If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
____________________________
(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
"Understood, Your Majesty," Zhang Liao said, a fierce grin mirroring his Emperor's. "The men are hungry for it. I will ensure the vanguard is ready to move at the third watch." As Sima Yi and Zhang Liao turned to descend the tower and execute his will, Lie Fan turned back to the vista of his army. The machine was in motion.
It was then that he heard the heavy, measured tread of armored boots on the stone stairs. He didn't need to turn to know who it was; few men walked with that specific cadence of perfect, balanced lethality.
"Zilong," Lie Fan said without turning.
Zhao Yun crested the stairs. The 'Silver Dragon' was clad in his pristine white armor, his legendary spear strapped securely to his back. But today, his usual calm, immovable aura was fractured by a visible, palpable tension.
Before Lie Fan could even turn around fully, Zhao Yun dropped to one knee. The metal of his greave clanged sharply against the stone. He cupped his hands tightly in front of him, bowing his head in a gesture of profound respect and supplication.
"Your Majesty," Zhao Yun said, his voice lower and tighter than usual.
Lie Fan turned, a look of genuine surprise crossing his features. Zhao Yun rarely knelt outside of formal court settings, he was a brother in arms, a pillar of the empire.
"Zilong, stand up," Lie Fan said, stepping forward and reaching out to grasp the general's arm. "Why have you come here looking like the sky is falling? What is the matter?"
But Zhao Yun resisted the pull. He remained in his kneeling position, his head still bowed.
"Your Majesty," Zhao Yun repeated, his voice thick with emotion. "I would like to ask for your forgiveness... and your understanding. I know the timing is terrible. I know the march on Chang'An is imminent. But... I would like to request leave to return to Xiapi."
Lie Fan frowned, his strategic mind instantly jumping to the worst conclusions. Was there a rebellion in the rear? Had the remnants of the nobles he cleaned up struck at the capital?
"Return to Xiapi?" Lie Fan asked, his voice sharpening slightly. "Alone? As soon as possible? Zilong, what has happened? Is the capital under threat?"
Zhao Yun finally looked up. His eyes, usually cool and calculating, were shining with an emotion Lie Fan had rarely seen in the stoic warrior. It wasn't fear. It was a desperate, overwhelming joy mixed with profound anxiety.
"If I am allowed, Your Majesty," Zhao Yun said, his voice trembling slightly, "I would like to leave today. Yes... something has happened back at Xiapi."
He took a deep breath. "My wife, Ma Yunlu... she has just given birth. A courier arrived not an hour ago. We have a son, Your Majesty."
The tension in Lie Fan's shoulders vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of pure, unadulterated shock, followed rapidly by a booming, joyous laugh that echoed off the stone walls of the watchtower.
"A son!" Lie Fan exclaimed, the sound of his laughter causing a few guards on the lower walls to look up in surprise.
He reached down again, and this time, he did not take no for an answer. He gripped Zhao Yun by the forearms and hauled the Silver Dragon to his feet, pulling him into a brief, fierce embrace.
"Congratulations, Zilong! A son!" Lie Fan stepped back, beaming at his general. "This is magnificent news! The heavens smile upon you today. The Silver Dragon has an heir!"
Zhao Yun managed a strained smile, the conflict still evident on his face. "Thank you, Your Majesty. It is the greatest joy of my life. But... I know that making this request now puts you in a difficult position."
He gestured vaguely toward the inner keep. "My sworn duty is to guard His Highness, the Crown Prince. Alongside Ma Chao, we are the shield of the heir. To abandon that post on the eve of the final battle for the empire... it is a dereliction of duty. But I beseech you, Your Majesty... I wish to be with her. I wish to hold my son."
Zhao Yun looked at Lie Fan with an earnest, painfully vulnerable face. Here was a man who had charged single handedly through armies of thousands without a second thought, now reduced to begging for the chance to see a newborn child.
Lie Fan's smile softened into an expression of deep, brotherly understanding. He placed a heavy hand on Zhao Yun's shoulder.
"Zilong," Lie Fan said gently. "You have bled for me. You have fought for me. You have protected my life and the lives of my family more times than I can count. The empire is vast, and Chang'An is just a city. But a man's firstborn son? That is a universe unto itself."
He squeezed Zhao Yun's shoulder. "Of course you can go back to Xiapi. I command it, in fact. You will ride today."
"But the Crown Prince—" Zhao Yun started to protest, his sense of duty fighting against his heart.
"Muchen is safe within these walls," Lie Fan interrupted smoothly. "And as for the matter of his protection, do not worry. You are not the only capable general in my army, despite what you might think when you are cutting down twenty men at a time."
Lie Fan chuckled. "I will assign another general to stand alongside Ma Chao. Speaking of which... does Ma Chao know? Has he heard that his sister has given birth?"
