"Intention": War for the Han Frontier

ELABORATION

Yet another period of chaos had begun in China: once again, the soldiers donned their armour and fought for to prolong or resist the unrest. The common folk tried to live their lives as they always did while the battles raged around them: one escape was, as it had always been, the storytellers, and the era known as ‘Three Kingdoms’ - and, unavoidably, the decades-long decline of the Han Dynasty that preceded it - was as popular and timely a source of stories as it had ever been.

…Right, then, so I last told the story of how Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu, an old man said to his audience of young and old. Of course, the next thing that happened was the Battle of Red Cliffs, where-

"Yay! Red Cliffs! Liu Bei an’ Zhuge Liang beat up Cao Cao and summoned the wind and burned up all his boats!" one boy cried.

"You spoiled it!" a girl complained.

"No I never spoiled nothing! the boy retorted. Ever’one knows that Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang-!"

"No they never! another boy said. It was Zhou Yu and-!"

"Quiet, both of you!" a woman ordered.

The old storyteller laughed and said, It’s quite alright. Shall I begin, then…?

I, uh… I already know about Red Cliffs, and there’s one thing that I don’t understand, elder, a young farmer said. "Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu: he didn’t die at Guandu, then…?"

The storyteller waved his hand dismissively and replied, I don’t really get asked that much, young man, but to elaborate, Yuan died after he lost, and then Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao’s sons, and then Cao went northward and destroyed the Wuhuan tribes, after which he became ‘Chancellor of State’; Cao then attacked Liu Biao, who died suddenly, and Biao’s son ceded Jing, and-

Wait, wait, wait, the farmer pleaded. "We always hear about Guandu, and Red Cliffs, and Hefei and Yiling and Wuzhang: can’t we hear about what you just described for a change…? It sounds interesting enough."

That’s a good idea! a young woman said. Tell us about the things that happened between Guandu and Red Cliffs!

I wanted to hear about the boats burning, a boy grumbled.

…Alright, the storyteller said. I think I know enough to tell something halfway interesting: I’ll begin just after Guandu… now then… let me think…

The crowd waited patiently while the old man prepared to speak. The story that he would tell would be based upon what he knew: it would be different to the works of ‘Luo Guanzhong’ that would one day serve as the standard, and it would be different to the records penned by historians: this would be a story told in many ways and for many different audiences in the ages to come.

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

ACT I: THE LEGACY OF GUANDU

1

…I wonder, sometimes, if my ancestor - if, indeed, all of my ancestors - are ashamed of me.

The short, unassuming Kong Rong - whose ‘famous ancestor’ was none other than the philosopher Confucius - turned to his long-time acquaintance Wang Lang and awaited a response. Both men were sat on mats in the entertaining quarters of Kong Rong’s relatively humble home; while others opted for opulence to impress their guests, Kong had lined the walls with various literary quotes - mostly attributable to his ‘famous ancestor’ - and simple pieces of art. Kong Rong was only in his forties, but intrigue, personal involvement in the horrors of the day and a growing feeling of responsibility for the current state of things had aged him greatly; he fidgeted with the broad right sleeve of his pale blue silk robes and said, Well…? Do I speak to myself…?

Wang Lang smiled, examined the left sleeve of his own patterned silk robes and replied, How can I answer you? You have given me no way of doing so.

Kong Rong was now adjusting the white silk turban that held his long hair in place; Wang Lang laughed and added, You plan on letting your hair hang freely, kicking the shoes away from your feet and becoming a hermit…?

Kong Rong sneered and said, You are being flippant.

"About what…? Wang Lang chortled. You invite me here with the pretext that we are to enjoy a hearty drink, perhaps a small meal, and talk about the affairs of the day as we ‘men of the pen’ like to do… but instead, I get an empty tea dish and a series of vague, self-deprecating statements."

Oh, right… sorry, Kong Rong said as he leant forward and picked up the small tea kettle that was placed between them on a tray; after pouring some of the hot beverage into Wang’s dish, Kong added, I want someone to tell me that I am so famously unremarkable for some divine purpose, Mister Wang.

Wang Lang hummed ambiguously.

My ancestor gave us so many of the principles and social rules that we live by, Kong Rong continued as he poured tea into his own dish. And yet here I am, helplessly watching while Cao Cao does as he-

Enough, Wang Lang said coldly. "His Excellency Cao is doing only what is necessary."

Oh, not you as well…! Kong Rong despaired. "‘His Excellency Cao’ is guilty of regicide!"

So say some, Wang Lang retorted. We’ll all have things said about us while we live and after we die. What matters to me, Mister Kong, is what is ‘fact’ and what is-

He admitted to the crime! Kong Rong said. He is the ‘Crafty Villain’, the ‘Hero of Chaos’, just as Xu Shao foretold when he-!

The ‘Hero of Chaos’…? Wang Lang scoffed. So the Han enjoyed stability until he came of age, did it…? Everything was fine until Cao Cao, mm…?

Kong Rong sighed irritably.

China had long enjoyed the benefits of being an economic power, but that power, built mainly on the value of its exports - most famously silk - was, as with all nations, offset by political and military strife. The previously embattled Roman Empire was enjoying relative stability under the rule of the ambitious unifier, Emperor Septimus Severus - who, while China slowly recovered from 16 years of famines and national rebellion that had weakened its trade links, was looking to regain or strengthen Roman influence in many of the nations that lay along the Silk Road - and the Han Dynasty’s perceived strength became an urgent matter as hungry neighbours regained their ability to expand. The problem was that it was becoming all too obvious that the Han was a frail, stricken dynasty, and the proposed and attempted solutions were many and largely controversial.

The Han Dynasty had been an enduring force in China for hundreds of years, but that tenure had not been without problems. Once, an ambitious politician called Wang Mang had managed to depose the Han and found his own dynasty: he had applied the notion of the ‘Mandate of Heaven’, which asserted that any man - which could, theoretically, mean a peasant as much as a noble - could be deemed a suitable ruler if he had enough support, the ‘signs’ were right, and the incumbent - in this case, the entire Han Dynasty, rather than the current monarch alone - was said to have ‘exhausted their mandate’. Wang fell afoul of a rebellion led by a member of the Liu clan, and their Han Dynasty was restored to power: the whole affair was not without consequences, however, as the weakness of the Chinese rulers had led to rebellions by indigenous tribes around the northwest and the imperial capital, Chang’an - long the centre of trade with the outside world - had to be all but abandoned and the seat of power moved east to Luoyang.

