Liu Jin's Audience Hall - Shou Yang

[Seewichai]

[Probably I will not have the luxury to experience that anymore Situ ]

By the time Jing Yun reaches the audience hall. He had properly tied up his long hair to a ponytail and brushes clean his clothings. Before entering the audience hall, he had requested for the servant to have a pail of water to wash his face. Afresh, Jing Yun did a bow, "Forgive my appearance, Your Highness. My name is Jing Yun and by chance met Master Wu Weilong in your domain. He had requested for me to pay a visit to you and therefore I am here."

Jing Yun paused awhile to have a good look at the young King. With an experienced analystic view, Jing Yun judged the young man seems to be confident and straight to the point. "Your Highness, your humble civilian do not have extraordinary prowess like Master Wu nor do I able to devise infalliable strategies. I am just a average man on the streets." Stroking his chin, "However, I do have a bad habit of being a busybody. To know information or rumors be it my concern or not.... and plus some interest in the art of poisons, scouting and sabotaging. I find it rather amusing to sabotaging people and later see their expression." Jing Yun chuckles but quickly composed himself. Subsequently he looked up to the young king for further enquiries.

[SituJinrong]

See:

"The arts of espionage and sabotage are subtle but most deadly if used correctly. You are too humble Master Jing, I will hardly consider someone with such skills an "average man". I trust Commander's Wu recommendation and will like to formerly extend an offer of retainorship to you. Will you accept my offer?"

OOC: Well I am also looking forward to not feeding them lousy mosquitoes anymore, we can just rub that into jiangbao later in the PH.

[Seewichai]

[Yeah, but I think this should be the last year for him too.]

Bowing low, "Your Highness, I am very humble from your praise. To be of a service to a master who looks highly on me is definitely enticing." Looking straight to the young king. "If I may ask a few questions for myself before I decide..." Jing Yun rubbed his chin, "Firstly, what is Your Highness's aims and goals? Secondly, what will be my position in Your Highness's service?" Jing Yun asked enquiringly.

"Thirdly as for myself, all I asked is the head or heads of the mastermind who caused the death of the late Marquis Yi Lian of Huainan. If we ever crossed paths with him or them." Jing Yun remembered something, "Lastly, I have some brothers-in-arms numbering slightly more than 2000. Will you be taking them into your service too?"

[Big Grizzy]

Grizzly:
The city guards halted the progression outside the city gates. The sergeant on duty recognised a diplomatic envoy when he saw one and sent a runner scurrying to alert the audience hall of the incoming visitor. The duty officer hurried down from the battlements overseeing the city gates and greeted the envoy.

"Dear Envoy,

I am Lt Huang, duty officer of the North gate of Shangdang. I will have to request that you leave your men outside the city walls. We have a comfortable guest house to accomodate them and refreshments will be provided. I will also request that you leave any weapons behind. This troop here will guide you to the Audience Hall and be in charge of your personal safety within the city throughout this visit.

Please show your diplomatic seal to the clerical officer on duty at the Audience Hall, to verify your identity as a diplomat from your said kingdom."

The Lieutenant gestured to a squad of 10 soldiers led by another lieutenant. The squad stood at attention, ready for any inspection that the envoy of Changshan may wish to conduct.

Assuming you have no objections to the above arrangements, 2 men of the squad were sent a short distance ahead of the party to ensure clear passage to the Audience Hall. The rest of guard of honour fell in place around Sima Fe and marched in step with him to the Audience Hall.

OOC: If I happend to be absent, Yuan Shu may be the one following thru with this audience. I apologise in advance for being away.

As the guards step forward Sima Fe frowned and raised a hand to signal them to stop. He remained in the seat of his carriage and spoke to the Lieutenant.

"I am an envoy, and thus carry no weapons. I do require the presence of two of my escort at all times and they are not to be disarmed. I myself will not submit to a search. To even ask is to disrespect the very office of an envoy. If these terms are not acceptable I will return to my lord to inform him of your rudeness."

