Li Zhu's Audience Hall - Zhaoge

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:06 pm

((XZ... I'll still burn your city to the ground.))

As they walked to the office the leader of the two looked around the interior in a very observant manner. When they finally got to their destination they looked at one another and nodded in accord. Who knows what they were thinking or nodding to? Both young men gave a small bow to the District Manger as well, as there they were presented to him. "I am Xun Shang, an envoy and advisor to Xiang Kai." He paused and continued, "This is Xun Ren, my advisor and guard."

"Firstly, Lord Xiang Kai wishes to congratulate you on your acquisition of the city of Zhaoge." Shang wasn't accustomed to being nice or much considerate to others, but he knew when it was time to be serious and joke. "I will get to the point as I surely I believe you are quite an occupied man. We were sent here to seek your friendship and inquiry about your loyalties, but I honestly don't think it matters which side either of us lie given that we would just be pawns to either the Qin or Chu forces." He said as his voice grew a little more bolder. He stopped there to see the reaction of Xia Xi before continuing. Ren felt like smacking his cousin, but he remained still waiting for the DM's reaction as well.

beyond · Post by **beyond** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:28 pm

Guo continued staring at the floor. Standing there, he struggled with the images and sounds running through his head. He took a deep breath; slowly exhaling before responding. "Perhaps, I can satisfy your questions with a single answer. The wound itself was really nothing more than a scratch. Realising who caused it was the most damaging.

"I led two hundred men to Xianyang upon hearing of the First Emperor's passing; wishing to pay tribute to him. By the time we reached the city, smoke was rising from it, and the rumors we were told by those who were fleeing ranged from it being an attack from any of a number of conquered kingdoms, to the two princes fighting over the throne. The closer we came to the city, the more we came to believe it to be a civil war.

"Now, these men with me; I had fought alongside, even led most of them from my time fighting to suppress Chu. They were men I trusted, and, who I thought, trusted me. Discussions were ongoing as we neared the city gates about who to support. Unfortunately, I am ashamed to say, these discussions turned into violence. The men took sides as I attempted to calm them, but it was no use. Swords were drawn. Spears were leveled. I could not control them, try as I did. That is, until I felt his sword slice into my leg. My second. The man I trusted most, had fought alongside for so long."

There was a long pause before Guo shook his head. "As I said, the wound was not severe. In his attempt, he misjudged the movement of my warhorse. Though he caught only part of my leg with his sword, my horse was not as lucky. The sword sliced deep into him; my saddle shielding part of the blow. It reared and screamed before rushing off, away from the city. It took several miles before I could bring him under control, though by that time, there was no saving him. I was unable to return to the city, for my bloodloss had begun to affect me. I bandaged myself as best I could, and made for a small village I knew of.

"And to answer your question sir, what Qin is there to return to? The two princes war with each other while rebellions are beginning across the land. Everything the First Emperor fought and strived for is collapsing, and I feel as though I can do nothing to stem the tide."

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:05 pm

Jin Shi

Zhenfeng shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This wasn't the sort of discussion he'd like to have in front of his daughter, if at all. He said, "It sounds, then, as if you are asking for me to put a contract out on somebody's life and to entrust it to you. This, of course, is different from normal service in that likely you wouldn't work directly for me. Is this accurate to what you are proposing?"

<hr>
Shadow

((And I'll make pointless insult back!))

"I thank you for your congratulations," he said, "and give them in turn to your own leader, who I heard has also recently come to power. Friendship is something worth pursuing. It's generally not my nature to pry into other people's matters, but it is probably useful for the both of our administrations that we have a good estimate of the other's capabilities. Myself; I hold rank under the Qin. But yet, much like your master, I am fairly well a pawn at the moment. The Yin province has been torn asunder by their warring, and it likely hasn't seen the end of it. I suppose my most immediate goal is to try and bring some sort of peace to the small land I govern, although who knows how long I can achieve that.

"What sort of goals does your own master have? From what I can tell, there is really nobody else of worth in Liang who has not shown fealty to your master already."

<hr>
beyond

"That is a sad story," Zhenfeng replied. "I apologize if it pained you to say it. Your estimation of the situation with the Qin might be accurate. I myself am a ranked official of the Qin, as per the brand you find residing in Henan nowadays. However, I am not terribly confident they will survive to reconquer the land, let alone survive the rest of this year. It does not seem as if the rebellions--the warring--will end any time soon."

