Attack on Wu (Li Jiacheng)

[Shen Feng]

(Li Zhao is a PC who hasn't been on this site for a couple of months at least. Would anyone really object if I just happen to be there myself to receive the envoy? I'm going to guess not.)

Though he wasn't to participate directly in the battle, the King of Linjiang, Shen Feng, was accompanying the army once more. Though neither a mighty warrior nor a brilliant tactician, his presence had inspired his army to victory many a time. Accompanied by some of his finest generals, he was ready here to lend aid to Wu, a country that not that many months ago had tried to invade him. Those within his court knew his reasoning quite well, however.

Reports of the battle ahead had reached him. The defenders were outnumbered, but the supply lines of the attackers were stretched, nearly to the point of breaking. It seemed as though his forces might not even be needed. As such, it was no surprise when the peace party arrived from the Qi forces, whatever flags they were choosing to fly. The men were escorted, under guard, to the King's presence, where he stood along with his generals and warriors, clad as always in his resplendant tiger-skin cloak, made from the pelt of a beast he'd personally slain.

"I will hear you out, but I promise nothing more." His features were severe as he regarded the messengers. He was a fair man, he would let them have their say, but the last messenger he'd received from Qi had been an arrogant and delusional man who'd claimed to be diseased, but was clearly just insane. Feng also remembered the Qi representative who'd been detained by Fan Zheng and yet fled in the night, helping to push Xiang Yu over the edge and leading to the Emperor's murder.

Would the third time be the charm?

[Kern]

The envoys were not armed, they did however carry with them a chest. Two of them carried it into the presence of the King and bowed respectfully before removing themselves from the tent. Only two of the men opted to stay. One busied himself with unlocking the chest as the other gave a deep humble bow to the King before them. "My lord, Zu Shi King of Zhao and Thunder of the East has come to offer peace with your kingdom. He believes there has been a severe misunderstanding and would like to offer you this sum of 3,000 taels as a gift of his kind nature."
The man was clearly a little nervous, as any man in an enemy camp unarmed may be. But his tone was extremely humble and he was as polite as he was capable. "He inquires if you were aware that the order to take the lands of Wu came directly from his sworn oath brother, the great Ma Dieu? He requested that Zu Shi pacify the south so that the land will once again be unified for the glorious emperor."

[Shen Feng]

"I am unaware of any such order, as I am unaware that this Zu Shi is self-styling himself King of Zhao." Shen Feng did not seem terribly impressed by the offer, making no move to accept the gold. "If you wish for peace, then you shall have to make me a more fitting offer. Present me with the head of Zhefu and his barbarian followers, the ones who decided to torch my hometown of Chenliu, and then I shall be more receptive."

"Until such reparations are made for the lives that have been lost due to the bloodlust and insanity of the masked man of Qi, I shall continue to oppose it, whatever public face it has. If this Zu Shi truly is aligned with Ma Dieu, and he has said nothing of this to me so I somehow doubt it, then it would be best to prove your allegiance to him and the Emperor by dealing with the old regime the only way it deserves to be dealt with. By the sword." The King sternly folded his arms across his chest, motioning towards the gold with his chin. "You can keep the gold. But reports are that two of Zhefu's barbarian followers are with your army. Delivering to them the justice they deserve would be a good start. Go see what your lord has to say about that."

Feng waited to hear what response the envoys would have, if any, but they would be permitted to leave the camp without incident if they wished to depart.

[Kun Tiao]

Wu supply level restored. Combined army:


