Jibei Provincial Roleplay

[Xun Xiao]

There has been talk that with Jibei now under their control, the troops should be given a month of rest. and they should focus on growing and development. Foolish talk, in Yu's mind. The force under him and that accursed Fang Ai had started in Jiaodong, and now they have taken the whole Jibei. Momentum was on their side, morale is high. To stop now...

It took Yu a few moments to realize that the apparently drunken man was talking to him in the rude tone. Already in an unhappy mood, Yu was visibly angered at the man's comment and tone of voice and forgot himself, "You ask me why not the whole land? To that I answer back, why not?!" Yu shouted back, "If you think we are satisfied with two provinces, then you are mistaken. I will not stop until my name resound throughout the whole land! And for every child to know of Yang Yu! And I will not stop until the same holds true for my Lord Shi Tong!" Yu said angrily.

After a few moments, his anger subsided a little bit, enough for him to lighten the volume of his voice, "And who are you drunkard? To utter such bold words!"

A smile crept onto the man's dimly-lit face. 'This one has fire,' he thought to himself as he stood and began sauntering towards Yang Yu.

"I don't suppose who I am is so important as a number of other questions. What can I do? Why am I here? If one horse begins at Point A and heads West, while another begins at Point B and heads East, how long before the former starves and the latter drowns?"

Now standing, Xiahou Cao's appearance could be seen by the rest of the tavern. He was a tall man, wearing black armor that, although not of peerless quality, demonstrated his status as a military man. He carried himself with strength and dignity, yet there was an uncertainty to his steps. Similarly, his face was hardened in a way that made him appear older than he was, but this was balanced out by an almost playful expression that added youth to his features. He moved to sit down near Yang Yu.

"But you've answered my question, so I shall answer yours, however misdirected it may be," he continued without awaiting a response. "I am Xiahou Cao, the "Black Horseman of Changshan," formerly of Quni and currently of your esteemed...tavern, a general in both instances," explained the man with a hint of what may have been distaste in his voice. "You, if the true murmuring drunkards of Pingyuan may be trusted, are Yang Yu, commander of the force which recently laid claim to this city; of course, I am sure you already know who you are, which would have been a question a level removed from even that which you already posed," deduced Xiahou Cao with what could only be described as a proud jubilance. His face brightening, he finished, "Regardless, what you may not have known, for we return once more to your not having asked, is that I am a general without troops to lead. You, on the other hand, are a general with troops to lead--even if you are eluded by battle; therefore, you have something in which I am interested, and having stated such, I must now defer to you."

Stopping, another thought seemed to enter his mind, and he added, "Master Yang, has anyone ever mentioned your ability to answer questions far surpasses your ability to ask them? A talent, to be sure," ended the general, yet again, before throwing some money onto the table and, without waiting to be served, drinking from someone else's cup.

[Xiang Zhuang]

Fi Ran turned to leave but then motioned for his guards to leave and turned back round to Fang Ai. "After some though...I will give you control of my village...is the offer still 200 also?". Ran seemed rather intrigued by the offer and was eager to hear what Fang had to say.

Fang Ai was a bit surprised to see the man send his guards away but he himself linger. He smiled briefly and said, "Yes, 200 gold to transition control of the village to us. It is a fair price, I believe. Why, are you considering leaving the province? Or are you reconsidering my previous offer of employment as well?"

nodding and returning the soldiers salute Fu understood the reasoning for the generals plan of attack. " Greetings General, I thank you for your words of acalades. The force we dispersed today was not well trained or lead,... rabble compared to what we might expect to face in the future....As for my force we will strive best we can to meet the challenges layed before us and carry on at our utmost. I will continue to watch over the villages of my men and claim those I can perhaps even a town. We will stand as a free army lending aid to our prefect for a sum ofcourse. I will accept our agreed upon reward. The soldiers deserve no less."

"I see," he said, nodding slowly. "Well, then, if you desire your independence, we will not try to stand in your way. In regards to the payment, just a moment." He turned and went inside of the stable briefly. After a moment, a servant holding a sack emerged with Fang Ai behind. "Here is your payment," he said, as the servant handed over the sack to Xu Fu. "Three hundred gold pieces, as per the deal. While I respect your wishes, I hope that we shall never need your assistance again; that Jibei never falls under attack. I suppose those are lofty wishes, however."

With a salute, he added, "The offer will remain if you change your mind. Otherwise, I believe our business is done here. Good travels, Xu Fu."