The Han enjoyed relatively stable control of the nation thereafter, but the matter of who would be the next sovereign was a constant internal source of strife. Time and again, different factions would coalesce around a particular candidate and intrigue would take precedence over good government; one particular figure, Liang Ji, used his position as the sister of the Empress Dowager to control the child Emperor Huan and rule through him, although opinions about the nature and success of that rule were infamously mixed. Emperor Huan eventually tired of being a puppet and conspired with his eunuch attendants, whose actions removed Liang Ji and his allies and restored power to the sovereign; their reward - which would have immediate consequences - was power that was normally beyond their caste. The timid attendants - whose emasculation was intended to remove their ambitions, status as real men, and make it possible for them to live and work within the core of the imperial palace, where men were largely forbidden - were suddenly able to have adopted families, possess land and generate wealth; but within a short time, one small faction - which came to be known as the ‘Ten Attendants’ by their enemies - abused the privilege and started to build an unrivalled power base at court.

We were all alive when the chaos that you speak of was at its worst, but we were not greying men as we are now, Wang Lang said. We were children, and the ‘Ten’ ruled Huandi’s court.

I… I know, Kong Rong conceded. But-!

Cao Cao is exactly what we need right now, Wang Lang insisted. "We must fight the chaos head-on, and he does. He is a hero of an era of chaos, not a hero to chaos. He sheltered the partisans during the worst of the eunuchs’ rule, did he not…?"

Kong Rong nodded sheepishly.

The ‘Ten Attendants’ made an already terrible situation far worse: the eunuch clique’s corruption added to the existing activities of unscrupulous officials, and it affected everything. The military were underfunded, disaster management was neglected, and only those that fawned on the ‘Ten’ or paid their sizeable bribes could hold a high post for more than a few months without being slandered and all but destroyed. A public protest by the intelligentsia was met with sustained and disproportionate persecution that came to be known as the ‘Partisan Crisis’, and when the rot continued into the reign of the child Emperor Ling, many guessed that total disaster was imminent.

A failed military campaign against the ‘barbarian’ Xianbei Confederacy ended in disaster when the painfully under-resourced and demoralised imperial army - whose leaders were mostly inexperienced, unqualified allies of the ‘Ten’ - was decimated; subsequent economic and agricultural hardships coincided with the rise of a Taoist cult called the ‘Way of Peace’, whose leader, Zhang Jue, preached that the calamities were a result of the Han’s ‘Mandate of Heaven’ being exhausted - the same concept cited decades before by Wang Mang - and that a ‘Yellow Sky’, a sign of change, was coming, and the message reached peasant and disaffected noble alike. Zhang Jue’s acolytes in the capital were exposed before they could stage a coup, but by then Zhang had close to two million followers, including disgruntled former soldiers; he called upon them to don yellow turbans - a blatant sign of defiance against imperial rule, for it was decreed that none but the sovereign could ‘wear yellow above the head’ - and rise up throughout the nation. The army was unable to cope with this ‘Yellow Turban Rebellion’, so Emperor Ling was forced to ask his nobles to fight the threat as private militias. Zhang Jue was killed and the rebellion crushed, but more rebellions followed, and by the time that Emperor Ling died, the entire country was in turmoil; the trade routes were repeatedly restricted or closed altogether in order to hide the fact that Han Dynasty China was on the verge of total implosion.

…I still say that Cao has much to answer for, Kong Rong declared. "Yes, he sheltered partisans, but men change! That Cao Cao would not have committed regicide as this one has! And I reiterate that he confessed to it!"

Did he…? Wang Lang replied. Or did he ‘confess’ to eliminating threats to the Empire in the forms of a treacherous vassal, his daughter - a mere concubine - and an unborn child that may or may not have been a future prince, and even more questionable as to whether it would have been a future sovereign…?

Kong Rong’s eyes wandered.

Dong Cheng was conspiring against His Excellency; we all know that, and that was admitted to by him on many occasions, Wang Lang noted. "But why, of course, is known only to his wandering spirit: who was he…? Who, truly, was that former vassal of another Dong, Dong Zhuo - the most evil man of recent times, without question - that laid waste to Luoyang, raided the imperial tombs, and is known to have actually committed regicide…?"

Kong Rong nodded silently.

Even the most loyal of Han adherents was starting to doubt the chances of avoiding another fall, even if it was as temporary as the last. That fear was made more tangible when the battle to decide who would succeed Emperor Ling ended with a victory for Empress Dowager Hè and her brother, Commander-in-Chief Hè Jin: many feared another Liang Ji, and the ‘Ten’ feared a reduction in their influence. Further intrigue led to the deaths of Hè Jin, the ‘Ten Attendants’ and thousands of court eunuchs, and the rise to power of the western general Dong Zhuo, whose rule brought tyranny beyond comprehension.

Dong Zhuo apparently knew no moral low: the nation suffered as he indulged his every vice, and a coalition of nobles quickly formed to oppose him after he deposed the child Emperor Shao and replaced him with his younger half-brother. That latest Emperor, dubbed ‘Xian’, was forced to watch powerlessly as the increasingly brazen and desperate Dong Zhuo flooded the economy with worthless currency, looted and burned Luoyang, relocated the court back to the original capital Chang’an and ruled as he pleased; when loyal officials and some of Dong Zhuo’s disgruntled followers allied to murder Dong and restore control to the court proper, there was a brief glimmer of hope, but it did not glimmer for long. Li Jue and Guo Si, who were two of Dong Zhuo’s most powerful vassal-warlords, seized power, fought off all rivals and established an autocratic ‘regency’ in Chang’an. All the while, the warlords that had once risen up to oppose Dong Zhuo were fighting amongst themselves and carving up the east of the country between them.

It was, ironically, an army of bandits - former Yellow Turbans - that was militarily instrumental to rescuing Emperor Xian when a dispute born out of intrigue divided the regents and led to an embarrassing civil war that tore Chang’an apart and left hundreds dead. The proposed solution was their splitting the country down the middle and running it separately from within Chang’an and Luoyang; the most prominent architects of the ‘rescue’ that followed were Dong Cheng and Yang Feng, but the latter’s use of bandit allies to intercept the emperor’s convoy as it travelled to Luoyang’s ruins was never popular, and when Yang started to reward himself at Dong Cheng’s perceived expense, Dong made a secret alliance with Cao Cao, betrayed Yang Feng and assisted Cao’s plan to move Emperor Xian and the weary, famine-stricken court to Cao Cao’s base in Yan Province, to the south of Luoyang. That is where the court had been ever since, relying entirely on Cao Cao’s magnanimity and ability to project economic and military strength on Emperor Xian’s behalf; Cao Cao was now the most influential man in the land, and Dong Cheng quickly shifted his stance yet again and started to become Cao’s most dangerous opponent, both publicly and privately.

