Chen Imperial Council

[Phailak]

Lai shrugged once more.

"We had spies Commander, ALL of your armies were within Jiujiang, not Huainan where we sent smaller forces. It made no sense that you would move them to leave your beloved Yue vulnerable, but you did or your King did. Your King, blatantly abandoned Yue to a mere ten thousand troops while he gathered his host to at least, I suppose, for once perhaps score a victory in Huainan against Ma Dieu, which he did with far greater numbers. No one can know your mind, but perhaps that failure was enough to make you flee or maybe it was meeting Xiang Yu in Liang that made you cower? Qi was indeed a good hiding place from the King of Chu..."

Lai then bowed to Shen Feng but refrained from comment, having nothing to add, waiting for others to chime in.

[Rue Goung]

Jang listened and closed his eyes as the lords bickered about trivial and pointless matters. standing behind the prime minister jang kept watch in his duties to protect the prime minister, making sure no harm would come to his charge. instead of trying to declare peace, they would continue to try and war with each other over land that was not rightfully theirs. as teh conversation got heated and names and slander was thrown around, jang inched closer to the venerable prime minister, placing one hand on the old mans shoulder, to ensure him Jang was still there.

[Brother Dun]

Xing Cai furrowed his brow and sighed heavily at Fei Lai's exchange with Yi Guang, he then looked to Lord Shen Feng and smiled slightly, and he began to speak to that man, rather blatantly ignoring Fei Lai, "Lord Shen Feng, rest assured, there is no offense taken. You are correct in saying that the King of Qin's banishment to Han has... Harmed... The over all view of his importance... But let us not forget, the King of Han is currently the only King in the land appointed by Emperor Yi," he said, eyeing the rest of the lords, "And yet here in this chamber, are several Kings deciding the fates of the Empire? It's amusing, is it not? But yes, Lord Shen Feng, you bring up some valid points... The Kingdoms of Jiaodong and Qi are vast and powerful, and the vassal state of Qi, Zhao, only further adds to that power... Their absence is indeed... Disturbing."

Xing Cai paused a moment though and finally looked towards Ma Dieu, "King Ma, if you are so sure of your power and ability to defend the Emperor, what do you intend to do about the Kingdoms of Qi, Jiaodong and their vassals, who have made no attempt at all to at least bring some form of peace to the Empire?"

[KvChaos]

Di Zibiao stood up when he finally sees a chance to speak. Been sort of a neutral party in this, he is more concerned with the identity of the new son of heaven. Seeing a gap in the conversation he interrupts.

"Henan wishes to enquire more regarding the identity of his majesty. For instant, is his majesty of adult age?"

[Lurking Tyranny]

The Prime Minister was reassured by the hand on his shoulder that some men were at least willing to serve and were loyal to their oaths. There was much that had been discussed that he did not agree with and he knew that he could not make demands as he once had been able to. It was clear that his reputation and level of respect were still high, but he lacked the power his office once commanded behind it. The words of the envoy from Wu troubled him. With growing certainty he grew to believe that the King of Yue would not bow his head to an emperor not of his own choosing.

Fan Zeng turned to the envoy of the river lord "If it was the Emperor's command as lady Zhu of Yin suggests, would the King of Yue cede Huainan and Wu to the Emperor? What if it was decided that this land were to be awarded to Ma Dieu or Ma Su?" Fan Zeng's dark eyes stared provokingly at the man, but then let his gaze sweep over all those within the chamber. "What of the rest of you? If the Emperor redistributed your centers of power, maintaining each with the prestige they deserve, would you consent?"

"As for protectors of the Emperor, I see no flaw in the nominations of Hin Wu, err, Xiang Hin and the warrior Yi Guang. The Emperor will need able men and while Ma Dieu is certainly able, he will have vast lands which he and his family will have charge over. For all the complaints against Duke Ma, the Emperor will not forget the great service he has done." The old man took in a ragged breath and then looked to Shen Feng. He gave a faint smile.

"As King Shen has spoken, the tyrants of Qi, Zhefu and Shi Tong both, have proven themselves to be enemies of this land, time after time. They scheme and offer pleasant words, but always they think only of their own power." Fan Zeng glanced over to the array of Ma Dieu's officers, his gaze falling on one in particular. Casting his attention back to the room he grimaced. "These threats must be dealt with. Will King Li Jiacheng send his armies North against Qi? Will Duke Ma Dieu do the same? What of Yin, will the lady recover those lands of Zhao usurped by the vagabond of Yue?"

After a moment he turned to the last envoy to speak. He didn't know the man, but suspected that since he represented Henan he was part of the lord scholar's faction. "To answer your question, the son of heaven, his majesty of the house of Mi is still maturing. It is all the more reason why he needs able protectors and the support of the lords of this land. Give him time and support and he will become a blazing star which shall lead our land to new prosperity."

[Mardagg]

Ma Dieu listen to what everyone had to say and remain quiet despite the fact that some of the representative had doubt that Dieu has to be the man to defend the Emperor in Chu. ''To clear all doubt about my ability to defend the land of Chu I can confirm to everyone that I have more than 2 times the army size that it took me and Zhu Lizhi to defeat Xiang Yu and 4 times the armament. My Generals are trained in the art of war like no other and have fought many real battles in the past month. I will use ALL my resources to defend the Emperor and will lead my troops against anyone who decide to ignore the hegemony of the new Emperor no matter where they reside: if I am told to go north I will do so if I am told to go south I will do so. I am a servant of the Empire and will use all my influence to ensure the safety of the Emperor.''

