Li Zhu's Audience Hall - Zhaoge

blackjack4124 · Post by **blackjack4124** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:13 pm

Well, at least 'Chief Xu' listened well. Maybe he could make up for some of Qing's shortcomings...

"Firstly, forgive me for any offense I may cause - I've been known to offend people rather easily in the past.

I come as the village reeve of one of the villages near your.... military sphere of influence. Naturally, as a village reeve, the one thing I value, and my village values above all others is order - without it, people become selfish, fields go untended and people harm each other.

We recognise that eventually some force or other will seek to take... military control over our territory, in all likelihood to both protect and profit from us. Your force looks the most likely to do that, according to the man who brought me here.

As we have been distant from the Imperials for quite a time, we request information as to how to perform this transition from free to... dependant. As I suspect we would be forced to swear allegiance to someone, I would wish to know, and communicate to my village, who their primary allegiance will be - the likes of a Chief Xu, serving under you; the likes of a city governor such as yourself; one of the claimants to the Imperial throne, whom you might serve; or directly to the Heavens itself, rather than any man on this land, as all men are supposedly loyal to the Heavens.

When you know your system of governance is about to be tipped upside down, it makes sense to check with one who might know, and so I came here on the recommendation of others."

(Right, I've just questioned, even if only indirectly, the authority of every power-holder in the land. Can't possibly get me in trouble...*gulp*)

Ashikaga · Post by **Ashikaga** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:13 pm

Yao Xiong rode over to the capital of Lord Xia's domain in a large carriage. He bore the flag of the Kingdom and carried an official seal that identified him as an official of the Kingdom. When the carriage came to a complete stop, one of his escorts dismounted and opened the door to allow him to exit and place a step on the ground before the door. Yao Xiong then stepped out, wearing rather formal attire and looking rather hot in the weather they were having. Not wishing to waste time he looked to his men, "Stay out here, keep your weapons at your side."

He approached the gate and looked to the guards, he then put out his hands, with palms upward in a willing pose. "Search as you wish, i carry no weapons. I am District Justiciar Yao Xiong of the Kingdom of Zhao, and I am here on royal business."

RuffRydeR · Post by **RuffRydeR** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:18 am

blackjack4124 wrote:
As we have been distant from the Imperials for quite a time, we request information as to how to perform this transition from free to... dependant. As I suspect we would be forced to swear allegiance to someone, I would wish to know, and communicate to my village, who their primary allegiance will be - the likes of a Chief Xu, serving under you; the likes of a city governor such as yourself; one of the claimants to the Imperial throne, whom you might serve; or directly to the Heavens itself, rather than any man on this land, as all men are supposedly loyal to the Heavens.

When you know your system of governance is about to be tipped upside down, it makes sense to check with one who might know, and so I came here on the recommendation of others."

Liangyu, who had been silent up until now, spoke up, a bewildered look on her face,

"Uh...Master Qing, is it? Yeah...I don't think we've tipped any systems of governance upside down. We're still justaprt of it really. We've never touched any of the leaders in Yin, except those loud boisterous folks in Xiuwu Cheng who were making trouble for trouble's sake. All the towns and villages under our wing have prospered, and we have even developed small hamlets into bigger communities. But I don't remember any record of any tipping over of government officials here in Yin Province..."

Then, when referred to allegiances, she shrugs, and says,

"As for loyalty...Well, forget about the levels of government, silly! Your primary allegiance is to your family. Think of what's right for them, and you'll know who to answer to afterwards."

Chuckling, she turned to her father at her side, and asks,

"Isn't that right, Father?"

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:18 pm

blackjack4124

While Xi did his best to keep up a serious face, what his daughter was going on about caused him to start laughing in the middle of it. He turned away from her, trying to stifle it a bit, but there was something about her manner of speech and her misplaced passion that really got to him. He cleared this throat, then turning back to facing his daughter, he said, "No, Liangyu. If my primary allegiance was to my family, we would still be in Qi, not here."

He then turned to the visitors. "As the head of a village, you need only to submit yourself to the nearest regional leader, if that's your desire. While my own forces have taken much of this province by force, we have not imposed any unduly hardship on any of its peoples. There would be nobody more important in Yin for you to see, and since you are already here, I wouldn't send you off to someone else."

Ashikaga

The attendant at the gates looked confused. "No, no search would be necessary," he said. "I would need you to provide some evidence as to your station, though. There are lords in the region who have something to gain by impersonating another lord's messenger, I'm sure." He motioned to a guard and quickly told him that a guest from Zhao has arrived to speak with the Prefect. "Of course, I believe you anyway. The Prefect is being notified regardless."

Ashikaga · Post by **Ashikaga** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:43 pm

Yao nodded indifferently, he took out his seal of Office, clearly authentic. "I am a messenger of the King. Please take my to your lord." Yao ordered impatiently, there were things to be done in Zhao that required his attention.

He hoped that none would try to impersonate a Zhao official, for if they did, the ire of the king would be on them.

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:29 pm

Ashikaga wrote:Yao nodded indifferently, he took out his seal of Office, clearly authentic. "I am a messenger of the King. Please take my to your lord." Yao ordered impatiently, there were things to be done in Zhao that required his attention.

He hoped that none would try to impersonate a Zhao official, for if they did, the ire of the king would be on them.

The attendant looked at it, then gave the District Justicar another small bow. "I apologize for any inconvenience." A moment later the guard returned. He looked at the visitor briefly, then beckoned the attendant to come over to speak with him. After a few words, the attendant turned back to the guest and smiled. "The Prefect will meet with you. Please, follow me."