You… are right to wonder what Dong Cheng’s true motivations were, Kong Rong admitted.

"Who, truly, was Dong Cheng, a man that betrayed his regent masters and ‘escorted’ His Majesty to the ruins of the capital with the White Wave Bandits as his sword and shield…? Wang Lang asked. A man who, if I recall, hummed and hawed, wavered and conspired… did he not aid the Bandits’ repulsion of His Excellency Cao’s armies when he supposed that he would get rank in the Bandit-run court, but betrayed them to the same Cao Cao when the Bandits inevitably reneged…?"

Kong Rong sighed woefully.

Cao Cao had been the friend and later vassal of Yuan Shao, chieftain of the Yuan clan of Ru County and one of the most powerful men in China. When Dong Zhuo took power, Yuan Shao was selected as the leader of the ‘Eastern Pass Coalition’ that would oppose Dong. Yuan Shao’s younger brother Shu resented Shao’s place - especially since Shao was born of a maid and not of their father’s small harem - and took advantage of growing dissatisfaction at Shao’s leadership of the coalition by publicly challenging his legitimacy as clan chieftain in an open letter; Shao responded by shifting his military priorities away from the retreating Dong Zhuo and toward Yuan Shu, and a destructive feud began that lasted for 7 years, ending only when Yuan Shu - who later declared as an emperor and earned universal condemnation for it - died a broken, humiliated fugitive.

But while that feud was at its peak, Cao Cao took advantage of opportunities and went from the wealthy son of Cao Song - a man that had himself been elevated when he was adopted by a favoured palace eunuch - to Governor of Yan Province, lord to a host of talented future statesmen and leader of a professional army. When the regency collapsed and Emperor Xian was in the care of Dong Cheng, Yang Feng and the White Wave Bandits, Cao Cao answered the sovereign’s calls for aid when most - including Yuan Shao - refused to bear the burden.

Dong Cheng made influential friends and started conspiring against Cao Cao almost as soon as Cao rescued him, Wang Lang scoffed. Even a high military rank and seeing his beautiful daughter gain favour with His Majesty was not enough… and his wilful, cheerful subservience to Dong Zhuo proved long ago that he had no problem with regicide of a Son of Heaven.

That is true, Kong Rong admitted.

Yes, the child might have been a boy, a prince, and if Her Highness the Empress did not have living male issue at the time of His Majesty’s passing, then that prince - if, indeed, it existed - might have inherited the throne if that was His Majesty’s will, Wang Lang conceded. But we both know that a living sovereign take precedence over an unborn child or other… ‘possibilities’. Were we supposed to repeat one of the ‘old mistakes’ and let Dong and his daughter do as so many have done before…?

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao’s relationship soured over the years as their power grew and their personal interests became ever more at odds with the other’s; by the time that the court was based in the city of Xuchang in Yan Province, Yuan Shao had lost control over Cao and resented the fact that Cao - who was, in his eyes, from an inferior clan - was now going to get the best roles within the recovering government. Petitions went back and forth, but armed conflict was inevitable: once every bandit army, rebel group, tribal alliance and rogue warlord had been pacified or eliminated, Yuan Shao finally released his own open letter denouncing Cao Cao. Dong Cheng had, meanwhile, claimed ownership of a secret imperial edict calling for Cao Cao’s destruction; Cao and his allies acted quickly upon learning of it, arresting and executing Dong Cheng and his followers and removing Dong Cheng’s daughter, Consort Dong, from Emperor Xian’s harem for immediate disposal. It was that last act that had even left some of Cao Cao’s followers rattled, since Consort Dong was a known favourite and, most importantly, pregnant with child.

…There must have been another way, Kong Rong retorted.

If there had been another way, then one of the many wise men around His Excellency would have found it, Wang Lang insisted. Our mutual friend Xun Wenruo is as devout a royalist as you will ever find, but even he could see no other way.

…And I was one of the men that called for the heads of the ‘Ten Attendants’ at the heights of their villainy, Kong Rong recalled. This was… … …well, it was not ‘the same’, no, but it had to be… … …yes, I suppose that there was no other way.

Wang Lang smiled encouragingly and asked, So is your conscience eased…?

…Perhaps, Kong Rong replied. Now, perhaps, we should alter the mood.

Yes! Wang Lang chuckled. Why not enlighten me with some of your famous poetry… oh, and some wine would be nice.

Kong Rong summoned a servant and requested wine; the two continued to eat, drink and talk about everything but the state of the nation for the rest of the afternoon.

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

2

I sense hesitation, Lord Cao.

The prematurely-greyed, hard-faced ‘Excellency of Works’, Cao Cao, smiled and turned to his frail adviser Guo Jia and replied by saying, That’s to be expected, surely, Guo Fengxiao?

Cao Cao’s court was comprised entirely of clan loyalists that nodded silently. Cao Cao looked down the rows of advisers and officials that sat to his left, and then to the rows of military representatives that sat in rows to his right; there were no signs that anyone intended to address him beyond Guo Jia and two other advisers.

This is not the moment for hesitation, Lord Cao, not after so much action, Guo Jia countered. Yuan Shao is down but not decisively defeated; Liu Bei edges closer and closer to Jing Province, where we suspect that he will be received warmly by an increasingly desperate Liu Biao. Sun Quan’s loyalty to the Han is questionable, no matter what his man here at court says; the various tribes to the north and northwest are the threat that they have always been, and ‘when’, rather than ‘if’, the Qiang tribes in Liang Province put their petty differences aside and unite as they once did against the regents in Chang’an…

Cao Cao patted the black headpiece that held his long hair in place and said, This head has many things in it, Guo Fengxiao. Yes, I am hesitant, but not with regard to the matters that you refer to. I am not even hesitant because of the loss of Tian Chou from my service. I am hesitant about addressing the court, nothing more.

A tall, thin, gruff man in his sixties snorted and asked, Why…?

