Wan City General Roleplay

[Han1977]

Li Jun relaxed as it seemed Huang Dong was not about to race to a reckless fate, she subtly moved so she was not blocking his way out now.

"The guards know we need more information before we can do anything and the sooner we get order at the top, the sooner that can happen. I imagine a lot of things are being delayed by the failure to secure a magistrate to give resources and permission."

She sight at the delay of the superiors, it was getting frustrating waiting for anything to happen. Troops needed to be trained, equipped, information gathered and yet they had to wait... wait and wait...

"Few of the guard officers have fought major camapigns, we could use an experienced head to help train the soldiers and give advice. I know you don't want to commit yet but we are gathering recruits, wait too long and you may find it harder to break through the ranks."

"Order from the top...", Huang Dong smiled sarcastically and winked one of his eyes to Li Jun, "Well, that is the very reason why I decided to risk my life in the first place. The very reason why I choose to gather my own men and form my own militia group rather than joining certain faction."

"If we all wait for the order from the top... Sometimes I have a thought that those with ambition will focus more on attaining power, while those who really care for the people will focus more on how to do something for them. At the end, those with ambition have the power, while those who really care for the people are forgotten and repressed."

Huang Dong sighed, "But fine... I'll listen to you. Let's wait for a couple more of days."

'Hmm... break through the rank? I guess from the way it is now, there are too many military officers compared to the number of troops we have. And those officers already form their own clique. Perhaps it will be another one like that... yea... where the honorable, courageous and wise, Commander in Chief might send old people like me to battle as a bait or as a meat shield... Or put me in the barrack to wipe the floor and clean the place... which is better I guess.', Huang Dong silently talked to himself.

He stood there in silent, some bitter memories flooded. It took him a while before he returned to the present.

"You know, among the information I want to know is whether there are generals among the rebels who have experience in naval battle. If no one among them do..."

"If no one among them know about naval battle, then I thought maybe we could dispatch a unit to wait for them at the river. There, even with inexperienced soldiers, a commander who have the skill on the river could prove to be a pain in the ass for those who don't. This unit might give our city time. Time they need. Later when a better equipped and trained troop ready, we could pull this unit back and send another to take their place.", Huang Dong voiced some of his idea, his eyes set on the street outside.

"So what do you think about it?", he asked.

[LukeYB]

"My condolences on your loss."

Wai Be's third marriage was clearly an intresting story but she knew they were not close enough to press on it so she offered her commiserations on the first two wives. However Li Jun didn't bother to hide her scepticism from showing: that the corrupt had been removed and things would be different now, easy to say but had it really happened?

She could at least agree about the father's pride, her father was happy she had become self sufficient and had a good local position, Wai Be's father must be even more pleased.

"You have clearly reached quite high, I'm sure your father will be as proud as mine is. At your age, no doubt there is further you can go in Wan once things have settled down."

It may have been a few years now but the death of Wai Be's father still hurt him. Though the topic was one he didn't shy away from, it was one that made him uncomfortable nevertheless. The usually placid minister found it difficult to hide signs of this inner-struggle whenever talking about him and today was no different.

"Proud...? Y-yes, yes quite." He didn't even notice the gloomy silence until it had stamped it's authority on the conversation. "Ah maybe there is more for me here but I have no reason to expect it. I am merely more experienced and capable than some but less talented than others - thus my place sort of... settles by itself, I suppose. In any case, all I truly wish to do is serve my city to the fullest and give back to the Empire all it has given me." His words had no trace of irony or falsehood to them - it was clear, rightly or wrongly, that this was an earnest belief of Be's. He looked around at the trees, bare in the cold sunlight, and gave a wistful sigh. Walking beside Jun, he turned back to her and smiled.

"How is life at the Garrison, Captain? I gather the men have taken quite a liking to Captain Liu?"

[UnholyBlade]

Guard Table

Zang held up his glass in response to Dai Ren.

