Storyline

[TG]

Famine... floods... a corrupt government... this is just the start of the the chaos that would tear the Middle Kingdom asunder for decades to come. Follow this simple historian as we embark on an journey that will take you through one of the most precarious and perilous eras of the Middle Kingdom. Since the ascension of Emperor Ling in 168 AD, the glorious four hundred year old Han Empire seemed to be spiralling down from its golden years as high taxation and natural diasters coupled with diseases and strange superstitious events across the lands caused widespread ruin. In the early years of Ling's reign, famine and floods in the north forced farmers and military settlers south, causing unbearable strain on the south's economy and a total collapse in the north. The landowners in the south exploit the immigrants to amass great wealth, causing further misery amongst the populace and delaying the restoration of the north. Immediately following this, the peasantry become further overburdened by high taxation caused by fort building and military endeavors along the Silk Road. But no matter how much tax was collected, the Han national cofers never seemed to be filled, at least not in the eyes of Emperor Ling who turned a deaf ear and a blind eye towards his starving and dying people. Instead, choosing to live in luxury without responsibilities by redirecting duties to a group of eunuchs known a the Ten Regular Attendants. These men had worked their fingers and carved their own path into the Imperial Courts after gaining sway over the Emperor as opposed to being men of talent who could help the Empire prosper. With corrupt and greedy officials overrunning the Han courts, the people find themselves with no one to turn to in their time of need. Like a beacon of light in their most direst of times, three men appeared and began to ease the people's suffering through their miracles.

Working their way up as simple peasants, Zhang Jue, Bao, and Liang gain support en masse throughout the crumbling Empire as benevolent healers and are regarded as messiahs of the lands. Taking advantage of the people in their most vulnerable state, the Zhang brothers play god and form the Daoist sect known as the 'Way of Peace' with revolution in mind. However, this is no mere cultural or religious movement but rather a plan to revolt against the Han Empire. With supporters starting to number in the tens of the thousands, the Zhang brothers even manage to find support from within the corrupt Imperial Courts; though to no one's surprise. Unfortunately for these heroes, their conspirators within the Imperial Courts are discovered and executed immediately. With no other choice, the rebellion is launched much earlier than planned. Having revolted earlier than expected, the initial rebellion was uncoordinated... to say the least and lacked true leaders of men to guide them but the sheer number of rebels was able to grind the entire Empire to a halt. Yellow Turbans overrun He Bei and much of Zhong Yuan as they loot, pillage, and destroy government buildings.

Now, you might be wondering what Emperor Ling and the rest of the Imperial Court was doing while the Zhang brothers and their supporters were running amuck throughout the Middle Kingdom. It would be a lie if I told you that Emperor Ling was continuing to enjoy the luxuries of an Emperor, but considering his lifestyle prior to this, it isn't all too farfetched to say that he still continues to live in luxury, though with a small difference. In a state of panic, Emperor Ling turned to He Jin, General-in-Chief of the Imperial Han Armies, and He Miao, the younger brother of He Jin, to eradicate and quell this rebellion before it got out of hand, not that it wasn't out of hand already. Sure the Emperor finally realized that he was in trouble, but with someone else doing all the hard work, the only thing he could do, at least the only thing he thought he could do, was sit around and wait for a result. Sending out a call to arms across the Middle Kingdom, those who were still loyal to the Han Dynasty were called upon to take up arms and help defend their nation from these bandits and outlaws. Many great and talented leaders of men took this opportunity to step up and show their worth but soon these valiant men would learn that the times were changing much quicker and much more than they had anticipated. After defeating several waves of Imperial Troops, the Yellow Turbans capture and established themselves in key locations such as Nan Yang and Ru Nan where they may drive a wedge right towards the Imperial Capital. Slowly the Imperial Courts came to realize just exactly how much of a threat these peasants were as their trained and armed men began to fall prey to simple farmers, outlaws, and thieves.

