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

“Sitting here will make us look weak to our Wuhuan allies!” Shen Pei cried.
“Rushing to confront Cao Cao and being routed again will make us look even weaker,” Cui Yan countered.
“I agree,” Xin Pi said. “We should show caution, at least until-”
“Caution isn’t an option!” Xun Chen heckled. “I speak as a man that has every reason to demand capitulation or compromise, for my brother and nephew are two of Cao’s leading counsel! But I advocate aggression because my duty to the Han comes first! Cao is the greatest villain under Heaven, and-!”
“And therefore we should just madly charge at his conspicuously understaffed camp at Anmin,” Cui Yan scoffed. “Oh, I’m certain that will end well…!”
Yuan Shao’s gaze darted back and forth as he tried to decide what to do.
“If we do not increase our presence at Cangting, we will look weak!” Guo Tu said. “Do you want us to look weak, Cui Yan?”
“Ayah… Did I say that we shouldn’t reinforce Cangting?” Cui Yan retorted. “I said that we shouldn’t blindly attack, not that we shouldn’t wisely defend!”
Xun Chen laughed and said, “But ‘defence alone’ is a sign of weakness: did Sun Tzu not say that…?”
A heated argument drew in more voices, and the noise became more and more incoherent; Yuan Shao lost his patience - and his temper - and shouted, “ENOUGH! Enough, enough, ENOUGH! I…! I… I just want to know what I should do, gentlemen! And the only thing that any of you can agree upon is the reinforcement of Cangting, so shouldn’t we do that and return to the finer points afterward???”
Guo Tu nodded silently.
“…I shall ready a force and hurry there at once,” Ju Hu said.

“Please, yes… do that, General Ju,” Yuan Shao groaned; once Ju Hu had left the court, Yuan Shao cupped his head in his hands and said, “Heaven spare me this ridiculous farce every time I want some answers… I wondered if the absence of Tian Feng and that treacherous bastard Xu Yòu might make a difference to the court, but no, it is as loud and confused as it ever was.”
“Don’t despair, Lord Yuan,” Guo Tu pleaded. “Victory is assured in the long term.”
“We have innumerable advantages over Cao Cao!” Pang Ji suggested. “Four provinces are yours to control, while Cao relies on bandits to hold Xu and must ingratiate himself with pirates to stop an attack from Yang!”
“…Is there any hope of an alliance with Sun Quan…?” Yuan Shao asked as he raised his head. “Is there any hope of that at all…?”
“…Not really, no,” Guo Tu admitted. “Sun Quan has closed his ears and eyes to everything but misplaced vengeance; even if you were to condemn Liu Biao and promise to destroy him after Cao is gone - which would be most unwise - I think that Sun Quan is predisposed to hating the Yuans.”
“Aye, well, my brother did me another wrong there by forgetting to properly nurture his tigers,” Yuan Shao chuckled miserably. “So it’s ultimately down to me and Liu Biao, isn’t it, since the Qiang are preoccupied and consider me to be ‘weak’ at the moment. I must show strength to win the tribes around… but does that mean taking unacceptable risks…?”

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