Chu Provincial Roleplay

[Phailak]

Chu battle aftermath

Continued for ALL parties from here

Fei Lai arrived at the camp site of his brother Dieu with Jiang, both having been robbed from the glory of this huge victory yet understanding the necessity of it. Yue had not been invaded which was good and allowed them to travel here to partake in the celebrations. The bandit Lord and Monster of Changsha had lost his life in a courageous fight to the death with the fallen king of Chu. He knew this weighed on Jiang's mind but Lai had little time to mourn. The man had been dangerous even within their camp and his death alleviated them of a certain responsibility they had inherited with his presence in their ranks. He would not share this with Jiang though who had tremendous amount of respect for him.

By the time they arrived, a lot of the post battle tasks had been completed and Lai shared a look with Jiang. They had lost a lot, Lai presumed things had not gone according to plan and assumed Baocen Peng's reinforcements were the main cause. He had briefly read the reports and wondered how much better they would have fared had the southern King not meddled. The camps holdings the prisoners were spread out all around the main camp, they actually outnumbered the loyal Ma clan soldiers but were all in a dire state of hunger and weakness. Lai wondered if his brother would ever be able to get them back into shape.

They arrived where Dieu was busy trying to be a diplomat, leader and organizer, the man had little talent for delegation. He quickly embraced his brother and surveyed the situation. The Duke of Liang had been released, which Lai thought was an odd move and Xiang Yu's cousin would be exchanged in return for their champion's body and possessions. At least his daughter could bury her father in peace. After discussing with Dieu, Lai decided he'd secure the city and see if any officers remained within it, perhaps attempt to bring back some order. With Jiang in tow, they took an important detail of guards to do so while Dieu continued the battlefield clean up.

Finally, before going in, Lai approached Tian Rong and bowed lowly.

"King Tian, my greatest respects for your great contributions to this battle. I do not wish to partake of too much of your time, simply to inform you that I have taken the liberty to prepare your new administration home in Yue as its King. When I left it, all was in order. I have left all relevant reports in your new office and I urge you my Lord King to make haste after your business here to prepare for your reign there. I fear you might have some political maneuvering to do in order to stave off an invasion from Yue who have claims on the province, perhaps you can use your relationship with the masked Lord of Qi to ensure peace within the province? Either way, I am sure my Lord Brother has offered his support in any way he can."

Bowing low, Lai awaited to see if the King had any questions.

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Xue shi sits in the audience hall of the former Chu King. The once beautiful palace had been plunged into chaos as the retreat by many of the guards and servants had caused a mess. Still some people were making a late escape out of the palace. In the center the only peace of the palace remained. A man, Xue Shi, Sits with a small kneeling table in front of him. Upon the table are a many assortment of different teas and a tea set. Xue Shi calmly made tea awaiting for the victorious conquerers to arrive. His fate was unknown and this would most likely determine the fate of Xue Shi. He sat still not to worried about the events that would follow. Taking a look around the audience hall nearly everything not stuck to the ground had been broken or taken by the escaping men. The banners of the Chu king had either fallen from the mass movement of men, torn by Anti-chu, or torn by the rushing guards holding out there weapons. Xue Shi gave a smile as he returned to making tea.

OOC: dskod1 if you are up for some RP'ing, you can do so with LDW and I while you wait for Mardagg or just ignore me

The height and girth difference between Xun Jiang and Fei Lai was comical. Despite it, both held themselves with such confidence as they guided the security of the main buildings within Chen. A report came of an officer waiting within one of the buildings and Lai and Jiang made their way there.

Upon sight of the man, Lai bowed.

"I am Fei Lai and this is Xun Jiang of Ma Dieu's camp."

After having made introductions, Lai waited.

