“Turmoil”: Battle for the Han Empire sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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“…To die at the hands of bandits and Yufuluo’s renegades… my ancestors will laugh at me!” Cao Cao sobbed as he rode through unfriendly foliage. He had no choice but to avoid using the roads, but the way was more treacherous and tiring for his already-exhausted horse. “…Ah Man’s alone and tired, a horse his only friend; what better way for such a fool to meet his early end?” Cao Cao chuckled as his sanity started to fail him.
Xun Gongda and Dian Wei repelled the force around the deserted town, but it
was obvious that Cao Cao was still in danger.
“…I should not have underestimated them!” Xun Gongda cried.
“I will follow his intended route,” Dian Wei said.
“That’s… that’s best, General Dian,” Xun Gongda replied. “I
shall send search parties in other directions in case he had to deviate from that route.”
Dian Wei kicked his horse and had it gallop to the east.
“…Heaven forgive me, but this wasn’t my fault,” Xun Gongda whispered.
“His headaches are more pain to us than to him…”
Cao Cao happened upon a cottage as he fled: he dismounted, ran toward the
small house and started to pound on the door.
“Alright, alright!” a voice complained. “I’m coming, alright?”
“Hurry, please!” Cao Cao urged. “Your governor is here!”
“Governor…? Governor Cao Cao…?” the voice exclaimed.
“Wait… I know that voice,” Cao Cao realised. “…Qin Bonan…?”
The door opened, and a man of a similar age to Cao Cao immediately grabbed the governor’s arms and
said, “Mengde!”
“Please, I must get indoors, Bonan,” Cao Cao replied.
“You’re in trouble…?” Qin Bonan asked.
Cao Cao pushed his way past Qin Bonan and replied, “Yes. I only ask that you tell any passer-by that I
rode on; have you a servant that can unsaddle my horse and pretend it to be your own…?”
“Yes,” Qin Bonan said. “LAD! Come here!”
A servant boy ran into the living quarters and bowed humbly.
“Go and take the horse that’s outside around the back and remove everything from it, and
quickly,” Qin Bonan ordered. “Hide the saddle and harness as best you can.”
The boy retreated to complete his tasks.
“…Mengde…!” Qin Bonan whispered. “To think that we last met what, a
decade ago…? What a hero you’ve become…!”
“I disagree,” Cao Cao replied as he removed his dented battle helmet and dropped it to the floor.
“I’ve made a mess of things, Bonan. The Black Mountain Bandits and Yufuluo of the Xiongnu
are after me. My vanguard, my campaign adviser, my cousin Xiu, my bodyguards… might all be dead.”
Qin Bonan frowned and said, “What will you do…?”
“I don’t know,” Cao Cao replied; he was now haunted by what was a very familiar situation.
His eyes filled with tears, and he added, “You know that I would never hurt you or your family, Bonan.”
“Of course!” Qin Bonan said cheerfully. “Now you should be rid of all that armour, else
your pursuers will know who you are.”
“…Maybe six years or so ago, I was close to alone, just like this,” Cao Cao said
as he removed his cloak and arm guards. “I happened upon the house of a friend, just like this…”
“…Lü Boshe,” Qin Bonan sighed. “I have heard that story from Zhang Miao.
That villain told me that you killed Boshe’s family for no good reason, but I know you to be better than that.”
“I… panicked,” Cao Cao admitted. “He was not home, and-”
“Mengde, you need not explain the details,” Qin Bonan insisted. “Just be rid of your
armour, but keep your sword, obviously.”