Warlords: Three Kingdoms

Han shrugged.

"As an officer of the court, you are welcome to accompany us as far as you wish. I am not certain what your objectives could be and once battles start, perhaps you would do better to return to court?"

His gaze left no denial that Han's feeling of all this was that Yu was a fool and dared to openly send someone to record his actions.

Waving away the comment about the army behind them, Han added:

"These men have no idea of my expectations yet, but they will learn quickly or suffer the consequences from both my hand and that of our enemy. There is little mercy in battle."

Jun chuckled at Zhang's sarcasm. "I thank the Marquis for his concern, but I don't think a minor skirmish will pose any danger to my person," the Swordbearer said, in what was his own attempt to belittle Zhang Han's charge. "Yong - or wherever you're going - should offer some resistance but none of the same magnitude to that of the war waged not so long ago. That so protracted a war that reportedly separated heroes from men, statesmen from fools..."

He scanned the army again before shifting his gaze back to Zhang Han, "and Kings from peasants."

Jun purposely punctuated the last comparison, as he attempted to stress a point. That Zhang Han had abandoned his pride an instance too many must be so overwhelming that even a commission such as this one will do little to appease his humbled spirit. Or, so thought Xiang Jun.

"Mercy from a determined foe is such a rare commodity, Marquis Zhang," he later conceded. "I am glad to call on you as an ally in the service of King Xiang and the Son of Heaven."

Han seemed impatient, he had such disdain for wordplay.

"Yes, in the service of the Son of Heaven, of course. What can you offer in terms of battle support, this bunch of... my men could use an enthusiastic young officer amongst them, if you believe you could be of help to me and you do not have more urgent court affairs to attend to of course."

Han was no fool, but he knew his current predicament and he had very few allies to call upon right now so he tested the waters, no one ever died from dipping a toe in them anyway, right?

"I offer only a chance to end a battle by risking the fate of one instead of the lives of so many more," Jun said, referring to his skills in martial combat. "As of the moment, I have standing offers to join the armies of lesser known officers in the service of the King. Yet, I am no fool to pass on a chance to earn some recognition alongside the Marquis - if only I am assured that he won't forget the sacrifices of this unworthy officer when he expands his sphere of influence beyond backwater Yong."

Another weak smile. Another trapping question.

"The conquest of Yong is just a matter of time. What interests me are the plans of the Marquis after Yong is brought under his control, especially that Liu Bang has nearly consolidated nearby Han."

Han nodded without much interest.

"I am not one to withhold rewards for merit, do you have something specific in mind?"

He looked at his traveling companion as if for the first time, his battlefield criticism plain through his gaze.

"It is obvious you are strong and well versed in the martial arts, but I wonder if you will be able to challenge and taunt another officer into a duel, I do not see that in you."

As if that was a second hand worry, Han jumps back into the matter at hand.

"What can Liu Bang do? He seems to be having a hard time in Han, I bet he fears leaving its borders. Yong is a good location for a military operation, aside from those silly raids from barbarians, we can easily control access to our borders."

Lei approached the camps of Ma Su's recently entitled army to take Dingtao. He noticed their rowdy behavior, but continued towards Ma Su's tent, and hailed a guard.

"I am Secretary Xu Lei. I would like to speak to your commander, Ma Su. It is regrading his commission to take Dingtao."

The guard, one of the only professional acting types around, saluted the Secretary and replied "Please, follow me Secretary Xu. I am sure he will be happy to see you."

Xu Lei was led to a tent nearby on top of a hill which overlooked much of Ma Su's campgrounds. Inside the tent was Ma Su and a group of around five or so other officers all watching him pointing to a map of a city that was hanging vertically from the tent's center pole, which could only be Dingtao. Su noticed his new guest, and, at first not recognizing him, after squinting he thought the face looked familiar. The guard gave an introduction. "General Ma, Secretary Xu is here to speak with you."

