Chu Provincial Roleplay

[Vanguard]

~City of Chen, Chu. Military Barracks.~

There was something about visiting a person in the middle of a military barracks that made Bei Tianmeng feel a little uneasy. He didn't fear any trickery or something of the sort, but he preferred more public locations in case it were to happen. One can more easily escape when there are crowds to blend into or halls and alleys to duck in. Inside a locations filled with trained soldiers, any outsider should stand out like a sore thumb.

Shaking off the unease that he felt, Bei Tianmeng proceeded to enter the city of Chen with five of his lightly armed men as was his usual method. These men he soon waived off and Bei then went about his business for the day. Asking around for some directions, he was pointed in the direction of the city's military barracks. There was little doubt that the locations would be heavily guarded, so Bei chose to introduce himself to a guard some distance from his destination.

"Excuse me, sir. My name is Bei Tianmeng. I have a letter in my possession from the hand of a Master Ma Su. He invited me to meet with him at his office in the military barracks. I did not want to cause any unneeded distractions if the contents of this letter are in err'. If the letter is true in all its words, then might I receive an escort to Master Ma's office?"

[Jin Shi]

The guard he spoke to was on patrol around the neighborhood next to the military district, and, after looking the man over, asked "May I see this letter you speak of?"

If Bei Tianmeng did, then the guard would read it, and recognize it was indeed General Ma's handwriting. Quickly rolling it up and giving it back to the man, he would motion for Bei Tianmeng to follow him. As the two of them went through the gates to the square military compound, Bei Tianmeng would see dozens of men sparring in the courtyard, and many hundreds more milling about in the barracks. It seemed preparations were being made in anticipation of action. The guard would show Bei Tianmeng to Ma Su's office, a relatively small room facing the central courtyard. Knocking a few times,a voice within muttered something, and the guard opened the door. "General Ma, you seem to have written a letter to this man here."

Ma Su was sitting at a desk, looking over a map of Liang when the guard made his introduction. Looking up, he saw a man of good build before him. Su much preferred speaking with military men, so Tianmeng would find him in a good disposition already. "Master Bei, a pleasure to meet you. Please sit." He would motion to the chair placed in front of his desk. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Tell me, Master Bei, what are you seeking? By working here, what do you hope to attain?"

[Vanguard]

With a slight bow, Bei Tianmeng accepted the offered seat. Slipping his hands together in the arms of his robe, Bei listen intently to what Ma Su was about to say. Often times, one could learn much about a person simply by their choice of words and even body language. Bei was also very curious to learn what type of men were in the employ of Chu.

Not being very surprised at the lack of polite introductory phrases, Bei Tianmeng was also eager to get to the meat of the matter. "Master Ma, I am seeking knowledge. Truth be told, I know little about the politics and state of the land on a more grand scale and until recently, I would have been content remaining as such. I am not here to pledge myself into any service yet, but I would be curious to know what your intentions for me would be if I were. I do not wish to simply be a tool for any and all acts that some higher position deems worthy for me, unless of course I feel those actions are just. If you could, tell me what it is you see for a scout and spy such as myself? Naturally, you cannot divulge any unnecessary information to me, but what kind of services would you ask of me were I to be in your service?"

[Jin Shi]

The guard, seeing things were under control, allowed the two men to have their conversation in private, closing the door behind him after saluting to Ma Su. Su had his full attention on the man as he replied, leaning back in his chair, the map still laid out before him. Nodding very slowly as Tianmeng spoke his piece, he kept direct eye contact with him the entire time. He replied, still with a small smile on his face,

"It would be presumptuous of me to think you were ready to join me here and now. I respect a man who thinks things over." He paused, looking the man over, evaluating him. "As you respect my being blunt, we shall continue to speak without sugarcoating things. I am waiting on the decision of Imperial Minister Lu Chen in regards to whether I will be granted an army to pacify the city of Dingtao, and possibly Liang, with. Should I be granted such a force, I will need skilled men to make sure logistics are kept in line, and once we start taking cities, I will need men to keep those cities safe. Safety is acquired through raw power and knowledge of the enemy. You call yourself a spy and a scout, and that is what I would ask you do for me, find information out for me. Fulfill that second requirement."

He opened a small drawer in his desk and pulled out a paper. He read it and continued to address Tianmeng. "I also heard you are a doctor?" He looked up at Bei Tianmeng, as if by looking at him he could verify this. "That would be a valuable asset I think, to ensure the populace is well cared for and our soldiers spend less days out sick and more training."

