“Intention”: War for the Han Frontier sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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Lady Liu smiled shamelessly.
“He is not reckless, ill-tempered, hard-faced or lacking in statesman’s
talents like Tan, nor is he too soft-hearted, like Xi; Shang is handsome,
charismatic and confident, as today showed when he handled himself well in
conversations with my advisers,” Yuan Shao explained. “It goes against the
rules that many go by, however, rules that state that the eldest should become
the heir.”
Lady Liu’s smile disappeared.
“Those rules are the only reason that I, not Shu, became clan chieftain,
and they must remain,” Yuan Shao continued. “But Shang is smarter and more
statesmanlike than either of the other two, so I want him to a have a special
role, to somehow have chieftain-like influence over Tan when he inherits
everything: if I don’t ensure that Tan is on a leash, he’ll start attacking
people and ruin everything.”
Lady Liu smiled icily and said, “You know best, my lord. I’m sure that
you will resolve things well enough. Perhaps you should consult your advisers.”
“…Yes,” Yuan Shao replied. “I’ve had the same thought.”
Lady Liu retreated to the bedchambers, and Yuan Shao’s five consorts
cowered fearfully upon her arrival; Yuan Shao took up a jug of wine and drank
joylessly until he passed out. Lady Liu guessed that her husband would not last
for much longer, and that she would need more allies to ensure her son Shang’s
installation as the heir to the Ru County Yuan clan; she wondered who, besides
Shen Pei, would aid her quest as she returned to living quarters and watched
her husband’s frail body writhe and shudder from the nightmares that haunted
his sleep.
*************
14
Months passed.
Yuan Shao’s forces - guided by the forceful hand of Cui Yan - eventually supressed the rebellions in the four provinces and restored a fragile order. But Yuan Shao was a man damaged by the series of ignominious defeats that Cao Cao had inflicted upon him, and his health deteriorated rapidly.
“Poor Benchu…!” Cao Cao chuckled as he sat in his private meeting room
and read another report from spies in Ji Province. “Poor, poor old Benchu,
fading away like a shadow at the mercy of the morning sun…!”
“So you don’t pity him then…?” Guo Jia asked.
“…No,” Cao Cao replied.
“Then why did you hesitate…?” Guo Jia asked.
“…Alright, yes, I pity him,” Cao Cao admitted as he threw the report to
one side. “I laugh because he intended my death, but now, when I think that he
might die at any time, I… I wonder what went wrong. I wonder why we have ended
up as bitter enemies. And… and I wonder when I am destined to die.”