The Tales of Su Benji And the Three Kingdoms
Attributed to Luo Guanzhong's Three Kingdoms classic novel
Created by Turkey Hunter
This story was created out of the sheer interest of a young warrior that was killed at the age of nine by his mother and father.
His father had a dream of blood in the palace and the usurp of the Han throne. The person who did this in his dreams was his own son.
He conferred with his wife on this matter who said, "The boy must die now, or the land will be in chaos and the people will suffer eternally."
In the dead of night they broke into theirs son's room and stabbed him to death.
They both later hung themselves from the town walls, when they discovered the person in the dream turned out to be Cao Cao.
This story is about what could have happened if he was left to live and fight for China.
His name has remained a mystery until now as we have discovered it is Su Benji style Sunzi son of Su Xian, born in the Riverlands in AD 170.
At the age of six Su Benji was skilled in the arts of war as well as most weapons as his family was quite wealthy.
At the age of nine he participated in a weapons contest in Cheng Du.
Su Benji wielded his weapons so skillfully that not even the most skillful of warriors could match his sword dance.
This earned him the attention of Liu Yan, governor of the Riverlands.
Liu Yan wanted to adopt Su Benji as his son, but Su Xian insisted that Sunzi stay with his family until he was the age of fifteen, thus old enough to participate in the army.
Liu Yan was greatly disappointed, but finally dropped the subject as Yang Yun, his advisor, suggested that he inquire again in a few years.
Sunzi grew stronger and taller each month, becoming more skilled with weapons and archery.
He also studied the formations of battle and maps of China frequently. His tutor in teachings was Sun Yao a scholar in warfare. Sun Yao had a son Sun Tzu, style Wei Huan, that was the same age as Su Benji.
They bonded quickly and at the age of eleven they decided to become sworn brothers marking their seal with blood.
At this time Emperor Ling had been in power for thirteen years and rebellions were beginning to sweep the land due to corrupt officials and eunuchs. All governor ships were advised to prepare armies and train them in case of an emergency.
Liu Yan began to a mass troops and drill them for war.
At this time Yang Yun reminded Liu Yan about Su Benji and said "Now would be the perfect time for you to ask again for Su Benji to be your son."
"You are quite right," replied Liu Yan.
Thus he set out to the Su residence to ask Su Xian if he could have Su Benji as his son.
After a grand banquet Su Xian replied, "My son is still too young and completely useless to you because he's too young to know about warfare."
Liu Yan knew Su Xian was lying as he had placed a spy among the many servants and maids in the Su household.
He replied, "Lets see if he knows warfare and give him a test."
Su Xian was terrified for he knew his son was already a mastermind at warfare and tactics. Unable to dishonor the governor while in the presence of his guards he summoned Sunzi to the dining room.
Sunzi prostrated himself before Liu Yan and said, "The governor of the River lands is here because he wants me as his son, not?"
Liu Yan asked, "How do you know my rank and title and even why I am here?" Sunzi responded,
"The constellations have moved dramatically in the last few years. Last night it showed that an high officer was on the move in the River lands. Thinking of none ranking higher than you, I assumed you were on your way here to inquire again about me being your son. Furthermore the constellations have shown that a rebellion is in the works. Thus you have undoubtedly assembled an army by order of the emperor."
Liu Yan was stunned by Su Benji's quick answers to what was happening in the kingdom by watching the stars.
Liu Yan was furthered impressed by Su Benji's talents and took him as his son after Sunzi persuaded his father that it was ordained by the heavens that he should be the governor's son.
Su Benji became Liu Yan's adopted son on one condition, that Sun Tzu become the governor's son as well.
Liu Yan asked why would he want him as a son when Su Benji replied, "Sun Tzu knows more about tactics in warfare than I do. He studies maps and read The Book Of Changes and composed an essay explaining all the major and minor views of the book in less than an half a day. He is a prime minister in the makings only beset for an emperor."
So after hearing this Liu Yan also adopted Sun Tzu as his son and headed back to Chengdu.
Upon his return though many top and minor officials objected the adoption of Su Benji and Sun Tzu as the governor's sons.
Fa Zheng, a court advisor, remarked in behalf of the two boys, "Sunzi has the will of dragon and power of a ox, thus another Zhang Ren in the making. Sun Tzu has more cunning than a tiger and is, I believe a better strategist than I."
At this most of the officials began praising the two boys for Zhang Ren was the best war leader and fighter in the ranks of Liu Yan's army and Fa Zheng was the best strategist in the army.
So the years passed and Su Benji and Sun Tzu trained vigilantly for the day upon entering the army. Many great officers strove to help the two learn everything possible, but many more found themselves being taught by the two, to their dismay.
Finally, it was the year AD 184, and as Sunzi predicted The Yellow Turbans, led by Zhang Jiao, led an uprising in the kingdom.
Emperor Ling summoned the leaders of the kingdom to lead their armies out to stop the rebels.
Sun Jian, Cao Cao, Dong Zhou, Liu Yu, Liu Yan, and many others responded to the call to arms, leading their armies out to fight the traitors to the Han.
Unfortunately, Su Benji and Sun Tzu were still to young to participate in the army, but Liu Yan had them enter the army anyway, due to the fact that Su Benji predicted that the war would last more than a year.
Liu Yan, Su Benji, Sun Tzu, Yan Yan, Fa Zheng, and Zhang Ren set off from Chengdu with an army of 50,000 to fight the rebels in Yiling in the Jingzhou district.
