Jiujiang Provincial Roleplay

[Zhao Ren]

"Because we've been dealing with some thieves of our own," The Deputy Master replied with a wry smile, "A few of the local nobles thought to keep their wealth from themselves rather than contributing to the collective good of our state. We... made them see the goodness in our arguments." Master Ren gave a brief shrug before he continued, "As for the bandits, though, I've heard the Governor of Dongcheng has been having a hand in those affairs. It's why we have always been at war with him. We simply cannot tolerate such... corruption. It is the will of the people that men such as the Governor of Dongcheng be brought down."

[Wen Xu]

Nodding his head to what the man said Wen Xu smiled at the last comment. "Well I am pleased that you have been at war with this man who would allow such thievery and damage to the good of the people. Though it saddens me that your lands are plagued with the aristocrats who think they are above everybody else. I hope you bring them in line soon."

Keeping these comments in mind Wen Xu had a few other questions for the man. "You have spoken of your own difficulties and that of the people of Dongcheng but I have heard very little in my travels of Chengde? As I am to quell this rebellion against the Chu, I was hoping you might know of how affairs were there. Are they still loyal to the Emperor of Chu?"

[Zhao Ren]

Deputy Master Ren considered the questions over for a moment. Perhaps dramatically so. Deputy Master Ren then idly remarked, "To be honest, I'm not quite sure what Master Han would have me say to you. He does believe in enlightening the people but... you are not one of the people, are you? But instead, you are a man of the Imperial Court." Once again, exaggeratedly so, Deputy Master Ren mused aloud, "I am sure it took quite some time to gather any information on Chengde, and... I believe there is a saying, Master Wen, about time. Do you happen to know it?" By the Deputy Master's smile, one could very well presume it had something to do with money.

[Wen Xu]

Growing very angry by the man's comment Xu looked at him for a few moments before finally saying, "Well I will waste no more of your time. Thank you." With that Wen Xu would leave unless stopped.

(Please PM me if I'm being stopped.)

[Krimzon]

ZOMGZ WHERE'D THIS POST GO?!

[Li Dao Wen]

The marathon drive to Jiujiang concluded at the doorsteps of Chengde, where the roads towards the provinces of Wu and Yue converged, and slowly but surely the pockets of survivors from the disaster at the border fort started to appear one by one. The ragged men of Xun Jiang had finally caught up with him by then, and as exacerbated and emaciated as they looked after the journey home, each and every one of the survivors held a somber tune of rage in their hearts. It had been a devastating defeat, one they thought was the lone one for the entire campaign until that point on. That is, until Xun Jiang ascended the castle steps to step into news of an even worse defeat.

Meeting a new, unknown official at the gate of Chengde's castle, the Black Ogre was brought to the palace throne, which stood empty save for a defeated looking officer and a slew of other pitiful creatures. The Black Ogre looked on with a stoic face at the bowed faces and mourning looks, certain that it was news of his defeat that hanged as black clouds over their heads.

The low ranking major, whose name was said to be Dian Tan, bowed to fabled warrior in both fear and reverence, knowing that his report could very well cost him dearly if the giant flies into a rage. Clearing his throat, he approached and saluted. "General XIan, I am Dian Tan, major under the army which raided Huaiyin for General Ma Dieu. I bring you... Troubling news concerning the fate of that expedition."

Xun Jiang's eyebrows perked slightly at the man's words, signalling for an attendant to quickly bring him a chair. He was tired, hungry, and quite irritable at the moment, and he thought that something to sit on would help him prevent a bloody showing if it was indeed bad for him. He then raised a hand for the man to continue speaking.

"The Huaiyin expeditionary army has been destroyed. Only one general escaped, one named Lan Yin." he looked at the huge man with concern, as his face had begun to darken. "Everybody else has been captured and reportedly killed..."

"What of the Kijo?" Xun Jiang glowered down at the man after bolting to his feet. He had been told that she was in command of the force sent there, a move he had despised due to her inexperience and her impetuous ways.

Dian's legs shook as he met the gaze of a monster, one infamous for his butcher's ways. "She too has been executed, milord."

For a moment he held a look of fury, then his face dissolved into a picture of disbelief, of shock, even though he had expected the enemy to give no quarter. Yet the emotions changed so easily inside of him, and before he knew it, he felt a lingering feeling of loss. A flat line started to purse Xun Jiang's lips together as he tried to take in the swarm of emotions that muddled his thoughts. The young Kijo had been his comrade since their earliest days in the Shadows; he had watched her grow and become a ferocious psychopath who, in her own way, held on to the old, honorable notion that all great men and women deserved to roam the earth with a second chance. As such, she had been the one who lobbied for Pan Shaozu's life when all of them wanted to kill him. He gritted his teeth until blood gushed out of them and his head felt light and discombobulated; he deeply regretted ever following her advice.