CHEERS!

He proceeded to drink that cup after the toast. Ma Zang had never been good at handling his wine, but that never stopped him from drinking. He listened to the Captain word's as best as he could before stumbling out a response.

Well then, I guesh we'll haf ta make sshur that nun of us die! Sho long as ya got mai back, I will haf yurs! And same ta you Shergeant Ren! I will du everthing in my powah to halp Captin!

The man was quite drunk, and was being quite loud. Oh sure, the serving girls had no issue bringing the man his wine, but Dai Ren had to wait for an eternity just to get some dumplings. He was beginning to doubt that they'd ever show up. He let the mistaken rank pass him by. The man was drunk, and couldn't be helped. "Thats what bureaucrats do, they take time to do anything. It takes half a room full of them to decide if its dawn or dusk." he said in a nearly joking manner, addressing Li Jun. Only those who knew him knew he did not tell jokes. Or laughed. Some thought he never smiled. "We are a different lot, I feel. The ministers may "give their lives" when they serve, but rarely is that commitment put to a direct challenge. I can not ever fully trust people that hide behind others like that."

[Dong Zhou]

Guards

"That's very sweet Ma."

Li Jun wondered which of her or Dai Ren would end up carrying a drunk sergeant home, Li Jun subtly trying to query with her fingers to Dai how much the younger one had drunk. Three or four now? She had to supress a smile at Dai Ren's near joke in case he thought she was finding him amusing and took it as an insult to his dignity.

"Well we can't ask those who can't fight to take up a sword but I wish we could impose consequences on civil officers that don't put the effort in. Or put the effort towards their own pockets more then the city."

Perhaps unfortunately, this led her to the next question.

"Does anyone here actually know Dao Long?"

Huang Dong

Great, a militia. What guards loved, a group of armed thugs or panicky peasants wandering around under someone claiming authority. That never ever went wrong or caused issues of authority and armed figures falling into conflict. It was begging for trouble and a sign of the city's trouble where someone was seeking to create their own mob rather then trust the guards or the soldiers.

It would not take a particularly observant man to spot Li Jun was... uneasy about the idea of the militia, her body tensing, her lips turning downwards into a frown, her hand instinctively going towards where she normally would have sword but, being her a day off, she was not armed.

"What the city needs during a time of tension is an armed group under the authority of one man? We have guards and soldiers who are at least answerable to the city, to the commanders and to the civil authorities, as conflicted as that may be. Who would your militia be answerable to?"

Li Jun was getting quite worked up, she wasn't shouting yet but her voice was rising.

"I will not be remembered by history but whoever is in charge of Wan, I will seek to maintain peace on the streets, to ensure the law is upheld. If armed groups start forming then this city will not find stability. If you go ahead with raising your own troops, I will do all I can to oppose you and restore order."

As she tried to cam down, she did give his naval plan as fair mind as she could manage but she had no naval expirence.

"I am not a naval expert like Liu Shentong and Liao Ju but wouldn't it be better to have strong ships and strong troops to try to hold the river? The river has two routes the rebels could go down so how many naval commanders would you need?"

Wai Be

Li Jun, being a guard, was not sure if Wai Be was a very good actor or being honest that he wished for the best.. or perhaps meant it but would still end up furthering his own interests. She had no wish to challenge or question him on this, she just nodded and gave a reassuring smile before considering the question.

"Bad. The barracks is in a state of disrepair so those unable to afford to live elsewhere are not getting enough sleep, the soldiers we have lack equipment and training and they know it, they are in no shape to fight off any invasion. While the city is without a leader, it gives them the uncertainty everybody in the city is feeling and there is only so much the officers can do. They need hope and a sense of order in the city's leadership."

"As for captain Liu, he is popular and the natural leader in the garrison. His fame helps at the start but he has us well organized, is a good leader and soldiers always appreciate a strong warrior and has provided a sense of calm to inexperienced, uneasy soldiers."

