Sai Provincial Roleplay

[Brother Dun]

Ranzhen politely declined the tea. "I had half a canteen of water on the journey to your village," he explained. "I misjudged the distance it would take to get here from the river landing."

"As to me turning you over to the Chu, why would I? I have already asked for your help in finding these documents and I can plainly see you have a plethora of them yourself. If it were your head I was after I could have already called the local governor and had his troops here. I doubt it would take very much name-dropping to get him to listen." Calmly, the young man crossed his legs and rested an elbow there. He was glancing all around the house as if trying to absorb the knowledge from the tomes through sight alone. "I'm simply asking for you to point me in the correct direction, Master Zu. I will share anything I find with you afterward and it is quite possible my little expedition would enrich your own knowledge. Surely a learned man such as yourself knows a good bargain when he sees one?"

The scholar frowned at the denial of his tea, but then gave the man a smile after he spoke. Pausing once more to take a sip, he looked at Ranzhen with a scholarly look, "You know, Minister Zhang, it is rude to deny the hospitality of your host," he said with a chuckle, "However, I now see the sense in your words. You have proven yourself not to be someone who could be trying to destroy what it is that I have worked so hard to create," he said with another pause, and yet another sip of tea.

"However, I must tell you that it is a bargain that means nothing to me, for I already have what it is that you seek. As it is known, I was once a former Qin record keeper. I managed to save many rare books and a collection of the official records from the sacking of Xianyang. I had been planning my escape to this village as soon as the reign of the Second Emperor had begun. When it was clear he would fetter away him empire, I feared the retribution of those his father had conquered. I merely... Misjudged who it would that would cause the destruction. I figured that Liu Bang would destroy the city, however, it was not until Xiang Yu arrived that the city was sacked. I could have saved so much more in that time in between," he said with a sigh, "However, if it is birth records and tax records that you seek, I have quite the collection of official documents, kept within my personal library at my humble abode."

The scholar stopped speaking and turned away from his guest, rising from his seat, he walked towards the bookshelf behind him. He scanned the tomes that were upon the shelf before finally pulling a thick tome out from the shelf, hidden away in the corner, "I believe this is what you seek... If I have not misjudged you. The birth records of Qin nobility within the last couple of decades. This one chronicles the births of the Ying family itself, as well as major nobility such as the Li, the Meng and the Zhao families. If you would like the minor nobility, I have that here as well. In there you will find families such as my own. I also have death records in regards to the nobility, if you would seek that as well."

[Zhao Ren]

The scholar started to feel a bit for this man, he may be ruthless, but he does seem to have a desire to help those under his care, "Magister Fang, I believe one problem that you are having is that the people do not yet respect the rule of law. While hanging the bandits and fugitives will help, it is not quite enough. Magister Fang, you need to create a hero. A hero that the people will look up to, a hero that the people will flock to. It is true that through out history, successful rule is based upon respect, order. If the people have themselves a hero, then they will follow him to the ends of the earth. The people are restless because they do not have, in their eyes, anyone to follow... Increase your profile amongst the people, claim that you fought for them, to try and prevent what befell here. Paint Xiang Yu as the great monster who will one day return, and that you will be here to turn him back. Have what soldiers you can spare to help rebuild the city, clear away the rubble and rebuild. Use what remains of the Palace of Epang to help build new structures. Win over the peoples hearts and they will not resort to banditry, and will sell out those that do to you. Another option would be to put a price on the bandits, a minor one obviously, but in such a time of devastation, people will turn them in. They dislike them just as much as you do."

"Master Zu, there are no more heroes. If there were any, they died at Julu." Fang Lun's expression was utterly haunted, it seemed quite possible that he happened to be one of the few survivors of that nightmarish day when thousands of Qin soldiers were buried alive, massacred save for their officers and the few who managed to escape. Fang Lun quietly echoed, "No more heroes at all..." Fang Lun sighed, "Or if there was one, he is not to be found." Fang Lun grimly shook his head and continued, "I have tried to do as you said once before, but the people hold me responsible for this disaster. I was one of the officials who handed the seals of office over to General Liu, who is now the King of Han." He pointed out the door accusingly, his tone bitter and hurt, "They... they blame me for what befell the Capital. They consider me as cruel as the bandits I would wish to exterminate. They cannot be won over, the city is lost and has been since that ogre, Xiang Yu, left. All I can do... all I can do is what I have done, to fight against what banditry that spouts up. This is what I feel, Master Zu, this is what I have seen."