For her to meet such an ignoble end, he couldn't quite put his finger on how he would feel. Would it be one fitting a murderer of her scale? Or is it a tragic one, considering how early fate had plucked her from the massive game of life they were on? She was beyond redemption from sins, and for sure she would be in hell burning alone -at least, until he too came to join her in the afterlife. But her short life had been an eventful one, and despite his selfishness, his greed and his pride, he felt honored to have fought alongside her till that point.

He sunk back into his chair, burying his forehead into an idle hand and letting the other tear off a chunk of the wooden handle. Thunderous, murderous rage was brewing inside him, and he wanted to kill every last one of Li Jiacheng's men in order to assuage his sense of loss at a fine comrade. He did not wish to mourn her, no -he was too proud to do so, and she would have belched at the thought of it herself. He could not celebrate it either, for it would have been folly to admit that he indeed felt no burden at her death. There would be a time for revenge, that much is certain, but the time was not then - all he could do was stare into space, with nothingness taking over bit by bit. Tiredness soon fell over him, and thanks to his deep slumber, a repressed volcano delayed a violent explosion.

[Phailak]

When Lai arrived, he dare not disturb his old friend's sleep. Lai's deep logical mind had an obvious different way of dealing with the news of Huainan. Numbers and advantages gained. Still, he knew as soon as he heard that he had to find the Black Ogre and gauge his reaction. His eyes closed, the scholar simply stood before him until he awoke.

When his eyes did open, Lai crossed his gaze and waited, bracing for the flood of emotions that were sure to come.

[Li Dao Wen]

In the depths of his sleep, Xun JIang raged inside. He felt light and effortless, as if his arms moved in spectrally controlled strings, strings which commanded him to slay with brutality all who dared stand up to him. Yet he was placid and unmoving in his slumber, his quiet breathing contrasting sharply with everything which he stood for and felt like doing. The guards and attendants in the room decided to close the throne room and allow the giant to continue sleeping, bolting the bronze doors in fear until they were commanded to undo it.

Soon enough Fei Lai entered the scene, his flowing scholarly robes sliding across the marble floors with every dainty step. He was a fine, elegant man who held no pretenses of folly, a shrewd politician, a master strategist and a great tactician all rolled into one.

When Xun Jiang did wake, the sight of the familiar face momentarily gave him clarity, before his bestial anger flared up again when his thoughts returned to Kijo Akki. "What the &*$& just happened? Why the hell did this happen?"

Usually he knew better than to question Ma DIeu and Fei Lai's judgment; they have proven their correctness time and time again, and even now he was sure that Fei would already have a counter retort brewing in his tongue. But the flood which he was holding back inside of him was growing more and more immense, and even if he could only express his inner revolt with a fraction of its magnitude at the moment, he had to speak up his mind.

He stared hard at his old friend Fei, yet did not act nor talk with violent imprudence, at least for the moment. "What in the gods' name were you thinking, sending her to battle at the head of an army?" he snarled with a bristling, yet controlled anger. He would never lay a finger on a man such as he, who was one of the few who do hold his respect. "She was... Too young, Fei, and you know it. That was a damn poor mistake on your part!"

Xun Jiang breathed low and furiously in his restraint, but he couldn't quite complete it. He abruptly shot up from his chair, drawing to his full height before grabbing and hurling it towards the other end of the room. His face started to contort into a mash of rage and spite, then turned back to Fei with bloodied lips from biting too hard.

"I want Li Jiacheng's head Fei!" he spat, blood trickling down to the floor from his mouth. He looked more like a rabid wolf than anything else then. "I want his head on Twilight Mourning's pike! I'll slaughter every last one of them!"

[Phailak]

Lai watched in quiet contemplation as his old friend's rage flooded the hall, a hail storm of destruction barely contained. He admired such strength, having lacked it and yearned for it since youth. He had always favored the battlefield, yet his weak physique had bolted him to the role of supporter. Even as a Commander, all he could do was cover his brother's strides as the land's most powerful leader.

He did blink at the mention of mistake. There was no rage within him, but rare were those that dared to question Ma Dieu, let alone his right hand. Though Lai did not control his brother as would a puppeteer, he was responsible for the inner most workings of their forces.

He stepped back quietly to admit two men, holding some tapestry. They put up against the wall, their eyes nervous at the sight of the giant before them.

It was a map of the land, freshly updated, likely by Lai himself.

"Did you know that our friend the King of Wu has over eighty officers at his disposal? Have you realized that his army, numbers over one hundred thousand men? That the only rival that Ma Dieu has in this land commands their armies? That the only one I believe that can actually match my wits as an enemy leads their support armies brilliantly?"

Lai started to pace, tempting the rage slowly of his friend, letting it boil at the surface without letting a single drop fall.

