“Intention”: War for the Han Frontier sample -- TPMThorne.com

“...Gentlemen, here is a man that explains why I must vanquish Cao Cao,” Yuan Shao declared. “This fine mind was, like me, a friend of the ‘Crafty Villain’, and being around fifteen years our senior we looked up to him. Zhongyuan has seen and felt the ‘Partisan Crisis’, Dong Zhuo’s tyranny, and he was Administrator of Mount Tai, where he fought Yellow Turbans and Zang Ba’s Bandits: his reward was being forced to flee when Cao Cao began his genocidal war with Tao Qian.”
“Mengde often writes and tries to justify his actions,” Ying Shao said. “Although I still call him by that familiar name for his kind and selfless efforts to save the so-called ‘Partisans’, he is sometimes a stranger to me. He invites me to his court in Xuchang, but I always politely refuse. I will stay here and finish my writings, Governor Yuan: I only ask that you make it safe for me to do so.”
“...Seeing you... brings back memories,” Yuan Shao replied sadly.

Yuan Shao retreated to his private study after the meeting; he was greeted by his principal wife, Lady Liu, and his younger sons, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.
“I am weary,” Yuan Shao admitted as he took his seat in the entertaining quarters as head of the household. “I did not envisage my grey-haired years as being like this.”
“What will you do, Father?” Yuan Shang asked.
“...You’re nigh on being a man now, Shang, and you, Xi, you are a man, though you are yet to experience any burdens,” Yuan Shao replied. “I’d not answer your question, normally, but I must. Your father must now risk everything in a last battle with Cao Cao. If I succeed, our place in history as the most loyal and respected of Han servants is assured; if I fail, then it will be up to you and your brothers to continue my efforts to reinvigorate our clan... or there will be no clan.”
“Is there no other way?” Lady Liu asked fearfully. “If you cannot win, then-”

“If I could not win, woman, then I would not fight!” Yuan Shao barked. “If I could not win, then I would get drunk, summon all of you into the bedroom and kill you all before I killed myself, like Gongsun Zan!”
Lady Liu took a tight hold of her son Yuan Shang’s arm and turned to leave the room.
“Release him at once,” Yuan Shao ordered. “He isn’t your suckling anymore, he’s my son.”
“...As you so wish,” Lady Liu muttered as she released Yuan Shang and continued her retreat; the lad turned to face his father and smiled encouragingly.
“You, Shang, only have a little longer to go before you’ll be a man!” Yuan Shao chuckled. “But my, what a man you’ll make; fine-featured, and showing signs of a statesman’s mind already.”
“My greatest desire in life is that you are proud of me, Father,” Yuan Shang replied.
“...And I, my sons, only want that you are proud of me,” Yuan Shao said soberly. “I will not let Cao Cao disgrace me further... I cannot... too much is at stake.”
“We... we’re proud of you, Father,” Yuan Xi said.
“...It is nice of you to say,” Yuan Shao replied. “But... but my ancestors... Yuan An, most of all... they will be looking down from the Heavens now, watching me, and... and I wonder... I wonder what... ... ...aiee.”

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