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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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And Sima Yi, his dark eyes glittering with the ruthless, calculating joy of mapping a new conquest, bowed their heads so deeply they touched the black obsidian floor. "We hear and obey, Your Imperial Majesty!" the three titans roared in perfect unison. "The banners of Hengyuan shall cross the sea! The east shall fall!"
Lie Fan looked down from the elevated dais, the jade beads of his imperial crown clicking softly as he offered a slow, deeply satisfied nod. The sheer, terrifying enthusiasm radiating from the three greatest military minds of the continent was palpable. It was a potent reminder of why the Hengyuan Dynasty had swallowed the earth, its commanders were never satiated.
"Rise, my loyal commanders," Lie Fan instructed, his voice a low, resonant rumble that carried perfectly across the hushed expanse of the Grand Court Hall. "Your zeal honors the Dragon Throne. However, zeal without a meticulous blueprint is merely a swift path to the bottom of the ocean. I do not want a reckless armada thrown blindly against unknown shores. I want a comprehensive, foolproof plan of action. I want a detailed framework of the movements, the supply lines, and the initial coastal footholds you intend to establish for this eastern expansion."
Lie Fan leaned back against the golden dragons carved into his throne, resting his hands lightly upon his knees. His gaze shifted specifically to the Minister of War.
"To achieve this, Sima Yi, you must not work in the dark," Lie Fan suggested, his tone shifting from an imperial command to the strategic cadence of a battlefield commander. "You must coordinate directly with Li Wei."
At the mention of that name, a knowing, almost wolfish smile touched the corners of Sima Yi's mouth.
The rest of the court remained largely silent, though a few of the highest ranking intelligence officials exchanged subtle glances. Li Wei was a fleshed figure within the imperial records, a phantom architect of Hengyuan's geopolitical dominance.
He was a man whose name was rarely spoken in the illuminated halls of the capital, precisely because his work was conducted entirely in the deepest, bloodiest shadows of the eastern frontiers.
"As you well know, Zhongda," Lie Fan continued, addressing Sima Yi by his courtesy name, "Li Wei's work in the east has been nothing short of a masterpiece of statecraft. You mentored him. You honed his brilliant, ruthless mind before I dispatched him across the northern borders. And because of the foundation you helped him build, he has delivered us an entire peninsula without the main imperial army ever having to cross the Yalu River."
The Emperor's words painted a vivid, chilling picture of the brutal shadow war that had raged alongside their conquest of the central plains. Li Wei had been executing a flawless, multi year infiltration of the Goguryeo royal court.
Through a terrifying combination of bribery, assassinations, and carefully orchestrated political marriages, Li Wei had hollowed out the Goguryeo leadership from the inside. He had turned a fiercely independent, rugged kingdom into a silent, obedient puppet state entirely controlled by the unseen hand of the Hengyuan Dynasty.
But Li Wei had not stopped there. Using Goguryeo's vast manpower and strategic geographical position as a massive, fortified stepping stone, he had unleashed a devastating southern campaign under Lie Fan's approbal and directions.
Now, the entire Korean peninsula, from the freezing northern mountains to the temperate southern coasts, was firmly under the absolute, undisputed control of the Black Dragon. It was a staggering logistical and military staging ground pointing like a drawn sword directly at the Japanese archipelago.
Sima Yi bowed his head, his dark eyes glittering with the profound, calculating pride of a teacher whose student had conquered the world.
"I understand perfectly, Your Imperial Majesty," Sima Yi replied, his voice smooth and laced with absolute certainty. "Li Wei is a blunt instrument wrapped in the finest silk. His accomplishments in the peninsula are a testament to Your Majesty's grand vision. I shall dispatch my fastest, most reliable courier hawks to his hidden command center in the former Goguryeo capital before the sun sets today."
Sima Yi stepped forward slightly, clasping his hands together within his wide sleeves. "Indeed, coordinating with Li Wei is not merely a suggestion, it is an absolute strategic necessity. He is the only asset we possess who has established a direct, verified line of communication with the eastern islands."
"During the final stages of the pacification, it was Li Wei who meet the Yamatai envoy, a man known as Lord Kaito. Li Wei has the navigational charts, the diplomatic ciphers, and the psychological profile of this Yamatai nation. He is the key that will unlock the Eastern Sea for our fleets."
"Excellent," Lie Fan nodded, deeply pleased by Sima Yi's immediate grasp of the logistical realities. "Bring his intelligence into the light. Draft the invasion fleets using the deep water ports he has secured in the southern peninsula. When you have a finalized strategy that guarantees total victory, you will present it to this court."
"It shall be done, Your Majesty," Sima Yi, Xun You, and Huangfu Song chorused as one, stepping backward in unison to seamlessly melt back into the formidable ranks of the military wing.
With the terrifying prospect of a cross oceanic invasion set into motion, a heavy, expectant silence settled over the Grand Court Hall once more. The incense smoke curled lazily around the massive, blood red pillars. The officials held their breath, waiting for the next decree from the Dragon Throne.
Lie Fan did not speak immediately. He sat in silence for a long, agonizing minute, his eyes gazing out over the assembled brilliance of his empire. When he finally opened his mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically. The aggressive, expansionist energy of the conqueror faded, replaced by the heavy, suffocating, and morally agonizing burden of the supreme judge.
"We have spoken of the future. We have spoken of the horizons yet to be conquered," Lie Fan began, his voice dropping to a low, incredibly somber register that echoed with a chilling finality. "But before this Grand Imperial Court meeting concludes, we must address the past. We must sever the final, lingering thread of the old world. I speak now of the biggest, most perilous topic we have ever faced."