[Brother Dun]

"Master Zu, there are no more heroes. If there were any, they died at Julu." Fang Lun's expression was utterly haunted, it seemed quite possible that he happened to be one of the few survivors of that nightmarish day when thousands of Qin soldiers were buried alive, massacred save for their officers and the few who managed to escape. Fang Lun quietly echoed, "No more heroes at all..." Fang Lun sighed, "Or if there was one, he is not to be found." Fang Lun grimly shook his head and continued, "I have tried to do as you said once before, but the people hold me responsible for this disaster. I was one of the officials who handed the seals of office over to General Liu, who is now the King of Han." He pointed out the door accusingly, his tone bitter and hurt, "They... they blame me for what befell the Capital. They consider me as cruel as the bandits I would wish to exterminate. They cannot be won over, the city is lost and has been since that ogre, Xiang Yu, left. All I can do... all I can do is what I have done, to fight against what banditry that spouts up. This is what I feel, Master Zu, this is what I have seen."

The scholar thought for a moment, "Then that truly is a problem Magister Fang... If you feel that the people blame you for what has befallen them..."

"Perhaps you could create a new hero? Believe me when I say that not all heroes have died. Many perished at Julu, far too many... However, there are those that survived. Perhaps you could make a hero out of one of your men, or perhaps another? If such a strategy should not work, then I would fall back upon civil improvement. Fix that which is broken, place a bounty upon criminals and devote your soldiers towards reconstruction, rebuilding. With the bounty upon the bandits, then your men will not have to root them out, and if they rebuild the city, then the people shall be thankful for your aid. What's done is done, you cannot rewrite the past, however, you can still dictate the future. The people, whether they accept it or not, look to you for leadership. You must be both hard and soft, stern, but lenient. The people themselves have turned towards banditry for lack of having anything left to work for... However, if you rebuild the city, rebuild their shattered lives, they will have more to do. Enrich the people, and they will smile upon you. If you outlaw banditry, and put a bounty upon them, the people will stop doing such vile things once a few examples have been made... Examples more so than what has been done already. Once people begin to see the reward of the turning in of bandits, the bandits will cease to exist, as it will be too dangerous for them. You must focus upon civil services, to replace what it is that a career in banditry has to offer, Magister Fang. Once you have done so, and once the people see that you actually care for them, then they will follow you. They will love you. As a first step, declare a holiday to honor the dead. The dead of the war, the dead of the disaster. All the while, paint Xiang Yu as the true villain, do not draw attention to your own actions, do not draw attention to those who came before you. You must first deflect any ill thoughts away from yourself."

[Radical Dreamer]

[quote]The scholar frowned at the denial of his tea, but then gave the man a smile after he spoke. Pausing once more to take a sip, he looked at Ranzhen with a scholarly look, "You know, Minister Zhang, it is rude to deny the hospitality of your host," he said with a chuckle, "However, I now see the sense in your words. You have proven yourself not to be someone who could be trying to destroy what it is that I have worked so hard to create," he said with another pause, and yet another sip of tea.

"However, I must tell you that it is a bargain that means nothing to me, for I already have what it is that you seek. As it is known, I was once a former Qin record keeper. I managed to save many rare books and a collection of the official records from the sacking of Xianyang. I had been planning my escape to this village as soon as the reign of the Second Emperor had begun. When it was clear he would fetter away him empire, I feared the retribution of those his father had conquered. I merely... Misjudged who it would that would cause the destruction. I figured that Liu Bang would destroy the city, however, it was not until Xiang Yu arrived that the city was sacked. I could have saved so much more in that time in between," he said with a sigh, "However, if it is birth records and tax records that you seek, I have quite the collection of official documents, kept within my personal library at my humble abode."