Li Jun thought it only polite to ask the question of him.

"How is the mood among the administration?"

[Han1977]

...
"What the city needs during a time of tension is an armed group under the authority of one man? We have guards and soldiers who are at least answerable to the city, to the commanders and to the civil authorities, as conflicted as that may be. Who would your militia be answerable to?"

Li Jun was getting quite worked up, she wasn't shouting yet but her voice was rising.

"I will not be remembered by history but whoever is in charge of Wan, I will seek to maintain peace on the streets, to ensure the law is upheld. If armed groups start forming then this city will not find stability. If you go ahead with raising your own troops, I will do all I can to oppose you and restore order."

"Relax... your guards and soldiers, as long as they do their duty to protect the city and its people, then I don't see there would be any conflict between them and the group I had in mind. If you find me or my men, breaking law and disturbing order, then be my guess, do what you see fit to do."

"We just want to protect our loved one. Our parents, spouses, kids, sisters... when no one seem to care about us. If you ask to who, we will be answerable to, then that would be my answer."

"You all busy with your struggle for power and I guess later you all are going to be busy at preparing battle. Not that it's wrong. In this situation, I guess that's just the right thing to do. After all, no one can live in peace if the rebel win. But then, once you recruit our young and strong one, who is left to protect the old? The little ones? The sick and disabled? Don't act like you're omnipotent and omniscience being who could be everywhere at the same time. When you lead your soldiers and guards to battle, can you watch over the family whose their men been drafted to serve your army?"

"Can you even guarantee that none of your beloved guards and soldiers, might use their authority to take advantage over us? Don't forget, I've been in the army for years... serving the glorious Han dynasty. Even guards and soldiers are human with their own flaws and desires. Some truly deserved to be called heroes, but I won't be so blind to think that none of them would be tempted by their greed and even acted upon it."

"And guess what? Just a few days ago, one of my neighbor told me a story, about bunch of guards drinking and getting drunk while they're on duty, in the middle of the day. Do you really think bunch of people like that can give us civilians sense of security!?"

"And you know what? Who do you think, the worst people I ever see in my life? Yes, you guess it right... soldiers... guards... especially when bunch of self righteous bastard decide that being a soldiers means that they deserve to be treated better, that they are above other people! Self righteous bastards who think that their ranks and position, means they have the right to decide who should live and who should die!"

"Oh.. let's send those new recruits as bait for our enemy. Put those old and disabled at front, let them absorb the enemy charges. Get those who are heavily injured back home, we have no use of them here. Back home? To live like beggars? Who cares, as long as they help their glorious generals to win the war and be the hero of our country."

Li Jun's raised voice, seemed to rile the middle aged veteran, it could be seen from his voice that grew louder as he answered. But it seem that he finally let off all the frustration out of his chest and his grew calmer.

Slowly Huang Dong turned his head toward the empty class, he sounded tired when he spoke, "Can't you see that people are scared? Those who should protect them, left them. Those who stay, are busy at eyeing the empty seat. Maybe once we have any functioning government, people will slowly regain their trust. But at least, for now, they need some sense of security."

"The men I gather..., do you think we have enough money to buy swords or spears or leather armors? <chuckle bitterly> If you see us as a threat, I believe you can send some of your men to slaughter us all. You won't even need to send tens of them."

"...we might not have any decent weapon and the strength to win against trained men. Against people who are used to violence. But together, we could at least make those who want to take advantage over the lack of public safety, think twice before commit any crime. Small time thieves... drunkards... the local bullies... And if any of your 'guards' think he could use his authority to bully one of us... hmph! I'll show him a move or two."

"Of course, I have no power to protect everyone, but at least I hope I can protect those near me. Those children..., my pupils... Elder Zhang who live across the street... Aunty Yu and her daughter..., my friend's family..."

His shoulder slumped down as he felt powerless and tired.

