Death of an Empire

[ylee_coyote]

Hello all,

Been looking around at the different stories on the boards and I have to say that there are a lot of talented writers here. Now, I'm kind of inspired to throw my own hat into the ring (so to speak)

What I'm posting is just the prologue to my story...I want to get some feedback first before I continue on writing out the story (I actually got everything planned out)

I should point out that this is my first time posting up one of my works, so please be gentle

j/k be honest with the criticism...it's the only way I'll improve, so anyways hope you have fun reading it (hopefully, it won't put you guys to sleep )

Map of China (3 Kingdoms era):
http://www.threekingdoms.com/map2.htm

Skirmish at Yinping (Prologue)

A cloaked figure stood at the edge of a cliff near the outskirts of Yinping. From this vantage point he could survey the entire battlefield that lay before him. Twenty thousand infantry soldiers and Qiang tribesmen were fighting one another in the valley below. The sound of clashing metal was deafening and the screams of men dying could be heard every minute. He turned to the flag bearers and issued his orders.

"Signal the cavalry to begin their attack."

They nodded and began to wave their flags in intricate patterns. Moments later, a battle cry thundered across the valley and five thousand horsemen came galloping past the Qiang army and straight into the enemy. The Imperial soldiers did not even flinch. Instead, a wave of spearmen ran up to the front lines and kept the horsemen at bay.

As the battle unfolded before his eyes, he realized that his men were fighting less vigorously. Fatigue was starting to set in and the Qiang were losing hope. He quickly turned to one of his lieutenants.

"I'm going to go down there and join the skirmish. Morale will be the key to victory and hopefully my presence will bolster their resolve. You stay here and keep the camp in order."

The cloaked figure hastened down the cliff and into the battle with his sword drawn. A loud cheer rang out from the Qiang when he showed up and each tribesman started to fight with increased strength. Nevertheless, even with the presence of their general, they only gained a few inches in ground. The Imperial Army could not be pushed back.

"Morale is the key," he reminded himself. "I have to break their will to fight."

He scanned through the faces of everyone around him and quickly found the person he was looking for. A distance in front of him was Li Mao, Prefect and General of the South, one of four elite officers appointed by the Emperor to protect the kingdom. Li Mao, standing at six feet tall and brandishing his crescent-shaped blade the Green Dragon, was a man that invoked fear into his enemies, as well as his allies, through his mere presence on the battlefield. His numerous battlescars across his face and arms were a testament to his ferocity in battle. Stories even circulated around the taverns across the Empire that Li Mao himself was a reincarnation of a dragon killed long ago. The commander of the Qiang knew better than to believe in foolish fairy tales, Li Mao was an ordinary man and nothing more.

"Qiang dog! Cease this senseless rebellion! The reputation of Li Mao must have reached your ears over to the West, why continue to fight a battle that you have no hope of winning? Surrender and I may show you mercy!" sneered Li Mao.

The Qiang commander could only laugh. "You always were a bit self-absorbed in your own image. The only way you can stop me is by killing me."

"Then I will deliver your head to the Emperor."

The commander laughed again. "You can try. You will fail miserably, of course, but you can try."

Li Mao could not tolerate such insolence. "I am going to enjoy seperating your head from your neck."

And thus began a duel between Li Mao and the cloaked figure. The surrounding soldiers and tribesmen stopped abruptly to watch this clash of the titans. The duel continued for forty bouts with no clear victor emerging. Li Mao had never encountered an opponent who could match him equally, aside from the other three officers who were promoted with him.

There was one other, but it was impossible for this person to be him, he thought.

Thrust, parry, and slash, the exchange of blows continued on for three hours. With the added weight of the Green Dragon and his armour, Li Mao was starting to feel the effects of the prolonged fight and his movements began to slow. The Qiang commander saw this opportunity and slashed at Li Mao's throat. The edge of his sword connected and cut straight across. Li Mao tried to scream in pain but no sound came out, only blood. He fell off his horse and onto the dirt. Again he tried to speak, but more blood just spilled out. Yet the commander knew what he wanted to say and in the act of fulfilling a dying man's last wish, he removed his hood.

Li Mao could only form an expression of shock and recognition at the man that stood before him.

"You always were easily distracted in a fight, which left your left flank open for attack. I thought that you would have eliminated that weakness since I last saw you...what was it? Ten years ago? Has it really been that long?." He paused for a second. "How fitting it is that it will be my face that you will see before you die." With one more slash he cut Li Mao's head clean off.

After battle scene, the hooded figure is kneeling on the dirt, tired and short of breath.

"Make sure that all the dead from both sides receive a proper burial," he said to his soldiers followed by a tired sigh. He then turned his gaze towards the Eastern horizon.

"Tch, the Imperial army has not lost its military prowress. Conquering the entire area of Yizhou will take more time than I anticipated," he thought. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. Blood dripped down from his forehead, but he could not tell if it was his own or someone else's. He quickly glanced back at the carnage behind him and he realized how young some of the soldiers really were.

"Much blood will spill in the next couple of months. Will I be able to continue on?" he asked himself solemnly. A sense of hopelessness swept through him, but such a feeling was only fleeting as determination began to grow within him. "I will have to...I cannot fail...I will not fail." With this declaration to the heavens, he mounted his horse and rode back to the main camp. Rain began to fall and it seemed to him that the sky was weeping for the follies of Man.

[Suet Seung]

ylee_Coyote,

I must say I was about to fall asleep but the title for your fanfic attracted my attention, however, your descriptive writing kept me lingering here even though I was suppose to be heading for bed. From what you've written and posted so far, I'm very impressed with your writing style and word choice as well as vocabulary skills. The war scene you've painted made me feel like I was watching the whole thing myself and you've managed to invoke some feelings for the men who've died.

Your doing very well so far and I hope that you will continue writing this story. I also hope that the others will notice your work too. I'm going to be busy for a while but I wanted to drop in and give you some support and to let you know that someone is reading your hard work.

Keep it up! And Welcome to SPCNET and the Fanfic Forum!



-SS

[ylee_coyote]

Hey Suet Seung,

Thanks for the kind comments and encouragement. I was wondering when someone was gonna say something about the story

Been pretty busy on my end, what with work and all, but in between data entries (yeah, I know. I should be working instead of daydreaming but I gotta do something to keep my mind from snapping from all the number crunching ) I've been mapping out how I can take this story further so I expect the next part to be posted soon.

Anyways, anyone else wanna post some comments?

[ylee_coyote]

Hi again,

Been trying to write the next part but I'm having difficulties. I have all these visuals in my head, but the difficulty lies in finding the right words to translate them...plus all the procrastinating I've been doing doesn't help matters (I blame it on TV and computer games )

Anyways, I thought I'd just post up what I wrote so far and just edit the post(s) as it comes to me...sort of like a work in progress.

So to anybody who's reading this, I hope you enjoy what I've written so far and if you have any comments, please feel free to post them.

The Approaching Chaos (Chapter 1)

It was a perfect spring day. The sky was crystal blue and not a cloud was present to hinder its transcendence. A man in his early twenties lay on the grass, looking up at the sky, amidst the well-tended flowers of the Imperial Gardens.

"I wonder how high I'd have to fly in order to reach Heaven?" he wondered. This train of thought then led on to another. "If the emperor was the Son of Heaven, then what does that make me? The Grandson of Heaven?"

The young man laughed. "If there ever was a more useless thought, that must be it." He sat up, took out the blade of grass that he had in his mouth and tossed it aside. "I could only come up with something so stupid in this place." He looked around the Gardens and realized how much he loved coming here. It provided tranquility and sanctuary from the pressures of being heir to the throne. It was here that his mind could truly drift away into the beauty of the Gardens and the vastness of the sky.

"Well, it also gets me away from the..." Before he could finish his sentence the sound of shuffling footsteps caught his attention. The footsteps stopped behind him but the person said nothing, so the young man continued to sit on the grass trying to regain the peace that he had lost moments ago.

Unable to take the awkward silence, the person cleared her throat. "Ahem, Master Rui, I was sent by the Prime Minister to inform you that the Council members are ready to convene in the throne room and are only waiting for your arrival."

Cao Rui slowly got up and turned towards his would-be escort. "We have these meetings every week and all they do is argue senselessly with one another. Don't these old men have anything better to do?"

The servant girl appeared to be stunned by such a direct comment from the prince. "I...I do not know how to reply to that master," she stammered. She quickly diverted her eyes towards the ground as she could feel the blood beginning to rush to her face.

Cao Rui looked at her with his jade-coloured eyes in amusement. A small grin emerged across his face. "It was supposed to be a rhetorical question. I wasn't expecting you to give a reply." This made the servant girl blush even more, which caused Cao Rui to laugh out loud. He tried to make it sound as friendly as possible so as to spare the girl any further embarassment.

"Do you have a name?" he asked. The girl hesitated. "Don't worry. You can answer this question," he reassured her.

