God's Almighty Library

Prologue

Kingdoms unite; and then divide again. It has been the same since the beginning of time itself. In the falling days of the year 256BC, the Zhou Dynasty weakened significantly, leaving seven opposing Kingdoms to vie for power. In the dying moments of the year 221BC, the Warring States period had ended, leaving the Qin Dynasty victorious. It was at this time the Great Wall was built in its entirety.

However, as stated previously, with great power comes great downfall. In the year 207BC, King Ziying of the Qin surrendered to the rebels of the Chu, led by Liu Bang. This led to the downfall of the Qin Dynasty in the year 206BC and the defection of Liu Bang from Chu to Han.

This left a power vacuum across China, sparking the war between two opposing Kingdoms, Chu and Han. Han were soon declared victorious in the same year and thus the Golden Age of China began.

In the year 178AD, hens began to crow and a section of the Yuan Mountains collapsed, leaving the Emperor Ling in distress and confusion. This was attributed to the palace eunuchs gaining more and more power. He asked his close advisor, Cai Yong, about the problem. He simply replied:

"Falling rainbows and changes of fowls' sexes are brought about by the interference of empresses and eunuchs in state affairs."

This led the chief eunuch, Cao Jie, to drive Cai Yong from the capital and he was forced to retire in the countryside. After this, the eunuchs grew in boldness and became more daring. Ten of the most powerful eunuchs came together to form the group known as the Ten Regular Attendants, and they became very powerful with the Emperor. One of these said eunuchs, a man who went by the name Zhang Rang, won such influence with the Emperor himself that he became known as the Emperor's most trusted advisor. For such simple servants, they had a great influence on the Imperial Court.

In the state of the Julu, three brothers, known as Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang were causing unrest. Whilst culling medicinal ingredients in the forest, the eldest of the three, Zhang Jiao, was approached by an elderly gentleman with emerald green eyes. He gave Zhang Jiao the three volumes of The Book of Heaven.

Using these books, Zhang Jiao learned that he could control the wind and command the rain. Using these powers, in the first month of the year 184AD Zhang Jiao and his brothers were travelling around Julu healing the peasants and gaining more and more popularity. They became the Yellow Turbans, a 360,000 strong army.

Zhang Jiao and his brothers spoke of ending the Blue Heaven of the Han and bringing in a new Golden Heaven of the Yellow Turbans. This, too, gained them more popularity with the peasant population.

Fearing that the Imperial Court would discover their treachery, the Yellow Turbans rose to arms, and began their rebellion against the Han Dynasty. Emperor Ling summoned He Jin, the Guardian of the Throne, to do something about the rebellions. He Jin in turn called upon generals from across China to come and put down the rebels. Three Imperial Commanders, Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, marched against the Yellow Turbans in three different directions with veteran soldiers, such as the noble Cao Cao and the mighty Sun Jian, in tow.

When Zhang Jiao finally marched on northeastern region of Yuzhou, Commander Zhou Jing of Yuzhou suggested that they bring in more troops to bolster the defenses. One notice was sent to the county of Zhuo, where lived a man of high spirit. It is with him that his prologue ends, and the story of the Three Kingdoms begins...

Liu Bei was no bookish scholar, nor did he find any pleasure in studying the arts. Nevertheless, he was liberal and amiable, a man who kept his feelings disguised under a calm exterior. He was small in build and looked almost feminine. He had a ponytail of black hair that was as smooth and silky as silk itself and was tied back with a piece of long, green ribbon. He wore ill-fitting and cheap clothes, all different shades of healthy green in colour. The only thing of any worth to Liu Bei was his long green cloak, a treasure as well as a practical solution to the winter temperatures.

This highly spirited man made his living by selling straw sandals and weaving grass mats, which, as expected, did not drive his family out of the poverty that they suffered. As such, one could say that this man was amongst that of the peasants, even if his dreams extended beyond that of a peasants life.

However, Liu Bei was now at the ripe age of twenty-eight, standing before a notice that was hastily nailed to the side of a wooden fence. He read slowly and carefully, sighing and exhaling at every mention of the Yellow Turbans. He sighed once more, only to be interrupted by a loud, gravelly voice from behind him.

He turned to see a man of about his height staring him in the face. He was very broad, although not very fat, and looked almost familiar. He was clothed in a simple white robe that stretched across his entire body like a toga, and was decorated with a green hem and small green floral designs. His hair was brutally tied backwards and looked as though it would peel off his skull. His moustache was a dark shade of brown; it looked crisp and brittle like the branches of a dead tree. His moustache extended down to his small beard, which was bristly and looked quite sharp to the touch. He wore simple black pants that were baggy and emphasised his broadness even more.

“Sir, why do you sigh so much? Would you not rather be out there fighting for the Imperial Court?”
“I do not fight because I am weak. I have no strength nor do I have an army. I desire nothing more than to bring peace to China once more, but alas, I can do nothing!”
The stranger held out his beefy hand. It was stained with a slight yellow tinge and looked like it had seen years of toil and hardship. Liu Bei thought carefully about shaking the hand of this gravelly voiced stranger.
“The name’s Zhang Fei, I’m a farmer from around these parts.” He shook the man’s hand and replied simply with Liu Bei, descendant of Prince Sheng of Zhongshan.
“Tell me, Zhang Fei, do you have the means to rally troops to help the Han?”
“I do indeed, sir.”

This was good news for Liu Bei. Finally, he could fight for the Han and perhaps do some good for the world. Maybe he could even bring back riches to his village and put them out of their poverty. Yes, that would suit him nicely. He was glad that he had met this man Zhang Fei; he was no ordinary man, he could tell.

The two celebrated their newfound friendship in the inn and discussed their project in greater detail. It seemed that this man Zhang Fei could muster a few hundred men, mostly peasant folk, by the end of the week. As they delved deeper into military strategy and their misunderstood lives, a tall man with a long flowing beard stepped into the inn. He shouted at the innkeeper to bring him a jug full of wine and then he retreated into one corner of the inn.

For the second time that day, Liu Bei noticed a man of extraordinary stature. The man oozed respect and he subconsciously forced the patrons of the inn to watch in awe of him. His sheer size was enough to make Liu Bei look him over twice, item by item. His huge frame casually stepped further into the inn and took a seat at one, dimly lit table. He too wore dark green clothing; a colour often used by the common folk, and bore a small green hat. His beard was matched by his equally long brown hair that draped elegantly down his back. In one hand, he carried a huge guan dao, whose blade curved backwards at the tip of its pole.

Liu Bei rose and approached the table of this majestic figure. He sat opposite him and stared into his deep hazel eyes. He too was watching Liu Bei and seemed to be trying to work out whom the small man was, and why he had sat by his table.

“Please sir. I beg of you. Your name, if I may?”
“My name is Guan Yu. I am a fugitive here.”
“My Lord Guan Yu, if I may ask, why is it that you come here seeking refuge?”
“I slew a rich man back in my homeland.”
“You sl-“, but before Liu Bei could speak, the tall man had already begun to continue his story.
“He was a bully, a tyrant. He used his wealth to destroy the peasant folk’s lives. So I drew the Blue Moon Dragon, this guan dao here, and cut him down before me.”
“I see. You are a very noble man, Lord Guan Yu.”

Liu Bei then called over his friend Zhang Fei, and together they discussed their plans with the mysterious Guan Yu. With Guan Yu in tow, the two men retired to Zhang Fei’s farm and politely asked for Guan Yu’s assistance.

“My Lord, you have heard our plans to oust the Yellow Turbans from their rebellion, but we cannot accomplish this alone. We ask of your help, if we may be so bold?” The tall man sat and thought for a while, eyeing the two men before him.
“Yes, I will join you. I will not let you down.” The three of them rose to their feet, and clashed goblets together as a sign of their friendship.
Zhang Fei spoke, “My friends let us seal this friendship tomorrow, under the peach trees in my garden. We shall make an oath, and we shall become brothers!”
And thus, Liu Bei and Guan Yu retired to two beds that Zhang Fei had kindly prepared, and drifted off into a deep slumber.

The next day, the three men awoke with a sense of eagerness and uncertainty. None of them knew that they would form such a strong bond in such a short amount of time, but they knew it felt right in their hearts.

The trio, although different in stature and birth, held hands beneath the peach trees and stared into each other’s eyes. They prepared incenses and inhaled the aromatic fragrances that wafted around the garden. Guan Yu began to speak with his deep, booming voice:

“We three, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, though of different families, swear brotherhood, and promise mutual help to one end. We will rescue each other in difficulty; we will aid each other in danger. We swear to serve the state and save the people. We ask not the same day of birth, but we seek to die together. May Heaven, the all-ruling, and Earth, the all-producing, read our hearts. If we turn aside from righteousness or forget kindliness, may Heaven and Human smite us!"
Liu Bei, declaring himself as the older of the Three Brothers, stepped forward, now grinning, and yelled, “We shall live, and fight, and die as one!”

On proclaiming the oath, the three drank wine into the late hours of the evening, joined by many of the common folk of the town. On the second night, the Three Brothers slept soundly once more.

When the sun rose on the third day, weapons were mustered and horses were bought. Liu Bei now carried two small swords, each with green ribbons that he himself had tied around the hilt. They were light and he felt as though they suited him perfectly. He swung them around eagerly, and wondered how people he could free with them.
His youngest brother, Zhang Fei, acquired a double-ended snake spear of epic proportions. Its central pole was carved with a spiral pattern that travelled around the entirety of the pole, almost like a snake itself. The viper blades themselves were at least as wide as the owner’s arms and Liu Bei guessed that they would look intimidating to any enemy. He grinned ecstatically, occasionally swinging the snake spear at Guan Yu, who would step aside with ease.
Guan Yu refused to exchange his guan dao for another weapon of his choice and simply strode around the farm, swinging his weapon from side to side, scaring the soldiers they had recruited.

With an army of about five hundred men, Liu Bei and his two brothers rode to Commander Zhou Jing and presented themselves as volunteers for the army.

“Commander Zhou Jing, my name is Liu Bei, and these are my two younger brothers, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. We have come to offer our lives to the Imperial Court.” Zhou Jing looked over the three peasants and their militia, thinking carefully about the risks involved.
“I see… You say you have never fought before?”
“If I may interject,” Guan Yu stepped forward, “If the Yellow Turban forces are as large as the Court says they are, then surely you would need every man you can get. After all, what loss are three peasants’ lives in comparison to your own?” Zhou Jing swallowed the flattery and swelled out his chest with self-importance.
“Of course, you are right. You may fight at once. In three days time you must make camp at the foot of the Daxing Hills. It is here that you will fight the Yellow Turban general, Cheng Yuanzhi.”
The Three Brothers accepted, and made their camp at the foot of the Daxing Hills.

On the first night, Liu Bei held a feast for his troops, increasing his popularity among them. It was soon becoming clear to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei that their elder brother had a way with the people and the peasantry. This, they thought, could come in handy when mustering more troops in the future.

The next two days were spent preparing their weapons and discussing tactics. Liu Bei declared that the men could not drink wine or anything else that could intoxicate them, as the Yellow Turbans could attack at any moment. His two brothers applauded this move, and they began to train him in swordplay.

On the third morning, the Three Brothers rallied the troops and mounted their horses. They would ride through the Daxing Hills and storm the enemy camp with a surprise attack. It was simple but effective; Guan Yu had told them.