300 gold given to Xu Fu by Shi Tong!

((Marking in KT shortly.))

"I wouldn't say our meeting went badly. You just seemed...confused. It seems now that you've found a purpose. I'm glad. Besides, I really hated that governor. What more do you propose could be accomplished? My goals may not be as lofty as yours."

"I suppose you could call mine lofty," he replied. "I will not split hairs with you. Prefect Shi and I seek a revival of the lands in the former kingdom of Qi. We are not attempting to bring back the fallen kingdom, mind you, but we have seen many like this former governor of Boyang who have caused the land a great deal of grief. The previous governor of Linzi was another who sold out his fellow countrymen to Chu. The boundaries of Qi have been split into the provinces of Jiaodong, Jibei, and Qi itself, but our people are still strong. If Chu is the power destined to rule this land, then we shall choose to submit and serve them. Now, we are still reeling from the rampant destruction thrown upon us by the chaos.

"Our first desire is to ensure that all of Jibei is either under our control or of those of our allies, of which I count you one. We already have Jiaodong firmly within our grasp. If Zhefu of Qi continues to have his people's best interest in mind, we will work together to strengthen the Qi people. However, I have heard some sort of disaster befalling the towns and villages of their land, being perpetrated by an agent of Chu. We may be forced with a decision soon; to either fight our own countrymen or to be considered rebels."

He shook his head and sighed. "Such is the world we live in," he said, his tone slightly sad. "Such is the world you sought to enter into when you first made a ploy for Boyang. The option to return to your village and live a simpler life should well be appealing right now about; I have thought the same from time to time. The difficulty we face, however, is that with or without power, we get drawn into these matters. If not for Prefect Shi's presence here, very likely Han Guang, the former King of Yan deposed by Xiang Yu, would have eventually conquered the region. If not for him, another would have eventually tried to gain power, and either used that power against our fellow Qi countrymen or against Chu.

"In a time of chaos, having some power is better than none. In this situation, at least we have the ability to decide. The last time that Chu warred against Qi was in the days when Tian Dan was King. Those days are not so long ago. But in that time, the Hegemon King and the King of Han took turns razing and destroying our settlements, slaughtering our people as a message. There has been a long enmity between Chu and Qi, as Chu is a kingdom built upon violence, while Qi was always built upon the strength of its noble families. If war with Chu breaks out once more, what will happen to this land will be equal or worse than the last time. While we will do what we can to protect Jibei and your village, should we fail, they will not care if you stand neutral. They see us all as the same ilk. And thus, should Zhefu have gained their anger, we will be forced to fight our countrymen or fight alongside them."

He let out a small laugh. "I apologize for the grave response," he said. "You said I was confused before, but now had a purpose. This is my purpose. I must do what I can for my people. If this means having to kill some to preserve the whole, then it is a sad reality I must face. If it means putting my life on the line as a rebel, then that may come as well. I don't care what I am labeled as. But I say this to you because, as a village head, you will wield very little power. It may be a lot amongst the people you are around, but that in and of itself is an entirely different world from the one that I now dwell in. I understand what it means to live in that world, but I knew I was never destined for that life. I believe that someone like you is useful for my cause. I think the time for people like us to live the more common and ordinary life has passed us by. I fight so that others can have that life."

[Jablis]

"I suppose you could call mine lofty," he replied. "I will not split hairs with you. Prefect Shi and I seek a revival of the lands in the former kingdom of Qi. We are not attempting to bring back the fallen kingdom, mind you, but we have seen many like this former governor of Boyang who have caused the land a great deal of grief. The previous governor of Linzi was another who sold out his fellow countrymen to Chu. The boundaries of Qi have been split into the provinces of Jiaodong, Jibei, and Qi itself, but our people are still strong. If Chu is the power destined to rule this land, then we shall choose to submit and serve them. Now, we are still reeling from the rampant destruction thrown upon us by the chaos.

"Our first desire is to ensure that all of Jibei is either under our control or of those of our allies, of which I count you one. We already have Jiaodong firmly within our grasp. If Zhefu of Qi continues to have his people's best interest in mind, we will work together to strengthen the Qi people. However, I have heard some sort of disaster befalling the towns and villages of their land, being perpetrated by an agent of Chu. We may be forced with a decision soon; to either fight our own countrymen or to be considered rebels."

