“Turmoil”: Battle for the Han Empire sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne

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6

Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Mister Sun gathered a small force and travelled west to the settlement of Xiaopei, where Lü Bu had settled temporarily: they were met at the gates of the field camp by two of Lü Bu’s subordinates.
“Welcome, Governor Liu,” Chen Gong said with a humble bow. “I am Chen Gong, and this is General Zhang Liao.”
“Your presence is appreciated, Governor Liu,” Zhang Liao said as he bowed to each of the three main visitors in turn: Guan Yu bowed slightly in response and studied the tall, imposing Zhang Liao as though he were a strategic text.
“I have with me Mister Sun Qian and my ‘right arm’, Guan Yu,” Liu Bei explained as he gestured toward his followers.
Guan Yu… ah, yes, I have heard of Guan Yunchang,” Chen Gong admitted. “Your face is not as red as I had heard, but your long beard is as magnificent.”
Guan Yu bowed slightly and silently.
“Mister Chen,” Mister Sun hailed. “You are one of the masterminds behind the rebellion against the villain Cao Cao, are you not…?”
“Sadly, yes,” Chen Gong replied. “…I say ‘sadly’ because it failed, and many good men, like the benevolent Zhang Miao of Chenliu, are missing, most likely dead, and we achieved nothing.”
“But it saved Xu Province,” Liu Bei suggested. “For that, you have my eternal gratitude, Mister Chen Gong. Your noble actions were brave, and they will surely earn you praise for all time.”
Chen Gong smiled sheepishly and said, “I am not entirely sure whether I should be praised so highly, because I do not know entirely what I was trying to achieve, Governor. Was I trying to save Xu Province…? …I suppose I was. Cao Cao had turned from man to monster, and he had to be stopped… whether we stopped him for Xu Province or for what we feared he would do in the future, I cannot say. But enough of this! Surely we should hurry to Lord Lü, so that he can thank you for your aid in this dark hour.”

Liu Bei nodded silently, and Chen Gong led the visitors to Lü Bu’s command tent; Guan Yu focussed his attentions on Zhang Liao, since any plot would doubtless involve a man of his obvious strength and stature. As Liu Bei and Mister Sun entered the command tent, Guan Yu turned to Zhang Liao and said, “Your master is renowned for his treachery… yet in your countenance I sense honour and pride. How is it that you serve such a man…?”
Zhang Liao smiled and replied, “He is my lord, Mister Guan.”
“You should seek a better lord in the future,” Guan Yu retorted.
     “Xuande!” Lü Bu cried as he saw Liu Bei for the first time.
“…Lü Fengxian,” Liu Bei replied uneasily: Lü Bu was physically intimidating, and travellers’ stories suddenly came back to him.
“I sense a weakness in your voice, born of fear, but you need not fear!” Lü Bu chuckled. “I am your brother, Xuande, because of what you have done for me! You have allowed me to come here and live, even after all that I have done.”
“What you heard was not weakness, but emotion,” Liu Bei insisted. “I have long heard about Lü Bu, the noble vassal of Ding Yuan, who was so cruelly swayed from the light by Dong Zhuo’s honeyed words… your redemption was achieved by slaying the tyrant, and you will be a legend for certain.”
Lü Bu’s smile was replaced by a solemn frown.
“I had heard of your great strength, your unmatched skill in all individual athletic exploits, and your heroism against the Black Mountain Bandits, both before and after the fall of Luoyang,” Liu Bei continued. “We in Xu owe you much for your actions in Yan.”

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