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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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The Emperor rode at the absolute center of this magnificent, world altering procession, his concubine Lu Lingqi riding proudly at his side, his peerless generals flanking him, and his brilliant advisors plotting the future of human civilization in his wake. They proudly marched back to the central mainland, not merely as an army returning from a successful border skirmish, but as the undisputed, absolute masters of the known world, carrying the bloody spoils of the north.
The journey back to the imperial capital of Xiapi inevitably took quite some time, an undertaking of such staggering, monumental scale that it tested the logistical limits of even the flawlessly organized Hengyuan Dynasty.
The vast distance from the deep, frozen abyss of the northern steppes to the heart of the central plains would be very far after all, spanning hundreds upon hundreds of miles across some of the most unforgiving, desolate terrain known to mankind.
This was not a rapid cavalry redeployment or a swift border raid returning home. This grueling logistical march was made exponentially more complex and inherently slower especially since they brought what remained of the shattered five tribes with them.
Over 300,000 captives, an endless, staggering sea of weeping women, shivering children, defeated elders, and the broken, disarmed remnants of the steppe warriors, were marching alongside the heavily armored soldiers back to the mainland.
The logistics required to feed, water, and march an entity of 1.1 million people across a frozen wasteland were mind boggling. Sima Yi and Xu Shu practically lived in their saddles, constantly managing the flow of the steam forged supply carriages that rolled along the iron tracks laid down by the engineering corps.
The captives were divided into strict, tightly managed blocks, surrounded on all sides by the imposing, unyielding ranks of the Han heavy infantry and the lethal, watchful eyes of the Liang Province shock cavalry.
The slow, rhythmic crunch of over two million boots and hooves against the permafrost created a low, continuous rumble that could be felt miles away, a man made earthquake marking the funeral procession of the nomadic era.
Half a month of relentless, bone chilling marching passed by. The days blended together in a monotonous blur of gray skies, biting winds, and the endless, flat horizon of the steppes. But slowly, imperceptibly at first, the geography began to shift.
The harsh, featureless tundra began to give way to rolling hills, sparse forests of hardy pine, and the familiar, jagged rocky inclines that marked the natural boundaries of the ancient world. The freezing, biting winds of the deep north gradually began to lose their lethal edge, replaced by the crisp, slightly warmer, and infinitely more forgiving breezes of the central plains.
And then, looming over the rocky horizon like the spine of a slumbering stone dragon, the destination came into view.
The grand procession finally reached the ancient, towering stone watchtowers of the Great Wall.
For thousands of years, this colossal barricade of stone, mortar, and packed earth had stood as the ultimate psychological and physical divider of the world. To the Han people, it was the absolute shield, a desperate barricade built to keep the nightmares of the north at bay.
To the nomads, it was a symbol of southern weakness, a wall to be breached, climbed, and pillaged. But today, as the hundreds of thousands of man leviathan and its massive train of captives approached, the Great Wall represented something entirely new. It was no longer a defensive shield, it was merely an internal checkpoint within the boundless domain of Emperor Lie Fan.
With the massive, deep crimson and gold imperial dragon banners flying proudly and violently in the wind, casting long shadows over the ancient masonry, the victorious army smoothly passed through the massive gates of the wall. The heavy iron reinforced timber doors had been thrown wide open by the jubilant border garrisons.
The soldiers of the vanguard marched through with their heads held high, their halberds gleaming, officially entering back into the absolute safety, warmth, and unparalleled civilization of the central mainland.
As the 300,000 captives were herded through the archways of the Great Wall, they looked up at the towering stone battlements in profound, despairing awe. They were crossing a threshold from which they would never, ever return.
The wild, sovereign freedom of the open grass was behind them forever, before them lay the structured, inescapable, and meticulously organized world of the Hengyuan Dynasty.
Meanwhile, with the endless, awe inspiring procession of the Imperial Army returning back to the mainland with full, unparalleled glory, the common people who witnessed this grand spectacle, of course, immediately talked about this.
The northern border provinces of Bing, You, and Liang had suffered for generations under the constant, terrifying shadow of the autumn raids. Every family living in these outer commanderies had a tragic story, a grandfather butchered in his fields, a sister carried off in the night, a winter harvest burned to ash by laughing horse archers. The trauma of the barbarian menace was woven into the very fabric of their daily existence.