Yue Ying slowly looked up and met Cao Rui's eyes. She felt herself relaxing a little bit. She had only heard rumours, mainly from other servant girls, about how handsome the Prince was, but it was only during this first meeting with him that she discovered how true those rumours were. His eyes conveyed a sense of warmth and kindness, they were the kind of eyes that if a girl looked at them long enough she would lose herself in a sea of green. But there was something else, she thought. He exuded a kind of aura that she could only describe as charismatic. His smile made her feel safe, it was as if he was saying "everything's going to be alright" without actually saying it. If he were to ask someone to do something for him, that person would probably do it willingly and without question.

It was at this moment that she realized she was just standing there, staring at him intently. She quickly looked down at the ground again.

"M...My name is Yue Ying," she whispered. Her voice was barely audible, she was that nervous. Cao Rui gently put his hand on her shoulder. Her muscles stiffened up again. "Well Yue Ying, we shouldn't keep those old bats waiting. You know how cranky they can get. Why don't you lead the way?"

**************

The throne room was the very definition of eloquence and grandeur. It was hundreds of years in the making, each generation of artisans adding a bit of their souls into the room and the result was nothing less than breath-taking.

Ten pillars supported the ceiling, five on the left side of the room and five on the right, starting from the door leading the way to the throne. Coiled around each pillar was a bronze dragon, carved in such detail that to a casual observer it seemed that the dragons were alive and in motion.

Painted on the walls of the room were murals that depicted the legends and feats of heroes from the past. There was one of the Yellow Emperor leading the people into creating civilization and another that portrayed King Wen, the founder of the Zhou dynasty, receiving the Mandate of Heaven. All of these murals were painted in such vivid colours that many onlookers swore that they felt as if they were physically there, witnessing these events.

The architectural beauty of the Throne Room always took Cao Rui's breath away. Yet, for all of its beauty Cao Rui also despised this place. The Throne Room was a place of dualities. It was the only place in the palace where a person could say one thing while hiding an entirely different motive. Many novice courtiers have fallen by wayside in the deadly game of politics. Only one's quick wits would ensure his survival in here. As Cao Rui walked towards the simple jade throne, a symbol of the Emperor's purity, he read the plaque above: "To rule all under Heaven."

He leaned towards Yue Ying, who was beside him, and asked "Where is the Celestial Father?"

"The Emperor is being aided to the Throne Room as we speak."

Cao Rui's father was deathly ill. No doctor in the country could determine the malady that plagued the Son of Heaven. There was one physician named Hua Tuo who was said to have had the ability to cure his father's sickness, but no one truly knew the fate of Hua Tuo, it was as if he disappeared from the face of the earth.

Cao Rui took his place at the right side of the jade throne, faced the assembled Council and awaited his father's presence.

The Prince noticed that many of the usual administrative officers had made the trip to the Imperial Capital for this weekly meeting. There was his mentor, Prime Minister Sima Yi on the left side of the throne. Cao Rui gave him a quick nod in greeting. Within a close proximity to the throne were Deng Ai, Prefect and General of the East, and Lu Man, Prefect and General of the North.

Deng Ai was small in physical stature. His armour hung on his body loosely. Amusingly, he looked like a young boy who had taken his father’s armour and was about to play “soldiers and barbarians” with his friends. But to those that knew him well, his boyish appearance was irrelevant. Behind his youth was the wisdom of someone boundlessly older than his true age.

Born to a low-ranking court official, Deng Ai’s future was all but set in stone. In a society based on a rigid hierarchy, it was assumed that he would follow his father’s footsteps and take up a post governing some backwater city situated along the fringes of the Empire. But there was not an office big enough that could contain Deng Ai’s ambition. At the age of eighteen, Deng Ai joined the military in the hopes that he could make a name for himself. By the age of twenty-three, he sat at the top rungs of society.

He first garnered attention during small skirmishes with outlying tribes. His affinity for military strategy provided many victories and helped solidify control for the Wei Dynasty over foreign land. Deng Ai would later secure his position as a top-ranking general with his conquest of Liu Zhang and his territory of Yizhou. By leading a small attack force across the mountains of the province, Deng Ai was able to bypass the defenses of, what was once thought to be impenetrable, Cheng Du.

After the Unification, Deng Ai was given command of the Eastern provinces, at the behest of Emperor Cao Cao, consisting of Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Yangzhou.

To become a Prefect at such a young age was unprecedented. The fact that Deng Ai came from a humble background made his successes even more formidable. Many admired Deng Ai’s accomplishments for it provided hope. One’s destiny was shaped by his own hand, not by his hereditary status. Deng Ai’s story displayed an incredible amount of self-determination and reliance. Truly, he became the master of his own destiny. Yet, as much as his rise to power inspired those of common status, it created just as much resentment amongst those of the old order.

The old order was comprised of the older nobility. They advocated the strict adherence to the hierarchy set forth in Antiquity and as such, they viewed Deng Ai as a threat to their social status. Positions of power should be given to those with noble blood, ensuring the elite status of the few. If any person could attain a high-ranking office, then what was the point of acquiring power? What made the ‘elite’ elite? To the old order, power defined one’s strength. It allowed the strong to control the weak. To the old order, power was everything.

Lu Man was one of these people. As the son of Lu Shen, the Minister of the Interior, Lu Man’s military career also saw a rapid ascent up the ranks; whether if it was due to his abilities was questionable. It was true that he had subdued the regional lords of Southern Jing into surrender, but many found such an accomplishment to be devoid of merit. Lu Man, with a standing army of five hundred thousand men, conquered the cities of Southern Jing; many of which had no more than ten thousand men for defense. Although he claims that it was his momentous conquest of Jingzhou that afforded him the Prefecture of the North, it was heavily rumoured that it was his father who had bought his son’s way into power. Of course, no one said it openly in court for fear of becoming a victim of an “unfortunate” accident.

Lu Man was in his forties and his facial features showed as much. His eyes and cheeks sagged with age, wrinkles lined across his forehead and a gruff beard covered his chin. A noticeable scar ran across his cheek, of which he said he received in a battle outside of Ling Ling; but there was an ongoing joke amongst the courtiers that Lu Man merely cut himself while trying to unsheathe his sword.

The armour he wore echoed his decadence and vanity. An amalgamation of gold and silver, his breastplate was more decorative than practical. Attached to his breastplate was a black cape made of silk and embroidered on the back was the Chinese character of his family name, again in gold. Lu Man liked to emphasise the wealth that he had at his disposal. He gained respect from those who had wealth and gained disdain from those that did not.

Deng Ai and Lu Man; two men from opposite spectrums. One symbolised the youthful optimism of a new age, an age of equality; while the other represented the elder generation’s fear of change, a change from a stable and orderly society. New versus old, it was the source of much conflict in the Imperial Court.

Cao Rui was split between who he would lend his support to. On the one hand, if not for his noble blood, he would not be in the position he was in today. On the other hand, Cao Rui found it despicable how the elitists flaunted their superiority over the lower classes.He knew he had to choose one side over the other sooner or later. At every meeting the issue came up and each time Deng Ai and Lu Man contested for the Prince’s favour. Cao Rui planned to remain neutral as long as he could.

He shifted his gaze past the two Generals, towards the noticeably empty seats behind them. These seats were reserved to the remaining two Prefects, Li Mao and Bao Xing. It was a bit unusual that both would be absent.

“Long live the Emperor!” proclaimed the guards at the door. All courtiers present prostrated themselves, making sure that their foreheads touched the marble floor. Cao Rui himself bowed low. Emperor Cao Cao had arrived.

The Emperor entered the Throne Room with the support of a handmaiden. As he crossed the threshold he passed by a freshly painted mural, one that depicted his victory over the forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, the Instigators of Chaos as they were now known, at the Battle of Chi Bi. Within the mural stood a Cao Cao who was fearless, charismatic and self-confident; a stark contrast to the man who was feebly shuffling his way towards the throne. His illness had not been kind to his appearance. His face seemed to show a constant struggle, whether with fatigue or pain was indistinguishable. His breath was heavy and loud. He could not maintain his balance without aid; it was difficult for those in the room to remain oblivious whenever the Emperor stumbled.

Cao Rui was surprised to find Yue Ying standing behind him. “Yue Ying, why don’t you go and help the Emperor?”

“Yes Master Rui.”

It saddened Cao Rui that his father’s condition could degenerate to such a level. To think that a man with so much ambition and energy could become so fragile. It was the only reason that he tolerated attending these meetings. With the Emperor incapacitated, it fell upon his son to become the Emperor’s voice. With the death of his brother, Cao Pi, Cao Rui was the only candidate left.

The meeting started off as usual: crop reports, tax brackets, civil policies, population counts, any tedious aspect of administration that one could think of. An hour of statistical information would pass by before the real political struggle would start.

Deng Ai stood up to address the Council and the Emperor. In a steady and eloquent manner he cited his case to the Imperial Court.

