Liu Jin's Audience Hall - Shou Yang

[SituJinrong]

The sergeant gave a hearty laugh. "Our king lives for the people of Wei, he always have time for the common folks like us, very well then," turning to the 2 escorting guards "You heard the man, led the way and pass alond his name to the duty officer."

The guards led Tai through a wide path that led directly to the audience hall. Along the way Tai should be able see signs of prosperity that has begun to creep back into the city, the relative stability that Liu Jin had brought to the city for the last 6 months has done it some good. Rumours are adrift that certain commodity prices will been dropping a little soon since the province has finally been rid of the bandits that plagued it for a long while.

At the audience hall, Tai was urshered to a table, refreshments were served and after a short moment, King Liu made his entrance.

"I was informed, master Diao, that you were seeking an audience. How may I help you?"

[tanis]

Diao Tai was seated when Lui Jin entered the audience hall. He immediately pushed him self up from hit seat and bowed to Lui Jin.

"Thank you for seeing me lord Lui Jin. I was born here in Shou Yang. I will always want whats best for this city and you, Lord Lui Jin, seem to share that desire with me. I have never in my life seen this city so prosperous. I have come here today to pledge my commanding skills to you."

[SituJinrong]

A visible smile broke on Liu Jin face after hearing Tai's words.

"Times are hard and we need every able pair of hands to help out when they can. I welcome you to the kingdom." Motioning to a page next to him, " Tie Niu, here, will lead you to your quarters, after you have settled in, perhaps you can report to Supreme Commander Wu, and General Sun/Ji. They will bring you up to speed on what is happening within our kingdom."

OOC: Diao Tai recruited. Please post in kingdom's OI http://www.simwarlords.net/forum/viewto ... 8&start=20
and PH access will be granted shortly.

[LuNing]

The journey to Shou Yang was a comftable one , from Dai it was a reliative breeze compared to the journey he had taken a few years earlier from his home in Chang Sha. Arriving at the city Ning wasted no time in heading for the hall of Liu Jin a young man , younger than Lu himself but one who supposedly showed much promise in bringing about a end to the bloodshed.

Arriving at the young lords hall Lu walked towards the gaurd and bowed , as was custom , before addressing him.

Lu Ning: I am Lu Ning of Chang Sha i wish to speak with Lord Liu Jin , i carry no harmful posessions and intend no ill will upon the young lords life . You may search me and take my horse untill i am ready to depart.

[SituJinrong]

The sergeant of sentry, that is on duty, took a look at the young man and then quickly motioned another guard to conduct the customary security search.

"Please follow this soldier here, he will guide you to the audience hall. You may have to wait a little, since we were not alerted earlier. Next time, you may wish to tell the guys right at the city gate, so a runner may be sent ahead to alert us."

Two other guards later escorted Ning to the Audience Hall where a moment's later, Jin entered along with Yuan Shu, flanked with by his usual assortment of guards. Both of them were talking with each other and appeared to discussing matters of the state.


After the customary exchange of greetings, and making sure refreshments were served, Liu enquired
"Good day, master Lu, I was told you were seeking an audience with me. May I know what the matter is?"

OOC: I will be away for a full day later, if needed Yuan Shu, will take over the audience if you do nto mind.

[DotN]

Walking was kind of a bitch, but so was stealing a horse, and Zhuge Ze had neither the time nor the patience to trick some poor peasant out of his steed. So the only other logical option was to have someone carry him, but he could find no friend willing enough to do so. Thus, he walked, and though he did not enjoy it, he eventually reached Shou Yang. Tired, but unwilling to show signs of weakness, the young man walked confidently up to the guards ((or whoever happens to decide who comes in)) and grinned.

"I am Lord Zhuge of Quni. It is my intention to see your master, take me to him."

Without a single bow or nod he waited, impatiently tapping his foot. His grin had faded.

[SituJinrong]

The sentry sergeant on duty eyed Zhuge, and then said respectfully,

"I interpret that as you are looking for our King, King Liu of Wei? If so, our security protocols dictate that I search you as a precaution. We have learnt to not take anything for granted since the last attempted assasination. Any items surrenderd here will be held in confidence at our guard house and returned to you after your audience with our King. ANd oh yes I need to knwo the purpose of your visit."

Assuming, that Zhuge agreed, surrendered weapons and nothing further was found.......

During the search, a runner has been sent towards the audience hall to alert the housekeeping staff of a possible visitor. The sergeant motioned to 2 other guards from another detail, "You and you, yes I am calling Si Gou..... Escort this gentlemen to the audience hall, take good care of him and make sure nobody disturb him, he claims to be a noble lord from Quni. And hand this calling card to the officer on duty at the audience hall" The sergeant handed over a bamboo scribe plate, where Zhuge's name and purpose of visit were imprinted.

Along the way to the audience hall, Zhuge should notice a jubilant mood abound in the city. From little bits and pieces overhead, he should be able to gather that the common folks were rejoicing at yet another bloodless victory the armies have secured.

Once Zhuge enters the audience hall, he was motioned to the guest table and refreshments were served. A calm but attentive mood prevails in the hall, calm because of the soft, serene sounds of a Qin playing in the background ever so softly, attentive and serious no doubt emmitted by the alert looks of the guards on duty.

A moment later, Liu Jin entered the hall, and seated himself on the throne, after the ususla pleasantries were exchanged, Jin asked, " A messenger informed me earlier that someone from Quni arrived. What is it that I can do for you?"

[DotN]

The search seemed a little unnecessary, but Ze reluctantly agreed. As he followed the sergeant to the hall, he couldn't help but scoff at the petty celebrations of the peasants.