As she tried to calm down, she did give his naval plan as fair mind as she could manage but she had no naval experience.

"I am not a naval expert like Liu Shentong and Liao Ju but wouldn't it be better to have strong ships and strong troops to try to hold the river? The river has two routes the rebels could go down so how many naval commanders would you need?"

Huang Dong yawned, he didn't get enough sleep last night, "Well, since you know those naval experts, then I think you can ask them. I'm just old and tired veteran. Useless in real battle but if the rebel have no one who have experience and no ship of their own, then a naval commander could lead a relatively small and inexperienced troop to stop them."

Huang Dong scratched his chin, "Hmm... maybe 3 or 4 units of 1000 men could do. There is no 100% guarantee in war but the chance is good. Of course it all depend on how the rebel deploy their troop and the skill of their generals. That's why we need information."

"The river has two routes, but it's not like our army will stand like a statue. We will move in accord the movement of our enemies. The point is, they must cross the river if they want to reach our city. So I don't think as long as those who lead that units have their brain and eyes, we have a good chance to stop the rebel. Once again, with one condition, the rebel have no one who understand naval battle."

"The problem is... the river is closer to Xiang Yang than Wan. If we want to block them at the river, then we should dispatch our troop as soon as possible. I don't think it is a big problem. After all we only need a handful of them, the rest could stay in Wan to be trained. We could post them near the river and act based on the situation. If we see that the enemies are well equipped (ship, bows?) and the generals know what they're doing (navy skill), it won't be too late for this unit to retreat. It took times for the rebel to cross the river and by the time they reach the northern shore, our troop will already reach the safety of our city."

Huang Dong stood in silence for a while, he seemed to think about something.

"Well, actually there is nothing to lose by dispatching our troop toward the river. Even if the enemy proved to be too hard. There might be many opportunity to harass some of their weakest unit. Something we will never know until the battle started. A commander with good judgment can do many things. But if we don't dispatch any army, even if there is a good chance to weaken the rebel's army to our advantage, there won't be no one who could do about it."

He straightened his back and said, "I believe, if you don't dispatch any unit to guard along the river, then you might regret about it later. But if you do, even if the rebel's army proved to be too strong and don't have any weaknesses for us to take advantage. You won't lose anything."

[One Sun Mirror]

"I never own very much, personally, good Master Gongsun. I took most of my stipend in grain and wine, with the occasional bit of good pork or beef when we had a bumper year in our revenues. Holding to a salary just invites trouble, I find. Men believe you have much gold tucked away somewhere in your home, and at least a few of them will get it in their heads to come relieve you of the excess wealth. Especially in times as these.

"Being not much of a fighter, I find it much easier to store, cook, and consume my pay. And a good stew tastes so much better than a coin." He shrugged with a soft chuckle, giving the simply irony that he was far more adept in the changing of money for the equivalent value in the weight of the grain, and its trade fees, than he was in the strategies of good farming. He took one last bite of his food and shrugged. "I can be prepared to set off in within the hour, if you're of the mood to be on the road and moving soon."

Gongsun Ji was impressed at Sun Ru's management of his wealth, his marked value of important things rather than hoarding mountains of precious, inedible metal.

Standing up, Gongsun Ji clasped his hands together and bowed to his host, saying, "then I shall await you here as you prepare, and we may set out for Wan. Let us hope we might find the place in a manageable state."

Wandering back over to his pony, the greying traveller tied up the top of his bag of lentils and re-attached it to the beast. Once this was accomplished, he placed his helmet back on his head (where it slipped to its usual askew position almost immediately) and he lay down in the dirt on his back and rested...

((OOC: Feel free to end it there if you like. Otherwise, happy to take your lead on their journey to Wan or what they find there when they arrive.))