“I have heard reports of increased bandit activity in the northern provinces. Lu Man’s people cry out at these injustices, yet he continues to turn a deaf ear. If he lacks the ability to protect his own people then I must insist that my forces gain open access to Bingzhou and Yizhou so that I may return order in the name of Emperor Cao Cao.”

Lu Man was visibly angered by Deng Ai’s accusations. He gritted his teeth and replied, “I do not know where you received such dubious reports, but I assure you and the Emperor that the prefectures under my care are doing just fine.”

Deng Ai raised his right eyebrow. “Oh? But I’m sure that these reports are very reliable. I heard them first hand from many of your government officials who deserted for fear of their safety, as did countless others.” He paused for dramatic effect.

“As I recall, when the numbers were being recited back to the Court, that the population of your regions dropped significantly, while the other surrounding cities were rising. Are your people emigrating out of fear? As well, your crop output has dropped. It could not have been a poor harvest or a drought, the Court would receive word when such a thing happens. Has problem of theft gotten that bad?”

Deng Ai continued with his tirade, “Of course, if you are in need of assistance I would gladly offer my aid. All you have to do is ask.” Deng Ai then gave what was obviously a superficial smile.

Lu Man slammed his fist on the arm of his chair and stood up. “I don’t need any damn help from you,” he yelled. “If my troops weren’t so busy fighting the Xianbei…”

The political trap had been set and Lu Man fell right into it. “Why were We not informed about the Xianbei?” asked Cao Rui.

It was Sima Yi who would interject on Lu Man’s behalf. “I am sure that Lu Man has his reasons.” Sima Yi glared menacingly at Lu Man.

Lu Man stammered but was interrupted by a commotion outside.

“Let me inside! I have to see the Emperor! Please!” The man desperately tried to get past the spears of the Royal Guards.

“You can’t go inside.”

“But I have to see the Emperor!”

“Let him in,” Cao Rui ordered sternly.

As the guards lifted their spears, the man hurriedly limped towards the throne. He was a mess. His hair stuck to his face from blood and sweat. His clothes were tattered, but from what remained of his armour, the courtiers could tell that he was an Imperial soldier. His body language was frantic. It was as if he had travelled to the deepest depths of Hell and returned.

“My lord…” The soldier was short of breath. “I have travelled for seven days and nights to inform you that…Yizhou has been conquered by the Qiang.”

A collection of gasps and murmurs rang through the room. “What of Li Mao?” asked Sima Yi.

“Dead, Prime Minister. He was killed in a duel with the commander of the Qiang army.”

“How did you survive?” asked one of the courtiers.

“I…fled after Li Mao fell, I had hoped to give advanced warning to Bao Xing in Jingzhou, but I encountered Qiang infantry, and I believe Nanman infantry as well, along the way…They seemed to have advanced as far as Jiangmeng Pass.”

“You fled? And you are the only survivor?” Sima Yi asked calmly. “Then you must be executed.”

The soldier replied with confusion. Sima Yi turned his back to the Council and slowly fanned himself, “You deserted out of fear, leaving your fellow countrymen to die at the hands of barbarians. Tell me, why should the government spare your life?”

“We do not wish this soldier to be punished.” Cao Rui’s voice resonated with authority, which surprised everyone in the room.

All eyes looked upon the Prince. Cao Rui was a bit confused himself. He never had to face such a major turn of events before.

“Brother, what would you do?” he asked himself and as if to answer his question he continued to speak from his heart.

“This soldier has risked his life and travelled many leagues to inform us of these tragic events. If he had not done so, we have no doubt in our minds that we would have never known that the Qiang and Nanman were attacking until it was too late.”

“Who cares about the soldier’s fate? What do we do about the barbarian invasion?” another courtier asked hysterically.

Sima Yi turned back towards the Council. “I believe Bao Xing already knows about the invasion and would have already taken defensive measures. Most likely, the Qiang would not have taken Xizhou yet. Lu Man will take half his forces and reinforce our cities there. The other half of his forces will continue fighting the Xianbei. This is the plan that I am proposing to the Council, does the Emperor approve?”

Cao Rui answered “Very well, but We are also granting Deng Ai’s troops free passage into the territories of Bao Xing and Lu Man. While the two are occupied with fighting the barbarians, Deng Ai’s troops will maintain the peace.”

Lu Man was about to object but was interrupted by Sima Yi, “My prince, this goes against your father’s wishes. It was he who gave the North to Lu Man and Lu Man alone. Deng Ai and his troops do not have the right to travel within his lands.”

“It is not a matter of ownership. We did not give Deng Ai control of the North, We merely gave the responsibility of maintaining order. We have decreed it so, let it be.”

“As you wish.” Sima Yi bowed only slightly.

Cao Rui looked back at his father. The Emperor’s face did not show any recognition or understanding of the events that just transpired, it only displayed the same expression of pain that had always been there. Cao Rui looked away.

“We believe that We are done here.” With that, Cao Rui walked out of the Throne Room. He quickly returned to a place where everything was pristine and perfect, a place where disease could not touch, a place far away from politics. Cao Rui made his way to the Imperial Gardens.

**************

“Master Rui?”

“Did they send you to get me to return?” Cao Rui emphasised they with contempt.

“No…you sort of stormed out of the room. I wanted to check and see if you were ok.”

Cao Rui turned to look at Yue Ying and smiled. “That was very thoughtful, I thank you.”

The sun had just set, washing the sky in a sea of orange and red. The light cascaded Yue Ying’s face in such a way that her eyes glimmered. Cao Rui could not help but realize her beauty. Of course, Cao Rui had better control over his emotions than Yue Ying ever did. He looked up and asked contemplatively, “What do you see when you look up at the sky?”

“Right now, I see orange and red.”

Cao Rui laughed. “You know, you’re a very literal person.”

Yue Ying punched Cao Rui in the arm.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to hit royalty,” he said rubbing his arm.

“With you, I’ll make an exception,” she said playfully. This time, both of them laughed.

“Well, what I see is ‘freedom’. Freedom from a life of despair…infinite freedom,” Cao Rui trailed off in thought. “I think I’ll retire to my chambers now.”

Cao Rui took one last look towards the Western expanse of the sky. “Looks like a big storm is coming.”

[aisa_etinu]

I like your language and use of dialogue; keep it up! Do you have in mind where your story's going to lead, or are you kinda just going with the flow? The battle prologue seems pretty detailed; I'm not that familiar with Chinese history, but is that a scene from a real battle or one between forces from your imagination?

Keep it up! I wanna hear more about the young guy

[ylee_coyote]

Ahh, I know progress on the story has slowed to a crawl (sorry) but I've been really stressed out about school (it wasn't really smart of me to enrol in a Religions course and a History course in the same semester, so I'm swamped with a lot of reading and writing).

I'll try to finish the first part on the weekend (no promises though ) You guys probably noticed (or not) that I've been adding in little by little, but this will be the last time I do a chapter this way cause it's probably annoying having to read an unfinished chapter.

Actually, I'd really like to know how I'm doing so far? Am I on the right track? I only ask because this is my first story that I've ever commited myself to writing. I want to know if "I've got what it takes" (so to speak)

[ylee_coyote]

Chapter 1 complete.

Here's some character sketches that I drew in my spare time:
http://usera.imagecave.com/ylee_coyote/

note: If you already have an image of the characters in your mind then I suggest that you don't look at the sketches, I want you to keep your personal interpretation of the characters. I only post this for those who are curious as to what I think they should look like.

As well, here's a small update to the story.

A Day in the Life of a Farmer (Interlude)

Bai En woke up to the early cries of his rooster. It was a foggy day and if he had a choice he would continue sleeping, but the life of a farmer could not afford such a luxury. Taxes were due soon and if he could not pay up…he did not even want to think of what could happen.

The fog was worse than he had expected, visibility was poor to the point that a person could only see a couple of feet in front of him. It did not matter though; Bai En knew exactly where his field was. Years of performing the same task had instinctively burned his routine into his mind.

Today was different. Something broke him from his daily reverie.

Bai En felt the ground rumbling. The disturbance was soft at first, only a person who was in tune with the land could have noticed it. The rumbling grew more thunderous as seconds passed. The pounding was intense, but Bai En could not tell if it came from the ground or from the rapid pace his heart was beating at.

In an instant a man on a horse appeared before Bai En’s eyes, and then two more appeared. The number quickly grew to five, ten, and continued to increase. Each horse passed by Bai En with only inches to spare. Bai En tried to tell his body to move out of the way but his muscles refused. He shut his eyes and prayed that today was not the day that he would die.

The sound faded behind Bai En, but he hesitated in opening his eyes for fear of witnessing more men on horseback appearing out of nowhere. Minutes passed before he slowly opened his right eye and then his left. He thanked numerous gods that he was still in one piece, although he did not quite remember which one of them he really worshiped. With a sigh of relief he tried to make sense of what just happened. The men did not look like they were of the Emperor’s army, they were different but he could not place a label on them.

