“Intention”: War for the Han Frontier sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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“We were here, so close to Jing…!” Liu Bei lamented. “The sweet, safe
air of the place was within a day’s march… and I turned us back to be
slaughtered at Runan!”
“We showed great courage,” Mi Zhu suggested. “That might improve our-”
“Improve what, Zizhong?” Liu
Bei interrupted. “I had hundreds of men, a small cavalry, and four great
generals! Now I have one general, a handful of men, and nothing to show for
it!”
“But we resisted the ‘Hero of Chaos’ and survived,” Mi Zhu retorted. “I
don’t believe that Yunchang, Yide and Zilong are dead, any more than I believe
that my brother is dead.”
Liu Bei’s anger gave way to embarrassment; he smiled awkwardly and said,
“Forgive me, Zizhong, for failing to acknowledge your brother’s absence.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” Mi Zhu insisted. “They are all alive. I
know it. And now we’re going to Jing. They’ll cross the border and head for
Xinye as planned, and so will we.”
“But what about Cao Cao…?” Mister Sun fretted. “What if he pursues us
over the border and-?”
“If he intended such a thing, he’d have waited until we crossed in order
to give him the excuse to invade Jing,” Mi Zhu replied. “He can’t invade Jing,
not for now at least; he’s got to go back to his capital, and then maybe back
to the front against Yuan Shao, who still lives, has a base in Cangting and
commands close to a quarter of a million men. That battle isn’t over.”
Liu Bei nodded and said, “You are right as always, Zizhong. If only I’d
heeded your advice and crossed into Jing before.”
“And if only I’d seen the futility of remaining in Yu Province,” Mister
Sun sighed. “I should like to go ahead and meet with Liu Biao’s court, assess
their feelings.”
“Do that,” Mi Zhu said. “We can’t be sure that this attack won’t scare
Liu Biao into reneging on his previous promise.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Liu Bei gasped. “Go at once, Mister Sun, and ensure
that we are still welcome!”
Mister Sun bowed to the ensemble and rode away at speed.
“…Well,” Jian Yong sighed, “the-”
“No jokes!” Liu Bei barked.
“…‘The path is ahead of us’, I was about to say, and only fate can know
whether we’re supposed to get where we want to go,” Jian Yong continued. “This
proves one thing for certain: one way or another, Xuande, we need our own Guo
Jia.”
“Quite,” Mi Zhu murmured. “To get an army here to smash us with no
warning, at such speed… when he faces the threat of a humiliated Yuan Shao
bearing down on him from the north… is brave and, for me at least, unexpected.
A sharper mind might have foreseen it, planned for it… countered it, perhaps,
with the same brilliance that saw Cao Cao defeat Yuan Shao at Guandu.”
“We’ll make it our priority, as I have said so many times before,” Liu
Bei promised. “I need a genius if I am to save the Han… and by whatever means,
I will gain one.”
Jing Governor Liu Biao summoned Kuai Yue, Wang Can and Huan Jie to his
private meeting room upon learning of Liu Bei’s arrival in Jing Province.
“Any word on your brother’s condition…?” Liu Biao asked of Kuai Yue, who
smiled sadly and shook his head in response; Liu Biao lowered his gaze and
added, “I hope he recovers… selfish though the thought is, I need his brilliant
mind.”
“Defeating Liu Bei needs no brilliant mind,” Wang Can said. “It-”