…Because, Elder Cheng, I am not popular, and with good reason, Cao Cao replied wearily. Even you - on your ‘bad days’, at least - cannot look me in the eye or confront me confidently, and even now you are uncharacteristically reserved; I am Xu Shao’s ‘Crafty Villain’ come to pass, a murderer of unborn sovereigns and future slayer of the dynasty as a whole!

We’ve discussed that many times, Excellency, Cheng Yu retorted, and I, for one, am resolved that there was little else that we could do to stop Dong Cheng from being another Liang Ji. My colleague and friend Jia Xu has also been very enlightening with regard to Dong Zhuo’s vile circle, and I have no doubt that we are and always have been right in our actions.

Yes, Cao Cao said as his eyes turned to the unassuming form of the adviser Jia Xu. You’ve made quite an impression already, Mister Jia.

Jia Xu bowed humbly and replied, I merely play the role that I have always wanted to play, Excellency, that which fate has cruelly placed out of reach until now. I now serve in a court dedicated to restoring order as quickly as possible.

Indeed, Guo Jia chuckled. The ‘quick’ part is the most important part. Yuan Shao might be severely weakened, yes, and his options for bringing his demoralised army across the Yellow River reduced to one ford at Cangting, but he still has two-hundred-thousand men at his disposal, the resources of four provinces to draw upon - even though he might not, at the moment, have anywhere to store those resources on this side of the river - and the support of the Wuhuan tribes that he has forcibly married his vassals’ daughters into. We-

Is this not the same discussion that we have every time that we meet? Cao Cao interrupted. "Are you all so frightened that I am going to suffer from the same befuddling disease of the mind that’s afflicted Yuan Shao…? He and I were once friends, but we shared little more than a love of women and drink. I assure you, gentlemen, that I am only more determined after having suffered a forged imperial edict calling for my head and being repeatedly tricked and betrayed by Liu Bei! My hesitation is not in mission but method… not in advance but in approach. Do I approach the court as an aggressor, stamping my authority and confronting my detractors, or do I assume a more humble stance to placate those - which, of course, currently include His Majesty - that fear that I have sinister long term intent…?"

I suggest ‘non-aggressive rigidity’, Jia Xu said. A lot of the men that made that long, horrible journey from Chang’an to the ruins of Luoyang are like prey animals at the moment, ears pricked up and looking for signs of danger; that’s why Dong Cheng suspected that he had an opening to seize power. Instead of meeting their expectation that you will adopt a particular stance to reflect the ‘circumstances’ of recent times, be without a stance and address the court as a man that is, quite rightly, apologetic about nothing at all.

Agreed, Cheng Yu said at once.

Cao Cao noted the agreeable murmurs that emanated from both sides of his court and said, I shall do as you say, Mister Jia. Unless there is… another opinion…?

All eyes turned to Guo Jia, who smiled and said, I agree with Mister Jia Xu. After all, the only men that should be feeling guilty right now are those that took Dong Cheng’s forged edict as their mandate, and only guilty men resort to aggression as a means of silencing critics. The guilt is a perception in the eyes of a misguided few that should not dictate your actions, Lord Cao.

That is very true, Excellency, the adviser Xun Yu - whose courtesy name was ‘Wenruo’ - volunteered insistently.

So, now that the matter of ‘how to address the court’ is resolved, might I ask what you intend to address them with, Lord Cao…? Guo Jia asked.

Actions taken thus far, actions for the weeks ahead, Cao Cao explained. I admit that I am inclined to launch a full-scale expedition against Liu Biao and Sun Quan now that Yuan Shao is humbled and stripped of his best minds and swords, but I am aware that it is not considered to be ‘wise’ at present.

"No, it is most unwise to disregard Yuan Shao, as we have just discussed, Xun Wenruo protested. While he maintains his tight grip on Cangting, he might just be able to reassemble his forces and attack us again if we turn our backs for too long, perhaps in concert with Liu Bei or-"

Liu Bei cannot do anything of the sort, not while we harass him as we do, Cheng Yu suggested. But yes, I agree, we cannot leave Yuan Shao at Cangting… just as we couldn’t afford to let Lü Bu and Chen Gong have the place seven years ago.

…So you persist that I am to ignore the threats posed by Liu Biao and Sun Quan, and continue to peck at a dying animal…? Cao Cao asked pointedly.

"Hardly…! Xun Wenruo chortled. Yuan still has two-hundred-thousand men, as has been said often enough. Yes, he’s suffering insurrections across his domains in the wake of Guandu, but he has the men to quell them and the will to return. We cannot leave him with a single scrap of land to the south of the Yellow River that he can use for an easy crossing, no matter how small; and he must intend it, else why hold and reinforce the place…?"

Cao Cao shook his head and said, But Sun Quan-!

Mister Liu Fu is managing well enough, Guo Jia suggested. He is quite incredible, in fact: we sent him to Hefei to monitor Sun Ce at a moment when we were distracted by Yuan Shao and Liu Bei, little hoping that he might make a little bit of progress with the Qian Hill Bandits while he was there, and yet he has brought stability, pacified rebels, increased security and survived Sun Ce’s fearsome rage! I doubt, after all that, that he cannot handle Sun Quan for us for a while… especially when we consider the ‘little project’ conceived by Mister Liu and Man Chong and what an obstacle that will make when it is finished.

All eyes turned to Assistant Officer Man Chong, who smiled humbly and said, I did nothing special: I made a small suggestion, that’s all.

A great suggestion that Liu Fu will make real, Guo Jia insisted. It will ensure that the Sun clan of Jiangdong is as manageable a threat later on as it is now.

Inspector Liu Fu is certainly more effective than ‘Inspector Yan Xiang’ was, Cao Cao said. It’s funny: that fool Yan ran back and forth, trying to protect his heretic lord and his own neck, and actually doing everything from feigning his death to trying to recruit mercenaries to finally seeing sense and offering his allegiance to me… and in the end, after achieving a position of relative safety and surviving being the counsel of a traitor, Yan Xiang’s as dead as the rest. Ridiculous.

The adviser Yuan Huan - who had once served the renegade warlord Yuan Shu alongside Yan Xiang, but had defected immediately when Shu betrayed the Han Empire - nodded agreeably but offered no words.

Yan Xiang’s not only ridiculous, but irrelevant, so we shall forget him and return to more pressing matters, Guo Jia said. My lord, I will tell you when it is the right time to fight Liu Biao and Sun Quan, or others will.

