yan saw the advantage of having such a wise and competent man by his side. The two generals made their way north to go invade Dong Commandery.

However, they soon found that they weren’t the only ones present in the area. After finishing what they had to do with the regency, they quickly ran into other armies trying to take the commandery, which was a problem. As there were starting to be a lot of players. Even Cao Cao was showing interest in Dong Commandery. This led to a series of diplomatic exchanges between Xiao Ru and his “ally”, as each tried to argue that they deserved it better, with Xiao Ru ending communication when it became clear that Cao Cao was winning the argument. On the frontline, Ding Yan didn’t know where to focus. After consulting Li Fengzhu, he signed a non-aggression pact with the other armies, everyone agreeing not to bother the others and focus on taking the commandery. This led all the invading armies to cooperate in December and destroy the Dong forces when it appeared that they might be able to regroup.

In early 208, Dian Wei was finally able to leave his imprisonment after his family sent the ransom to Tao Shang. The general was thus released, forcefully escorted to the limits of Xu Province and kicked out. Dian Wei quickly raced to the former provincial capital, only to find that Xiao Ru had changed it during his absence. Undeterred, Dian Wei entered Chenguo convinced that he was still Xiao Ru’s favorite general, his golden boy. When he finally had an audience with his liege, he asked to be allowed to continue his duties as Commandant and be given command of the Dong campaign. Xiao Ru was baffled. He managed to get himself captured in battle, by his own fault, and now he expected to be treated as a hero? Xiao Ru made it clear that he was lucky to keep a command in the army after his debacle. Dian Wei was sent back to his county to wait further instruction, to the general’s disappointment.

And besides, Xiao Ru didn’t want Dian Wei to ruin his good mood. In early 208, Xiao Tung and Changle finally announced that they were expecting their first child. The Xianbei princess’s situation had greatly improved since last year, as had her relationship with her husband. While it is debatable if they were in love, they were at the very least close. With Xiao Tung now taking his marital duties seriously, what had to happen happened. Everyone in the Xiao Clan was happy for the young heir, his father first among them. For Xiao Ru, this was excellent news. The young couple would, hopefully, produce him a grandson to continue the Xiao Clan. Sadly for his ambitions, Changle would eventually deliver a girl, Xiao Qiaoyun.

But before he could face this disappointment, Xiao Ru was faced with a massive threat from the east. As it turned out, Tao Shang had been even more bitter about the issue of the war than he had been. The Governor of Xu Province still believed that they needed to stop Chen expansion before it was too late. During that whole year of peace, he rebuilt his army and prepared for a new campaign. However, his ally and liege Tan Shenquan was still occupied. Qing Province was under two invasions from Gongsun Xu (trying to finish his father’s conquest of the province) and Yuan Tan (trying to make it a tributary). This meant that the duty of stopping Xiao Ru was once again in Tao Shang’s hands. But this time, he would not force the warlord to submit. No, he would remove him from the game. In April 208, Xu Province launched an invasion of Chen province, with the goal of conquering the province for good.

 

[Bibliophile]

It was interesting to see the perspective of the children of the Xiao clan. Nice to see that Xiao Tung has the makings of a better man than his father (not that it’s a particularly high bar to clear). My heart ached for Changle and it makes me happy to know that her life at court is now made more bearable.

Tao Shang desires revenge. I wonder how Xiao Ru will narrowly escape this one (at this point, with all the times he’s narrowly escaped ruin or death, I am convinced some higher being is keeping him alive for the sheer amusement of watching him flounder around in crisis after crisis).

