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The court bowed. The people cheered, though few understood what they were cheering for. And Queen Woo, standing at the back of the hall, watched as the last remnants of her husband's legacy were erased before her eyes. Li Wei caught her gaze across the room. He raised a cup in a silent toast. She did not return it.
The cheers of the crowd echoed through the streets of Gungnae as the boy king, Jungcheon, was paraded around the capital city. His robes were too large for his narrow shoulders, and the ceremonial crown sat awkwardly on his head, bobbing slightly every time he bowed or turned to acknowledge his subjects.
But the people of Gungnae cheered anyway, not out of joy, but out of duty, fear, or simple habit. Few knew what had happened behind the palace walls. Fewer still understood who truly ruled them now.
Li Wei rode on his horse beside the new monarch, every step calm and measured, his expression serene as though he were not the true architect of this transformation.
The Lie Clan Supervision Bureau lined the route, their members stationed like silent sentinels along the cobblestone roads, ensuring order and monitoring for dissent. The boy king smiled and waved, his palms sweating beneath the fine silk gloves, his eyes flickering constantly to Li Wei for assurance.
"Smile wider, Your Majesty," Li Wei murmured quietly at one turn of the road, just low enough for the boy to hear.
King Jungcheon obeyed.
"Wave to the left, Your Majesty."
Jungcheon obeyed, his hand lifting mechanically.
"Now to the right. Don't forget to smile. Good."
The people roared their approval, throwing flowers onto the path. Few knew this trembling boy. Fewer still cared who sat on the throne, so long as their lives remained undisturbed.
Across the city, colorful banners flew and drums beat to celebrate the new reign, but behind the façades, the nobles of Goguryeo watched from behind closed doors and shuttered windows.
They had heard the whispers, seen the disappearances, and they understood. This was no ordinary succession. This was a coup, a quiet, bloodless one for most, but a coup nonetheless.
Beyond the borders, the tremors of this shift did not go unnoticed. Silla, Baekje, and Gaya sent swift envoys, each bearing polite congratulations wrapped in gilded boxes of gifts and diplomatic pleasantries.
But beneath their smiles and bows lay suspicion. The fall of a king and the rise of a new monarch so quickly, so efficiently, was unprecedented.
When the envoys arrived in Gungnae, they were received with all due ceremony. But their attempts to probe deeper, to learn why King Sansang had truly stepped down, were deftly stonewalled.
Oriole Agents intercepted their letters, monitored their every word, and quietly replaced any official who dared to speak out of turn.
In private meetings, vague explanations were offered, such as illness, the need for young blood on the throne, and a desire for peace. But the presence of the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau in every corner of the city told another story for them.
The envoys bowed and smiled, but in their hearts, they knew the truth, Goguryeo had changed hands.
Back in Xiapi, Lie Fan sat in his private study, the doors shut tightly behind him as he read the latest dispatches from Gungnae.
Five separate letters lay open before him, the seal of the Oriole Agents broken. He read each one carefully, his fingers tapping against the lacquered wood of his desk.
The first letter detailed the final betrayal, how Queen Woo had turned against her husband after learning of his infidelity. The second described the failed rendezvous of King Sansang at Ansi Fortress, and the elimination of the five remaining high ranking generals loyal to King Sansang in the military.
The third covered the confrontation at court, the moment where the tide shifted, and the king was cast down. The fourth was filled with names, those who had pledged to Lie Fan, and those who had been neutralized.
And the fifth… the fifth was Li Wei's report.
In it, Li Wei described the entire transition, the removal of disloyal officials, the insertion of the Bureau into all branches of government, and the installation of the puppet king. It was clinical, thorough, and brutal in its efficiency. But it was also brilliant.
Lie Fan leaned back in his chair, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. "I had not thought Goguryeo could be won so soon," he murmured to himself. "But it seems Li Wei saw the path clearer than I."
He pulled out a fresh scroll and dipped his brush in ink.
The letter he wrote to Li Wei was full of praise,
"Master Li Wei, you have done what many would not dare dream, what could have been a decade-long struggle, and compressed it into months. Not only have you shown strength, but wisdom. You have shown initiative and restraint, and you have secured Goguryeo not just for me, but for the future. I personally am in your debt due to your brilliance. A reward shall follow, befitting your loyalty and brilliance."
Then, on a second scroll, he began a new order,
"Now that the throne is secure, it is time to build. To begin the full reorganization of Goguryeo, its military must be refitted and drilled under our doctrine. The economy must be assessed and restructured, ensuring our resources flow properly and our taxation is optimized. The agricultural base must be reinforced with better infrastructure and reforms. Once stability is assured, coordinate with Gongsun Gong at Xiangping. When both of your territories are prepared, begin the conquest of Baekje, Silla, and Gaya. These kingdoms must fall. Do so under the banner of Goguryeo, but know that it is our will that drives them. So that when the time comes, the entire peninsula will fold seamlessly into my domain."