…Fine, we’ll content ourselves with ignoring ‘Jing Governor Liu Biao’ and let Sun Quan keep his undeserved dominions for now, Cao Cao grumbled. Liu Biao would do well not to shelter Liu Bei, but we all know that he almost certainly will; Bei will doubtlessly urge him to renew his coalition pact with Yuan Shao and gather support for a pincer attack on Xuchang, but while the ambitious Sun Quan continues his harassment of southern Jing and diverts most of Liu Biao’s limited resources to that southern front, we can ignore him as well. We now control Yan Province, Central Province, Xu Province, parts of Yang Province, most of Yu Province, and the southwest border regions of Qing Province; and as for Yuan’s potential alliance with our other long-standing problem, the Qiang chieftains Ma Teng and Han Sui in Liang Province… Wenruo…?

Ma Teng is suffering surprising defeats, Xun Wenruo reported. His eldest son, Ma Chao, is truly a force to be reckoned with, but Han Sui commands a generally more efficient army that is gaining ground in every place that Ma Chao is not placed to take or defend. That means one of two things in the short term, I suggest: either Ma Teng will capitulate and seek peace in exchange for loss of territory, or he will hand power to Ma Chao and retreat to some far-off place while the tribal war continues.

…In the short term, we might want the latter, since it keeps them busy, but in the long term, the former is preferable, Jia Xu said. A Ma Chao that is reined in by Han Sui will not be as much of a threat as a Ma Chao that forces Han Sui to sue for peace and present an opportunity to seize control in the northwest.

A definitive set of options may exist, but that’s entirely up to Heaven, Guo Jia chuckled. With any luck, it will be one of those options, because either would keep them where we want them.

Jia Xu smiled, rubbed his bearded chin and said, I do not know the order that your mind chooses for those further options, but I concur that they are most desirable. An alliance against Yuan Shao… or a hostage to control Ma Chao… are both very much desired both now and in the future, but either would do.

"Ayah… you advisers are not human, I swear it! a military official cried; all eyes turned to the one-eyed face of Cao Cao’s trusted ‘cousin’ Xiahou Dun, who added, All of a sudden, we’re looking at the Qiang barbarians giving us hostages or helping us fight Yuan Shao! Why would any of that happen???"

I admit, Yuanrang, that I consider the possibility myself, Cao Cao replied. I’m sure that Wenruo, Gongda, Chen Qun and Cheng Yu, at the very least, hope for as much.

Naturally, Xun Wenruo admitted. But it is sometimes best to underplay such outcomes to avoid unwanted damage to morale, or at the very least refer to them obliquely. Xuchang is as good a ‘far-off place’ as any for Ma Teng to flee to, and I made no mention of which side of the Han-Yuan conflict that they might-

There is no need to convince us of your insight, Uncle, the adviser Xun Yòu - whose courtesy name was ‘Gongda’ - interrupted. Guo Fengxiao is being his usual self, I think.

If we could have the Qiang tribes with us, that would be perfect, Cao Cao said sadly. "We’d have Yuan cornered then; the Qiang to the west, Zang Ba’s agitators in Qing to the east, the fickle Xianbei tribes across the northern border and the Han army to the south. Alas, it cannot be so: the Qiang are as fickle as the other tribes and their ‘fee’ for assistance will doubtless be too high to pay. In addition, we have yet to see what Liu Biao and Sun Quan’s feud will lead to, or what meddlesome role Liu Bei will have to play in it. Oh, gentlemen, I cannot say what I would not give to have Liu Bei’s severed head in front of me right now! He is the sharpest thorn in my side, just as so many of you predicted!"

"Pah… how so? Xiahou Dun scoffed. Yeah, I don’t like him, or his men… especially that wretched, ungrateful bastard Guan Yu… but what can he do? Isn’t Yuan Shao, with his two-hundred-thousand men, the only real threat now, like you said before…?"

Mister Xiahou, you know as well as we do the adage ‘it is as when one throws an egg against a rock’ when referring to the futility of pitting one force against a vastly superior one, be it due to better trained men, more men or better counsel, Guo Jia chuckled. You also know, as we all do from the outcome of the encounter at Guandu, that Yuan Shao, ‘advised’ as he is now by the likes of Guo Tu, Pang Ji and Wenruo’s brother Chen, is little more than the owner of the world’s largest egg.

Many of the officials laughed at Guo Jia’s dismissive response.

Such a savage analysis, Fengxiao, that makes a toothless dog of my former friend! Cao Cao chuckled. But no, Cousin Yuanrang, Fengxiao’s statement is nonetheless true beyond the short-term. Yuan Shao needs one last push to finish him off, and then he will bother us no more: it is Bei that is now the long-term worry.

So intensify the search for Bei and kill him! Xiahou Dun protested. He’s only got a little army now, and they lack proper supplies! He-!

He endured a year-long famine at Haixi, so resource management will be a particular skill of his now, Jia Xu suggested. Further to that, he-

"Don’t talk to me! Xiahou Dun screamed. Don’t you dare talk to me, Jia Xu! Cousin Mengde might want you in his court because you’re a shifty snake, but I’ll-!"

"Enough, Yuanrang!" Cao Cao scolded.

"No! Xiahou Dun retorted. He killed Dian Wei! He killed Anmin! He killed Ang! His advice killed an emperor!"

A short, uncomfortable silence followed.

…We… we have been through this several times already, Cousin, Cao Cao replied quietly. Mister Jia was acting in the best interests of his lord. His advice to Dong Zhuo, his orders to Dong Zhuo’s men, his advice to Zhang Xiu-

"His ‘advice and orders’ killed your heir! Xiahou Dun bellowed. He-!"

"He-! …He, Mister Jia Xu, ordered a decisive repulsion of an enemy force, as ordered to by his lord, Cao Cao insisted as he tried to keep his gaze diverted from Jia Xu, who was visibly uncomfortable. How many sons, fathers and goodness else knows who have I thoughtlessly given orders to slay…? Did I care what happened to Mengzhuo- I-I mean Zhang Miao’s family…? No, I did not, because… because it had to be done, it was necessity, just as our first conversation about the fate of Consort Dong and her unborn child had highlighted. Bear him no malice, Yuanrang, for he did what was asked of him, just as you did what was asked of you by me on every campaign that you have fought in… including Xu Province."

