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Post by Wei Guozhi on Jan 14, 2011 19:03:34 GMT
Here is where the governing body of the city resides. He or she will recieve and call for their advisors and officers when in doubt, or seek out foreign relations to those across their borders.
A goverment office isn't very well protected, however, this is subject to change if specified by it's controller.
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Post by Liu Feng on Jan 29, 2011 20:09:13 GMT
The young mystic of Wu had traveled a long way to Shou Chun, and she wasn't used to the climate. Having spent her days on the Chang Jiang, Ulayne knew little of Northern China, and although Shou Chun could hardly be considered "north" it was farther than she'd ever been before. Upon her white horse, the young mystic rode up to the gates of the government office in Shou Chun. Though likely an odd-sight - as armored women with blue-highlighted hair would be - she seemed not to notice the stares she received as she rode through the city. When arriving at the gate, Ulayne paid a local stable boy to watch her horse, and walked up to the guards. With a warm smile, she produced documentation proving her to be an envoy of Sun Ce.
"Greetings, good Sirs. I am Hai Xiangli, envoy of Lord Yuan's humble servant Lord Sun of Lu Jiang. I wish an audience with his Lordship that we may discuss matters of state policy."
She adjusted her armor, though the soldiers could tell that it was more of a ceremonial type of armor than actually meant for combat. Reluctantly, Ulayne handed one of the guards her old curved sword. The blade didn't look like it had seen combat in a while, and she was confident in the knowledge it wasn't valuable enough for even a corrupt guard to steal. If led inside, she would bow quite low before Yuan Shu, the tips of her long highlighted hair scraping the ground of his audience hall.
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Post by NPC Account on Jan 30, 2011 5:06:44 GMT
Ji Ling, the senior officer in charge, received Ulayne at the steps of the government office. He seemed unimpressed, and even raised an eyebrow when he took her sword. A blade it seemed, from the bottom of the pile. Ji Ling, on the other hand, seemed more fortunate. He was adorned in an elaborate set of general's armor, and two hook swords were strapped to the back of his hips. "Good morning Lady Xiangli," Ji Ling said with a tone a respect, after all, they were serving the same lord, "I am unsure whether Emperor Yuan Shu will receive you with the same enthusiasm as he would have a male envoy." They started up the steps as he explained Yuan Shu's prejudice, he was either traditional or just arrogant. In Yuan Shu's case, perhaps a bit of both. As they reached the top of the steps Ji Ling lead Ulayne through a heavily guarded pair of large doors. The soldiers saluted them on their way into the governor's office. The room was quite chaotic, ministers chatted amongst each other, soldiers lined up accordingly against columns that held up the ceiling, not moving a muscle. At a table near the end of the room, Yuan Shu was seen talking with Shi Yiguan, another notable figure in Yuan Shu's court, a well paid advisor. Ji Ling led Ulayne up to Yuan Shu's position. The lord Yuan Shu straightened in his chair, he was wearing various coloured robes of bright dyes, signifying his elegance -- and wealth. A large headdress rested on his head, and his arms rested expectingly on his large hand-carved chair. His grandiose position exemplified his youth. Ji Ling bowed whilst Ulayne kneeled to the floor. Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow but did not say a word, quite surprised at the situation in front of him. Ji Ling introduced their guest: "Emperor Yuan Shu, I present Hai Xiangli, an envoy of subordinate Lord Sun Ce of Lu Jiang." Ji Ling bowed, and retreated off to another room. Shi Yiguan looked upon Xiangli curiously. The advisor was dressed similarly to Yuan Shu, but Shi Yiguan had the audacity to present himself with a general's cape, and even included the shoulder tassels. Yuan Shu spoke deliberately and slow, "I appreciate your journey Lady Xiangli, as unexpected as it was, Shi Yiguan will receive your proposition in the rear chambers. I will join you shortly," He rose from his chair and sighed with ambiguous meaning, and without saying another word, disappeared amongst a passing swarm of ministers. "Yes, well, come with me Lady Xiangli." Shi Yiguan said more enthusiastically, "Emperor Yuan Shu has had a long day," Shi Yiguan explained, "Today is when he schedules most of his judicial pleas..." "Of course execution is the preferred method to deal with wrong-doers." Shi Yiguan said abruptly, yet subtly placed as he led Hai Xiangli into a smaller room used for private meeting. A maidservant placed bowls of tea in front of the two as Shi Yiguan found a seat, he sipped as he shifted in his seat comfortably. As he placed the bowl back down, finding the tea too hot for his liking at the moment, he smiled at his guest: "Now Lady Xiangli, what is it you came to discuss?"