The scholar stopped speaking and turned away from his guest, rising from his seat, he walked towards the bookshelf behind him. He scanned the tomes that were upon the shelf before finally pulling a thick tome out from the shelf, hidden away in the corner, "I believe this is what you seek... If I have not misjudged you. The birth records of Qin nobility within the last couple of decades. This one chronicles the births of the Ying family itself, as well as major nobility such as the Li, the Meng and the Zhao families. If you would like the minor nobility, I have that here as well. In there you will find families such as my own. I also have death records in regards to the nobility, if you would seek that as well."[/quote]

"You have the dynastic record?" Ranzhen asked, his voice low and laced with curiosity. "How difficult would it be to, perhaps, find the progenitor of a child fathered by an Imperial relative if the mother was not of nobility? Perhaps if the father was of the Ying clan itself?" There was no mistaking the tightness in the young man's voice and he seemed to realize it himself for he blinked and leaned back in his chair.

"Hypothetically, of course. Such knowledge would be greatly useful in case someone wishes to keep tabs on possible threats to the Hegemon King. If I were to learn that knowledge and keep it secret, it would give me an edge over my rivals, would it not?"



[quote]The mans neck twisted back as he glanced at the man speaking in his direction. Bringing his horse to a stop he let out a slight sigh before addressing the man. "What exactly do you need? I'm in no need of money or food. Thus, I don't need to run about doing menial tasks of labor." Pausing the man cracked a grin. "I figured I'd tell you that from the start of the conversation. I've heard about people calling up men around the land for a number of tasks. From manual labor to recruiting men to join their personal armies."[/quote]

Zhang Ban warily inclined his head in respect, for he had stopped the man to question him, but Ban did not like the look of the brigand.

"My master wishes to find a man named Shou. He would be young, possibly avoiding major cities in Sai, and have past experience as a soldier. Do you know this man?"

[Belial]

@Belial

Sometime after his visit with the Qi scholar, Ying Ranzhen did indeed travel into the ruined city of Xianyang. There was some government, but it was obviously a shoestring operation. Guards were camping out in the ruined husks of the gate, even.

Ranzhen and his bodyguard rode into the city without raising much of a fuss and tried to find room at a not-ruined inn, preferably one close to the destroyed palace.

The city of Xianyang had burned for almost three months and now it laid as little more than ruins. The city had been gutted by the fires of war and the people forever ravaged. Those few survivors had a ragged and exhausted look to them. Their clothes dirty with soot and their skin blackened from exposure. Sickness ran rampant through the streets and men, women, and child alike held a starved edge to their appearance. Their forms slight from malnutrition even with the slight aid they received from the weak and unstable government which had risen from the ruins of Xianyang. The city had been forever gutted and the once beautiful city forever maimed by the flames of war.

Finding a inn, much less so close to the palace, proved a challenge. Finding a untouched inn all but impossible. Yet, finally, Ying Ranzhen came across a mostly untouched inn. The building's frame had been scorched, but, it remained upright. Its double doors lay opened, one left ajar while the other had been knocked free from its frame. Revealing a faint hint of movement within the darkness. A quick investigation provided a writhing, but, solemn mass of humanity. Their faces drawn with the anguish of their losses, countless men and women filled that makeshift shelter. Occupying its depths while a single man stood behind the counter. He was openly armed, a unsheathed dao hastily slipped within the hem of his belt. While the man held a hint of fat and health the others missed. Even the man's skin and clothes seemed properly clean. Yet, the source of his prosperity was more than obvious. A soup, while watery, had been seemingly sold to those within the building. Offering a small reprieve against their gnawing hunger while in return the man had a growing mound of valuables within a opened and visible storage room.

The bar was tense, its atmosphere solemn, and perhaps the only thing keeping the greedy barkeep from being mauled was four slight, but, fed men who held onto a motley assortment of weapons within inexperienced hands.

[GoGo the Monkey]

Zhang Ban warily inclined his head in respect, for he had stopped the man to question him, but Ban did not like the look of the brigand.

"My master wishes to find a man named Shou. He would be young, possibly avoiding major cities in Sai, and have past experience as a soldier. Do you know this man?"