 

[Midnite Duke]

Wonderful Tale of the Children! Thanks for updating

 

[The Meme King]

I think it's safe to say that this AAR has finally found it's true villain. For all the sneakyness and murder of Jiang Xian, he had noble goals and tried to redeem himself in the end. For all the bravado and militairy success of Lü Bu, he failed to be an actual leader and got cut down when his troops deserted him. For all of Dong Huang's attempts to overthrow the conspirators, they were all unsucessfull and only painted a target on his won back. For all of his lively energy, Dong Zhuo was a dead man from the beggining. For all of Zhang Lu's impressive take-over of Yi province, his short reign and lackluster heir doomed his successes. For all of Xiao Ru's luck, he struggles to maintain cohesion of his realm and is in too much of a precarious position to take center stage. For all of his might and experience Ma Teng's nomadic tendencies ended up with him dying with no lands or prospects. All the villains, big and small, from Mi Fang to Bozu, could never aspire the heights of the great YUAN SHU.
Who often times plunged his own kingdom into dissarray, only to be saved by his most loyal supporters, whom then he immediately betrayed for fear of their own powers. The man who declared a war against the han itself, murdered TWO main characters of the AAR, then proceeded to order a incestuous marriage from the emperor. The man who kept throwing Feng Zian into more and more unwinnable situations with the hope of his death, only for Zian to emerge more victorious and more beloved, creating a unending cycle of violence. YUAN SHU is the most petty, detastable and evil bastard the series has ever seen, even Xiao Ru had some eye for talent, promoted his people meritocratically, ensured the rule of law and followed code of conduct. the fact YUAN SHU makes Xiao Ru look like a paragon speaks for itself.

At this point i'm genuinely convinced that Yao Shuren would have to become chancelor for china to stabilize, i don't see any of his children being able to control Xuan Su, Yi Province and the barbarians at the same time.

@Bibliophile As for Yang Weili's moral standing, i will say it has decreased, but unsure if he would still not rank as number one or not. While you can argue that Yang Weili's incompetence in administrative matters should count as a moral failing, as he had a duty to his people, you must remember that in both times Yang Weili ruled, both as governor and as regent, it was never something he had the skills, preparing or will to do. both times power was thrown at him either by being named the successor of Chen Wen or regent by Lady Hao. Weili was certainly not in favour of ordering the murder of one of his enemies and it was not his fault the assasination got so terribly botched, so i shall have to defer my judgement of him until i have more information.

I will say that Liu Siyuan's arc is the one that seems the most tragic to me. In his final years, i think Siyuan fully believed that he was the only one in china that had both the power and the will to restore the han, and he was probably not wrong, all the evils he did, from the murder of Chen Gengguo to the needless maiming of Jiang Gong, which was my fav character after Ren Sui's departure, it could all have been redeemed if Siyuan had achieved his goal. When the time came it was like something out of a fairy tale, the evil Yuan Shu taking over the Han while Yao Shuren and Xiao Ru did nothing to stop him, the stage was set for Siyuan to fulfill his destiny and redeem his own soul...
He could have so easily not accepted that duel, letting his troops fight their own fight, but his pride was too much. He had to challenge and underestimate Feng Zian and for that he died. Much like Jiang Xian, both men died in the middle of their own redemption arcs.

Now the characters i root the most for are Feng Yong, Changle, Mo Jie, Zhuge Liang and Gongsun Xu, very interested to see how their stories end up.

 

[Midnite Duke]

#1 Villain? Easy, it is me. Mo Jie. Gun running to rebels. Check. Marrying a girl less than half my age. Check. Talking in code that only his handlers can understand. Check, probably spy or double agent or even triple agent. Likes Barbarians. Check. Easily an evil, evil man.

 

[Bibliophile]

As for Yang Weili's moral standing, i will say it has decreased, but unsure if he would still not rank as number one or not. While you can argue that Yang Weili's incompetence in administrative matters should count as a moral failing, as he had a duty to his people, you must remember that in both times Yang Weili ruled, both as governor and as regent, it was never something he had the skills, preparing or will to do. both times power was thrown at him either by being named the successor of Chen Wen or regent by Lady Hao. Weili was certainly not in favour of ordering the murder of one of his enemies and it was not his fault the assasination got so terribly botched, so i shall have to defer my judgement of him until i have more information.