It was truly a shock of a lifetime for Bai En, to have come so close to death and Bai En did the only thing that he could in order to deal with this kind of shock. He went back to tilling his field.

[Suet Seung]

Hi! Nice to see you've updated. Once again you prove to "have what it takes" to write a story....a historic-fic at that. I think your descriptions of everything is great and your characters are very three-dimensional and lively. I like the old vs new part. I like how you describe the throne room's design and murals and the people in them. I appreciate how you include even the smallest detail to further enhance the reader's imagination to how everything is. If I'm making any sense...umm...yes you're right on track. Do update more often when you can.

-SS

P.S. I'm not sure I like the drawn characters, they lack something realistic...I mean the way you describe the characters are more lively than the drawings. I'm sorry, if this is too honest. But do continue on writing! Two thumbs up!

[ylee_coyote]

Thanks for the comments SS, really helps in the confidence department.

Anyways, here's chapter 2. Enjoy.

The Sleeping Dragon Reawakens (Chapter 2)

Five men sat on horseback, side to side, in the Northern deserts past the Great Wall. Behind them was the hustle and bustle of their army setting up camp. In front of them stood the enemy’s camp, one hundred thousand strong consisting of Xianbei horse archers and cavalry. Although, the size of the Imperial army was three times that of its enemy, it had never been trained to fight in such terrain, mobility would be a definite problem.

“This isn’t going to be an easy fight” said the first general.

“Well, what fun would it be if it was?” sneered the second while brandishing his halberd.

“Hmph, how hard could it be? We outnumber them three to one. We’ll be done by nightfall” said the fourth general, cleaning his sword as he made his prediction.

“True…as long as we keep a level-head and stick to our strategy” interjected the fifth general.

The general in the middle of the five remained silent, but smiled. He moved his horse forward a small distance and with an outstretched arm he swept his hand across the horizon, ending with a clenched fist.

“This entire area will come under the command of the Wei Dynasty. I have faith in our soldiers and with our combined might, nothing can stop us” he proclaimed with youthful vigour.

The other four grunted in agreement. The third general turned back to face his friends. “Let’s head back to camp…”

Yet something was wrong. They retained the faces of those he trusted, but their faces conveyed a menacing evil. All of them were laughing maniacally while holding their weapons unsheathed.

“What…?!” The young man could not react fast enough. All four galloped towards him, each of their weapons connected with a different part of his body. The young general felt only excruciating pain before everything went black.

**************

“Ngh…” The Qiang commander bolted up from his cot, clutching an old wound on his chest that began to flare up.

With a shaky hand, he grabbed a handful of medicine that the tribal herbalists had given him. The pain subsided slowly before shifting into a gentle numbness of the muscle.

He was drenched in sweat and his breathing was erratic. The same dream had been haunting him for ten years. There were variations every so often, but the end result never changed.

“The same damn dream…” He laid himself back on the cot, but bolted right back up again when he heard a rustling from outside his door. He scrambled for his weapon and hid.

The door slowly creaked open. All his muscles tightened in preparation for one quick strike. “Hey, mind if I…” the intruder stopped mid-sentence when he felt the blade of a sword touch his neck. “Err…remind me to knock next time.”

The Qiang general felt his muscles relax. It was the voice of someone he knew “What do you want?” the commander asked tersely.

Zhao Rong was a man in his mid-sixties and second in command. He was bulky in size, not fat but not very muscular either. His bronze armour was very plain and practical, nothing extravagant about it, but it was obvious that it had done its job numerous times evidenced by the many dents that detailed its surface. If one were to describe his appearance, one would liken him to the “grandfather” archetype. Jovial in nature, many of Zhao Rong’s friends did not remember the last time that they saw him without a smile on his face. As a result a noticeable amount of wrinkles developed at the side of his eyes. As with anybody who ages, the acquisition of knowledge and experience also go in hand. As such, Zhao Rong held a status of venerability amongst the Qiang army. There was no one who disregarded his advice as useless. A soldier jokingly nicknamed him “The Jolly Sage” and the name had stuck ever since.

“You know, normal people would greet friends with a ‘hello’” the old man said.

“I’m hardly what you call normal…and I don’t have any friends.”

“Never figured you to have a shred of humour in you.”

The commander gave Zhao Rong a look of nonchalance.

“So, you weren’t kidding.”

The commander reiterated his question, “What do you want?”

“Can’t an old man talk to you young’uns without being interrogated? I just wanted to go over the current situation with you.”

Zhao Rong reached into his pouch and pulled out a map.

“We have already taken control of Jianmeng Pass and Saber Pass, so the way to Jingzhou is secure. Scouts report that there has been an increase in troop movements in Jingzhou so I guess they finally know that we’re here. We can mobilize our troops at any time, just give the orders.”

“Jingzhou does seem to be the next logical step.”

“Also, the Nanman leader, Meng Huo, repeatedly sends messengers to remind you of the agreement that you’ve made with him.”

“Yes, yes, I remember. Control of Yizhou will be given to him once the capital falls.” The commander rubbed his forehead. It was draining to deal with the tribal leaders, their incessant reminders annoyed him to no end.

“You know, giving Yizhou to the Nanman now would save you a lot of trouble later on.”

Both heads turned towards the door to identify the other voice.

“How the hell did you get past the guards?” demanded Zhao Rong. “Who are you?”

The mysterious figure stared intently at the Qiang commander and said “I have come to offer my services to you.” He gracefully flipped open his fan and bowed.

“You still haven’t answered my questions!”

The commander calmly leaned back on his cot with his arms crossed. “It’s alright Zhao Rong, the person you’re yelling at is a legend unto himself.”

“My name is Zhuge Liang, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Zhao Rong eyed him carefully, unmoving from his fighting stance.

“Do you mind leaving so that I may talk to him in private?” asked the commander.

Zhao Rong hesitated at first, his hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, but in the end relented.

“I’ll wait outside. If he does anything funny I won’t think twice about cutting him down, legend or not.”

After Zhao Rong left, moments passed where neither person talked until the commander broke the silence. “I heard you were dead.”

“I heard the same about you.”

“Well, I guess both of us aren’t content in staying dead. Why are you really here?”

“I believe I already stated that I’ve come to offer my services. I can help you achieve what you’ve been desiring for so long.”

“Nobody does anything for free in this world, what’s the catch?”

“Straight to the point…my only condition is that you let me fulfill my dead master’s wish by allowing me to restore the Han Dynasty.”

“Who is to say that I really need your help?”

“Must we go through with this?” Zhuge Liang sighed. “Here are instructions on how to contact me.” He put a small parchment on a nearby table. “I trust that I’ll be hearing from you soon.” Zhuge Liang was about the leave the hut, but suddenly turned around and asked “What name are you going by now?”

“Man Ning” the commander replied.

“Funny, you look more like a Man Liang to me.” And with that, Zhuge Liang left the presence of Man Ning.

Man Ning picked up the parchment and held it in his hand, never opening it. “Arrogant bastard,” he thought. “Just like someone else I used to know.”

[Suet Seung]

A very interesting chapter with good dialogue. Please update some more. BTW, what time period or dynasty this? Warring States? Hmmm...

Anyway I loved the entrance and intro of Zhuge Liang. At first I thought the opening of the fan seem weird since it would be more normal for one coming in and closing their folding fan and introducing himself but Zhuge Liang's fan is not a folding fan so yeah definitly caught my attention there.

[ylee_coyote]

Whoops, I realized I just made a grievous error in Chapter 2...any references to "Hanzhong" should have said "Jingzhou". I have already edited the post, but I apologize for the typo.

As for the time period, the story takes place after the collapse of the Later Han. More specifically, after the Battle of Chi Bi. It's my take on what would happen if Cao Cao had won.

Lol I'm glad the dialogue turned out okay, dialogue has always been my weakest point. I was afraid that their lines would come off as corny...sort of like those badly dubbed kung-fu movies, but then again that's one of the reasons why I enjoy watching them

Hopefully I'll start writing Chapter 3 soon, but school work has been kicking my butt lately so I don't know...

Also, I need someone to help me with some ideas I've been brainstorming...nothing major, I just wanna sling some ideas out there and find out if they'd be good/plausible for the story. If you don't mind a couple of spoilers then pls send me a PM. Thanks

[Suet Seung]

Whoops, I realized I just made a grievous error in Chapter 2...any references to "Hanzhong" should have said "Jingzhou". I have already edited the post, but I apologize for the typo.

As for the time period, the story takes place after the collapse of the Later Han. More specifically, after the Battle of Chi Bi. It's my take on what would happen if Cao Cao had won.

Lol I'm glad the dialogue turned out okay, dialogue has always been my weakest point. I was afraid that their lines would come off as corny...sort of like those badly dubbed kung-fu movies, but then again that's one of the reasons why I enjoy watching them

Hopefully I'll start writing Chapter 3 soon, but school work has been kicking my butt lately so I don't know...