Leaving Zhong Yuan behind for a second, we turn our gaze over to the west where we find the valiant and chilvarous Dong Zhuo. Arriving from Liang Zhou to heed the call for aid, Dong Zhuo brings with him much needed reinforcements for the dwindling Imperial Armies. Returning to Zhong Yuan once more, we find the situation finally turning in favour of the Han as Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song recapture Ru Nan. Leaving Huangfu Song to defend Ru Nan, Zhu Jun arrives in Nan Yang to surround it with Dong Zhuo's forces. Suddenly the Yellow Turbans find themselves on the defensive as their rebellion smashes into a brick wall and comes to a stop. With no other choice, the Yellow Turbans set up defensive positions within He Bei and western Yu Zhou to prepare themselves for a much anticipated counter offensive. The wait however, is short as the rebels flee He Bei after losing their base of operations in Ye Cheng and An Ping. Finding the full weight of the Han Empire coming down on them, the Yellow Turbans are forced to seek refuge in Qing Zhou. Meanwhile, the Zhang brothers try to stablize their crumbling rebellion as they lead the rebels in western Yu Zhou in an attempt to regain the offensive in Zhong Yuan only to be defeated once more at the hands of Dong Zhuo. Once a glorious dream now turned nightmare, Zhang Jue and his brothers flee with what meager supporters they can muster and hide within Huai Nan Province.

Let us take a moment to relax and relish in the rewards that Dong Zhuo shared to all of his men after he acquired them for his efforts and successes in suppressing the rebellion. If there was one man who knew how to throw a party, it would definately be Emperor Ling, a man who spent much of his life thus far enjoying the luxuries of an Emperor. A grand celebration was thrown to celebrate Dong Zhuo and He Jin who both received their fair share of awards and titles. With the rising dawn, stability slowly returns to the Han Empire. Unfortunately, this is but a fleeting peace as He Jin begins to consolidate his power. Day by day Empress Dowager He, sister to He Jin and He Miao and mother of Emperor Ling, grows increasingly more jealous of He Jin's power. Throughout this time period, we seem to have left a few people behind who are quite ready and eager to make their comeback. Behind closed towards, Empress Dowager He begins to plot against her brothers with the Ten Regular Attendants who unforunately are still active within the Imperial Courts.

A series of power struggles within the Imperial Capital ensures as He Jin sends for Dong Zhuo once more to aid him in putting an end to the corruption within the courts, his plan; by putting an end to the Ten Regular Attendants. Try as he may, He Jin couldn't defy his fate. Before the message could even make it past the gates of Luo Yang the plan had been leaked and He Jin is silently killed off. It is at this time that we see Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu who were aides to He Jin making their move. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to gain control of the government, the two of them used the influence of the loyal and massive Yuan Clan to march their armies into Luo Yang virtually unchallenged. As soon as they arrive they immediately set out to kill Empress Dowager He and the Ten Regular Attendants before taking control of the government thus taking the Middle Kingdom by storm. Looking to his left and right, He Miao now finds himself without allies and attempts to flee the capital but 'woe is He' as his own men under false accusations from Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu kill He Miao for conspiring against He Jin. The chaos within Luo Yang is cleared quickly as if nothing had happened though in actuality we all know this is far from it and soon so does Dong Zhuo who arrives at the Imperial Capital to find out that Yuan Shao has usurped all power with lack of any real opposition within the Imperial Courts. With his presence no longer neccessary, Dong Zhuo relunctantly withdraws from Luo Yang but not before news of Emperor Ling's death reach even the furthest corners of the Middle Kingdom. Some suspect the Emperor's death having something to do with foul play but no one dared to point their fingers at anyone, and especially not the two Yuans who now held uncontested control of the courts. Halting his withdrawal, Dong Zhuo sets up camp twenty li outside of Luo Yang to mourn for the late Emperor while Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu promptly aid a young Liu Bian in ascending the throne in the year 189 AD as Emperor Shao.

All is well, at least as well as they can be when the Imperial Courts find their Emperor missing but a mere three days after his coronation. High and low do the Luo Yang guards search for the missing Emperor but like a person who had been spirited away, the young Emperor is no where to be found. The Imperial Han Capital is nearly flipped around but still there was no sign of the Emperor and hope begans to fade. Still dressed in mourning attire, Dong Zhuo welcomes the young Emperor and his entourage into his camp and, with the Emperor's support and approval, he launches a full fledged invasion of Luo Yang. Already the two Yuans were plotting to replace Emperor Shao but are cut short by the beating drums and the battlecries of Dong Zhuo's men. With tears in their eyes, Dong's men storm Luo Yang in the name of the Emperor, cutting down anyone affiliated with the Yuan Clan and purging the Imperial Courts in the process. Watching all of their efforts flush themselves down the drain with the bold and unexpected move from the usually weak-willed Emperor Shao, the two Yuans attempt to flee Luo Yang but, Shu is reportedly killed while Shao was declared missing in action while retreating across the Yellow River to his base in He Bei.