Once they were prepared, they began to advance through the hills, slowly, watching their surroundings and keeping an eye open for scouts or sentry towers. They promptly arrived at the exit of the mountains, a large expanse of sand and dust stretching before them. On the horizon, a painter’s smudge on their canvas, was a large campsite, with small white tents dotted around on the inside of it.

Liu Bei turned to Guan Yu, who was now approaching his left, and Zhang Fei, who was now by his right. They all drew their weapons and held them high into the air.

“This day, we ride for the Han!” Liu Bei’s quiet voice echoed throughout the hills, and the following troops roared with approval. There was a deafening sound of drawing swords and then they rode towards the campsite. The wind rushing through his hair, Liu Bei smiled, the adrenaline of charging the enemy rushing through his veins.

Cheng Yuanzhi was sat inside his tent, eating boar meat with his fingers and spilling its juices over his chest plate. In the distance, he could hear the sound of a giant drawing a huge sword. He stopped eating and listened carefully. One of his soldiers came rushing in to the tent.
“My Lord, the Han have come to attack us!”
“What? Tell Deng Mao to attack immediately!”

Deng Mao, Cheng Yuanzhi’s bravest general, sat in his tent, listening to the chaotic sounds in the mountains. Something was going on. He strode outside of his lodgings and almost ran into one of his guards.
“General, heathens are attacking us from the mountains! We must counter!”
“Gather six hundred of the believers and bring me my horse. We ride today.”
Deng Mao rode with six hundred troops towards the Three Brothers. There, all four generals dismounted and began to circle each other as the troops around them fought. The rebel leader looked as though he was sweating heavily as he watched all Three Brothers circling him like vultures. Zhang Fei skilfully took his opportunity, thrust his snake spear towards the Yellow Turban general, and pierced his light armour as the wind does the sand. The general fell to the floor, his yellow scarf flapping in the wind.

Another guard ran into Cheng Yuanzhi’s tent.
“My Lord, Deng Mao has been killed in battle!”
“Useless fool! May his soul rot in hell for his sins!”

Infuriated, Cheng Yuanzhi mounted his horse and led another six hundred troops into the fray. Liu Bei’s troops were now vastly outnumbered, but the Three Brother’s resolve remained resolute. Cheng Yuanzhi, spotting Liu Bei as their weakness, rode straight towards the elf like general, his spear held high in the air.

Guan Yu spotted the enemy commander racing towards his brother. Quickly, he kicked his horse into action and began riding en route with the general. He lifted his guan dao, leapt into the air and swung at Cheng Yuanzhi’s neck. The enemy commander moved his head slightly into order to miss Guan Yu’s attack, and he fell sideways from his steed. Guan Yu rolled onto the floor, quickly jumping up and looking around for his opponent. Cheng Yuanzhi came running towards him, swinging his spear inaccurately. Guan Yu waited for the opportune moment, and then swung his mighty guan dao towards the general. This time, he did not miss. The commander fell to the floor.

“You will not harm my Lord Liu Bei!”

The Three Brothers then continued to fight against the Yellow Turban troops and they had soon turned the odds in their favour. By the end of the battle, they had barely lost a hundred men. They marched back to Commander Zhou Jing, victorious.

On arrival, Zhou Jing showered them with gifts and asked them to dine with him the next day. The Three Brothers graciously accepted and shared out the wealth between their troops. For the rest of the afternoon the generals slept and rested their weary bodies. The day had been a tiring one. When the night slowly crept up on them, they had a small feast of their own, consisting of the four hundred troops that had survived the battle. Once more, Liu Bei gained favour among his troops.

The next night, the Three Brothers left their troops to entertain themselves around the camp and entered Zhou Jing’s tent. Inside, they found a lavishly set table and a small hog sat as the centrepiece. Liu Bei marvelled at the food and sat opposite Guan Yu, who seemed as inanimate as ever. Zhang Fei helped himself to large portions of hog’s meat and poured out a large goblet of wine. Liu Bei noted his hearty appetite.

“My friends, you have earned this feast.” Zhou Jing spoke up and raised his goblet into the air. The Three Brothers followed suit and gulped down large quantities of wine.
“Is there anything else that you will have us do, Commander?” Liu Bei, eager to prove himself once more, quizzed the military man.
“As a matter of fact...” he paused for a moment and considered the thought in his mind, “Yes, there is something you can do. The city of Qingzhou is currently under siege from these Yellow Turban scum, and we wish for them to be eliminated.”
“Qingzhou? The large city on the coast?” Liu Bei pondered for a moment about the thought of aiding such a fine city.
“Yes, Qingzhou. They would much appreciate your help.”
“We shall march tomorrow!” Liu Bei raised his goblet once more, but his brothers did not follow suit.
“My Lord, the troops are tired. There are but four hundred of us and even fewer horses. We cannot aid the city.” Guan Yu spoke with sternly.
“My brothers, do you not understand? There are people trapped in that city, people like ourselves. These people are clinging to the underbelly of society by a thread and they cannot afford to lose their homes. We must save them!”
“My Lord, I understand that this is something close to your heart; but we will be slaughtered if we try and break the siege.”
“Now listen here Liu Bei”, Zhang Fei’s more rural and informal way of speaking quickly brought him to Liu Bei’s attention, “Brother Yu is right. It’s suicide.”
Zhou Jing broke the argument with a cough.
“Your help will be greatly appreciated”, he paused for a moment, “And rewarded...”
Liu Bei brought his small fists to the table in anger, sending small portions of food across the floor.
“I do not march into war for personal gain. I do this to save the people from tyranny and misfortune!” And on this word, the tent fell silent once more. Liu Bei would march in the morning.

Liu Bei sat silently on his horse, his two brothers solemnly beside him. The tension could be cut with a knife. The memories of last night’s meal were still fresh in their minds and Liu Bei’s brothers could not help but think that this was still going to be their final battle. A messenger on a small brown horse rode next to Liu Bei and handed him a note.


General Lu Zhi once mentored Liu Bei, and he found the message disturbing. However, he had a mission to complete and they began to ride towards Qingzhou.

By the mid afternoon, they were at least ten miles away from the city itself, so they decided to make camp and rest for a while. Liu Bei sat on his own in his tent, contemplating the battle ahead. Had he made the wrong decision? No, his sacrifice would further the people’s lives considerably.

Suddenly, Liu Bei could hear a volley of arrows being fired around the camp. Around the site, he could hear his men screaming in agony. He ran outside to see the rebels marching towards the campsite, their bows raised. Liu Bei quickly helped his brothers restore calm to the panicking troops and they readied their weapons.

“My Lord, what do you want to us to do?” Guan Yu stood by Liu Bei’s left once more and looked down on him.
“They are many and we are few... We must use strategy to overcome this force...”
“Do you suggest an ambush, my Lord?”
“Yes, Guan Yu! An ambush!” Liu Bei put his swords back into their sheaves and gathered his brothers around him, “Brother Fei, take your men around the hills to the right. Brother Yu, take yours to the left. I will draw the enemy through the centre.”
“Ha ha! We’ve got them now!” Zhang Fei clapped Liu Bei on the back, nearly sending him flying across the sand, and began laughing heartily. The Three Brothers began organising their troops and watched the oncoming army.

Guan Yu quickly led his troops left and Zhang Fei led his to the right. Liu Bei ordered his troops to march straight for the army. The Yellow Turbans had considerably more troops this time round. Bravely, Liu Bei dismounted from his horse and ordered his troops to draw their swords. The Yellow Turbans began to charge towards them, their swords rose in the air. He could almost feel the rebels’ breath on his skin when he suddenly span around and led his troops back towards the campsite, running at full speed. He hoped he could outrun them quick enough.

Suddenly, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei came from both sides and attacked the enemy with full force. The Yellow Turbans, taken by surprise, scattered and began to flee back towards Qingzhou.

“Guan Yu! Zhang Fei! Stop those fleeing rebels!” Liu Bei mounted his horse and rode after the cowardly soldiers. However, the rebels were stopped by a force of Imperial Troops coming towards them from the city. Commander Zhou Jing had been touched by Liu Bei’s moving words the night before, and sent a contingency of five thousand men to the city itself. The Imperial Troops met the fleeing Yellow Turbans and cut them down where they stood.

The Three Brothers had won yet another battle, and now Liu Bei’s troops had faith in his military mind and might.

The Three Brothers led their troops into Qingzhou and met up with Commander Zhou Jing once more.

“My friends! You are victorious once more!” Zhou Jing hastily shook the hands of each brother and congratulated them on their superb mastery of strategy. Being modest, Liu Bei shrugged his shoulders and simply asked where he was to be told to go next.
“Lord Liu Bei, you must come back to Yuzhou with me, and we will feast on the finest meat in the land!” Zhou Jing grinned broadly.
“I am sorry, Zhou Jing, but I hear that General Lu Zhi is dire need of assistance. He once mentored me, and I feel that I am in debt to him.”
“As you wish, Lord Liu Bei, I bid you farewell.” Commander Zhou Jing of the Imperial Court bowed slowly to this simple peasant man, and bid him a gracious farewell. In the back of Guan Yu’s mind, he quickly took note of the respect that Liu Bei had gained from this man of the Court. It was a skill that would come in great use for the future.

Liu Bei gathered his troops and shared out the spoils of battle. They all mounted on fresh horses and slowly began to ride towards Lu Zhi at Guangzong. Liu Bei had heard that his mentor was struggling against an attack from the rebel leader Zhang Jiao. However, he was sure that with his brothers back by his side and their faith in him reinstated, Zhang Jiao would be no match for their combined might.

After a day’s solid riding, Liu Bei arrived in Guangzong. The sun was setting on the horizon and the air was still. Lu Zhi’s camp was silent and the men drudged around moodily. It was evident that they had suffered many losses here. Liu Bei dismounted and, upon seeing another group of miserable Court troops, told his troops to cheer up the Imperial officers and led his brothers into Lu Zhi’s tent. Inside, Lu Zhi was reading a small red book by candle light.

“General Lu Zhi. My name is Liu Bei, and these are my brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. We have come to aid you?”
“Liu Bei?”
“Yes, my Lord. I once studied under you.”
“Yes, yes. You did... You say you have come to aid me?” Lu Zhi seemed distant and preoccupied. He looked as though the battles were each aging him by ten years at the least.
“My Lord, if you will allow us.”
“I would love for you to join me in battle”, he spread his arms out wide and set his book onto his desk, “but I am afraid that I would have no need for you. You may think from the atmosphere here that we have suffered many losses, yes?” The Three Brothers nodded in agreement, “but we have simply been suffering from a stalemate situation. Neither side can break through, so the troops are growing weary.”
“I see; I am sorry for troubling you, my Lord.”
“It is of no matter. We will march tomorrow on the main camp of the enemy and I hope that we shall gain some ground then. However, until then, may I suggest that you go to help Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun against the other two rebel brothers?”
“The brothers have joined forces?”
“Yes, both Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao have joined against Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. I hear that battles of such numbers are quite difficult to co-ordinate.”
“Yes, I agree...” Liu Bei became lost in thought for a moment. He thought about the distance that he had forced his men to travel, only to meet a dead end. He wondered whether they would revolt or start a rebellion against him. However, he also wondered whether he was being overly critical of himself and was being paranoid.
“Well then! We march on Yingchuan!” Zhang Fei’s gravelly voice awoke Liu Bei once more and he smiled in agreement.

