Map: Year 209

Forces:

• Ma Teng: 32 Officers, 107,141 Troops
• Yuan Tan: 36 Officers, 397,844 Troops
• Cao Cao: 73 Officers, 258,941 Troops
• Liu Bei: 16 Officers, 121,246 Troops 
• Sun Ce: 88 Officers, 325,263 Troops
• Liang Meng: 28 Officers, 117,574 Troops
• Liu Zhang: 36 Officers, 173,755 Troops

Diplomacy:

• Ma Teng-Cities: An Ding, Chang An, Han Zhong, Shang Yong, Tian Shui, Wu Wei
• Hostile with Cao Cao
• Alliance with Liu Bei and Liu Zhang
• Yuan Tan-Cities: Bei Hai, Bei Ping, Ji, Jin Yang, Nan Pi, Ping Yuan, Pu Yang, Xiang Ping, Ye
• Hostile with Cao Cao and Sun Ce
• Alliance with Liu Bei
• Cao Cao-Cities: Luo Yang, Ru Nan, Wan, Xu Chang
• Hostile with Liu Bei, Yuan Tan, Ma Teng, and Sun Ce
• Alliance with none.
• Liu Bei-Cities: Xia Pi, Xiao Pei
• Hostile with Cao Cao and Sun Ce
• Alliance with Yuan Tan and Ma Teng
• Sun Ce-Cities: Chai Sang, Chen Liu, Hui Ji, Jian Ye, Jiang Xia, Lu Jiang, Shou Chun, Wu, Xiang Yang, Xin Ye
• Hostile with Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Yuan Tan, Liu Zhang and Liang Meng
• Alliance with none.
• Liang Meng-Cities: Chang Sha, Gui Yang, Jiang Ling, Ling Ling, Wu Ling, 
• Hostile with Sun Ce
• Alliance with Liang Meng
• Liu Zhang-Cities: Cheng Du, Jiang Ning, Jiang Zhou, Yong An, Yun Nan, Zi Tong
• Hostile with Sun Ce
• Alliance with Ma Teng and Liang Meng

Chapter VII: Renewal

The alliance between Liang Meng and Liu Zhang was cemented. But when Meng returned, he found his son had disobeyed his order to abandoned Chang Sha. "Why did you disobey my order! How dare you!" Liang Xiu did not flinch while his father beat him with a cane. He did not whimper and waited until his father's rage passed. Liang Xiu shifted as he said, "Father, this one day will be mine... I want to make decisions now. I will be the lord of the south one day. And when I am... I want to be someone to make you proud." A tear formed in Liang Meng's eye as he embraced his son, "I'm sorry, I just need loyalty right now."

And loyalty is what Cai Mao didn't have for Sun Ce. Zhao Yun came to him with an offer to join him and immediately took it. He saw first hand the power and passion within Liang Meng's soldiers, especially his son. Soon Cao Xiu was persuaded to join. While the domestic skills of Liang Meng's men were top notch, the military skills of his men were lacking. He knew he needed more commanders and warriors, but they were far and few in between.

Liang Xiu, Zhao Yun, and Cai Mao with Cao Xiu marched out from Chang Sha to attack the city of Chai Sang. The biggest problem they had faced since they took Chang Sha. Soldiers led by Chen Dao and Lei Bo marched out of Wu Ling to take Jiang Ling. The battle for Jiang Ling was intense, and it had Sun Ce's full attention. He wasn't fully aware of the small force from Chang Sha working its way towards Chai Sang.


The battle raged on for Jiang Ling and Liang Meng's troops couldn't get substantial ground until Liu Zhang's troops provided support, breaking up the enemies lines and allowing his troops to land and establish a hold on the ground. While in Chai Sang, Sun Ce's troops marched out to expel the invaders but were quickly stamped out. Sun Ce was so set on taking Wu Ling and Chang Sha that he left little time for the troops to replenish. Liang Xiu's troops ran out of food and retreated.

But the assault on Jiang Ling took a turn for the better. Liang Meng's troops landed and demolished the defenders. While more marched out of the walls, Liang Meng's troops prepared for the siege on the city. It seemed that Jiang Liang would fall to Ling Meng. It seemed there was a renewal in spirit for Liang Meng's troops. They had finally brought blood to Sun Ce's soil, and it unnerved the Little Conqueror, a man who had truly no nobility or any family of note is now rising up and showing up the great Sun family. He didn't enjoy it.  Jiang Ling fell to Liang Meng. But while there was a victory at Jiang Ling, Xiang Yang reinforcements moved south to retake the city. The decisive battle was now. Will Liang Meng be able to keep Jiang Ling? Or will it fall to the onslaught of Sun Ce?

