To Establish Peace - A Romance of the Three Kingdoms Quest
- Thread starter Gaz
- Start date
- Alt. History Historic
Kanata.EXE
Programmer
- Location
- Indonesia
[X]Plan Show of Force
- Location
- Germany
I am currently thinking about maybe changing some of the troops around. Exchanging the Sharpshooters with the Mounted Scouts and adding them towards the interception force of Lingqi, giving her a roughly one hundred troops.
While I think that the Scout Interception cannot be that dangerous, Chu Yan will have his best troops with him fighting against Yang and Lingqi has great troops with her, there are some doubts in my mind. On the other hand risking 150 of our best archers on a scouting trip and leaving them without horses to make a quick withdrawal could hurt far more than I like.
Risk weighting is really troublesome.
In the end a shitty roll can make all of it worthless, still anyone has some thoughts about it?
While I think that the Scout Interception cannot be that dangerous, Chu Yan will have his best troops with him fighting against Yang and Lingqi has great troops with her, there are some doubts in my mind. On the other hand risking 150 of our best archers on a scouting trip and leaving them without horses to make a quick withdrawal could hurt far more than I like.
Risk weighting is really troublesome.
In the end a shitty roll can make all of it worthless, still anyone has some thoughts about it?
- Location
- barking
I wonder Gaz with the timeskip would we still be able to recruit Dian Wei as a option? Not sure how recruiting individuals will work on timeskip
- Location
- UK
Probably will be something unfortunately you will miss out on. You will have less control over more specific things such as recruiting people with a time skip.
VoidZero
Passing Flan 布丁魔王
- Location
- Anywhere but RL
Think of it this way, the more CY have to spend to chase that pesky southern force makes the poor sod he is sieging lives slightly longer. There are sufficient reason for either choice.
Semi-Canon Omake - To Create A Stir, by Erzherzog_Karl
- Location
- Germany
Omake: To Create A Stir
(Unspecific time after the Yellow Turban Rebellion started)
After the message of the planned uprising of the Yellow Turbans became known among the capitol. The Imperial Court reacted by nominating four generals to lead their forces against these vile traitors to the Han.
Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song are to deal with the southern front and the experienced general Dong Zhuo and Lu Zhi have to take care of the main instigators in Ji Province, the three Liang brothers.
Among these four armies one of them is irked at the clear preferential treatment the other armies receive compared to their own. Troops are transferred, weapons and equipment is taken away and promised payment is withheld. For many of the higher ranked officers this is just more of the same old treatment, regardless of the promises made to them. Even in the face of such a dire threat the enemies of their lord are plenty and the corrupt eunuchs would not want to strengthen an obvious enemy.
In this army camp a meeting takes place. The most important members of the army join their famous general to discuss their next movements. In a magnificent tent inside this major encampment of the Imperial Army everyone is gathered from the strong stoic officer Guo Si, the tall and mighty Hua Xiong, the skinny but clever Li Su to the experienced commander Xu Rong. To name a few of the mighty heroes gathered under the banner of the great general of Han, Dong Zhuo.
As he dominates them in rank, he dominates this meeting. In a central position the massive figure of the great generals reigns over his subordinates and while they appear to be arguing about something he only seems contemplative.
"This is the fourth time that equipment promised to us was reallocated towards another army. How can they expect us to do our duty if they are hamstringing us at every opportunity?", Guo Si laments.
"We will only be facing some rabble, bad equipment, no training or experience, just numbers. Our veterans alone would be able to crush them on an open field," states Xu Rong making his opinion clear to all present. "This time we have to spent for the other armies to get ready will hurt us more than any equipment we are not getting. Time is at the moment our biggest opponent. He, who is indecisive, when a decision is needed, is certain to meet disaster. We should have been sent as the vanguard and not in conjunction with another."
"The spear in the daylight is easily avoided; the arrow in the night is difficult to defend against. If not for some loyal son of Han in their ranks, we would be facing a ready and prepared army of 400.000. Our chances against such numbers would not look good. Caution in face of such a threat is not unreasonable. Also, a general of your skill should remember the old adage, 'before the troops and horses can be mobilized, the rations and fodder must be prepared'," intercedes Li Ru.