Lie Fan leaned forward, placing both hands firmly upon the carved wooden armrests of his throne.
"I speak of the future of Cao Cao, and the ultimate fate of the Cao Clan."
The mere mention of the name sent a physical tremor through the ranks of the civil officials. Even the hardened generals shifted uncomfortably in their polished armor.
For more than a decade, the name 'Cao' had been synonymous with terror, brilliance, and an existential threat to their very lives. To hear it spoken now, as a matter of administrative cleanup, was a surreal and terrifying testament to their absolute victory.
"As every man in this hall must surely know," Lie Fan continued, his gaze sweeping over the silent rows, "the entirety of the Cao bloodline, from the fallen Emperor himself down to the youngest infant, has been transported to this capital. They are currently housed within the grand estate of the former Minister Wang in the eastern district."
"They are under the most absolute, impenetrable house arrest this world has ever seen. The perimeter is sealed by triple layers of my most fanatically loyal heavy infantry. They are ghosts, locked in a gilded cage, entirely cut off from the sun and the soil of the empire."
Lie Fan paused, the jade beads of his crown clicking softly as he slowly shook his head. The internal conflict that had plagued him since the courtyard of Chang'an was finally laid bare before his court.
"But a cage, no matter how tightly locked, is still a vessel that holds a living threat," the Emperor confessed, his voice ringing with a rare, profound vulnerability that shocked the assembly. "I stand before you today not as an infallible god, but as a sovereign caught in a terrible, paralyzing dilemma."
He raised his right hand, holding up a single finger.
"On one hand, the brutal, cyclical logic of history demands absolute eradication. The laws of conquest dictate that I should order the executioner's blade to fall upon the neck of every man, woman, and child who shares Cao Cao's blood. To wipe them from the annals of history ensures that no ambitious rebel will ever find a banner to rally behind in the centuries to come. It guarantees absolute, zero risk security for the Crown Prince and the future of the Hengyuan Dynasty."
Lie Fan then raised a second finger, his eyes darkening with a heavy, philosophical melancholy.
"On the other hand, the Heavens watch how a victor treats the vanquished. To slaughter a surrendered, captive family, including scholars, weeping mothers, and innocent toddlers, is the act of a bloodthirsty tyrant, not a benevolent unifier. I have considered a merciful alternative. I could allow them to live out their natural lives within that estate in comfort and peace."
"However, to prevent the future threat, I would decree that their bloodline cannot continue. I would forbid all marriages. I would order the sterilization of the males. The Cao name would naturally wither and die, ending either at the generation of Cao Pi, or, if I am moved to extreme leniency, at the generation of Cao Cao's grandchildren."
Lie Fan lowered his hand, his piercing gaze locking onto the hundreds of brilliant minds arrayed before him.
"This is not a decision I will make in the shadows of my own mind," Lie Fan declared, his voice booming with absolute authority. "The fate of the Cao Clan will define the moral and historical character of the Hengyuan Dynasty for a thousand years. Therefore, I command this court to speak. I want to hear your unfiltered opinions. I want your historical precedents, your legal arguments, and your strategic suggestions on how I should handle this monumental matter."
For a fraction of a second after the Emperor finished speaking, the silence in the Grand Court Hall was so profound one could hear the crackle of the burning brazier coals.
And then, the dam broke.
The entire court hall erupted. It was not a polite murmur of agreement or a synchronized chorus of praise. It was a sudden, deafening explosion of panicked, passionate, and fiercely divided voices. The sheer gravity of the topic, the life or death of the most powerful rival family in the world, shattered the rigid, pristine decorum of the imperial assembly.
Dozens of officials broke ranks simultaneously, stepping into the wide center aisle, their faces flushed, their hands waving wildly as they desperately tried to make their voices heard over the rising cacophony.
"Your Imperial Majesty! The choice is clear!" roared an elderly, fiercely conservative official named Official Zhang, his long white beard trembling with righteous fury as he pointed a shaking finger toward the ceiling.
"You cannot show mercy to vipers! The precedent was set by the great emperors of antiquity! When a dynasty falls, its roots must be pulled from the earth, lest they sprout poisonous weeds in the spring! You must execute them all! The Nine Exterminations must be invoked! To leave Cao Pi alive is to leave a dagger hovering over the Crown Prince's throat!"
"Madness! Pure butchery!" countered a younger, idealistic scholar from the Ministry of Rites, Official Lin, who shoved his way past the elderly minister. "Your Majesty, we are not the savage warlords of the past! We are the dawn of a golden, enlightened age! The people of the central plains, the millions who just surrendered to our banners, are watching us!"
"If you slaughter the Cao family in cold blood, you will terrify the populace! They will see you as a demon, not a savior! House arrest is the only righteous path! Let them live, and let the bloodline end naturally! It proves the absolute, unshakeable confidence of the Black Dragon!"
"Confidence does not stop a rebellion!" shouted Prefect Wang, a pragmatic administrator from a border province, his voice cracking with anxiety. "What if they bribe the guards? What if loyalists tunnel into the estate ten years from now? Your Majesty, I propose a middle ground! Execute Cao Cao and his immediate sons, Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi! They are the heads of the serpent! But spare the women, spare the infants, and banish them to the malarial swamps of the far south! It satisfies justice without requiring the slaughter of innocents!"
"Banishment is just a delayed execution by disease!" another official fired back, his face purple with outrage.
The debate rapidly devolved from structured arguments into a chaotic, terrifying shouting match. The Grand Court Hall, designed with brilliant acoustics to amplify the Emperor's voice, now worked against him, turning the hundreds of arguing voices into a deafening, echoing roar of pure noise.
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0