He paused for a second, then spoke, but with a less serious tone than before. "Yin province mattered so little to both Chu and Qin that Qin didn't bother to defend it from Chu, and Chu marched through it rather than occupying it. I have recently come to power here, and even though I have violated Qin's orders by taking Zhaoge, they seem more interested in my taxes than my actual intentions. I know little of the King of Chu, but to send his main army so far away so early into his rebellion... it's difficult to fathom his strategy. And not even toward the Qin forces in Henan.

"These times don't make much sense. Myself, I'm mostly concerned with the consolidation of forces in Yin. If I can ensure that this province is united behind similar ideals as to mine, then perhaps I can have a greater influence upon what happens next. But I am not as foolish as some of our suzerains have appeared to be in either their denial of the reality of the situation or their bizarre desire for land grabs over real conquest."

RuffRydeR · Post by **RuffRydeR** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 5:01 pm

Xiang Zhuang wrote: Zhenfeng shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This wasn't the sort of discussion he'd like to have in front of his daughter, if at all. He said, "It sounds, then, as if you are asking for me to put a contract out on somebody's life and to entrust it to you. This, of course, is different from normal service in that likely you wouldn't work directly for me. Is this accurate to what you are proposing?"

"Wait...contracts on someone's life? What does that mean?"

Liangyu was now quite utterly confused. Her father was buying people's lives? Does that mean he was...selling the servants? What?

"Father...I...I'm a bit lost. What's a contract mean? Does that mean they protect people? Or are you selling people? Would there be a contract on my life?"

((*cheers for pointless insults!*))
"...But yet, much like your master, I am fairly well a pawn at the moment. The Yin province has been torn asunder by their warring, and it likely hasn't seen the end of it. I suppose my most immediate goal is to try and bring some sort of peace to the small land I govern, although who knows how long I can achieve that.

"What sort of goals does your own master have? From what I can tell, there is really nobody else of worth in Liang who has not shown fealty to your master already."

"Father!"

Liangyu suddenly interjected, aghast. She frowned, then noted,

"We aren't pawns! Are we, Father?"

Her voice calmed a bit, as she recovered her composure. Then, she caught her breath and bowed in apology,

"Forgive me. I guess it wasn't my place to speak."

Then, she broke into a smile, a dazzling set of pearly whites on her, as her big green eyes focused on the visitors, then said,

"Masters Xun. Please convey my congratulations too, along with my father's. My apologies for interrupting....Do continue."

Hitredblue · Post by **Hitredblue** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:14 pm

Xiang Zhuang wrote: Hitredblue

Xi sad silent as his visitor spoke, but chuckled a little as his daughter responded. He said, "I wouldn't call you the wrong gender, my Gongzhu. But what she says is more or less right. We all have our roles, and while they may not be defined as you would think, we still do what we can. I am no monster duelist myself." He chuckled a bit to himself. "So, Shang Feng, what is it that you would be able to contribute?"

While he thought the exchange betwen Lord Xia and his daughter humorous, Shang was surprised that Xi would actually ask for the specifics of Shang Feng's earlier statement. While he wished to nod back at Xi's daugher, Shang Feng was in a slight panic. Shang Feng quickly raked in his thoughts and tried to figure out how he would be helpful. Shang wasn't known for planning ahead too often and now he was kicking himself at his folly. Shaking it off, he said "I am sure you are in need of officers for your army. I can help by recruiting officers(OOC: followers? I don't know what to call them) or even heal any officer who is injured. I am also fairly skilled in the art of speaking as well if that suits your needs. I am up for anything you choose."

Jin Shi · Post by **Jin Shi** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:33 pm

Huixi Zhe wondered to himself "Am I speaking the right language here?"

"Yes, that is what I am proposing. Your daughter must have known about me since she wrote for me, so you shouldn't feel so uncomfortable. Of course, you could dismiss her, but then she'll miss out on the nitty-gritty of ruling in hard times, correct?"

He asked with a slight smirk, but was for once completely serious about what he was saying.

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:20 pm

Hitredblue

Thinking he thought he saw some uncertainty in his visitor, or, perhaps, sensing some discomfort, Xi tried his best to give Shang Feng a warm smile, but it wound up coming out wrong and just looked goofy. He nodded his head along with the visitor's dialogue and added a "mmmhmmm" in there once or twice. When he finished, Xi said, "Those are worthy talents. It seems odd that someone's talent might be in finding others of talent, but if nobody could do that, all of the talented people would just wander around aimlessly and be lost. Then again, shouldn't the talented people be able to find the people looking for them instead of the other way around?" Zhenfeng started to chuckle a bit, before realizing he didn't make any sense. "Well, I am in need of a talent-herder such as yourself. If it is still your desire to serve, I am pleased to accept you."

