Linjiang Provincial Roleplay

[Shen Feng]

"Well..." Feng trailed off, knowing that he'd have to choose his words carefully. She was a foreigner, a barbarian, and a lot of conventions that might seem obvious to the locals might not be to her.

"My understanding is that your people prefer a more loose, nomadic style of life. That is not how things are here, as I'm sure you've seen. People gather in towns and cities, and rather than fighting for themselves they depend on their leaders to do so for them, to protect them. A normal farmer cannot defend his own land, he depends on the lord of a province or a town to protect him so that he can live his life, and in exchange he tithes some of his harvest to that lord in payment. Don't worry, I'm going somewhere with this." Feng grinned, hoping he hadn't lost her.

"Deng Yue is the lord of Changsha, and now Linjiang. The problem is with the 'Axe Gang', as I mentioned before. They do not abide by our society's normal rules. They are bandits. They prey upon the weak and helpless. The town of Jiangnan, in Changsha, was destroyed a couple of months back by this force. As such, it would be Deng Yue's responsibility to protect those people, as our society dictates. Did he do that?" Feng shook his head slowly, knowing that she'd know the answer as well as he did. "Not only did he not take action against them, but he recruited them into his army and used them to attack Linjiang, along with your forces and other local men. That was a slap in the face to the people who the bandits have preyed upon, the people who Deng Yue was supposed to protect by the compact he enters as a lord of the land. How can anyone trust someone who turns to common bandits for assistance? It makes him no better than a bandit himself. Pure, selfish greed led him to tie his lot to bandits to try to gain Linjiang for himself. That same greed will lead to the ruin of the locals should it continue. The former governors were corrupt, yes, but they did not slaughter their own people. By siding with the Axe Gang, Deng Yue has shown that he would. So yes, he may have taken Linjiang and defeated the governors I was sent to battle, but my mission has not changed. I was tasked by the Hegemonic King of Western Chu to restore order to Linjiang and protect the people here, and they need me now more than ever. I have confidence in my army's ability to bring Deng Yue and his bandit allies to justice, but if needed, I am prepared to give my life in the attempt. The common folk of these southern provinces deserve no less." As he finished, he lifted his left palm before himself and punched it with his right fist for emphasis.

"If he were to attack and execute the Axe Gang, and send tribute to the Chu court, then I would change my plans. Then there might be hope for him to improve. But a tiger doesn't change its stripes. He will do neither. He will not attack the Axe Gang because he fears me and believes he needs them to defend against me. He will not send tribute to the Chu courts because he is greedy and wants to keep the land and its riches for himself. And so I am here, and prepared to fight."

[RuffRydeR]

Anshui listened carefully, a little annoyed at the slightly patronizing tone. She understood the concept of cities somewhat, centres of power that lords convince people to clump towards, so that they could control them better, even if she saw no need for them when it came to her own people. That said, her parents on the other hand seemed like they were willing to give more thought to this innovation, and they had already experimented with it in Hulu, before the march to war.

I see...But what does this have to do with me? His riches have been shared with me, and I am a partner in the endeavour. He has not been selfish in any way. However, I will speak to him about this...Axe Gang. Razing towns...My people have no use for them, but we do benefit from trade with the settled folk of this country. Wasteful. But is it not wasteful that all the nonbandits in Deng Yue's army and yours to fight? They are both here to protect the people, and really, all these soldiers marching about from both sides are making my clan most uncomfortable...But Deng Yue believed we could find prosperity here, and so far, it is going well enough...

[Shen Feng]

"What does it have to do with you? Hopefully, nothing." Feng glanced back briefly to Luo Jian, who had remained silent thus far and allowed him to make his case. He knew the warrior would want to speak with Anshui as well, and he hoped she'd still be willing to once he was finished. "It is good that he has shared riches with you, but even that is selfish. He doesn't give them to you out of the goodness of his heart, he does it to try to indebt you to him, so that when I attack you shall defend him. He views you just like he views the Axe Gang, as a means to an end, that end being solidifying his control over the south."

Feng glanced back to the horse, grinning as he watched some of Anshui's tribesmen try to control it. "You know, I came here intending to give you a horse. I was going to give you my own, actually. I can always find another. There would have been no strings attached to my gift, however. I would not make demands of you, wouldn't expect you to do my bidding. You have a village in Changsha, do you not? Why are you not there looking after it? More demands, more expectations?" The young man turned general sighed softly. "You are a powerful woman, Lei Anshui, beautiful and powerful. You should not be beholden to one such as Deng Yue, you should be free to make your own decisions, to follow your own heart. I will not ask you to fight for me. I just want you to do what's right for yourself and your tribe. I wrote to you earlier about my dreams, my intentions should I be able to govern the southland. If your people, your tribes, are seen as being aligned with bandits, then I fear true peace and coexistance will not occur for a long time. It pains me to see you being used like that, but..."

