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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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"So," Xiahou Yuan began, looking between Zhang He and his cousin, a look of sudden realization on his broad face. "What you're saying is... the reason we are losing is because our own Emperor, Cao Cao, is an arrogant man? That because he's so full of himself, that's why he's getting beaten by Lie Fan?"
There was a moment of absolute, frozen silence.
Zhang He, who had been in the middle of taking a breath, choked violently on his own saliva. He coughed, hacking into his fist, his eyes bulging as he looked at Xiahou Yuan in sheer disbelief.
Xiahou Dun closed his single eye and let out a long, suffering sigh that seemed to deflate his entire posture. Without looking, he reached out and delivered a sharp, ringing slap to the back of Xiahou Yuan's helmet.
CLANG.
"You idiot!" Xiahou Dun barked, the sound of the slap echoing slightly. "That is not what he meant! How do you even come to that conclusion you idiot?!"
Xiahou Yuan rubbed the back of his head, looking aggrieved. "But he said—"
"He meant," Xiahou Dun interrupted, speaking slowly as if to a child, "that Lie Fan is not an arrogant person. That despite his power, he remains cautious. That is why we cannot lure him into traps. That is why he turned back today instead of charging into our ambush. It has nothing to do with our Lord's character! It is about Lie Fan's lack of weakness!"
"Oh," Xiahou Yuan blinked, the realization dawning on him. He looked sheepishly at Zhang He, who was still recovering from his coughing fit. "Oh. I see."
He bowed his head slightly in an awkward apology. "Sorry, General Zhang He. I... uh... I interpreted that wrongly. My mistake."
Zhang He waved a hand weakly, finally catching his breath. He sighed, shaking his head. He knew Xiahou Yuan. The man was a ferocious warrior, a tiger on the battlefield, but subtlety was not his weapon of choice. He was brash, reckless, and had a skull thicker than the walls of Tong Pass.
"It is fine, General Xiahou Yuan, Apology accepted." Zhang He murmured, resignation in his voice. "I should have spoken... more plainly."
The three men rode in silence for a moment, the gravity of their situation settling over them. They were retreating. Their last fortress had fallen. They and their emperor now fleeing to the capital.
Their enemy was not just powerful, but patient, strategic, and seemingly immune to the fatal flaws that had brought down every previous challenger to his rise.
Xiahou Dun finally spoke, his voice heavy. "We have to find a way. Not just to survive, but to change the equation. Lie Fan may not have the arrogance of Lu Bu or Xiang Yu, but no man is without weakness. We just haven't found his yet."
Zhang He nodded slowly. "Perhaps. Or perhaps his weakness is not personal, but structural. He has built an empire on speed, on shock, on the relentless application of superior force. But empires built on speed can be fragile. A delay here, a reversal there, they can unravel. We must look for the threads."
Xiahou Yuan, for once, did not offer a brash counterpoint. He simply stared back down the road towards the distant, invisible walls of Tong Pass, and nodded.
While the Wei generals bickered amidst the dust of their retreat, miles to the east, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The return journey to Tong Pass was a blur of motion. Lie Fan rode Pangu hard, the great stallion eating up the miles. The adrenaline of the battle was fading, replaced by the cold, calculating mind of the ruler.
They passed the debris of the earlier fighting, the pockets of resistance he had crushed on the way out were now silent, the Hengyuan infantry having fully secured the area.
The walls of Tong Pass loomed ahead, a massive silhouette against the sky. It was a fortress that had defined the balance of power for generations, and now, the Black Dragon banner fluttered triumphantly from its highest watchtowers.
They rode through the carnage of the western approach, hooves clattering over broken stones and discarded weaponry. As they neared the main gate, the massive doors groaned open to welcome their master back.
Lie Fan did not slow down until they were well inside the courtyard. He reined in Pangu, the horse skidding to a halt, flanks heaving, steam rising from its coat in the cool air. The twenty thousand cavalrymen behind him began to filter in, filling the captured fortress with the noise of victorious soldiers, men laughing, armor clinking, horses whinnying.
But at the base of the command platform, a small group of men stood waiting. They were not cheering.
It was Lie Fan's inner circle of advisors, Sima Yi, Chen Deng, Zang Hong, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu. They stood in a line, their robes stained with the dust of the campaign, their faces a mixture of immense relief and evident frustration.
Lie Fan swung his leg over the saddle and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. His boots crunched on the gravel. Immediately, Chao Bo, Chao Bai, Huang Chao, and Zhang Mancheng dismounted, stepping in close, their eyes still scanning for threats even here, inside the walls.
Further back, Xu Rong and Zang Ba signaled for the cavalry regiments to hold. They kept the men back, creating a perimeter of respect, allowing the Emperor to speak with his current war council.