During the night, after several hours of rest, Liu Bei’s forces were reinforced with a thousand of Lu Zhi’s best soldiers and they marched towards Yingchuan.

Zhu Jun crept silently towards the enemy camp, his violet robes brushing against the parched grass, with five troops in tow. Behind him came Huangfu Song, his silvery, metallic armour cutting the grass like a blade itself. In their hands were bundles of grass, the very same grass that they were sneaking through. It was dry and brittle, very dangerous if someone were to set it alight. The two great generals ordered their men to light the bundles of grass and throw it as near to the camp as possible. The troops complied and lit the grass with their torches. They then proceeded to throw them northwards.

In a matter of seconds, the generals were running towards their own camp, a wall of fire raging behind them, the sound of screaming officers piercing their eardrums. They quickly gathered their men and began to charge the burning camp. In the distance, they could see blue banners marching in the same direction as themselves, and they feared that the two rebel brothers had somehow called for reinforcements. However, it was simply the Hero of Chaos.

Cao Cao was a man of medium stature. He had a short goatee beard and small piercing eyes, like that of a hawk. He did not once hire an officer on the grounds that he was rich or of a noble birth, but simply judged them on their talent. Cao Cao was known as the Hero of Chaos because of his ability to see beyond the trouble and strife that plagued the land. He simply gained more and more respect with every battle that he won, with considerable ease. His burning ambition was what propelled him and his men into a victory each time.

Cao Cao now led his five thousand strong cavalry towards the burning camp, his sword raised in the air. It seemed to most an ordinary sword, but the hilt was crafted to look like an angel’s wings in full flight. It was a spectacular weapon for a spectacular man.

He cut down many of the fleeing rebels personally and rode towards the two victorious generals. His voice was loud and clear, as though he were addressing a nation.

“I must congratulate you on your impressive use of fire.” He steadied his horse next to the generals and instantly made them feel inferior. His dark blue clothes were of the finest materials, and his long blue cloak was emblazoned with a dragon emblem.
“Thank you Lord-“
“Cao Cao. I am, Lord Cao Cao.” He spurred his horse and began to trot away from the two generals, as though he was the passing general and they were the peasants. Cao Cao quickly spotted the fleeing Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, and rallied his troops to chase after them. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun watched Cao Cao ride off into the distance; in awe of the respect he had forced them to give him.

The two generals spent the next hour or so clearing up the enemy camp and collecting the various treasures that they could find. They would bode well when they presented them to the Emperor.

“What are you doing with those artefacts?” They both span round to see three completely different men all on horseback and all watching the generals carefully. Behind them were around one and a half thousand troops, all wielding swords.
“We are collecting them for the Emperor, of course.” Zhu Jun turned back to the ash and began his search once more. Huangfu Song stood to face the smallest of the trio.
“And who might you be?”
“My name is Liu Bei; these are my two brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. We have come from Lu Zhi to aid you.”
“Well as you can see Lord- what was it?”
“Liu Bei.”
“Yes, well as you can see Lord Liu Bei, we are very much done here. We have no need for your aid.”
“We shall return to Lord Lu Zhi if that is the case.” Infuriated, Liu Bei manoeuvred his horse around the burnt camp and began the trek back to Lu Zhi. He could feel the sighing of his troops piercing the back of his neck like small daggers. He could feel their pain; he too was not used to such long marches. They would need a long rest after this.

In the early hours of the morning, when the pink sky was marred only by the occasional cloud, the trio spotted a small group of Imperial Troops carrying a bamboo cage. Inside the cage was a half-naked man, shivering and crying. As they drew closer, they saw that the man in the cage was in fact Lu Zhi himself. In addition, at the head of the soldiers was the eunuch Zhuo Feng, one of the Ten Regular Attendants.

Liu Bei quickly rode towards him and ordered the soldiers to stop marching. He dismounted from his horse and approached the cage.

“What is going on here, my Lord?”
“We were on the verge of victory when Zhang Jiao deployed some of his supernatural powers, preventing our victory...” the general looked older than ever.
“But your men, where are your men!” Zhang Fei was suddenly enraged. Liu Bei noted his quick temper, even though it was perfectly justified.
“I was superseded by General Dong Zhuo, so I can only imagine that he has my troops now...”
“Dong Zhuo? They left Dong Zhou in charge? This is an outrage!” Zhang Fei swung his snake spear above his head in anger.
“Calm yourself, Zhang Fei. Tell me Lu Zhi, just what are these eunuchs doing with you?” Guan Yu deployed his voice of reason and the enraged Zhang Fei was instantly silenced.
“They came to inquire into my defeat. They said that I would be arrested for failing to silence Zhang Jiao”, the general glanced at Zhou Feng, who was now walking towards the brothers, “He asked for a money in exchange for my freedom, I refused, of course.”
“So now the Imperial Court will charge you for this?” Guan Yu tapped each bamboo rod gently, as though testing its strength.
“Yes, I suppose they will...” Lu Zhi’s head sunk into his shoulders and he let out a long sigh. Zhang Fei marched towards Zhou Feng, his spear raised.
“You will release this man at once!”
“I will do no such thing.” The eunuch spoke calmly and collectively. His face was oily and he resembled a weasel that had been drowned several times in a murky lake.
“Why you corrupt-“
“Brother Fei, the government will take the due course, do not act so hastily!” Liu Bei quickly stepped before the two men and beckoned that they mount their horses once more, leaving the trapped Lu Zhi to continue towards the capital, Luoyang.

The Three Brothers rode once more, but not towards Guangzong, as they had previously decided, but to their home county of Zhuo. After two days of deliberately slow progress, they heard the sound of thunderous hooves pounding the barren hills around them. The trio rode to the top of the highest hill and peered over the landscape. Down below they could see a number of troops fleeing from a distinctly larger number of Yellow Turbans.

“I told you he was useless!” Zhang Fei pointed towards the fleeing side’s main camp, where the purple banner of Dong Zhuo stood motionless by the gates. It seemed that Zhang Jiao had bested him. The remaining countryside was a sea of Yellow Turban troops, and the wind wailed the calls of their officers.
“We cannot leave Dong Zhuo to die by this traitors hand, we will join the fray!” And without warning, Guan Yu kicked his horse in the side and began riding down the hillside. Liu Bei roared with approval and shouted for his troops to follow suit. The Three Brothers entered battle once more.

The sun setting above the horizon, the brothers charged directly into the Yellow Turban ranks, sending them into confusion and disarray. They swung their weapons from left to right, cutting down every soldier that dared stand before them and their horses. Liu Bei’s troops followed suit, their morale raised beyond the heavens that the Yellow Turbans dreamed of creating. Soon, the traitors had fled the battle and gone to regroup. Seizing the opportunity to meet this new general, Liu Bei rode to the allied camp, with his brothers following closely behind.

They dismounted their horses and tied them by the gates. They apprehensively walked through the camp, which was barren and desolate, save one large tent in the centre. It seemed, like Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, this general liked to keep the spoils of war to himself. They stepped into the lavishly decorated tent and watched in amazement as a largely overweight man tucked into various piles of meat, all dripping in thick juices. The fat Dong Zhuo spilt most of the sauce on his long purple gown, which seemed more for show than anything else did. On his head sat a small golden hat, again most likely for decoration. If Liu Bei could decipher anything from his appearance, it was that he was stupendously rich.

The three men bowed before the general and waited for him to finish eating. However, it seemed that he would not finish anytime soon. They watched for a little longer as his small sharp teeth ripped apart the gentle flesh of the chicken legs and hog meat. His frizzy black beard was speckled with chunks of flesh and sauce. Liu Bei felt repulsed by the sight.
Dong Zhou finally stopped eating and paid close attention to the three men, as though valuing them as objects that he wished to add to his collection.

“You are the men that saved my army, yes?” His attention quickly turned to young woman carrying a large golden goblet of wine. It was from this sight that Liu Bei quickly summed up the general. He loved but three things: wine, women and wealth.
“Yes, my Lord.” Liu Bei bowed once more.
“There was no need for that. If the men die then they were not fit to serve me in the first place,” he turned to face the three brothers, and sly smile crept upon his face, “But you are excused.”
“My Lord-“, Liu Bei began to speak, but was soon cut down by the greedy general.
“What offices do you hold?” Dong Zhuo turned back to the goblet of wine and began to drink from it as though he had not done so for a millennium. Liu Bei watched the wine dribble down his disgusting neck and onto his loose garments before answering.
“We hold no offices, my Lord”
“No offices?”
“No, my Lord, none.”
“You may leave my presence...” Dong Zhuo, as though disgusted by the fact that the Three Brothers held no social standing, shooed them away with a wave of his hand.
“Now just you wait here!” Zhang Fei, his anger once more flaring up, swung his snake spear towards Dong Zhuo’s throat.
“Remove your peasant’s weapon away from my gracious self”, Dong Zhou paused for a moment, as if for impact, “Immediately.”
“We rescue your damned soldiers from that infernal priest and this is how you repay us!”
“I do believe I told you to remove your weapon, at once.”
“Brother Fei, remember he has a government position. We have no right to judge or slay this man.”
“It gives me great heart ache to take orders from this wretch! I would rather slay him right now!” Zhang Fei lifted his weapon to strike, but paused for a moment, as though considering what his elder brother had told him.
“Come Zhang Fei, we will leave the camp and find someone else to rest with. This man is not worth your valiant blade.” Guan Yu’s voice once more calmed the furious Zhang Fei, and they mounted their horses and ordered their troops to follow them into the night.

The Three Brothers lost no time in travelling, and quickly came across Zhu Jun once more, camping in the hills. The trio dismounted outside the general’s camp and prayed for a better reception, despite their previous encounter. They strode into Zhu Jun’s tent, the aches and pains of battle showing clearly in their stride.

“Ah, it is you three again.” Zhu Jun stood up to greet them, and seemed forgiving of their previous encounter at Yingchuan.
“My Lord, if you will allow it, we wish to stay here with you. Our troops are weary and are horses are restless.”
“That is of course acceptable, Lord Liu Bei. There are plenty of tents here for your men.” Liu Bei reached out to shake the general’s hand, but was soon interrupted by more dialogue.
“Of course there is but one thing that I must ask of you. In three days time I march over to the other side of these hills, where the rebel brother Zhang Bao is suspected of hiding. I ask that you join me in this battle.”
“Of course, my Lord, that would suit me fine.” Heaven seemed to be giving Liu Bei more and more opportunities to prove himself to China, “General Huangfu Song does not join us?”
“No, he is with Lord Cao Cao, hunting down the other brother, Zhang Liang. We believe that he is hiding in Quyang.”

Thus, the Three Brothers retired to their tents and slept soundly until the late morning. The next three days were spent feasting heartily with their host and honing their skills until they felt they were ready for battle once more. The four hundred or so of Liu Bei’s remaining troops were given new armour and sharper weapons to ensure their survival once more, and their faith in Liu Bei rose once more.

On the third day, Liu Bei prepared his troops and awoke his brothers. The trio mounted their horses and began to follow Zhu Jun’s troops into the hills; the distant figure of his violet robes a mere speck on the horizon. They soon arrived at the foot of what Liu Bei presumed to be the highest acclivity in the area. On top of the ascent stood a large camp, twice the size of Zhu Jun’s and Dong Zhuo’s put together.

