The death of the Emperor had sent terrible shockwaves across the land.

  Warlords were debating amongst themselves whether to respect the new status quo, ally themselves with the real power in the Capital - the much hated Ten Attendants, or rise in rebellion to squash the corrupt officials from Luoyang and save the Han from this pestilential rot.

  But too much time had already passed…

  In the weeks after the news spread through every corner of the Empire, no one had made a move. No one called in the banners, no one had delivered a speech and it seemed that no one really cared.

  It was as if the world had resigned itself to this disease and accepted its fate.

  Only a handful were bold enough to speak openly about the Attendants’ intentions and how they controlled the new young Emperor. But only the truly brave, or foolhardy, were plotting to remove the Attendants like one removed a gangrenous limb: Quickly and dispassionately.

  In the estate of the Grand General of the Imperial Army, Lord He Jin and uncle to the current child Emperor, two of the most powerful warlords in the realm gathered to discuss a bold plan.

  The room in which these men spoke was dimly lit, as if the low light were capable of hiding their schemes. It was a warm and unpleasant evening. The soldiers around the perimeter of the estate were groaning and pulling on their armors as their own sweat made them unpleasantly sticky and smelly. Lord He Jin had offered his guests his “finest wine”, but when they saw the hot sludge and the flies that were drinking from it, they respectfully refused. It seemed that ever since the Emperor had passed away, every corner of the land had fallen to misery and illness.

  Dressed in his riches clothes, gold painted armor and the arrogance that follows those who believe they were born with the blessings of the Heavens, was the current leader of the powerful noble Yuan family - Lord Yuan Shao. He looked bored and rather distracted on his own reflection, making sure it looked well on his armor and trying his best to show his displeasure of his current discomfort.

  Opposite to Yuan Shao was Cao Cao. An old friend and rival of Yuan Shao from their childhood. Well known for his pragmatism, his ruthless pursuit of his ambitions and an integral part of the plans being discussed. The Grand General and the Nobleman knew that Cao Cao had the cunning and brilliance to make any plan work thanks to his careful selection of generals and strategists. He remained silent and impassive, even though he felt the great need to find refreshments due to a headache he had been nursing lately.

  But one person didn’t seem to belong in this reunion. Standing under a shadow, behind Cao Cao was a man dressed in black, simple armor, with his arms crossed, a long blade sheathed by his hip and his eyes closed, baring a face of barely restrained frustration.

  Kai Jin remained silent as these three men spoke.

  It was the Grand General who spoke after a while.

  “Governor Cao Cao, Lord Yuan Shao, I strongly believe that we must be patient in these circumstances. We have spoken before about direct confrontation against the Attendants and I have strongly suggested we take another course of action.” General He Jin said gravely and nodded, as if his words carried the weight of a man above his station - but when you name a butcher the Grand General of the Imperial Army simply due to nepotism, these words rang hollow.

  “We have been patient, Lord He Jin, and because of our delays the Eunuchs have already taken control of the entire Capital, sequestered the Emperor and refused to allow anyone, including you, to enter the palace. We should have acted at the moment of the Emperor’s last breath!” Cao Cao said with cold anger, trying to avoid losing more of his temper.

  “And what would you suggest we do, Lord Cao Cao?” The General asked with some trepidation, feeling somewhat intimidated by the anger shown on Cao Cao’s features.

  “March the entire Army into the Capital, storm the gates and execute every Eunuch in the palace. Leave none alive.” Cao Cao said plainly as he calmed down a bit, suddenly feeling the weight of his “shadow” over him.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “That is so like you, Cao Cao.” Yuan Shao huffed loudly and stroked his finely trimmed beard. “Always looking to draw blood and kill all opposition as if that were the easiest way to solve any problem. If you keep up this ruthless behavior the people will never bow to you out of love or respect.”

  “Love and respect will mean nothing if you do not have the strength to enforce the law and crush opposition.” Cao Cao’s eyes narrowed angrily at Yuan Shao who simply shook his head as if pitying his rival. “But, by all means, my old friend, how would you approach this situation? Certainly a nobleman such as yourself can come up with a brilliant plan that will save the entire realm.”

  A look of outrage appeared in Yuan Shao’s face at the words chosen by his opposite. Cao Cao was not one to mince words but also chose them very carefully.

