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Outside, the moon climbed higher, casting its pale light over the fractured land of China. Somewhere to the east, Lie Fan plotted his next move. To the north, the Xiongnu sharpened their blades and the Xianbei strengthened their defenses. And in Luoyang, a father and son shared a moment of admiration and teaching, to face for the storms to come in the future.
At this time, The candles in Cao Cao's study had burned low, their flickering light casting elongated shadows across the scroll strewn table. The air was thick with the scent of ink and the faint, lingering aroma of tea gone cold.
Outside, the night was still, the usual bustle of Luoyang subdued, only the occasional call of a night watchman or the distant bark of a couple of dogs broke the silence of Luoyang in the night.
Cao Ang had just bowed and taken his leave, the weight of their conversation still lingering in his father's mind, when the heavy oak doors creaked open once more. One by one, Cao Cao's most trusted advisors filed in, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, the quiet strategist; Cheng Yu, Jia Kui, Tian Feng, and Xu You.
They stood in a loose semicircle before him, their postures deferential but their eyes alight with urgency. There was a seat left, the one which Cao Ang had occupied the last, and none of them dared to sit uninvited in their lord's presence.
Cao Cao remained seated, his fingers steepled before him. The late hour and the sudden gathering told him this was no trivial matter. "You come at an unusual time," he remarked, his voice calm but edged with curiosity. "Speak. What requires my attention so urgently?"
Xun Yu stepped forward first, his usual composure taut with tension. "My lord, we have received troubling reports from the northern borders, the Xiongnu are mobilizing. They arm their warriors in secret and have sent covert requests for additional grain, enough to feed an army, not just their tribes."
A muscle twitched in Cao Cao's jaw. The Xiongnu had been useful allies, or more accurately, useful 'tools', in keeping the northern steppes under a semblance of control and he also needed their population. But tools, sometimes, when left unchecked, had a habit of turning in their wielder's hand.
A ripple of unease passed through the room. Guo Jia, leaning against a bookshelf with his ever present jar of wine untouched for once, added, "Our spies within the Xiongnu camps report unusual movements. Batu and Zolgar, the two chieftains we've been… managing—" he paused, his sharp eyes narrowing, "—have been holding private councils, excluding even their own chieftains. Whatever they plan, they don't wish for their own people to know of it yet."
Cao Cao's expression immediately darkened even more when he heard this. What should have been a very calculated gamble, a tool of control and population for his new plan outside the great wall that was trying to be reshaped into a thriving land for him, had grown out of leash.
He had given them a chance to live in his soon to be land, and allowed them to thrive under his silent protection and oversee, all while weaving their loyalty into a net of dependence. Now, it seemed the net was fraying.
"Foolish." The thought hissed through his mind. "I should have known at the end of the day, wild wolves cannot be tamed completely."
His knuckles whitened against the armrest of his chair. "So the wolves we fed are now baring their teeth at us." The words were quiet, but the fury beneath them was unmistakable. "I should have expected this. Nurturing barbarians is like raising tigers, convenient until they remember they have claws."
Xi Zhicai, folding his hands into his sleeves, with a measured tone says, "I proposed to let them scheme, my lord. Let them even act. Let them believe we are oblivious. The Xiongnu and Xianbei have long been at each other's throats, and we are the ones who pushed the Xianbei to attack before and the Xiongnu now wants revenge. We send all the supplies they request—"
"—we arm our own enemies," Xu You cut in skeptically.
Xi Zhicai's smile was thin. "We let them 'think' they are armed. Let them bleed each other dry. Then, when their strength is spent, we strike. The Han Dynasty once broke the Qiang this way, not with a single battle, but by letting them exhaust themselves first, and replace Batu and Zolgar with leaders more… amenable to my lord's interests"
Cao Cao's eyes gleamed. It was a ruthless plan, one that mirrored the Han Dynasty's subjugation of the Qiang decades prior. Let your enemies weaken each other, then sweep in to claim the spoils. He liked the plan proposed by Xi Zhicai.
Meanwhile, silence settled over the room as the advisors exchanged glances. The plan was sound, ruthless in its efficiency, perfectly aligned with their lord's own philosophy of expending the least effort for the greatest gain.
Tian Feng, who had been stroking his beard thoughtfully, finally spoke. "A sound strategy, but what of Yi Province? Liu Zhang's defenses are formidable, but even if our diplomacy plan was stumped by Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da, their army vigilance in the border wanes by the day. If we delay our southern campaign any longer, we risk losing the element of surprise."
Cheng Yu snorted. "Surprise? Liu Zhang doesn't know anything but his advisors Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da know we're coming. The only question is when." He turned to Cao Cao. "My lord, the Xiongnu are the greater threat. Left unchecked, they could control and rally the entire northern steppe against us. Lie Fan may be a dragon in the east, but even he cannot reach Yi Province before us. The Xiongnu, however, could burn our northern domain before winter ends."