Chapter VI: The Birth of Liang Xiu

Liang Meng and Ma Liang left Gui Yang to establish good relations with Liu Zhang. Now in charge of everyone, Liang Xiu sat quietly alone on the ledge of his roof. Xing Daorong called out, "Master Xiu? Where are you?" as he walked below him. As soon as Daorong got directly below him Xiu jumped down on top of Daorong, "I'm here. Go fetch Zhao Yun and meet me in the war room immediately." Daorong bowed his head and nodded.

Moments later all three were sitting quietly in the war room. The map of the area showed Sun Ce's forces moving in on Wu Ling. Liang Xiu cracked his knuckles before he continued, "My father has ordered us not to attack Chang Sha and to allow them to attack our defenses. I know this army better than probably anyone, and I tell you both, our defenses can't hold." Zhao Yun wanted to protest, but he knew Liang Xiu was right. "What do you suggest?" Daorong asked.

Liang Xiu smiled deviously, "We attack Chang Sha. All three of us. I've got good intel that Sun Quan, the younger brother of Sun Ce is himself in Chang Sha overseeing it. Let us attack and try to capture him!" Zhao Yun went to protest but Daorong beat him to it, "You would disobeying a direct order! You can't just..." Liang Xiu held up his hand, "I will do what I want. I will attack regardless. My honor says that the abandoning of Chang Sha is bullshit! I will rally my troops and fight. You shall do what you please. I will be ruler one day, you will be serving me. Now I must make the right decision, and that's fighting."

With those words Zhao Yun and Xing Daorong were inspired. Together, they rounded up 22,000 troops to march on Chang Sha. It pained Liang Xiu that he had to disobey his father to get results, but he knew that his father wouldn't be ruler forever, and it was time for him to earn his merit. He was a commander, not just the governor's son. They marched forth, and once again, Sun Ce was surprised. He heard of how the order was given to retreat and defend. Now he heard that the order was given to attack.

The pathetic force that was mustered in the defense of Chang Sha made Liang Xiu laugh. He thought Sun Ce and Zhou Yun would be smarter by now, but they were not. Ling Cao marched out with 2205 horsemen in a pathetic hope to stop Liang Xiu from marching and capturing Chang Sha. They had worked so hard to gain the city back, now they were on the verge of losing it once again. But the damage to the pride and honor of Liang Xiu and Zhao Yun fueled their resolve. Liang Xiu wiped out Ling Cao's pathetic cavalry and they marched forward onto Chang Sha. This time Chang Sha would remain Liang Xiu's, and he wouldn't let his father tell him otherwise.

As they drew closer, Cao Xiu attacked Liang Xiu. He was wiped out and then captured. The attackers from Gui Yang relentlessly attacked the city, surrounding it as well as they could with their some 20,000 soldiers. Chang Sha was theirs. They couldn't lose. They stormed the city, slaughtering all the enemy soldiers that stood in their way. When they arrived, the found only Cai Mao waiting for them. After a brief but intense battle, Liang Xiu imprisoned Cai Mao. Liang Xiu had disobeyed his father, but he had become, in his eyes, a man. Despite being unable to capture Sun Quan, it was a victory nonetheless.

Chapter V: The Defense of Chang Sha Pt. 2

After the first wave against Chang Sha was a victory, Liang Xiu set out to undermine Sun Ce's power by going after his officers. Soon Cheng Bing was able to acquire Hua Xin, a capable strategist that soon took over Yong Chou and Zhao Yun's positions as lead strategists, and Lu Xian from Sun Ce. Then Liang Xiu acquired the services of strategist Ma Liang.

Lu Kuang and Lu Fan arrived too late as reinforcements for Zhou Tai only to find Liang Xiu and Cheng Yi completely fresh and ready for retaliation. The battle didn't last long and Liang Xiu and Cheng Ying worked together phenomenally. Lu Kuang and Lu Fan were sent from two separate cities. And while their goals were the same, they had never fought together in battle up until this point and didn't know each other. Their lack of experience together was their downfall. Liang Xiu and Cheng Ying wiped them out and captured Lu Fan.


Sun Ce grew impatient and sent once again Zhou Tai and Zhuge Jin from Chai Sang to Chang Sha in hopes that he would take it back. Liang Xiu was slightly worried, but he knew he could always regroup behind the walls. Liang Xiu, Jin Xuan, and Cheng Ying marched out with a collective of 20,000 troops to meet Zhou Tai and Zhuge Jin. While the battle swung in Liagn Xiu's favor, Hua Xin witnessed a dimming star in the sky... It was Liang Meng's star. Liang Meng could feel it in his bones, even though he was only thirty eight he knew he would die soon. But he was confident in his son's ability to rule his lands when he was gone. He only hoped Yong Chou and Zhao Yun would stand by his side.