Commander-in-Chief: Shangguan Wei 99-95-21-80-22 Charge II, Delay II, Instructor II, Military Administrator II, Qiangshu II, Raid II, Yueshu II: (Supreme Commander, +4000 Soldiers): Horse (+1 spd), Book (+7 command), Billhook (+4 might)
Commander: Li Zhao;102-60-32-78-23/Aid II, Sortie II, Volley II, Wall II, Items: Book 1 (+7 Command), Book 2 (+7 Command), Duke (+5000 troops)
Commander: Li Zar De 90-88-41-71-14 Charge II, Dash II, Delay II, Rupture II, Sortie II: (King, +5000 Soldiers, +25% Dev): How to use a Sonic Screwdriver (Book, Comm +3), How to grow a Tardis (Book, Comm +2), Helm (Might +4), Armour (Might +4), Sword (Might +6), Throwing Daggers (Ranged), Horse (Speed +3)
Commander: Xiahou Hai: 73-82-48-47-56/Challenge I, Cover I, Decoy I, Deride I, Inspire I, Maraud II, Propagandist I, Supreme Commander (+4000 troops)
Commander: Lieng Jiang;92-19-28-71-69/Assemble II, Discipline II, Military Administrator II, Politician II, Rally I, Wall II: (Marquis, +5000 Soldiers, +25% Dev)
Commander: Lei Anshui;53-108-39-81-78/Challenge I, Gongshu II, Haste II, Intimidate II, Yueshu II, Items: Charger (Atk +3, Spd +3), Tribal Headdress (Mgt +7), Battle Harness (Mgt +7), Guan Dao (Halberd, Mgt +2), Composite Bow (Ranged), Marshal (+3000 troops)
Commander: Yu Cheng;87-32-42-101-36/Aid II, Civil Administrator III, Cover I, Dash II, Military Administrator II, Politician I: (Marquis, +5000 Soldiers, +25% Dev): (Fa Jing, Book, +3 Command), (Shi Jing, Book, +2 Judgement)
Commander: Huang Ning;92-72-44-71-31/Delay II, Discipline II, Entrench I, Military Administrator II, Rupture II, Sortie II: (Marquis, +5000 Soldiers, +25% Dev)
Commander: Hong Lu Zhang; 61-17-77-97-19/ Civil Administrator II, Confuse II, Discipline II, Entrench II, Politician I, Scribe III: (Marshal, +3000 Soldiers)
Commander: Xian Mio;61-98-49-32-79/Challenge II, Faze II, Inspire II, Smith I, Yueshu II: (Marshal, +3000 Soldiers): (Armour, +7 Might), (Helmet, +7 Might)

Soldiers: 81187(91)
Armaments: 46386 halberds, 46287 bronze, 2760 leather, 18506 chariots, 18506 horses


Support Layer:
Commander-in-Chief: Li Zongren;87-17-105-92-20/Artisan I, Civil Administrator II, Cover II, Discipline II, Doctor I, Escort II, Scribe II, Trainer I: (Supreme Commander, +4000 Soldiers): (Horse, +5 Spd), (Cryptical Book of Hsan Vol. 1, Book,+3 Intelligence), (The King in Yellow, Book, +10 Intelligence)
Commander: Xun Yin;79-31-94-73-31/Aid II, Confuse III, Engineer II, Poison II: (Marshal, +3000 Soldiers): (Hat +7 Charisma), (Silk Robe +7 Charisma), (Book, +3 Int), (Book, +3 Int)
Commander: Hin Wu;73-20-93-86-48/Civil Administrator I, Confuse II, Decoy II, Entrench II, Poison II, Scribe I: (Supreme Commander, +4000 Soldiers): (Book, Judge +6)
Commander: Luo Jian;66-94-33-63-67/Challenge II, Charge I, Gongshu I, Instructor II, Intimidate II, Jianshu I, Maraud I, Qiangshu III, Yueshu I, Items: Horse (Spd +1), Spear (Might +2), Javelins, General (+2000 troops)
Commander: Mi Num; 22-102-54-62-84/ Escort II, Haste II, Maraud II, Politician I, Rally II (General, +2000 Soldiers): (+7 Might Armour), (+7 Might Helmet), (+4 Billhook)
Commander: Ion Ping-Pong;56-92-24-80-42/Cover II, Escort II, Jianshu II, Maraud II, Qiangshu II, Smith I: (Marshal, +3000 Soldiers)
Commander: Li Xianglan;56-16-77-17-99/Confuse II, Deride III, Diplomat II, Politician III, Rally II: (Marshal, +3000 Soldiers): (Exotic Hat, Cha+3), (Exotic Leathers, +3 Cha), (Bracelet, Cha+2)
Commander: Cang Hu;71-36-88-87-44/Confuse II, Engineer II, Public Planner I, Spy, Supreme Commander (+4000 troops)
Commander: Lei Tian;31-21-97-71-81/Deride II, Jeer II, Politician I, Public Planner II, Rally II: (General, +2000 Soldiers): (Bu-cee , Horse, +5 speed), (+7 Cha Hat), (+7 Cha Robe), (Aristotle's Secretly Coded Golden Book Of the Arts for the Intelligent, +3 Int), (Chronicles of Julius Caesar by Julius Caesar, +3 Int)
Commander: Wu Zenmi;87-15-98-91-24/Aid II, Artisan I, Confuse I, Cover II, Engineer I, Entangle II, Haste I, Scout II, Scribe I, Trainer I, Volley II: (Supreme Commander, +4000 Soldiers): (Wingyi Horse, +5 Speed), (Silver Moon Patterned Robe, +3 Cha), (Strategies and Seasons Book, +3 Int), (Terrains and Tactics Book, +3 Int), (Jewelry Jade Rooster Idol, +1 Int, +1 Cha), (Silver Moon Patterned Headwear, +3 Cha)