This discussion has already happened many times, among their ranks. Some advocating caution, others aggressive and bold action, and others again just lamenting their lack of support. In the end it is just another sign of how anxious everyone is. They expect, even anticipate battle, but currently have to wait.
Finally, the great general raises his voice,"Li Ru inform everyone what our spies have brought to us."
"Of course, Lord Dong," Li Ru says while making a grand gesture of bowing towards Dong Zhuo. "The three brothers Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang have named themselves with grand titles and started to plunder and loot Ji Province, more accurately the commanderies Julu and Wei. Their troops are numerous and have been joined by many disgruntled peasants. Broad estimates have their troops at over one hundred thousand. The other leaders are the Grand Adepts and the Lesser Adepts. These men command respectively over ten thousand and six to eight thousand men. Ma Yuanyi, the one captured inside the City of Luoyang, was a Grand Adept and had his troops near Ye city in the Wei Commandery. These troops have now turned to looting, and indiscriminately killing everything in their way. From officials to common farmers, no one is spared. There have already been some skirmishes in Henan between the Imperial Army and these rebels. Their exact locations have been marked on the map, and we deem it likely, that they will remain on the offensive. A full attack on the Henan Province is likely their next goal."
"How is our own situation compared to them? Have these volunteers helped stem the tide or do we have even fewer troops than was initially planned to be available for our campaign in Bing?" interrupts Xu Rong in a gruff tone.
With a quick look to Lord Dong, Li Ru gets his permission to answer this question. He turns to Xu Rong and gives him a short bow. "As Colonel Xu Rong knows, the many transfers of troops to the other Imperial Armies have left our own forces somewhat diminished. Showing his immense wisdom, our Lord Dong has already anticipated such action and send out many of our officers to recruit volunteers to join our fight. A centipede with hundreds of legs does not topple over, even when dead. These rebels may think Han dead, but they are wrong. The people still have love for the Han and it shows. We have through volunteers gathered near double our losses to the other armies. While they are mostly of a lower quality than the troops we lost, they can be trained up. Most of them have been paired up with our more veteran units and put under the direct command of some of our more experienced commanders. They may lack the real combat experience of our own troops, but many of them have proven themselves skilled enough, to be a true gain for our army. With the order to open the armories of the Imperial Army there are more than enough equipment for them, even though we are not the ones getting first pick of the supplies."
"Continue, adviser!", barks Xu Rong.
Li Ru performs another bow towards the colonel and continues with a smile. "Jia Xu has sent another report. Apparently the young Liang has beaten a bandit force numbering in the three thousand. Then he hunted down the leader and captured the rest. Together, with the nephew of our own Zhang Jie, I believe our northern flank will not be threatened."
"You sound impressed, adviser. Beating some rabble, even if it is numerous, can hardly be called impressive", says Hua Xiong while leaning forward. Joining the conversation for the first time. "Many men have done that. In our own ranks are surely many capable of doing the same. How is he special?"
"He is barely sixteen years old, has command over thousand of men and comes from nothing. I saw him fight and those working under him, they were better than our veterans. There was a cunning inside the eye of this boy, that should not be there. I have seen many fighters that overpower their opponents, but he out-thought them. Such a thing is rare, and he is not some self-assured boy the first time out of the cottage."
"His boisterous friend was more to my liking, but the adviser is correct. Disregarding his age, he was still impressive. A nearby tiger can be seen as a threat or protection, and he did not have the look of a villain," Guo Si chimes in. "If we are forced to wait for too long, I am sure he will have beaten these bandits and avenged father. Afterwards, he will come to offer his help, and I would not say no to thousands of battle hardened fighters added to our forces. I can understand the interest, our lord, has in him."
"You too, Guo Si? HeHahaha…what was the saying...'Great river's young wave overtake the old'. All of you thinking this boy to be so impressive, well color me impressed," the tall warrior comments.
"What is this crap about young waves overtaking the old? Where would they be without the old waves clearing a path? Youngster biting of more than they can chew. It will not be first and also not be the last time, I hear of something like it. In the end he will call for help and Lord Ding or Lord Dong will have to save him from himself," a gruffly old man with white hair interjects.