Shang Feng has joined! Post your officer information in my kingdom's OI thread and then I'll give you access to the Planning Hall.

<hr>
Jin Shi

"Don't worry about this, my Gongzhu," he said to his daughter, looking a bit nervous. "It'll all be handled in time." Turning to Huixi Zhe, he added, "And you don't need to worry about my daughter. Such matters are best discussed with the least amount of people present as possible, anyway. I am thankful for... making your acquaintance, but at the moment, there is no work I have for you. Perhaps I could call upon you at another time? I am certain that someone of your abilities would eventually be very useful to me."

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:58 am

XZ wrote:....

Ren smirked when the daughter of Xia Xi spoke, but did nothing more than that. He was aware that they were here on official business and would not jeopardize it because of him. Shang only glanced over to Xia's daughter and nodded his head. "I shall convey it to him, Lady Xia and Lord Xia."

He then turned back to Xia Xi and nodded in his direction. "Lord Xiang Kai wishes to unify Liang under one power as he has seen the people of Liang suffer for too long. As it stands Liang has been quite plagued with bandits and other malicious forces so he has sought to eradicate them." Shang sighed within his mind as he got it out. He was very comfortable saying, but he knew it had to be. "Lord Xiang has been in talks with Chen She, but it is difficult to tell whether we are vassals of Chu or not. Really, Lord Xiang just wishes to govern his land in peace and tranquility; away from war. We've done many things to avoid bloodshed and war within Liang..."

"But..." Shang then turned his head down, "we understand that there is a high probability that we'll be drawn into this conflict sooner or later. When Chu and Qin are done, more than likely the victor would turn on us or maybe even before the conflict is over. Who really knows what they're thinking?"

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 11:30 am

Shadow wrote:Ren smirked when the daughter of Xia Xi spoke, but did nothing more than that. He was aware that they were here on official business and would not jeopardize it because of him. Shang only glanced over to Xia's daughter and nodded his head. "I shall convey it to him, Lady Xia and Lord Xia."

He then turned back to Xia Xi and nodded in his direction. "Lord Xiang Kai wishes to unify Liang under one power as he has seen the people of Liang suffer for too long. As it stands Liang has been quite plagued with bandits and other malicious forces so he has sought to eradicate them." Shang sighed within his mind as he got it out. He was very comfortable saying, but he knew it had to be. "Lord Xiang has been in talks with Chen She, but it is difficult to tell whether we are vassals of Chu or not. Really, Lord Xiang just wishes to govern his land in peace and tranquility; away from war. We've done many things to avoid bloodshed and war within Liang..."

"But..." Shang then turned his head down, "we understand that there is a high probability that we'll be drawn into this conflict sooner or later. When Chu and Qin are done, more than likely the victor would turn on us or maybe even before the conflict is over. Who really knows what they're thinking?"

Zhenfeng chuckled a bit when his daughter got slightly upset by his own terminology. Her own seemed ignorance to the world of politics was pleasing to him in some sense, because it meant that she was still innocent enough to be his daughter. He knew, though, that it wouldn't last forever.

"Unifying Liang is a noble and ambitious goal," Xi replied, "especially for someone who just came into leadership of a singular city. But I imagine it can be accomplished if your lord is a man of strong ability. And, of course, if he were not, how could he have come into leadership of the city he has already? But yes, Qi and Chu are likely both distracted with other things, so it would seem that your only obstacles are the individual Qin governors in Liang itself.

"Me, I have already taken a good portion of the territory in Yin, but the Yin province is so much smaller than Liang. I do not know if I will proceed to assimilate all of it, because I believe there are some with ideals similar to mine who might choose, instead, to serve alongside instead of against. I wonder how similar the situation is in Liang. Probably not as similar, just considering the location. Liang has to got to avoid the Chu-Qin conflict thus far, although I imagine scars from the previous fighting still linger.

"And yes, you are right. Qin demands absolute loyalty in the form of taxation. It's unsure what Chu demands at this point, which might even be more dangerous. If one rises to full power, who knows what they might think of people such as your lord and me? I think it is because of these things that those of us who are a bit lower on the rating scale need to stick together. We need to keep the larger powers out of our business for as long as we can, or else our own dreams and desires won't have a chance to come to fruition."

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:17 pm

Ren chuckled at the last few words of Xia Xi, but again he said nothing since it was Shang doing all the talking. "I concur with your reasoning, Lord Xia." Shang replied. "We also believe that it would be in our best interest to aid one another. Help each other prosper."