by TheRedArmy » 21 Apr 2009, 00:18
HISTORY OF THE ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS
See the post above for game information
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In 184 AD, the Han empire was dying. Although having stood for 400 years, corruption had taken its toll, and the populace was getting restless. They would no longer stand for the empire, as locusts, plauges, and other natural disasters had been blamed on the empire for bringing down "Heaven's Wrath". Zhang Jiao was a man who had been preaching his "Way of Peace", but he felt that the time to act was now. He told his hundreds of thousands of followers to don their yellow turbans, and to let the Yellow Turban Rebellion begin.
With the aid of skilled generals, He Jin, who was appointed Grand General, was able to put down the rebellion, thanks in large part to the sudden death of their leader in 185. Eventually, the powerful group of Eunuchs that had great influence in the country accused He Jin of treason, and had him executed. For this, his loyal generals slaughtered the Eunuchs, and during the confusion, an evil man from the north called Dong Zhuo gained control of the Emperor. He became custodian of the emperor, and quickly gained power.
Dong Zhuo enlisted the services of Lu Bu during his corrupt reign, and held a nearly invincible power base until 190. Forging a secret Imperial Order from the Emperor, Cao Cao sent a letter to all the lords around China, asking them for aid to bring down Dong Zhuo. Many responded in kind, and under the leadership of the well-known Yuan Shao, the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition was formed. Together, their forces marched for Hu Lao Gate, guarding the way to the capital of Luo Yang, where Dong Zhuo resided.
Lu Bu was the garrison commander of Hu Lao Gate. Often called "The Strongest man under Heaven", he was feared by most and respected by all. During the battle, many valiant generals attemped to slay Lu Bu, only to be cut down themselves. It wasn't until three men - Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei - tried to defeat him together that he was forced to retreat. These three men had sworn an oath of brotherhood, and meant to restore the Han empire together.
The battle of Hu Lao Gate was won by the Imperial Forces, but as Dong Zhuo evacuated Luo Yang, he razed the city. The Imperial Forces were stunned at this act, and Dong Zhuo officially moved the capital to Chang An. With most of his power gone, the coalition disbanded, and the squabbles between the lords began again.
Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo were not as close as they were before, however. Wang Yun was a minister under Dong Zhuo, but hated his corruption, and had aided Cao Cao in an assassination attempt before. Now, he tried again, with the help of his adopted daughter, Diao Chan. Dong Zhuo was hoping to woo Diao Chan, but Lu Bu had also fallen in love with her. Lu Bu and Diao Chan often met in secret to which she said every time it happened - "A real hero would not be afraid of Dong Zhuo! A hero would come and save me from him...save me, Lu Bu!"
After this had been going on for a while, Wang Yun went to Lu Bu, and appealed to him. He said that if he killed Dong Zhuo, everyone would see him as a "True hero of the people". This was enough, and they met Dong Zhuo on his way to de-throne the emperor and declare himself Emperor. Wang Yun called out Dong Zhuo as a traitor, and Lu Bu immediately killed him. Lu Bu took Diao Chan and left the remnants of Dong Zhuo's force.
This act stunned everyone, and the area was thrown into chaos. Many small wars erupted, and the prominent members stood out. Cao Cao secured the new Emperor Ling and and central plains by defeating many small warlords. Yuan Shao secured the north by defeating Gongsun Zan, who was instrumental in the defeat of the Yellow Turbans. Liu Bei secured the small, poor, Xu region, and had previously, with Cao Cao's help, defeated and executed Lu Bu. Sun Ce, "The Little Conquerer", secured the southern Jiang Dong region, and stabilized his position. Many other small warlords, not intrested in expansion or the conflicts spreading, simply stayed put, and waited for the dust to settle.
Yuan Shao had conquered the north - he turned his eyes south - to the central plains and Cao Cao. Many of Yuan Shao's advisors recommended for him to wait before going to war, but he elected to go anyway. Cao Cao's advisors recommended peace with Yuan Shao, but Cao knew that Shao would come after him eventually. He went to war, and the decisive battle in the struggle was the Battle of Guan Du.
Yuan Shao's superior numbers were serving him well. Despite Cao's officers being more skilled, the numbers were too great to hold. Cao was losing and he knew it. Eventually, a traitor, by the name of Xu Shou, came from Yuan Shao's army. He mentioned where Shao was holding all of his food - a supply depot at Wu Chao. Cao Cao himself led a small, elite team to attack Wu Chao - which was successful, and he burnt all of the food. It is said that Yuan Shao could see the flames from his camp, and that he knew they represented the end of his time. Yuan Shao would die a few years later, outside of battle. Cao Cao conquered the north with little difficulty.
