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

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Cao Cao laughed and said, “Fine! Well, I suppose that Li Qian’s sons are part of the force at the Xu border, in addition to my cousin Hong…”
“They are,” Cheng Yu replied. “I believe that they might have personally eliminated the men that killed their father. Li Dian, the younger one, is a natural officer and one to watch, so I understand.”
“Oh…?” Cao Cao exclaimed. “Well then, I shall look forward to him reaching his full potential! What of Yue Jin, Yu Jin, Han Hao, and-”
“Do you not see them among your officers here…?” Cheng Yu asked gruffly.
“…I do,” Cao Cao replied wearily. “Mister Cheng, you are especially cantankerous today. Xue Ti, Man Chong, Liu Yan, Mao Jie and Zao Zhi are administrating Dong Prefecture, I sense…”
“I will remain here, and either Wenruo or his nephew Gongda can accompany you, since there’s no need for both,” Cheng Yu suggested. “You have no need to take two geniuses to deal with one fool. As for officers - as per your earlier, unfinished question that I interrupted with my ‘cantankerousness’ - I would say that you can take your pick… the more that you take, the faster you’ll be back.”
“Very good!” Cao Cao chuckled. “When can we be ready to leave…?”
“Gongda and I were already preparing the supplies and ordering the regiments before you got back from talking to your muddled friend in Ji Province,” Cheng Yu replied. “Taking your own preparations and those of your chosen company into account, I’d say two days at the most, Lord Cao.”
“Very good indeed!” Cao Cao declared. “I’ll relish the opportunity to finally - and personally - put that troublesome barbarian to rest… permanently!”

“Liu Pi is behaving strangely, my lord.”

The Ru County nobleman, Yuan Shu, glared at the whole of his Jiujiang court with lofty, disparaging eyes before he answered his adviser Han Yin by saying, “What exactly do you mean by ‘strange’? He is a former Yellow Turban, is he not? Doesn’t ‘strange’ best describe his rabble?”
“He’s… he’s recruiting around Runan, but he doesn’t inform us of his whereabouts or intentions as he usually does,” Han Yin explained. “There is a concern that the famine has driven his faction back to their old ways, and-”
“That’s nonsense!” Yuan Shu scoffed. “We pay them well enough; why would he forfeit my patronage to don his headscarf and divide the peasants again?”
“Anger, frustration… desperation,” Han Yin said. “We should monitor their movements carefully.”
“…Alright,” Yuan Shu grumbled. “But there is one thing that those fanatics said that I cannot disagree with: change is coming. I will be at the forefront of that change, gentlemen! I will soon be ready to make my announcement to the world!”
The officials were as nervous as they always were, but they were as silent as always.
“And I hear that Cao Cao has moved west,” Yuan Shu prompted.
A second adviser said, “He has, Lord Yuan. Word is that the Yan rebellion is all but quelled now, so he is probably doing so to challenge Yufuluo’s advance through his northwest counties.”
“…That would make sense, Mister Yan Xiang,” Yuan Shu replied thoughtfully. “But Cao’s ‘cousin’ Xiahou Yuan - ‘Miaocai’ - is a stalwart guardian in those parts.”

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