He shook his head and sighed. "Such is the world we live in," he said, his tone slightly sad. "Such is the world you sought to enter into when you first made a ploy for Boyang. The option to return to your village and live a simpler life should well be appealing right now about; I have thought the same from time to time. The difficulty we face, however, is that with or without power, we get drawn into these matters. If not for Prefect Shi's presence here, very likely Han Guang, the former King of Yan deposed by Xiang Yu, would have eventually conquered the region. If not for him, another would have eventually tried to gain power, and either used that power against our fellow Qi countrymen or against Chu.

"In a time of chaos, having some power is better than none. In this situation, at least we have the ability to decide. The last time that Chu warred against Qi was in the days when Tian Dan was King. Those days are not so long ago. But in that time, the Hegemon King and the King of Han took turns razing and destroying our settlements, slaughtering our people as a message. There has been a long enmity between Chu and Qi, as Chu is a kingdom built upon violence, while Qi was always built upon the strength of its noble families. If war with Chu breaks out once more, what will happen to this land will be equal or worse than the last time. While we will do what we can to protect Jibei and your village, should we fail, they will not care if you stand neutral. They see us all as the same ilk. And thus, should Zhefu have gained their anger, we will be forced to fight our countrymen or fight alongside them."

He let out a small laugh. "I apologize for the grave response," he said. "You said I was confused before, but now had a purpose. This is my purpose. I must do what I can for my people. If this means having to kill some to preserve the whole, then it is a sad reality I must face. If it means putting my life on the line as a rebel, then that may come as well. I don't care what I am labeled as. But I say this to you because, as a village head, you will wield very little power. It may be a lot amongst the people you are around, but that in and of itself is an entirely different world from the one that I now dwell in. I understand what it means to live in that world, but I knew I was never destined for that life. I believe that someone like you is useful for my cause. I think the time for people like us to live the more common and ordinary life has passed us by. I fight so that others can have that life."

It would appear that the purpose given to you through service to Shi Tong is much in line to the purpose I have had all along. You speak of war, and I am not naive enough to think it can be avoided anymore, but I don't know what I could offer Lord Shi Tong in that respect. I am not much for the battle field. I am however adept at other matters that Shi Tong may find useful. I will serve this man, that you seem to think is the answer to the protection of Jibei.

[Fi Sheng]

Fi Ran turned to leave but then motioned for his guards to leave and turned back round to Fang Ai. "After some though...I will give you control of my village...is the offer still 200 also?". Ran seemed rather intrigued by the offer and was eager to hear what Fang had to say.

Fang Ai was a bit surprised to see the man send his guards away but he himself linger. He smiled briefly and said, "Yes, 200 gold to transition control of the village to us. It is a fair price, I believe. Why, are you considering leaving the province? Or are you reconsidering my previous offer of employment as well?"

Ran smirked again at him. "Well, I shall tell you my answer to that. If the case was either then I would do this but the sooner I give it to you the better am I correct? Besides, rushing into things only brings more chaos. I'll sell my village to you and tell you my intentions when I make my decision".

Rans' smirk was still on his face as his finished.

[Chou Yu]

A smile crept onto the man's dimly-lit face. 'This one has fire,' he thought to himself as he stood and began sauntering towards Yang Yu.

"I don't suppose who I am is so important as a number of other questions. What can I do? Why am I here? If one horse begins at Point A and heads West, while another begins at Point B and heads East, how long before the former starves and the latter drowns?"

Now standing, Xiahou Cao's appearance could be seen by the rest of the tavern. He was a tall man, wearing black armor that, although not of peerless quality, demonstrated his status as a military man. He carried himself with strength and dignity, yet there was an uncertainty to his steps. Similarly, his face was hardened in a way that made him appear older than he was, but this was balanced out by an almost playful expression that added youth to his features. He moved to sit down near Yang Yu.

"But you've answered my question, so I shall answer yours, however misdirected it may be," he continued without awaiting a response. "I am Xiahou Cao, the "Black Horseman of Changshan," formerly of Quni and currently of your esteemed...tavern, a general in both instances," explained the man with a hint of what may have been distaste in his voice. "You, if the true murmuring drunkards of Pingyuan may be trusted, are Yang Yu, commander of the force which recently laid claim to this city; of course, I am sure you already know who you are, which would have been a question a level removed from even that which you already posed," deduced Xiahou Cao with what could only be described as a proud jubilance. His face brightening, he finished, "Regardless, what you may not have known, for we return once more to your not having asked, is that I am a general without troops to lead. You, on the other hand, are a general with troops to lead--even if you are eluded by battle; therefore, you have something in which I am interested, and having stated such, I must now defer to you."