In the 7-year time it took Cao Cao to conquer the north, Liu Bei also left Xu and headed further south, to Ru Nan. There, he met up with his brothers, who he had been speerated from, as well as the noble Zhao Yun, and many other officers willing to serve him. Xu Shu was a very intelligent individual who brought Liu Bei's small army into fighting shape, and successfully defended off an attack from Cao Ren, a general of Cao Cao.
Cao Cao was also very intelligent, and knew of Xu Shu's high honor and loyalty. He found Xu Shu's mother, and threatened to kill her if he did not leave Liu Bei's army. Xu Shu did indeed leave, but not before telling Liu Bei of another man he knew - a man who he said even surpassed him in military matters, intellect, and virtually everything else. His name was Zhuge Liang, though he was better known as the "Sleeping Dragon". Xu Shu was given a high rank in Cao Cao's army, and Cao turned to him for advice for a while, but stopped because Xu Shu always gave worthless help. He was eventually made a prefect.
The defining moment of the era came here. Liu Bei followed the advice of Xu Shu and went to the place where Zhuge Liang made his home. However, he was told the Liang was not there. He left a letter for Liang, and left. He decided to make another trip to see if he was there, and found that he was not. Disappointed, he left again, but was determined to see it through to the end. He visited a third time, and Liang was napping. Liu Bei patiently waited for Liang to wake so he could speak with him. Liu Bei told him of his dream, and what he wanted. Liang humbly said that he was young and inexperienced (truthfully), and suggested that there might be someone better. When Liu Bei insisted, Zhuge Liang detailed a plan to divide the nation into 3 - "The Three Kingdoms". Opportunity would grant Cao Cao the north. Geography would give Sun Quan (successor to Sun Ce) the south. Liu Bei could capture the western land of Shu by winning the hearts of the people. Zhuge Liang joined Liu Bei - and the Sleeping Dragon took flight.
However, the immediate problem was Cao Cao. Bearing down on Liu Bei's neck, they retreated further south and managed to escape Cao Cao's army to get to the land of Sun Quan's army - Wu. Zhuge Liang visited Sun Quan and his top advisor, Zhou Yu, to discuss an alliance and the suggestion to join forces against Cao Cao. Many of Sun Quan's advisors suggested surrender, but they could not debate Zhuge Liang - he was too good. Sun Quan was convinced, and the alliance was formed. Sun Quan is famous for having drawn a sword, shattering a desk and saying "Any soldier who even says the word surrender will be killed as easily as I split this desk!"
Cao Cao's naval forces were not the pride of his empire, but it outnumbered the allied forces 2 to 1. Sun Quan's navy had always been exemplary because of their position on the water, but they needed more than skill to win this battle. Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang agreed - their best change was with a fire attack. However, Chi Bi, the site of the battle, never has a southern wind, which they needed, during the winter (the time of the battle). Zhou Yu worried himself into illness thinking about this fact. Zhuge said he would pray to heaven for the wind to blow south.
The plan formed was intricate. Cao Cao had absorbed the forces of Liu Biao, a small lord. Liu Biao had many officers who were very competent in naval battles, and this worried the allied forces. So, a plan to cause Cao Cao to distrust those officers was put into action. Cao Mao was to witness Zhou Yu and Huang Gai get into an argument. Zhou Yu was young and new compared to Huang Gai, and Huang recieved many lashings from Zhou. This occured numerous times, to make Cao Cao think that Huang Gui was disillusioned with his force. A officer of Liu Bei's in secret, called Pang Tong, went to Cao Cao and suggested chaining his ships together, in order for his soldiers to be able to fight like it was a land battle - Cao Cao liked the idea and accepted it.
The day of the battle came. Zhuge Liang went to a large alter they had constructed and began to pray - skirmishes began across the battlefield, but Zhou Yu ordered all ships to hold until the wind blew. Suddenly, the wind shifted - it began to blow south! Zhou Yu ordered an attack by all ships - but Huang Gai was breaking formation and heading straight for Cao Cao's army - he claimed he wanted to defect and join Cao Cao! He headed for Cao's ships, and Cao Cao said to let him through. Huang Gai was the key, and he began the fire attack. All the allied ships advanced, and Cao's navy was in shambles. His ships were chained together, and thus the fires spread quicker. The wind was blowing south, so none of the allied ships were being affected by the attack - just Cao's. The victory was complete for the allies, as Cao lost almost all of his forces and many officers. Reeling, he went back to his capital to lick his wounds.