"Look at the map. LOOK AT IT! In a single month, not only have we managed to gain hold over more cities than our enemies, going from a ratio of nine cities for them against two for us to an outstanding four versus five, but we have also managed to isolate their armies in Huainan, giving us incredible room to maneuver and have FINALLY made an ally out of someone that does not fear that rebel dog. It will not be long that rumors will fly about the strange decisions the king has made, sacrificing his precious Yue to small untrained armies, giving up Jiujiang as if it was nothing, all to save his precious Wu. Jiang, we went from not having a chance and basically trying our best to stall this monster of Wu to being in a position to slowly grind him out of existence. Such plans, they cannot all go off without dire consequences. Your friend's great sacrifice was not in vain."

Lai could guess Jiang's thoughts and he held up a hand to finish his own.

"It had to be both of you we sent. You two inspired fear in our enemies and fear was our main weapon in these small coordinated attacks. With the Monster of Changsha at Ma Dieu's side, the primary plan was to break them in Jiujiang, but they fled like cowards to fight the easy fight. Had we not sent the likes of you two, they would of perhaps been tempted to defend Yue and risk battles at Huainan, managing to stall us and keep most of their possessions. You cannot deny your notoriety, the both of you have drawn armies twice your numbers into battle, leaving the rest of his kingdom exposed! While you were able to hold out against all odds, we had hoped the same of her, but she faced one of the best commanders in the land and her fate was thus sealed. I can bear the responsibility of your despair, but no mistake was committed. You will soon have your chance at revenge and all the glory you have sought for since our childhood."

His thoughts arrayed as such, Lai met his friend's gaze. He knew him well, this giant man in this moment of hardship did not seek guidance or pity or even friendship, what he sought was the hard reality his mind knew but heart could not accept and Lai did his best to lay it out for him in ways he knew would strike at the Black Ogre. The painting with vibrant and violent colors, the raised voice, the harsh words, these were things he knew, he recognized, he needed...

[Li Dao Wen]

He knew that Fei would never be intimidated by him, even during a rage. They both knew that each one was too important a man to be so harmed by either one of them. Aside from that, unity was the only thing keeping them intact through their bloody battles until that point. So Xun Jiang patiently listened as Fei lectured him on the tectonic shifts in the power landscape which had occurred under his nose.

Jiang appeared bewildered for a moment, his face wincing with every brilliant response which stabbed through his own deadly resolve. Truly it was as expected; Fei Lai is always the kind of man who knew which action to take and which words to say at the most opportune time. He knew how to appease men who knew nothing but combat, and knew how to cow down those who knew better. Now that the picture had been -both literally and figuratively- laid out before him, he understood how his old friend envisioned things.

Wiping the blood from his mouth with the bare metal of his armor, Xun Jiang motioned for another chair to be brought forward. Seeing the battered remains of the one which he threw over as well as the strength which Jiang possessed made the attendant think twice about approaching. But nonetheless he inched closer and placed it behind the giant before retreating back to the safety of the curtain walls.

"I was barely able to escape back to this place alive. I never wanted to command an army." he snorted with bitterness, taking his seat and looking at both his friend and the vibrant map. It showed how Ma Dieu's holdings have increased substantially; the result of his -and Kijo's- sacrifice, as Fei had termed it. "You and I both know that I am better off working under a proper general. I hate having to lead bunches of these ragged fools into combat."

He gritted his teeth again at the thought of that brilliant strategist Shangguang Wei; he had not had the fortune of meeting the man in personal combat. "Eighty officers under his disposal, you say? Ma Dieu's rival? your rival?" he scoffed at the thought of such men as Yi Guang and Li Zongren, yet knew that Fei spoke the truth. "None of them are a match for me in combat, so why should I bother even thinking of them? I have already defeated their best man twice. If I ever catch any of them, I'll rip them to shreds. You may have your rivals within their kingdom, but at least, one of our trio has no equal."

Yet at the thought of more than a hundred thousand men irked him inside. Judging from how difficult it was to withstand sixty thousand on his own, one hundred thousand men is a great substantial number. He can kill a hundred, a thousand men per battle, but it gets tedious as time goes by. Even his strength wavers at such waves. "Will Baocen Peng aid us once more in battle in the future? Will Ma Su be able to stand against the hordes blockading him from Qi? Even more than that, will Xiang Yu stand pat and watch us grow into a veritable empire ourselves?"

He scoffed again, thinking of the Hegemon King in Chu. His dreams of beating Xiang Yu in personal combat had seemed so far away since his defeat at the hands of Guan Huang. Yet he paid respects to that master of war; even at his age, he was still bound to get better, and it inspired him somewhat. The Monster of Changsha is someone he begrudgingly acknowledged as a mentor of sorts for him to emulate, and he would somewhat be willing to defer to him in trying to fell that beast. Still, though Xiang may have his limitations as a warrior, as a general he is peerless. Even Ma Dieu and Yi Guang would have a devil's time defeating him in an upfront battle.

A question boiled into his punctured lips at the conclusion of Xiang's invasion of his mind. "When will Ma Dieu declare himself king?"