But as the imperial army marched past their farmlands and through the main thoroughfares of the border cities, the people poured out of their homes, dropping their plows and their tools, to line the streets in their tens of thousands.
Seeing the fierce, once feared nomadic barbarians now walking as defeated, disarmed captives, their heads bowed, their pride entirely shattered, surrounded by the invincible black iron of the Emperor's legions, sparked massive, tearful celebrations among the border towns and villages.
Old men with missing limbs fell to their knees in the dirt, openly weeping as they watched the captive Xiongnu and Xianbei warlords being marched by in heavy iron chains. Mothers lifted their young children onto their shoulders, pointing to the victorious Han soldiers and telling them that they would never have to fear the sound of galloping hooves in the night ever again.
The celebrations were deafening and profoundly emotional. Villagers brought out whatever meager supplies they had, rushing to the edges of the marching columns to offer bowls of hot rice wine, steamed buns, and dried fruits to the weary but triumphant Hengyuan soldiers. They threw flowers and burnt incense in the streets, treating Lie Fan's vanguard not just as soldiers, but as divine saviors who had exorcised a thousand year old demon from their lands.
Soon, this incredible, world altering news of absolute victory spread very fast.
It did not merely walk with the pace of the marching army; it flew. The rapid relay stations, the merchants traveling the newly secured wagonways, and the deeply embedded network of the Oriole agents ensured that the word moved like wildfire across the entire Hengyuan Domain.
From the freezing northern borders down to the humid, tropical jungles of the deep south, from the eastern coastal trading hubs to the mountainous passes of the west, the victory was proclaimed.
The news echoed in every tavern, teahouse, and bustling marketplace. Bards and storytellers immediately began spinning grand, exaggerated tales of the Black Dragon Cannons shattering mountains, and of the Emperor cleaving the sky itself to defeat the barbarian Khans. The euphoria was intoxicating, unifying the diverse populace of the empire under a shared, fiercely burning pride.
While the entire continent erupted into a synchronized festival of relief and jubilation, the Imperial Army did not break its discipline. Under the watchful, uncompromising eyes of their commanders, they continued their steady, triumphant, and perfectly ordered march deeper into the mainland, heading directly back to the beating heart of the world, Xiapi.
And so, weeks before the Emperor's massive procession even crossed the borders of Xu Province, in the imperial capital itself, the momentous, finalized news of the definitive victory against the ancient northern tribes' menace finally arrived.
The message was delivered by a top tier Oriole captain, his horse foaming with exhaustion as he galloped through the massive, heavily fortified gates of Xiapi and rode directly toward the sprawling, magnificent complex of the central administration.
Wasting no time, Jia Xu, acting with absolute, unquestionable authority as the Chancellor of the dynasty in the Emperor's absence, received the ciphered scroll.
Standing in his shadowed, meticulously organized private study, the Master of Shadows read the report detailing the complete annihilation of the Five Barbarian Tribes, the death of their Khans, and the acquisition of three hundred thousand captives.
A rare, incredibly faint smile touched Jia Xu's normally impassive, deeply lined face. He rolled the scroll back up, his brilliant, calculating mind instantly shifting from the anxieties of war to the monumental, staggering logistics of peace.
He immediately dispatched his elite, silent messengers across the capital. He urgently summoned some of the highest ranking, most essential pillars of the imperial court to his presence.
Within the hour, the grand council hall of the Chancellor's estate was filled with the men who physically ran the gears of the Hengyuan Dynasty.
He gathered Chen Qun, the meticulous, incredibly strict Grand Secretary. Chen Qun was the architect of the empire's legal code, a man whose mind operated in flawless, rigid structures of law and bureaucratic order. He arrived wearing pristine, perfectly pressed official robes, his expression serious and focused.
Next arrived Lu Su, the dignified, highly respected Minister of Rites. A man of immense diplomatic grace and traditional understanding, Lu Su was responsible for the cultural, ceremonial, and moral fabric of the court. His presence brought a calming, stabilizing weight to the room.