[Li Dao Wen]

Chu battle aftermath

Xun Jiang was silent as the contingent from Yue rode into the victorious camp of Ma Dieu. The victory awed him somewhat, but as was the case with Lai, he was feeling quite robbed and left out of the limelight. Another thing that irked him was the fact that TIan Rong, a man whom he considered quite despicable despite his talents, was to be made king of the province he had been assigned to protect. Barring his desire to kill Xiang Yu, one of the things that motivated him was the prospect of becoming someone of tremendous importance to the land. He wanted to be a king, though with Duke Ma Dieu's political maneuvering just to avoid becoming one himself, he foresaw this ambition as becoming more and more impossible.

Much like Fei Lai had surmised, Xun Jiang was not in the best of moods at the moment, not after hearing of Guan Huang's death. Hearsay and, eventually, official reports told him of the valiant, yet vain stand the Monster of Changsha had conducted against a warrior he had once considered his to beat. The deep crevice between his brows and the clenched jaw his chin paraded spoke volumes about the tumult in his mind.

He was not mourning, no - warriors who wielded blades and charged into the melee always have a tendency to die in combat, and he understood this perfectly. It was not a sense of loss that weighed down on him as they rode towards Chu, but the feeling of inadequacy borne of his conqueror's death.

If Guan Huang, the only man to ever best him in combat, died like a pig in a feast at the hands of the Hegemon, how in the world would he have fared?

He barely looked at the Duke Ma when he waded into the crowd of officers around him, parting them with his girth and his sour, repellent mood. He thought that a nod of respect would do, as it always did, for he was never the type to bow to anyone. Then his eyes passed onto the small ring of bound prisoners - some wounded men of obvious importance, and a small, sickly old man he recognized as the Duke of Liang, whom he had had the chance to meet some time previous. With him in their hands, he thought, Liang would be easy prey for their armies in the near future - or for Qi's pilfering vulture-king.

He figured that Ma Dieu would finally name himself overlord of some province as a king, and deep inside the prospect of furthering his rank shed a small, dim light into his cruel state of mind. Yet he did lay his keen eyes on the vagabond lord of Qi, now King of Yue, who had contributed so much to their astounding victory.

"Now that Tian Rong is restored to kingship, Ma Dieu should now become king as well, no?" he growled, a hot breath of consternation billowing from his clenched mouth as he spoke.

=========================================================

With his massive halberd in tow, Xian Long Rui tagged along behind Minister Fei, his bad mood having left him, if only partially. His roving eyes surveyed the sacked and emptied buildings around the palace complex, sure that the panicked courtiers and soldiers of Chu had ransacked it in their flight.

Upon catching sight of the reputed officer who had not forsaken Chen's lonely palace, the Black Ogre's eyes narrowed and he grunted heavily. He spoke none, preferring to let Fei talk for the moment.

[Agon07]

"My health?" The captive Duke stares at the girl without comprehension, then looks down at himself whilst rubbing his hand over the bruises on his face. "No, lady, I am not sick to the point of death, though I understand I must look it. This-" His hand gesture sweeps down from his face to his waist, calling attention to them "this is nothing that a fortnight of real rest and good food and drink will not remedy. Certainly a hardship I have earned."

He brings his hands to his face again, this time to daub at his split lip. He lowers his hands slightly to consider the blood on them. "When I leave here, I will go not to Suiyang. I will go to my King, and beg of him that he take the name that he has honored me with, that my failure will not stain it. Then, I imagine, I shall meet the same fate as Guan Huang."

Seemed she had miss understood him...but even more now she didnt whanted him to leave just so hed offer his like to Xiang Yu

Lizhi: sorry for the missunderstanding...but you shouldnt trow your life away like that...

[gravenimages]

"My health?" The captive Duke stares at the girl without comprehension, then looks down at himself whilst rubbing his hand over the bruises on his face. "No, lady, I am not sick to the point of death, though I understand I must look it. This-" His hand gesture sweeps down from his face to his waist, calling attention to them "this is nothing that a fortnight of real rest and good food and drink will not remedy. Certainly a hardship I have earned."

He brings his hands to his face again, this time to daub at his split lip. He lowers his hands slightly to consider the blood on them. "When I leave here, I will go not to Suiyang. I will go to my King, and beg of him that he take the name that he has honored me with, that my failure will not stain it. Then, I imagine, I shall meet the same fate as Guan Huang."