He smiled a little wider and nodded at Tianmeng. "Now, the reason for this pacification. It is no secret that the Governor there is in rebellion. He killed an envoy to the court here in Chen, and has declared myself to be an outlaw. No doubt he will attempt to increase his force and ask others for aid to overthrow the one stable pillar of peace in the land, Chu. I need men to come with me to punish him and ensure the rest of Liang does not revolt."

[Gong Ao]

Ma Su was planning. He saw little to no opposition to his plans of moving to the east, and if he was successful, he would need people to work under him. These people would probably not be provided by the court, so Su decided to proactively look for them.

He had heard there was an old paper pusher type wandering around, looking for a job doing just that, and Su needed a man like that. While Su was not a political novice, he was definitely not very skilled with civil bureaucracy, and this Cai Xuan was said to have done that stuff thousands of times.

"Good." He said to himself. He was on his horse, accompanied by his apprentice Liao Jian. Jian was a good diplomat, but he was just as ignorant of civil administration as Si, sadly for Su. They were to meet Cai Xuan somewhere in the market street, though where the man did not really specify. They first went to the market square, and, logically, the man was there standing underneath the statue of Xiang Yu. When they spotted the man, who stood apart from the crowd of peasants and merchants by his dress, the two rode up, and dismounted. They both bowed slightly, and Su spoke.

"You would be the Master Cai, correct?"

Cai Xuan looked at the two men. He was a little perplexed that all he had met with so far were so young, but he surmised that older, more experienced souls wouldn't bother going on such a recruitment expedition. He knew that he certainly wouldn't.

"Greetings, my lords. I am indeed Cai Xuan, and I am delighted to meet you. May I ask your names, good sirs?"

[Jin Shi]

Ma Su noticed the look Cai Xuan gave the two of them. He was probably close to twice Su's age, he might be surprised to find out it was Su who had asked him to help, not some older and experienced commander.

"I am Ma Su, and this is my apprentice, Liao Jian." Jian had been told to keep quiet, only to bow and listen unless he was queried directly. "I am pleased you agreed to meet with myself. We should talk in a more comfortable setting, don't you think?" He gently took hold of Cai Xuan's arm and led the group in the direction of a tea shop in the market square. Once they were seated and drinks were brought, Su continued on.

"So, Master Cai, how goes things with you. I hear you own a small farm in the province. How are you liking that?" He smiled in a very calm fashion, more at peace than he usually presented himself as he sipped some of his tea. Liao Jian also sipped some of his tea, often mimicking Su's mannerisms.

[Vanguard]

The guard, seeing things were under control, allowed the two men to have their conversation in private, closing the door behind him after saluting to Ma Su. Su had his full attention on the man as he replied, leaning back in his chair, the map still laid out before him. Nodding very slowly as Tianmeng spoke his piece, he kept direct eye contact with him the entire time. He replied, still with a small smile on his face,

"It would be presumptuous of me to think you were ready to join me here and now. I respect a man who thinks things over." He paused, looking the man over, evaluating him. "As you respect my being blunt, we shall continue to speak without sugarcoating things. I am waiting on the decision of Imperial Minister Lu Chen in regards to whether I will be granted an army to pacify the city of Dingtao, and possibly Liang, with. Should I be granted such a force, I will need skilled men to make sure logistics are kept in line, and once we start taking cities, I will need men to keep those cities safe. Safety is acquired through raw power and knowledge of the enemy. You call yourself a spy and a scout, and that is what I would ask you do for me, find information out for me. Fulfill that second requirement."

He opened a small drawer in his desk and pulled out a paper. He read it and continued to address Tianmeng. "I also heard you are a doctor?" He looked up at Bei Tianmeng, as if by looking at him he could verify this. "That would be a valuable asset I think, to ensure the populace is well cared for and our soldiers spend less days out sick and more training."

He smiled a little wider and nodded at Tianmeng. "Now, the reason for this pacification. It is no secret that the Governor there is in rebellion. He killed an envoy to the court here in Chen, and has declared myself to be an outlaw. No doubt he will attempt to increase his force and ask others for aid to overthrow the one stable pillar of peace in the land, Chu. I need men to come with me to punish him and ensure the rest of Liang does not revolt."