Thanks for the analysis. I am uncertain how to feel about Yang Weili’s actions, but you are right that we do not have enough information to make a proper judgement.

will say that Liu Siyuan's arc is the one that seems the most tragic to me

As you said, he died before he could potentially redeem himself (though I’m unsure if being given the power of the chancellor would have truly been good for him or those around him). It is also tragic because, like Jiang Xian, he started out in this story as one of the most virtuous characters before circumstances drove him towards more monstrous acts. His terrifying behavior got to the point that I was a little relieved he didn’t get what he wanted. You mentioned how from his perspective, it was like a fairy tale where the hero saves the day from the evil chancellor. But from Feng Zian’s (not entirely unreasonable) perspective, Liu Siyuan was more like the evil tyrant that the hero must slay to save the kingdom.

Speaking of evil tyrants

YUAN SHU

I fully agree with you about Yuan Shu. It’s not just his actions that make him this story’s main villain either, it’s his insistence that he is a genius for performing all his despicable actions. He keeps congratulating himself for his brilliance saving the day when in truth: 1) It is almost always his subordinates saving the day (especially now that he is secluding himself) 2) he’s usually ‘saving’ the day from problems of his own making 3) his plans are prone to getting short-term results that will cause long-term problems.
With his actions and attitude, Yuan Shu is a villain who, unlike Jiang Xian or Xuan Su, you can’t even root for despite his villainy. After all Jiang Xian was sympathetic, and Xuan Su’s cunning ascent to power is admittedly cool to watch. Yuan Shu garners neither sympathy nor coolness. I await the day he inevitably forces Feng Zian to kill him in self-defense (legitimate or ‘preemptive’, both are possible) or whatever way he gets himself stupidly, unnecessarily killed as part of his ‘genius’ plan.

 

[patpekala]

I realize I'm late for the party, but RIP Liu Siyuan. The mighty Whirlwind met his match.

 

[Zamarak500]

Ok, wow, a lot more comments than I'm used to. xD

It was interesting to see the perspective of the children of the Xiao clan. Nice to see that Xiao Tung has the makings of a better man than his father (not that it’s a particularly high bar to clear). My heart ached for Changle and it makes me happy to know that her life at court is now made more bearable.

Wonderful Tale of the Children! Thanks for updating

The reason for the focus on the kids is that I needed to start introducing the next generation. Most of the living characters are either in their forthies or close to it, with their kids approaching adulthood. Xiao Tung and Feng Yong are good examples of that. Xiao Tung and Changle are clearly better people than their parents (Budugen the Great doesn't get much screentime, but he doesn't do much to dispel the stereotype of the violent barbarian murdering his enemies.)

Tao Shang desires revenge. I wonder how Xiao Ru will narrowly escape this one (at this point, with all the times he’s narrowly escaped ruin or death, I am convinced some higher being is keeping him alive for the sheer amusement of watching him flounder around in crisis after crisis).

We'll see how both men do in their next war. Maybe Heaven has plans for Xiao Ru, or maybe he's just lucky.

I think it's safe to say that this AAR has finally found it's true villain. For all the sneakyness and murder of Jiang Xian, he had noble goals and tried to redeem himself in the end. For all the bravado and militairy success of Lü Bu, he failed to be an actual leader and got cut down when his troops deserted him. For all of Dong Huang's attempts to overthrow the conspirators, they were all unsucessfull and only painted a target on his won back. For all of his lively energy, Dong Zhuo was a dead man from the beggining. For all of Zhang Lu's impressive take-over of Yi province, his short reign and lackluster heir doomed his successes. For all of Xiao Ru's luck, he struggles to maintain cohesion of his realm and is in too much of a precarious position to take center stage. For all of his might and experience Ma Teng's nomadic tendencies ended up with him dying with no lands or prospects. All the villains, big and small, from Mi Fang to Bozu, could never aspire the heights of the great YUAN SHU.
Who often times plunged his own kingdom into dissarray, only to be saved by his most loyal supporters, whom then he immediately betrayed for fear of their own powers. The man who declared a war against the han itself, murdered TWO main characters of the AAR, then proceeded to order a incestuous marriage from the emperor. The man who kept throwing Feng Zian into more and more unwinnable situations with the hope of his death, only for Zian to emerge more victorious and more beloved, creating a unending cycle of violence. YUAN SHU is the most petty, detastable and evil bastard the series has ever seen, even Xiao Ru had some eye for talent, promoted his people meritocratically, ensured the rule of law and followed code of conduct. the fact YUAN SHU makes Xiao Ru look like a paragon speaks for itself.