Xu Rong nods towards this old man and stands up to make a point. "I will be impressed, if this boy can do a similar showing against real enemies. Some tribesman or real soldiers, led not by a common bandit but someone skilled. Shallow water cannot trap a dragon and a wolf out of its lair can be killed by rabid dogs. If this Shu is the former and not the latter, remains to be seen." With this said he sits down and no one seems to want to continue this small debate.
"Ah, but he shows promise. How often do my great men debate about a little pup? Hahaha…this is great Li Ru. Truly great! I knew he showed promise. I can feel it in my bones. This trouble with these Turbans will bring great things forth. Truly great things! The mighty Han has slept for too long and now it will rise once more. Our world has already changed, and an undercurrent has already begun to surge beneath the calm surface. But there can be no construction without destruction. And there will be destruction. The vermin will be crushed and righteousness restored. For what are we, if not the righteous!", the great general proclaims as he stands up to raise his cup.
"Yeah!", holler some men.
"Down with the vermin!", scream other.
Among all of these cries Dong Zhuo sits down with a smile on his face. Silently he waits for the clamor to die down.
"Now bring the women in. Drink, feast and enjoy yourselves my friends. For soon we go to war."
(Unspecific time after the Yellow Turban Rebellion started)
After the message of the planned uprising of the Yellow Turbans became known among the capitol. The Imperial Court reacted by nominating four generals to lead their forces against these vile traitors to the Han.
Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song are to deal with the southern front and the experienced general Dong Zhuo and Lu Zhi have to take care of the main instigators in Ji Province, the three Liang brothers.
Among these four armies one of them is irked at the clear preferential treatment the other armies receive compared to their own. Troops are transferred, weapons and equipment is taken away and promised payment is withheld. For many of the higher ranked officers this is just more of the same old treatment, regardless of the promises made to them. Even in the face of such a dire threat the enemies of their lord are plenty and the corrupt eunuchs would not want to strengthen an obvious enemy.
In this army camp a meeting takes place. The most important members of the army join their famous general to discuss their next movements. In a magnificent tent inside this major encampment of the Imperial Army everyone is gathered from the strong stoic officer Guo Si, the tall and mighty Hua Xiong, the skinny but clever Li Su to the experienced commander Xu Rong. To name a few of the mighty heroes gathered under the banner of the great general of Han, Dong Zhuo.
As he dominates them in rank, he dominates this meeting. In a central position the massive figure of the great generals reigns over his subordinates and while they appear to be arguing about something he only seems contemplative.
"This is the fourth time that equipment promised to us was reallocated towards another army. How can they expect us to do our duty if they are hamstringing us at every opportunity?", Guo Si laments.
"We will only be facing some rabble, bad equipment, no training or experience, just numbers. Our veterans alone would be able to crush them on an open field," states Xu Rong making his opinion clear to all present. "This time we have to spent for the other armies to get ready will hurt us more than any equipment we are not getting. Time is at the moment our biggest opponent. He, who is indecisive, when a decision is needed, is certain to meet disaster. We should have been sent as the vanguard and not in conjunction with another."
"The spear in the daylight is easily avoided; the arrow in the night is difficult to defend against. If not for some loyal son of Han in their ranks, we would be facing a ready and prepared army of 400.000. Our chances against such numbers would not look good. Caution in face of such a threat is not unreasonable. Also, a general of your skill should remember the old adage, 'before the troops and horses can be mobilized, the rations and fodder must be prepared'," intercedes Li Ru.
This discussion has already happened many times, among their ranks. Some advocating caution, others aggressive and bold action, and others again just lamenting their lack of support. In the end it is just another sign of how anxious everyone is. They expect, even anticipate battle, but currently have to wait.
Finally, the great general raises his voice,"Li Ru inform everyone what our spies have brought to us."