Seemed she had miss understood him...but even more now she didnt whanted him to leave just so hed offer his like to Xiang Yu

Lizhi: sorry for the missunderstanding...but you shouldnt trow your life away like that...

Hin actually smiles at this, though only for a moment. "I died on the field-" He gestures slightly with his head in the direction of the aftermath of the battle "when I failed my King. It is only a cruel twist of fate that I still draw breath. I will not fail to honor my duty by refusing my fate. My life, or my death, will be at his hand."

[Xiahou Ping]

So the forces of the Xiang Yu had been routed and the armies of Ma Dieu had seized Chu, yet it had apparently come at a great cost. Thousands of men, fathers… brothers… sons… lay dead on the battlefield, yet Zhang Ze felt no remorse. This was what happened in battle, and perhaps in the years of fighting that lay ahead, a similar fate awaited him.

Perhaps an even greater cost though, was the death of Guan Huang. Reports had filtered through to the main cities and outposts that were under the control of Ma Dieu that a great warrior had been slain by Xiang Yu. The news seemed only to motivate the youngster though; it alerted to him that he had much work to do if he was to rival the great warriors of the Middle Kingdom.

The contingent shortly arrived in the conquered province of Chu and made its way into the victorious camp of Ma Dieu. More seemed high, as it obviously would after such a momentous victory, yet at the same time there was a sombre mood in the air, at least Ze thought so. He looked around as he followed Xun Jiang through the crowd, his face emotionless and stony.

His eyes then clocked onto the collection of prisoners, and he wondered what would become of them. He didn’t recognise any of them, and why would he? Just a few months ago he was living alone in the northern lands.

Ze continued to follow Xun Jiang quietly as they approached the new King, Tian Rong. He held no opinion on this man for he did not know much about him. He could sense a great deal of tension coming from Xun Jiang however. He watched on cautiously, but did not say anything.

((OOC: Was invited here by LDW, if I have no place here then I shall be gone!))

[dskod1]

Phailak and Li Dao Wen

Xue Shi looked up at the new arrivals and upon there entrance and introduction bowed with he head. He then smiled

"I say it is not usual for the victors to bow to the defeated."

He gave off a small chuckle as he motioned his hand inviting them to sit down

"Please come sit, I do hope you both enjoy tea."

Shi had just finished making the tea right before there entrance and poured out 3 glasses. the steam came off them and Shi got a whiff of it which is what he loved. He did not pick it up however waiting for his guests to join him

[Jin Shi]

''Cousin Ma!'' he says with a smile ''I am glad that you made the journey to celebrate our victory against the Hegemon King: the army of Chu where not indestructible after all!!! Now we need to rebuilt and I will need your help to do so: your advice is important in this matter and I will like you to be at our council that will take place in a few days in the palace of Chen we need to give time to everyone to arrive meanwhile you should stay in Chen I have a lot to talk! You will probably be surprised to hear that we capture the Duke of Liang, but not to hear that the Tyran escaped...''

Su smiled slightly and bowed his head as his cousin noticed him. He listened patiently to the bubbling Ma Dieu speak of what had happened and of a council at Chen. When he heard Hin Wu had been captured he was visibly shaken; his eyes shot wide open as he realized that, had he been loyal to Chu, it could have been him to have been captured. It was good that he had seen Xiang Yu's star was falling and had jumped ship to stand with his kin. Xiang Yu's escape was a given in Su's book, it would have been too great a defeat to have allowed himself to be caught so easily. And Lu Chen... it was a shame that he had fled with Xiang Yu. He had hoped to see him again, as a man, not as a soldier.

"That is all good news, aside from Xiang Yu's escape. And of course I will be at Chen..."

