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"'However, I will honor your proposal. Let diplomacy decide the fate of these lands. Let us meet in a neutral location, a small island south of the peninsula. My envoy will be sent with translators and full authority to speak on my behalf. We expect your side to bring a representative empowered to negotiate and speak the truth. We also expect you to name the foreign powers supporting the takeover of Baekje and Silla. Such transparency will prove your sincerity.'"
Chen Qun paused. "The queen ends with a respectful note, offering blessings and stating that she awaits our response."
Lie Fan tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the armrest of his seat.
Jia Xu chuckled darkly. "She plays the offended party while probing for information. Clever."
Xun You frowned. "This island... do we have knowledge of it?"
Jia Xu hearing that rubbed his beard. "The Oriole Agent has reported rumors from merchants and sailors about an island to the south of the peninsula. Fertile land. Strange customs. It matches what she described."
Lie Fan feigned contemplation. In his past life, he knew it as Jeju-Do, which would place Yamatai's domain was in the island of Kyushu. But here, now, that knowledge wasn't what he should reveal.
Lie Fan nodded. "Dispatch Oriole Agents already stationed in the peninsula. I want information on this island. Its population, geography, its waters, its vulnerabilities, and political structure."
Jia Xu gave a slight bow. "It will be done, Your Majesty."
Xun You leaned forward. "This presents an opportunity. A diplomatic channel will give us time. Perhaps even influence. If we manage it well, we may isolate Yamatai politically, Your Majesty."
Chen Qun set the scroll aside. "But we must tread carefully, Your Majesty. Queen Himiko is proud and clearly capable of action. If we seem duplicitous, it will be war."
Lie Fan's eyes narrowed. "Then we won't be duplicitous. But we will be cautious. Draft a letter. Accept the location. Confirm the meeting. And as for the 'foreign powers' she wants to be named..."
He smirked. "We name none. We simply say we will clarify at the meeting. Let them wonder. Let them suspect. It will buy us time."
A slow smile spread across Jia Xu's face. "And while her eyes are fixed on diplomacy..."
"Gongsun Gong continues consolidating the peninsula," Lie Fan finished. "By the time Himiko realizes the truth, it will be too late."
All three advisors nodded.
Lie Fan rose, his cloak sweeping behind him. "Prepare our envoy. Choose someone diplomatic but unyielding. Someone who will not be easily tricked by flattery or fear."
Chen Qun already had a name. "We should have Li Wei be the one, Your Majesty, after all, he is officially a very important official in Goguryeo as its controller. He's talented, sharp, and trained in both law and languages."
"Good," Lie Fan said. "Give him full authority. Arm him with knowledge. And station naval patrols near the island's waters without raising alarm. We don't want this to turn into a battlefield, yet."
As the council dispersed to fulfill their tasks, Lie Fan remained behind for a moment, staring out the open window at the gardens below.
He whispered to himself, "The seas stir now, not just the mountains. If Yi Province is the fire, then Yamatai is the wind. And I intend to command both."
Back in Zitong, under the rising sun, the transformation of the city was well underway. Barricades had become walls. Watchtowers rose higher each day. Veteran instructors turned new conscripts into disciplined fighters.
Yan Yan drilled squads from dawn till dusk. Zhang Ren personally oversaw logistics and defense construction. Fa Zheng alongside Zhang Song and Meng Da coordinated spies and traps in the surrounding regions.
Meng Huo's warriors had filled the forests with hidden terrors, stakes laced with poison, vines strung with sharp stones, decoys, and alarms. Meng Huo even had his tribesmen build a series of traps designed to collapse entire sections of road.
All of this preparation was done according to the strategy already made and in the hope that Zitong would become the bastion that halted Cao Cao and the Wei Army from advancing forward.
While Zitong lacked the towering cliffs and natural bottlenecks of Jianmen Pass, it compensated with scale, larger grounds for stationing soldiers, bigger storehouses for grain and arms, and broader streets now refitted into layered defensive lines.
The walls, though not hewn into mountains, were thickened with rammed earth, stone, and timber brought in from the countryside. Ditches were dug and filled with spikes, bridges narrowed and mined for demolition.
At this time the morning sun cast long shadows across Zitong's bustling streets, where the rhythmic clang of hammers on steel and the shouts of drill sergeants echoed without pause.
Yan Yan stood atop the newly raised watchtower, his grizzled face set in its usual scowl as he surveyed the sea of soldiers below. The fresh reinforcements, 100,000 from Chengdu, now bolstered by another 25,000, drilled under the watchful eyes of veteran officers.
Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da were astonished by the second wave of reinforcements. Liu Zhang's initiative surprised them, but more so, they suspected the Emperor himself had insisted on it.
