Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

June of the third year of Zhongping.

On the grassland, the wind carries the scents of grass, horse manure, and a restless, burgeoning atmosphere.

Inside the grand tent of the Xianbei royal court, smoke swirled as tribal leaders gathered for their own interests.

A dozen or so tribal chiefs sat in a large circle, each wearing a fur-trimmed robe made of animal skins—wolf, bear, and deer skins—and a spotted leopard skin that someone had brought along, looking as festive as a thick cotton-padded coat from Northeast China.

A whole roasted lamb sat in the very center, dripping with oil and flames leaping high. Jars of mare's milk were scattered haphazardly on the ground, the strong aroma of the liquor mixed with the smoky fragrance of the lamb, making one dizzy.

They held roasted lamb legs in their hands, chewed on the meat, but their eyes shone like wolves in the night.

Kui Tou—the grandson of Tan Shihuai, now the nominal Chanyu of the Xianbei.

[Name]: Kui Tou

Gender: Male

Age: 29

[Strength]: 85

Command: 83

[Politics]: 65

[Intelligence]: 67

[Appearance]: 59cm

He curled his lip, clutching a charred lamb leg bone in his hand, his face full of disdain, and his greasy mouth smacked as he spoke: "You've all heard, haven't you? Those idiots from Wuhuan were wiped out by that brat Liu Ce!"

As he spoke, bits of meat flew everywhere. Sitting next to him was Budugen—his younger brother, who was a bit more handsome than his brother, but had a more cunning look in his eyes. He silently moved back a little.

"Qiuliju, Supuyan, and Wuyan—their three heads are hanging out to dry at the gates of Luoyang!"

After he finished speaking, he took a big bite of the lamb leg, as if he were biting into Liu Ce's flesh.

Budugen chimed in, "That's right! I heard that Liu Ce is not even twenty years old yet, but he's some kind of General of the Cavalry... Marquis of Champion, leading an army to wipe out the Wuhuan's stronghold! He looted hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses..."

He paused deliberately, picked up his wine bowl, took a large gulp, and slowly added, "However—I heard he's in a terrible state too. Most of his troops were killed, it seems the Black Riders were almost wiped out, and their supplies are completely depleted. He's probably licking his wounds in Youzhou right now!"

These words were like salt sprinkled into a frying pan; the tent instantly erupted in chaos.

Ke Zui—one of the leaders of the central Xianbei—was a burly man. He slapped his thigh and said in a voice as loud as thunder, "I told you those Wuhuan guys were no good! No horsemanship or archery, no guts, not even brains! They still want to challenge the Han people? They're just asking for death!"

He took a large gulp of mare's milk wine, wiped his mouth, and continued, "However... I sent people to investigate, and Liu Ce has indeed suffered heavy losses in this battle, and his supplies are almost exhausted! The state of Youzhou now—"

Ke Zui looked around and chuckled, "It's just a big, unwarmed bun! Thin skin, lots of filling, just waiting for someone to take a bite!"

Yan Liyou, one of the leaders of the western Xianbei, squinted his small eyes and tapped his fingers on his knees as if doing accounting. He said, "It's not just Youzhou! Bingzhou is even more lively. Last month, the Qiang people beat the border troops so badly they were crying for their parents. I heard that Governor Zhang Yi is still busy patching up the mess! If we rush in now, we're guaranteed to make a fortune!"

"That's right! That's right!" Mija—one of the leaders of the Eastern Xianbei—had eyes that shone like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days. "Those grains, ironware, and Han girls in colorful clothes...tsk tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes my mouth water! The Wuhuan can't take them, but we Xianbei can!"

His words were so blunt that several young leaders nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter, and some even whistled.

A buzz of discussion immediately filled the tent. These grassland men might be a bit lacking in fighting, but when it came to looting, they were all experts. They talked amongst themselves, describing Youzhou and Bingzhou as if they were their own backyard, where they could take whatever they wanted.

But not everyone gets carried away.

Name: Qian Man

Gender: Male

Age: 19

[Strength]: 86

Command: 79

[Politics]: 66

[Intelligence]: 68

[Appearance]: 65cm

Qianman—Kuitou's cousin, one of the rivals for the Xianbei Chanyu, and someone who had always been at odds with Kuitou—said coldly, "That's true, but Liu Ce isn't someone to be trifled with. I've heard he has Black Riders under his command, clad in full iron armor, impervious to swords and arrows. The Wuhuan fell victim to that."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, dampening the lively atmosphere considerably.

"Hey! Cousin, what are you afraid of!" Fu Luohan—Kui Tou's other younger brother, with a full beard and a gruff voice, immediately jumped up, his face full of disdain, and said, "Those Black Riders have already been crippled! Besides, all the Xianbei tribes combined have more than 120,000 cavalry! A single spit from each of them could bring down the walls of Youzhou!"

These words were spoken with great enthusiasm, and the atmosphere inside the tent warmed up again.

[Name]: Kebineng

Gender: Male

Age: 21

[Strength]: 95

Command: 90

[Politics]: 85

[Intelligence]: 87

[Appearance]: 67cm

"Exactly!" Kebineng, the leader of the emerging power, chimed in. "Let's unite our forces, gather seventy or eighty thousand cavalry, and while Liu Ce is still recovering and the Han border troops are off guard, let's charge straight in! Seize Youzhou, seize Bingzhou, grab them and run! No one can stop us!"

He paused, looked around, and emphasized, "With the Wuhuan gone, the north of Youzhou is a piece of fat meat without an owner! If we don't seize it now, it will be much harder for us to take it once Liu Ce recovers, builds higher walls, and trains his troops!"

These words resonated with everyone.

For a moment, the tent was filled with the sound of chest thumping, "bang bang bang," like drumming.

"I think it's a good idea! With the Wuhuan gone, the area north of Youzhou is a piece of easy prey!"

"That's right! Youzhou just finished a battle, they definitely won't have the strength to defend themselves! Let's take advantage of their weakness and launch a surprise attack, I guarantee we'll return with a full haul!"

"Those people in Bingzhou are even more cowardly. Last time we raided them, they didn't dare utter a sound!"

The more they talked, the more excited they became. They forgot about eating the whole roasted lamb and started calculating how much they could grab.

A young leader counted on his fingers and said, "If my troops send out three thousand cavalry, we can seize five hundred carts of grain and three hundred sets of iron armor..."

Another interrupted him: "You've got guts! I'm going to rob a thousand cartloads! And Han Chinese silk too, my wife's been nagging about it for years!"

"I want to rob the blacksmith! Alive! Bring him back so we can forge knives!"

"I want to rob the scholars! I heard that literate people can help us keep accounts..."

Seeing that the topic was veerging further and further off course, Kebineng tapped his wine bowl and raised his voice: "Gentlemen, I think we can be more cautious."

Everyone looked at him.

Kebineng stood up and walked to the fire in the center of the tent. The firelight flickered on his face as he spoke, "Liu Ce has just finished fighting the Wuhuan and is indeed weak. But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. If we try to take him down alone, we'll inevitably break our teeth. Perhaps..."

He paused, then glanced around: "Join forces with Goguryeo."

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

"Goguryeo?" Kui Tou frowned. "Those mountain folk, can they handle it?"

"Whether it works or not is another matter," Kebineng laughed, "but more people mean more strength. Goguryeo is desperate for food and iron. We just need to tell them that there is plenty of food and iron in Youzhou, and they'll be green with envy. Then we can fight one side while they fight the other. Even if Liu Ce had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't be able to handle it all."

That made sense, and the leaders all nodded in agreement.