He left it at that, seeing many flocking to speak with Ma Dieu. He watched as the procession of people and envoys conferred with him in his tent, standing in the back corner of the tent, mostly hidden from the light. He saw Hin Wu, looking gaunt and beaten, suffer through his concession of defeat at Ma Dieu's hands. He was an honorable man at least, despite his misplaced loyalties in Xiang Yu. The Hegemon King, now simply King, tossed his vassals into the fire and did not care whether they lived or not, that's how it had been when he ruled Liang, and it seemed the curse of Liang lived on in Hin Wu. That he would not leave Xiang Yu's side, in the same position of captivity as Ma Su had been in Dingtao, signaled either Hin Wu was a great fool or a courageous servant. A frown drew across Su's shadowed face at this, while Zhu Lizhi's entreaties towards reason fell on deaf ears. It seemed the ogre Xun Jiang was not in a happy mood either, but for what reasons Su knew not.

He motioned for one of Dieu's soldiers to bring him a report of the battle, and he read it as Dieu continued to deal with the many issues swarming him now that he was master of Chu. Many dead, but the prisoners made up for the losses, but obviously are very tired now. Guan Huang, that foul mouthed barbarian, had been slain. Su stopped at the word "dead" on the report, only to move on after a few moments' consideration. Many captured, perhaps some would join Dieu's cause?

And so Su continued to watch, to see what else the tides of war would wash into the entrance to Dieu's tent.

[Phailak]

Lai shrugged as he sat down.

"I bow in welcome to a fellow officer of the Chu court. Despite the propaganda spread about Ma Dieu, he has no intention of destroying Chu, he is here to save it after his ally and clan cousin was begged by Lu Chen to do something about Xiang Yu's tyranny."

Lai took the smallest sip of the tea, taking the time to take in the aroma.

"Our men are securing the city and the administrative buildings. Do you have any recommendations as to how to appease the people's fear towards what they surely see as a conqueror?"

Lai paused, realizing he did not have his host's name and gave the opportunity to introduce himself.

[Zhao Ren]

Ma Dieu had the same expression of joy and accomplishment when he saw Tian Rong he gave him his word that he will get rid of Xiang Yu reign or end his life before the end of the month, seeing the army retreat was a relief so many men died and so many more where captured. ''The Victory is one we obtain together by doing what we do best on the field of battle. Without your help I don't think I would still be alive today especially with Baocen Peng reinforcement.'' A temporary camp had been made near Chen to prepared the arrival in the capital of Ma Dieu, Zhu Lizhi and his general. We didn't capture the King, but I doubt he will be a threat to anyone now he laugh briefly but sincerely, Tian Rong will you march on my side into the capital and into the palace of Chen? We will celebrate our glorious victory and later on we could prepare the documents and give you the right to rule over Yue!

Finally, before going in, Lai approached Tian Rong and bowed lowly.

"King Tian, my greatest respects for your great contributions to this battle. I do not wish to partake of too much of your time, simply to inform you that I have taken the liberty to prepare your new administration home in Yue as its King. When I left it, all was in order. I have left all relevant reports in your new office and I urge you my Lord King to make haste after your business here to prepare for your reign there. I fear you might have some political maneuvering to do in order to stave off an invasion from Yue who have claims on the province, perhaps you can use your relationship with the masked Lord of Qi to ensure peace within the province? Either way, I am sure my Lord Brother has offered his support in any way he can."

Bowing low, Lai awaited to see if the King had any questions.

Xun Jiang was silent as the contingent from Yue rode into the victorious camp of Ma Dieu. The victory awed him somewhat, but as was the case with Lai, he was feeling quite robbed and left out of the limelight. Another thing that irked him was the fact that TIan Rong, a man whom he considered quite despicable despite his talents, was to be made king of the province he had been assigned to protect. Barring his desire to kill Xiang Yu, one of the things that motivated him was the prospect of becoming someone of tremendous importance to the land. He wanted to be a king, though with Duke Ma Dieu's political maneuvering just to avoid becoming one himself, he foresaw this ambition as becoming more and more impossible.