Soldiers: 65720(100)
Armaments: 25000 siege, 23312 bows, 40710 horses, 4000 javelins

[Kern]

I retreat.

[Shen Feng]

With the battle decided simply by the arrival of his forces, once the Wu forces were done pursuing the retreating enemy, the King of Linjiang sought out the representatives of Wu to speak with. The emissary from Qi had mentioned some potentially troubling facts, and it would do to share them with Wu, so that perhaps peace could finally be restored.

[Kun Tiao]

Li Feng, an elder, aged official, accompanied by scribes, have come to speak with the King.

[Shen Feng]

Though not familiar with Li Feng personally, Shen Feng greeted him warmly no less.

"Before they fled, an emissary from the Qi forces claimed that the pretender Zhefu, cause of so many of these wars, is no longer the supreme authority there. He said that the new king, Zu Shi, is intent on working alongside Ma Dieu to create peace. And this puts both of our kingdoms in a bind." The King of Linjiang began to pace back and forth absently as he continued.

"I cannot forgive Qi for what it callously did to my hometown, and you have had issues with Ma Dieu in the past. But we must be realistic. Shi Tong's kingdom will be falling this turn, and I have aligned myself with the Emperor and Ma Dieu supporting him." Said alignment was driven largely by an attempted Wu attack a few months back, of course, but there was no need to mention that. "I informed the messengers of Zu Shi that I would have no feud with Qi if the men responsible for the sacking of Chenliu, Zhefu and his barbarian comrades, were put to the sword. If that happens, and I am hopeful that it will, then that will just leave your kingdom's feud with Ma Dieu as the only obstacle to unification under the new Emperor chosen by Fan Zheng."

"And so I am asking you to reconsider your position. If your people swear loyalty to the Emperor, these wars will finally be at an end. I am aware that Ma Dieu has wronged you in the past. I was the one lord who refused to participate in it, as you no doubt remember. But realistically, with Ma Dieu and Zu Shi aligned, the fate of Chu has been decided. If they both march on Wu with their armies next month, there will be nothing I can do to assist. But if you will affirm your loyalty to the Emperor, then that can be avoided, and Li Jiacheng can maintain his sovereignity going forward in peace. I know it will not be an easy decision to make. I myself know that there are many more people in Qi responsible for what happens in Chenliu than just Zhefu and the foreigners. But it has been years of bloodshed now since Shi Huang Di died. The people yearn for peace, and it is now within our power to give it."

[Kun Tiao]

Maybe not all the words Li Feng pronounced were easy for him, but he did not show it, and answered cordially.

"Our feud with Ma Dieu is possibly the longest feud in the recent years. It started from the struggle for Huainan and its battles happened on many fields. Yet Ma Dieu was understanding in the fields of Yue, and not once both we and Ma Dieu were able to not put our feud above everything. Possibly witout this battle, without you coming to our aid this talk would not happen, but to make this battle the last bloodshed in the land that have seen too much of it would be what the land would wish so much.

Our loyalty to Emperor, and loyalty to Emperor of other military families of Wu goes without question, and as Ma Dieu fights under banners of Emperor, there is no point for us to fight. There are not Wu or Qi, but there is the whole land in peace under its Emperor."

[Shen Feng]

Feng nodded, smiling as he did so. Perhaps this would truly be the last battle, it now seemed to rest on the shoulders of Zu Shi.

"I thank you for your understanding. I shall send a memorial to the court on your behalf, and hopefully you can contact the Prime Minister at the court in Chen. Hopefully we can finally forge a lasting peace."