[SituJinrong]

See:

Jin replied confidently
"In direct response to your queries, I hope to restore a sense of calm to the middle kingdom. Force is a lesser method that I wish to avoid, but at the same time will not cringe from using it. It is my opinion that collateral damage is regrettable but acceptable, so long as the benefits derived from a long standing peace outweighs the pains inflicted in the conflicts prior to that. The last thing I want to see is a peace dominated by incompetence, that will effectively throw us back to square one before all these chaos reign or an endless war that taxes the people for no benefits.

I employ people accordingly to their skills. You are obviously at ease with collecting information, and that is where I will likely use you. However I avoid such hazardous duties as much as I can, our chief of intelligence is a most capable men and we have been able to know with relative confidence the stregnth of most of our enemies. Sending importna officers out to collect infomration themselves is only a means of verification, an action I try to avoid.
In times when your skills at information gathering are not used, I will have to request you help manage the reconstruction projects in the kingdom. We are trying to undo as much of the collateral damage that this country has suffered.
Your eventual position and rank is limited only by your ability and the commitment to the country.

Lastly, I have but 2 things to ask from my serving officers. Loyalty and team work. Loyalty is pretty clear cut, since one can hardly give heavy responsibilites to a soldier he can hardly trust. Team work often conflicts with personal interest, and over here, we advocate team work very much. I have noted your greviences against those who killed Margquis Yi, and will assist when the opportune moment arrives, but I will NOT tolerate a personal vendetta to drive a kingdom's plan. Even I myself is constrained so, we may be liege and officers to the commoners, but at the end of the day, we are still servants to the people. We owe them a responsibility to not let our personal emotions affect our better judgement.

I hope this compromise that I request of you is not too much to ask for. And please enjoy the tea......"

Jin sipped his tea after the long reply.


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

Grizzy:

The Lieutenant mantain a stoic face and said "With all due respects, I repeat myself, I asked you to surrender your weapons before you proceed to the hall, and I never specifically insist on a search. Also, my instructions have been very precise, your personal guards are not to proceed without an express waiver from my commanders. I have already detailed an escort of 10 of my soldiers to ensure your safety from this gate to the audience hall.

If you insist on bringing your guards in, you will have to wait here while I seek instructions from my senior officer on duty."

[Big Grizzy]

Grizzy:

The Lieutenant mantain a stoic face and said "With all due respects, I repeat myself, I asked you to surrender your weapons before you proceed to the hall, and I never specifically insist on a search. Also, my instructions have been very precise, your personal guards are not to proceed without an express waiver from my commanders. I have already detailed an escort of 10 of my soldiers to ensure your safety from this gate to the audience hall.

If you insist on bringing your guards in, you will have to wait here while I seek instructions from my senior officer on duty."

Sima Fe stared down the Lieutenant. "Go seek your further instructions, Lieutenant. As an envoy to unfamiliar territory, I will go no further without at least two of my own guards, with their arms."

[SituJinrong]

After some time, the guard returned.

"I bring word from the head of the palace guard detail, that you should return to where you come from. If your lord wishes to communicate with my king as equals, and genuinely has no intent to raise a racket in Wei, he will send someone who will respect our security arrangement and rules in Shangdang.

Be gone now".

The lieutenant returned to his post by the city gate. At the battlements over the city gates, an extra guard detail, on top of the normal strenght on duty, made its presence knowm. No hostile action/expressions were taken, just stoic expressionless faces of alert guards.......

[Big Grizzy]

Sima Fe scowled at the Lieutenant. "Very well then. It is obvious your King can't be bothered to speak with an envoy to his court. I will return to my lord and report this. Have a nice day, Lieutenant Huang." With that, the envoy signaled to his escort to turn around and return to Changshan.

[Seewichai]

Jing Yun nodded his head in admiration. "Your Highness is definitely benevolent and impartial even in a young age. I fully comprehend what you had shared with me." Jing Yun smiled, "However, Your Highness have yet answered my question of my 2000 brothers in arms."

[SituJinrong]

See:

"In times like this, one can never complain having more men serving him. I will be glad to have your brothers fighitng under my banner, that is, if they are willing to do that."