I agree that Yuan Shu is the worse, but I'm kinda biased because he's the character I hate the most in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Be it in real life or in fiction, that guy was an ass. Fuck him. I'm kinda sad he's already alive, to be honest. Imagine if he wins that war too? His head is gonna inflate so much he won't be able to get through the doorway.

I will say that Liu Siyuan's arc is the one that seems the most tragic to me. In his final years, i think Siyuan fully believed that he was the only one in china that had both the power and the will to restore the han, and he was probably not wrong, all the evils he did, from the murder of Chen Gengguo to the needless maiming of Jiang Gong, which was my fav character after Ren Sui's departure, it could all have been redeemed if Siyuan had achieved his goal. When the time came it was like something out of a fairy tale, the evil Yuan Shu taking over the Han while Yao Shuren and Xiao Ru did nothing to stop him, the stage was set for Siyuan to fulfill his destiny and redeem his own soul...

I realize I'm late for the party, but RIP Liu Siyuan. The mighty Whirlwind met his match.

While Liu Siyuan's story was indeed cut short, I'm not sure saving the Han Dynasty would have been much of a "redemption arc" for him. After all, many great chinese men have been known for being tyrannical villains. The fact that he was probably aiming to usurp the Emperor to take the Han throne for himself didn't help, although we don't know if he would have actually done it (probably not, if only because you need 1000 piety to usurp and he was nowhere near that amount). But hey, maybe his last remaining son and his generals can fulfil his dream without corrupting it. Maybe.

 

[Henlaar1]

It's always enjoyable to read these really character based CK2 AARS! They're always such good quality! Just wanted to bump and say keep up with the good work

 

[Zamarak500]

It's always enjoyable to read these really character based CK2 AARS! They're always such good quality! Just wanted to bump and say keep up with the good work

Hey thanks! Always happy to hear what people think of the AAR, so the comment is appreciated.

 

[Zamarak500]

207-208: MORE LANDS​

Yao Shuren had just managed to become the new Governor of Yi Province. His victory over Zhang Fu had made him the owner of one of the largest provinces, even if it was mostly jungles. His territory, which was already considerable before, had now expanded to cover most of the Han’s western border. With the fall of Gongsun Zan the previous year, he now stood as the most powerful warlord within China, a fact that brought him great joy. Of course, Yuan Shu still controlled the emperor, a problem that would eventually have to be rectified. But for now, he needed to focus on one thing: defeating the remaining rebels. Gao Rou and Wu Mengjie were still fighting. While he could try to reach out an agreement with them, it would only weaken his position. He needed a show of strength to secure his position, which meant ending this war with a complete victory.

However, Yao Shuren’s first impression would not be the one he had hoped. He came in hoping to be seen as the man bringing peace and order to the province, the restorer of prosperity. Instead, the people of Yi Province heard of their new Governor’s familial scandals. When Yao Shuren left for the south, many officers had been left behind to guard his territories, including Hu Cheer. The man was around the same age as Yao Shuren, but had never risen high enough to achieve his own ambitions. He had also managed to make many enemies in the higher ranks of the army, including a dispute with Xu Shu, who was still regent of their liege’s territories. Hu Cheer, hoping to find a way to rise through the ranks, caught the eye of Yao Ki, Yao Shuren eldest daughter.