The debate teetered on the edge of tension, southern expansion versus northern consolidation. Cao Cao closed his eyes, weighing the options. Lie Fan's shadow loomed large in his thoughts. The Ascendant Star. If he diverted resources north now, it would buy Lie Fan time in the east to do plan his expansion and implement it. But if the Xiongnu revolted unchecked…
A memory surfaced, a lesson in which he had just imparted to Cao Ang. "A ruler doesn't need to be the most cunning. He needs to know how to wield those who are to be wielded and not."
His eyes snapped open. "Xi Zhicai's plan is sound. Send the Xiongnu their grain, but mix it with rot. Enough to weaken, not starve. Let them march on the Xianbei believing themselves strong." He turned to Guo Jia. "Double the spies in Batu and Zolgar's camp. I want to know the moment the two of them make their move."
Then, to Tian Feng, "As for Liu Zhang… we play the waiting game a while longer. Let Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da guess as to when we begin their move. But prepare the troops quietly. When the Xiongnu are dealt with, we march west without delay."
The advisors bowed, their relief palpable. Yet as they turned to leave, Guo Jia lingered. "My lord… what if the Xiongnu suspect the tainted grain?"
Cao Cao's smile was icy. "Then we give them another distraction. Spread the word that the Xianbei are hoarding Han steel from trading with Han merchants, enough to arm every warrior in Xianbei and there are still leftovers, let greed do what suspicion would hinder."
Guo Jia's lips curled into a rare, genuine smile as he listened to Cao Cao's plan. The ruthless elegance of it, using the Xiongnu's own move against them, letting them charge into battle with weakened bodies while believing themselves strong, was precisely why he had pledged his life to this man.
"This is why I serve you," he thought, watching Cao Cao's sharp profile in the candlelight. "No hesitation. No mercy where mercy would be a weakness."
His mind wandered briefly to Lie Fan, the only other warlord in the land who might have understood such calculations. Had fate twisted differently, had he not met Cao Cao first... perhaps he would have sought him out. But that was a pointless thought. The die was cast long ago.
With a final bow, Guo Jia turned to leave, already mentally drafting orders for their spies. The game was afoot, and he intended to play his part flawlessly.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Lie Fan's domain at Xiapi, the Governor's Castle hummed with quiet intensity. The scent of sandalwood and parchment filled Lie Fan's office as Liu Ye and Huang Chengyan stood before him, their reports in hand concerning the progress of the technologies and techniques Lie Fan had given to them.
Lie Fan leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming lightly on the armrest. "Speak. How fare our projects?"
Liu Ye stepped forward first, unrolling a detailed schematic across the table. The intricate designs of the south pointing chariot were laid bare. "The building of the prototype is in progress, my lord. The craftsmen have finally grasped the gearing mechanisms and the resources needed according to the schematics. Within 2 months, we should have a working model to be tested."
Lie Fan's eyes gleamed. Such a device would render his armies unstoppable in unfamiliar lands and his navy in unfamiliar seas, with no more reliance on captured guides or uncertain stars. "And the furnaces?"
"The blasts are more complex, my lord." Liu Ye admitted. "The blast furnace design is sound in theory, but the materials… we're still refining the mix of ore and charcoal to maximize output without compromising the iron's quality. The cupola furnace, though—" He allowed himself a rare smile. "That will be ready within the month, my lord. Once it's operational, we can cast iron on a scale no other warlord can match, and the smiths are... enthusiastic, to say the least." A wry smile touched his lips. "They've started calling them 'dragon's bellies.'"
Lie Fan nodded. Good. Very good. He turned to Huang Chengyan. "And your work, Master Huang?"
Huang Chengyan cleared his throat, his aged hands presenting a series of clay tablets glazed in vibrant hues. "As for the other innovations, my lord, the advanced ceramics techniques have already borne fruit." He tapped a tile, its surface shimmering like captured moonlight. "This glaze is impervious to water, more durable than anything than what our artisans produce. The kiln masters are beside themselves."
Lie Fan picked up the tile, admiring its luster. "Good. Water resistant roofing for our granaries, then. It could also ensure the grain wouldn't go wet and then go bad. What else?"
"The improved weaving techniques are being tried as we speak my lord," Huang Chengyan continued. "And the weaving masters said that if they can do as what the scroll said, they can produce silk and hemp twice as fast, with finer thread. The dyers have also begun learning the new pigment formulas, where the years evspeculatedted that if they dine it right the colors won't fade, even after years in the sun."
Lie Fan nodded. Trade goods of unmatched quality would flood the markets, further filling his coffers. But his attention sharpened as Huang Chengyan added, "The improved techniques to build dam and irrigation are being applied currently, my lors. The craftsman, blacksmiths, and artisans who have said that the techniques can help them build a dam that even can withstand even the Yellow River's fury."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains
Age: 33 (200 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 1325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 951 (+20)
VIT: 613 (+20)
AGI: 598 (+10)
INT: 617
CHR: 96
WIS: 519
WILL: 407
ATR Points: 0