Season One: The Story

[Wei Guozhi]

The Story Season One

After 400 years of prosperity, the once renowned and powerful empire of Han succumbed to the insurgence led by Zhang Jue and his brothers. Their defeat, which was not totalled until after the call of arms, did little to restore the order of the Han, as new bandits, rebellions and provincial leaders scattered out in a sea of conquest.

Emperor Ling, stripped of power by the very eunuchs his ancestors had established, now carried the burden of the country. His eunuchs had the majority of the power, and through their own decrees - dispatched foes or rivals at will. Emperor Ling, in fear of his own life and empire, ordered for He Jin to take up regency, and He Jin, who had been the commanding officer against the Yellow Turban Rebellion, was more than happy to help.

He started first by removing the authority of the Eunuchs, who, in their plight – sought the shelter of the Emperor's mother. Then, he ordered Dong Zhuo to come to the capital, to help reinforce his position. He had been warned by Cao Cao of Chen Liu and Yuan Shao of He Bei not to trust Dong Zhuo, but...in all his glory – He Jin fell for Dong's sincere plea of aide, and the general of Liangzhou was permitted entry, where his army of tens of thousands pitched camp.

He Jin then went on to remove the Eunuchs, but after being deceived by one of them, he became the target of an assassination, and the empire fell to despair. It was at this time that Dong Zhuo took control of matters, and with the Eunuch’s dead (partly by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who had thrown themselves at the Eunuchs upon hearing of He Jin's death) no one was in a position to stop Dong Zhuo from achieving his plans.

His first move was to remove Emperor Ling, and the former emperor was killed along with his mother. His little brother, Liu Xie, took the throne – and became Emperor Xian, who Dong Zhuo pretended to support. As Xian was only a child, Dong Zhuo took up regency, and eventually titled himself as Imperial father, a rank that far surpassed even chancellor or prime minister.

With no one opposing him, Dong Zhuo hired many talented strategists and warriors, and his army soon tripled in size. It was then that Cao Cao, Ma Teng, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao and others banded together to repel this tyrant from office.

The two major coalition battles that ensued were to be Si Sui and Tiger Trap. Si Sui was a victory for the alliance, with Hua Xiong having been defeated by Sun Jian. Tiger Trap however led to the end of the coalition, as general Lu Bu of Dong Zhuo's army kept the alliance in check. Soon, internal struggles and disputes resulted with the coalition coming to an abrupt end, and Dong Zhuo's army retired back within it's cities walls.

With no one capable of defeating Dong Zhuo, many of the lords retired to their own provinces to build an army in hopes of defeating him, but none were to succeed. Instead, Lu Bu, the high general of Dong Zhuo's army, was forced into a trap set-up by Ministers Wang Yun and Ba Zeng, and he was soon found betrothed to an adopted daughter of a minister. Confused, but bewildered by the woman’s elegance and beauty, Lu Bu soon found himself his soul-mate, and the two were to spend their lives together when she was taken away by his master, Dong Zhuo.

Decieved, Lu Bu went to Wang Yun and Ba Zeng, and they told him that it was but a misunderstanding. Upon visiting Dong Zhuo, it was soon obvious what Zhuo had intended for the woman, and...enraged – Lu Bu threw himself at Dong Zhuo, killing him and his nearby servants.

With the Han Empire restored, Lu Bu was promoted to General of Martial Might, and with his army he left the palace and sought shelter with Yuan Shao. Meanwhile, the city was over-run by remnants of Dong Zhuo's force, and Wang Yun was killed. The Emperor was once again abducted, and the empire fell apart as quickly as it had been restored.

Cao Cao moved to intercept Li Jue and Guo Si, whilst Lu Bu set his sights upon the territory of Tao Qian and Liu Bei. After fleeing south from the Yuan family, he sought refuge within Xiao Pei, and late betrayed his new master by ransacking the city. Disheartened, Liu Bei fled the scene with his brothers, making his way to Liu Biao to seek refuge.

Sun Jian, who, after the battle of Tiger Trap, retired to shis camp, found that an old imperial box had been discovered at the nearby shrine, and upon closer inspection – revealed it to be the Imperial jade Seal. With his own ideals back in the south-land, Sun Jian fled for his homeland, but was eventually intercepted and killed by Liu Biao's army, who had received a letter from Yuan Shao regarding the Seal.