[Dorin]

A nod was given to Ji as the man paid for his full balance on the tea and consumables. Tossing some of the remaining buns into his bag for the road. He was going to wind up needing to conduct work soon. His travel funds would not endure terribly much longer as he had no steady source of income now the government was turned on its head. The family estate was modest at best, his father had a long standing policy of renting out the arable land to the peasant farmers with a little extra coin to spare to grow extra crop. The rents had always been exceedingly low, usually netting them enough to pay the taxes on the land and little more. Ru had never bothered to change the policy. What hadn't been given in dowry for his sisters, was largely almost given over in all but legal deed to a few families who had been using the land for longer than he had been alive.

Yes, he was going to need to take up at least a scribe's work soon if he was to keep himself fed and clothed. He might well appeal to the civil ministers for room and board, but there was no promise of long term employment with the chaos at hand. Putting all that nonsense behind him, he simply collected himself to set off with (former) General Ji and made their path to the city proper to find their further adventures there.

((For now, I'll agree to call it a wrap up. Might run into one another at a later time. We shall see ... what we shall see.))

[Dong Zhou]

Huang Dong

Li Jun sighed, she could see where this was going to end up and it was not going to be peace and happiness. She let Huang Dong rant, clearly a man with deep deep issues about soldiers, maybe he had been part of the Han vs Turbans at Wan for all she knew. Then she spoke, unable to quite keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Never in the history of humanity has people turning to an unaccountable armed faction ever gone wrong. Every judgement they make is perfectly humane and not brutal vigilantism, the divisions within the city will never magically fester, their unaccountability to anything more then themselves will not cause problems, nobody would ever abuse it. Lack of weapons? They won't magically "

Li Jun now took to the defence of herself and her guards, this time her voice didn't rise but she spoke of clear passion, a woman defending her existence.

"I do care, I do know the people are scared and that is why we patrol, why we use our resources and limited man power to get out onto the streets to provide as comforting a presence as we can. We are trying to keep this city together and I have tried to keep out of the power struggle but even those picking sides in the guards, they are working on the streets to try to keep order, to keep tensions from boiling over. Others may battle for power but we are still working."

Her lips turned into a grim smile as she thought of the war ahead.

"We will still be here when the army marches out in some form, the officers and the guards left behind will be the ones helping look after your families, providing security on the streets. We won't take every soldier outside the city and we won't recruit all the young population. We don't have the resources or the commanders to command so large a force, it would be impractical to even try. Nor do I want us to, we will need our farmers, our traders, our civil servants and so on to rebuild the city, an army needs food, it needs a home and it needs resources. If the city collapses as we took all the young into an unweildly large force, we get none of that."

Li Jun began pacing around the empty classroom, full of energy now that she needed to burn off.

"It is true, I can not guarantee that every one of the thousands of guards we have is pure of heart, uncorrupted, wouldn't break the law. Like you say, they are human. But they are accountable, they have officers, they have rules, the officers themselves have civil authorities usually to keep us in check. If guards break the law, they can be held to account and punished, be that being fired, beaten, fined or even executed."

Li Jun turned to look at Huang Dong, a seroius look in her eyes. She knew the seriousness of his allegations, even if he didn't, and that any guard drunk on duty would be facing a heavy penalty. She hadn't come across the report, perhaps it was with another captain or perhaps this was a case of people whining but not reporting?

"Being drunk on duty is a serious offence for a guard. Do you or your neighbour have names, appearances, dates, the places they were drunk in so we, including a magistrate to oversee, can track down these guards, check the roster, gather witnesses? I assume your neighbour has done his duty and reported it this so this can be investigated?"

Li Jun held Huang Dong firmly in her stare as she pushed on the question of accountability.

"Your guys get drunk, get too eager with punishment, start abusing their position, who do they answer too? What law? Who investigates and judges them? What authority do they hold? Every case, I answer to someone else, I have to prove that so and so did this crime. Who do your people prove their case too? Because however well meaning, your group will end up making mistakes, someone going a bit too far, someone getting a heady whiff of importance and power. I am answerable to a lot more then the nepotist oversight of my own family and friends."

