Reborn In The Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1010: 959. Lie Fan Received The News

Chapter 1010: 959. Lie Fan Received The News
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The entire former Han court was assembled, standing in orderly rows. At their forefront stood Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da. As the two Hengyuan envoys entered, the three men bowed deeply, a gesture of respect not to equals, but to the representatives of their new sovereign.
Fa Zheng straightened, his expression one of formal accomplishment. “Master Zhuge Liang, Master Lu Xun,” he began, his voice carrying through the silent hall. “We come before you to that our duty, as entrusted to us by His Majesty Emperor Hongyi, is complete. The obstacles have been removed. The path is clear.”
He swept a hand out, encompassing the assembled officials. “With the unanimous consent of the ruling council of Yi Province, and in recognition of the withdrawn Mandate of Heaven from the House of Han, we hereby formally dissolve the Han Dynasty. The sovereignty over all territories, armies, and people of Yi Province is relinquished to Hengyuan Dynasty.”
Zhang Song continued, offering a sealed scroll to Zhuge Liang. “The articles of surrender and integration, drafted and agreed upon, including the guarantees for the former imperial family’s safety and the smooth transition of administration.”
Meng Da added, his voice a gravelly pledge, “The imperial army a d military garrisons stand ready to swear allegiance to the Hengyuan banner. Order will be maintained when His Majesty Emperor Hongyi announced to the world of Yi Province now part of Hengyuan.”
Zhuge Liang accepted the scroll, his face a mask of dignified gravity, though a keen observer might have seen the faintest gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. Lu Xun stood beside him, equally composed.
The long, complex, bloodless conquest, orchestrated through rumor, economic pressure, psychological manipulation, and a final, tragic accident, was over. Yi Province, the rich, fertile heartland of the southwest, had fallen into the lap of the Hengyuan Empire without a single major battle being fought by Hengyuan’s main armies.
“Your Majesty will be most pleased,” Zhuge Liang said, his voice echoing softly in the vast room. “You have fulfilled your trust with… remarkable efficacy. The integration will now begin. Peace and prosperity, long absent here, will return.”
Lu Xun spoke then, his voice smooth. “Yi Province has suffered greatly. Swift stabilization will be necessary.”
Fa Zheng bowed again. “We stand ready to assist in any capacity.”
Zhuge Liang allowed himself the faintest of smiles. “Good. Then prepare yourselves. The world has turned.”
The transfer of power was complete. In a quiet court hall, through a unanimous vote following a staged riot and an emperor’s accidental suicide, an empire of more than five centuries had quietly ceased to be, and a new chapter in the history of the land had begun.
Outside, bells rang.
Not funeral bells.
Welcoming bells.
And far away, in Yuzhang, Lie Fan would soon receive the news that Yi Province, untouched by siege, intact, surrendered whole, had fallen into his hands without a single army marching.
The bells of Chengdu continued to ring long after the court dispersed, their sound rolling over tiled roofs and narrow streets, carrying with it the quiet finality of an age that had ended without ceremony or dignity.
The former Han officials bowed once more to Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun, then withdrew in orderly silence, their minds already turning toward new banners, new favors, new calculations. The palace that had once housed an emperor now felt like a carefully emptied shell.
Beyond the palace walls, unseen hands moved.
The Oriole Agents, shadows within shadows, were already at work across Yi Province. They did not wear banners or issue proclamations. They whispered. They nudged. They corrected narratives before they could rot.
In teahouses, storytellers began recounting how Heaven itself had intervened, how the tyrant’s guilt had crushed him, how Hengyuan’s benevolence had arrived just in time to save the people from endless bloodshed. In market squares, merchants found their goods moving faster, taxes quietly eased, grain stores opening sooner than expected.
Bandits vanished almost overnight, those who were actors melted back into disciplined ranks, those who were real found themselves hunted with ruthless efficiency.
Stability returned not like thunder, but like a steady hand on a fevered brow.
Within days, banners bearing the Hengyuan emblem appeared beside old Han insignia, never replacing them outright at first, only standing alongside, as if reassuring the people that continuity still existed.
The Oriole Agents ensured that every visible change was paired with something tangible, reopened granaries, repaired roads, guards who no longer extorted bribes. The people did not need to be convinced with words. Their lives spoke for themselves.
And from Yi Province, through hidden couriers and layered routes, the news traveled eastward.
Toward Yuzhang.
It took several days for the message to arrive, carried by hands that never failed and eyes that missed nothing. By the time it reached Yuzhang, the city was still basking in the afterglow of celebration.
The wedding of Ma Chao and Sun Shangxiang had ended only the night before, its warmth still lingering in the air like the scent of wine and incense. The Sun Clan mansion had not yet fully returned to its usual rhythm, laughter echoed more freely, servants walked with lighter steps, and even the guards seemed less rigid, as though the joy of the union had softened the edges of duty.
Inside a quiet chamber reserved for him, Lie Fan sat alone.