Stopping, another thought seemed to enter his mind, and he added, "Master Yang, has anyone ever mentioned your ability to answer questions far surpasses your ability to ask them? A talent, to be sure," ended the general, yet again, before throwing some money onto the table and, without waiting to be served, drinking from someone else's cup.

The man was no mere drunkard, that fact was clear only mere seconds after the man stood up. He carried himself like a military man, and possessed a level of sophistication missing in most men, even in Yang Yu himself. The man's demeanor was lofty, and he possessed a witty tongue. Yu found himself craning his neck upwards as the man walked towards him. A tall man, and all the more imposing with his black armor. The General of Jibei could not help but compare himself to the man in the black armor, unwillingly feeling a bit inadequate. The look in Yu's face however, was one of defiance. I will not be intimidated by this man!

The man's name ringed no bells, but... The Black Horseman of Changshan... Since Yu's coming to Jibei, he was sure that he had heard the nickname a few times, some in admiration some in fear. However he tried to recall the memories however, the details of the man escaped him. The man rambled about how to ask questions and similar nonsense, but one thing he had said intrigued him. I am a general without troops to laed... That phrase spoke volumes. Perhaps... Yu looked thoughtful. The man seemed to be a pain in the behind, but Yu had known from the start that sometimes, his personal feelings have to be stashed away.

He however, did not, could not, hide the annoyance that he had for the man, Yu was not a diplomatic individual, "The Black Horse of Changshan? I am sure I have heard of that name before. You are a general you say? What battles have you participated in?" Yu asked, trying to be subtle by appearing largely disinterested of the answer, but failing.

[Xiang Zhuang]

((Fi Sheng, I am waiting on replying to you until a question is answered for me regarding what we are doing. I don't think we can simply buy the village off of you, though.))

It would appear that the purpose given to you through service to Shi Tong is much in line to the purpose I have had all along. You speak of war, and I am not naive enough to think it can be avoided anymore, but I don't know what I could offer Lord Shi Tong in that respect. I am not much for the battle field. I am however adept at other matters that Shi Tong may find useful. I will serve this man, that you seem to think is the answer to the protection of Jibei.

"I am glad to hear it," he said, smiling. "I believe you have met with him previously, so you understand some of the man he is. I will go ahead and pay you the money now for your services in the battle. We will work out your compensation for the village when it has been transitioned (after you post handing it over in the PH, for various technical reasons)." He let out a deep breath. "This heartens me. When the people of Qi unite for one another... it is a great thing."

Shortly afterward, Fang Ai would leave to the stables and have a servant bring Liao Zun his gold.

200 gold to Liao Zun from Shi Tong!

((Also, I can accept you into the force! Post OI and etc.))

[Xun Xiao]

The man was no mere drunkard, that fact was clear only mere seconds after the man stood up. He carried himself like a military man, and possessed a level of sophistication missing in most men, even in Yang Yu himself. The man's demeanor was lofty, and he possessed a witty tongue. Yu found himself craning his neck upwards as the man walked towards him. A tall man, and all the more imposing with his black armor. The General of Jibei could not help but compare himself to the man in the black armor, unwillingly feeling a bit inadequate. The look in Yu's face however, was one of defiance. I will not be intimidated by this man!

The man's name ringed no bells, but... The Black Horseman of Changshan... Since Yu's coming to Jibei, he was sure that he had heard the nickname a few times, some in admiration some in fear. However he tried to recall the memories however, the details of the man escaped him. The man rambled about how to ask questions and similar nonsense, but one thing he had said intrigued him. I am a general without troops to laed... That phrase spoke volumes. Perhaps... Yu looked thoughtful. The man seemed to be a pain in the behind, but Yu had known from the start that sometimes, his personal feelings have to be stashed away.

He however, did not, could not, hide the annoyance that he had for the man, Yu was not a diplomatic individual, "The Black Horse of Changshan? I am sure I have heard of that name before. You are a general you say? What battles have you participated in?" Yu asked, trying to be subtle by appearing largely disinterested of the answer, but failing.

A scoff could be heard to erupt from the general, though out of true indignation or simply to demonstrate the semblance of a coherent personality could be left to interpretation. Regardless, the man shot Yang Yu a quizzical look as he began speaking, for better or worse, once more.