The last line about the family was said with clear disgust but when Dong spoke about soldiers, the horrors they could inflict, it was clear he was speaking from expirence, not just becuase of what he said but the way he spoke, the way it seemed to trouble him and it seemed to tire him. For that, she had sympathy though her own thoughts went to dark places.

"The worst I have seen? Not so much killers but those who delight in others suffering, those who violate the body, those who delight in the thrill of the kill or manipulate others to kill. Most murders are not like that, most cases are not like that but when one comes across such a case, it haunts me for a long long time."

Li Jun shook herself out of the thoughts that had crossed her mind, the dark tendrils of the past starting to creep back in.

"Your right, an out of control army, unaccountable to anyone is a danger. That is why armed groups even as large as an army must be held accountable, must have some authority to answer to. Soldiers must be subject to the law, if generals are so incompetent to not use their best troops then they are not good commanders and should be replaced."

Naval

Li Jun shrugged, there some merit in what he said but she still feared the troops would not be ready if forced to fight when so inexperienced.

"Wouldn't it best for someone with naval expertise to ask them? Someone who sticks to land like myself may misrepresent the plan. It seems a plan of some merit to me but I am not the person who either has the expertise to judge or the ability to send those ships out."

[Han1977]

Li Jun

It was easy to notice how passionate Li Jun when she talked about guard and their duty. For a moment Huang Dong felt ashamed for his earlier outburst.

He shyly apologized, "Well, forgive me for my bad manner... I spoke out of frustration and ... you do nothing wrong but I took it on you. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. It's just that... some bad memories came up. I've met ... some people who abused their power and can't do nothing about it."

"Luoyang... how should I say it? It's a great place if you have the right connection and know how to flatter the right person. But when you don't... when you foolishly offend the wrong person. Life could be like hell... well... something like that."

Huang Dong shook his head, as if to shake out some bad memories out of his head, "Miss... sorry I forget to ask your name. My name is Huang Dong, and once again I would like to apologize for my rude behavior."

"So you're part of the guards? From the way you carry yourself, I can see that you know some martial art, but since you don't wear anything to show that you're one of them. I never thought that ... uh... should I know..., perhaps I would be more careful with my words. I understand that you do care and I'm grateful for it. It's people like you that make life better for us civilians.", he quickly moved to another topic.

"And I would like to assure you that none of those who gather under my guidance will do something that break rules and law. I pick them personally, people I know. I promise you I will keep them in check from time to time. If anyone try to do anything stupid, or bullies people, then I'll knock some common sense into their head. Heaven, to tell the truth, these people, I just need to tell their wife or their parent, and they'll kowtowed in tears. As long as you don't arrest people for no reason, then I don't see there will be any problem for me or for my men."

"And if they do break any law, feel free to make an arrest. I'll disband this group of people immediately."

"I understand as guard, you don't like the idea. But... well... I have my reason. You have your conviction, I have mine. It's not easy for me to trust people in the government... I...", Huang Dong ended just shrugged his shoulder.

As if to remember something he added, "About the story of this drunken guard, uhm... please don't get offended, but do you really think, people like us, who had no power or status, dare to report it? You want to gather witness, who will dare to witness against guards in time like this? You can't disciplined the guards without any witness, but see... if a civil officer or rich man make a complain, they don't need to worry for the repercussion. They have their own guards to protect them. But people like us..."

"Beside, as far as I know, this guard didn't harm anyone, he just being drunk and loud as a drunkard does, that's all."

"I'm not sure that bring you to my neighbor is a good idea... Seeing how passionate you are with your... profession. If I bring you to her, what will you do then?"