Sun Ce, Sun Jian's eldest son, took up arms in his fathers stead, and moved his army to Lu Jiang, where he was denied entry and out-caste by the local authorities. Disheartened, he attempted to seek employment with Yuan Shu, who embraced him eagerly. After some time, Sun Ce had acquired Yuan Shu's trust, and was permitted to lead a few thousand troops to take Lu Jiang for the kingdom. With Lu Jiang captured, Sun Ce sought to claim his independence from Yuan Shu, and planned to use the Imperial seal in exchange for troops.

Although hesitant at first, Yuan Shu soon gave in to Sun Ce's demand, and Sun Ce was established within a city of his own. With only a handful of soldiers at his disposal, he allied himself with Yuan Shu and promised to repay the debt.

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Chronological order of Events

• 184: The Yellow Turban Rebellion was founded, in the name of Zhang Jue and his two brothers Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao.
  
• 185: Zhang Jue and his brothers invaded Jizhou as well as countless other regional districts. Their armies numbered as high as half a million soldiers when the rebellion reached its peak.
  
• 186: He Jin, along with Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, took up arms to fight off the Yellow Turbans. The result ended with a victory, and the brothers were forced to divide their armies between the northern provinces. Liu bei, along with his brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei sought the protection of hsis old friend, Gongsun Zan.
  
• 187: Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan and Dong Zhuo defeated and killed Zhang Jue. Huangfu Song killed Zhang Bao and enraged by the death of his two brothers, Zhang Liang sent the remaining armies to fight Cao Cao and Sun Jian. Zhang Liang was slain two days after the battle was initated by a stray arrow. The Turbans were forced to disband with no one left to lead them.
  
• 188: He Jin took up regency on behalf of Emperor Ling. Dong Zhuo moved his armies south to the capital.
  
• 189: He Jin was slain and the Eunuchs were killed a week later. Dong Zhuo took over the capital.
  
• 190: The war of the iron whale commenced. Dong Zhuo is defeated at Si Sui. Hua Xiong flees west.
  
• 191: Dong Zhuo's reign increases. The people are slaughtered. Tiger Trap commences, Lu Bu defeats the coalition and brings victory to Dong Zhuo. The coalition disbands. Sun Jian heads south, but is intercepted and killed by Liu Biao. Sun Ce mourns.
  
• 192: Tricked by Ba Zeng ansd Wang Yun, loyal ministers of the Han, Lu Bu slays Dong Zhuo and moves his army to the central plains. Cao Cao attacks Tao Qian, but is forced to retreat after recieving order from the Emperor. Liu Bei protects Tao Qian's territory.
  
• 193: Lu Bu camps at Xiao Pei. Liu Bei invites Lu Bu to help govern the city after Tao Qian dies of old age and illness. Lu Bu betrays Liu bei and takes the city. Liu Bei fleess south with his brothers. Sun Ce josins Yuan Shu, and later exchanges the Imperial Seal for a few thousand soldiers.
  

[Adam]

The Fall of Tribal Warlords/Season One

Gongsun Zan’s Demise

It was not long after the eyes of Cao Cao headed towards Wan that Yuan Shao moved his own forces in the opposite direction. Gongsun Zan and the Yuan family had long been at war and conflict with one another, both pertaining that the north belonged rightfuly to their own brood. Many skirmishes occured on their borders over the land ownership and things only heated up after Gongsun Zan begun a large scale campaign against the city of Nan Pi.

In response a force led and masterminded by Tian Feng succeeded in repelling the risky attack before any real significant damage could be taken. It was then that with orders to strike out freely that the dangerous warriors Yan Liang and Wen Chou stampeded through the battlefield, backed up by cleverly deployed troops of Tian Feng’s, that Gongsun Zan was cut down from his horse during retreat.

Without their mighty leader the land of Bei Ping and later Ji were easy pickings.


Wu Wei’s Misjudgements

Ma Teng was for long considered a very dangerous enemy by Li Jue. Their blend of deadly warriors and expert cavalry units kept the forces of Chang An at bay. Overconfidence at his position brought Ma Teng to try and expand into the lands north and west of Wu Wei, areas outside of China. Met with more than able resistance the warlord met several defeats in the field of war, this only weakening his current state.

News reached Chang An and finally a decree was given for Ma Teng’s destruction. The other lords of China ignored the pleas for war and many were even fuelling their own campaigns, noteably Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Ce respectfully. It was up to the forces of Guo Si that struck forth under order and cautiously dismantled the unpredictable forces of the Ma Family and their allies.

Captured and put before Li Jue, the former lord of Xi Liang was not allowed his usual rights and was sentenced to death. It was rumoured to have been Li Jue’s own weapon that finally ended the man’s life.