He sealed both scrolls, marking them with his personal stamp, and handed them to the Oriole Agent who had brought him the letter from Gungnae.
When the letter reached Gungnae, Li Wei immediately began to do what Lie Fan ordered him to do. Began preparing the next phase. His agents were compiling records on Goguryeo's existing military commanders, noting those who had proven unreliable.
A new chain of command was being forged, one that would report not to the king, but to the Lie Clan Supervision Bureau. Old aristocrats were quietly dismissed or executed, their lands seized and redistributed to families loyal to Lie Fan.
Economic audits began, every granary, mint, and merchant guild and individual merchants were summoned and made to answer. Those who resisted were taught the new order. Those who cooperated were richly rewarded.
In the countryside, new surveys were conducted to assess the farmland and irrigation systems. Experts were summoned from Lie Fan's domain to introduce the Tuntian system, the crop rotation system, the water wheel, and better storage techniques.
The boy king, Jungcheon, remained a figurehead. He performed ceremonies. He signed edicts. But every piece of parchment came from Li Wei's hand first. Every military order was drafted by the Bureau. Every tax reform, every new road or market, was part of the plan crafted by Lie Fan in Xiapi.
Queen Woo, once a rival force, now remained in silence. She had made her choice. Her presence was tolerated, even respected by some, but she held no power.
In private, she wandered the gardens of her family estate, her thoughts her only companions. The legacy of her husband was gone. And while she had helped usher in this new era, she did not feel like a victor.
But Goguryeo moved on.
In the days that followed, the kingdom transformed at a pace never before seen. Trade flowed more efficiently. The roads were safer. Corruption diminished under the watchful eye of the Bureau. And while the nobles whispered and plotted in dark corners, none dared challenge the new order.
The people, largely unaware of the puppet strings behind their young king, began to feel the benefits. Prices stabilized. Food was more plentiful. Law and order returned to troubled regions.
And all the while, preparations for war were underway. New barracks were constructed. Armories filled. Recruitment drives brought in fresh troops, drilled in new tactics brought from Lie Fan's domain. The Lie Clan had claimed Goguryeo. And soon, if Lie Fan had his way, Baekje, Silla, and Gaya would follow.
Back on the mainland, at Jincheng, Ma Chao stood tall in the fading light of the governor's main hall, his armor still streaked with ash and blood. The sounds of battle echoed distantly beyond the thick walls of the fortress, but here in the heart of the city, there was only the heavy breathing of exhausted men and the tension that hung like a blade above their heads.
Pang De stood beside him, eyes narrowed, arms crossed. The lines on his face were deeper now, carved by sleepless nights and a week of relentless attacks. Around them, the remaining commanders of the Ma Clan's army sat or stood, bruised, bandaged, and weary, yet still present, loyal to the end.
"We should retreat to Wuwei," said a general, his voice firm despite the fatigue in his bones. "Our food stores are empty. The men haven't slept properly in days. We've lost more than half our numbers to starvation, exhaustion, and skirmishes. If we stay, we die here."
Another general, Han Sui's old lieutenant turned Ma Chao supporter, shook his head. "It's not just about death. If we fall here, there'll be nothing left of the Ma Clan. We must preserve what strength remains. We can regroup in Wuwei."
Ma Chao slammed his fist against the table, the wood splintering slightly beneath the force. "And what of my father? What of his honor? Will we let Cao Cao take Jincheng and desecrate it?" His eyes were ablaze with fury, but also, unmistakably, with grief.
Pang De finally spoke, his tone quieter but resolute. "My lord, you have led us bravely. You have inspired our soldiers beyond what we thought possible. But courage is not enough when the men collapse in their armor, and our arrows are gone. Honor cannot feed the hungry or keep the watch awake. We must be smart if we want to fight another day."
Ma Chao looked around the room. Eyes avoided his. Not because they did not respect him, but because they feared the truth of what had to be done.
Outside, the enemy pressed harder each day. Xiahou Dun's forces encircled the outer defenses, pressing in like a tightening noose. Zhang He and Xu Huang launched waves of feint attacks, probing weaknesses, draining strength. And Li Dian, the methodical one, was cutting off every remaining escape path, slowly but surely.
But it was Guo Jia and Jia Kui who dealt the true deathblow, not with spears or arrows, but with strategies as cruel as they were effective. They had studied Ma Chao's every move, and repeated the same nightmare they once cast over Ma Teng. With supply lines severed, food became scarce. And when catapults rained stone and fire over Jincheng's walls by day, and phantom attacks kept the soldiers sleepless by night, morale began to unravel.
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains
Age: 34 (201 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 1325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 951 (+20)
VIT: 613 (+20)
AGI: 598 (+10)
INT: 617
CHR: 96
WIS: 519
WILL: 407
ATR Points: 0