"Of course, Lord Dong," Li Ru says while making a grand gesture of bowing towards Dong Zhuo. "The three brothers Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang have named themselves with grand titles and started to plunder and loot Ji Province, more accurately the commanderies Julu and Wei. Their troops are numerous and have been joined by many disgruntled peasants. Broad estimates have their troops at over one hundred thousand. The other leaders are the Grand Adepts and the Lesser Adepts. These men command respectively over ten thousand and six to eight thousand men. Ma Yuanyi, the one captured inside the City of Luoyang, was a Grand Adept and had his troops near Ye city in the Wei Commandery. These troops have now turned to looting, and indiscriminately killing everything in their way. From officials to common farmers, no one is spared. There have already been some skirmishes in Henan between the Imperial Army and these rebels. Their exact locations have been marked on the map, and we deem it likely, that they will remain on the offensive. A full attack on the Henan Province is likely their next goal."
"How is our own situation compared to them? Have these volunteers helped stem the tide or do we have even fewer troops than was initially planned to be available for our campaign in Bing?" interrupts Xu Rong in a gruff tone.
With a quick look to Lord Dong, Li Ru gets his permission to answer this question. He turns to Xu Rong and gives him a short bow. "As Colonel Xu Rong knows, the many transfers of troops to the other Imperial Armies have left our own forces somewhat diminished. Showing his immense wisdom, our Lord Dong has already anticipated such action and send out many of our officers to recruit volunteers to join our fight. A centipede with hundreds of legs does not topple over, even when dead. These rebels may think Han dead, but they are wrong. The people still have love for the Han and it shows. We have through volunteers gathered near double our losses to the other armies. While they are mostly of a lower quality than the troops we lost, they can be trained up. Most of them have been paired up with our more veteran units and put under the direct command of some of our more experienced commanders. They may lack the real combat experience of our own troops, but many of them have proven themselves skilled enough, to be a true gain for our army. With the order to open the armories of the Imperial Army there are more than enough equipment for them, even though we are not the ones getting first pick of the supplies."
"Continue, adviser!", barks Xu Rong.
Li Ru performs another bow towards the colonel and continues with a smile. "Jia Xu has sent another report. Apparently the young Liang has beaten a bandit force numbering in the three thousand. Then he hunted down the leader and captured the rest. Together, with the nephew of our own Zhang Jie, I believe our northern flank will not be threatened."
"You sound impressed, adviser. Beating some rabble, even if it is numerous, can hardly be called impressive", says Hua Xiong while leaning forward. Joining the conversation for the first time. "Many men have done that. In our own ranks are surely many capable of doing the same. How is he special?"
"He is barely sixteen years old, has command over thousand of men and comes from nothing. I saw him fight and those working under him, they were better than our veterans. There was a cunning inside the eye of this boy, that should not be there. I have seen many fighters that overpower their opponents, but he out-thought them. Such a thing is rare, and he is not some self-assured boy the first time out of the cottage."
"His boisterous friend was more to my liking, but the adviser is correct. Disregarding his age, he was still impressive. A nearby tiger can be seen as a threat or protection, and he did not have the look of a villain," Guo Si chimes in. "If we are forced to wait for too long, I am sure he will have beaten these bandits and avenged father. Afterwards, he will come to offer his help, and I would not say no to thousands of battle hardened fighters added to our forces. I can understand the interest, our lord, has in him."
"You too, Guo Si? HeHahaha…what was the saying...'Great river's young wave overtake the old'. All of you thinking this boy to be so impressive, well color me impressed," the tall warrior comments.
"What is this crap about young waves overtaking the old? Where would they be without the old waves clearing a path? Youngster biting of more than they can chew. It will not be first and also not be the last time, I hear of something like it. In the end he will call for help and Lord Ding or Lord Dong will have to save him from himself," a gruffly old man with white hair interjects.
Xu Rong nods towards this old man and stands up to make a point. "I will be impressed, if this boy can do a similar showing against real enemies. Some tribesman or real soldiers, led not by a common bandit but someone skilled. Shallow water cannot trap a dragon and a wolf out of its lair can be killed by rabid dogs. If this Shu is the former and not the latter, remains to be seen." With this said he sits down and no one seems to want to continue this small debate.
