Wan City Garrison Roleplay

[Xu Yuan]

Cai Bin watched as the Chief and the Captains made their positions known. Li Jun started with a resolve that Captain Jiang would have his actions reported to the Grand Administrator. Cai Bin nodded his head in agreement, it was an action he had already taken and though a response was given it was not his place to speak his lord's judgments without express permission. The mention of cure by a miracle drew a sigh from the statesman, he let the Captains speak in turn before he let his opinion known, his tone was grave.

"To let the Captain continue on this course will end in his destruction, and I fear if we are to give him unrestrained control he will not simply do us harm, but doom us all." He shifted his eyes to all those in attendance. "The smallest action can leave a ripple that corresponds to the end of a government. When Western Zhou accepted assistance of the foreign tribes in crowning a new King, they weakened the Imperial Mandate and lost the absolute allegiance of the Lords, leading to the Spring and Autumn Era. A single loose thread will eventually fray and ruin the garment. Captain Li's words are earnest, if there is no assistance for your brother Chief Jiang I fear not just for his future, but for ours as well." He lightly tapped the ground with his ivory staff, his tone becoming deeper. "You may think I exaggerate the situation. In any ordinary case I would agree with all of you, but we are beset by foes from Xiangyang and beyond. We are the final aegis before the gates of the Capital are exposed. We cannot abide this sort of mental weakness in any measure." He shook his head for emphasis.

The situation came to the civil side of things, a place that Cai Bin could elaborate on well, "Thank you Captain Li, I will do my best to summarize the issues." His tone acquired to that of a lecturer, "For the last five years after the last Administrator was recalled to the Capital with his work only started we were lead by a Magistrate. The order came from on high; "Rapid redevelopment is necessary. Extract all that can be extracted from the populace." Thus the government type became that of an Iron Fist. After years of this mismanagement and idle corruption in the higher echelons of our government the people had grown numb to the continual administrative abuses of the government." The elder looked skyward as a sad look showed on his face. "Despite many remonstrations from portions of the High Council to reinstate the Court Systems in order to allow the people feel safe and secure in a land governed by Law and Order these petitions were shelved and never reviewed."

His tone picked up in energy as he continued. "When the Grand Administrator was chosen by all People of the city to lead us forward I put forward the Court suggestion once more. Yet, it was the necessities of the moment required us to build the Civil Office. When records of our gold intake was released there was a massive misunderstanding. Propaganda began to spread against us that we had increased taxes in order to achieve that veritable treasury. In truth the Civil Office and its system allowed us to reduce the Tax Managers by more than half of the previous numbers, assuring that much of the middle-men of the process was removed, the effects of this are two fold. Firstly, we save money on the hiring of further Tax Managers; secondly, we eliminate corruption of the Tax Managers by Overseers who review all of the proper records. Knowing all of this I assented to its building, unaware that the people would be drawn into a frenzy over these false reports." The minister lightly scratched at his temple. "A miscalculation on my part. Perhaps I should have pushed further for the Court Systems, but it is too late for regrets. I know what I will tell the people, should I get the chance to address them once more."

Having finished speaking such he spoke once more with full conviction, "We need a victory and after that victory we must assure the people that we are with them, not against them. If we lose the trust of the people completely, then the war is lost before the Rebel Li reaches our doorstep, that cannot be allowed to happen."

[Kun Tiao]

This story was not known in advance, but also was not something totally unexpected.

Of the three, the woman seemed to have the least grasp of the situation.
Be everything somewhat different, Meixiu could perhaps imagine her and her brother now coming here with a similar petition and intent.
No, her brother would unlikely come with petitions. And be everything different, she will not wear a seal here, no way.

First, she spoke slowly, like attempting to imagine what she pronounced.


"The way you describe it, Advisor, the administration is receiving orders to take from people as much as possible, and administration treats people harshly.
For a greater purpose, because of severity of the situation, in a way, but people understand it this way, and people expect harsh measures.

Why people still don't simply say "go away, all of you"?
Because certain certainty and protection is better than uncertainty.
Because measures for siding with rebels are so severe.
It may be called law, it may be called whatever. People hardy care what laws are. They know that everything different from usual is restricted.
They know that everyone who differs much either lives underground, or becomes a brigand,
or gets recruited, possibly, first, immediately into petty military commanders, or faces difficulty.
Presence of this hope, that some of their children might become someone big, adds to what little people gain.
Military commanders also obey, but in a way more possible for a ferocious heart, something we strictly don't expect from common people or usual soldiers.
I recently recruited one such lad, and I expect him to prove himself even in these days.

But it is not the same as people giving their heart. Be it... but nevermind.

Are we feared or loved? We are feared, make no mistake.
What do we bring? We bring taking something away. Money, food, recruits. Lives also.
We bring moderate protection from brigands of different kinds, who also take something away, and from our own wrath.
There is more fear of being without us than being with us.
We bring this little hope that some might become someone in command.

It doesn't mean that people don't discuss us, that they don't compare us.
It doesn't mean people don't express certain love to us every time when -
- when we are interesting, when we are valiant, when we are surprisingly just or merciful, we are better to them than we could be.
Should, some next day, Captain do something worth praising, people will praise him.