Zhu Jun waited for Liu Bei to approach him, and then suggested that the small man himself should go ahead with his two brothers, as vanguard. Liu Bei agreed and led his troops up the ascent. Guan Yu could sense that Zhu Jun was simply saving his own skin by sending the Brothers before him, but he would not say anything to Liu Bei or Zhang Fei.

However, before they could reach the top, a heavily armoured officer rode down from the summit to meet them in battle. Liu Bei quickly drew his swords, but Zhang Fei was already engaging him in battle. With a skilful swipe of his snake spear, the officer was defeated. Zhang Fei rode back to Liu Bei and identified the man as the Yellow Turban officer Gao Sheng. With this hasty defeat, Liu Bei called for his troops to increase their pace, and they began charging towards the enemy camp.

Liu Bei suddenly called for his troops to halt. The wind started to pick up speed drastically. Black clouds rolled into view and began throwing down bolts of lightning at Liu Bei’s troops. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Bao sent forth his cavalry to defeat the confused vanguard. Sensing his imminent end, Liu Bei called for retreat. As they left, the black clouds disappeared and the cavalry returned to camp. The camp suddenly seemed impregnable.

“So that traitor uses magic...” Zhu Jun spoke calmly as Liu Bei returned, defeated.
“My Lord, there is nothing we can do when such magic prevents us from proceeding.”
“Do not worry, my Lord Liu Bei; there was nothing that you could have done.” Liu Bei suddenly felt regretful of ever judging Zhu Jun as a greedy and manipulative general.
“Thank you, my Lord, what steps will you take now?”
“Bring me the blood of swine and goats. We shall throw the filth at the enemy and their shamanic arts will be no more.” Liu Bei decided against asking him how he came across this knowledge, and simply began organising his troops to find as many swine and goats as they could.

Before the sun fell beneath the hilltops, each soldier was armed with the blood of either animal. After discussing his previous ambush on Qingzhou, Liu Bei persuaded Zhu Jun to try a similar tactic in order to capture Zhang Bao. Zhu Jun agreed and gave Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both a thousand troops each. They were to travel left and right respectively.

Night fell across the camp. Liu Bei readied his horse and hoped that his brothers would be ready to attack. He looked back towards Zhu Jun, who was beckoning him to begin the charge. Liu Bei roared for his troops to attack, and they charged towards the enemy camp once more. Just as before, the army reached midway when the elements began to surge towards them like a raging bull. Liu Bei feigned retreat and led his troops away from danger. Zhang Bao quickly commanded his troops to attack under the cover of his magic.

Coming from the left, and then the right, both younger brothers appeared on the hillside with their own small armies. Liu Bei ordered his troops to launch their bloody projectiles at the enemy, who screamed in agony as though it melted their very skin. The clouds quickly rumbled away into the distance and the lightning stopped attacking.

The Three Brothers, followed closely by a grinning Zhu Jun, lay siege to the enemy camp and slaughtered every rebel that crossed their path. The general quickly ran to the side of the camp and watched as Zhang Bao hastily mounted his horse and began to retreat on his own. The general ordered his men to bring him his bow and a single arrow. Liu Bei watched in astonishment as the leader in violet robes quickly drew back the dried sinew and let the arrow fly through the air like a hawk homing in on its prey. The arrow hit the fleeing traitor directly in his back, and he tumbled from his startled horse.

The first of the rebel brothers had been defeated.

As the sun began to rise once more above the hilltops, Liu Bei began to prepare his troops to return to their home county of Zhuo. However, before he could bid his farewell to the victorious general, Zhu Jun approached him, a broad grin on his face and a piece of parchment in his hand.

“From my scouts...” he handed the parchment to Liu Bei, who read it in disbelief.


Liu Bei allowed a smile to spread across his face as well. They had played their part in the war against the rebels, and Dong Zhuo had been given exactly what he had deserved.

“You will march with me to Wancheng?” Zhu Jun took the piece of paper from Liu Bei’s hands and asked for his help once more.
“It would give me great honour to be the man who helps stamp out the last of these rebels.”

So once more, Liu Bei rallied his troops and they began to ride towards Wancheng, their spirits high and their morale higher. The Yellow Turban Rebellion would soon come to an end.

After five days of casual riding, the Three Brothers found themselves before Wancheng castle. It seemed heavily fortified and laying siege to it would be extremely difficult. The trio wandered over to Zhu Jun and quizzed him on their next move.

“Zhao Hong and Sun Zhong are holed up in that castle, and they refuse to leave quietly. I cannot see what else we can do with the amount of troops we have. We must wait and see what opportunities present themselves to us.”
“As you wish, my Lord.” Over the past few days, Liu Bei had found himself growing ever fonder of Zhu Jun and his tactics. He was certainly not a man of war, but he definitely had an aptitude for strategy. He remembered how quick he was to judge Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song when he saw them near Yingchuan.

For the next week or so, Zhu Jun spent hours at a time watching the castle waiting for a glitch to appear in the defences, but no such glitch presented itself. The castle was truly impregnable. His train of thought was swiftly interrupted by the Three Brothers entering his tent.

“Zhu Jun, there are red soldiers coming from the East. We do not recognise the banners, could these be reinforcements?” Liu Bei seemed excited to see a different faction of soldiers approach them, even if they were of hostile intent.

Sun Jian was born in Jiangdong, situated in the old state of Wu. He was a descendant of the brilliant strategist Sun Zi, the author of The Art of War, and had a broad, happy face. His torso was as lofty as a bear’s and his body was as alert as a tiger’s, giving him the nickname the Tiger of Jiangdong. He marched on foot with five thousand veteran soldiers from his hometown. He had applied for the army long ago, but had only just been sent into battle. Finally, he could bare his fangs and rip into some traitorous flesh.

He approached the camp of Zhu Jun and Liu Bei. He had heard many great things about these two men and their exploits. Inside the campsite, he found four men, stood watching Sun Jian approach them. Three of the men were dressed in green common folk’s clothing, but each was different in height and girth. One of the men was small and seemed almost elf like. By his side stood an immensely tall warrior with an equally immense brown beard. In addition, on his other side stood a wide warrior with the look of a farmer about him. At the forefront of this coalition stood a strategist, Sun Jian presumed, donned with violet robes.

“I come here to aid that of Zhu Jun and Liu Bei.” Sun Jian felt his dark red armour clinking around his body as he held out his hand to greet the four men. His long grey hair had been swept back as though done so by a violent wind. Attached to his belt was his grandfather’s scimitar. It was tinted red in colour and had a serrated edge down the blade. Its hilt was made of gold.
“We accept your aid with open arms Lord-“
“I am Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong.” Sun Jian shook the man’s hand gratefully and began ordering his troops to set up their own tents around the camp.

Sun Jian was not a man of noble birth, nor was he one to take nobles lightly. He believed that those of common birth were just as useful as the richer generals in China, and he was set to prove that. He spoke with a hoarse, hearty voice that was forever friendly, and he was fierce when it came to fighting and defending his beliefs.

Over dinner that evening, the five generals discussed laying siege to the castle. With one extra army at hand, Zhu Jun explained, it would be easier covering all sides of the castle.

“You do not wish for the enemy to surrender with dignity?” Liu Bei stopped eating and began to quiz Zhu Jun.
“I suppose it would be the honourable thing to do. We shall leave the Eastern gate open, to give them an opportunity to leave quietly.” He took another sip of wine and continued, “Sun Jian, you shall attack the southern gate. I and Liu Bei shall attack the northern and western gates.”
“That seems fair...” the Tiger had hardly spoken all evening, and was simply cutting his meat with the ferocity that his reputation suggested he held.

The next day was spent preparing the troops once more. Guan Yu led Liu Bei into his tent and began training himself for the battle ahead. The two stood facing each other, Liu Bei’s small, acrobatic physique stood before the towering frame of Guan Yu. The two were utterly different.

“So, Brother Yu, what do you wish to teach me?”
“There is nothing I want to teach you brother; I simply wish to face you in combat.”
“As you wish, brother.”

Liu Bei nervously withdrew his two short swords and prepared himself for combat. Guan Yu calmly grabbed his guan dao from the side of the room and stood, motionless. Liu Bei, taking the lead, span around, flailing his swords from left to right. Guan Yu stepped aside and allowed Liu Bei to tumble past him into a stack of crates. Liu Bei regained his composure and faced Guan Yu once more. Guan Yu swung his mighty Blue Moon Dragon towards Liu Bei, who just narrowly defended the attack with both his swords. Guan Yu pushed Liu Bei back into the crates once more.

“You will stay with me always, brother?” Liu Bei wiped his perspiring forehead with his sleeve and started pacing the tent.
“Of course, Brother Bei, I will never leave your side.”
“Thank you, Brother Yu.” Liu Bei, content with the afternoon’s training and fearing for his own safety if he was to fail at defending against Guan Yu’s attacks, left the tent and began preparing his troops.

The next day the three forces of Liu Bei, Sun Jian and Zhu Jun waited patiently outside of Wancheng castle: Sun Jian by the south, Zhu Jun by the north and Liu Bei by the west. The east was left empty, in case the enemy decided to retreat with some of their dignity left intact. Zhu Jun raised his arm and waiting for the other two generals to do the same. Then, with the drop of their arms, they all attacked simultaneously. As all three armies approached their specified gates, their view of each other disappeared.

Sun Jian was the first to climb the walls of the castle. He withdrew his scimitar and started slashing violently at Yellow Turban rebels that launched their attack at him. He focused his mind and did not think about anything but battle. His eyes constantly scanned the area around him for any sign of a threat or danger to him or his men. He truly was a fierce opponent. He peered down into the castle courtyard and saw Sun Zhong retreating through the eastern gate, as Liu Bei predicted. However, Zhao Hong mounted his horse and began charging through the southern gate towards Sun Jian’s troops.

Sun Jian, reacting on his tiger like instincts, jumped down from the wall and landed directly in front of Zhao Hong. He steadied himself and waited for Zhao Hong to charge for him. He quickly sheaved his scimitar and leapt forward at the approaching horse. He could feel his crimson armour pulling him down as he grabbed Zhao Hong’s spear and pulled down with all his might. The spear came loose from its owner and fell into Sun Jian’s hands. Zhao Hong halted his horse and began to charge once more at Sun Jian. Sun Jian swung the spear with all his might and watched as it hit the enemy squarely in the chest. He fell from his horse and watched in horror as Sun Jian approached him spear in hand. Sun Jian quickly and cleanly threw the spear towards the cowering general and watched as it pierced his armour and gentle flesh. The battle was over.
The three generals, upon achieving victory, immediately decided to travel to the capital of China, Luoyang. They arrived after three days riding and they were showered with thunderous applause. The Three Brothers followed Sun Jian and Zhu Jun into the office of the Emperor and listened to Zhu Jun’s report on the battles he had taken part in. To Liu Bei’s surprise, Zhu Jun recommended both Sun Jian and Liu Bei to receive honorary titles for their part in quelling the rebellion. Emperor Ling nodded slowly and then beckoned the generals to leave.

Chapter Two: The Tyrant

After two days wait, Sun Jian was given the title Commander of Changsha and he left to fulfil his duties. Liu Bei was given the title of Magistrate of Anxi. So, Liu Bei disbanded from his army and kept twelve or so soldiers as his personal guard, and then he left for Anxi. After a month of ruling, the province of Anxi witnessed no crime under Liu Bei’s rule. At the end of the second month, an Imperial Inspector by the name of Du Biao came by Anxi to inspect the people and their view of Liu Bei. Little did Liu Bei know that the Inspector was corrupt, and was forcing the people to testify against their magistrate. For his silence, he demanded a bribe. Liu Bei did not tell his brothers this news.