Feng bit his lip, looking away from Anshui. "I'm sorry, my lady. This is something I feel strongly about, but if I try to push you too hard, then I am no better than him."

[Bonaparte]

She eyes the guan dao suspiciously, then takes it up, studying it carefully. Anshui then spins it artfully, before bringing it up against the wood of her camp's outer fence with a fierce jab. She studies how the metal flexes, before noting, It'll do. I shall be there...Though it still strikes me as a good waste of fighting men.

Deng Yue nodded, and sighed. He was never a fighter, only an administrator. Even though many officers are far more battle hardened them, he still is feeling the tolls of war.

Deng Yue: Yes, and lets hope that we will not have to fight anymore. After the battle, I hope to take a chance to relax a bit, and enjoy the scenery...

Deng Yue glanced up to the sky as if trying he's trying to look for something.

Deng Yue: Have you had any plans afterward? I remember that you said that you would move northwards when we were in Changsha.

[Shen Feng]

OOC: Statless officer, so if you wish to kill him, go ahead.

Deng Bou was not afraid assuming that the man he is soon to be talking to is civil, since his own family knew the codes of conducts in dealing with envoys. If the man was not civil, than he is happy to know that his death will rally the Yue people despite his own lack of talent.

Deng Bou: I am a cousin of Deng Yue. My name is Deng Bou. I am here on behalf of Lord Deng Yue, and I hope to see Commander Shen Feng as soon as possible.

(Sorry for the delay, they didn't like my plot. So we just do this normally.)

The guards turned and gossiped among themselves, and Deng Bou could hear them asking what sort of man would send a relative unescorted to entreat with a hostile army. Still, none of them moved to apprehend him or take any action against him, well aware of their commander's orders. Eventually, said commander was sent for, and Shen Feng arrived, his personal escort in tow, including his bodyguard Shan Lue. He looked curiously at the envoy.

"You are a cousin of Deng Yue? Well, welcome to my humble army. I suppose it would be too hopeful to expect you have come to offer the surrender of Linjiang province? No? Not even just Jiangling?" The young man grinned, then shook his head, motioning for Deng Bou to follow him. "Forgive my jokes. Come, come, we can talk inside the camp."

[Bonaparte]

The guards turned and gossiped among themselves, and Deng Bou could hear them asking what sort of man would send a relative unescorted to entreat with a hostile army. Still, none of them moved to apprehend him or take any action against him, well aware of their commander's orders. Eventually, said commander was sent for, and Shen Feng arrived, his personal escort in tow, including his bodyguard Shan Lue. He looked curiously at the envoy.

"You are a cousin of Deng Yue? Well, welcome to my humble army. I suppose it would be too hopeful to expect you have come to offer the surrender of Linjiang province? No? Not even just Jiangling?" The young man grinned, then shook his head, motioning for Deng Bou to follow him. "Forgive my jokes. Come, come, we can talk inside the camp."

Deng Bou was a usually hot tempered man. He was peeved when Shen Feng joked about surrender, but quickly smiled and gave his own reply.

Deng Bou: Then again, you are a bit too hopeful to think that you'll be able to take Linjiang.

Deng Bou entered the camp, began to sweat. Although, he was talking all big, he was quite nervous being this deep in the enemy camp.

[Trendkill]

Shen Feng & RR

((Sorry for the lateness))

Jian gladly accepted the new weapons and set out with Shen Feng, curious to meet the barbarians, particularly their chief which was rumored to be as deadly as she was beautiful. After arriving, and after the two are brought before Lei Anshui, Jian is oddly speechless. Despite managing a polite bow he remains silent the entire time as Anshui and Feng conversed. His eyes widened when she asked who is was and a smile formed on his face as Feng introduced them. He listened with curiosity as the conversation moved to the axe gang, a topic he was very eager to learn about, and he was very surprised to see for himself that this woman was quite intelligent.

Caring little for whether or not it was off topic Jian felt the urge to chime in and said, his cheeks slightly flushed, "you seem to be a good leader for your people." As the words left his lips he looked at Feng then covered his face. Once again his his impetuous nature had landed him in an embarrassing spot.

[Shen Feng]

Deng Bou:

The army granted to Shen Feng numbered well over ten thousand, and while Deng Bou was only led through a small portion of the camp to the command tent, he could still see the vast size of the Chu army. Feng obviously didn't worry about intelligence reports being leaked out about the army, knowing that word of its power would be an asset.