''One man we should not ignore as an enemy of the new Emperor is lord Baoceng Peng: he fought alongside Xiang Yu and don't answer to my missive I think he may be still loyal to the deposed King of Chu it would be wise to keep a close look on him even if his resources are limited and his army partially defeated.''

He then turns his gaze on Fan Zhen: ''Prime Minister would you make all arrangements to bring the Emperor into the palace of Chen: I will give you full authority and your former position in Chu if you still wish to have it.'' Dieu then bows in respect waiting for the Prime Minister answer.

[Krimzon]

Lai shrugged once more.

"We had spies Commander, ALL of your armies were within Jiujiang, not Huainan where we sent smaller forces. It made no sense that you would move them to leave your beloved Yue vulnerable, but you did or your King did. Your King, blatantly abandoned Yue to a mere ten thousand troops while he gathered his host to at least, I suppose, for once perhaps score a victory in Huainan against Ma Dieu, which he did with far greater numbers. No one can know your mind, but perhaps that failure was enough to make you flee or maybe it was meeting Xiang Yu in Liang that made you cower? Qi was indeed a good hiding place from the King of Chu..."

Lai then bowed to Shen Feng but refrained from comment, having nothing to add, waiting for others to chime in.

Yi Guang clenced his jaw tightly to control his temper. "I'm not here to discuss military commands issued by King Li Jiacheng." He said, his words clipped. "The King of Wu respected his officers and the lives of his soldiers over provincial borders and land. That much was clear." The young general sighed at the exchange, clearly tired of these words of desperation. "Yes, I'm sure if I had faced Xiang Yu you would have exhalted at the death toll of my troops. It would also have made your betrayal that much easier, and perhaps, despite Liang being ravaged by battle, you would not need to draw upon Yins resources to fund yet more of your lords ambitions." Yi Guang shook his head, "I was hoping my concerns would be eased but instead I have had nothing but slander and accusation since I arrived. You have not redeemed yourself here, today."

Yi turned to the Prime Minister nodding his thanks, "I will serve and protect the Emperor to the best of my ability." Feeling he had said enough, the young commander observed all those present. He had shown his bull-headed nature and although he believed his views to be just, he also knew that his attitude and brash demeanor was best suited to a military camp and not a Council.

[Phailak]

Lai nodded to the Commander's words, thinking it wise to let the argument die with his final retort instead of adding more fuel to the fire. It did amuse Lai that Guang would assume the council would take place in order to appease people or redeem some ill they felt towards Ma Dieu's clan. Fei Lai did not share such animosity towards his opponents, it could cloud judgement and allow for missed opportunities. Such accusations towards Ma Dieu when Wu had been the first to engage was a bit ironic and Lai continued to believe that first defeat at Xuyi was the real cause for the Commander's strife. If the man really felt the loss of men to be so great, he was in the wrong business. War was a terrible thing but a necessary one.

Lai tabulated in his mind and as suspected there was not much support for Ma Dieu though the nomination for the Emperor was well enough received. Lai shared the concerns for history repeating itself, yet something had to be attempted. It was a risk to have the young naive Emperor's ear exposed to men such as Yi Guang and Xiang Hin, yet no one could deny their talent and they might still serve the Emperor well.

"After hearing the interventions, I have a proposal for the Son of Heaven, the Prime Minister and his advisors to consider. It is quite obvious none of the Lords are ready just yet to simply relinquish power and land. Perhaps the Emperor and his entourage, should Commander Yi and Duke Xiang still wish to serve, reside in the palace in Chen temporarily with their own guards and loyal subjects. I believe the Prime Minister should resume his post as Prime Minister of Chu. I am not sure how a personal guard can be acquired for the Son of Heaven, perhaps each Lord loyal can provide a portion, I am sure my brother would match it. Yes they will be surrounded by men of Ma Dieu and Zhu Lizhi's in Chu, but they will still be an independent force. It is the best compromise I can think and still allow for my brother to protect the interests of the Empire as suggested."

[KvChaos]

"While Henan doesn't question the ability of Lord Ma in handling Chu, past experience regarding that form of management has prompted us to suggest dividing the responsibility of Chu among multiple factions, until a time whereby his Majesty reaches adulthood, at the very least." interrupts Di Zibiao.

[Brother Dun]

Xing Cai thought that Fei Lai finally made a wise move, and chose to let his... Disagreement... With Yi Guang die. As soon as that was done, Di Zibiao of Henan spoke up, "That... Probably will not happen, Lord Di Zibiao, however... It does pose yet another question... Lord Prime Minister, you said that the proposed Son of Heaven is still maturing, might I ask how long it would be until he came of age? If it is to be a long time, would it not be better to perhaps have his father first serve as the Son of Heaven, then to pass the mantle down to the son when the time comes? Unless, of course, you have reservations about the father... Or worse, that his family is dead..." Xing Cai said, his voice sullen.