Xiahou Dun snorted angrily, turned to Jia Xu and bowed slightly, saying, I will speak no more of it.

I understand your anger and grief, Mister Xiahou, and can only hope to atone for my many, many bad choices and poor advice, Jia Xu replied meekly.

…If we might return to discussing Liu Bei, Cao Cao said as he finally turned to look at Jia Xu. Mister Jia, you were saying…?

Y-yes, Jia Xu replied. Liu Bei… Liu Bei is a survivor; that much we can all agree on. He’ll do whatever it takes to live until he gets to a safe place, at which point he’ll start trying to build an army and seize a base of some kind. Preventing him getting to Jing Province might now be impossible, but leaving him to thrive in Jing would be, as many others have suggested, most unwise.

What, exactly, might he achieve…? Xiahou Dun asked.

A short, portly man in ostentatious robes laughed haughtily and said, A lot more than Yuan Shao, I’d imagine, even though he has nothing!

Many men turned to look at the latest contributor, Xu Yòu, who was an old friend of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao; he had a seat next to Cao Cao’s, less because of his lifelong friendship and more because his defection from Yuan Shao to Cao Cao during the Battle of Guandu - and the vital military information that he had brought with him - had handed the Han forces their unexpected early victory.

So you were impressed with Bei when you met him? Cheng Yu asked gruffly.

Not really, but he outwitted Yuan with ease, Xu Yòu replied. That said, Yuan was mostly drunk, even at meetings, so-

We know that Yuan’s a drunk, Xiahou Dun said through gritted teeth. "What about Liu Bei…?"

Oh, yes, Xu Yòu chuckled as he turned to face Cao Cao. "Well, he has a few real champions, but it’s his way with words, which everyone here knows well enough. I mean, you had Guan Yu for a while, Mengde, and know how good he was; you also know what a way with words Bei has, since he even made a complete fool of you when he-"

"WHAT???" Xiahou Dun screamed.

Well he did, didn’t he! Xu Yòu said fearlessly. Stop being so uppity, Yuanrang.

Who said you can call me that? Xiahou Dun complained. Mengde, he-!

"Xu Ziyuan is family, Cao Cao said pointedly. For his timely support at Guandu alone, he is family. Do not mind his ways so much, Yuanrang. Bei did make a ‘complete fool’ of me, because I did not heed wise men’s advice, so my old friend is quite right."

Xu Yòu sensed the tense atmosphere and laughed awkwardly, saying, I should not have implied that you were a ‘complete fool’, Mengde, for you are not. But Bei, yes, I was saying… some of Wen Chou’s men joined him, I think, and he has a brigade of cavalrymen from Yòu Province led by… Zhou… Zhao…? …Something or other, that he begged Yuan to let him have, so they must be good.

Gongsun Zan must have assigned them to Liu Bei at some point, Guo Jia noted. Men from that region will be good indeed, in their own right and as mentors to others.

But Mi Zhu is penniless, the advisor Chen Qun said. That conniving hankerer exhausted his family fortune on keeping Bei alive at Haixi, and his contacts melted away after that Lü Bu nonsense that he allowed to happen. All that Bei has now is a lot of brawn and one semi-competent ambassador in old Mister Sun. And while he might be very good at crying and fawning and squirming out of the messes that he gets himself into, he couldn’t plan a trip to the toilet.

So his first goal will be to secure good advisers, Guo Jia concluded. He’ll find many a clever mind in Jing. Just look at who that mediocrity Liu Biao has had around him of late: the Pangs, the Kuais and Wang Can, who - when his strange obsession with donkeys does not impede him - is a very sharp sword. I’ve made my own enquiries in Jing, and Bei could find at least one good man willing to serve him, I fear; it won’t make him unbeatable, but it will eliminate any chance of beating him quickly, and time is not on our side.

"It certainly isn’t on yours, Chen Qun heckled. You’re more often sick than well these days, Guo Jia, and it is, as always, self-inflicted through vice! This is your first appearance in days! You-!"

Not that argument again, Cheng Yu sighed. "For the last time, Mister Chen, don’t waste your time: Guo Jia is predisposed to reaching Heaven early, and that is that."

Cao Cao shook his head woefully and said, I only wish you’d listen to reason, Guo Fengxiao. A great genius such as you should not be looking to die early.

On the contrary, I think that I should be, Guo Jia joked. After all, my profession is one that is always graded on the list of failures rather than successes. I can win a thousand times, but one careless mistake can cost you an army and undo all of my hard work. And then there is the small matter of being but a mere mortal with only so many ideas in my head. It is far better to live a short but successful life and then die unbeaten, long before a rival ‘genius’ inevitably appears that outclasses me and consigns my name to a list of forgotten mediocrities.

Cheng Yu grumbled quietly.

"…Except for you, of course, Elder Cheng, who still achieves greatness at your advanced age, Guo Jia teased. ‘Prodigy of the moment’ that I am, I’ll have used up all of my best ideas in ten years or less, but you, you’re-"

"Liu Bei! Xiahou Dun cried. What about Liu Bei???"

Pray he doesn’t find his own genius, Cheng Yu said. If he does, we’ll still be sitting here pondering what to do about him in twenty years’ time.

Guo Jia smiled knowingly and lowered his gaze.

"…Aiee… well, whatever the future holds, the important thing right now is what I must tell that court of do-nothings, Cao Cao complained. For now, let us focus on internal matters. What is the state of our supplies?"

Xun Wenruo rummaged through a pile of bamboo books and cloth paper as he tried to find the answer to Cao Cao’s question; Jia Xu looked at his latest master and quietly hoped, as he often did, that the ‘Crafty Villain’ would not be the third infamous tyrant that he had lent his considerable talent to.

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

3

A bemused Wang Lang returned to Kong Rong’s home on the eve of the next imperial court gathering.

So are you resolved…? Wang Lang asked as he took a guest seat in Kong Rong’s living quarters once again; he was glad to see that Kong had asked for tea to be brought straight away this time.

…Resolved…? No, Jingxing, not at all, Kong Rong replied. As I was saying to Mister Zhi just yesterday, Liu Xuande’s fate is-

Wang Lang harrumphed and said, "Liu Bei…? You’d really dare to speak favourably of Liu Bei…? You’d guiltlessly refer to that wretched, rotten scion of the royal clan, a man descended from disinherited traitors that carries all of their ailments of the mind, by his courtesy name in front of me…?"