People also fear their own riots because it is threat to them because of our own wrath.
For you, advisor, it can be described in high filial terms.
For people, and what people also wouldn't say out of fear, I'd say, touch us - and we become more dangerous than usual.
So people can praise quelling the riots. Riots themselves are more dangerous than usual and during riots we are too.
Immediately after riots we are also more dangerous. And during riots some of everyday fear is already ignored.
A riot is a desperate measure from people, when paying the taxes or something else really gets or looks unbearable, if for a glance,
and, in a way, a test, if the administration can stand it.


Now switching from trying to convince to suggesting, Meixiu started to articulate quickly and firmly, now, rather, painting the picture.

What should we do? First - defend. Then advance, quickly and decisively.

What is the place of arrows and archers?
We, indeed, could rather abstain from shooting.
As it is done, we have disciplined archers, ready to shoot. People know it and we know it.
When shoot? When rioters try to shoot if they do, or when there is no other way to defend or stop.
Possibly, likely not shoot at all anymore otherwise.
This - can be explained to the Captain.

An assigned commander is responsible only to direct superior commanders. This is a very important military rule.
What leaves room for interpreting is either the Captain answers to Grand Administrator as to his military commander,
or the Captain is a military commander assigned by Grand Administrator who, then, decides himself what measures he undertakes.
From us, all of us, the Captain can recive advices.

Should we really convince the Captain that all his course is totally wrong? I don't think we can do it quickly.
Can we convince him that he should be watchful, but his watchfulness is required a bit differently? I think there is nothing hard.
His watchfulness is required - this is what he will be ready to hear.
Even if and when he is perceiving the situation in his own way, this must be in total accord with his nature.

At this he can stay in command now and make his decisions now. I believe this to be better for anything than anything else.
After the events he can be, perhaps, relocated into some different duty, and so people will know that Grand Administrator reacts and, in his way, cares.

Assigning me the task that, at first, looked to not put outstandingly much on me,
but still more than I immediately was ready to, you remember our talk, Captain Li,
makes it clear to me that administration, not to say it more directly, has less in terms of names than it could wish.
Would I assign myself out of nothing over other choices? I wouldn't. And if I have any slight value to administration, Captain has so much more, it is so.

Let us make no mistake, once we will be really facing enemies, whether we name them enemies and rebels, a commander such as the Captain will be invaluable.
Once he will fight in a pair of collisions, the people will say that, although he is worth talking about, it is much better to have him than not.

Now back to our further plans. Can we, in a sense, negotiate with people and does it have sense?
Not immediately, but once we gain some significantly stronger ground. I think I know how."

[UnholyBlade]

Dai Ren had no gauge for the senior minister's history lesson. If Cai Bin was saying it, then it must be true. He had even less of an idea concerning taxes and administrative upkeep of the city. His background, his entire life, had been spent drilling, training, and studying military tactics, and nowhere in those studies were a lesson on levying taxes. 'People dislike having things taken away from them' was all the conclusion he could draw from the dialogue between the statesman and chief. Eliminating corruption, however, made perfect sense. Purges had to be made at times to preserve the integrity of the empire. How else could you describe the Yellow Turban rebellion and the current rebellion as well?

"We all play our part in the Empire. As long as we do our jobs well enough, the civilians have nothing to fear. Your brother is aware of this, but his overzealousness has cost us dearly. Nothing can be explained to your brother when he has been overcome. We were lucky that your sister knocked him unconscious when she did. None among us can even say if he will follow orders at this point. What is your plan, then?"

[Dong Zhou]

Li Jun fazed out of Meixiu's talk of her brother to Cai Bin, the sister was passionate but it was getting a bit beyond Li Jun's ability to handle. She began to think about what she would eat that night when Li Jun heard her name being mentioned and startled to paying attention.

"If captain Jiang descends any further, we will not see the battlefield for Jiang Yan to shine. Your brother has great ability for war but we need him to be well enough to fight and for us to know he will remember which side he is fighting for."

[Kun Tiao]

Meixiu was also getting a bit tired, it was time to get to dealing with the riot rather than with command line.


"To not repeat anything, for Captain Jiang now - give him a clear order, a clear order to defend something that should be defended without questions.
I am sure he must follow it. I will try to be near at all times.

Later - discuss things with Liu Shengtong as you do and all the time we will all care about what it is and what to do.
Now you can give to me directives for his unit, and I should calmly talk to him, I hope he will act in command of his unit and in accord with the directives.


For the rioters - we can take from them something they will really impress them.
I don't know what it is yet, and it should be made with a sudden strike.

Later - when I recruited soldiers, I met with the elders of groups of families in the city, and made them report to me.
They know me, I know them and they know that I know them.
At the point when it's clear that the riot has no chance to advance, we can invite several of these elders.
It will be a clear message, but not a direct one, that we can put responsibility on them, but we are not really going to do it for now.
I think they would rather come than not. Then we can talk to them and put on them calming the situation.

There we can let them request us to not investigate the situation further, and we can agree to it.
Possibly, as something from them, we can even put on them (or, rather, on the city) rebuilding the civil office."