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Post by Liu Feng on Jan 31, 2011 4:16:38 GMT
The young mystic raised an eyebrow curiously at Shi Yiguan's random comment about execution. It was unnerving though it wasn't going to hinder her mission in any way. She had a very set argument prepared, and as soon as she was given the opportunity, she spoke before Shi Yiguan.
"His Majesty has brought peace and prosperity to the lands between Shou Chun and Lu Jiang, and I am certain that his reign will spread to encompass the entirety of this land, as it should. There is, however, a thorn in our side. A man who vehemently denies His Majesty's obvious virtue, a man who holds fast to the fallen Han where his clan ruled over His Majesty's pious family. This man is Inspector Liu of Jian Ye."
She pauses as her dark eyes look over Shi Yiguan's expression.
"When the time came for a new Grand Commandant to be picked only a few decades ago, the fallen Han chose Liu Yong's uncle Liu Chong over the more qualified Yuan Feng, His Majesty's honorable father. The two families, therefore, have long been in conflict. Today, Liu Yong oppresses the people of the Southlands and prepares for war against His Majesty's forces. The great wealth of Jian Ye is wasted on one who refuses to accept that the Mandate of Heaven has been passed t His Majesty."
She pauses, again noting Shi Yiguan's expression and secretly hoping Yuan Shu heard the part about Liu Yong's uncle. Her argument was fairly usual, she appealed to family animosity and the sense of the Mandate of Heaven. She was also careful to be very respectful when mentioning Yuan Shu.
"In His Majesty's infinite wisdom, he will surely know that this traitor must be dealt with, and quickly before he pollutes others in the Southlands to his cause. I myself am from the Southlands, and I do not wish my brethren to be taken in by his lies. We in Lu Jiang have, therefore, built a navy which will crush whatever Liu Yong throws at us, and Lord Sun has pledged to destroy Liu Yong and reclaim Jian Ye in the name of His Majesty."
"Surely, His Majesty would be quite pleased if such a man was removed from power, and the wealthy city of Jian Ye returned to His Majesty's glorious empire. We fear, however, that we may lack the necessary troops to lay siege to the great city of Jian Ye. Though we will likely crush many of Liu Yong's inferior forces in naval combat, the walls of Jian Ye are nigh impenetrable. With His Majesty's superior forces at our side, however, no wall could stop our advance, and we would surely crush the false Inspector."
At this she bowed and awaited a reply. She had done her part, both citing arguments based on current conditions and historical reasoning. She was especially careful to mention how wealthy Jian Ye was as a city, to play upon Yuan Shu's infamous greed. Ulayne was secretly quite happy that most of her argument had been truthful, though she knew she was playing on Yuan Shu's arrogance and ego. Yuan Shu might not be the great Emperor that she was making him out to be, and Liu Yong might not be the great tyrant that she was making him out to be, but she believed in her heart that Sun Ce would rule with the virtue that his honorable father once exemplified. Now she just had to wait and see if her carefully constructed argument would go over well with Yuan Shu and his advisors.
