Quan Li

Quan Li is a fictional character who appears in the story, "The Book of Truths" by KingZhongmou. He is the antagonist of the story.

Early Life
Quan Li was born in Rishike, the former capital of the North Korean Empire, in 119. His father, Quan Cheng, had been the leader of the Quan clan and eventually died in 132. Taking power over the Quan clan as a young teenager, Quan Li grew up as the leader and was quickly able to learn new skills and met expectations as the leader. Many of his plans and strategies were vital to the "Circle of Four" (a powerful loyalist group consisting of the leaders of four clans) of which he was the self-declared leader. He was considered a valuable student to most of his tutors and was skilful in battle as well. He became one of the most famous warlords of North Korea before he had reached the age of twenty.

The Circle Rebellion
In 162, when Suo Ping III was crowned emperor, Quan Li attempted to convince his fellow lords to assassinate Suo Ping III's younger brother Suo Lang, because he was hated by other warlords due to his habit of taking power from their lands often. Lu Boye, a firm loyalist, rejected this idea and attacked fellow Circle of Four member Yue Lang. Quan Li paid a messenger, before the meeting, to deliver false news of Suo Lang's murder to the meeting so that Lu Boye would leave the group. Quan Li, however, also lost the highly intelligent lord Lao Wan who was also a firm loyalist and despised of the plan. Quan Li, angered by the weakening group, took power over the capital and began slaughtering the Imperial soldiers. Quan Li generously promoted all those who turned their troops into Quan Li's command and created Yue Lang as the Chancellor. The overthrowing and corrupting of the government by Quan Li is known as the "Circle Rebellion" after the Circle of Four, despite the fact that only two of the four lords remained in the group.

Three months after his capture of the city, the Emperor returned to the capital and swept through the Quan clan's troops. Lao Wan and Wang Chong were sent into the capital to arrest Quan Li. After ordering his army to destroy the citizens and burn the palace, he decided to ask Lao Wan whether or not he would've done the same thing with equal power. When he responded that he would've, a satisfied Quan Li allowed Lao Wan to arrest him. Suo Ping spared Quan Li due to the general's capabilities but warned him he would never spare such a crime again. Despite Quan Li's warning that he would seize the opportunity if it ever came again, Suo Ping spared him. Yue Lang escaped the capital and began to live as an exile after Quan Li's arrest but his brother Yue Bi, a general, discovered his brother's location and arrested him. He was also spared.

Second Rise to Power
In 168, Quan Li was relocated to Nuamke where he soon began to rebuild a power firm. Yue Lang joined his faction but they remained largely inactive over the course of the next few years. By 172, Quan Li and his allies had begun killing Imperial generals and the new emperor, Suo Nen, became threatened. He stripped Quan Li of rank and placed Bing Cao as Duke of Nuamke in his stead. Angered, Quan Li returned to the capital. When Suo Nen ventured to China to bring his son back to North Korea, Quan Li immediately sprung into rebellion again. This time, the Imperial army was away in China and Quan Li was in an alliance with South Korea. Quan Li seized power completely by 174 after Suo Nen and Yue Bi's deaths and the entire Suo clan's flight to Liaodong. With just the young Suo Ning, the son of Suo Ping, remaining in the empire, Quan Li created him as the puppet emperor. During this time he had began to execute North Korean commanders. Wang Yan and his clan were victims to this mass execution and Lu Boye and Lao Wan were forced into exile. Quan Li's subordinate Pang Shi became a powerful commander under Quan's regime.

In 183, Quan Li had placed his own loyalists in power but Bing Cao had returned from China and risen an army in Liaodong, which included Lao Wan and Lu Boye. Quan Li was forced to enter war with the former generals and quickly defeated them. In 185, Lu Boye instead sneaked into the empire before posing as South Koreans and attacking them. Believing he was betrayed, Quan Li waged war against South Korea and soon was confronted on two fronts. Unable to hold off from both sides of his empire, he was forced to surrender, however there was a large debate about whether to surrender to South Korea out of spite or surrender to Bing Cao's armies and attempt reconciliation. Knowing he wouldn't be spared again, Quan Li sent his son Quan Xu to confront Lu Boye in battle, in 186, to give him more time, but Quan Xu was killed. Quan Li desperately sought to maintain hold in the empire but there was a surge of revolts from his own generals who were sensing defeat. Quan Li decided to become a bandit with his remaining loyalists but, the day after resigning from power, he was asked into another alliance with South Korea. As Bing Cao had not yet had enough time to reclaim the North Korean cities and Quan Li's remaining men hadn't yet abandoned post, he was easily able to turn around and face Lu Boye and Lao Wan. By 188, Bing Cao's efforts had paid off and their army conquered Nuamke. Enraged, Quan Li assaulted Bing Cao's base head-on resulting in a seemingly inevitable defeat for Bing Cao.

Death
The crafty Lao Wan soon devised a plan and he spread rumours that Quan Xu had returned to the capital alive, claiming he was spared. Although he was quizzical at first, he began to believe them and rode alone to the capital leaving his armies behind. His armies, now isolated, were quickly defeated and Quan Li was trapped in the capital by Bing Cao's forces. The surge of revolts had continued until, in 189, all of Quan Li's remaining loyalists were in the capital. Hoping for a relief force from the South Koreans, he planned to break out the siege but help never came. Lao Wan once again confronted Quan Li but this time Quan Li escaped. Surrounded, he was captured and executed after trial. Quan Li was buried in Rishike with great honours due an emperor.