Many people along the way informed the army of the rebels movements and pillaging in Jingzhou so the army marched double time to protect the people.
Gong Du was currently in charge of the rebel forces of excess of one hundred thousand stationed at Yiling.
Upon hearing of Liu Yan's army Gong Du asked his lieutenants, "Who will go and crush Liu Yan's army?"
Among them a man rose.
He was 9 spans tall and as big as an ox.
"I Li Yen shall take the field."
Li Yen rode off with sixty thousand men to do battle with Liu Yan.
Scouts soon reported in to Liu Yan about the enemy army. Liu Yan then asked his strategist Fa Zheng what to do.
Fa Zheng responded, "A frontal assault should disintegrate the rank's of the Yellow Turbans who are completely untrained for battle."
Sun Tzu sitting next to Fa Zheng interjected, "The enemy is not to be underestimated. Even the weakest soldiers will fight to the death when rallied. I propose we send Su Benji with a force to kill their leader, and then the ranks will fall apart before our eyes."
Liu Yan saw the genius in Sun Tzu's foresight and quickly summoned Su Benji into the tent. "Will you lead an army out to defeat the turbans?"
Su Benji responded, "Only if Sun Tzu will accompany me."
Liu Yan conceded, giving Su Benji command of fifteen thousand crack troops.
Su Benji said though, "I do not need that many troops to win this battle. All I need is five hundred mere soldiers for Li Yen is merely a wannabe warrior."
Liu Yan granted this request even with most of the assembly objecting.
Su Benji set out with five hundred horsemen to defeat Li Yen's army of sixty thousand.
At the fifth watch the two armies met at Yidu.
Sun Tzu inquired Sunzi of how he would defeat Li Yen.
Benji responded, "Li Yen is to over confident and will think of me as a young child. I will show him his mistake with his life."
Su Benji rode off to the front line and met Li Yen. Just as Su Benji had predicted Li Yen immediately requested a duel. Su Benji responded, "You are not worthy of a challenge with me."
Su Benji picked up his spear and launched it towards his opponent, who was standing a good hundred yards away, and before the stunned Li Yen could react the spear sheared his head clean.
The rebel soldiers were scared stiff and decided to join Su Benji's forces.
So Liu Yan was quite surprised when Su Benji returned to the camp with his five hundred soldiers and sixty-thousand extra, thanks to Li Yen's death.
"How did you do it?" questioned Liu Yan.
"It was simple," replied Su Benji, "Li Yen may look like a tiger but really inside he is like a kitten. Simply put he had way to much overconfidence and was thickheaded. As it says in The Art of War, one of Sun Tzu's rules is to look strong when you are really weak."
Liu Yan was greatly impressed by Su Benji's knowledge and calmness on the battlefield, so Su Benji was in command of his own army, when Liu Yan's forces marched to defeat Gong Du at Yiling.
Meanwhile in Yiling, Gong Du recently learned of Li Yen's defeat and the defection of his men.
Word had also spread throughout the camp of the warrior called Su Benji, and many soldiers began to panic and flee Gong Du.
The few advisors in the army questioned Gong Du of the problem but Gong Du ignored their pleas, and returned to his room and would not come out on the pretext of illness.
This disheartened the soldiers there even more, and many more left to join Liu Yan's forces.
When Liu Yan's army marched upon Gong Du's encampment, there was barely a thousand soldiers to fight them.
Liu Yan met with his advisors and said this, "I do not want to fight Gong Du's already weak army. How I can we defeat them in a way none of our soldiers would die."
Sun Tzu immediately answered, "We still have Li Yen's head. Let Su Benji ride out with it and simply put fear into the remaining troops thus forcing them to surrender."
All there agreed with the plan and Su Benji rode out with Li Yen's head to the enemies camp.
The soldiers there were already afraid of Sunzi, and upon seeing him with Li Yen's head all of the troops there surrendered quickly to Liu Yan's army.
Gong Du's guards brought out Gong Du and presented him to Liu Yan.
Gong Du pleaded for his life, but Liu Yan showed no remorse to the traitorous rebel to the Han, beheading him on the spot.
Thus Liu Yan lost not a single soldier on his campaign for the imperial court, and word of Su Benji's and Sun Tzu's strength and wits quickly spread throughout the land.
Meanwhile the emperor and his council decided to have a meeting with the two new heroes in the land, and an imperial envoy was sent to Su Benji's residence and Sun Tzu's.
Yet before the envoy was sent the two heroes appeared before the imperial court.
Su Benji said, "Did the royal emperor want to see us in person?"
"But how did you know we planned to meet you," questioned Wang Yun, an imperial advisor at the time.
"The stars told me of a an important visit to the capitol and I assumed that since I had just defeated a large group of rebels quite recently that it was I to make the visit."
All of the emperor's advisors were amazed by Su Benji's intellect, and quickly gathered around him, to discuss their ideas with him.
Except He Jin, the emperor's uncle.
He Jin quickly vanished into the shadows of the palace, unknown by all present.
There he retired to his room, where he suddenly encountered Zhang Rang and Duan Gui, two of the ten eunuchs in charge of most of the affairs at court.
The two eunuchs assassinated He Jin and their act would fuel the death of all ten eunuchs and the eventual dethroning of the current emperor.
Meanwhile, before the coup consumed the capitol, Su Benji and Sun Tzu flee to their appointed city of Jiang Ling, and this is where the true story begins.