Also, I need someone to help me with some ideas I've been brainstorming...nothing major, I just wanna sling some ideas out there and find out if they'd be good/plausible for the story. If you don't mind a couple of spoilers then pls send me a PM. Thanks

Eh I guess the dialogues weren't too corny or else my corn radar would have detected it. I've been wanting to update my fanfics too, oh with like almost a year hiatus, I really hope I could find some time to write nowadays. As for new ideas, I think if you know what your story plot is then it should be easy because it should all stem or come from the plot. Umm...I think if you read 20 Master Plots and how to build them by Ron Tobias, its a whole book on writing plots and really teaches you stuff you never thought of. Plot is like the main important thing that characters, story and everything lives on. So they say it's important to know what you're plot is in order to get anywhere else.

Update soon!

[ylee_coyote]

I know I said that I wouldn't post unfinished chapters, but I think this is where the story starts to get interesing and just couldn't help posting it. This section of Chapter 3 is stand-alone so it doesn't end abruptly...actually Destiny was supposed to be only an interlude but it seemed to just get longer and longer. I'll try to finish this weekend.

Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far ( now I go sleep )

Destiny (Chapter 3)

The barbarian horde moved at lightning speed. In less than a week, the cities of Jicheng, Qishan and Tianshui had suffered its might. Adding salt to injury, reports on the fight in the North were disconcerting to say the least. Although no ground had been lost against the Xianbei, the cost in terms of manpower and resources were staggering. China had never faced such an orchestrated invasion of this magnitude. The Wei administration found itself in a state of chaos and panic as word spread of the imminent dangers coming from the North and West. Bandits ran rampant through the countryside, targeting supply lines that were imperative to the defense effort. Mobs of people raided Imperial grain houses for fear of starving in this time of crisis. It was all the government could do to keep the country from falling apart.

With resources stretched to the limit, the government had given up hope on retaining control of Yongzhou and as such, its citizens were left to their own devices. Yongzhou had all but fallen into the hands of the barbarians, all except for the city of Jieting, the final step in gaining control of the Wei River.

**************

Jin Xiao,

Under the Emperor’s power, I am ordering you to defend Jieting at all cost. I understand that your army is undermanned, but there are other pressing matters that need to be taken care of and as a consequence the Emperor cannot spare any resources to your cause at this time. Conscript the local men if you have to.

I am sure that a man of talent, such as yourself, will find a way to carry out the Emperor’s will with ease. If you should fail at this task, then it is imperative that you do as much damage to the invading forces as possible.

If they should break through, then do not worry, I shall be waiting with entrenched forces in Xizhou.

Lu Man
General of the North

“That sonuva...He sends word two days before the barbarians arrive at our doorstep…telling us that we’re on our own?!” Jin Xiao ripped the message to shreds. He never liked Lu Man, in Jin Xiao’s eyes Lu Man was a pompous jackass who couldn’t even be counted on to know which end of the sword was used for holding and which end was used for killing and yet he held a position of power. Such situations only emphasised for Jin Xiao how imperfect the system really was. Men of insignificant talent and infinite stupidity were rewarded while the grunts who did the real work were discarded.

The words in Lu Man’s message seethed in his mind. Fail, of course Jin Xiao would fail now that he knew reinforcements weren’t coming. Jieting’s standing army was no more then twenty thousand. His scouts reported that a barbarian contingent of one-hundred and fifty thousand was marching towards Jieting from Tianshui. They were due to arrive at anytime.

Jin Xiao made his way to top of the city walls, it would be there that he could get some fresh air and gaze upon the night sky. Jin Xiao did this frequently as it calmed him significantly. No matter how much humanity screwed up the world that it lived in, the heavens were flawless in its majestic beauty, unreachable by the destructive touch of Man. Yet no matter how much he tried, his mind drifted back to what was in store for the city of Jieting.

It was an impossible task, Jieting was doomed, Jin Xiao was sure of this. It was apparent to Jin Xiao that Lu Man would know this as well, but he knew that Lu Man had already thought of some scheme to further his career from this, like he usually does. This thought made Jin Xiao even more furious. No doubt that Lu Man would wait for the barbarians to march into Xizhou, appearing to be unstoppable, when all seemed lost, before stopping the invasion single-handedly with his army. “Damn bureaucrats…good for nothing pieces of…”

“The barbarians are here!” A soldier was frantically running to and fro along the walls.

Jin Xiao immediately regained his composure, checked his dual battle axes, and readied himself for battle.

“How long till they reach the gates?” The soldier ignored his commander, lost in his own panicked fervor. Jin Xiao grabbed his right arm and spun him around. “I asked you how long till they get to the gates. Now you better answer the question or I’m gonna have to do something very unpleasant with your spear.”

“Y..yes sir. They’ll be here by sunrise.”

“Alright, wake the others up and have them prepare the city for a siege…and for godsake, get a hold of yourself, you’re an Imperial soldier. If you braved eating the hideously bad food they gave you at training camp then you can get through this.” Jin Xiao smiled at the visibly shaken man.

“Yes sir!” the soldier said with renewed confidence.

“Much better, now get going.”

As the soldier disappeared into the night, Jin Xiao's smile slowly faded. If only things were that simple. Bravery in battle was one thing, but to go up against such insurmountable odds...Jin Xiao’s men had no idea what they were about to face.

**************

Jin Xiao and five of his men made their way through the chaotic streets of Jieting, making sure that all measures of defense were in order.

Within an hour of hearing the approach of the barbarian army, the inhabitants of Jieting had degenerated into a panicked mob. Husbands led their wives and children to havens of safety. Many merchants busied themselves by boarding up their storefronts; only a handful of shrewd businessmen braved the confusion to sell their goods to the masses, at ridiculously marked up prices of course. There was always an opportunity to make a profit in such tumultuous times.

"You're joking! Ten copper pieces for a bag of rice? You must be outta your mind!"

"Hey, times are tough and supplies are low. You can either take it or leave it. Doesn't matter to me either way, I've got 50 other customers waiting to buy my merchandise."

On the other side of the city square, an elderly man had set up post to preach about Jieting's impending doom.

"Hear my words! The false Emperor has brought chaos and disunity into our lands. He, who calls himself Cao Cao, disrupted the celestial order by overthrowing the Han and usurping the throne for his own benefit. He has angered the Heavens and the gods have responded with this invasion! Citizens, I ask that you take up arms and help in punishing Cao Cao for his injustices. We must restore the Han to its rightful place!"

Jin Xiao motioned to one of his soldiers. He nodded and proceeded to arrest the old man. It was bad enough that he had to deal with the invasion, he didn't need every Confucian scholar to come here and incite an internal rebellion to make things worse.

"Let him speak!" shouted one spectator. "Are you afraid that he's speaking the truth you corrupt bastards?!" added another. Insults were hurled at Jin Xiao and his men from all those present. Jin Xiao sighed. Everyone was on edge and what he was about to announce was just going to push them over, yet he had no choice.

He nailed up a poster on a nearby wall. Within the poster contained this:

By the Will of the Celestial Heavens

Under the edict of the Emperor, General and Prefect of the North, Lu Man, has decreed that all men who are capable of fighting are to be enlisted in the defense of Jieting, effective immediately.

Silent murmurs grew into pure outrage when the gravity of the proclamation had finally sunk in to all those present.

"You want me to leave my wife and kids so the government can throw away life for their cause?"

"What has the government done for us lately? If we're not being worked to death on one of their pet projects, then they're taxing us to death. I say we welcome the barbarians!" Shouts of agreement abounded.

A more fluent bureaucrat would have been able to conjure some sort of political propaganda to ease the situation, but Jin Xiao was neither fluent or bureaucratic. He was the kind of person who spoke the stonecold truth, never altering the message in order to soften its impact. A warrior's heart beat within him and he'd be damned if he ever caught himself hiding behind words.

"Fine, then don't fight for the government. Fight in the name of something else, it doesn't matter what, I just need you to fight."

"Why fight at all? How do we know that life won't be better after they takeover?"

Jin Xiao was not a very patient man either.

"You speak of the Qiang as if they are your saviours sent from Heaven! If this is what you truly believe then let me show you what your saviours are capable of!"

He removed his armour revealing, to the horror of those present, a body that was decorated with hideous scars. He also removed the cloth that covered his face and its appearance fared no better than his body. A deep knife wound snaked along the right side of his cheek and connected to the edge of his lip. It was as if his entire body was a canvas which displayed the most abhorrent actions that one human could inflict on to another.

“I was there at the Massacre of Liaoxi. The Wuhuan did not spare a single person from their brutality, so do not think that they will spare the women and children.” Jin Xiao paused while recalling memories that he wished he could forget. “They…they made me watch as they methodically performed their ‘rituals’ on the people of Liaoxi…and…the way they acted…they knew exactly what they were doing! Every move, every action was deliberate, not once did they stop! Not even when the screams of the innocent, the screams of my friends drowned out every noise!”