Much like Fei Lai had surmised, Xun Jiang was not in the best of moods at the moment, not after hearing of Guan Huang's death. Hearsay and, eventually, official reports told him of the valiant, yet vain stand the Monster of Changsha had conducted against a warrior he had once considered his to beat. The deep crevice between his brows and the clenched jaw his chin paraded spoke volumes about the tumult in his mind.
<...>
He barely looked at the Duke Ma when he waded into the crowd of officers around him, parting them with his girth and his sour, repellent mood. He thought that a nod of respect would do, as it always did, for he was never the type to bow to anyone. Then his eyes passed onto the small ring of bound prisoners - some wounded men of obvious importance, and a small, sickly old man he recognized as the Duke of Liang, whom he had had the chance to meet some time previous. With him in their hands, he thought, Liang would be easy prey for their armies in the near future - or for Qi's pilfering vulture-king.

He figured that Ma Dieu would finally name himself overlord of some province as a king, and deep inside the prospect of furthering his rank shed a small, dim light into his cruel state of mind. Yet he did lay his keen eyes on the vagabond lord of Qi, now King of Yue, who had contributed so much to their astounding victory.

"Now that Tian Rong is restored to kingship, Ma Dieu should now become king as well, no?" he growled, a hot breath of consternation billowing from his clenched mouth as he spoke.

It heartened Tian Rong greatly, hearing all the congratulations and praise. Yet, there was still the issue of Yue, something he was not sure he wished to deal with. Yue was far to the south, located in the barbaric backwaters of the Middle Kingdom. While it could boast of its metallurgy and of the beauty Xi Shi, it was far removed from his homeland in Qi. Yet, Qi remained so far from his grasp, completely under the control of the masked Zhefu, in whose custody he had left his clan. He remained silent for some time, giving a brief nod to the scholarly man that approached him, dismissing his words for the time being. What caught his attention, however, was the words of the warrior, proposing that the Duke of Huainan be made a King. Looking over to Xun Jiang, Tian Rong furrowed his brow, a somewhat fearsome thing, considering what came about when the bold and ferocious Tian Rong took pause to think. With a nod, he turned to the Duke of Huainan and replied, "It would be my honor, Duke Ma. Or should I say, King of Chu? Surely you have proven yourself worthy of the title with this campaign." He glanced back to Xun Jiang, considering the man. Idly, he stated, "Yet, if I am to become King of Yue, I shall be in need of good men to serve me. Tell me, Duke Ma, will you give me leave to return to Qi, that I may speak with the man, Zhefu, and see if he will not reconsider his forgotten promise to me. If he is obstinate, I shall see about bringing my clansmen to Yue, that I may have some men of talent to aid me." Offering a surprisingly humble salute for a man of such great pride, Tian Rong stated, "Know this, however, Duke Ma. I shall not lift my blade against you. You have done much to aid me, and it would be dishonorable for me to forget that."

[dskod1]

Lai shrugged as he sat down.

"I bow in welcome to a fellow officer of the Chu court. Despite the propaganda spread about Ma Dieu, he has no intention of destroying Chu, he is here to save it after his ally and clan cousin was begged by Lu Chen to do something about Xiang Yu's tyranny."

Lai took the smallest sip of the tea, taking the time to take in the aroma.

"Our men are securing the city and the administrative buildings. Do you have any recommendations as to how to appease the people's fear towards what they surely see as a conqueror?"

Lai paused, realizing he did not have his host's name and gave the opportunity to introduce himself.

Upon seeing his guests pick up there tea Xue commenced picking up his tea. He first allowed the smell of the tea to penetrate his nostrils. Before bringing the tea to his mouth he spoke

"I suppose but the question is if I still have a position in the Chu"

He sipped his tea allowing for his tongue to swim in the tea. He let the taste set in as he listening to his guests second question. Upon swallowing his tea he continued

"Perhaps a propaganda campaign will do well as well as giving food out to the people to show the new Chu government to show they are friends."

He looked at his guests and then continued

"I wonder who will take the position as King of Chu?"