Rise of Liu Bei and Sun Ce

From the modest Xin Ye to the mighty Cheng Du

Liu Bei had always been renowned as a great danger to many. Officers and the people seemed to flock to his course, even the mastermind Zhuge Liang, many who considered to be the finest strategist of the coming era. His position was difficult however and it was only through the friendship and alliance with Liu Biao that he finally moved away from the humble city of Xin Ye and found a stepping stone he had long been waiting for, Yong An.

It was tough to go against his family, but finally under months of pressure from his officers and most trusted advisors he permitted the campaign into Liu Zhang owned Shu, a distant relative of Liu Bei’s who possessed a dangerous blend of well trained minds and deadly warriors. Liu Bei had his own brilliant generals and the two locked horns at Cheng Du.

It was the acts of a brilliant strategy from Pang Tong and the inspirational acts of Xuande’s warriors that left Cheng Du’s forces retreating for Zi Tong. A month later and another battle occurred not far outside Zi Tong and the forces of Liu Bei gained a much easier victory. Granted his life, Liu Zhang left politics and began a new chapter of his life in Cheng Du, whilst many of his officers joined the new ruler of Shu.


The Conqueror is little no more.

Sun Ce was known as a warrior before a ruler, but that did not quell his dreams and ambitions. With an army granted to him by Yuan Shu it was ineviable the young and cunning lord would use it to gain what he and his family had always wanted; a land to call their own and bring around their own claim to the land.

The new capital of Sun Ce’s, Jian Ye had been taken over from rebel forces, but the main conflict occured in the Wu territory. Finding considerable forces to fight again the forces of Sun Ce had to think long and hard on how to combat the new threat. Sheer cunning from Ce’s oath brother Zhou Yu brought several blows to the enemy forces, but still that was not enough to break the iron grip one in particular held.

Sun Ce rode forth and combated the opposition general, Taishi Ci and for many rounds the two dueled with no obvious winner and still through it all their allied forces continued to battle it out. The sound of retreat bellowed in the air and all around him Taishi Ci saw his allied forces withdrawing from the battlefield, the sudden lack of concentration gave Bofu the perfect chance and he knocked the man from his horse and to the ground.

Hui Ji and Chai Sang soon came under the domination of Ce’s forces soon after and after their duel Taishi Ci swore allegience for Sun Ce and together the two warriors looked a dangerous force.

Cao Cao’s Unlikely Ally

Yuan Shu strikes

The conquest of Wan had occured without the ease Cao Mengde had originally foreseen. Instead the battle held a massive toll over the future Wei forces who were forces to consolidate their forces for some time, enabling Liu Bei’s ascent to power in the process. Reports flooded in about Yuan Shu’s advance into Ru Nan and the fatigued Cao Cao grew paranoid that the ruler of Shou Chun would soon move his eyes towards Xu Chang.

At that time Lu Bu and Yuan Shu had a close friendship between their forces and things looked dire for a depleted Cao Cao. Finally light shon through the near-impossible position they found themselves in, Chen Gong a former advisor of Cao Cao’s and now Lu Bu’s arrived in Xu Chang with a message ‘join forces with my Lord Lu Bu and together the threat of Yuan Shu will be removed’. It was dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous risk Cao Cao would ever take, but reluctantly he agreed.

Yuan Shu was forced to split his forces between the newly claimed Ru Nan and his previous bastion of power Shou Chun and the combined forces of Cao Cao and Lu Bu struck at both locations, effectively halving Yuan Shu’s power in each battle. They still came upon extreme resistance from the cunning warlord.

Shou Chun was first to fall after Lu Bu had grown tired of the mind games his own strategist Chen Gong used against Yuan Shu’s and an unpredicatle move from the finest warrior in the land resulted in one of the most amazing victories in that time period. Weeks later it was reported Ru Nan too had fallen and the rabble that was Yuan Shu’s forces were brought before Cao Cao and Lu Bu who stood to decide their fates.

Over-riding Cao Cao’s advisor’s words, Lu Bu struck a stinging blow to Yuan Shu’s hopes of life. ‘He betrayed me, he wanted to betray Sun Ce of the south and he would do the same to you.’ Unable to look past the words of Lu Bu’s who so perfectly described himself more so than the man they were planning to kill, Cao Cao gave thought for a few brief moments. ‘Fine, do what you will Fengxian, betrayal will always catch up on those who commit it.’

Cao Cao’s land had been given a fine boost with the aquisition of Ru Nan and the alliance with Lu Bu who gave his forces a much needed hand, but still Cao Cao could not dispel his worries that he had disposed a much smaller threat than he had given rise to with Lu Bu.