Then came Mi Zhu, the resourceful, immensely wealthy Minister of Finance. Mi Zhu was the financial lifeblood of the empire, a logistical genius whose merchant background allowed him to calculate the exact cost of grain, iron, and silk across a dozen provinces in his head. He entered with a brisk, energetic stride, his mind always calculating the economic implications of any state action.
And finally, the brilliant, peerless young Zhuge Liang arrived, serving in his vital capacity as the Minister of Personnel. Wielding his trademark white crane feather fan, Zhuge Liang possessed an intellect that was matched only by the Emperor's top military advisors.
He oversaw the placement, promotion, and evaluation of every single official, magistrate, and prefect in the vast empire. His eyes, bright with an almost terrifying intelligence, swept the room as he took his seat.
Meeting in the center of the grand, opulent hall, illuminated by dozens of glowing lanterns, Jia Xu did not waste time with formal pleasantries. He stood at the head of the heavy ebony table and looked at the four titans of administration.
"The north is pacified. The Khans are dead, and the horde is broken," Jia Xu announced, his voice smooth, carrying the undeniable weight of the Emperor's proxy. "His Imperial Majesty returns to Xiapi. He brings with him the complete submission of the steppes and over three hundred thousand new subjects."
A murmur of profound awe and immediate calculation rippled through the four ministers.
"I have summoned you because the military campaign has ended, which means our true war has just begun," Jia Xu stated, leaning his knuckles on the polished wood of the table. He looked directly at Lu Su and Mi Zhu. "I order you to pool your ministries' resources immediately. You are to create a truly grand, unprecedented national banquet to properly welcome our triumphant Emperor back home."
Lu Su nodded slowly, his mind instantly racing through the ancient texts of protocol. "It must be a triumph that eclipses anything recorded in the annals of the Zhou or the Han, Chancellor. The rites must reflect the permanent end of a thousand year threat. I will orchestrate a procession that spans from the outer gates of Xu Province to the steps of the Imperial Palace. We shall declare a month of national celebration, suspending taxes for the poorest commanderies to ensure the joy of the commoners reaches the heavens."
"The treasury can effortlessly bear the weight of such a spectacle," Mi Zhu added, his eyes narrowing as he mentally shifted millions of copper coins and thousands of bushels of grain across his ledgers. "I will divert the surplus grain from the southern harvest to Xiapi to feed the returning massive army and the three hundred thousand captives. I will commission the finest silks, the strongest wines, and the most exotic meats from across the continent. When His Majesty rides through the capital gates, he will ride upon a carpet of wealth that proves the absolute prosperity of his reign."
"Excellent. See that it is done without a single flaw. The world must see that Hengyuan can throw a feast as effortlessly as it can throw an army," Jia Xu commanded.
But then, the Chancellor's expression darkened. The faint trace of satisfaction vanished from his face, replaced by a deep, grave intensity. He looked around the table, his eyes locking onto Chen Qun and Zhuge Liang.
Beyond just the lavish celebrations and the logistical preparations for the banquet, Jia Xu wisely warned them to also prepare their respective departments for something far more disruptive.
"Do not let the wine and the music blind you to the reality of the man who sits upon the throne," Jia Xu cautioned, his voice dropping into a low, deadly serious whisper. "You must prepare your scribes, your legal scholars, and your provincial magistrates for the massive administrative changes and the completely new policies that His Majesty could possibly think of implementing upon his return."
Chen Qun's rigid posture straightened even further. "New policies, Chancellor? The Nine-Rank system is functioning perfectly. Our legal codes are absolute. What more could His Majesty seek to change?"
Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, his brilliant eyes gleaming with a profound, terrifying anticipation.
"Everything, Lord Chen," Zhuge Liang said softly, answering for the Chancellor. "You are thinking like a man who governs a country. Our Emperor thinks like a man who is carving a new era out of raw stone. He has just assimilated a population that fundamentally despises our way of life. He will not simply force them to read our laws, he will rewrite the laws to consume them."
Jia Xu nodded, pointing a finger at the young prodigy. "Exactly. We all deeply know our Emperor's visionary habits. Look at our history. After the pacification of the central plains, he did not just rest, he completely revolutionized the agrarian systems and introduced the steam forges. After the southern campaigns, he entirely restructured the military hierarchy and the logistical wagonways."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0