Assuming he did, the emissary was led down the short hall toward the center of the complex. Along the way, he could witness the various guards and aides who lingered around, working or otherwise. Some eyed the guest with suspicion. When they arrived in the main hall, the attendant stopped and moved off to the side. There, behind a desk, sat Xia Xi, noticeably without his daughter this time. A few guards were stationed at the door, but otherwise, the room was emptier than normal. The attendant cleared his throat and said, "Prefect Xia, announcing District Justiciar Yao Xiong of Zhao."

Xia Xi gave the man a polite bow and said, "Wecome to Zhaoge, District Justiciar Yao. I hope your trip was pleasant. Please, forgive the lack of ceremony at your arrival. While I hold the rank cords of an official of Qin, I cannot celebrate the presence of an emissary of the King of Zhao as I otherwise would like to."

Ashikaga · Post by **Ashikaga** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:44 pm

The man watched as those around him looked at him with suspicion. Perhaps his journey here was a mistake. No matter, he would stand proudly as a man of his kingdom. The Kingdom of Zhao held no fear of the Qin nor their officials, the kingdom was not foolish however. Yao bowed before the lord respectfully. "Lord Xia, I understand and apologize for the position my presence puts you in. This trip was necessary however, as the fate of your land and ours lies in the balance. This I am sure you understand."

He left off with his last statement, hoping to make it difficult to refuse.

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:55 pm

Ashikaga wrote:The man watched as those around him looked at him with suspicion. Perhaps his journey here was a mistake. No matter, he would stand proudly as a man of his kingdom. The Kingdom of Zhao held no fear of the Qin nor their officials, the kingdom was not foolish however. Yao bowed before the lord respectfully. "Lord Xia, I understand and apologize for the position my presence puts you in. This trip was necessary however, as the fate of your land and ours lies in the balance. This I am sure you understand."

He left off with his last statement, hoping to make it difficult to refuse.

Xia Xi nodded. "I have no intention of silencing you," he replied. "But if rumors were to leak, they would comment mostly about the ceremony in which I received you. I am actually quite eager to hear what you have to say on behalf of your king. Even if I disagree, we both leave here today with our own agenda a little bit clearer."

Ashikaga · Post by **Ashikaga** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:26 pm

Yao was pleased that the lord was willing to hear what he had to say, he was in a very important role for the king in this venture and failure was not an option. Contemplating his pitch, the man had to say his lines perfectly. A qin lord would not be very keen on aiding a rebel. "Lord Xia, I speak on behalf of my lord, who speaks on behalf of the people of Zhao and we all say that war in the south is not a happy event for anyone. We understand that King Chen borders you to the south, and that the King is currently ignoring our generous peace offers. This places you in a precarious position, for if war were to erupt between our forces, you would be caught in the middle."

He paused, allowing the implications of what he said to sink in. "We know the size of our forces, and from when we left, the size of the king's. We can field a great many warriors, and so can he. We would not like for you to be caught between the maelstrom that would ensue. So I ask that you either join us in a coalition against Chu, in which you would get the credit for taking down the king should he decide to move against us or, you remain neutral and do not march against us."

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:57 pm

Ashikaga wrote:Yao was pleased that the lord was willing to hear what he had to say, he was in a very important role for the king in this venture and failure was not an option. Contemplating his pitch, the man had to say his lines perfectly. A qin lord would not be very keen on aiding a rebel. "Lord Xia, I speak on behalf of my lord, who speaks on behalf of the people of Zhao and we all say that war in the south is not a happy event for anyone. We understand that King Chen borders you to the south, and that the King is currently ignoring our generous peace offers. This places you in a precarious position, for if war were to erupt between our forces, you would be caught in the middle."

He paused, allowing the implications of what he said to sink in. "We know the size of our forces, and from when we left, the size of the king's. We can field a great many warriors, and so can he. We would not like for you to be caught between the maelstrom that would ensue. So I ask that you either join us in a coalition against Chu, in which you would get the credit for taking down the king should he decide to move against us or, you remain neutral and do not march against us."

Xia Xi started to laugh, fairly unconcerned with his guest here. The entire concept seemed to push his mind a bit past where he was ready to seriously consider the suggestion. However, he stopped about as quickly as he started, and proceeded to address the emissary. "Before I answer this, let me say that I am a very frank person. I don't enjoy dodging around important matters with fancy language. That said, you are asking a Qin vassal to take sides in a matter between two rebel kingdoms. I'm sure the proper role I should take is fighting against the both of you!"

He started to laugh a bit more. "You see how ludicrous this all sounds, right? I control a province that lies between the states of Qin, Zhao, and Chu, and all seem opposed to one another. Now, I know you mentioned that the King of Zhao desires peace with the King of Chu. I know little of the King of Chu, but it would take a wise man indeed to realize the precariousness of his own situation to forgive a former vassal breaking from him and declaring equal title for his own. So here I am, a lowly Prefect trying to guard this small province in-between three much larger kingdoms; of which any could decimate me themselves if they found reason to.

"The King of Zhao, in asking me to unite with him against Chu, is asking me to become an enemy of both Chu and Qin. I do not have the power to stand against any one kingdom, let alone two. I have reasons to believe that Qin does not trust me as it is, and might march into this province without me giving them further reason to. As it is, I am of little use in this manner. If the King of Zhao merely desires to retain control over his own territory, however, perhaps we could come unto an accord. Mutual defense is much easier achieved than mutual offense, and uniting with a so-called traitor against another traitor for the purpose of preserving the safety of my province is much more excusable."