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Post by NPC Account on Feb 2, 2011 2:19:17 GMT
Shi Yiguan gave away nothing, he merely blew at his tea to cool it down as he listened carefully to Xiangli's plea. She talked about many things, and much too fast for Shi Yiguan to absorb it in one sip of his tea. He laid his cup down and contemplated. Chief amongst his worries was the call for help. "You understand my hesitation when you recall Emperor Yuan Shu already granted your lord a city and an army not even a year ago..." Shi Yiguan frowned, but most of the mystic's argument was valid indeed. Shi Yiguan had every intention of moving against Liu Yong, and advised Yuan Shu on doing so ever since Liu Yong refused to swear fealty to the Empire of Cheng. Yuan Shu however, was much to comfortable on his throne, and he realized that if he suffered too many casualties in the war -- then Liu Yong could potentially threaten to overthrow him and take Shou Chun. The situation was a mess, but one side had to make a move. A door slid open, and Yuan Shu, his small figure obviously not filling out the quantity of robes he had on, moved into the room. He had been behind the door long enough to hear the entire plea by Ulayne. "Shi Yiguan tells me the same thing every night: attack Liu Yong, move the capital to Jian Ye, become a prosperous Emperor, amongst a fertile land." Yuan Shu sighed and moved to the far side of the table, where a maidservant had already placed an elaborate box and some tea. Yuan Shu had learned very early to learn the importance of tea from Shi Yiguan, it calmed the mind -- for being an Emperor was truly a testing job. Emperor Yuan Shu's youthful mind and body was quickly aging every day, yet tea always seemed to alleviate the effects, as tedious as it was. "But it is always the same dilemma, our forces could only match Liu Yong's head-to-head. Our side of the river can't afford to lose even 5,000 men!" Yuan Shu's voice grew louder and he quickly took a sip of tea, "If a catastrophe occurs, the entire Cheng Empire could be undone..." Yuan Shu still retained his fiery passion, and had foreseen this campaign months before hand.... Suddenly, Yuan Shu opened the elaborate box the lid hid the contents from Ulayne and Yuan Shu's eyes lit up. The mere rays of sunlight coming through from the translucent windows made the contents glisten. "This was the price for 10,000 troops last time Sun Ce came asking for help..." From within the box Yuan Shu produced a small velvet-red pillow: on that pillow was something as marvelous as the sun itself. The Imperial Seal.The Imperial Seal was a large piece of jade that was being held in place by a golden dragon's mouth. It's sheer presence moved mountains, everyone in the room except Yuan Shu hastily maneuvered themselves into a kowtow. "So, tell me Lady Xiangli, how is you wish to convince me this time?"
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Post by Liu Feng on Feb 4, 2011 6:43:24 GMT
The young mystic kowtowed respectfully as the Imperial Seal was revealed. She seemed undaunted by the obvious message that Yuan Shu was trying to pull and in fact it did quite infuriate her. That Yuan Shu used such a beautiful artifact to claim Imperial authority, when he had no real legitimate claim to the throne? Ulayne was in no place to show any of this, though, and she was well-versed in the art of hiding her true feelings. When the question was posed, the young mystic responded without leaving much time.
"In Your Majesty's infinite wisdom, surely it is clear that the situations are entirely different. Lord Sun marches off to fight the rebel Inspector in your name, carrying the flag of Your Majesty's glorious Cheng Empire."
"The rebel Inspector is of the house of Liu, the royal family of the now fallen Han, and surely Your Majesty sees the symbolic advantage of a subordinate crushing the Inspector. It will symbolize to your people the downfall of the House of Liu, and the rise of the House of Yuan."
She bows her head and returns to the earlier points.
"Strategically, I admit that it will be a difficult battle to defeat the rebel inspector and take Jian Ye, but it is written in the Heavens that we are to do so. In the past month, many in Lu Jiang have reported the sighting of a phoenix flying towards the Southwest, signifying the beginning of a new Empire and its rise to power in this area. Your Majesty knows very well the workings of Heaven and Earth, and your infinite wisdom is too great to ignore such an omen."
"Our naval force is also greatly superior to that of Inspector Liu. While he will be commissioning trading vessels and doujian ships for his men, Lu Jiang is in possession of a vanguard fleet of Meng Chong ships. Doujian are ships built to attack by boarding, and a Meng Chong ship cannot be effectively boarded due to its superior defenses. Yet Inspector Liu knows nothing of this. He will meet us on the water in order to attempt to defeat us swiftly with his numbers, and that is where we shall win a decisive victory and crush his forces. He is no military man, while Lord Sun and General Huang are some of the most skilled military men of the Southlands."
"I apologize, Your Majesty, that Lord Sun has sent me with no comparable gift to the Imperial Seal, but if Your Majesty aids us in this endeavor, the next time we shall return with a much more suitable gift - the gift of the Southlands. Does this not please Your Majesty?"
She hoped she wasn't promising him more than Lord Sun wished, but we were at least pretending to serve as Yuan Shu's subordinate for the time being. With a base in the Wu-Yue region, though, Ulayne knew Lord Sun would be able to crush Yuan Shu's forces and eventually gain independence from the Cheng Empire. Again, she gave no hint of this, and merely gave both her spiritual and strategic arguments for how this battle could be won.