His body grew increasingly tenser. His fists were clenched to the point that his knuckles turned white.

“I only know too well that these peoples have no regard for human life. If the Wuhuan are capable of such things then what makes you think the Qiang are any different?!”

Hatred creased the surface of his face. He continued:

“Thanks to barbarian hospitality my body has been able to experience pain that surpasses the sum of all pain a normal person would feel in a lifetime. Do you wish to know what it feels like to have wooden blocks strapped to your shins and then hung upside down atop of two poles by those same blocks so that your shins break from the sheer weight of your body? Or would you like to know what it feels like to have your outstretched arms repeatedly beaten? Maybe you would like to endure the simple lashes of a whip? If so, then by all means, do nothing.”

He grimaced in pain, not because of any physical discomfort (his injuries healed long ago), but because his mind reacted to what he was saying. Everything that he asked, Jin Xiao had personally experienced.

A voice echoed in his head. It was a voice that he was familiar with. It was the voice that had accompanied him since the Massacre.

Kill them all, punish them for all that they have done. If you can't fight the Wuhuan, then the Qiang will do. They are all the same.

The urge festered within his thoughts. It was the same urge he had felt countless times.

Give in, it's so easy. Death at your hands would be less than what they deserve.

The voice grew louder, more aggressive and became less coherent until it just repeated "KILL, KILL, KILL" and then...He unclenched his hands and relaxed his body. The bloodlust that he felt just a moment earlier vanished. What he said next was somber and sincere:

"I don't want you to go through what occured at Liaoxi...I...I don't want to witness another Massacre. I'll do all in my power to prevent it from happening again...but I can't do it alone. If you won't fight for the Wei, then fight to protect whatever you hold dear."

Jin Xiao raggedly gathered his armour and left for his chambers, leaving behind him the murmurs of those gathered in the city square.

[ylee_coyote]

http://www.threekingdoms.com/map2.htm

A friend brought up the issue that all the city and region names were confusing him, so I figured that I may as well put up a link to a map of China during the 3 Kingdoms era. I'll post a link before the Prelude as well.

[ylee_coyote]

Conspiracy (Interlude)

The city of Xu Chang was the metropolis of its time. Aesthetically, it was an architectural triumph. All of the best and most beautiful buildings were lined up along the main road with a boulevard of trees running down the middle, bombarding those who passed by with the city’s elegance and beauty. Many of these buildings housed upper to middle-class lodges, taverns and commercial stores. This was done to take advantage of the high volume of traffic that passed through the main road. On any given day, one could encounter numerous people from different walks of life. Government officials heading to work, regional diplomats who came to Xu Chang seeking an audience with those in power, mercantile moguls off to inspect their respective businesses, lesser merchants hawking their wares by the roadside, rich nobles looking for a good time in legitimate venues (or sometimes in “seedier” places; this of course depends on who you ask), or humble peasants just going about their daily lives.

At the end of the road was the coup de grace, the Imperial Palace itself. It was hard to describe the Palace in a coherent fashion. Upon viewing it, one would feel many conflicting emotions all at once. It looked inviting, but it also looked menacing. It was grandiose in its attention to detail, but it was humble in its simple structure. Perhaps its builders simply wished to convey the concept of yin and yang, two opposites that when combined together make a whole. Suffice it to say, for whatever reason, the Palace was breathtaking.

What was going on within the Palace, on the other hand, was anything but “elegant.” It was apparent to anybody in the know that there was a fierce power struggle going on and with the barbarian threat closing in faster than thought possible, the results would be bloody and many would be left by the wayside. It was time to choose sides and hope that the side that one chose would come out winning in the end.

***********************

It was one of those nights where the sky was clear the only source of light was from the moon. The city was painfully quiet which starkly contrasted the lively nightlife that Xu Chang was known to offer. This, of course, was understandable given the foreboding times that the people now lived in. Xu Chang was virtually dormant at this time of night…save for one room within the Palace.

The room was lit with but a single candle. The shadows of those within danced across the rice paper that adorned the room’s windows.

“I thought you said that everything would work out!” Lu Man slammed his hand on a nearby table. “How will we restore the old order if the Empire is in ruins?!”

Sima Yi smiled, the flickering of the candle flame cast a shadow across his face that made his smile even more frightening. “My plan will work but it all depends on your control over the Xianbei chief. If you can do that then you can put your doubts to rest.”

“Tch, of course he’s under my control. All he wants is money, and I’ve got plenty of it.”

“Then all will work out.”

“Okay, fine, I understand that having the Xianbei attack weakens Cao Cao’s standing with the people as well as the court officials, which makes it easier for us to gain control. But what about the recent Qiang attacks? How do you explain that?”

Sima Yi paused. “Their attack was unexpected, but it only adds to the effect that the Xianbei have caused here in the Court. We can utilize them for our own ends.”

“What about Cao Rui? He’s been acting up lately. Ever since he started prancing around with that slavegirl, he’s become more liberal than I can stand. He’s definitely going to be a problem.”

“The answer to that is simple enough. We can take care of him the same way we took care of his brother.”

“I’m still not sure I understand…”

Sima Yi inwardly shook his head. If someone this stupid could gain a position of power, then the old order really did deserve to die off.

“Look, don’t worry about the details. Let me take care of the rest. Just make sure that you do your part.” Sima Yi motioned for the door. “Now, it’s very late and I must be getting to bed.”

Lu Man angrily got up from his chair and stood face to face with Sima Yi. “Fine, but if this doesn’t work and I go down for this, I’ll bring you down with me.”

***********************

Not long after Lu Man had left, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

“Ah, I had not expected you till later,” said Sima Yi.

“I was a bit restless.” The mysterious person sat down at the table. “So I guess he’s taken the bait?”

“Of course, Lu Man will do anything to preserve the power that he has. He’s inherently blinded by his own vanity.”

“Then all is going according to your plan.”

“Indeed it is. Once we expose Lu Man as the instigator of the Xianbei incursions, I will petition for you to gain control of the Northern Plains. From there I will be in a position to gain control of the capital.”

“As your disciple, I will be happy to help you.”

“The country is diseased with corruption and weakness. With your help, Deng Ai, I will cleanse the Empire of this sickness and fashion a better world, a world that will embody my vision.”

[Suet Seung]

Hey Coyote!

You've update! That's great. I just finished my final exam yesterday and so now I'll have more time to read fanfics, write fanfics and especially relax and enjoy the summer. I'm doing something at the moment, but I'll read and comment later...just wanted you to know you still got a supporter and reader here...heheh...

-SS

[ylee_coyote]

The Beginning of the End (Chapter 4)

Life in the palace was starting to pick up for Cao Rui. The sun was shining brighter as he walked through the Imperial Garden and the flowers seemed to beam with greater colours and fragrances. Of course, the political struggles and domestic problems still continued, but they were the furthest things from his mind. It was inappropriate, yet he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

His relationship with Yue Ying was more than he hoped for. All his life he had to deal with an endless line of sycophant courtesans hoping to gain influence over the would-be emperor. Even though he had as many as fifty people surrounding him on any given day, Cao Rui felt that his existence was a lonely one. His sentiments of solitude were only doubled when his brother died and his father fell ill. To be the one who needed to hold everything together: the Imperial Court, the economy, the military, the people, the very Empire that his father had built; it was more than the 20 year old could bear. And just as he was about to be overwhelmed by such a momentous task, he met Yue Ying.

As he continued walking, he caught a glimpse of a female figure quite a distance in front of him. Her hair was done up into a flourish of overlapping strands of hair held together by a needle; however, this did not prevent some loose strands from flowing in the light afternoon breeze. Her clothing consisted of only a simple robe which was tied at the waist. Although humble in design, it hugged her body in such a way that it accentuated her curves. She wore no make up but this only emphasized her natural beauty. She was the living portrait of the Gardens.

Cao Rui increased his pace to a quick run. Yue Ying turned and greeted him with a flirtatious pout on her face.

“You know you’re late…”

“No, you’re just early,” he quipped.

She punched him in the arm like she always did when Cao Rui got a little bit too smart for his own good. And Cao Rui reacted in the same way he always did, he scrunched up his face and acted as if he was hurt.

“Ow! You know you don’t always have to hit me…” he said glumly.

“Well, how many people in the world can say that they punched a genuine Prince and didn’t suffer the repercussions?”

“Good point,” he replied as he put his arms around her. She hugged him back.

“Are you sure it’s alright for you to be here?” Yue Ying asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know…If you’re here, then how are you going to bring peace and happiness to the people?”