Zhao Yun nodded, a faint smile returning to his face. "He does, Your Majesty. I told him as soon as the courier arrived. He nearly crushed my ribs with a hug."
"And he is not asking to ride back with you to see his new nephew?" Lie Fan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He wants to," Zhao Yun admitted. "But Ma Chao understands the gravity of the moment. He knows that only one of us could reasonably ask to leave the vanguard. He told me he will stay behind. He swore on his spear that he will protect Your Highness the Crown Prince with his life, so that I may go back and be with Yunlu."
Lie Fan nodded slowly, deeply impressed. Ma Chao was known for his fiery temper and headstrong nature, but the bond between these men, and their loyalty to the empire, was stronger than steel.
"Good," Lie Fan said, his voice turning serious but warm. "That is the mark of true brothers. Then it is settled. You want to go back right now? You can. Go to the stables. Take the fastest relays we have."
Lie Fan stepped closer, his eyes locking onto Zhao Yun's. "But hear me well, Zilong. Remember to focus on safety. Your mind will be racing a thousand miles ahead of your horse. Do not ride yourself or your mount to death in the dark. Ensure nothing happens to you on the ride back."
Lie Fan poked a finger into the white breastplate of Zhao Yun's armor. "I am about to conquer an empire. I refuse to lose one of my greatest generals to a muddy ditch or a minor riding accident on a quiet road because he was too eager to get home. Am I understood?"
Zhao Yun's posture straightened, the stoic warrior returning, though the gratitude in his eyes was blinding. He brought his fists together in a sharp salute.
"I swear it, Your Majesty," Zhao Yun said, his voice ringing with absolute conviction. "I will ride back safely. I will return to your side when the boy is settled, ready to serve again."
"Just go be a father for a while, Zilong," Lie Fan said softly, waving him away. "Okay. You can go now. Give Yunlu my blessings."
Zhao Yun bowed lower than ever before, spun on his heel, and practically flew down the stone stairs, his white cape snapping behind him.
Lie Fan watched him go, a smile lingering on his face. It was a beautiful thing, amidst all the death and strategy, to see life asserting itself so powerfully.
But the smile faded as he turned back to the valley. The warmth of the moment passed, replaced by the cold iron of command. There was still a war to win.
"Guards!" Lie Fan barked.
A runner appeared instantly at the top of the stairs.
"Find General Ji Ling," Lie Fan ordered. "Tell him to report to the Crown Prince's quarters immediately. He is to take up the position of General Zhao Yun. He will stand alongside Ma Chao and protect my son. If so much as a shadow falls on Muchen, I will have Ji Ling's head."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The runner dashed off.
The day passed in a blur of hyper efficient activity. The Hengyuan war machine, having caught its breath, geared up for the final thrust. The sound of grinding whetstones and the braying of pack mules echoed through the pass until the sun dipped below the mountains, plunging the valley into a tense, expectant darkness.
At the third watch, long before the first hint of dawn could touch the sky, the horns blew.
It was a low, mournful, terrifying sound that rolled over the hills like thunder. The time had come.
Lie Fan sat atop Pangu, at the head of a massive column of black armored cavalry. The only light came from the torches held by the standard bearers, illuminating the golden threads of the Black Dragon banners.
He looked back at his army. It was a river of steel, ready to flood the plains of Wei.
"Forward," Lie Fan commanded quietly.
The order rippled down the line, and the twenty thousand hooves of the vanguard began to strike the earth. They marched out of Tong Pass, leaving the mountains behind, moving like a shadow across the land toward the doomed city of Chang'An.
But Lie Fan was not merely striking with a sword; he was closing a fist.
Days prior, fast riders had already slipped through the mountain paths, carrying the Emperor's final strategic edicts to the far corners of his domain.
Far to the south, in the rugged terrain of Hanzhong, Zhang Lu had received his orders. He was currently mobilizing his zealous army, marching them north through the treacherous plank roads of the Qinling Mountains, aiming to strike Chang'An from its soft southern underbelly.
And far to the west, in the heavily fortified city of Tianshui, Fa Zheng had read the Emperor's command with a cold, calculating smile. The threat of the Western Garrisons had neutralized itself, freeing his hand.
The Shu veterans, Zhang Ren, Yan Yan, and the barbarian King Meng Huo, were already leading a hardened force eastward, intending to slam the western gate of Chang'an shut.
The dragon was coiling. Lie Fan was marching from the east, Zhang Lu from the south, and Fa Zheng from the west.
Chang'An was no longer just a target. It was the center of a grand, inescapable trap. And as the dawn finally broke, painting the sky the color of spilled blood, the vanguard of Hengyuan saw the distant, towering walls of the Wei capital rising from the plains, waiting for the end.
______________________________
Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0