“More wine.” Zhang Fei sat in the local inn of Anxi and waited for the innkeeper to bring him more ale. He had been banned from entering Liu Bei’s property until the inspection had been completed. Therefore, he spent his time in the inn, drowning his sorrows. After his last drink, he left the inn for fresh air. It was on this walk that he found five crying women, their faces purple with bruises.
“What madman has done this to you?” Zhang Fei, still slightly intoxicated, knelt down and assured the women that everything was OK.
“Du Biao, my Lord. He forces us to testify against Lord Liu Bei and then beats us if we refuse...” Furious, Zhang Fei called for his horse and rode towards Liu Bei’s property. He barged past the terrified doorkeepers and marched straight for Du Biao, who was sat comfortably in Liu Bei’s chair.

“You!” Zhang Fei grabbed the Inspector by his hair and dragged him to the ground, “What have you been doing to these people!” He dragged him outside and under the shade of a willow tree. Zhang Fei broke off the branches and began whipping the Inspector with all his might. He only stopped when a river of blood was flowing from Du Biao’s back. It was not long before Liu Bei and Guan Yu came rushing to the scene.

“Zhang Fei, please, do not hurt this man anymore.” Liu Bei stepped between the two and held out his arms like a bird.
“Brother Bei, for once I agree with Brother Fei. After all your magnificent doings, you are given this measly post, and even here, such a phoenix as yourself is insulted by men like him. Let us slay this wrongdoer now and move onto greater things.”
“No, we cannot slay this man. However, if I hear that you have been hurting the people again, then I will have to take action against you.” Liu Bei grabbed the official seal from his neck and tossed it down to the Inspector.

So, the Three Brothers left Anxi as Guan Yu had entered Zhuo, as fugitives. They fled to Diazhou and found refuge under Liu Hu, who sheltered the trio because of Liu Bei’s noble birth. For the time being, Liu Bei was safe.

Meanwhile, in Luoyang, the Ten Regular Attendants were gaining more and more influence with the Emperor. They put to death every general and official who dared to speak against them and they demanded gold from all the officers that helped quell the rebellion. If they refused, however, then their titles would be stripped from them. Generals Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun both fell victim to this travesty. The Government slipped into further disarray; and the people were growing more and more irritated.

More minor rebellions broke out in Changsha and Yuyang, but were quickly dealt with by the cruel and heartless eunuchs. Court Counsellor Liu Tao once approached the Emperor and his eunuchs and suggested that the Ten Regular Attendants may be corrupting the country. The eunuchs grovelled to the Emperor like spoil children until he was convinced that they were telling the truth. Liu Tao was sentenced to death. However, before the sentence could be carried out, a man named Chen Dan begged the Emperor to reconsider, for the sake of the Han. Both men were murdered that night.

Liu Bei played his part as the Commander of Liu Hu’s army well; and he was soon forgiven of the crimes his brother wrought upon the Inspector in Anxi. He was considered one of the lucky ones compared to the other generals that had been sentenced to death.

In the summer of the year 189AD, Emperor Ling fell ill, and called upon He Jin to his deathbed. He Jin’s sister was named Empress He, after giving a son to the dying Emperor Ling. However, He Jin had fallen in love with a beautiful girl named Lady Wang, who had borne him a son named Liu Xian. His sister became intoxicated with jealousy and poisoned her brother’s lover. She then had his son given to Empress Dong, Emperor Ling’s mother, the current Empress Dowager and also the wife of Liu Chang, Lord of Jiedu.

The Emperor’s mother often tried to persuade him to name Liu Xian as the rightful heir, but he had never called upon himself to do it, despite the love he had for his adoptive son. One of the eunuchs, Jian Shuo told the Emperor that if his son were to succeed, then He Jin must be killed to prevent countermoves. The Emperor saw this too.

The eunuchs’ power was rapidly spreading like a noxious weed, and the officers under He Jin had no idea how to destroy it. They called upon a meeting of the noblest councillors in the land to discuss the problem. Amongst these councillors was the honourable Yuan Shao, of the benign Yuan family, and Cao Cao, a member of the coalition against the Yellow Turbans.

“If we are to rid these eunuchs once and for all,” Yuan Shao spoke first, his posh voice striking the ears of He Jin violently, “Then we must wipe them all out completely.”
“I agree; eradication is the only option.” Cao Cao nodded in agreement.
“Very well, you may take five thousand troops to sweep the palace and kill any eunuchs you come across.” He Jin dismissed his meeting.

They rushed the palace at nightfall and placed the rightful heir, Liu Bian, on the throne. Jian Shuo fled the palace and hid in the garden shrubbery. However, in a clever rouse to divert suspicion from themselves, a member of the Ten Regular Attendants found Jian Shuo and killed him, presenting his head to Yuan Shao. In spite of this disguise, Yuan Shao still demanded that the eunuchs be murdered. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, they rushed to He Jin’s sister, Empress He, and pleaded with her. She called upon her brother and told him that no more eunuchs need to be killed today; the true traitor was dead. He Jin dully agreed and called off the attack. Yuan Shao warned He Jin of the danger he had put himself in, but he would not heed his warning.

Emperor Ling passed away. His mother, Empress Dong, now became the Empress Dowager in his place.

To sweeten the deal, the Ten Regular Attendants gave He Jin and his comrades high-ranking titles. The eunuchs were called upon by their new mistress, who was worried about the power Empress He had over the throne. They suggested that she should run the country from behind a veil. First by making the late Emperor’s son, Liu Xian, a prince, and then giving her brother, Dong Chong, command over the army.

Empress He and Empress Dong, now rivals, had many heated discussions about the meddling of state affairs. On hearing about the arguments, He Jin demanded that the Empress Dong and her brother be escorted from the castle. However, before Dong Chong could be thrown out, he killed himself, knowing his fate. The eunuchs, once more sensing their imminent danger, sent presents of gold to Empress He’s younger brother, He Miao, and her mother, Lady Wuyang.

He Jin then took another step in ridding the country of corruption, by having Empress Dong poisoned. Yuan Shao took this opportunity to ask once more for the eunuchs to be slew, but He Jin simply told him that he would think it over.

After He Jin found that his sister would not agree with his views, he ordered another army to be raised against them. This decision was rejected in many of his secret meetings, but one councillor praised it as the greatest decision He Jin had made yet. That man was Cao Cao.

Dong Zhuo was amongst those who were summoned. He had bribed the eunuchs heavily to stop his ranks being removed from his frequent failures during the rebellion. Now, with a disloyal heart, he summoned four of his best generals, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji and Fan Chou, to follow him to the capital, Luoyang. Lu Zhi disapproved of Dong Zhuo’s arrival, and often told He Jin that he would cause more trouble than he would solve. He Jin was obstinate.

Zhang Rang, the now chief of the Ten Regular Attendants, called upon fifty local armed vagabonds into the palace. They entered Empress He’s chambers and told them of He Jin’s plan. She summoned her brother. Yuan Shao advised against him seeing her, and demanded that he and Cao Cao be his bodyguards. He Jin eventually agreed, and called upon Yuan Shao’s brother, Yuan Shu, to lead a unit of five hundred to follow behind the three.

Yuan Shao walked slowly beside Cao Cao and his brother, Yuan Shu, towards the palace gates. He hoped that one day he too could live in a palace as grand as this. He certainly deserved to, he thought to himself. After all, he was a member of the noble Yuan family. As they approached the gates, the escort was commanded to halt, and He Jin entered the palace, alone.

He Jin strode casually through the palace, the sun setting behind him. Just as he had travelled halfway through the palace, Zhang Rang and Duan Gai approached the lone general.

“You traitorous swine! You shall not have the Empress He’s head!” He Jin, infuriated and struck by panic, withdrew his sword.
“Take your foul words back into your mouth, before I cut you down where you stand.” Just as he spoke these words, vagabonds appeared from both sides of him and struck him down in an instant. He Jin was killed.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao waited patiently outside the palace gates, shouting for him every hour.

Yuan Shao was dressed in golden finery of the most exquisite materials. His medium length grey hair was tied back into many tails and his sword was shaped so that it looked splintered and well used. He constantly referred to his family name and birthrights and often considered himself as an Emperor in his own right.

Yuan Shao glanced towards Cao Cao, a childhood friend. They had played together when they were younger but now they had lost almost all contact. Cao Cao had grown fond of his desire to find officers who were talented, regardless of birth. Yuan Shao disagreed, and believed that all talented officers were noble.

The nobleman nearly considered asking Cao Cao whether they should charge the palace, but his impatience was soon quelled. A round object was thrown over the gates towards the two generals, and they both stepped out of the way.

Cao Cao looked down at the severed head of He Jin. He moved it out of the way with his foot and drew his sword. Yuan Shao almost fainted with disbelief and disgust.

Enraged, one of He Jin’s generals, Wu Kuang, set fire to the gate and the army stormed the palace. The eunuchs were hacked to pieces, with no regards to age or rank. Four of the ten were killed by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao personally, whereas another four kidnapped Empress He, the newly instated Emperor Liu Bian and Prince Liu Xian.

Lu Zhi heard the commotion from his dwellings and, despite his earlier retirement, donned his armour and began an attack of his own. He soon found Duan Gai hurrying the Empress out of her chambers. He freed the Empress and destroyed the traitorous eunuch.

General Wu Kuang found He Jin’s younger brother, He Miao, and claimed that he had been corrupted by the eunuchs. He too was killed. Yuan Shu led his troops to slaughter every family member of the eunuchs, so that no more of these corrupt men would ever spawn again. Cao Cao tried to persuade Empress He to take charge of affairs, and he had her send troops after Zhang Rang and the two kidnapped royals.

The Emperor and the Prince watched as Zhang Rang drowned himself in the river, and then, terrified, they hid in the grass from the Imperial Troops. The Prince looked at the Emperor as the sun began to set behind them and the air began to chill. Both men were now shivering with fright and cold. Coming from his side, the Prince could see a tall peasant walking towards them. A farmer, he thought.

The farmer found the two young boys and bowed to them, instantly recognising their royal blood. The Imperial Troops soon found the two boys and they led them back to the Forbidden City, to the Royal Palace. As they arrived, Dong Zhuo did so too.
The Emperor sat in his carriage and looked down at the fat carcass that was Dong Zhuo. He and the Prince had often ridiculed him behind his back.
Forgetting his etiquette, he hastily dismounted from his horse when seeing the Emperor and quickly apologised for his tardiness.

However, on arriving at the Palace, the officers discovered that the Imperial Seal of the Emperor was missing. Many suspected Dong Zhuo, but none were close to the truth.

Later that evening, Dong Zhuo hosted a feast that all officers attended. During the feast, he stood up from the table and barked silence to his peers.
“Being the man of great intelligence and power that I am, I suggest that the feeble Emperor be replaced by the stronger, healthier Prince...” He kept the statement short and to the point, to cause maximum effect. His plan worked, and only one person stood against him: Ding Yuan.
Ding Yuan stood, his chair crashing to the floor.
“You traitorous rebel! We spent many months ridding the country of rebels and then you go and become one yourself!” Dong Zhuo reached for his advisor’s sword, but then something made him stop this action as quickly as he had thought it up.