'Rise Again From the Eastern Mountain (Dong Shan Zai Qi) [東山再起]'; an old Chinese proverb used for those staging a comeback. Several weeks later, word of Yuan Shao's reappearance in He Bei reaches the Imperial Capital as Dong Zhuo executes the men who declared Yuan Shao as missing for their part in conspiring with and helping him escape the cruel fate suffered by Yuan Shu. Seeing this as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone Ding Yuan, the Govenor of Bing Zhou and long time nemesis of Dong Zhuo, begins to plan a joint operation with his ally Yuan Shao. Doomed to fail before it had even begun, Ding Yuan's plans were obliterated in a single moment when his foster son Lu Bu decapitated him within his own camp and rode off to Dong Zhuo. The might of Lu Bu is announced to all the lands as Dong Zhuo names him the mightiest warrior in all of the Middle Kingdom. So impressed is Dong Zhuo that he not only stops at making this declaration but, with open arms and the support of much of his retainers, Lu Bu is adopted as one of his own kin though Li Ru warns Dong Zhuo that he is nurturing a tiger cub for disaster. With the immediate threat of Ding Yuan now eliminated, stability returns to much of the Middle Kingdom as Dong and his subjects strive to restore the Imperial Courts and prepare themselves to strike against Yuan Shao's last bastion of defense in He Bei. At this time, many of Dong Zhuo's subjects are convinced by Li Ru and Li Su to begin urging him to depose Emperor Shao but Dong Zhuo staunchly refuses and remains firm in his loyal stance to the Han Dynasty.

Just when the turmoil in the Middle Kingdom appeared to be declining and peace seemed to be on the horizon, the rising sun brought with it the unbreakable bond between the Middle Kingdom and its cruel fate of war. The old adage says 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' and to be quite honest, it is not too farfetched to say that is true when another Daoist sect called The Five Pecks of Rice Society begin to rebel in Han Zhong under the leadership and watchful eyes of Zhang Lu. Tasked by Emperor Shao, Dong Zhuo marches into Han Zhong with Lu Bu leading his vanguard and the two rout the rebels through sheer might and power from three different sides. Fortunately for Zhang Lu, his life is spared by Dong Zhuo who understood the importance of religion and the sway it had over people. With Zhang Lu doing his bidding, the west was pacified and the victorious Dong Zhuo returns to Luo Yang to receive grand titles and rewards. With the west pacified under his command, Dong Zhuo is awarded for his efforts via promotion to Prime Minister of the Han along with the rank of nobility as the Marquis of Bei Di. With these two titles in hand, Dong's power and respect within the Imperial Courts was unmatched and even the Emperor who held great love for Dong could not help but feel overshadowed by his power. To this end, we see Li Su and Li Ru once again urging Dong Zhuo to depose the young Emperor but to their dismay Dong Zhuo had had enough of their urges and demoted Li Su to Imperial Palace Guard Captain; almost sharing the same fate as Li Su, Li Ru's wife pleaded Dong Zhuo to reconsider and see that Li Ru was only thinking of what was best for his father in-law. While Li Ru was spared from demotion, Li Su however was not, though he seemed content with his duties as the Imperial Palace Guard Captain.

Storyline by Splash; Written for RTKOnline only!

