Sun-Tzu Liao

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Sun-Tzu on the Celestial Throne

Biography

Rise to Power

Son of Romano Liao, Sun-Tzu Liao became Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation after the assassination of his mother in 3052. Shortly thereafter he became engaged to the daughter of Free Worlds League Captain-General Thomas Marik, Isis. Fully aware that the engagement was purely political in nature and would eventually prove moot because of the circumstances of Isis' birth and Marik's attempts to bear another heir to his throne, he began looking elsewhere for allies/pawns he could use. Sun-Tzu also was partly responsible for the Marik-Liao Offensive of 3057 against the Federated Commonwealth after discovering the death of Marik's son and replacement with a double by Prince Victor Steiner-Davion.

First Lord

Years later when focus again shifted towards the threat of the Clans, Sun-Tzu impressively used both Victor Steiner-Davion and Katherine Steiner-Davion's mistrust against one another to attain the title of the first elected First Lord of the newly formed Star League. As such, he is often referred to by most Capellans as the "Defeater of the Clans" despite his role being largely ceremonial.

War

In his final year as First Lord, Sun-Tzu decided that the time was ripe for the Confederation to reclaim its lost glory, and started a phenomenal movement known as "Xin Sheng" (New Birth) throughout the Confederation. Having gained the trust of Magistracy of Canopus by aiding them against the Toyama Faction of the Word of Blake and gaining the trust and affections of its young heiress, Naomi Centrella, Sun-Tzu instigated a war with the St. Ives Compact (a pro-Davion state ruled by his aunt, Candace) by having an agent implanted within one of the Compact's BattleMech regiments, the Blackwind Lancers. The Lancers attacked a Confederation border world during the Chancellor's tour of bordering planets along with Isis. Isis was separated from Sun-Tzu only to be rescued by members of the Confederation's Warrior House Hiritsu. Declaring this attack an act of war, Sun-Tzu began his assault on the Compact, along with his Canopian allies. Everything seemed to be working out just the way the Chancellor had planned.

However the war hardly went the way Sun-Tzu had imagined it, partly due to the Chancellor's refusal to concentrate solely on the St. Ives conflict. Rather, he chose to fight on two fronts with his forces reclaiming worlds in both the Chaos March and the St. Ives Compact:

"Always it must be one way or the other. Always either capitulation or compromise, if you are the Confederation. Give up Chesterton. Give up Tikonov. Give up St. Ives. Vilify the Confederation when it fights for its very survival. Recognize Chaos March realms as legitimate states rather allow the Confederation to reclaim what only rightfully belongs to it. No more."

In spite or anger, Sun-Tzu also broke off his ten-year engagement with Isis Marik, sending her away despite the fact that Isis did truly love him. She would later appear at Victor Steiner-Davion's side and would eventually marry him.

Opposition also appeared in the form of Star League forces, Federated Commonwealth units, elements of the ComGuards, the Free Capella movement led by his uncle Tormano and the newly SLDF Nova Cats. It was clear that Victor Steiner-Davion, acting as Precentor-Martial of the Com Guards and commander of SLDF, was not about to let Sun-Tzu have his way. Also, the deadly deep strikes of the 1st St. Ives Lancers led by Duke Kai Allard-Liao continued to hurt the Confederation. But these weren't the only problems that plagued the Chancellor. His greatest nightmare would nearly destroy the dreams of his newly reborn Confederation

Black May

Sun-Tzu's younger sister Kali Liao was the head of the death-worshiping Thugee cult. Much like Romano had been before, Kali was insane and had often been a cat's paw in many of Sun-Tzu's machinations. The St. Ives conflict proved no different when Kali unleashed a massive nerve gas attack on several St. Ives worlds. With the Kentares Massacre and the Turtle Bay incident fresh in his mind, Sun-Tzu feared that the other Great Houses would use it as a rallying call against his Confederation. Quickly he liaisoned with his aunt Candace and pulled as many resources as possible from the war to deal with the Thugee. The damage had been done, however, with the gas attacks claiming the lives of thousands, including Tormano Liao. The incident damaged the Confederation's already fragile image, forever known as Black May.

The Trinity Alliance & Victory

The war resumed shortly after the Black May attacks and Kali's trial in the Free Worlds League, but it became more erratic and brutal. Seeking to bring the war to a swift end, Sun-Tzu sought the aid of another Periphery state, the Taurian Concordat, who bore a grudge against House Davion. With the promise of power and opportunities being offered by the Confederation, the Protector Grover Shraplen agreed to form what Sun-Tzu named the "Trinity Alliance." Utilizing the resources of all three states, Sun-Tzu was finally able to deal the crushing blow to the Compact by taking the capital world of St. Ives, ending the bloodied two-year conflict that had claimed the lives of too many Capellans. The Confederation was whole again and, more importantly, the Capellan people felt strong again, no longer like the nation that Hanse Davion broke in the Fourth Succession War. Xin Sheng had finally been realized to its fullest.

The Later Years

Sun-Tzu would continue to be active in Inner Sphere politics, helping the Taurian Concordat gain membership to the Star League.. During the FedCom Civil War, he pledged his support for Victor Steiner-Davion but this was simply a means for him to solidify his grip on a former Capellan world in FedCom territory, Tikonov. During the Word of Blake Jihad, Sun-Tzu led his Confederation in a war of survival against the Blakists, nearly alone, save for its only allies the Canopians before Devlin Stone came to aid them. He would apparently die on Liao shortly thereafter during "The Slaughter of Liao" or, as Capellans remember it, as "The Night of Screams," when he supposedly ascended to godhood. Sun-Tzu is remembered as a dangerous enemy, a shrewd politician on par if not greater than Katrina Steiner. Unlike Victor Steiner-Davion, who was more respected for being active on the battlefield, Sun-Tzu was respected for his unpredictable cunning, able to play the role of a fool in one moment and an implacable foe in the next. He gave the Capellan people their pride back and rebuilt a nation on the verge of collapse and is forever remembered by Capellans as the Celestial Wisdom, Father of the Capellan State.

Marriage and Children

He married the Canopian heir, Naomi Centrella, and was also the father of Chancellor Daoshen Liao and Magestrix Ilsa Centrella.

Notes

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