489. The Fall Of The Cai Clan

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In just a matter of days not even a week after Lie Fan's statement for a coalition was spread, the forces of the warlords neighboring the Cai Clan's domain began to mobilize their army, and the Sun Clan had an advantage compared to the other warlords because their army had mobilized and was currently positioned ready, so when the order was given, led by Zhu Ran, the Sun Clan army begun it's march.

The Sun Clan Army marched forward, following Zhou Yu's carefully devised plan. At the head of the charge was Zhu Ran, the veteran general who had a strategic who had earned the trust of both Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

His command of the army was second only to Zhou Yu himself in the army, and under his leadership, the Sun Clan army moved swiftly and decisively. Already positioned at the border of the Cai Clan's territory, they wasted no time in executing their invasion.

Within just a few days, two counties fell to the Sun Clan's might. Their soldiers, disciplined and highly trained, moved with precision, capturing key positions and fortifications.

Zhu Ran employed both military prowess and psychological warfare, offering clemency to those who surrendered but brutally punishing any who resisted. Word of the Sun Clan's unstoppable advance spread quickly, and towns began surrendering without a fight. The domain of the Cai Clan was shrinking, and their grip on power weakened with each passing hour.

When news of the Sun Clan's swift victories reached Shi Xie and Liu Bei, both warlords felt the pressure to act. Despite their armies not being fully prepared, they hastily began to mobilize. Liu Bei, in particular, was eager to make a move. His advisors, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Ju Shou, tried to counsel him against rushing into battle.

They believed that Liu Bei's eagerness to expand his domain was clouding his judgment, and they worried that he was not motivated by the noble cause of protecting the people of Lingling but by greed for territory.

Their protests fell on deaf ears, however, as Liu Bei dismissed their concerns and pressed forward with his plans. The advisors, loyal though they were, began to question Liu Bei's true intentions and his commitment to the people.

Shi Xie, more pragmatic than Liu Bei, also readied his forces but did so with more caution. His army moved slower, carefully gauging the situation, but he did not hesitate to act once the opportunity to expand his influence became apparent.

While Shi Xie's motivations were less driven by emotion, his focus on careful diplomacy and military precision made him a force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhang, the ruler of Yi Province, faced pressure from the nobles within his domain. The people of Yi were fiercely independent, and many of the region's elites did not want Liu Zhang to embroil the province in a war outside its borders.

Fearing internal dissent, Liu Zhang chose a more passive approach. He stationed his army at the border between his lands and the Cai Clan's domain, using the threat of force as leverage but refraining from outright invasion. His decision to hold back added to the growing complexity of the situation, as all eyes now turned to Lingling, where the final battle for the Cai Clan's future would be decided.

Inside Lingling, the court of the Cai Clan was in disarray. Rumors of the coalition forming against them filled the halls, and panic spread like wildfire. Lady Cai, however, was unfazed by the chaos around her.

When Zhang Yun delivered the news of the Sun Clan's victories and the approaching armies of Shi Xie, Liu Bei, and the rest, she merely laughed—a cold, deranged sound that echoed through the chamber.

"The fools think they can destroy us," she said, her voice dripping with madness. "Let them come. We will make our stand in Lingling, and they will all regret the day they dared to challenge the Cai Clan."

Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light as she ordered Zhang Yun to muster every able-bodied man within their remaining territory. She demanded that all resources—food, weapons, even livestock—be brought to Lingling to prepare for a final, desperate defense.

It was a scorched-earth strategy, designed to force the warlords to besiege the city while the rest of the Cai Clan's lands were abandoned. Lady Cai believed that by concentrating their forces in Lingling, they could withstand any assault. Her blind confidence, however, ignored the fact that her remaining forces were outnumbered and outmatched.

Zhang Yun obeyed her orders but could not shake the sense of impending doom. He had fought loyally for the Cai Clan for years, but even he saw the writing on the wall. This was not the act of a strategic genius; it was the act of a woman driven mad by grief and power.

The massacre of Lingling had already turned the people against her, and now, with the coalition bearing down on them, it was clear that Lady Cai's days were numbered including him.

As Zhang Yun began recruiting peasants and gathering supplies, the city of Lingling transformed into a fortress. Barricades were erected, and the walls were reinforced. The streets were emptied, with every resource diverted to the war effort.

What had once been a vibrant city was now a husk, filled with fear and dread. The people, already suffering under Lady Cai's rule, knew that they were being abandoned. Many of them fled, seeking refuge in neighboring territories, while others hid in the countryside, hoping to avoid the coming battle.

The surrounding warlords, meanwhile, continued their advance. The Sun Clan, under Zhu Ran's command, pushed deeper into the Cai Clan's domain, capturing several key outposts and fortifications along the way.

Shi Xie's forces, though slower, were methodical, ensuring that each conquered town was secured before moving on to the next. Liu Bei's army, despite its hasty preparation, moved quickly as well, taking advantage of the disarray in the Cai Clan's ranks.