[TG]

Shifting our attention away from Dong Zhuo and the west for a moment, let us take a gander look to the east where we see the rise of Liu Yao and Liu Dai, two brothers of an aristocratic family who won the favour of not only Dong Zhuo, but of their superiors, subordinates, and the common populace as well. Liu Yao excelled in his studies like his older brother Liu Dai, and became the Maocai (茂才), the outstanding candidate recommended to the Imperial Court from the state. Each year, only a single Maocai (茂才) could be recommended by a state. In the previous year Liu Dai had been selected and now, we see Liu Yao following in his sibling's footsteps. Some say the govenor of the state where Liu Yao and Liu Dai's family wasn't exactly all too happy to recommend both brothers one year after the other for fear of being accused of favourtisim and corruption, in the sense that the the noble Liu family had monopolized the system. These fears soon dissipated when many commoners, soldiers, and nobles alike defended Liu Yao for he was indeed of an outstanding caliber much like his brother. The attempt to raise a petition to change the govenor's mind soon found itself unneccessary as the Imperial Courts themselves caught wind of this matter and summoned Liu Yao as the Maocai of his state, bypassing the govenor's approval. After weathering the storm of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the near total collapse of the Han government, both Liu Yao and Liu Dai continued to rise through the government ranks and before long, the two had worked their way from simple scholars into national affairs of both civil and military matters. The chance finally arrived for the two brothers to prove themselves as they were tasked with eliminating the rest of the Yellow Turban remnants in Huai Nan. Not only were they men of talent, but as Imperial Clansmen and distant kin to Emperor Shao, the two men were given full reign over their task and granted a force of over ten thousand men. However, these two men weren't veteran military commanders and their eventual victory over the rebels resulted in severe damage to the infrastructure of the province. With permission from the Emperor and request of the peasantry, they remained in Huai Nan to restore the province from the damage caused by the fighting. Though few people mentioned it, the interesting topic of the heads of the Zhang brothers having never been sent to the Imperial Capital raised some questions amongst the populace and courts though most disregard it. For those who keep one ear to the ground, they may catch rumours at times about the two Lius reconciling with the three Zhangs and taking them under their wing. Seeing the might of Dong Zhuo's armies, the passive south continue to remain quiet and undisturbed for the most part allowing Dong and his men to focus all their efforts towards the aggressive and troublesome north.

Ah yes, the north was troublesome indeed for Yuan Shao is not only crafty but also a tenacious and driven individual. His damaged pride and ego served as great motivators as he set forth a massive propaganda campaign in the fourth month of the second year of Emperor Shao's reign. Rallying behind Yuan Shao are many great men of influence who at one point or another had fought alongside Yuan Shao in eliminating Yellow Turbans during their unlawful reign over Zhong Yuan. Allied leaders of men including Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian march their armies towards Hu Lao Guan. Laying siege to Dong Zhuo's forces at Hu Lao Guan the allied leaders push increasingly more aggressive each and everyday they stare at the seemingly impenetrable gates of Hu Lao Guan. Adamant in his decision, Lu Bu leads the defense of Hu Lao Guan by remaining completely on the defensive until reinforcements arrive under the command of Hua Xiong and Li Ru. Finally the allied armies are broken as Lu Bu and Hua Xiong rushed through Hu Lao Guan like a torrential flood on the battlefield and began to lay waste to every enemy in sight. Broken in both mind and body, the allied leaders retreat across the Yellow River once more while the victorious Dong forces return to Luo Yang to witness Dong Zhuo becoming the King of Zhou. At the end of this year, the young Emperor falls ill and begins to reject audiences with his subject while diverting much of the Imperial Court's power to Dong Zhuo. With the events that had unfolded thus far, Li Su with his power as the Imperial Palace Guard Captain, secretly aids Li Ru in meeting with Emperor Shao. Due to various astrological observations, continued discontent within the common populace and small rebellions throughout the south, Li Su and Li Ru pressure the Emperor to abdicate in favor of Dong Zhuo, to which Emperor Shao agrees. Thus concludes the Han Dynasty while ushering the new Zhou Dynasty with Dong Zhuo ascending in the year 191 AD the throne as Emperor Wu of Zhou (Zhōu Wǔ Dì) [周武帝] using Di to seperate himself from the ancient King Wu of Zhou. After abdication, Liu Bian(formerly Emperor Shao) is named The Peaceful Marquis (Tai Ping Hou) [太平侯] for abdicating for one more capable than himself to restore the Middle Kingdom to its former self. Though he is no longer Emperor, Liu Bian continued to enjoy the luxuries of a noble for the rest of his life, however short lived it was, for the young Liu Bian passed away later the same year admist rumours of being poisoned.