Yue Ying’s selfless nature towards others was something else that Cao Rui admired about her. Born into a merchant family, Yue Ying’s childhood was anything but normal. Her mother died when she was 5 and her father blamed Yue Ying. This created a precarious father-daughter relationship in which her father would either neglect her or openly scold her. At the age of 16, her father lost most of his money at an underground gambling establishment. In order to placate the local gang, her father gave them possession of Yue Ying to act as collateral, which he did not hesitate in doing. She would act as a slave to these people, suffering much abuse in the process. This continued for two years until the gang leader himself owed money and she was finally sold into Palace servitude.

Cao Rui knew all this and was amazed that she would still care about what would happen to these people. The same people who shunned her and treated her like common trash. He looked her in the eyes and Yue Ying lost herself in his emerald coloured eyes just like the first time she met him. He gently brushed aside a loose strand of her hair.

“Believe me when I say that I’m doing everything in my power to help the people.”

She quickly pecked him on the lips, “That’s all I could hope for.”

He smiled warmly showing his boyish dimples, tilted his head slightly and softly said “I aim to please.”

He then proceeded to give Yue Ying a slower, deeper and more deliberate kiss.

**************

Life within the Imperial Court, on the other hand, was not as pleasant. Another council session was about to begin and things were as chaotic as ever. Debates over what should be done about the Invasions and who was to blame were echoing throughout the hallways. Although “debates” is too generous a term as they usually degraded into contests of who could shout the loudest and who could think up the rudest insult. Tempers were getting to the level where fistfights were going to break out.

“Long live the Emperor!”

All the fervour fell into a deadly silence as Emperor Cao Cao made his way slowly to the throne. Cao Rui had already made his way to the throne room after his rendezvous with Yue Ying. All the other major players were present as well.

“Let me help you Father.” Cao Cao grunted which Cao Rui interpreted as a “yes.”

After the Emperor had settled in his seat, things continued in a much more orderly manner, albeit with the same frantic tone. Lu Man was the first to speak up.

“Your Highness, my battle with the Xianbei has reached a deadlock. I have been able to frustrate their attempts to pass the Wall, but I have not been able to push them back.”

“What of the Qiang who are attacking from the West. We have heard that they are poised to attack Jieting at any moment,” Cao Rui asked.

“Without more men and resources I do not foresee any possibility in defending Jieting.”

“Oh, even when We freed up your men to fight when we assigned domestic duties to Deng Ai?” Cao Rui’s sharp reply flustered Lu Man.

“Well, your Highness, I don’t think a lowlife commoner like Deng Ai would be of much help.”

Deng Ai stood up. “My men have kept order within Lu Man’s region, stifling much of the piracy rings that had been running rampant. Support from the common people within the region has increased dramatically. Many of the captured men and male citizens have joined my ranks,” he turned to Lu Man and bowed. “But I regret to say that many of them have been assigned to reinforce Bao Xing in the South, who is fighting the Nanman as we speak. Therefore, I will be unable to help you.”

“I never asked for your help!”

Deng Ai straightened himself. “Forgive me. I made a poor choice of words.” This was followed by much snickering in the background.

Sima Yi interjected in the lopsided exchange. “It is too late to save Jieting. What I suggest is that a strong resistance be setup in Chang An and it’s surrounding areas. Since all three of the Prefects are busy, the only option would be for the Prince to lead the resistance Himself.”

This startled and confused Cao Rui. “Why must We…I mean I…why must I lead the men at Chang An?”

“It is simple really. The soldiers have begun to lose faith in the government. With the continuous victories of the barbarian armies, they believe that Heaven’s mandate has shifted to the enemy’s favour. If the Prince were able to bring victory at Chang An then this will not only instill confidence back into the soldiers, but unite the common people throughout the land.”

Cao Rui remained silent. Sima Yi saw his hesitation and continued. “Of course, I am only making a suggestion. I know how your brother was killed in combat, but you have grown to be a more capable man than he ever was.”

“Don’t you dare talk about my brother!” Cao Rui’s outburst surprised everyone but Sima Yi, who was calm and collected.

“I apologize.”

“He…he was a great man,” Cao Rui whispered. “My brother was a great man.”

“Your Highness, I believe this to be the best course of action,” added Lu Man. “Please consider the Prime Minister’s proposal.”

“Although I don’t like agreeing with Lu Man, I’m inclined to agree with the Prime Minister’s suggestion,” said Deng Ai.

Going into combat would not have been a problem for Cao Rui. His father had insisted that he be trained in the martial arts and that he studied the Art of War since he was a kid. Yet his brother got the same training. In fact, Cao Pi excelled in military affairs and he was still killed in combat. How was Cao Rui going to fare in battle when his brother was superior in skill?

What really bothered him was the prospect of death staring him in the face. He was still young and there was much that he had not yet accomplished. More importantly, he had finally found someone he could relate to and now he is being sent to fight an enemy that he has no knowledge about.

“We declare this meeting to be over. Leave us so that we may consider the Prime Minister’s suggestion.”

All the courtesans bowed and left the room quietly.

“Cao Rui…” a raspy voice said.

“Father?” Cao Rui had not heard his dad talk for a long while.

“You…*gasp*…you have to go and fight…you have to protect,” Cao Cao broke into a short fit of wet coughs. “You have to protect what I have built up, this is my legacy *cough, cough* don’t mess it up by losing everything that I’ve worked for.”

Cao Cao painfully stood up. He clasped his hand on Cao Rui’s shoulder as his son pointed his gaze towards the floor. He then shuffled himself out the door with his attendants in tow.

Cao Rui was all alone in the throne room. All he could think about was what his father had said to him.

This is my legacy…don’t mess up by losing everything that I’ve worked for.

He knew what he had to do.

Suddenly, he felt the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. It was a feeling that he was all too familiar with.

[Suet Seung]

Nice Update! Just one nitpick, the decree at Jieting sounds a bit too English? 'hear ye hear ye'?

After reading so much of the background information, it's nice to have some dialogue to make it less "history bookish".

Keep up the good writing...I'll be back for more.

I'm not sure who the protagonist or the antagonist are yet....

P.S. If you could do me a favor, and vote at the Let's Vote thread. Thank you.

[ylee_coyote]

Ack, I blame it on the countless Shakespeare plays I had to read in high school Olde english hath slipped into my mind's eye.

I think the identities of the protaganist(s) and antagonist(s) will become more clear as the story continues.

[ylee_coyote]

Hmm...I've been wondering whether I should continue this story or not. I don't think the story has garnered much interest. Maybe it's the subject matter. Or maybe the story is just poorly written? Ah, I don't know...perhaps I should take a poll: "What am I doing wrong?" lol

Destiny Fulfilled (Chapter 5)

A man stood watch atop the walls of Jieting. It was an unusually cold night given the time of year, cold enough that the guard could see his own breath.

“Goddamn, it’s cold.”

“You can say that again,” another guard said as he approached. “How you holding up?”

“I can’t even feel my face, how do you think I’m doing?”

“Miserable, gotcha.”

“To think just a couple of days ago I was just the son of a modest tailor. My biggest worry was whether I would have enough money to buy my girlfriend those earrings she likes. Now I have to worry about whether I would be alive to see her face again. The gods are cruel indeed,” the first guard ranted.

“But do you think what the General said about the Qiang were true? Are they really that ruthless? I always thought that they were stories that mothers used to scare their children into behaving,” said the second guard.

He really did not know how to respond. He also thought they were just stories. In the distance he could hear a faint pounding.

“The scars on the General’s body...I’ve never seen somebody with so many scars…I don’t know how I would face torture like that.” The voice of the second guard become muffled as the pounding grew louder and louder. The first guard thought it was somebody banging on the war drums nearby.

“Hey! Whoever’s banging on the drums better take a hike before I get really angry.” He turned towards the direction of the pounding so as to yell at the person who would be ridiculous enough to be banging on the drum at this late an hour. He was startled to find that no one was there and yet the pounding continued.

“Is something wrong?” the second guard asked with concern.

It did not take him long to realize that it was not the pounding of a drum that he heard, rather it was the fear pounding in his heart.

**************

Countless nights of sleeplessness took its toll on Jin Xiao. His eyes were swollen and dry. His muscles ached from fatigue. A lesser man would have been immobilized. The only reason his body moved was because of his sheer willpower. Jin Xiao had spent most of those nights going through every possible scenario: staying within the city walls and preparing for a siege, going out and fighting the Qiang head-on, sending out shock troops to harass the larger Qiang army. He desperately tried to think up a strategy that could bring victory, but each time he would inevitably come up with the same conclusion. Victory was an impossibility.

Jin Xiao walked past a group of citizens who were being outfitted with whatever equipment was on hand, mostly leather chest plates that the soldiers used for practice and crude spears that were obviously built in haste. Xiao noticed a boy who was no more than seventeen amongst the group. He looked rather pathetic in his sentry get-up. The leather armour practically overshadowed his entire upper body, making him look small. And he put his hands too close together on the spear so that when he swung, the motion of the spear made it look like he was flailing. The others in the group, having witnessed the boy’s movements, began to do the same thing. Imagine ten grown men flailing around with a spear with their eyes closed. This is what Jin Xiao saw.