The two entered into a relationship. It is unclear if Hu Cheer’s intentions were only self-serving or if he did love the girl, but that changed little to the situation. He was now getting close to the daughter of his lord, which could greatly help his career. If he divorced his wife, he might be able to marry Yao Ki. The girl would marry the man she loved instead of being forced into some political marriage, and Hu Cheer would surely be skyrocketed to Yao Shuren’s council. However, the couple was not discreet in their affair. Hu Cheer was pretty open about his goals, which annoyed most of the officials at court. It was only out of respect for the kind soul that was Yao Ki that they didn’t ruin the girl’s first love and denounce it to her father.

Except that Yao Ki got pregnant before Hu Cheer could put their plan into motion. Panicked, he told his lover that she needed to convince her father to accept their union, and fast. And more importantly, they needed to work this out without Yao Shuren realizing that his daughter was pregnant. She actually gave birth to their bastard son Hu Benli in March 207 without it reaching her father’s ear. Yao Shuren was too far south to get regular reports from court, and Xu Shu had too much on his hands to keep an eye on the lovers. Hu Cheer might have succeeded in hiding the birth had it not been for Mo Jie, who during a visit to the provincial capital became aware of the illegitimate birth. The former right-hand man of Yao Shuren became convinced that Hu Cheer was only manipulating the girl for his own ends. He was doubly disgusted by all this, as he projected a bit of his own daughters in Yao Ki’s situation, fearing that one of them might fall for a similar trap when they grew up. Thinking of his five daughters, Mo Jie sent a report of the whole affair to Yao Shuren.

According to Pan Zheng’s later accounts of the event, the Governor was oddly calm when he was told of Hu Cheer and Yao Ki’s love affair. Indeed, while he didn’t shout once, everyone could see that Yao Shuren was radiating murderous intent. Hu Cheer had ventured where he shouldn’t. When he sent a messenger back home, he did two things. First, he rewarded Mo Jie for his loyalty by reappointing him as Administrator of Wuwei Commandery. Having lost it the previous year, it seemed like an appropriate reward for his loyalty and continuous service. The second order was for Hu Cheer to come join the southern campaign at once. To the officer, it seemed as if his dream was coming true and Yao Shuren was welcoming him in his inner circle. In truth, the Governor simply thought that it would be easier to arrange his murder up close than from a distance. Hu Cheer would die for sullying his daughter, that was a certainty.

Thankfully, he still had a war to fight to distract him from this humiliation. He spent long nights with his new Commandant Huang Quan discussing the best path toward victory. Huang Quan hoped to end this war as soon as possible to ensure peace in the province. While Yao Shuren agreed on this point, he also sought to ingratiate himself to the local nobility. He didn’t want to look like another Zhang Lu, a stranger who just took power without deserving it. He didn’t need local officers to revolt like Gao Rou and Wu Mengjie the second he left the province to go back home. They needed to make this war a statement. Huang Quan, who lacked talent in the PR department, had no clue how to do that. Yao Shuren smiled and took out a map. He pointed to the former provincial capital of Yi Province: Chengdu. The city was currently controlled by the rebels. Making it a priority to take it back would certainly gain him support within the province.

Huang Quan was charged to recruit troops for his cause, which would do much to improve the locals’ opinion of their new master. Meanwhile, Yao Shuren made his way north to go to the provincial capital of Yi Province. Pan Zheng, as his secretary and a member of his staff, was forced to accompany him. Forced being the right word, as he didn’t really want to go. He understood he had to go, he knew that he had agreed to follow Yao Shuren, but he still wasn’t thrilled about it. His wife was pregnant and would give birth within a few months (to a girl, Pan Hongyu). Yao Shuren didn’t even give him a chance to argue, offering him an “escort” to make sure he left home safe, with the leaving being the priority. Still, Pan Zheng could at the very least admire what a truly formidable army looked like. The speed at which it reached Chengdu was incredible, and their siege was coordinated and disciplined. Pan Zheng had to give it to Yao Shuren; the man knew how to lead his troops.