Steam curled gently from a porcelain cup in his hand. The tea was freshly brewed, fragrant, grounding. He stared into it for a moment, not lost in thought, but resting, allowing himself the rare indulgence of stillness. Outside the window, Yuzhang stirred awake beneath the morning sun, unaware that the balance of the realm had shifted while it slept.
Then the door opened.
A servant entered into the sunlit chamber with smooth movement, like he was almost a part of the morning itself. He moved with the quiet deference of a well trained attendant, yet the air around him carried a different charge, a subtle, humming alertness that set him apart.
Without a word, he glided to a spot before the low table where Lie Fan sat enjoying a cup of steaming tea, then dropped to one knee in a single, fluid motion. He bowed his head.
“Your Majesty,” the man murmured, his voice a low, clear hum. “Forgive this humble servant’s intrusion. I did not announce myself. The matter is of great urgency.”
Lie Fan, who had been watching the steam curl from his cup, glanced over. A slow, amused smile touched his lips. He set the delicate porcelain down with a soft click.
“Rise. You’ve done nothing wrong. The formality of an announcement is for ambassadors and ministers, not for shadows bringing light,” he said, his tone warm but inquisitive. “Now, what message could possibly cause one of my Oriole Agents to lose even a fraction of that famed composure?”
The agent rose, but his posture remained one of absolute deference. From within his simple servant’s tunic, he produced a slender scroll case, sealed with wax bearing the discreet, stylized mark of a songbird, the sigil of the network.
He presented it with both hands. “News from Yi Province, Your Majesty. Direct from Chengdu. I… I am honored to be the one to bring you congratulations.”
The word ‘congratulations’ hung in the air. Lie Fan’s eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise. The chess game in Yi Province had many possible outcomes, but for the final move to be ed so soon… He reached out and took the case, breaking the seal with a practiced twist. Unfurling the thin parchment within, his eyes scanned the concise, coded .
The words were few, but their meaning was tectonic.
Chengdu secured. Liu Xie deceased, accident during altercation. Court unanimous. Han dissolved. Province surrendered. Full control established. Awaiting your decree.
For a moment, Lie Fan was perfectly still. Then, a slow, deep breath escaped him, not a sigh, but the release of a long held strategic tension.
A brilliant, unrestrained smile spread across his face, transforming his features from imperial serenity to the fierce joy of a master player who has just watched his most complex gambit succeed beyond all expectation. Yi Province.
The fertile basin, the strategic fortress of the southwest, with its armies, its granaries, its populace, his. And not his through the costly, messy business of war, but through the clean, surgical precision of politics and pressure. His power base had just expanded exponentially without a single Hengyuan life spent on its soil.
He let the scroll roll closed, his mind already racing ahead. Cao Cao remains, he thought, the smile turning thoughtful. The last great piece on the board, putting up a magnificent, stubborn fight at Hongnong. But with Yi Province secure, his flank is exposed, his resources dwarfed.
Once he falls… The vision unfolded before his mind’s eye, a unified land, from the eastern seas to the western mountains, from the icy north to the lush south, all under one banner, one law, one vision.
His vision. And beyond that, a stable, powerful empire looking outward, its gaze turning to trade, to exploration, to realms beyond China, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
“Your work, and the work of your brothers and sisters in the shadows, is beyond praise,” Lie Fan said, his voice rich with satisfaction. He looked at the agent.
“Relay my deepest commendations to all involved in Yi Province. Their precision was flawless.” He paused, his decision made. “Inform the entire agents here in Yuzhang. We depart for Xiapi in two days. Begin the discreet preparations.”
The agent bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the floor. “At once, Your Majesty!” He rose and retreated from the room as silently as he had entered, leaving Lie Fan alone with his triumph.
Lie Fan stood, the energy of the news coursing through him. He moved to the doorway and called for the two Yellow Ghost Bodyguards who stood sentinel outside. They entered instantly, their forms a study in lethal stillness.
“Summon Princess Wannian, Crown Prince Muchen, General Ma Chao and his bride Lady Sun, General Zhao Yun and Lady Ma Yunlu, and Generals Ma Tie, Xiu, and Dai,” he commanded, his tone now one of efficient command.
“Inform them we return to Xiapi together in two days. Also, extend my respects and the news of our imminent departure to Duke Sun Jian and Marquis Sun Ce.”
The bodyguards cupped their hands in unison. “By your will, Your Majesty.” They turned and vanished to execute his orders.
Two days passed in a blur of final celebrations, heartfelt farewells, and organized chaos. On the morning of departure, the scene outside the Sun Clan mansion was one of breathtaking imperial might.
The street, usually a busy thoroughfare, had been cleared and was now a river of polished steel and vibrant silk. Row upon row of Hengyuan’s elite Imperial Guards stood at attention, their armor gleaming dully in the morning sun, their banners, a stark black dragon on a field of gold, snapping in the breeze.
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0 .
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