As the warlords closed in on Lingling, Lie Fan's plan was unfolding perfectly. From Xiapi, he watched and listened through the Oriole intelligence network as the Cai Clan's enemies did his work for him.

By instigating the coalition and sending out his statement of support for the people of Lingling, he had positioned himself as the champion of the commoners without risking his own forces. His reputation among the people soared, and he earned the gratitude of those under his rule.

Jia Xu, ever the astute observer, watched with satisfaction as the events played out. "My lord," he said one evening as they reviewed the latest reports, "your strategy is working even better than we anticipated. The Cai Clan is isolated, and the warlords around the Cai Clan have turned their fangs toward the Cai Clan. Soon, the Cai Clan and Lingling will fall, and you will be remembered as the one who stood with the people."

Lie Fan nodded but remained focused. "We must be careful, Wenhe. The Cai Clan may be cornered, but a cornered animal is the most dangerous. We must be ready to act accordingly when the time comes." Jia Xu agreed, and together they continued to plan their next moves.

Back in Lingling, Lady Cai's paranoia grew with each passing day. She ordered the execution of several commoners, with the reason that they were spies sent by the warlords. Many of her officials and generals including Zhang Yun objected to this love, but once again ignored it.

This caused many of her supporters to begin making quiet preparations of their own, anticipating the collapse of the Cai Clan and seeking ways to save themselves from the coming storm.

As the coalition armies surrounded Lingling, it became clear that the end was near. Zhu Ran's forces from the Sun Clan were the first to reach the city, setting up a siege camp and cutting off all supply lines to the city. Shi Xie's army arrived shortly after, taking up positions on the opposite side, while Liu Bei's forces completed the encirclement.

Inside the city, panic set in. Food and supplies began to dwindle, and the people grew desperate. Lady Cai, still clinging to the belief that she could win, refused to surrender. She ordered Zhang Yun to prepare for a final stand, but even he knew that it was hopeless.

The coalition, meanwhile, waited. Their armies were patient, knowing that time was on their side. With each passing day, Lingling grew weaker, and the city's defenses began to crumble.

Finally, after two weeks of siege, the walls of Lingling were breached. The Sun Clan, led by Zhu Ran, stormed the city first, followed by the forces of Shi Xie and Liu Bei. The battle was fierce, but it was clear that the Cai Clan's forces were no match for the combined might of the coalition.

Lady Cai, defiant to the end, was captured in her palace, still raving about her victory even as her empire crumbled around her. Zhang Yun and Liu Cong surrendered without a fight, knowing that their only hope of survival lay in cooperating with the coalition.

The fall of Lingling marked the end of the Cai Clan's rule. Their once-mighty domain was carved up among the warlords, with Lie Fan emerging as the true victor.

Though he had not taken part in the battle directly, his role in orchestrating the coalition and positioning himself as a defender of the people ensured that his influence would only grow stronger in the aftermath.

As the dust settled, it became clear that the massacre of Lingling had set into motion a chain of events that would reshape the entire region. The people, once oppressed by the Cai Clan, now looked to Lie Fan and several of the warlords as their protectors.

With the Cai Clan's downfall, a new era was beginning inside Jing and Jiaozhi Province, one in which the balance of power had shifted massively, and would be decided by those who had emerged victorious from the ashes of Lingling.

The changes in the south did not go unnoticed by the two prominent warlords in the north, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. As news of the Cai Clan's downfall and the coalition's conquest of Lingling spread, the ripple effects reached their ears. Both men were taken aback by the sheer scale of what had transpired—an entire domain destroyed, its lands divided among opportunistic warlords, all because of one crucial misstep by the Cai Clan.

For Yuan Shao, this news was of little concern. He viewed the warlords of the south as mere background players, too distant and too fragmented to truly impact his own ambitions. To him, the Sun Clan, Shi Xie, Liu Bei, and even Lie Fan were minor powers who had capitalized on a weak target, nothing more.

Dismissing the developments as irrelevant, Yuan Shao turned his attention back to his own battles, confident that the true struggle for control of China would be fought in the north, not the south.

Cao Cao, however, saw things very differently. While the Cai Clan had indeed been a minor power, the ramifications of their defeat were anything but insignificant. Unlike Yuan Shao, Cao Cao understood the importance of reputation, influence, and political maneuvering, and what had unfolded in the south was nothing short of a masterstroke.

Lie Fan, with a single public statement, had not only positioned himself as the protector of the common people but had also orchestrated a coalition of warlords that acted on his cue. By framing his statement as a moral call to protect the people of Lingling from the Cai Clan's tyranny, Lie Fan had ensured that other warlords would feel compelled to join the cause—both to legitimize their own ambitions and to avoid appearing indifferent to the plight of the people.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Overlord Of The Central Plains

Age: 32 (199 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