"Battles? Barbaric things," claimed the scarred man, which couldn't have elicited any response save disbelief from those who heard it. "I suppose I did claim to be a general, though...well, assuming that I've participated in a battle, much less battles, I've seen approximately..." Cao trailed off as he examined the man before him, "Let's say, or should you decide not to join me in doing so then I alone shall say, a decade's worth more, named or nameless, battles than you have, Commander. And there's seldom reason to name a battle in which only one side survives--and for that matter, survival happens to be a hobby of mine. Most of the enemies outside of the former Qin's borders aren't deserving of classification. As a matter of fact, most of them within its borders are no more deserving; speaking of which, what'd you say your name was again? Ah, right, Yang Yu, the crowd introduced you as a personal favor to me. Kind folks, if not a bit on the 'plentiful' side," decided the man as he spoke to himself as much as Yang Yu. If Xiahou Cao was aware of Yu's annoyance, he wouldn't show it, but he certainly did nothing to slow down his verbal prodding of the man.

"Still operating under the 'battle' assumption, I suppose if I were who I say I am, I have long fought outside of Quni, concerning myself with outside threats while the empire tore itself apart with a skill most individual men reserve only for their concubines. I would probably be a skilled cavalry commander, attacking hard and fast to forge an unbreakable defense through an ever-moving offense. It is my guess that dead men wield a blade quite poorly, pity though it is I've never fought one to test said theory," mused Xiahou Cao quite seriously, as though he were actually considering the possibility, before a childish smile snapped back into place. "Elusive creatures, the lot of them. The moment the dead arrive, any hope of communication rushes right out the door," he claimed with a wave of his hand. "I'm only thankful communication's not solved a single problem before, regardless. But lest I prove incorrect, is that a complete enough answer to whichever question I've now forgotten, master Yang?"

[Xiang Zhuang]

Fang Ai was a bit surprised to see the man send his guards away but he himself linger. He smiled briefly and said, "Yes, 200 gold to transition control of the village to us. It is a fair price, I believe. Why, are you considering leaving the province? Or are you reconsidering my previous offer of employment as well?"

Ran smirked again at him. "Well, I shall tell you my answer to that. If the case was either then I would do this but the sooner I give it to you the better am I correct? Besides, rushing into things only brings more chaos. I'll sell my village to you and tell you my intentions when I make my decision".

Rans' smirk was still on his face as his finished.

He shook his head. "It is not so simple," he replied. "The gold was only offered as compensation for the loss of your territory upon joining our force. We are not the sort that would simply bribe people to give up their territory. I am afraid the deal only works together. If you need some time, then return to your village and think on it. The offer--for the village and yourself--still stands."

((Staff said no ))

[Fi Sheng]

Fi Ran's smile had gone and he was staring blankly at Fang. "Well I shall return to my men and think of your offer whence I return to my village".
Ran turned around and followed his men out. He then headed back to his village to look over his village.

[damned staff.......jokes ]

[Chou Yu]

Yang Yu sighed as the Black Horseman once again broke off into his rambles. How he wished that the man would just answer him straightforward, "I wonder if your style of leading troops is the same as the way you speak?" Yu pretended to think deeply and thoughtfully, "That may work... All those turnings and doubling back might confuse the enemy!" Yu said, not even bothering to mask his sarcasm, "Sometimes though, the straightforward method might be the best. Strike them fast and hard! That's what you said right?" Yu's grin had no mirth in it, not being able to enjoy the riddle like way the man was talking. The man was experienced however, if what he said about fighting for a decade was true.

"Protecting the borders from outside threat, while the empire crumbled from the inside eh? How ironic." Yu took a sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving the other general, "You suffer from a lack of troops you say? I assume that you have not been involved on any border battles recently then. As well as you don't...Right now, there is plenty of opportunity inside the borders, what with Xiang Yu's popularity, or lack thereof, and the regional warlords that have recently popped up as numerous as grasses on the peak of Spring."

"You are a general with no troops. Of soldiers, we have a plenty, more numerous than the able commanders to lead them. Despite your roundabout way of speaking, your way of thinking are not that far removed from mine I think. We might be able to work together..." And maybe, this will rid the need of Fang Ai's presence in the same army as I am! "What do you say?" Yu asked, straight forward, not bothering to coat his sentence with sweet words or subtle persuasion methods.