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Post by NPC Account on Feb 5, 2011 3:01:30 GMT
Yuan Shu nodded dumbly, clearly not listening to Ulayne as he carefully laid the seal back into it's elaborate box. He motioned for a maid to take it away. She grabbed the box gingerly and exited the room, like that; the Imperial Artifact disappeared. The Emperor then turned his attention back to Ulayne, who lead her conversation back to the family of Liu. Although Yuan Shu's father had some sort of quarrel with Liu Yong's; he seemed to care little. Shi Yiguan continued to sit politely and listen to Lady Xiangli as he sipped at his tea. The Emperor eyes grew wide at the mention of a phoenix in Jiang Dong. "Fenghuang...?" He whispered, barely audible. He placed down his tea, contemplating, and continued to listen. Ulayne restated her argument once more, and although she may have been redundant, Yuan Shu seemed more convinced this time -- and his demeanor lightened. "Mhm." The young Emperor merely muttered as he took a sip of tea, calm and collected. "I thank you Lady Xiangli for consulting me today, I believe our business is done here." The Emperor rose and spoke quickly to Shi Yiguan, who seemed almost surprised: "Yiguan, inform Commander Ling today that he is to mobilize our forces immediately." Shi Yiguan finished his tea and rose, and after a quick bow, said: "Of course your majesty." Shi Yiguan exited the room, giving Lady Xiangli a coy smile. Yuan Shu seemed more confident now when he spoke: "Lady Xiangli, tell Sun Ce that the naval battle will be left to his forces, once the river is secured, our forces will join yours in the field." He extended his hand to shake Lady Xiangli's; odd, but Yuan Shu knew Lady Xiangli was smart enough to accept. "You are very talented Lady Xiangli, I'm fortunate to have someone like you serving the Empire of Cheng. With you leading the navy; I have no doubts that Jian Ye will soon be the new capital." A palpable hint of greed entered the Emperor's eyes as his lips turned into a charismatic smile.
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Lyle
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by Lyle on Feb 5, 2011 7:34:48 GMT
But it was not to be done, just yet.
Near the shadowy, ongoing gates emblazoned 'Yuan,' stood another- one not so pretty as the Wu ambassador, but certainly with a good bit to say. One eye half open, the other closed, Lu Meng lazily fought the ongoing stare of the guards before him. Their battle of wits seemed to continue on, until finally his voice pipped up, surprising his one time foe.
"Let me in, I'm lord Lu Meng of Shan Ying," he wouldn't budge, he seemed quite off all in all, but he just wouldn't budge. What would become of him, and the mysterious brute behind him; would they gain entrance.
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Post by NPC Account on Feb 5, 2011 8:47:20 GMT
Ji Ling found himself once again at the front gate, answering a hesitant guard's call. The senior officer found himself quite stunned to find a half-asleep Lu Meng at the elaborate gate. Ji Ling bowed, "I am Ji Ling, senior officer and commander-in-chief, uhh, Lady Xiangli is already inside..." He had assumed that Lu Meng had been brought here to deliver an alternate, or perhaps an additional message from Sun Ce. Ji Ling led Lu Meng up the steps, trying not to be bothered by his laid-back demeanor. They reached the large double doors and Ji Ling led Lu Meng through the threshold. "I'll take you to the meeting Lord Lu Meng." A few quick steps and they were at the door to the rear chambers. Shi Yiguan had just exited looking quite pleased, he saw Ji Ling and said: "We're going to-" stopping short when he realized that another man was at Ji Ling's side. "Is this...?" Shi Yiguan started, Ji Ling nodded. Shi Yiguan suddenly smiled broadly, "Lu Meng!" He bowed, "Please, Lady Xiangli and the Emperor are right through here..." He gestured lavishly with him arm, showing Lu Meng an ajar door to the rear chambers.
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Post by Sun Quan on Feb 6, 2011 14:38:48 GMT
Deng Mao walked up to the gate separately. He approached the nearest guard, pointing at himself.
"Deng. Deng Mao."
He pointed towards the palace, and walked towards the gate, his massive bulk pushing it out of the way as he made a slow and somber walk towards the palace.
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