"Ah, but he shows promise. How often do my great men debate about a little pup? Hahaha…this is great Li Ru. Truly great! I knew he showed promise. I can feel it in my bones. This trouble with these Turbans will bring great things forth. Truly great things! The mighty Han has slept for too long and now it will rise once more. Our world has already changed, and an undercurrent has already begun to surge beneath the calm surface. But there can be no construction without destruction. And there will be destruction. The vermin will be crushed and righteousness restored. For what are we, if not the righteous!", the great general proclaims as he stands up to raise his cup.
"Yeah!", holler some men.
"Down with the vermin!", scream other.
Among all of these cries Dong Zhuo sits down with a smile on his face. Silently he waits for the clamor to die down.
"Now bring the women in. Drink, feast and enjoy yourselves my friends. For soon we go to war."
Last edited:
The Big Dong is on the march. I wish him success.
...For now...
...For now...
I think you mean Zhang Liang.
Something seems to be missing here.
- Location
- Germany
Thanks, corrected the mistake. These names are so similar, I often mix them up. The other part got cut of weird, but added it again.
- Location
- UK
Excellent work, Karl - expect some merit points to come your way soon. It's close enough to how I envisioned Dong Zhuo's faction to be reacting right about now, but keeping it listed as semi-canon just to give myself some flexibility. Great read regardless.
Probably more a waddle than a march?
Vote will be open for another 7 or 8 hours or so just in case there are any changes to the plan. Also planning on posting a separate update soon focusing on the POV of a certain other, non Liang Shu character.
Probably more a waddle than a march?
Vote will be open for another 7 or 8 hours or so just in case there are any changes to the plan. Also planning on posting a separate update soon focusing on the POV of a certain other, non Liang Shu character.
Droman
𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍
I'll admit it may have swayed meI am a big fan of CA's character designs so far, they have a lot of personality.
Curious to see how his endgame state / title looks. White Tiger Emperor sounds pretty good to me!
- Location
- UK
Vote Closed!
Tbh just glad they're adding more factions to the south, haha.
Before I make the update, I shall do a quick side perspective - focusing on our future dad, Lu Bu.
For making plans, @JAGwin and @Erzherzog_Karl get 3 Merit Points. Karl also gets an additional 6 for that Omake!
Tbh just glad they're adding more factions to the south, haha.
Before I make the update, I shall do a quick side perspective - focusing on our future dad, Lu Bu.
For making plans, @JAGwin and @Erzherzog_Karl get 3 Merit Points. Karl also gets an additional 6 for that Omake!
- Location
- Germany
Yuan Shu, your future star retainer grows ever closer!
- Location
- barking
This should be interesting, also how did the fight between Chu Yan and Lu Bu go in the legends since I heard in the historical records they were a stalemate
In Brief - The Relationship Between Zhang Yan, Yuan Shao and Lu Bu
- Location
- UK
Oh! Well, I'll see if I can answer that for you.
In 185, during a raid on the city of Yingtao in Shangdang, one of the leaders of the Heishan Bandits, Zhang Niujie, died. To honour his fallen leader, Chu Yan changed his name to Zhang Yan, which is the name he is most commonly known as in history.
In the legends/Romance, Zhang Yan is barely mentioned. The campaigns of Yuan Shao only get a cursory mention, and after Lu Bu flees Chang'an, it skips over his subsequent adventures. So, will only talk about history for this.
After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, Zhang Yan began uniting all manner of local tribes, bandits, outlaws, vagrants, fugitives, former Yellow Turbans, hill chiefs, gangs, criminals, rebels and others until their numbers swelled in the tens of thousands. (History says they numbered a million but this is an exaggeration) Ji Province and Yan Province, both weakened heavily by the brief but brutal Yellow Turban Rebellion, suffered heavily under raids and pillaging. Eventually, the Han government had enough. Ding Yuan was given the authority to raise troops, and the court sent veteran general Zhu Jun with an army. They fought in Bing Province, but the battle was inconclusive. Coffers of the Han court were already running dry, and the Liang Province rebellion was a far larger concern, not to mention wars against the Wuhuan in the north east, rebels in Jing and Yellow Turban resurgencies elsewhere. The Imperial Court decided to basically "promote" Zhang Yan by giving him an official rank and a fat bribe, and more or less ceded much of northern and eastern Bing to him, in exchange for peace. Zhang Yan gladly accepted. Was Lu Bu part of Ding Yuan's army? Probably, but we can't say for sure.