When they had reached the hall, Zhuge Ze had once again regained his grin. Slightly impressed by the hospitality, he gladly accepted a seat at the table. Upon Liu Jin's appearance, he stood up but still gave no bow, just a slight nod. He thought it quite odd when his host seated himself upon the throne rather than across him at the table. After retaking his seat, Ze listened to Liu Jin's words.

"I came here to have a discussion with a King of the land, other than that, Lord Liu, you can do little for me. For the past few years, I have done nothing to participate in this madness that various warlords have created. Seeing little opportunity to further myself, I have chose to wait in Quni and concentrate on my studies, but now I felt that it is time for Zhuge Ze to reveal his genius to the world. So I have begun the search for a worthy lord to serve."

Ze paused, taking a sip of his drink.

"Now the logical choice would have been Jin Kai as he is currently in possession of Changshan, but for some reason, I just don't feel he has done enough to earn my abilities. I have seen some of your accomplishments. They are somewhat impressive, but still I am not convinced. I need to know your intentions, what is your overall scheme in proclaiming yourself King? Is your ambition any greater than that?"

[SituJinrong]

When they had reached the hall, Zhuge Ze had once again regained his grin. Slightly impressed by the hospitality, he gladly accepted a seat at the table.

OOC: Technically, I am a king, and being seated on the same table as a king is a great honour, not something that is to be bestowed to any one walking in.

Upon Liu Jin's appearance, he stood up but still gave no bow, just a slight nod. He thought it quite odd when his host seated himself upon the throne rather than across him at the table. After retaking his seat, Ze listened to Liu Jin's words.

Jin silently noted that the man in front of him failed to pay the respects due to a king, but remained stoic.

"Only arrogant fools or wise sages would walk in to seek a direct discussion with a king. You have yet to prove yourself to be an arrogant fool, and being in every growing needs for more men of talents to help out in my growing administration, I will give you the benefits of doubt, and consider you a wise man until you prove otherwise.

Jin Kai capitulation to the King of Yin may not necessarily be a bad thing, it did after all avert another senseless bloodshed, and we have too many lives thrown away in the past one year.

I agree with you, fate has been rather kind to me for the last few months, but I suspect things may change a little now. We are currently engaged in a campaign to seize the province Di. The governors of Di are vassals of an organisation that is based somewhere to the south west of Shou Yang. We have reasons to believe that this organisation is one of the perpetuers who strung puppet bandit bands in Wei just couple of months back. These bandits harassed the commoners and generally caused much hardships. My generals have since driven these out from Wei.
Going back to Di, I believe my Supreme Commander Wu Weilong has achieved a position in Di that is tactically superior, however, given their history of total disregard to human lives, I believe the overlords of Di will continue to challenge us as we tighten our grip on the province. We expect to win the battle eventually, but again with our opponents using the strategy of buying time with troops, I fear we will have a blood bath there soon.

Lets talk about yourself, you claimed nobility lineage by refering to yourself as a Lord. May I enquire about your esteemed linage? Also, you mentioned about your prior studies, what skills and talents do you have, and how may these help my administration should you consider to serve me? I apologise if I am jumping to conclusions prematurely, but I was kind of hoping I have been able to impress on you to at least have you consider me worthy to serve."

[DotN]

((I know, but Zhuge Ze thinks a lot of himself.))

Ze pondered the words of Liu Jin and decided to choose his words carefully.

"How else is one suppose to discover the true intentions and values of a king? The only possible way is to meet with the ruler and let them slowly reveal themselves. I am neither arrogant nor wise; I would rather use the words confident and cunning. Arrogance and confidence can often be synonymous with each other. If a minister boasts of his abilities and succeeds, he is labeled as confident. However, should he fail, he was arrogant. Since I plan to succeed in my endeavors, I prefer confidence over arrogance. I am not yet wise as my age has not allowed me to experience all of what this world has to offer. However, though I have participated in few battles, I have yet to lose a single engagement to any enemies I've faced. As you can tell, I am not a physically gifted individual, and so I could not count on my strength to bring victory in battle. Instead, I was forced to use my mind, and with it I outwitted each of my opponents. So cunning is a more fitting word."

Taking another sip, Zhuge Ze thought more about Jin's other questions. His lineage was a matter he had been asked to explain a lot.

"As for my lineage. My great-grandfather, Ge Danwei, was a pious minister who loyally served the Kingdom of Yan as a magistrate of a small town. When he died, my grandfather Ge Rong took over the town, and made vast improvements to its commerce and trade, however, Ge Rong died young and my father was not yet of age. Thus, a man name Zhu Fuyuan was appointed to govern the town until my father could take over. Fuyuan grew to admire my father and adopted him into his family. However, so as to preserve his family lineage, my father chose to keep the character Ge and added the other character to his surname. In this manner, he became Zhuge Nu. When the Qin conquered my father's town, many of my brother's fell in battle. My father, however, defended well and earned General Meng Tian's respect. He served General Meng as an adviser until his death. When he died, as his eldest living son, I inherited his post. Although I quickly abandoned it as I do not desire to dabble in the affairs of a dying dynasty."

"As for my skills, I have studied many ancient texts on the strategies of war. I am not meant to fight on the front lines, however, I am a more than able general when allowed to govern the troops from afar. Also, due to my father's passions, I am well versed in the politics of the day, and though I do not desire it, I would be a capable magistrate. However, I fear you have spoke in haste, as I have yet to determine whether or not I will seek employ in your service. I would first like to learn if you have a grander ambition than just Kingship. What, my lord, are your desires?"