Stood behind Ding Yuan was a man of terrifying power. He held a pike double the size of the giant that owned it and on it sat a blade of enormous proportions. He was donned in thick black armour that protruded in many different directions. The man was Ding Yuan’s adoptive son, Lu Bu.

Lu Zhi, sensing danger, quickly interposed and told Dong Zhuo that the current Emperor was young and wise, and more importantly had not made any faults. Dong Zhuo reached for his advisor’s sword once again, only just stopping in time to view the terrifying sight that stood before him. Lu Bu swung his pike above his head before smashing it down onto the table. The table split in two and sent splinters of wood flying through the air. Dong Zhuo, obviously bested and in marvel of this spectacle, withdrew the sword and smiled in spite of his fear.

The next day, Ding Yuan drew up a small army outside the Palace, challenging Dong Zhuo to a battle. Dong Zhou could do nothing but accept. Lu Bu sat on his steed by his master, waiting patiently for battle.

“Father, when can we spill the blood of these traitors?” Lu Bu’s voice was coarse and battle hardened.
“Soon, my son, soon.”
Lu Bu rode around the army at great speed, occasionally scaring his allies with swings of his pike. No one could stand before him. No one dared.

Suddenly, there was a tremendous roar as the gates of the palace opened and Dong Zhuo’s army poured out. Eager for a fight, Lu Bu charged straight for Dong Zhuo, already several yards ahead of the rest of his father’s army. Embracing the battle, he quickly swung his pike from side to side, cutting down soldiers as they came.

Dong Zhuo sat upon his horse and watched as hundreds of his soldiers were casually thrown to the side by Lu Bu’s enormous power. Sensing his immediate death at the hands of this monster, Dong Zhuo withdrew.

“What I would do to have such an animal on my side. The thing I could achieve... The enemies I could vanquish...” A small man named Li Su stepped forward and offered his theory.
“My Lord, that feat is indeed possible. I can help you win over Lu Bu, if you just let me borrow Red Hare...”
Red Hare was the fastest horse in China and was bred specifically for racing across the land at lightning speeds. Its hair had a red tinge and his horseshoes were decorative and made of solid gold. On asking his advisor, Li Ru, about the matter, Dong Zhuo acquiesced.

Lu Bu met Li Su in Ding Yuan’s camp, and they discussed the latter and his exploits. On seeing the horse, Lu Bu instantly accepted Dong Zhuo’s offer. Li Su, sensing the opportunity before him, asked Lu Bu to slay his father and bring the troops over into Dong Zhuo’s service. Lu Bu once more agreed, his black heart being filled by the prospect of betraying the man who had looked after him for so long.

That night, Lu Bu crept into his father’s tent. His father was sat at a small writing desk, presumably writing some boring letter to an official or monetary manager that Lu Bu had no interest in whatsoever.
He slowly drew a small but sharp sword from his belt and walked towards his father. He peered over his shoulder and read a small portion of the letter.


Pitiful, Lu Bu thought to himself. He had clearly chosen the wrong father to look after him and make him his own. He belonged to no man and he did not need anyone caring about whether or not he died.
He lifted the sword above his head, and quickly brought it down to his father’s neck, killing him instantly.

The next day, Lu Bu brought the head of his father to Dong Zhuo, who gleefully took him on as his own son. Dong Zhuo was now becoming as the eunuchs were, corrupt and powerful.

Dong Zhuo hosted another feast, this time inviting as many of the generals as he could. During this feast, he demanded that they follow him in deposing the Emperor, and replacing him with the Prince. Only Yuan Shao stood against him this time, claiming once again that the Emperor had made no faults.

Out of fear of Dong Zhuo’s military power and Lu Bu’s great strength, no other opposed him in public. Dong Zhuo filled the power vacuum by quickly deposing Emperor Bian and Empress He and replacing them with Prince Xian. Little did the officials know, Prince Xian was simply a puppet for Dong Zhuo’s schemes.

In the year 190AD, the nine-year-old Prince Liu Xian was inaugurated as the new Emperor of China. Dong Zhuo soon became Prime Minister, and acquired a wealth to match no other member of the Imperial Court.

Dong Zhuo’s advisor soon persuaded him to have the Prince and his mother killed, and thus it was done. The tyrant had grown ever more powerful in the wake of eunuch’s departure. Enraged by the actions the tyrant had taken, Yuan Shao sent many letters to each of the governors in China, but none could think up a way of deposing the traitor.

One governor by the name of Wang Yun called together the governors under the disguise that it was his birthday. Amongst these governors was Cao Cao.

“I must apologise my friends, it is not my birthday.” Wang Yun began to weep, “I simply called you here because we must do something about this traitor! He insults the Emperor and the Han!”
All but one governor wept with him. Cao Cao did not weep. Cao Cao never wept.
“Ha-ha! If all you do is weep until dawn then dusk, will that slay Dong Zhuo? I laugh at the absurdity of you men. Give me your sword Wang Yun; I will kill this man myself.”

Cao Cao left the table, the sword hidden underneath his long blue clothing. He felt quietly content with himself. He stroked his small goatee beard and began to walk toward the Prime Minister’s office. He arrived promptly and stood before the mighty Lu Bu.

“Where is the Prime Minister this evening?”
“In the small guest’s room.” The giant grunted loudly and pointed towards a large wooden door with his pike. Cao Cao walked towards the door, aware that Lu Bu was slowly following him. He entered and sat opposite the tyrant, who was happily drinking wine. His mighty bodyguard sat next to him, laying his pike on his lap.
“Why do you visit me so late?” Dong Zhuo spoke slowly.
“My horse is out of condition.” Cao Cao lied easily.
“Lu Bu, get this man a horse,” he turned and smiled at Cao Cao, making him feel uneasy, “A present from myself.”
Lu Bu left the room and Dong Zhuo turned away from Cao Cao. He quickly grabbed the sword and silently raised it above his head. However, the over-weight tyrant glimpsed the sword in the mirror and cried for help. Lu Bu quickly responded to the call.
“My Lord Dong Zhuo,” Cao Cao quickly dropped to his knees, acting on instinct, “I give this sword to you as a gift.” Dong Zhuo accepted the sword cautiously and gave it to Lu Bu, keeping his eyes on Cao Cao. As Cao Cao left, Lu Bu spoke.
“Just then, I was sure that that man was going to strike you.”
“I suspected him too... Call upon him tomorrow morning. If he appears before me, then he meant the sword as a gift. If he makes excuses then I shall have him killed.” Lu Bu smiled at this proposal.

Cao Cao leapt down the Palace steps two at time, his forehead perspiring heavily. He quickly found the horse that Dong Zhuo had promised and rode off towards the horizon.

The next day, Cao Cao could not be found. Dong Zhuo ordered that pictures of the fugitive be placed around the Forbidden City, in a bid to capture him. Because of this, Cao Cao was soon captured in a small town by the local magistrate.

The magistrate interrogated Cao Cao, who simply mocked him.

“You are accused of the attempted murder of our gracious Prime Minister, Dong Zhuo. How do you plead?”
“Do not act as though you would not have taken that opportunity to kill our gracious pig, Dong Zhuo.”
“Do not mock this magistrate, I will have you hanged.”
“If you would have wanted me hanged, you would have ordered it hours ago. Let me go, immediately.”
“You will not tell me what to do Cao Cao, you are a criminal in my eyes.”
“And you are a mere puppet of the Prime Minister in mine.”
“Where were you fleeing to?”
“My homeland, Qiao, so that I can summon an army to fight against Dong Zhuo.”
“Why not ask the help of the noble Yuans?”
“I do not care for their birthright or their nobility. I wish to summon an army of all backgrounds and talents.” The magistrate paused for thought and looked Cao Cao over once more. He could not find fault in what he was saying and he was almost regretful that Cao Cao did not murder the Prime Minister.
“Come with me, magistrate. Serve under me, and we can rid this world of Dong Zhuo together.”
Inspired by his ideals, the magistrate revealed himself to be called Chen Gong, and he thus released Cao Cao. Cao Cao praised the magistrate and asked him to serve under the general.

The pair fled to Chenggao, where a friend of Cao Cao’s father lived. They soon arrived at Lu Boshe’s house, who informed Cao Cao that his father had gone into hiding in Chenliu. Lu Boshe then rode into town for some more wine for his guests. Cao Cao sat patiently by the fire.

SCREECH

Cao Cao and Chen Gong sat upright. They both glanced at each other bewilderedly and began to stand.
“I thought I heard the sharpening of a knife...” Cao Cao drew his sword and began to walk towards the door. There they found Lu Boshe’s servant, preparing to kill the duo. The two of them stabbed the assassin and left the house. They searched the outside of the house and found a pig, ready to be killed.
“You have killed an honest man, Cao Cao!” Chen Gong pointed towards the pig and they quickly mounted their horses. They fled the house and met Lu Boshe on his way back from the village. He carried wine and fruit.
“My friends, why do you leave?”
“A hunted man must no linger.” Chen Gong braved a smile and looked uneasily at Cao Cao. He, on the other hand, stared coldly at his father’s friend.
“But I have a pig prepared for you, and I have bought wine from the village!” Cao Cao quickly spurred his horse on, leaving the man stood, confused. However, Cao Cao quickly turned his horse round and rode back to Lu Boshe, asking him to look at the mountains beyond them. Lu Boshe turned away to face the mountains and Cao Cao quickly drove the sword through his back. Chen Gong rode towards Cao Cao.
“We have already made one mistake, why make another?”
“This man would return and find his servant dead. He would then proceed to warn the tyrant himself. He could not be kept alive.” Despite Cao Cao’s cold and calculated tone, Chen Gong knew he was right.

They travelled through the moonlight and arrived at a dead inn. Cao Cao was soon asleep, but Chen Gong fought off his desires to rest and stayed awake, thinking about his actions. He had freed a man who he thought was valiant and noble, but instead he freed a monster. Chen Gong rose, sword in hand. However, reflecting once more, Chen Gong withdrew his sword and left the inn.

Cao Cao awoke the next morning and found himself alone. He pondered for a moment about the egoistic phrases he had used, and decided that he must press on without his companion. Cao Cao mounted his horse once more and rode to Qiao, where he found his father in hiding. He asked his father for help and means to raise an army, and he pointed him in the direction of Wei Hong, a rich and noble man.

On hearing Cao Cao’s ambitions, Wei Hong devoted his money and property to the cause. Thus, the call to arms was sent far and wide, and many responded. Yue Jin of Yangping came, and so did Li Dian of Julu. These men became appointed as Cao Cao’s personal staff. A man named Xiahou Dun came locally, from Qiao.

Xiahou Dun was tall and lean, a fine warrior, Cao Cao thought. He had long black hair that flowed neatly behind his head and he bore a very short black beard and moustache. He wore a clean cut midnight blue jacket and neat black trousers. In his right hand, he carried a large scimitar, one of unusual proportions, of which he carried with ease.

Xiahou Dun brought his cousin, Xiahou Yuan, with him. Xiahou Yuan was considerably smaller than his cousin was and was also slightly wider. He wore thick midnight blue armour and his black hair was swept back. His beard was short and stubbly and was mostly covered by the brown fur that was wrapped around his neck. He carried a long bow made of hard white wood and carried a quiver full of countless arrows.

The pair looked formidable, and, despite their obvious differences, they both seemed capable warriors in their own right.