At the time of Liu Bian's death, a certain brother of his went missing and was never found. At least he was never found within the Imperial Capital or for that matter any land under the control of the Zhou Dynasty. Instead, the young Liu Xie with help of still loyal Han retainers, flees to Yuan Shao, who he still considers to be loyal to the Han Dynasty. In secrecy however, he is in actuality seeking to control the Middle Kingdom and set the foundations for his descendants to rule. Once again the troublesome Yuan Shao has begun to conjure his spells and work his magic once more as he uses his words to influence the young Liu Xie and tear him away from the rest of his Imperial Clansmen who now support the new Zhou Dynasty. In the name of Liu Xie, a direct member of the Royal Han bloodline, Yuan Shao rallies influencial leaders around him and obtains their troops and financial support as he revives the alliance against Dong Zhuo in all secrecy. While the Allied forces continued to grow across the Yellow River, the unsuspecting Dong Zhuo tasks Li Jue to march and pacify the southlands while leaving a fraction of the Imperial Army behind to defend its capital. Allied forces under Yan Liang and Wen Chou launch a suprise invasion of Hu Lao Guan and capture it during the dead of night. The sudden attack catches Dong Zhuo off guard and he recalls his armies from their dealings in the south, under Li Jue, though it is apparent that the reinforcements will not arrive in time. With no other choice, Dong Zhuo tasks Lu Bu and Hua Xiong to the rearguard as they evacuate Luo Yang and move the capital to Chang An instead. The easiest city to take of course is an empty city. Arriving in the city first, Yuan Shao's forces plunder and loot Luo Yang before burning it to the ground while blaming it on Dong Zhuo. Allied leaders weep for the destruction of the ancient Imperial Capital of the Han and their hatred for Dong Zhuo grows even stronger.

In the midst of sacking Luo Yang, Yuan Shao finds the magnificient Jade Dragon seal also known as the Imperial Seal, the symbol of the Emperor. Now with the seal in hand, Yuan Shao helps Liu Xie ascend to the throne, becoming Emperor Xian in the year 193 AD. To legitmize the new Emperor's reign, they name themselves the Northern Han Dynasty, continuing the great Han Dynasty now in its third state after the Eastern Han Dynasty which was preceded by the Western Han Dynasty. Even younger than Liu Bian when he ascended the throne, Emperor Xian is now a puppet Emperor controlled by Yuan Shao to further his ambitions unknownst to the young and naive Emperor who seeks only to reclaim what is rightfully Liu. Unfortunately, it is not just Emperor Xian who has been deceived by Yuan Shao, but nearly all of the world as well save those few individuals trusted enough by Yuan Shao to possess this level of classified Yuan Clan information. Sending the allied leaders forth to do battle, Yuan Shao raises his reputation by staying behind in Luo Yang to oversee the reconstruction of the former Imperial Capital. Meanwhile, Cao Cao attacks and invades Hong Nong to the west of Luo Yang, which was defend by Xu Gong and Guo Si, while defensive paramaters were set up around Chang An to prevent a second disaster like Hu Lao Guan. Using the momentum that the Northern Han forces had built up, Cao Cao defeats Xu Gong and Guo Si with ease while continuing forth to Tong Guan. Fan Chou and Hua Xiong march towards Tong Guan to intercept the Allied forces and repel their initial advances on the gate. With their momentum broken, the Allied forces set up camp for a war or attrition while they besiege the ancient gate.

For several years a stalemate at Tong Guan ensures as small skirmishes are fought at the gate's front steps but no decisive victory could be gained by either side. Seeing that brute miliitary force was not enough to over come their enemies, both sides begin to plot and plan. Day after day, ploy after ploy is created and dismissed as the advisors of both Dynasties try to find a solution to their problems. Slowly, Tong Guan begins to collapse as its defense crumbles through constant sapping and tunneling. With this breakthrough, the Allied forces advance past the gate towards Chang An but reinforcements led by Lu Bu counters the Allied forces' offensive and drives them back through Tong Guan, while Li Ru sees through the Allied ploys and ambushes and leads a smaller, secondary force into the enemies rear, allowing the Zhou forces to push Allied forces east into Hong Nong before falling back to Tong Guan to make their repairs for the gate. Once again a stalemate is reached for several years as both sides fight small skirmishes between Tong Guan and Hong Nong but the two participants find their positions shifted completely as the ones making the offensives at this point was the Zhou and not the Han. For their bravery and success, Lu Bu and Li Ru are awarded handsomely though Lu Bu feels dissatisfied with his rewards and secretly speaks out against the Emperor to his confidants.

