“Intention”: War for the Han Frontier sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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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.