Having reached Chengdu by September, Yao Shuren decided to use this opportunity to get more involved with affairs at home. In particular, the Governor made a publicity stunt by promoting to a commandery the fifteen years old Niu Yuanzong. Niu Yuanzong was the oldest son of the late Chancellor Niu Fu, the last hero of the Han. While he was alive, Niu Fu had been a potential threat to Yao Shuren, who saw the Chancellor’s restorationist goals as opposite to his own growing powerbase. Seven years after his death, Niu Fu was now hailed as a national hero and the most loyal man of his age. His reputation had only improved with the disintegration of the Han following his death and the corrupt regime of his successor. As part of his own propaganda, Yuan Shu even claimed that his goal had always been to avenge Niu Fu by removing Jiang Xian. By having Niu Fu’s son now singing his praises, Yao Shuren hoped to counter the new Chancellor’s claim over the hero’s legacy.

However, Yao Shuren soon received strange news from Xu Shu. Somehow, he had managed to acquire a new province by the end of the month. From what the letter implied, the warlord Xuan Su had willingly handed Bing Province to him, thankfully stopping corrupt officials from keeping it away from its rightful owner. This story was a bit too clean for Yao Shuren’s tastes, who quickly suspected that Xuan Su might not have been as willing as he claimed to hand power over to him. From what he knew of the man, he was untrustworthy and dangerous. Never one to refuse a free gift, Yao Shuren still confirmed the annexation. This extended his borders from the southern barbarian jungles to the most northern border of China. Still suspicious of Xuan Su, he did not appoint him to his inner circle. Instead, he ordered his new subordinate to stay on the northern border and protect Bing Province from barbarian raids.

Xuan Su decided to do exactly that. With Yao Shuren in the south and Xu Shu occupied with the regency, the now administrator Xuan Su realized that he had free hands to do whatever he wanted. And surely, his liege wouldn’t object to some conquering in the north? Huchuquan Khagan of the northern Xiongnu was still alive and leading his weakened horde, having suffered from the multiple conflicts with Lü Bu and Xuan Su. However, the old Khagan had used the opportunity presented by the fall of Gongsun Zan to expand south. With Budugen the Great harassing his northern borders, Huchuquan Khagan launched an invasion south, managed to take a county from a Chinese warlord. Xuan Su used every trick in the book to present this as a national threat that clearly needed a response. He declared war on the northern Xiongnus within a month of submitting to Yao Shuren.

His duties were to defend the border from the barbarians, but he still expected some resistance from his new lord. So just in case, Xuan Su paid a few barbarians to raid an uninhabited village. Now pointing to a clear and obviously real barbarian incursion, he could use this false flag operation as his casus belli. Xuan Su took his army and marched into Xiongnu territories, with the Sinicized barbarian Yao Xu serving as his second-in-command. He faced no resistance whatsoever, and for a good reason. After questioning some locals, he learned Huchuquan Khagan had died at the age of 51 in early December. The wound inflicted by Xuan Su a few years back got infected and killed the Khagan after eighteen years of leadership. While the deceased Khagan had ten children, none of them was old enough to lead. Instead, he was succeeded by his nephew, who became Qubei Khagan. Qubei was in his mid-twenties and completely unprepared for his new duties. He lazily took command of the war, simply avoiding enemy forces and hoping for the best.

However, Xuan Su was not the only one trying to gain control of this county. From the east came Ding Zhichao, son of Ding Kai, the late Commandant of You Province. Following the collapse of the province, Ding Zhichao had used his father’s reputation and his own connections to come out as the most powerful warlord in the area. Many actually expected him to reunify the province as Xuan Su had done in Bing. His army proved bigger and faster than that of Xuan Su. By February, Qubei Khagan surrendered to Ding Zhichao, forcing Xuan Su to either abandon the war or fight the warlord. Unwilling to bring too much attention on himself, he had to pack his things and go home empty handed. Ding Zhichao now looked like a rising star and many started to believed that he would be the northern Xiao Ru, the power rising from the collapse of the region. This all went to shit when he died at the end of 208, leaving his territories to a child. Oopsie.