"Aiee… You really are persuasive," Kong Rong admitted.

No, I am not, else Sun Ce would not have bested me and chased me out of Jiangdong, Wang Lang replied. It is just the case that I speak the obvious truth. I know you well enough, Wenju: you want to believe a distorted account of the last fifteen years, one that makes villains of Cao Cao and Tao Qian and heroes of Liu Bei, Yuan Shao, Sun Ce, Gongsun Zan and-

No, no! Kong Rong insisted. We were all disappointed by Gongsun Zan, and Sun Ce was a pirate king! But Xuande is a victim of circumstance!

Really…? Wang Lang scoffed. I saw some of the letters that Gongsun Zan sent out as his little barbarian empire collapsed around him and inevitable defeat and death awaited him at Yuan Shao’s hands; one of the arguments for his being spared was that very same protest that he was a ‘victim of circumstance’.

Kong Rong started to speak, but he thought better of it and allowed Wang Lang to continue.

Remember that I served Liu Bei’s predecessor in Xu Province, Wang Lang said. Remember that I served the last rightful governor, Tao Qian, before all of that terrible nonsense that saw first Bei and then Dong Zhuo’s treacherous foster son Lü Bu running the province. Bei’s a born liar: I’m sure that his flowery speeches, ingratiating letters and empty promises are convincing, but think - truly, seriously ponder it properly - and you’ll see someone else.

Kong Rong exhaled loudly.

Liu Bei is a poor, disinherited member of the Liu clan, Wang Lang continued. He wove mats and shoes from straw until a wealthy uncle took pity and financed his education: Bei befriended his fellow student Gongsun Zan and the two became as brothers. Yes, he had a moment of ‘glory’ during the Yellow Turban Crisis, but he was dependent on his growing entourage of pig butchers, fugitives and naïve peasant farmers looking for adventure. Had that two-faced, conniving Mi Zhu not looked to Bei’s militia as muscle to facilitate a takeover of Xu Province, Bei would have had to settle for a civil role in a distant rural county.

Kong Rong was forced to nod silently once again.

Liu Bei had been a ‘wildcard’ during the recent years of the ailing Han Dynasty; schooled with the money of others, Bei had, as so many of his detractors relished pointing out, endured a peasant’s life that he had inherited from disinherited ancestors. He lived with his mother and eked out a living weaving mats and shoes from straw that could then be sold for meagre money; his schooling changed that, introducing him to the famous scholar-official Lu Zhi and fellow student Gongsun Zan. Gongsun went on to lead his own impressive militia, which included cavalry at a time when skilled horsemen - and, indeed, horses - were a luxury for a warlord; he was a minor hero during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, as was Liu Bei, although Gongsun enjoyed greater rewards. Gongsun Zan became a county magistrate in northern Yòu Province; Liu Bei was eventually granted the same, but the ‘Ten’ were keen to maintain their grip on administrative power and Liu Bei was soon forced to abandon the role when confronted with requests for bribes.

Gongsun Zan went from strength to strength while Liu Bei drifted around Yòu, Qing and Xu Provinces, accepting various administrative roles and military assignments; he came to the attention of Xu Governor Tao Qian, who later recalled Bei’s valour when faced with an invasion by Cao Cao, who blamed Tao personally for the robbery and murder of his father Cao Song as he passed through Xu. Cao Cao’s ‘revenge’ consisted of a series of ‘scorched earth’ raids that left thousands dead; one famous attack left the Si River dammed with bodies, and the extent of the genocide made Tao Qian ill. Liu Bei was no match for Cao Cao militarily, leaving victory to come from the most unlikely of sources: Cao’s own chief adviser, Chen Gong, and Cao’s most trusted friend, Zhang Miao, had asked the late Dong Zhuo’s violent, inconstant foster son Lü Bu - who was, at the time, a fugitive from the regency government for betraying and personally murdering Dong Zhuo - to invade Yan Province and help them take it from Cao, an act that forced Cao to withdraw from Xu Province and grant unexpected relief that came too late for Tao Qian’s well-being. Opinions and accounts varied greatly, but the outcome - brought about mainly through lobbying by local magnate Mi Zhu - was that Liu Bei inherited the province from Tao Qian and quickly capitulated to Yuan Shao in exchange for Shao demanding that Cao Cao cease his raids; Cao reluctantly obeyed his friend-turned-lord, but the entire affair created enmity between Cao and Liu and irreversibly harmed the friendship of Yuan and Cao.

His Excellency’s actions in Xu Province - which, before you start going on about that again, is a well-worn subject after seven years - gave Liu Bei and Mi Zhu the opportunity to seize power from Tao Qian as he lay dying, Wang Lang said. Bei mediated with the Yuan brothers, first looking at Tao’s genuinely circumstance-driven alliance with the treasonous Yuan Shu and then to Cao’s then-master Yuan Shao, who was still, at that point, a loyal Han vassal and not the wretched, covetous seditionist that he has become. But within no time at all, Bei was ‘reciprocating goodwill’ and giving refuge to Lü Bu, that most wicked of stepsons and vilest of minions, a man that personally slayed his first foster father Ding Yuan, facilitated Dong Zhuo’s takeover, and-

"Didn’t Jia Xu have more to do with Dong Zhuo’s rise to power…? Kong Rong asked with sudden confidence. And isn’t that same Jia Xu now a close confidante and adviser to Cao Cao…?"

Wang Lang smiled coldly and replied, It is indeed true that Mister Jia was one of two advisers that guided Dong Zhuo; which of them guided Dong’s worst actions is debatable, methinks, since Mister Jia removed himself from Luoyang before it was sacked and destroyed, and it was his peer Li Ru that was, by all accounts, the focus of His Majesty’s wrath. What protest has there been by His Majesty at Jia Xu’s return? Isn’t it the case that His Majesty was saved on many occasions by Mister Jia, who calmed Dong Zhuo during some of his worst rages, and who kept the self-appointed regents, Li Jue and Guo Si, from committing regicide and seizing power outright…?

…As you say, it is debatable, Kong Rong retorted. But Cao-

Wang Lang laughed and said, You truly hate Cao Cao, don’t you? But look at the men that you condemn when you berate him - men like Xun Wenruo, Xun Gongda, Zhong Yao, and Chen Qun - and worse still, look at the men that you aggrandise when you speak so ill of Cao and so well of Bei! Were Yuan Shu, Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan, Chen Gong-

"Alright, alright!" Kong Rong pleaded.