The next day Cao Cao’s own cousins responded to the call. Cao Hong came first, with three thousand troops under his banner. The troops were shared evenly between the three officers. Next came Cao Ren, who Cao Cao almost didn’t recognise.

Cao Ren was clad in the thickest armour Cao Cao had ever laid eyes on. He guessed it to be about three inches thick all around and it was stained with a very dark blue colour and trimmed with a fading gold colour. It had obviously seen much battle. Cao Ren was a very short man, but carried a trident that was impressive on its own. It stood nearly two times higher than its owner did, and was bejewelled with some of the rarest jewels that Cao Cao had seen.

Wei Hong spent much of his fortune on new armour, weapons and banners for Cao Cao’s forces. This pleased Cao Cao. Not only because he was gaining more and more power, but because he was draining the rich of their ill deserved money.

Over the next few days, Yuan Shao brought many governors from different states around China. On the first two days, a new batch of officers came, including:
Yuan Shao’s brother and the Governor of Nanyang, Yuan Shu.
The Imperial Protector of Jizhou, Han Fu.
The Imperial Protector of Yuzhou, Kong Zhou.
The Imperial Protector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai.
The Governor of Henei, Wang Kuang.
For the next three days, another group of officers followed:
The Governor of Chenliu, Zhang Miao.
The Governor of Dongjun, Qiao Miao.
Yuan Shao’s older cousin and the Governor of Shanyang, Yuan Yi.
The Lord of Jibei, Bao Xin.
The Governor of Beihai, Kong Rong.
The Governor of Guangling, Zhang Chao.
The Imperial Protector of Xuzhou, Tao Qian.
The Governor of Xiliang, Ma Teng.
On the sixth day, the leader of the White Riders and the Governor of Beiping, Gongsun Zan, brought with him Lord Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers.
In addition, on the final day came the Governor of Shangdang, Zhang Yang, and the Governor of Changsha, Sun Jian.

On the night before battle, the generals gathered before one large fire, ate fleshly culled hog, and drank sweet mulled wine. Wang Kuang finally broke the silence.

“We are gathered here for a noble cause, the rid this country of the tyrant known as Dong Zhuo. However, we must select a leader, or else we shall all fall into chaos and disarray.” Cao Cao stood and began to speak after him.
“For four generations the noble Yuan family have served the Han without fail. As a childhood friend of mine and as a colleague of war, I propose that Yuan Shao lead us.” Yuan Shao happily, if a little too pompously, agreed. He rose to speak. Liu Bei beckoned his brothers to stand also, and he held his small, delicate hand against his heart. The other officers grinned at the Liu Bei’s patriotism, with they found ridiculous on all counts.
“For years now the Han has been slowly slipping into chaos. The Prime Minister of ours is a tyrant! He has assumed power in the void that appeared after we routed the traitorous eunuchs. We cannot allow another incident like that to happen again!” The coalition leaders roared with thunderous applause. Liu Bei shed a tear of gratitude and happiness.
“My brother, Yuan Shu, shall be in charge of the supplies here. But we must delegate a general to go to the River Si Pass, to provoke the battle.”
“I will be that man!” Sun Jian stood proudly in front of everyone, his gleaming red armour shining in the firelight.
“Yes, you!” Yuan Shao look around at the other generals, hoping that one of them would tell him his name. However, Sun Jian spoke for them, with a bitter undertone.
“My name is Sun Jian.”
Yes, of course... You will lead this attack!” Cao Cao seemed uneasy. Was Yuan Shao a bad choice? Was he just agreeing with the first thing that presented itself?

The next day, Dong Zhuo received word that Sun Jian was near the River Si Pass. He looked around for support, and found the figure of Lu Bu once more.
“Father, allow me to go and defeat these peasants.”
“No, Master Lu Bu. To send you, it would be like killing a chicken with an ox cleaver. Allow me to go.”
Dong Zhuo agreed with this new voice and appointed him the head of the defence at Sishui Pass. His name was Hua Xiong. So, Hua Xiong rode to the River Si Pass with three other generals, Li Su, Hu Zhen and Zhao Cen.

Sun Jian waited patiently upon his horse with four of his closest generals behind him. He had thought hard about the choice, and decided upon bringing Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Zu Mao and his close friend, Huang Gai.

Huang Gai was a man of medium stature, but was built very well muscle wise. He held a large stone club in his right hand and wore almost no armour, leaving his tremendous muscles to show. However, like Sun Jian, he was growing in age.

Sun Jian quickly led Cheng Pu into the pass with five thousand of his own men. To meet them, Hua Xiong sent Hu Zhen, also with five thousand men. The Tiger of Jiang Dong left Cheng Pu in charge of the men and he rode straight for Hu Zhen. Hu Zhen panicked and began to ride away from the fast approaching general. Sun Jian withdrew his red scimitar and swung it towards Hu Zhen, cutting him in halves.

They then retired back to camp to rest for the next attack, victorious. Sun Jian sent a scout back to Yuan Shu to ask for more food. However, one of Yuan Shu’s underlings suggested that he starve the tiger of food, in case that when defeating Dong Zhuo, Sun Jian takes over in his place.

During the night, Hua Xiong led his army through the mountains and back down again to Sun Jian’s camp.

Sun Jian lay silently in his bed. His eyes were fixated on the roof of the tent as he slowly processed the thoughts in his head. One of his soldiers rushed into the tent and shook him, as though he were asleep. He quickly focused on the soldier and glared at him.

“My Lord, Hua Xiong is attacking from the mountains.”
“No worries, my men should be tucking into Yuan Shu’s supplies and will be ready for battle.”
“The supplies never arrived, my Lord...”

Infuriated, Sun Jian quickly rallied his troops and rode out to meet Hua Xiong. However, before Sun Jian could finish the general, Dong Zhuo’s advisor, Li Ru, sent his army to burn anything that would burn.

Sun Jian and Zu Mao quickly fled the camp, with Hua Xiong in hot pursuit. Sun Jian fitted an arrow to Zu Mao’s bow, but pulled it back so fiercely that it snapped in two. He threw the bow to the earth and carried on riding, the wind rushing through his grey hair. Zu Mao quickly turned around a sharp corner in the pathway. Without a word between them, they exchanged horses and parted ways. Hua Xiong, confused by this switch, began chasing Zu Mao instead.

Zu Mao led the general near a burnt down house and left the horse nearby. Hua Xiong had it surrounded and approached it with caution. After realising that it was all a rouse, he had the horse shot with arrows, as a bitter retribution. Zu Mao quickly advanced on Hua Xiong, who cut him down before he could fight with full vigour.

Huang Gai, Cheng Pu and Han Dang quickly found their leader and circled around him. Sun Jian was much grieved at the loss of Zu Mao. He sent scouts out to Yuan Shao to report the loss.

Yuan Shao, on receiving the news, called forth an assembly. However, three men took Yuan Shao by surprise, as he had not seen them before.

“You three, behind Lord Gongsun Zan, your names please?”
“My name is Lord Liu Bei, and these are my brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.”
“That must be the Liu Bei who broke up most of the Yellow Turban Rebellion...” Cao Cao muttered his approval.
“I see... You must be seated with us then, Lord Liu Bei.”

Yuan Shao sent out his brother’s greatest general, Yu She, to fight Hua Xiong. However, his men came back to report that he had been slain by the general in a matter of moments. Yuan Shao, deflated, sent out Han Fu’s great general, Pan Feng. Nevertheless, he too was reported defeated.

“Why are my two able generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, not with me this day? They could defeat this general...”
“I will go.” The assembly turned to see a tall man with a long flowing beard. He wore simple green garments and held an impressive guan dao.
“And just who are you?”
“My name is Guan Yu. Brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. I shall slay Hua Xiong.” Cao Cao looked up from his seat and faced Guan Yu. He was impressive, very impressive.
Cao Cao heated some wine and stood before Guan Yu.
“If you can return before this wine cools, then you are truly a more worthy general than I.” Guan Yu said nothing, but stared Cao Cao in the eye. He then stepped out of the tent and left by himself to face Hua Xiong.

It could only have been half an hour or so when they heard the clap of horses hooves returning to the camp. In stepped Guan Yu, Hua Xiong’s head in his hand. The wine was still warm. Zhang Fei slapped his brother on the back and asked the assembly to take Dong Zhuo’s head now before the opportunity slipped away.

“These three men are right. We should march on the capital now.” Cao Cao stood up once more and faced the assembly.
“You hold a magistrate and his two brothers in such high regard?” Yuan Shu stood also, enraged.
“What good is a word such as magistrate on the battlefield? Is a word enough to defeat Dong Zhuo?” Cao Cao faced Yuan Shu and stared at him coldly.

The assembly retired to their camps. However, Cao Cao secretly sent presents of meat and wine to the Three Brothers. He knew he had recognised talent this day...

Li Ru awoke Dong Zhuo from his slumber. Dong Zhuo wiped his eyes and faced his advisor, who looked ashamed.
“My Lord, Hua Xiong is dead.”
“Dead? Dead!”
“My Lord, I suggest that if you wish to defeat these treacherous swine then you lead the army into battle personally.”
“Yes... Give me two hundred thousand troops. Fifty thousand of those are to go with Li Jue and Guo Si to the River Si Pass. The rest are to go with me.”
“To where, my Lord?” Dong Zhuo had now gotten himself out of bed, which must have taken a supreme amount of difficulty, and had begun to leave the room. He turned his head to face his advisor.
“To Hulao Pass.” Dong Zhuo left the room.

Dong Zhuo sat on his horse, cold and shivering. Snow was falling. He had decided against battle armour and insisted that he would not need to fight. Instead, he wore his violet finery and carried his large golden goblet, which he demanded was kept constantly filled with wine. He sent Lu Bu out on Red Hare with thirty thousand troops. They would defend the outer walls of Hulao Pass whilst he ‘defended’ the interior.

Yuan Shao summoned Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao, Bao Xin, Yuan Yi, Kong Rong, Zhang Yang, Tao Qian and Gongsun Zan to his quarters and told them that they too would travel to Hulao Pass. Cao Cao was summoned separately and told that he would go as reserve. Yuan Shao smiled to himself when he told Cao Cao this news. It was a quiet revenge for his outbursts the night before.

Lu Bu stood solidly in front of Hulao Pass, the solid wood gate sealed shut behind him. He had ordered his men to stay inside and provide him with archer support from the battlements. He would face the coalition scum himself. He looked down at his thick black armour; it glistened. He looked across to his giant pike; it brought intimidation to all.

In the distance, there was the sound of war drums. The first of scum were arriving. He saw a grey banner approaching, with the military symbol of Wang Kuang, He Jin’s former general. Lu Bu prepared his pike and watched the general ride ahead of his army with his spear in hand. His horse approached rapidly. Lu Bu had little time to think. He quickly rolled out of the way of the oncoming horse and watched as Wang Kuang was thrown from his steed as they ploughed into the gates. The general quickly regained his composure and began a series of volleys with his spear. Lu Bu quickly started swinging his pike above his head, keeping the general at bay.

He glanced to his side; Wang Kuang’s troops had caught up. Lu Bu quickly pushed his pike forward, forcing the general to lose his footing on the soft earth. Lu Bu grasped this opportunity and began swinging his pike towards the oncoming troops. Most of them fled at the sight of the savage beast of war swinging his enormous pike, but those who didn’t were cut down in an instant.