Lie Fan unclasped his helmet, pulling it off to reveal his sweat matted hair. He took a deep breath, savoring the air of the conquered pass. He walked toward his advisors, a faint smile on his lips.
"We have the pass," Lie Fan said, his voice raspy from shouting orders. "The road to Chang'an is open."
He looked at them, expecting reports on the logistical consolidation or the casualty counts. instead, he was met with silence.
He paused, brow furrowing. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Why are you all standing here?"
Sima Yi stepped forward. The Wolf of the Sima clan did not look impressed. His sharp eyes bore into Lie Fan, and he crossed his arms within his sleeves, his posture rigid.
"Your Majesty," Sima Yi began, his voice cool and cutting, slicing through the ambient noise of the army. "You ask why we are here? We are here to see if our Emperor has returned, or if we needed to prepare a state funeral."
Lie Fan blinked. "Zhongda..."
"Why," Sima Yi continued, his voice rising slightly, losing its usual icy composure and revealing the genuine fear he had felt, "did His Majesty see fit to pursue Cao Cao personally? With only twenty thousand cavalry? Into the unknown terrain of the west?"
Sima Yi gestured angrily toward the open gate. "The risk was astronomical! You are the Emperor! The pillar of the Heavens! You are not a vanguard general anymore. If you had fallen into a trap... if a stray arrow had found its mark... everything we have built, everything these soldiers have bled for, would crumble in an instant."
Chen Deng and Xu Shu nodded in agreement behind Sima Yi, their faces stern.
"The strategic value of capturing Cao Cao is immense, yes," Sima Yi pressed on, relentless. "But the risk of you leading the charge yourself? It is a gamble an Emperor does not make. It was reckless, Your Majesty. Too big a risk."
Lie Fan looked at Sima Yi, then at the concerned faces of Pang Tong and Zang Hong. He saw the genuine worry in their eyes. They weren't just advisors protecting an asset, they were men terrified of losing their leader, their friend.
Lie Fan let out a long breath, the adrenaline finally leaving his system completely. He looked down at his blood spattered armor, then back at Sima Yi.
"The opportunity was there," Lie Fan said quietly, though he lacked the fire to argue the point strongly. "But... I saw the trap. I turned back."
"You shouldn't have been there to see it Your Majesty," Sima Yi countered sharply, though his shoulders slumped slightly, the relief finally overtaking the anger. "You should have been here, safe behind the walls you just conquered, letting Zang Ba and Xu Rong take the risk because it is their job to do so."
Lie Fan nodded slowly. He handed his helmet to Zhang Mancheng and stepped forward, placing a hand on Sima Yi's shoulder.
"You are right, Zhongda," Lie Fan admitted, his voice sincere. "The hunter in me took over. It won't happen again."
He looked around at the circle of brilliant minds he had gathered. "We have Tong Pass. We have broken their rear guard. Now... let us plan the fall of Chang'an properly. From here."
Sima Yi let out a long, shuddering sigh, the tension finally leaving his frame. He bowed deeply, followed by the others.
"As long as Your Majesty understands," Sima Yi muttered, straightening up. "Welcome back, Your Majesty. Tong Pass is yours."
"The pass is secure, Your Majesty," Sima Yi continues, smoothly transitioning to the immediate situation. "The last pockets of the Wei rearguard are being eliminated as we speak. Our casualties are significant but manageable. The inner keep is intact enough to serve as a command post. We have already begun cataloguing captured supplies and equipment."
"And Cao Cao's retreat?" Lie Fan asked, though he already knew much of the answer.
"Disorganized and bloody," Pang Tong supplied with evident satisfaction. "Your cavalry charge shattered their rear echelon completely. Supply wagons overturned, communications severed, thousands of stragglers cut off and either killed or captured. Our scouts report that the main body of the Wei army has halted several miles west to regroup. They are not advancing, but they are no longer fleeing in panic. Their generals have apparently restored some semblance of order."
"Good," Lie Fan said. "They will need that order for the long road ahead. And the longer they take to reach Chang'an, the more time we have to prepare our own advance."
He turned and looked westward, towards the setting sun and the distant, invisible city that now represented the final act of this long war. "Tong Pass is ours. The road to Chang'an is open. Cao Cao is wounded, desperate, and his grand strategy of consolidating his western armies is in shambles. But he is not yet defeated, and a cornered wolf is still dangerous."
He faced his advisors and generals. "Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we ensure everything is prepared. The day after, we begin the methodical work of transforming this fortress from a battlefield into a forward operating base. We will need supplies, reinforcements, and a careful plan for the final march."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over them all. "But tonight, we honor our fallen, we tend our wounded, and we allow ourselves a moment to recognize what we have achieved. Tong Pass has stood for generations as the eastern shield of the Wei heartland. It has never fallen to direct assault. Today, it belongs to Hengyuan."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0