The man could not help but raise a brow when the question arose. It was rare that the people who looked for him knew his name. The thought unsettled him, his grip upon the hilt of his weapon tightening. He was sure that Xiang Yu had destroyed most if not all of the records. Positive that little survive after the battle of Julu he could not bring himself to believe someone knew of his existence. It must have been Zhang Han's doing once more he thought, a traitor to even the smallest of people. Had he observed the massacre and watched those few that escaped only to have them hunted? The mans face begun to twist at the thought of it all.

"And who exactly is your master?" Shou questioned, turning his horse in the mans direction. His thoughts beginning to bounce around inside his head, eyes shifting in every direction. He refused to die today just as he refused to die at Julu.

[Brother Dun]

"You have the dynastic record?" Ranzhen asked, his voice low and laced with curiosity. "How difficult would it be to, perhaps, find the progenitor of a child fathered by an Imperial relative if the mother was not of nobility? Perhaps if the father was of the Ying clan itself?" There was no mistaking the tightness in the young man's voice and he seemed to realize it himself for he blinked and leaned back in his chair.

"Hypothetically, of course. Such knowledge would be greatly useful in case someone wishes to keep tabs on possible threats to the Hegemon King. If I were to learn that knowledge and keep it secret, it would give me an edge over my rivals, would it not?"

The scholar gave Ranzhen a sly smile, taking note of the man's tightness of voice, "Hmm... That... Might be difficult to track, to say the least. Depending on how the noble feels about the particular birth, it may or may not be under their name. However, more than likely, the birth will be listed under the mother's name, and the noble will be given an assumed name... If there is a particular person you're looking for, in that particular situation it would be much easier to find out the truth with these records then. You can generally trace the birth through the mother in such a situation... To simply comb through them looking to find someone who, perhaps, is of the Ying familiy caste, without actually looking for someone in particular, would be impossible. If you want, you may begin to look through these birth records of the Ying family, however, I can tell you, if you wish to look for a commoners child... It will take far more time. They were quite expansive, and not necessarily accurate. Peasants were not the most, organized people to say the least. Many births went unrecorded."

[Kymvir Raemiz]

A small train of six wagons and a little more than a score of people trundle into the village. The caravan was made up of men, women and children, and all looked exhausted. The wagons were battered, and one was blackened by fire. A skinny, pale man jumped down from the front wagon and approached the nearest villager.

"Please good sir, can you tell us who runs this village? I need to speak with them."

((Brother Dun, this is your village.))

[Brother Dun]

The villager, a farmer by trade, who was just returning from the field, looked at the man and the rest of his caravan. The farmer took pity upon the weary travelers and pointed to the villa belonging to the village chief, Zu Yanghei, "That place over there is the home of the village headman, Zu Yanghei. He is the man that you seek. If he isn't there, he may be at the grand library."

The farmer paused a moment and asked, "What is it that happened to you and your people? It seems that you have gone through some tough times... There is an inn near the center of town, the owner of the establishment is a good man, I am sure that the women and children at least would enjoy a rest there."

[Kymvir Raemiz]

The villager, a farmer by trade, who was just returning from the field, looked at the man and the rest of his caravan. The farmer took pity upon the weary travelers and pointed to the villa belonging to the village chief, Zu Yanghei, "That place over there is the home of the village headman, Zu Yanghei. He is the man that you seek. If he isn't there, he may be at the grand library."

The farmer paused a moment and asked, "What is it that happened to you and your people? It seems that you have gone through some tough times... There is an inn near the center of town, the owner of the establishment is a good man, I am sure that the women and children at least would enjoy a rest there."

The skinny man shrugged, and gave a sad smile, "It is merely the fortunes of war, my friend. My Family would enjoy any hospitality you could provide, and of course, we have some coin we can give you to pay for it."

He waved at the wagons and indicated the way to the inn. The tired looking travelers urged the oxen pulling their wagons forward, and the whole bunch trundled towards the building. The man turned back and nodded to the farmer and then made his way through the village up towards the large house beyond the village. He stopped briefly on the way to extract a long narrow bundle wrapped in cloth from one of the wagons. As he approached the villa, he began whistling loudly in the hopes of attracting attention.