The relentless assault Sun Ce had started had still not let up. After the initial defense it became a constant struggle against gaining ground. Docks Lu Xian and Wu Ling were constantly being fought over. No one side gained the upperhand. Liang Meng grew restless, he hoped to put a chink in the Sun's reputation, but it seemed he was unable too. Zhao Yun was unable to hold Lu Xian and fell back to Chang Sha. Then, in a bold move, Liang Meng ordered his men to fall back to Gui Yang and abandon Chang Sha.

Zhao Yun cried out, "NO! We must hold the city! We have to win! We cannot let Sun Ce win!" Liang Meng smiled sadly at his sworn brother. It wasn't time for fighting. Liang Meng waited quietly for the objections to quiet down. Once they were done he nodded, "It's time that we go to Gui Yang. I do not like it as much as you, but we must." Zhao Yun swallowed his pride and nodded. Liang Meng's army abandoned Chang Sha. Despite the victories, Sun Ce still came out on top. Liang Meng knew that he couldn't win alone. He couldn't beat Sun Ce without an ally. And Liu Zhang was the perfect candidate.

Chapter IV: The Defense of Chang Sha Pt. 1

Chang Sha was successfully captured, but it seemed Sun Ce wasn't going to take it lying down. He immediately mustered a force and set out to attack Lu Xian for a staging ground to retake Chang Sha and fight this newly appointed Governor in the south. Sun Ce's forces, led by Zhou Tai easily defeated Liang Meng's defenders. Nervous but steady, Liang Xiu strength the defenses of Chang Sha in preparation for the upcoming battle for Chang Sha.

While Sun Ce had the upper hand with his military and personnel, he had no idea the resolve that burned deep within Liang Xiu. Liang Xiu understood that he would be taking up the mantle of leader soon and he would need all the experience he could get before his father relinquished control. Liang Xiu prepared for battle.

Zhou Tai set out with Zhu Ran with fourteen thousand soldiers to attack Chang Sha, where only sixteen thousand were stationed. Zhou Tai smirked as he thought of sacking the city and taking it back over in the name of his lord. He would enjoy victory in this battle. He marched out ahead with his pikemen. His small force would be enough to destroy the pathetic child that Liang Xiu was. Then he would march on Gui Yang and kill Liang Meng. Zhou Tai was here to prove his worth to his lord, and prove his worth he will.


But one thing he didn't know, just like Sun Ce, the actual heart, skill, and willpower that Liang Xiu had in his arsenal. Liang Xiu marched out along side of Hou Jun with Cheng Ying and met Zhou Tai head on. Zhou Tai was caught off guard but didn't falter. He met Liang Xiu's cavalry charge head on. The casualties on Zhou Tai's side outnumbered the casualties on Liang Xiu's side. But Liang Xiu knew that after the initial charge the real battle began.

Sun Ce knew he had to send reinforcements to battle against Chang Sha. He sent Lu Fan and Wei Fang with 12,000 troops as support for Zhou Tai. He had no doubt that he would retake Chang Sha from the governor in the south and he left his city of of Chai Sang sparsely defended. He had no need to have the city guarded heavily. He sat back and waited for his plan to come to fruition.

However, Liang Meng wouldn't allow Chang Sha to fall. He lead a caravan of 24,000 troops with many armaments, supplies, and gold set for Chang Sha. He had come so far since an agricultural adviser to a Governor of the South. He wouldn't stop. He wasn't going to lose to Sun Ce. He cared not for how powerful and frightening the Sun family is, he wouldn't be showed up by some pathetic little cub on a boat. He had complete confidence in his son that he would hold Chang Sha.

The battle for Chang Sha raged intensely. While Zhou Tai and Zhu Ran had more men, Liang Xiu's cavalry caused massive damage against Zhou Tai's pikemen while Huo Jun's pikeman tore into Zhu Ran's. However, casualties were on both sides and Zhu Ran attacked the walls of Chang Sha. The numbers dwindled but morale was restored when Liang Meng was seen with the caravan.

Sun Ce was angered by the turn of events and sent Lu Kang with 5000 troops from Jiang Liang as reinforcements, but it a futile effort and he knew it. Liang Meng had arrived with his 24,000 troops. Lei Bo grabbed five thousand spearmen and set out, ultimately wiping out Zhu Ran. Now, the battle was in Liang Xiu's favor. Zhou Tai fell back to regroup and assessed the situation. He knew that his reinforcements were some ways off but he didn't want to back down. Zhou Tai pushed forward. Zhou Tai was wiped out and Liang Xiu was victorious. The defense of Chang Sha was a success.