"Hopeful? I wouldn't call it hopeful. And besides, even if by some fluke I were to fail, others would come. Baocen Peng is already based in Nanyang, while I'm sure others will soon be sent to Jiujiang. Opposing Xiang Yu is folly, and indeed, the people of Linjiang should hope that it is I who pacifies the province. I doubt those who come later would be as merciful as me. If it had been Qing Bu who had been tasked with taking Linjiang, do you really think you would be alive now?"

The procession reached the command tent, but Feng stopped outside, looking to Deng Bou. "If you have not come to surrender, then what has brought you here? You know very well the situation. Your cousin has aligned himself with bandits and defies the Chu court. If he had the resources of, say, Qi, he might be able to get away with this. From what I have seen and heard, he most certainly does not have those resources. So what does he hope to gain? Why, praytell, is Linjiang worth so much to Deng Yue that he would throw the lives of his men away in its defense? Especially with so much of Changsha remaining lawless and suffering from, heh, bandit depredations."

Luo Jian/Lei Anshui:

At Luo Jian's outburst, Feng glanced back over to him curiously, wondering where that comment had come from. Seeing his embarassment, the young man couldn't help but chuckle. Mistake though it may have been, he had lightened the mood a bit, and Feng felt that was needed at this point, as he may have preached a bit too much to the barbarian woman.

[Bonaparte]

The army granted to Shen Feng numbered well over ten thousand, and while Deng Bou was only led through a small portion of the camp to the command tent, he could still see the vast size of the Chu army. Feng obviously didn't worry about intelligence reports being leaked out about the army, knowing that word of its power would be an asset.

"Hopeful? I wouldn't call it hopeful. And besides, even if by some fluke I were to fail, others would come. Baocen Peng is already based in Nanyang, while I'm sure others will soon be sent to Jiujiang. Opposing Xiang Yu is folly, and indeed, the people of Linjiang should hope that it is I who pacifies the province. I doubt those who come later would be as merciful as me. If it had been Qing Bu who had been tasked with taking Linjiang, do you really think you would be alive now?"

The procession reached the command tent, but Feng stopped outside, looking to Deng Bou. "If you have not come to surrender, then what has brought you here? You know very well the situation. Your cousin has aligned himself with bandits and defies the Chu court. If he had the resources of, say, Qi, he might be able to get away with this. From what I have seen and heard, he most certainly does not have those resources. So what does he hope to gain? Why, praytell, is Linjiang worth so much to Deng Yue that he would throw the lives of his men away in its defense? Especially with so much of Changsha remaining lawless and suffering from, heh, bandit depredations."

Deng Bou: Qing Bu is a general and ruthless. You on the other hand are an administrator, and although you may be as merciful as you claim to be, you do not have the peoples' support like my lord has. As for why I am here, my lord does not know you outside of rumors and such, so he asked me to see what kind of man you really are. In terms of allying with bandits... they maybe not exactly what lord wants to work with, but they do unite under a single issue and that is to protect our family and friends. By invading Linjiang, you not attack the land, but also the people who live in it, who are also family of my lord. You come from a far away place, and do not know what it is like in the south.

Deng Bou paused before going further. Perhaps to choose his words more carefully.

Deng Bou: My lord's plan is to pacify the south, and to protect it from foreign invaders. Lord Deng Yue is protecting Linjiang as his own, and he hopes that you would not throw away the lives of your soldiers in this attack. And though he may have the aid of bandits, he also have the aid of Yue tribesman, Linjiang soldiers, and Changsha soldiers, it is in the name of uniting the south against foreign invaders. I can see that you cannot see the error of your ways, and will not stand down. You may speak out and say that you have all the advantages, but I hope that our force will make you eat those words. If you take one step on our lands, we are going to defend ourselves, and we will win.

[Shen Feng]

"You have the support of the people? Seriously?" Feng looked at Bou with disbelief, resisting the urge to snort derisively. "Do the people of Jiangnan support Deng Yue? Oh, wait, they're dead, slaughtered by the soldiers your cousin employs. Do not claim to be doing things for 'the people'. If your lord cared about his southern people, he would have taken action when the town was destroyed. He would have protected Changsha from bandits rather than funding their rampages. But he didn't, and you lost any moral high ground you can claim in the process."

Feng shook his head, clearly annoyed by Deng Bou's claims. "I have already taken steps on 'your' lands. The farmers whose land we've passed have hailed us as saviors and begged us to protect them from the Axe Gang. We can be at the gates of Jiangling in a couple of days, and no price has yet been paid. If you truly are as delusional as you sound, then I don't have anything more to say to you. You can return to your bandit allies and pretend that you're heroes, pretend that the people don't fear you, whatever helps you sleep at night. I imagine that you'll have trouble sleeping once your lands are lost and you're fugitives on the run from Chu, but you obviously haven't thought that far ahead."