Liu Bei capitalized on this. The agreement with Sun Quan stipulated that once Liu Bei captured Shu, he would surrender Jing province, which was just east of Shu, to Sun Quan. However, he refused. This caused tension between the nations, but not war. Liu Bei secured all of Shu, including defeating Cao Cao again at Han Zhong, and killing one of his most valuable generals, and his cousin Xiahou Yuan. He became known as the King of Han Zhong, but refused to take the position of Emperor, as the people had wanted.
Time passed, and things were quiet for a while, all 3 sides waiting for someone to make a move. Finally, Sun Quan had enough of Liu Bei's lie about giving Jing, and attacked it himself, capturing and executing Guan Yu, Liu Bei's sworn brother in the process. Liu Bei flew into a fury, and immediately declared war, despite the urgings of Zhuge Liang. Zhang Fei went into a drunken stupor, and mistreated his men - they eventually killed him while he slept. Liu Bei was not even listening to his advisors anymore, and was filled with the thought of revenge. He attacked Sun Quan and they met at Yu Ling. There, a young general named Lu Xun commanded the defense, and masterfully defeated Liu Bei's army with minimal casulties. Liu Bei was injured in the battle, fell ill, and died soon after. Cao Cao also fell ill around this time, and passed on as well.
Cao Pi was the successor, and announced that he was creating the Kingdom of Wei - and that he was emperor. Liu Chan, Liu Bei's successor, as well as most in his force, would not stand for this, and declared their empire Shu-Han, showing that they are about restoring the Han Empire. Sensing weakness in Shu, the king of the Nanman tribes south of Shu, Meng Huo, attacked. Zhuge Liang went to put down the resistance "by defeating their heart, not their body". He captured Meng Huo many times, releasing him each time, until he finally surrendered on the 7th time. A few of Meng Huo's generals joined Zhuge's forces. Soon after this, Zhuge announced his intention to begin a campaign against the Kingdom of Wei.
Zhuge assigned the task of defending the critical area of Jie Ting to Ma Su, a young officer. Wang Ping also went along with him, to ensure he did not make any mistakes. Sure enough, Ma Su attempted to take a position at the top of a mountain that allowed the enemy to surround them and cut their supplies - Wang Ping fought the idea, but Ma Su insisted that high ground was better. Sima Yi, the head of Wei's defense and also their Prime Minister, defeated Ma Su, and the situation was poor for Shu. Things were looking worse and worse as time went on. Zhuge Liang was forced to make a difficult choice - for disobeying orders, and with tears and his eyes, Zhuge Liang ordered the execution of Ma Su.
Shu moved on with the plans and joined battle at Wu Zhang Plains. Zhuge Liang's life was ending, and he knew it, and he often sent Sima Yi women's clothing, enticing him to attack - but he wasn't falling for it. At the same time, Wu had agreed to attack Cao Cao at He Fei fort - but through a cunning ploy and incredible bravery, the officers of Zhang Liao and Li Dian were able to hold back the entire 100,000 man Wu army with just 800 men of their own.
Hearing news of this defeat, Zhuge Liang finally lost the spark of life, and died. Shu's army began a quiet retreat, and Zhuge had entrusted everything to Jiang Wei, a young officer who followed Shu because of their popularity with the people. He vowed to uphold the dream of Zhuge Liang.
Jiang Wei sent many campaigns into the north, but none were ever successful. Eventually, Wei began a southern campaign to subjugate Shu, and the general in charge, Deng Ai, discovered a valley he could use to bypass the Shu army and attack their capital. Suddenly, Cheng Du, the capital, was under siege, and the Shu army quickly surrendered. Many Shu officers refused to surrender, and either died fighting or committed suicide. Jiang Wei was distraught and never forgave himself for allowing it to happen.
Internal struggles were occuring all acorss Wei. The Cao family and Sima family had been at it for ages, and the sons and grandsons of Sima Yi were trying to manipulate the crown. finally they were able to ursurp control, and the Wei empire was overthrown, making way for the Jin empire.
Finally, Jin turned its eyes on Wu and began a massive offensive. The son of Lu Xun, Lu Kang, made an incredible defensive effort, but he was receiving no support from the emperor, and was eventually taken out of his position in favor of someone the emperor, Sun Hao, liked, though he was ill-suited to the task. Du Yu commanded the Jin fleets, and once Lu Kang was gone, it was not long until the fall of Wu, and the end of the Three Kingdoms Period.
Focus. Control. Conviction. Resolve. A true ace lacks none of these attributes. Nothing can deter you from the task at hand except your own fears.Proud Member of the Diplomacy League team,
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But certainly stabbing would be very in character 
