Prologue

Wen Lun was a man with ambition. His father, Wen Chun, had little ambition, but rather devoted his life to the people he governed. Not only that, he excelled in managing production, whether it be military or civil. Now, as his father grew older, he knew he had to make his move and soon.

Wen Lun was popular, especially in with the provinces army, in which he was a general in. He held the province together with his leadership skills, and kept himself out of the war. Dong Zhou had  long been a major roadblock to his plans. Quietly, Wen Lun and Wen Chun stayed out of the fighting. Now that Dong Zhou had been murdered, by the hands of his own adopted son, Wen Lun decided to make his move.

It was a late night, when he arrived at his father’s estate. Some one hundred soldiers had followed him. There was many onlookers, why should the military be at their lord’s estate? Wen Lun stood alone quietly waiting for his father to receive him.

“Why have you called me my son? And what of these men?” Wen Chun eyed the soldier’s behind his son with a confused expression. Wen Lun looked down, almost in shame, “Father, my lord Father, I ask you humbly and with all my heart, please step aside. The time is now. The soldiers, the people, they cry out for us ascend into power. Father, my lord Father, will you please allow me to mobilize?”

Wen Chun’s eyes grew cloudy, his face drawn tight. A grim look, for a face so usually full of cheer, it was a queer sight for Lun. There he stood before his father, waiting anxiously, like a child. He loved his father dearly, and he would rather have his blessing.

Chun did not want this to happen. He wanted his family to stay out of the ravages of the realm, but in his heart he knew his son would not relent. He was a good man, at the age of thirty eight, had little to show for it but his life in the military.  Not only that, Chun could sense that in a way, Lun was true. The people wondered why Lord Wen had not stepped up in the turmoil like all others. But Chun was old, fifty nine years came and gone, but Chun never got any younger.

“I agree my son, but I step aside. You should rule us, if this is what you wish.” Wen Chun quietly said.

“But father… I’ll need you by my side?” Wen Lun cried out, touching his father’s arm, “I will need your counsel!”

Wen Chun smiled in a fatherly way, “I am always by your side my son.” And they embraced.

It took only two months to establish Wen Lun as the leader of Xin Ye after his father. The rest of the year was spent in building up an army. Now Wen Lun looked out upon the rest of China, with his ambitions raging. He didn’t need to worry about the warlord Cao Cao or the Renegade Lu Bu, they were caught up in fighting themselves. No, he needed to look against Li Jue and the remnants of Dong Zhuo’s regiment,  Liu Biao and his navy, and to Yuan Shu, another  man with great ambitions.