Map: Year 206

Forces:

• Ma Teng: 31 Officers, 168,749 Troops
• Yuan Tan: 40 Officers, 360,513 Troops
• Cao Cao: 73 Officers, 208,649 Troops
• Liu Bei: 17 Officers, 50,217 Troops 
• Sun Ce: 68 Officers,  406,956 Troops
• Liang Meng: 19 Officers, 188,196 Troops
• Liu Zhang: 35 Officers, 142,620 Troops

Diplomacy:

• Ma Teng-Cities: An Ding, Chang An, Han Zhong, Shang Yong, Tian Shui, Wu Wei
• Hostile with Cao Cao
• Alliance with Liu Bei and Liu Zhang
• Yuan Tan-Cities: Bei Hai, Bei Ping, Ji, Jin Yang, Nan Pi, Ping Yuan, Xiang Ping, Ye
• Hostile with Cao Cao and Sun Ce
• Alliance with Liu Bei
• Cao Cao-Cities: Chen Liu, Luo Yang, Pu Yang, Ru Nan, Wan, Xin Ye, Xu Chang
• Hostile with Liu Bei, Yuan Tan, Ma Teng, and Sun Ce
• Alliance with none.
• Liu Bei-Cities: Xia Pi, Xiao Pei
• Hostile with Cao Cao and Sun Ce
• Alliance with Yuan Tan and Ma Teng
• Sun Ce-Cities: Chai Sang, Hui Ji, Jian Ye, Jiang Ling, Jiang Xia, Lu Jiang, Shou Chun, Wu, Xiang Yang
• Hostile with Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Yuan Tan, Liu Zhang and Liang Meng
• Alliance with none.
• Liang Meng-Cities: Chang Sha, Gui Yang, Ling Ling, Wu Ling
• Hostile with Sun Ce
• Alliance with none
• Liu Zhang-Cities: Cheng Du, Jiang Ning, Jiang Zhou, Yong An, Yun Nan, Zi Tong
• Hostile with Sun Ce
• Alliance with Ma Teng

Chapter III: b: The Assault on Chang Sha

Sun Ce now moved south, sending Liao Hua and Sun Yi to conquer Chang Sha, with only 10,000 troops. After the constant build up of forces by Liang Meng, his army numbered more than 190,000. However, Sun Ce was so sure that this petty Lt. General wouldn't dare to attack Sun Ce, who had all but conquered the south. He was wrong. But, he didn't send all the officers that Yong Chou had said he would. Only three had arrived in Chang Sha. But Liang Meng waited.


Liu Biao was wiped out by Sun Ce, and three officers entered the territory of Liang Meng. He set out to acquire their services while waiting to see if anymore officers are to come to Chang Sha. After waiting a month, he sent out troops from Gui Yang, a force of 18,000. Zhao Yun sent out his force of 24,000 troops to attack Chang Sha as well.









When Sun Ce heard the news he was dumbfounded. He had the nerve to attack him? The Little Conqueror? But Liang Meng knew his life was short, and he could feel the illness in him starting to take hold. He needed to move now, to make his stamp on the world. He was going to show the world that he wasn't a pushover or what he was at the start, he was a warlord now, and he would make sure he would protect his own as much as he can.  Sun Ce retaliated with a resistance force of 3531 spearmen.

Liang Xiu smiled at the head of his cavalry, he knew he was going to wipe them out. He was glad, it had been ages since he had a battle, and now... He ordered his men to charge, it was time to show his merit not only as a warrior, but as a commander. His father had placed him in charge of the army from Gui Yang, and he wasn't going to let him down.

He easily wiped Xu Sheng with minimal loses. Liang Xiu then ordered Cheng Ying to set fire to the walls of the city while he and Hou Jun attacked the surrounding countryside, cutting off its marketplace and food supplies, hoping to cripple the city and wait for Zhao Yun to take heavily defended dock of Lu Xian. Liang Meng waited patiently in Gui Yang for Liang Xiu to succeed in his task.

Liang Xiu began what was soon to be called, "The Burning of Chang Sha". Liang Xiu, Huo Jun, and Cheng Ying set fire to the city of Chang Sha, engulfing the city in flames. While the soldiers and civilians inside kept the flames controlled and to the walls, the flames caused massive damage to the walls. Soon Liang Xiu enetered and took Chang Sha. His first success as a commander of an army. And to boot, he capture Hau Xin and Liu Xian. For his first time as field commander he did well.

But this victory wasn't to be celebrated. Immediately, Sun Ce sent a force of 19,000 to take back Lu Xian for a staging area to retake Chang Sha and push south. He wouldn't underestimate Liang Meng again. While the rest of the world was at war, Liang Meng was finally putting his foot out into the world, now the world would know of Liang Meng.