Su smiled a little and bowed, and the rest of the officers followed suit. "It is an honor to have you in my tent, Secretary. Have you come to inspect the troops?"

ann wrote: The tavern keeper shrugged a little and then said, "What's reliable about bandits? We think they came in a few days before they attacked. They were a wild sort ... disturbed. I didn't like them but you know - if you throw them out they break the place up." He shrugged again and then said, "Of course I can't be sure - they were fast when they hit and they kept to the shadows. It was night. Not much to see."

He turned and called out toward the back room.

"The boy he served the ones we think did it. Maybe he can tell you more."

A young boy came rushing out of the back. The sight of the visitor startled him and he skidded to a stop. Then looked at his master quietly.

"This man wants to know about those bandits." The tavern keeper indicated the officer and then went on, "Tell him what you know."

Jang tugged on his beard at the lack of information, it was not a dead end but still an inconvenience. when the young tavern boy was brought up and then appear, Jang looked down at him and smiled to ease his fear. bowing to the kid jang wished to try and make the kid more comfortable so he may get more information out of him.


"excuse me young lad, i am rou Jang, i have come here to ask you what you might know about the men you were serving before the bandits attack on your town. this man tells me you might have heard something that could help me in my investigation. if you tell em something i might be able to use ill gladly reward both of you for your efforts."

Jin Shi wrote:The guard, one of the only professional acting types around, saluted the Secretary and replied "Please, follow me Secretary Xu. I am sure he will be happy to see you."

Xu Lei was led to a tent nearby on top of a hill which overlooked much of Ma Su's campgrounds. Inside the tent was Ma Su and a group of around five or so other officers all watching him pointing to a map of a city that was hanging vertically from the tent's center pole, which could only be Dingtao. Su noticed his new guest, and, at first not recognizing him, after squinting he thought the face looked familiar. The guard gave an introduction. "General Ma, Secretary Xu is here to speak with you."

Su smiled a little and bowed, and the rest of the officers followed suit. "It is an honor to have you in my tent, Secretary. Have you come to inspect the troops?"

Lei entered the tent and bowed, smiling at Su's last statement.

"Officially, no. Unofficially, yes. I don't believe we ever met, commander, so forgive me if I am a bit straightforward. It is just that I have family in Liang and have a vested interest in making sure that they do not get destroyed with the latest set of commissioned troops. In fact they may even be able to help out the armies of Chu from within. Tell me, what is your strategy in taking Dingtao? It would seem difficult to arrange a campaign with troops that are this rowdy."

Ma Su listened to Xu with a serious expression as he spoke of his family. When Xu mentioned strategy, his expression perked up a bit at the word and went back to the map of the city.

"Your family will be of vital to our mission then, Secretary Xu. If you can tell me if there are any of your family in Dingtao and where they reside here I will be sure to personally lead my own unit to that sector. And what exactly can they do to help us?" He looked back briefly for a moment before he looked back at the map.

"As for taking the city itself: The troops are indeed rowdy. However, I think I know how to whip them into shape. And I think I know how you could help." He went over to a table nearby and took a knife that was stuck in it, his own ancestral knife. He started pointing at the map, at first on the outskirts and further towards the city as he progressed. "Officer Luo Jian will first issue a duel challenge to the traitor Fuyin Tang as we take formation. Having met the man, he will almost certainly refuse, which will serve as a good example to the troops and demoralize Dingtao's front line. Officer Huan Shan will then go through the lines and use Luo Jian's challenge as an example for which the troops should strive towards to further boost the unit's cohesiveness. Officer Dingzang will issue covering fire and then I will then prepare the men to outmaneuver and catch the enemy flanks by surprise and break open the center, through which Officer Cangpen will charge through and I will follow behind him. Officer Er will help keep the flanks preoccupied at the same time. Officers Luo and Ran will hassle the enemy's supply lines once the opportunity presents itself."

He stopped, and then looked back at Secretary Xu. "However, all this hinges on whether the men will follow instructions, and as you pointed out, they're not in the best of shape right now." He paused and looked at his lieutenants, all of whom had been mentioned in Ma Su's battle plan. He looked at Xu and thought for a moment. "I am missing a man who can electrify these men on the field of battle with words. We are soldiers, not speechmakers. You say you have a vested interest in Dingtao. Would you be willing to accompany us and put some fire in my men?"