Meanwhile, Yao Shuren had found himself victim of a wicked plot from his enemies. Gao Rou and Wu Mengjie were afraid of the warlord’s army and needed him out of the way. To do this, they had been sending envoys to the Imperial Capital, hoping to enlist the aid of the Chancellor. The envoys pleaded Yuan Shu to help them remove this common enemy. The two rebels promised that they would help him against Jing Province in exchange for his assistance. Yuan Shu agreed, engineering a daring plan to get rid of this threat. He would send his own agents to kidnap the warlord and secretly bring him back to the Imperial Capital. There, he would be stripped of all his ranks and offices before being executed as a traitor. Brilliant! As per usual Yuan Shu plan, this one ignored the consequences. Best case scenario, it failed and Yao Shuren was pissed off. Worst case scenario, this would bring the whole of Yao Shuren’s generals upon Yuan Shu in a quest for vengeance. Yuan Shu ignored these possibilities, convinced that the provinces would instead submit to his authority once they lacked a ruler.

The plot was thankfully leaked, but the news only made it back to Xu Shu, who was still in Liang Province managing things for his liege. Fearing that he might be too late, the regent decided to ride south with an elite guard to warn his lord in person. In his absence, he left Mo Jie and Duan Zuo in charge, ignoring the fact that the two hated each other. Making himself worthy of his nickname of “the Thunderbolt”, Xu Shu raced south faster than anyone could have hoped. When his horse died of exhaustion, he simply requisitioned a new one from the locals, continuing as if nothing had happened.

In the army camps, the agents sent by Yuan Shu had somehow managed to get close enough to Yao Shuren to put their plan into action. The Governor was kidnapped while in his own tent, with his guards none the wiser. Tucked into a large bag, he was put in a cart and driven away under the guise of supply. Yao Shuren was unable to do much, having little fighting skills of his own. The following morning, the army was panicking at the absence of their leader, but there was nothing they could do. Hu Cheer was the only one to pick up a track, but he did nothing. He feared that this was a trap, and at the back of his mind hoped that his relationship with Yao Ki might guarantee him a place as Yao Shuren’s successor.

In the end, Xu Shu’s little squad managed to catch the agents and capture them, saving his liege from a gruesome fate. After being tortured, the kidnappers admitted their goal. But Yao Shuren refused to believe them. He was convinced that Yuan Shu wouldn’t be stupid enough to get involved in a conflict where he had no stakes only to make new enemies. The man had masterfully taken control of the Imperial Capital. Surely, he wouldn’t make this kind of mistake. Talking of mistake, Yao Shuren had his guards executed when he returned to camp. They had failed in their duty, and this was one failure he couldn’t forgive. After assembling the troops, he berated them for failing to protect him, before praising Xu Shu for his commitment. Hu Cheer was especially singled out for his lack of help, and Yao Shuren made a note to have him killed before the end of the campaign.

As was so often the case in Yi Province, the war was seen as an opportunity by opportunistic barbarians. While some chieftains had recognized Yao Shuren as their ruler, fearful of what he might do otherwise, many hoped to free themselves from this Chinese tyrant. This time it was led by a Nanman named Longyan. A kind and beloved man, Longyan never planned to become the leader of an uprising. But after seeing Yao Shuren in person when he was in the south, the barbarian became convinced that life would become a living hell for his people. At the end of February 208, he led more than two thousand of his tribesmen in revolt, trying to build a better future for them and their families. The fact that he rose up in Pan Zheng’s commandery was a humiliating embarrassment for the scholar. His shame was only exacerbated when he learned that his wife Lady Fang had allied with Meng Huo in the hope of defeating Longyan, only the be beaten by the rebels.