Bowing his head slightly before speaking, Bei Tianmeng smiled softly at the words Ma Su spoke. "Now I understand where you are coming from and what you would ask of me, and I can respect the task you would require. I asked since there are sometimes men who would seek to change an individual to suit their purpose, instead of asking an individual to perform that which they are more capable of doing. Often, I worry that one might expect me to perform more nefarious deeds that I do not think I could complete."

When Ma Su mentioned hearing of Bei Tianmeng's experience of doctoring, he couldn't help but blush and let out an audible sound of surprise as if he had forgotten about all about it. Bei simply nodded before replying, "I have, at times, been required to fulfill the role of a doctor. It is part of the reason there are a handful of men who follow me, because I can assure you that the pay and the food is not even close to being worth it!" He flashed a quick grin, then continued. "Seeing to the health of one man, makes me understand the need of the land itself. When a person is sick, sometimes careful watch and support of another is needed to see them back to health. I think the same can be said of our country. Sometimes one must sacrifice their time or even dedicate themselves completely to nursing this land back to recovery.

"I suppose this rebellion you speak of can be spoken of in the relation. It is a symptom of a greater ailment that plagues us all, and before we can see recovery, we must first treat the symptoms. It is good to see that there are some willing to take the risk to see it through. Whatever my decision is, I will wish you the best of luck in your endeavor. If a cry for rebellion cannot spread further than the lips that speak it, then I am not sure it can be justified for the turmoil it creates."

[Gong Ao]

Ma Su noticed the look Cai Xuan gave the two of them. He was probably close to twice Su's age, he might be surprised to find out it was Su who had asked him to help, not some older and experienced commander.

"I am Ma Su, and this is my apprentice, Liao Jian." Jian had been told to keep quiet, only to bow and listen unless he was queried directly. "I am pleased you agreed to meet with myself. We should talk in a more comfortable setting, don't you think?" He gently took hold of Cai Xuan's arm and led the group in the direction of a tea shop in the market square. Once they were seated and drinks were brought, Su continued on.

"So, Master Cai, how goes things with you. I hear you own a small farm in the province. How are you liking that?" He smiled in a very calm fashion, more at peace than he usually presented himself as he sipped some of his tea. Liao Jian also sipped some of his tea, often mimicking Su's mannerisms.

Cai Xuan blinked, unsure whether he had just been the recipient of a veiled insult. What man other than some talentless peasant would possibly enjoy farming? In the end, he decided that he ought to give Ma Su the benefit of the doubt.

"Yes. I am enjoying the farming because..." Cai Xuan had been instructed by Ming Yang that he ought to keep his answers positive, but he was struggling to think of anything he liked about the farming. "...because it keeps my family fed. Of course, this is far too small scale for my knowledge of agricultural planning to be of any use. Do you...uh...farm much?"

As soon as he said those last words, Cai Xuan regretted it. He made a mental note that once he got home, he ought to write down and memorise some better questions for the inevitable occasions when he would have to resort to small talk.

[Jin Shi]

Ma Su thought it was strange that the man was so... slow when talking about farming. Maybe he didn't like talking about farming? His last question seemed strained enough. Perhaps he would like to be blunt like Su preferred? Su had in fact asked the question to plant an idea of wanting more in his mind, hopefully that had taken root in one go. Lightly laughing, Su replied "I haven't farmed any crops in at least 4 or 5 years. It's a much more carefree existence, but it's a little lacking in the variety department, I think."

He sipped some of his tea, and, seeing Cai Xuan wasn't drinking his, he motioned a little with a friendly gesture that he should. "No doubt you think along similar lines, or you would not have left your farm and family to come here and talk about employment. Your family has been involved in politics for multiple generations, I believe. I looked through some Chu records and found the Cai name in many different places. Are you interested in returning to that lifestyle?"

[SunTzu]

@Ma Su(Jin Shi)

As Shu Yuan entered the city of Chen, he recalled visiting the city when he was but a young child. His caretaker had brought him to Chen so that he might learn of how one flourished selling goods in the market. It had been a dull experience standing all day while he watched his caretaker barter with men looking to buy rice.

He walked along the stone rode to the military barracks of the city. Many busy solders could be seen training and hurrying around the barracks as he entered the military complex. Shu approached a guard and said, "I am Shu Yuan and I am here at the request of Ma Su." He then pulled the letter from his dark blue robe and handed it to one of the guards.