Fei Lak's Audience Hall - Shanggu

[Big Grizzy]

Lak sighed.

"You come into my court and accuse me of things based on heresay and perception and I am the one that lacks respect? My armies move because we react to situations instead of waiting to see which side we should join. I sent an envoy to the King of Yin to find out what should be done about King Tian invading Jibei but he failed to commit to it. He avoided my direct proposal to enter Jibei myself. We requested support from your brother, same failure to commit. We secure Lu Ying's blessing with intentions of sharing Jibei with her, she fails to arrive with her promised troops as she planned her betrayal. Same is to be said of Cai Xingzhe who not only failed to support us despite his hate for King Tian, he betrayed us by joining the King."

The Marquis shook his head.

"We have never invaded or attacked an established ruler that was doing good for the population. I have many officers that believe in our cause, so whatever perception you believe is out there about us, it is wrong. We have attracted the finest scholars, doctors, engineers as well as warriors and commanders. It has been an issue since the start, we have so many folk wanting to join us we cannot support them and you believe I am worried about perception? Do you see my concern over this, I present facts while others spread rumors and gossip. If my former tutor wishes to try and fight those phantom accusations, he is welcome to do so, but he is doomed to fail as they do not even exist except in the mind of those spreading the same lies."

Wu Bei's face went past simply hard now, to boiling with anger. "Are you really so arrogant as to believe that the people's perception of you does not matter? Word of your generals' atrocities is not mere hearsay if it is spoken by as many lips as I have heard it from. Yet you continue to speak as though these are personal attacks by me and not what everyone in the bloody country knows. Can you tell me in all honesty that those who act in your name have not done what I hear? Did your Golden General not hang a man on crossed beams with nails, then break his legs and leave him to die? Did your General Lu not allow rats to feast upon a captured man? If you can say without equivocation that these things did not happen, then why do you allow the people this false perception?"

"As for your asking my brother for aid in the invasion of Jibei, there were many things against that proposal. He was still looking for the young lord prefect at the time, and when he was eventually found in a local brothel, he would not speak of war, or much else besides his lady of choice. Brother Kai wished to go assist you, but the massive snows that blanketed the entirety of the north made it a fool's errand to do so. Me and Brother Mai talked him out of it. Brother Kai's son Dun and Master Xian had a proposal to make it more worthwhile to the people of Changshan for the marching of armies, yet your envoy apparently thought it insulting, and I doubt he even told you."

"And never marching against and established ruler who is doing right by his people? There is room for argument about the King of Qi, but what of Yiye of Dai? There is no ill spoken of him. Why then would you agree to attack him? Is your ally in Wei so much better of a man than him that it behooves you both to march out your tired men?"

[Phailak]

Wu Bei's face went past simply hard now, to boiling with anger. "Are you really so arrogant as to believe that the people's perception of you does not matter? Word of your generals' atrocities is not mere hearsay if it is spoken by as many lips as I have heard it from. Yet you continue to speak as though these are personal attacks by me and not what everyone in the bloody country knows. Can you tell me in all honesty that those who act in your name have not done what I hear? Did your Golden General not hang a man on crossed beams with nails, then break his legs and leave him to die? Did your General Lu not allow rats to feast upon a captured man? If you can say without equivocation that these things did not happen, then why do you allow the people this false perception?"

"As for your asking my brother for aid in the invasion of Jibei, there were many things against that proposal. He was still looking for the young lord prefect at the time, and when he was eventually found in a local brothel, he would not speak of war, or much else besides his lady of choice. Brother Kai wished to go assist you, but the massive snows that blanketed the entirety of the north made it a fool's errand to do so. Me and Brother Mai talked him out of it. Brother Kai's son Dun and Master Xian had a proposal to make it more worthwhile to the people of Changshan for the marching of armies, yet your envoy apparently thought it insulting, and I doubt he even told you."

"And never marching against and established ruler who is doing right by his people? There is room for argument about the King of Qi, but what of Yiye of Dai? There is no ill spoken of him. Why then would you agree to attack him? Is your ally in Wei so much better of a man than him that it behooves you both to march out your tired men?"

Lak for the first time gave a warning glare.

"Oh yes, we are so evil here in Yan, yet I allow for an envoy to speak in anger before me. I care for what the people believe, the people that I protect, not the people in other parts of the land that base their opinion of me and my men on hearsay. If I cannot convince you here with my own words, how do you propose I do so with others? Should I engage in false politics and games of thrones to satisfy my own ego? The men you speak of were executed as rebels, as I believe is the right thing to do under the circumstances. Perhaps, if you had a witness to such an event or accusations actually brought before my court of such acts, I could recognize them but even then, I would question such a witness' credibility. I have been told of the situation in Changshan and I do not hold that against you, I am merely stating facts as they are. Support was requested, it was refused. The reason for the refusal was justified and so we accepted it. Of course the fool's errand you are referring to allowed us to score a total victory against the King, despite the storms and heavy snow and we knew this and decided to press that advantage despite the lack of support from those around us, so I would not so readily qualify it as foolish."