No, it is not alright, Wang Lang insisted. Someone has to make you see sense, Mister Kong. When Yuan Shao had poor, misguided Chen Lin pen that atrocious condemnation of His Excellency Cao, he committed a multitude of crimes at once. His brother, Yuan Shu, was recently deceased, dead on a roadside like an animal, not a coin to his name nor a building to take shelter within, and why…? …Because he had dared to declare himself as the first of a new dynasty! Yuan Shu dared to consider the sovereign’s mandate exhausted, Mister Kong, and he did so baselessly, purely to further his own career, and only the most wretched of men would do that.

Kong Rong nodded agreeably.

Heaven punished Yuan Shu; Yuan Shao should then have been affirming his own loyalty to His Majesty by burying his ambitions, but no! Wang Lang said. Instead, he pushed for higher rank on the basis that he was descended from great men… which is the same argument used by Liu Bei. You’re descended from the great philosopher, and yet you expect nothing that wasn’t earned… in fact you constantly berate yourself and bemoan your unworthiness despite being one of the most gifted poets of our day and, when the subject is not too personal, one of our greatest philosophers as well! Why, then, do you then champion men that so openly oppose your ideals…?

That… is true, Kong Rong conceded. But-!

"Aiee… again, you resort to ‘But!’ Wang Lang despaired. Yuan Shao had done nothing to warrant higher rank. He did nothing save for grieving and fawning on Hè Jin during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He did and does nothing to help the sovereign. He was nominated as the leader of the Eastern Pass Coalition against Dong Zhuo purely because his ancestor was a great man, and he just sat there, watching Dong Zhuo bankrupt the country and loot the capital, and leaving everything to independent actions by Cao Cao and Sun Jian that were militarily and spiritually unsupported… even condemned. The only things that Yuan Shao did do were to seize Ji Province from Han Fu - achieved, we now discover, with the aid of Gongsun Zan, whom he later betrayed to cover his tracks - and try to appoint the hapless Yòu Province Governor Liu Yu as an alternative sovereign that he could manipulate! …And on the latter point, Mister Kong, it may be noted that Yuan’s secret ally, Gongsun Zan, killed Liu Yu and seized Yòu Province later on, after Liu Yu publicly rebuked Yuan for embroiling him in selfish politics. Were the two events connected…? Perhaps, but we’ll never know. Yuan Shao now rules Yòu Province with the aid of his Wuhuan barbarian allies, having killed Gongsun and taken it from him before his last play for the custody of the sovereign, custody that he had earlier refused because it conflicted economically with his own ambitions.

"It was only when Yuan Shao controlled Ji Province - which he took from Han Fu - Yòu Province - which he took from Gongsun, who had taken it from Liu Yu - Bing Province - which he quietly seized via family connections and exploitation of unrest - and Qing Province - which, most notably, his eldest son Tan took from you - that he suddenly decided that his former vassal Cao was unfit to care for His Majesty, after years of doing so very well here in Xuchang and at great personal expense."

All known to me, and all too painfully! Kong Rong said. But-!

And yet you stubbornly cling to the myth that Cao Cao is the greatest villain of our age, and all because of one misinterpreted ‘prediction’ by the appraiser Xu Shao, Wang Lang noted. That same Xu Shao was less than kind about Yuan Shao, and so it has come to pass. After Dong Zhuo fled west to Chang’an, Yuan Shao perpetuated a feud with his brother for control of his clan instead of pursuing the villain: that alone is wretched. Yuan Shu triggered the seven year feud with a public condemnation that is disturbingly similar to the one that Yuan Shao had Chen Lin write to condemn his former friend Cao Cao: to repeat the crime himself is more wretched still. And when his brother Shu needed aid as his false empire crumbled around him, Shao actually sent men led by his own heir to rescue him, after all that had transpired between them, which proves that to them, that life-consuming feud was just an amusing ‘power game’ for two bored, spoiled brats! And, dear Wenju, by doing so he aided the survival of a pretender to the throne: isn’t that treason in itself, brother or no, and the most wretched thing of all…?

Of course it is, Kong Rong protested, but-!

‘But’, ‘but’, ‘but’, Wang Lang heckled. "Yuan Shao conquered four provinces in his own name and aided his brother as he fled Yang Province - some say in exchange for the stolen Imperial Seal, just so that he could make his own claim to the throne. He then declared war on the appointed Excellency of Works - which, in truth, is declaring war on the court and Majesty - and employed a ragtag army of bandits, barbarians and rebels to serve as his army… which brings us neatly back to Liu Bei. You were here, Kong Rong, as was I: didn’t Liu Bei and an army of bandits and Yellow Turbans - cultists, plain and simple, whose shared life’s mission was to bring an end to Han rule and establish a theocratic dictatorship - repeatedly try to attack the capital while Cao Cao was in Guandu, and at Yuan Shao’s request…? Liu Bei started his career by fighting them for his sovereign, and ends it by fighting the sovereign at their side; that is farcical enough, but when Bei is known to want power, it is worse still, since he would, were he to become an emperor, be a Han emperor."

Kong Rong nodded silently.

Liu Bei had an audience with His Majesty after Lü Bu betrayed him, took Xu Province from him and chased him away; he received rank, had his disinheritance placed under review, and enjoyed the friendship of His Excellency Cao, who had every reason to hate him for past actions, Wang Lang continued. "And yet, despite such privilege, Liu Bei took the first opportunity to steal a borrowed army, seize the capital of Xu Province, kill the court-appointed governor of Xu and pledge allegiance to a tiny faction of rebels whose mandate was a blatantly forged Imperial edict crafted by Dong Cheng. Nobody made Liu Bei do that, Wenju. He chose to leave Xuchang, abandon the sovereign, ally with Yuan Shao and a host of criminals and heretics, and try to take Xuchang by military force. In what way, exactly, is Liu Bei a ‘victim of circumstance’…?

"Liu Bei now hides in the wastelands along the borders of Yu and Jing Provinces with the remnants of his bandit-and-cultist militia because he made bad choices. Yuan Shao, greedy fool that he is, was humiliated at Guandu despite a massive numerical and tactical advantage because he made bad choices. Neither man deserves your pity or support, Wenju: you are a loyal servant of the Han, while they are fugitive seditionists that will soon face divine retribution. They have far more to answer to their ancestors for than self-perceived mediocrity. They tried to seize the