Wang Kuang quickly called off the attack. There was nothing he could do to beat Lu Bu. He called forth the other seven generals and they discussed the distressing situation. However, Lu Bu was waiting outside their camp, mounted on his steed: Red Hare. He challenged all eight to a duel. Reasoning that with force they could beat him, all eight generals went out to face the foe.

Zhang Yang’s officer, Mu Shun, rode out on his horse ahead of the others, and thrust his spear in the direction of Lu Bu. With his cat like reflexes, Lu Bu grabbed the spear tip and pulled it from the general’s hand. The general fell from his horse and scurried back to the other seven. Lu Bu laughed heartily, snapping the spear in two.

Kong Rong’s officer, Wu Anguo, was the next to advance, his iron mace swinging wildly. He seemed evenly matched to Lu Bu, until Red Hare stood on its hind legs and smashed down upon Wu Anguo. His wrist badly injured, he too ran back to the others. Cao Cao soon arrived, and suggested that they retreated once more.

“If we defeat Lu Bu, then capturing Dong Zhuo will be child’s play. We simply need to get around him...” Cao Cao stroked his beard, his mind deep in thought.
However, before a plan could be concocted, Lu Bu arrived once more, challenging all that dare face him. Gongsun Zan, infuriated by the opposition’s taunting, rode out to meet him.

Gongsun Zan was well known for his cavalry, and he led the group The White Riders. They were a force to be feared in any battle. However, the five-hundred-mile-a-day Red Hare quickly gained ground on The White Rider, and Lu Bu was poised to strike.

Suddenly, a third rider appeared, his bristly moustache shaking in the wind. The rider held up his double snake spear high in the air, and shouted insults towards Lu Bu. The rider was Zhang Fei. The two riders, both recognising each other’s talent, dismounted and began to encircle each other. The snake spear was not as big as the pike, but looked almost as powerful. Zhang Fei wore no armour, but that gave him the flexibility of a leopard.

Lu Bu quickly began flailing his pike around maniacally whilst slowly advancing on the youngest of the Three Brothers. Zhang Fei stood stock-still, fear and adrenaline rushing through his veins. He would never have faced foes such as this on his humble farm. He swung his snake spear at Lu Bu fiercely, but the latter quickly deflected the attack. Lu Bu responded in kind by swinging his pike twice from both sides. Zhang Fei took advantage of both ends of his spear and fended off the attacks.

Lu Bu began to swing his pike above his head once more. Zhang Fei quickly realised that this was a ploy to scare his opponent, so he stood his ground and watched the figure below the weapon. Fearlessly, Zhang Fei dived underneath the pike and knocked over the warrior. Lu Bu, ashamed of his own downfall, quickly pounced back up.

Suddenly, another horse rode towards them, a huge guan dao being held above it. Atop the horse was Guan Yu, ready to help his brother in the fray. Lu Bu looked at both brothers and smiled menacingly.

“You keep sending ‘em, I’ll keep knocking them down!” He laughed ferociously and watched as Guan Yu dismounted from his horse. The two brothers began circling their opponent. Lu Bu took two swings towards them both, and almost caught them off guard. However, Guan Yu, being the seasoned warrior, quickly regained his composure and swung his guan dao towards Lu Bu thrice. Lu Bu barely had chance to recover, and began knocking back Guan Yu’s fierce attack.

Then finally, the third brother arrived, brandishing his two swords in the air. Liu Bei dismounted his horse and ran frantically to join the fray. Lu Bu was beginning to grow tired. He spotted the weaker of the three and thrusted his pike towards Liu Bei, who dived out of the way. Clutching at the opportunity, Lu Bu quickly ran towards his horse and quickly began to ride off towards the pass.

The Three Brothers called back to the generals to advance, and they chased Lu Bu to Hulao Pass. They arrived moments too late; the gate was sealed once more. The combined armies of all eight generals arrived shortly after them, and they massed outside of the gate.

Sun Jian arrived in Yuan Shao’s camp, and celebrated the news that the army had reached Hulao Pass. However, he had other thoughts on his mind. He had lost a good general in the battle for the River Si Pass, and he demanded answers.

He marched over to Yuan Shu’s tent, whose owner was busy eating a small bunch of fruits, and pulled him up from his chair, Sun Jian’s serrated scimitar by his throat.

“Tell me, Yuan Shu, why my men were starved of food? Can you answer me this, general!” Yuan Shu stuttered and stammered. Sun Jian furiously threw the upper class general to the floor, and stormed out of the tent.

Meanwhile, Lu Bu was storming through his father’s dwellings at Hulao Pass, throwing vases and guards across the room. Dong Zhuo marched into the room.

“Lu Bu! Why are you not out on the battlefield?”
“I was over-whelmed! Think nothing of it; I will better them next time!”
“There won’t be a next time you fool!” Dong Zhuo lifted a book from the table and hit Lu Bu hard across the back of his head. Lu Bu, gritting his teeth, suppressed his rage.
“Lu Bu, we must go back to the capital... And we shall remove the Emperor. Yes! And we shall move him west to Chang’an.”

So, Dong Zhuo rode back with Lu Bu to Luoyang. Here he summoned the ministers of the Forbidden City and demanded that the Emperor be taken from the palace and be escorted to the city of Chang’an. Grabbing the opportunity to gain ever more riches, Dong Zhuo branded the rich of Luoyang as traitors, and robbed them of their valuable possessions. Any who opposed him were killed in the streets. Dong Zhuo’s last order was that of an atrocity. He demanded that the entire city be burnt to the ground. The capital became but a patch of scorched earth.

Sun Jian was the first to arrive at the remains of Luoyang. He ordered his men to extinguish any remaining flames and to set out campsites for the coalition lords. Sun Jian himself wandered aimlessly around the remains of the Imperial Palace. Never before had he bore witness to such a travesty.

Cao Cao rode towards Yuan Shao, who was slowly marching toward Luoyang with the other generals.

“Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo has retreated to the west. We must take this opportunity with both hands and strike his rear!”
“No, we must reach the capital. We must save what’s left of Luoyang.”
“The city is gone, my Lord. Attack Dong Zhuo before it is too late!”
“No, Cao Cao! We march to Luoyang.”

Infuriated, Cao Cao gathered his six generals: Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian and Yue Jing; and they rode in pursuit of Dong Zhuo. Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo stationed Lu Bu, Xu Rong, Li Ru and Guo Si near Yingyang as an ambush for any who dared to follow them. In the dead of the night, Cao Cao rode with his generals into the ambush, and he was quickly thrown into confusion.

“Xiahou Dun!”Cao Cao swung his angel hilted sword from left to right, “Take Lu Bu!” Xiahou Dun quickly mounted his horse, raised his scimitar and rode off into the distance, his long black mane flowing in the wind.
Cao Cao looked from left to right; he could see two other generals coming from both sides.
“Xiahou Yuan!” The sturdy soldier turned to face his master, “Take the left!” Cao Cao looked frantically around the battlefield for any sign of his cousin, Cao Ren. He found him in the centre of the battlefield, taking many hits with ease and swinging his heavy trident slowly from side to side.
“Cousin, please, take the right!” The stalwart general steadily led his troops to the right and met the oncoming onslaught. Cao Cao’s army lasted at least another hour, but he knew that he would not last much longer. He called for retreat and they withdrew to the hills behind Yingyang.

They rested for a short while and buried any dead soldiers that they could bring back. The generals had remained intact. However, the war drums sounded once more, and Cao Cao’s camp was thrown into chaos. Xu Rong had led another attack directly at them.

Cao Cao called for a mass retreat instantly and mounted his horse. He rode through the night on his own, and almost felt a pang of guilt for leaving his soldiers to fend for themselves. However, his train of thought was interrupted as Xu Rong himself jumped from the undergrowth and shot an arrow into the shoulder of the fleeing Cao Cao. Severely in pain, the general began to ride frantically down the hill, into the ambush of two more soldiers. He could feel a fever rising throughout his body as the arrow stung his flesh. The two soldiers drew their swords and slashed at his horse, throwing him down the hill. Cao Cao blacked out.

Cao Cao estimated that it could only have been about half an hour before he recovered. He felt groggy and sleepless. He found himself staring at the worried face of Cao Hong.

“Good general, go without me!”
“No, my Lord, mount my horse. I shall go afoot.”
“And what if we are ambushed once more?”
“The world can go without Cao Hong, but it cannot go without the great Cao Cao!”

They forded a large river, the sounds of their pursuers fresh in their ears. Cao Hong lifted his master onto his back and hid him in the undergrowth. Xu Rong rode with a few cavalrymen after the pair. However, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan arrived with several dozen men. They made short work of Xu Rong, who retreated minutes later.

The generals found their master, who apologised to them profoundly. They took him and their armies back to Luoyang, where Sun Jian had completed his preparations for campsites. Sun Jian himself was sitting by an open well, thinking about the Han and its future. It seemed dim. His general, Cheng Pu, approached him, a broad grin across his face.

“My Lord, forgive me if this is wrong to do so, but I believe I have found the Imperial Seal of the Emperor. The one that was lost during the slaying of the eunuchs.” Sun Jian held the seal in his hand, its jade dragons dancing in the morning sun.
“Cheng Pu, tomorrow, we shall travel back to Changsha and Jiangdong. I shall feign illness and we shall leave this place...” Sun Jian, swallowing his loyalty to the Han, pocketed the seal and strode off towards his horse.

However, as he approached his steed, Yuan Shao and his two best generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, stepped out from the darkness.

“The seal, if you may.” Yuan Shao held out his hand.
“I do not own such an item!” Sun Jian was flooded with fear and confusion.
“You did not receive the item from near the well?”
“I did not. If I am to lie to you then let my death be a gruesome one.” Yuan Shao still did not believe the tiger, but let him leave. Soon after, Cao Cao returned and announced that he too would be leaving. Then, Gongsun Zan appeared and he too told Yuan Shao that he and Liu Bei would be leaving camp. The coalition was disbanding.

During the afternoon, Sun Jian began passing through the Jingzhou Region. They had marched for several more hours when they noticed an armed blockade blocking the path. Sun Jian quickly noticed the banner of Liu Biao. Sun Jian rode ahead and demanded that he speak with someone in charge. Two of Liu Biao’s generals, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao, approached the tiger.

“Why is it that you block my path?”
“Why is it that a servant of the Han steals the Imperial Seal of the Emperor?” The two generals laughed smugly.
“I own no such item.”
“Hand me the seal, and you go free.”
“Huang Gai!” Sun Jian ordered his fierce friend to the front line. He pointed out Cai Mao and the stocky general dismounted from his horse. Huang Gai flexed his muscles and began to swing his stone club through the air. Cao Mai drew his sword and plunged towards the older general. Huang Gai quickly stepped to the side.

“Ha-ha, which whelp taught you to fight?” Huang Gai laughed heartily as Cai Mao threw two more failed attacks. Huang Gai, as though suddenly awoken, was thrown into a quick rage, and he began swinging his club wildly at Cai Mao. The elderly general’s weapon quickly found its mark, and hit Cai Mao squarely in the chest. A loud wheeze came from him as he fell to the floor, coughing and spluttering.

“Come, Huang Gai. We are leaving.” Therefore, Sun Jian, grinning, continued his march towards the hills, where he found Liu Biao himself leading a large army. The tiger turned back and saw Kuai Yue and Cai Mao pursuing them. Sun Jian seemed completely hemmed in.