The Marquis paused to ask for some water, taking his time before continuing.

"As for what is occuring in Wei, I cannot discuss those matters with you as they involved others than myself, let us say that the Lord of Dai moved within Wei and that was the foundation for what is occuring out west right now. If you wish to know their motives for war, you should visit them."

With his water arrived, he took a few sips before continuing.

"Your visit here has proven that we do not see eye to eye, I am a reasonable man despite what you claim. Perhaps you have a suggestion on behalf of Kai as to how to proceed? I value his opinion and have heeded his advice in the past."

[Mikal]

LDW and Kuai

The golden armored man watched as the two powerful warriors squared off, his face deep in concentration.

"I believe we can speak in private. That will not be a problem." He bows his head respectfully towards the two.

Red and Phai and X

Khan listened to the man's proposal, before adding.

"What of mass production? While horses and blades for officers are well and good, our soldiers need blades as well. Can you provide those?"

[Melfice]

Bao Min finally sipped on his tea, and he looked more relaxed, and at peace.

" I know when I am defeated. Hopefully, No men shall die and Dai shall live. It is not our fault that our leader decided to make a careless mistake such as that. If anything, I shall make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. "

Bao Min switched tones, from a peaceful tone to a serious tone.

" But if you really do wish to conquer Dai, I have no choice but to join you. I will have no where else to go. "

Lak looked surprised, the first tie he let his emotions passed his mask of calm.

"Lieutenant General, I am honored you would consider joining us and should the need arise, we will welcome you as a brother, but I have no intentions on Dai with my armies, I am simply supporting the request of an ally. Now I have some influence with the Lord of Wei, if you intend to avoid bloodshed, that is possible. How much influence do you have in Dai exactly? Unfortunately, all my resources are concentrated on the eastern front and I know little of what is happening in Dai."

Bao Min grinned slightly.

" I have very good influence in Dai. I might even bring a few of my most trusted comrades. I see you mean no ill-will towards Dai. And I just now realize why. Dai is crumpling. This loss might as well spiral ourselves into a rebellion. And Marquis, I do not wish to be called by my title. I understand that it is proper but I don't come here as a General but as a humble servant to the people I believe in. People that meant no ill-will to this shithole of a land. The people that believe constant war is the remedy to constant depression are illogical monkeys. We will most likely retreat from that battle, our troops are valuable because they are the people who want to protect this land further. This land, Marquis, will regain its prosperity. If you wish to ask me anything else, feel free to. My time here can be as long as possible. "

[Phailak]

Bao Min grinned slightly.

" I have very good influence in Dai. I might even bring a few of my most trusted comrades. I see you mean no ill-will towards Dai. And I just now realize why. Dai is crumpling. This loss might as well spiral ourselves into a rebellion. And Marquis, I do not wish to be called by my title. I understand that it is proper but I don't come here as a General but as a humble servant to the people I believe in. People that meant no ill-will to this shithole of a land. The people that believe constant war is the remedy to constant depression are illogical monkeys. We will most likely retreat from that battle, our troops are valuable because they are the people who want to protect this land further. This land, Marquis, will regain its prosperity. If you wish to ask me anything else, feel free to. My time here can be as long as possible. "

Lak sighed.

"It pains me to have so little influence in the north west. To see such an honorable man as yourself left to your own devices to protect the people, it is an outrage. Do what you can to spare your men, bring them back into Dai and I will see what I can do to stop the war at Dai's borders."

Lak sighed once more, approaching the man in a more informal manner, drawing his guards near.

"I am an honest man Min and I will speak my mind to you here. I would welcome men of your talent here in Yan, but we are in the center of what could be a much worse war than what you will experience in Dai. We believe we fight for a good cause, but fight we do. I see the southern Lords gather more and more power, I will not stand idle until they come with vast armies and start making demands of my people. I'll fight fire with fire. If you seek a peaceful escape, perhaps Jin Kai in Changshan is better qualified to accomplish as he is an honorable man and his sense of peace is great. I fear I don't share his belief in the goodwill of others however and I prepare myself as such."

[Xiao Gau]

Red and Phai and X

Khan listened to the man's proposal, before adding.

"What of mass production? While horses and blades for officers are well and good, our soldiers need blades as well. Can you provide those?"

"Indeed. I have a small team of moderately skilled smiths who have mastered techniques for rapidly forging weapons of war, though we lack the full facilities available to the ruling class, as I said. And again, my Daiyu is able to produce the work of ten men at the forges. I also await word from an associate who may be able to provide me with horses from the steppes..."

[Phailak]

Red and Phai and X

Khan listened to the man's proposal, before adding.

