A/N: Romance of the Three Kingdoms and all of its characters belong to Luo Gongzhang. The rest is in part the history and in part my creation. Hope you enjoy this.

1: Promise

The province of Zhuo was a rather calm piece of land in the middle of a chaotic turmoil. It wasn't a piece of land exempt of corruption, yet it harbored one of the most virtuous men in the empire...

He worked hard in his own home, weaving chaff sandals, tending to the fields and studying the classics as he trained himself in the art of the twin sword combat. He was young, perhaps on his sixteen, his black hair was tied in a bun, yet it fell down his shoulders, his dark brown eyes reflected wisdom that many elders didn't possess, and his worked-out body seemed relaxed, even with all of the work he usually did. Whoever looked at him would suppose that he was a mere peasant with high expectations of life, but when his name was mentioned, everyone rushed to praise him as if the land he stepped on was made of gold, especially those whose ambitions overwhelmed their own capabilities.

Being the youngest brother of the Emperor of China wasn't an easy thing, yet he was appreciated by the folks of Zhuo, and he was usually seeked out in matters of justice, scholarship or simple assistance. He himself had been summoned by the governor of Zhuo in order to work by his side, and that was the place where he found out ho the things were for real in the whole empire...

Liu Bei didn't enjoy using the card of his imperial lineage for anything, and that was one of the many things that made him be loved by the townspeople. He was courteous enough to develop himself in courts, yet he preferred the simple life. Yet, as he began working for the governor of Zhuo, he realized that the Han empire was in big trouble, as an unprecedented chaos was cooking itself in all the levels of the Chinese society...

He just couldn't believe all what he had just learned by putting order in the documents that the governor and his courts men left behind: bribes to Han officers, favor-currying deeds with the Ten Eunuchs and other courts men from the imperial capital, Luoyang, the illegal accumulation of wealth meant to be used for the maintenance of the villages and its people, between many others... and they all seemed to cover each other's backs as they bled the land dry...

He also learned about the many popular revolts that haunted the land, and how even some of them were financed by landlords and courts men, while the Ten Eunuchs fabricated the imperial decrees and led the people to blame his brother, Liu Hong, emperor Ling of the Han dynasty, for all their suffering... it was as if these powerful men wished to destroy the empire from the inside and take as much power from it as they could...

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, so he left his home that night. Given that the streets were becoming dangerous, he took his two swords with him. As he walked towards his destination, he realized that he was being followed, and he had a particular idea of who were those stalkers...

He reached a house to the outskirts of the village, and he knocked at the door. An aged man opened the door and received him with concern:

"Young lord, what brings you here?"

"Lord Gan Zhou, we need to talk."

Gan Zhou allowed Liu Bei inside his house and looked outside, checking the surroundings before closing the door. His expression was stern:

"What could be so important that couldn't wait for tomorrow morning, young lord?"

Liu Bei drew a couple of books from a backpack:

"My lord, I need you to be honest with me; how bad is the situation in the empire?"

Gan Zhou looked through a window and said:

"The land is corrupted and climbing down the stairs of chaos as we speak, as the Ten Eunuchs and the courts men and the Han generals fight for the control of your nephews, fabricate politics to maximize their own personal wealths and indirectly encourage other politicians and men of power to do the same, always at the expense of the people, and others take advantage from the contempt to start revolts and deepen the chaos."

Liu Bei asked, dumbstruck:

"But, isn't my brother doing anything about it?"

Gan Zhou said:

"Young lord, your brother, Emperor Ling, is dead. The governor hid this information from you in order to try and use you for his own schemes."

Liu Bei was shocked to hear that. He tried to put up with the information, knowing better than anyone that learning this put both of them at risk. He said:

"We have to do something about it, lord Gan Zhou! If the people of Zhuo suffer the same fate than the rest, then a revolt will happen!"

Suddenly, the door was knocked hard, and Gan Zhou said:

"It will take more than a few words to end this chaos, my young friend. Blood must be shed, a lot of it, and it will begin now." As he took a sword, he said: "Liangji! Xiaomei! Are you ready?"

Liu Bei saw then how two beautiful and young ladies entered the hall, carrying backpacks, and the oldest one of them carrying a spear in her hands. Liu Bei couldn't avoid admire the beauty of both girls and asked, shocked:

"What is this, my lord?!"

Gan Liangji, a beautiful young lady, brown hair, amber eyes, thirteen years old, looked at Liu Being and bowed before him:

"My lord! Please, accept us at your home! We will serve you well and not mean trouble to you!"

Gan Zhou said:

"I have revealed the sins of the governor and his court, so I won't live to tell the tale; but I commend you both my girls and the goal of a land clean from corruption. Head through the west exit; I'll hold them off, go!"

The Gan sisters nodded at Liu Bei and led him through the house to the western exit, while the front door was kicked down by Han soldiers. This would be the last time Liu Bei would see his mentor, and he drew his swords, knowing that he was meant to defend the two girls and fulfill the promise he was bestowed upon.

End of Episode 1