Just a few years later, with Dong Zhuo in the capital, Zhang Yan sensed an opportunity. Ding Yuan was dead, and the Bing Province army had been absorbed by Dong Zhuo. Local warlords were raising arms against the tyrant, plunging the realm into total civil war. Heishan bandit raids began again in earnest, once more plundering Ji and Yan provinces. One reason why some of the warlords of the anti-Dong coalition were unable to really do much against the tyrant was because their homes were literally burning due to raids by outlaws, and many had to leave the coalition to return to protect their bases.
Skipping ahead another few years, after killing Dong Zhuo and being driven out from Chang'an by Li Jue and the other remnants, Lu Bu wandered the land for a while with his small army. Most of his force seemed to be made up of men who had followed him from Bing Province, including the likes of Gao Shun and Zhang Liao. First he tried to ally with Yuan Shu, but that didn't go well, so Lu Bu tried his luck with the other Yuan brother, Shao, who was building up his forces, hiring mercenaries and recruiting warriors.
Yuan Shao had gotten pretty sick of Zhang Yan and the other bandit chiefs raiding his lands. He also coveted Bing Province for himself - a vacuum had been left there after Ding Yuan's death, and fighting had broken out there in Shangdang between Zhang Yan's allies, and Gao Gan - Yuan Shao's nephew. Not only that, but one of Zhang Yan's top lieutenants, "Poison" Yu Du, stormed Yuan Shao's capital and kidnapped his family, and although defectors within the bandit ranks returned them unharmed, Shao was furious. Desiring to purge the Heishan bandits from the mountains once and for all, Yuan Shao lead a massive campaign against them. For this, he hired Lu Bu as his vanguard. Lu Bu did very well against the bandits, leading the tip of the spear that drove them steadily to the north. However, Lu Bu wasn't a particularly gracious man, and would often boast and brag and demean Yuan Shao. Not only that, but some of Lu Bu's subordinates, such as Chang Lian, used this chance to do a little pillaging of their own, and Lu Bu was either unable or unwilling to stop them. This lead to relations between Yuan Shao and Lu Bu to quickly sour, and, a failed assassination attempt against him later, Lu Bu fled south of the Yellow River with his army, to the Central Plains. Zhang Yan meanwhile took advantage of this infighting to withdraw further north, deeper into the mountains, and made alliances with several Xiongnu and Wuhuan chieftains who were also enemies of the Yuan, as well as making an alliance with Gongsun Zan. Unable to finish off Zhang Yan, and with other concerns occupying him, Yuan Shao eventually just left him alone. Lu Bu would meanwhile have a brief, but explosive impact on the careers of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, before coming to his end.
As for Zhang Yan? After all he had done, after all his crimes, he was eventually allowed to...retire. During his conquest of the north, Cao Cao convinced Zhang Yan to surrender, giving him a large estate and fief to retire on and live the rest of his life in luxury. His men dispersed or joined with Cao Cao. Zhang Yan would pass away peacefully some years later, rich and content, one of the few warlords of this era able to just retire.
Hope that answers your question.
WanderingTwix
Posting something good once in a full moon
- Location
- United Kingdom
That's like the happiest ending I've ever heard of in not-actually-RotTK. So, uhh, go Chu Yan... by which I mean I hope he dies in fire.
- Location
- barking
it did thanks
- Location
- UK
Well, we've already made some butterflies here. Once of the bandit chieftains who had some initial successes against Yuan Shao was none other than good ol' Zuo Zizhangba.
redzonejoe
Vaguely Pastafarian
- Location
- Canada
Hmm, just going off the above post; after we kick bandit butt, various coalition warlords will be stronger as a result of a more secure foundation, and Dong will be weaker in comparison. If he's (relatively) weaker, he might not be so bold...
...Wait, Chu Yan is THAT Zhang Yan?! The Leader of the Black Mountain Bandits?!?
I did not expect that!
I did not expect that!