Jin Xiao rubbed his eyes with his left thumb and index finger. Victory was definitely an impossibility.

**************

“General Xiao, sir!”

Jin Xiao let out a heavy sigh. “What is it?”

“An Imperial messenger has just informed me that the defenses at Chang An have been strengthened. It appears that the Emperor wants to make a stand against the Qiang army.”

At first the words flowed in and out of Xiao’s ears. It took a minute or two before the news sank in. And suddenly a plan began to formulate within his mind.

“Quickly gather all the unit leaders together!”

“At once General.”

The plan was tremendously risky. Jin Xiao knew this, but if they could pull it off then the Wei Dynasty may yet live to see the next century.

**************

“What you’re proposing is treason!” said one of Jin Xiao’s lieutenants, “As well as being completely insane!”

“And you think conscription is the way to go? You’ve seen the drafted men we’ve been getting. We’d just be sending them out as fodder if we use them. We should evacuate the civilians while we have time.”

Many of the Lieutenants were still unconvinced. He locked his eyes onto each and every one of them.

“Look, even with the conscripts, the Qiang forces would outnumber us five to one…and that’s an optimistic scenario. We are dealing with battle-hardened barbarians. There is no possible way we can win.”

“So you’re saying that we make a stand with what we’ve got? My guess is that the number of veterans totals to around five thousand…at most.”

“That’ll be enough. Our main objective is to hold back the wave of Qiang soldiers that are approaching the capital. We need to hold them off long enough so that the civilians can escape to Chang An. By the time the Qiang finally breakthrough, hopefully the forces at Chang An will be strongly entrenched by then.”

There were murmurs of understanding, but they still seemed reluctant to follow Xiao’s plan.

“Couldn’t we help escort the civilians to Chang An and regroup there?”

Jin Xiao shook his head.

“With such a large moving group, the Qiang would catch up with us easily. Then we’d be fighting a chaotic battle with innocent people caught in the middle.”

He pulled out a scroll map and laid it across the table.

“With such a small group, we’ll have to rely on speed. Given the mountainous terrain of the area, our best shot is making a stand at the pass that’s West of the city,” Jin Xiao pulled out a knife and stuck it at the defensive point. “The opening of the mountain path is relatively narrow, which will choke up their forces and limit their mobility.”

One of the men let out a huge sigh. “Well, you’ve never led us astray before. We should’ve never doubted you before, but we’ve all been on edge lately. Please forgive us sir. You should know that we’d follow you to the depths of hell if we had to.”

“Who knows? The General’s survived against the barbarians before, maybe we can survive against the Qiang,” added another.

Jin Xiao smiled, but he did not let on that he did not intend to survive a second time.

**************

The sky was washed over with a depressing grey, with only a few patches of sunlight breaking through. It seemed as though the Heavens were shining spotlights onto the stage that would be the battlefield and bearing witness to the deeds that would be performed that day.

The Qiang army dotted the far horizon, inching closer towards the city of Jieting with every minute. Jin Xiao lined up his cavalry in front of the city gates essentially bottling up the only way through the city. In conventional warfare, it would have been normal for a general to hole up within the city and coax the enemy into a prolonged siege. Conventionally, a siege would buy some time for the defending force. Either reinforcements would arrive or the enemy would exhaust their resources.

Neither would happen today.

The defenders of Jie Ting sat atop their horses of war, motionless, each man thinking of what possible outcomes may occur in the next couple of hours. “Perhaps I could escape this battle alive,” some thought, but doubt would always extinguish this flicker of hope as a cloud of death and destruction approached ever closer towards the city gates.

“Even if I make it through alive, what if I lose an arm? A leg? Do I even want to live if that happened?” they would then think. And the feeling of fear would grip their hearts a little tighter. The horses neighed and moved about anxiously, perhaps reflecting the sentiments of their riders.

Jin Xiao could see the fear in the eyes of his men. Even though they were veterans of countless battles, men whom Jin Xiao would trust his very soul to, they had never faced such insurmountable odds. Yet, Jin Xiao did not feel the fear that his subordinates felt as he watched the barbarians edging closer. In fact, he was elated. This was the very moment that he had waited, a chance to avenge those that died at the Massacre of Liaoxi.

While the others thought about how they would be able to stay alive, Jin Xiao only thought about how many of the Qiang army he could kill before his body finally gave in to the sweet embrace of death.

But it was obvious that the other soldiers needed an inspirational speech of sorts, but Jin Xiao was never a man of words. Words were the weapons of the aristocrats and they were feeble weapons at best. The sound of clashing steel was the language that he spoke; his actions would speak louder than one hundred courtiers put together.

“That should rouse the men into action,” he thought. “Hopefully.”


**************

The battle started before anybody knew what was going on. Jin Xiao and his men charged straight into the enemy as planned preventing them from advancing past the choke point, which was effective in confusing the enemy. But Jin Xiao already noticed something was wrong when the advancing force seemed smaller than the initial scouting reports suggested.

“Where the hell are the rest of them?” he asked one of his soldiers that was riding next to him. A nearby enemy swordsman rushed towards Jin Xiao, screaming at the top of lungs. Jin Xiao calmly motioned his horse to sidestep the attack and sliced his sword into the enemy’s arm. The swordsman’s battle cry turned into a blood-curdling scream of pain. The bone in the arm snapped as Jin Xiao pulled out his sword, but Jin Xiao did not even blink.

Jin Xiao's subordinate attempted to reply to the question that the General posed before, but he could only manage to let out a gurgle. An arrow had had struck him through the temple. With his mouth still open, attempting to utter a sentence that would never begin, the soldier fell to the ground like a heavy bag of wheat.

Jin Xiao swore under his breath as more arrows flew towards his beleaguered troops. Qiang cavalry archers rode forth through openings on the left and right sides of the cliffs surrounding the battlefield, flanking the defending force.

With enemy infantry to the front and cavalry archers charging from the sides, the cliff walls which were supposed to trap the Qiang, had instead become an ominous coffin that enveloped the defenders of Jieting.

Another arrow streaked across the battlefield and pierced the neck of Jin Xiao's horse. With its last dying efforts, the horse reared upwards in response to the projectile lodged in its neck. And just as quickly, the horse toppled over. Jin Xiao could not react in time to escape the weight of the horse collapsing on top of him. His head hit the ground with the added momentum of the fall, but luckily his helmet took much of the brunt force. If not for the helmet, his skull would have cracked from the trauma.

Although, he did not suffer any head injuries, the fall did knock the wind out of him. Dazed and confused, the sounds of the nearby fighting became muffled and his vision became blurred. Jin Xiao felt like he was inside of a dream. Bodies of colour left trails as they followed indistinct entities locked in a dance of death. It was somehow.......serene.

But this lull would only last a split second as harsh reality slapped Jin Xiao back to his senses. A huge man, six-feet tall with arms that looked like they could snapped the legs of a normal man like chicken bones, moved towards the fallen general. Carrying a battleaxe that appeared to be rusted, but Jin Xiao determined that the red spots were actually dried blood. The man arrogantly grinned as he was sure that he had netted himself another kill. Lumbering closer and closer, Jin Xiao tried to get back to his feet, but swore for the second time that day. His boot was entwined in the stirrup of the saddle. The man towered over Jin Xiao now. His face showed amusment at his victim's struggling, opting to relish the scene.

"I'm going to make you regret your hesitation," Jin Xiao thought with gritted teeth.

After a minute, the man finally deemed it time to put the general out of his misery. Mimicking the actions of an executioner, the man lifted his axe above his head. He intended to finish it in one clean swing.

"Too late," thought Jin Xiao and quickly sliced his sword through the leather of the saddle, cutting off the stirrup.

Jin Xiao quickly rolled to the side. The axe made a pathetic thump as it cut into the dirt. Bewildered, the man tried to pull the axe out to defend himself, but the was firmly dug into the dirt. The man had used too much force on the downswing. Not making the same mistake by taunting his enemy in his time of vulnerability, Jin Xiao found a small opening in the man's armour and quickly stabbed his sword through.

The huge frame of the man slumped lifelessly atop his own axe, effectively holding him up in an upright position. The blood from the fatal wound flowing down the handle of the axe and onto the ground.

Jin Xiao did not have time to rest after the last encounter. With his vision finally returning to normal, he realized that many of the bodies that lay near him were of his own men. The horrors of the past echoed in his mind, distracting him.

"General!"

Jin Xiao felt his body being pushed from the back. Spinning on the balls of his feet,
he readied his sword to face his new adversary. But he was met with the sight of his own soldier being punctured with a spear. The dying man could not be more than thirty years old, but his face showed contentment at the fact that he had done his duty in protecting his leader.

It was at this moment of realization that all sense of rationality within Jin Xiao's mind vanished. A million thoughts raced through his brain before it snapped.

Everything then went completely dark.