  “Well, since you ask so politely, my ‘old friend’,” Yuan Shao huffed again, “We must bring this up to a formal court and take legitimate actions against the Attendants. This way we may bring a proper justification, backed by law and Imperial decree to act against them without the need to spill a single drop of blood. A true noble act!”

  The sound of a loud scoff shook the three lords. Kai Jin had shifted his weight an inch and shook his head slightly. It was obvious by the scowl twisting his face that the words of Yuan Shao had spoken didn’t agree with his opinions.

  “Ridiculous…” The voice of the Heavenly Sword of Order was like the growling of an animal.

  “You dare insult me?” Yuan Shao’s noble face changed into a mask of outrage, as if the word itself had injured him to his core.

  “Be still, Yuan Shao. He merely stated what most of us believed. Don’t take it so personally…” Cao Cao had to choose his words quite carefully now. Ever since Kai Jin had spoken to him after he had visited Ming Yue, he had become more hostile.

  “Hmph! Then at least tell your mongrel dog to stay silent! His betters are speaking. I am surprised you even brought this commoner before us. A man of such low birth would do better watching over a broken down tea house than voicing his opinions.” When Yuan Shao said those words, he suddenly felt like the weight of his armor had vanished…

  He didn’t feel his legs, his arms or his torso… for a second he could’ve sworn he felt as if everything from the neck down had vanished… his head… when did his face hit the ground… rolling… staring up at a burning red eye…

  A short gasp escaped Yuan Shao… he felt like he had just woken up from a bad dream. But his neck… he felt as if something sharp had passed through it.

  Then he saw it.

  That red eye, on the face of Cao Cao’s bodyguard. It was staring at him with killing intent. His right hand rested over the hilt of his sword. Did… did he just… kill him… in his thoughts?

  “You would be wise not to provoke this man, Yuan Shao.” Cao Cao finally spoke, which made the red eyed swordsman lower his sword hand and simply stared at him. The fire in his eye dulled a bit.

  “This is Kai Jin, the Heavenly Sword of Order. And if he believes you will not serve Heaven’s purpose, he will cut you down without hesitation.”

  He Jin and Yuan Shao stared at Kai Jin and felt a chill run down their spines.

  “The Blade from Hell?” The General whispered.

  “T-This is the Heavenly Sword of Order!?” Yuan Shao felt himself sweating in his golden armor.

  “Correct. So, I suggest we don’t give him a reason to question how useful we can be to the Heavens.” Cao Cao now had to redirect the attention to the main purpose of these talks. If they feared Kai Jin more than the threats in the Capital, then this would all be pointless.

  Before Cao Cao could say another word, Grand General He Jin placed both hands on the table and cleared his throat in a loud yet obviously practiced way - like a child trying to get the attention of his parents.

  “Yes, yes, we all know how terrifying your man is, Cao Cao. But one man is not enough to intimidate the Eunuchs and their lackeys. So I took the liberty of sending word to a loyal servant of the Han Empire.” The General smiled, feeling pleased with himself.

  “Oh? And who was it that you summoned Grand General?” Yuan Shao had recovered from his earlier spell and turned to look at He Jin.

  “I sent word to the Western Liang Army to march on the capital to help us ‘persuade’ the Attendants to submit to the law.”

  “What!?” Cao Cao’s eyes opened widely. His restraint had been broken by the words of the foolish Grand General, “You summoned Dong Zhuo to serve as your attack dog!?” The only reason why Cao Cao didn’t continue with his outrage-fueled tirade was the sharp headache that made him force his emotions to calm down.

  “Dong Zhuo! Of all the people this imbecile could’ve summoned he had to call that beast! He’s little more than an animal wanting to draw blood and feast on the weak! This has made things far more complicated than they already are!” Cao Cao was about to take a drink of the wine they had served, but the warmth and look of it made his stomach churn, “I’ll have no choice but to notify minister Wang Yun of the catastrophe He Jin has summoned to the Capital. If things don’t go according to our plans, we may have to resort to more violent methods…”

  Cao Cao’s eyes glanced towards Kai Jin - the Heavenly Sword was observing both Yuan Shao and He Jin as they congratulated each other for the Grand General’s “wise” decision.

  Kai Jin shook his head slightly. He clearly saw the folly of these Great and Powerful Nobles would bring further chaos in Luoyang.