Some say the stalemate at Hong Nong never actually existed while others firmly believe that niether side could make an advance. For those who discredit the stalement, they praise Dong Zhuo for letting the Allied forces restore Luo Yang, as the Allies were the ones who burned it, in the decade that Xi Zhou belonged to the Northern Han Dynasty before taking it back. Looking back, this truly did seem to be the case when Lu Bu and Hua Xiong attacked Allied forces in Hong Nong and defeated them, with both Zhou commanders showing their bravery as they each personally killed several Allied commanders. As the Allied forces make their retreat to Luo Yang, a secondary force from Nan Yang flanked the retreating Allies, nearly routing them and forcing Yuan Shao to evacuate Luo Yang and move back past the Yellow River once more. Though the Allied forces are nearly destroyed, fierce Allied commanders such as Cao Cao and Sun Jian dealt numerous losses to Imperial Zhou forces forcing them to stay behind the Yellow River, unable to pursue further. After this devasting defeat, Yuan Shao returns to his home base of An Ping and re-establishes the Northern Han Dynasty's new Imperial Capital there with the resources that he took with him upon evacuating Luo Yang. Having suffered the fewest losses of the Allied forces, though of course it is still but a mere fraction of the great Allied Army that was stationed across the Yellow River prior to these events, Yuan Shao was able to quickly regroup and recuperate in the north while the Imperial Zhou armies watched from across the Yellow River.

My oh my, let us take a breather and check the date. It's now the year 205 AD, already decades have passed in the time that we have started this brief journey through but a chapter within the annals of China's history. For some, no, let me correct myself, for many soldiers, peasants, generals, and nobles alike, this chapter will encompass their entire lives. Let us take a peek inside the Imperial Courts of the Han and see what new surprises Yuan Shao has for us... Though influencial leaders of men like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian remain loyal to Emperor Xian and the Northern Han Dynasty, they have grown at odds with Yuan Shao who has now dominated the Imperial Courts and Imperial Han Armies almost entirely. The young Emperor that we once knew has grown in a well educated young man in the prime of his life but finds himself unable to control the empire that belongs to him only in name. The crafty Yuan Shao has only grown more sly with the years that he has accumulated on his back; more cunning than ever, Yuan Shao isn't just a stickler for reputation, but he also knows to maintain, preserve, and continue to build it. Everything he says is carefully thought out, around every corner in his speech there is a justification. No matter how out of line he steps within the Imperial Courts, he finds himself able to get away without any sort of repercussions all in the name of restoring the Han Dynasty to its former glory. Little by little, Emperor Xian finds himself more and more powerless in face of his loyal Dynasty-founding subject known as Yuan Shao.

Unfortunately for Dong Zhuo, this disunity within the Northern Han courts can not be used to his advantage for his own courts grow more troubling by the day. Lu Bu still retains the title as the Mightiest Warrior in all the Middle Kingdom, but that is not enough to satisfy him, nor are his posts within the Imperial Zhou Armies. Each month Lu Bu grows more and more bold in his dealings and finally he requests to be named King of Qin. At the advice of Dong Min, Dong Huang, and Li Ru, Dong Zhuo attempts to compromise the situation by granting Lu Bu the rank and title as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Zhou Forces, much to his dismay. With a smile on his face, Lu Bu feigns graciousness and accepts the post all the while muttering curses behind Dong Zhuo's back and under his breath. With this, he grows increasingly disgruntled and perhaps much more as the greatest warrior in all the lands began spouting treason in a drunken rage. Shhh... can you hear that? It sounds like someone has been snooping around... Let's take a peak at a few days later as our little busybody reports to Li Ru who does not find it the least bit surprising. Immediately bringing this to the attention of Dong Zhuo, or in these times, Emperor Wu. Unfortuantely, to Li Ru's dismay, these concerns are dismissed as nothing more than mere rumours conjured up by Yuan Shao. At this point in time, Li Ru begins to grow fustrated and starts to snoop around and meddle in Lu Bu's affairs himself.

