Lak smiled a sad smile.Big Grizzy wrote: 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."
"I understand, I was in the same position as your brother once, sending men I trust for diplomacy instead of those that have had the luxury to study etiquette and personal relations, I do not hold that against you at all. Despite the snows and Lu Ying's failure to support us, we already knew and had studied the King's army and there was no doubt in our minds we could destroy him easily. Not even the possibilities of leaving his home province defenseless by bringing in reinforcements phased us, but I suppose you had no knowledge of that."
Lak closed his right eye as if half squinting in thought.
"I agree with you, I would prefer at this point to stay home and leave things as is. I never had intentions of having all of Jibei, at first willing to share the responsabilities there with Prefect Cai and Prefect Lu. Despite both of them agreeing to this, I suppose they thought they could have a better deal. We will not do battle with them on their terms, so we will withdraw into Yan but take Donga easily. Now, if the Regent of Yin takes both cities, I could perhaps consider sharing Jibei's management with him, but how can I trust both him and the one that has betrayed me twice now to suffer my presence there in Donga? I am sure the former Supreme Commander probably underestimates us, his record on the battlefield is indeed flawless, but we have already found several flaws in his last attack that undermines his invulnerability to our eyes."
The Marquis seemed to be making some odd calculations and verifying something from a report.
"King Tian is indeed something that preoccupies me. His men are defeated and led by a defeated man. I would think that he will be ready to go on the offensive by next month. I would also assume it will be another Tian that leads the expedition this time. With the defeat he has just suffered, it should buy us perhaps an extra month while he arms his soldiers, I doubt he tries anything before he is ready this time."
His gaze settled back on the military man.
"I am still awaiting word on the battle in Wei, but if my armies from there stay intact, I would request of Kai permission for it to pass into Yan if I am to mount a defensive strategy or Jibei should we launch a counter-attack. Do you see that as a problem, would the King Regent of Yin hold that against you?"
"That is all, I will contact you. I may also request the quick forging of a formidable armor, something of quality but that must be completed within a month. I will let you know."Xiao Gau wrote:-=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.Phailak wrote: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?"
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?"
With that the Marquis bowed as if to seal the promise, he needed first to balance his books before he can determine how much wealth to pur into such expenses.