Yao Shuren had other things to handle before he could move to crush this revolt. The rebel army had finally made a mistake that left them vulnerable. Their own seat of power had been captured by troops loyal to Zhang Fu early in the war. After his fall, the garrison had wisely switched side to Yao Shuren. Gao Rou did try to convince them to switch to his side, which would have allowed him to retake his home without a fight. No such luck however, forcing the rebels to set up a siege. This meant that the rebels were right next to the Liang troops, giving Yao Shuren an opportunity to finally strike at his enemies.

He quickly marched toward the besieged city, forcing a battle in March. The fighting was fierce. While Yao Shuren and Cheng Pu were excellent commanders, Gao Rou and Wu Mengjie were proving to be a challenge. This left Pan Zheng as the weak link, something that Yao Shuren used to bait his enemies into a trap and defeat them. Following this victory, Yao Shuren decided not to waste any time. Using his favored tactic, he hired local guides to allow him to get in front of the fleeing army, forcing them to another battle. He used this tactic to great successes three times in a row, reducing the rebel army to a few hundred men by the middle of July. By then, it seemed that the tide of war had definitively started to favor the new Governor.

The destruction of the rebel army gave Yao Shuren enough room to return south to go fight the barbarians. Having barbarians pillaging his territories would not do, even if they were just pillaging other barbarians. Leaving a few garrisons behind to make sure that the rebels did not get any funny idea while he was gone, he ordered his army to march toward Pan Zheng’s commandery. When they finally arrived two months later, they found large parts of Yizhou Commandery under barbarian control, with at least another thousand men having joined Longyan’s revolt. Longyan, hoping that Yao Shuren would accept the revolt as a fait accompli, sent envoys to negotiate the independence of his people. The envoys were executed, their heads sent back in boxes. Seeing no choice, Longyan ordered his followers to ready themselves for battle. He gave it a good try, but they were no match for the professional Liang troops, now reinforced by Huang Quan and his new recruits. Following the battle, Longyan was quickly tracked down and executed, ending his uprising for good.

With the barbarians hopefully finished, Yao Shuren could focus on the remaining threat to his authority. Or at least that’s what he thought, but Hu Cheer would not let it go. The officer was convinced that he still had a chance to arrange a marriage with Yao Ki, that he would soon enough be Yao Shuren’s son-in-law. What started as an annoyance became a hindrance. At every meeting, at every opportunity, Hu Cheer kept bringing it up. Considering that he was planning to dispose of him, Yao Shuren had no desire to oblige his request. Instead, he decided to deal with this issue definitively. And might as well cement his connection with the popular Huang Quan in the process. In November 208, Yao Shuren announced the betrothal of his eldest daughter Yao Ki to Huang Quan’s eldest son Huang Yuan. This would connect him to his Commandant by marriage and cut Hu Cheer out of it. Now he just had to dispose of him…

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PS: What’s coming for 209:

• Xiao Ru vs Tao Shang 2: Electric Boogaloo (208-209)
• Hu Zan’s two fronts war (207-209)

 

[Bibliophile]

Hu Cheer is biting off more than he could chew, seducing the daughter of Yao Shuren, the one-eyed conqueror! He might have gotten away with it a little longer if not for being discovered by Mo Jie, the most honest official in all of Liang (that I know of). It’s also really unfortunate for Hu Cheer that Mo Jie writes much better than he speaks. Hu Cheer won’t be ‘cheer’ful when Yao Shuren is done with him.
Glad to see the Niu clan still alive and kicking in this story.

Yuan Shu is very lucky that his subordinate’s successes bely how stupid he really is. That is perhaps the only thing that is currently saving him from Yao Shuren’s much deserved wrath.
Yuan Shu really seems incapable of forsaking a short-term goal (kidnapping Yao Shuren) for the preservation of his long-term one (becoming emperor instead of a corpse).

 

[Midnite Duke]

Mo Jie (me) may be the ultimate under-the-radar survivor. He takes two steps forward and one backwards. Five daughters mean five suitors to interview (interrogate). The girls will die as old maids before the interviews end. Thank you for the update