That made these troops not just soldiers but a declaration from the throne. Whatever their origins, they were absorbed into Zitong's defenses swiftly. Veterans were placed as squad leaders, while fresh conscripts were drilled by Yan Yan's seasoned hands until they could march, shoot, and stab as one.
Spears flashed in disciplined formations, archers loosed volleys at straw dummies, and cavalry units practiced hit and run maneuvers.
"Liu Zhang actually sent more men," Zhang Ren remarked, joining him on the tower. His tone carried mild surprise. "I thought the man would clutch his remaining forces to his chest like a miser with gold."
Yan Yan snorted. "That's Emperor Xian's doing. The boy may be a former puppet emperor, but he's not stupid like Liu Zhang. If Zitong falls, Chengdu's next and so on the entire Yi Province."
Below them, veteran officers moved between units, their sharp eyes missing nothing. Some paused once in a while to correct a young soldier's stance, then moved on, always calculating, and always correcting wrong stances.
Zhang Ren followed Yan Yan's gaze. "You think it'll be enough?"
"Against Cao Cao?" Yan Yan spat to the side. "No such thing as 'enough.' But we'll make him bleed for every inch."
Far to the south, in the shadowed canopy of the jungles, a very different war council was taking place.
Where roots snaked through ancient soil and mist rose like breath from the earth, two armies met. The Sun Clan and Shi Xie's forces had advanced swiftly through foreign terrain, conquering barbarian tribes and absorbing small kingdoms in their wake. Their presence now loomed like thunderheads over the next great hurdle—Champa to the east, and Funan further south.
Inside a sprawling command tent surrounded by nearly 350,000 men, leaders from both forces had gathered. On one side sat the commanders of the Shi clan, Shi Xin, Shi Hui, and Shi Zhi, representing the power and ambition of Shi Xie.
Across from them stood the Sun brothers, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, flanked by the brains and fists of the Sun Clan, Zhou Yu and Lu Meng, alongside Ma Chao and Ma Dai.
The atmosphere was heavy with purpose.
Shi Xin, eldest son of Shi Xie and field commander of his father's army, broke the silence. "We've brought down small warlords and tribes, but Champa and Funan are different. These are true kingdoms. And our scouts confirm what we've heard, both hold great influence in the region."
Zhou Yu nodded slowly. "They are maritime kingdoms. Their strength lies not just in their lands but in their fleets. Dominance over sea trade routes has given them wealth... and formidable navies."
Lu Meng unfurled a rough but detailed map, its corners pinned by daggers. "Funan especially. Their ports are protected by layered harbors and shallow waters that make it difficult for large ships to approach. Their army isn't weak, but their investment lies in their ships."
Shi Zhi raised an eyebrow. "So we burn their ports and defeat their fleet. Let them come to us."
Zhou Yu tapped the table. "We could. But speed matters. If we allow them to regroup, we risk being stranded in foreign lands with a long supply line. That's why I propose this: The Sun Clan, with Ma Chao's elite cavalry and our navy, will strike southward and take Funan. Shi Xin will lead Shi Xie's army east to seize Champa."
The room fell quiet.
Shi Hui leaned forward, frowning. "That divides our strength. What if one front falters?"
Zhou Yu's voice remained calm. "We maintain communication through our messenger and birds. With rapid coordination, both attacks can unfold simultaneously. If one side succeeds first, they can reinforce the other."
Shi Hui glanced at his older brother. "Brother, are you fine with this?"
Shi Xin folded his arms. He considered his father's expectations, the Emperor's orders, and the military realities. "The Sun Clan's forces are more accustomed to rapid movements, naval warfare, and open terrain. Funan is the harder target. I will take on Champa.".
Shi Hui exhaled, unconvinced. "That means our side takes the easier prize. The rewards—"
"Are shared," Shi Xin interrupted firmly. "But delay means losses. If we split and strike, we can bring both kingdoms down faster. Then we consolidate and divide merit accordingly."
Sun Ce cracked a grin. "We didn't come all this way to bicker over merits. We came to win. His Majesty knows full well how to give out his rewards."
Ma Chao, leaning on his spear, nodded. "Let's take them down quick. Let the map be redrawn in the Hengyuan's Dynasty banner."
Zhou Yu looked between the brothers, reading their tension. "Then it's decided. I'll refine the attack plan tonight. General Shi Xin and the Shi Clan's forces will march east at dawn. The Sun Clan heads south by sea."
Lu Meng added, "We'll ensure the navy remains close to both fronts. To launch a set of surprises attack and make both kingdoms distracted, while then we launch our attack."
The command tent buzzed as aides rushed to transmit the final decisions. Maps were gathered, orders issued, and war drums sounded anew.
Outside, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, armored in southern steel, jungle leathers, or stripped down to light mobility gear, readied themselves for the next phase of conquest. The campaign to tame the southern kingdoms was now fully underway.
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0