"What of mass production? While horses and blades for officers are well and good, our soldiers need blades as well. Can you provide those?"

"Indeed. I have a small team of moderately skilled smiths who have mastered techniques for rapidly forging weapons of war, though we lack the full facilities available to the ruling class, as I said. And again, my Daiyu is able to produce the work of ten men at the forges. I also await word from an associate who may be able to provide me with horses from the steppes..."

Lak nodded.

"There is a very good chance we will need your services. If you could stay near Yan, I will formalize something to you soon and you may quote your price then. If you are in Yan, we can arrange for you to use the facilities for the time needed to make the weapons. Does that make sense?"

[Big Grizzy]

Lak for the first time gave a warning glare.

"Oh yes, we are so evil here in Yan, yet I allow for an envoy to speak in anger before me. I care for what the people believe, the people that I protect, not the people in other parts of the land that base their opinion of me and my men on hearsay. If I cannot convince you here with my own words, how do you propose I do so with others? Should I engage in false politics and games of thrones to satisfy my own ego? The men you speak of were executed as rebels, as I believe is the right thing to do under the circumstances. Perhaps, if you had a witness to such an event or accusations actually brought before my court of such acts, I could recognize them but even then, I would question such a witness' credibility. I have been told of the situation in Changshan and I do not hold that against you, I am merely stating facts as they are. Support was requested, it was refused. The reason for the refusal was justified and so we accepted it. Of course the fool's errand you are referring to allowed us to score a total victory against the King, despite the storms and heavy snow and we knew this and decided to press that advantage despite the lack of support from those around us, so I would not so readily qualify it as foolish."

The Marquis paused to ask for some water, taking his time before continuing.

"As for what is occuring in Wei, I cannot discuss those matters with you as they involved others than myself, let us say that the Lord of Dai moved within Wei and that was the foundation for what is occuring out west right now. If you wish to know their motives for war, you should visit them."

With his water arrived, he took a few sips before continuing.

"Your visit here has proven that we do not see eye to eye, I am a reasonable man despite what you claim. Perhaps you have a suggestion on behalf of Kai as to how to proceed? I value his opinion and have heeded his advice in the past."

Wu Bei looked at his robes, then at his sword and sighed as he forced himself back to a more suitable temperament.

"I am not an envoy by choice, Marquis. I am an envoy because I am one my brother trusts. I am not gifted with words like brother Kai, or wit like brother Mai. You slight my brother, I take offense. I speak of the people, you react in anger. In these ways, I am not fit for this task. I am a military man first.

"Even with your victory, I would call that campaign a fool's errand. You seem to have the luck of a fool, though. You were marching through blizzards to meet a superior foe on their terms, that is foolish. According to what I have heard, which you think little of, but no matter, the only reason you succeeded was because King Tian, like a fool, led from the front, was captured, and thus his army broke. If the choice was given to me again, I would still oppose it, because luck is a very temperamental thing, good one minute, vicious the next.

"My brother and I have differing opinions on what your next action should be. He would like to see you keep your armies at home, allow them to rest, and evaluate the situation in Jibei. I am of the opinion that if war must occur between you and the King of Yin, you must take the fight to him. Depending on the outcome of the King's attack I have two plans. If your men hold, you should launch a counter-offensive and strike at your unfaithful ally Consort Lu. If your cities fall, you launch a counter-attack and recover your losses as quickly as possible. You must be wary of Qi, however, as the King may look for an opportunity to retake Jibei."

[Xiao Gau]

Lak nodded.

"There is a very good chance we will need your services. If you could stay near Yan, I will formalize something to you soon and you may quote your price then. If you are in Yan, we can arrange for you to use the facilities for the time needed to make the weapons. Does that make sense?"

-=This time he smiles more pleasantly.=- "Excellency, I had intended to remain in the area for some few weeks. You are engaged in open hostilities again, are you not? I had arranged my schedule to keep me in the area should fortune favor you with victory. After all, one cannot run a business without inventory.

But, yes, we can certainly come to an accord for the production of arms. Did his Excellency have anything else to cover, or shall I depart to allow you to return to matters of state?"

[Kuai Wei]

LDW and Kuai

The golden armored man watched as the two powerful warriors squared off, his face deep in concentration.

"I believe we can speak in private. That will not be a problem." He bows his head respectfully towards the two.

Ma was somewhat suprised to see that someone had stepped in, one who'd come in to hear only of an attempt at a joke that wasn't taken very lightly. "You there, go about your business and leave." Ma said to the intruder, turning his head slightly with every word he muttered. His eyes were closed - a display of his overconfidence, or arrogance, that he could easily defend himself barehanded from the man. "I do not believe that lord Fei Lak would take kindly to news of engagement within his city, do you?" Turning back to Khan and ignoring whatever the warrior would have to say, Xiang scratched his nose with his right hand and motioned with his left for Khan to lead the way. "Go tend to a stable or the like."