Now fully aware of Li Ru, the mighty warrior begins to send essentially watchmen to keep an eye on Li Ru but after a heated arguement with one of them, Li Ru reportedly threw Lu Bu's friend and aide out of a nearby window. Unfortunately the setting of the heated debate was in a tower of all places and the conveniently located window was quite a ways from the ground. As a rather large framed man, trying to fit him through the window wasn't exactly the easiest of tasks for Li Ru but in the end he still somehow managed; some say Li Ru would have made an excellent Tetris player because of this though many doubt the gaming skills of a third century politician. Though, perhaps those Japanese should do some research on Li Ru for Human Tetris tips... I believe the next part need not be described for you to get the idea but it was not pretty to say the least and the maids definately voiced their complaints to one another about the errr... interesting clean up job though Li Ru simply smiled and mentioned how nicely the maids will be able to grow their flowers with the new fertiliser he added. Enraged at the ridiculous turn of events, Lu Bu confronts Li Ru with the intent to kill him but is stopped by Hua Xiong's strength and Li Su's words. However, the tensions did not stop here as the battle between the two began to emerge on the political front.

Speaking of political fronts, things weren't exactly going as bad as it seemed on the outside. Quite contrary to what one may think, the short period of peace was handled well by both Empires as they recuperated and saw expontential growth in their developments. The years of Yellow Rebellion and prior turmoil were behind the common populace now. Though everyone enjoyed the growth, unfortunately the impending civil war on the horizon was like the setting sun. Soon darkness would wash over the Middle Kingdom. With the Battle of Southern Xi Zhou in years passed, the Northern Han Dynasty experienced growth that allowed to once more stand up against the much larger Zhou Empire. Although some credit Yuan Shao's iron fist rule over the governement for the recovery, while others says the growth only happened because the Middle Kingdom was just so bad before after the Yellow Turban Rebellion that it had hit rock bottom and the only way was back up. Whatever the case may be, Yuan Shao undoubtled managed to stablize the Imperial Han Courts and raised a sizable army in the name of Emperor Xian and the Han Dynasty. Seeing the sun rising once more for the Han, loyals vassals begin to make their continued support for the Han known throughout the land.

Of course, the Han weren't the only ones to prosper as the Zhou grew from the rich southlands and expansions. With their strength renewed, the Zhou Empire begin to shift their gaze across the Yellow River once more and clouds begin to cast themselves over the Han. Under the impression that the rebels were all bark and no bite at all, the 'decisive' defeat in the Battle of Southern Xi Zhou was deemed too diasterous for them to have recovered. Assuming the sudden rally behind Yuan Shao was a ruse to intimidate and keep the Zhou behind the Yellow River as they tried to recover, Lu Bu and Hua Xiong are tasked with a northern expedition in the name of the great Zhou Dynasty. To repel the much larger foe from the south, those who were still loyal to the Han indeed did rally behind Yuan Shao with renewed faith and determination to restore the Han. The unexpected recovery came as a complete and utter suprise to Lu Bu and Hua Xiong who had expected to meet little resistance as they took He Nei. With such a large force marching northwards, they had assumed the rebels would have focused what little forces they had to defend the Imperial Han Capital. Shockingly, the renewed Allied troops were able to match the southern invaders in count. Without a fight, the two commanders agreed to make a tactical retreat and withdraw south of the Yellow River and continue their blockade. Having won their first major victory in years, and without shedding a drop of blood mind you, the Allied forces of the Northern Han Dynasty found themselves high in morale and faith in Yuan Shao but unfortuantely this does not last. With their common enemy south of the Yellow River once more, Yuan Shao's firm grasp and control over Emperor Xian puts him at odds with certain members of the Allied forces once more while others, blinded by this victory, continue to their support for the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.

Let's take a few deep breaths so that we can process everything that had happened so far... are you ready? Here, let us continue out with the journey, though my throat seems to be a bit dry... why don't you lead the way for a bit?

Storyline by Splash; Written for RTKOnline only!