[Calistoknight]

[Open RP] - Lady Pu Cele's Pub, the Morning after the Morning of Many Magistrates

As they waited for Pu Cele to arrive with the diviner ale, Jia Chun responded to Xu Bao's employment suggestion with a hearty laugh. "I'm no good at being at the top, I lack presence and charisma!" He slapped his armored belly for emphasis. "I shine when I get to appear from nowhere and beat folks black and blue while they're laughing at me. They never see it coming!" He laughed again and arranged their cups and other assorted trinkets into a rough map of the province. "This here, is Wan." He trailed along the river, towards the south. "Give me good horses, and I'd be in the rebels' face-" He stopped short of the candle that represented Xiang Yang "-before they even finished packing for the trip!" He punched the air playfully.

Xu Bao laughed with the man at his antics. "You look like the kind of man who could do that. Maybe the new Magistrate can send you out scouting and be surprised when you returned with a little prize." Xu Bao said and laughed again. Xu Bao added a few snack items down in front of Wan and pushed them forward. "I'd like us to go forward and do what you're suggesting. I bet their coming here all cocky thinking we'll be easy pickings. Imagine their faces if suddenly well armed forces appeared. Xu Bao took another swig and paused with a realization. "Maybe that's why those last rebels wore yellow, can't see the piss stains when the Imperial Army charged em" And then he laughed at his copied infringement joke.

[Vartonn]

[Open RP] - Lady Pu Cele's Pub, the Morning after the Morning of Many Magistrates

Xu Bao laughed with the man at his antics. "You look like the kind of man who could do that. Maybe the new Magistrate can send you out scouting and be surprised when you returned with a little prize." Xu Bao said and laughed again. Xu Bao added a few snack items down in front of Wan and pushed them forward. "I'd like us to go forward and do what you're suggesting. I bet their coming here all cocky thinking we'll be easy pickings. Imagine their faces if suddenly well armed forces appeared. Xu Bao took another swig and paused with a realization. "Maybe that's why those last rebels wore yellow, can't see the piss stains when the Imperial Army charged em" And then he laughed at his copied infringement joke.

Jia Chun was slamming the counter as he laughed at Xu Bao's joke. "Join the rebellion, dye your own turban, don't mind the smell!" He wiped away some tears from laughing too hard and spoke with barely contained laughter. "I guess that qualifies the previous magistrate as a rebel! If not for the rain, we could probably follow his tracks all the way to Han Gu pass!" It took several moments for the rotund man to compose himself. "In all seriousness, I don't think we could pull it off with the current garrison, they'd probably run away too, it'd be the two of us against the entire rebel army!" He made wide motions in front of him, as if he was trying to portray ten thousand rebels staring them down. "No one's crazy enough to go alone into that tiger den..."

[UnholyBlade]

Guards

"That's very sweet Ma."

Li Jun wondered which of her or Dai Ren would end up carrying a drunk sergeant home, Li Jun subtly trying to query with her fingers to Dai how much the younger one had drunk. Three or four now? She had to supress a smile at Dai Ren's near joke in case he thought she was finding him amusing and took it as an insult to his dignity.

"Well we can't ask those who can't fight to take up a sword but I wish we could impose consequences on civil officers that don't put the effort in. Or put the effort towards their own pockets more then the city."

Perhaps unfortunately, this led her to the next question.

"Does anyone here actually know Dao Long?"

"We could always put the clerks on Latrine duty." He said with a shrug. There was a distinct twinkle in Dai Ren's eye at the comment, though his face remained impassive as always. He held up a questioning four fingers in response. Yet another reason why he didn't feel the need to drink. "I've heard the man is a merchant. Merchants care only for profits, as far as I know. The same way a General only cares for victory." He finished his water cup. Refreshingly cold after his defeat at the Archery Tournament.

[Dong Zhou]

Han

Huang Dong's apology and calm attitude seemed to get through to Li Jun who, on the greeting, gave a little bow and a smile.

"I am Li Jun and as you correctly summarised, guard captain. I'm afraid I get passionate about my trade as you have had the misfortune to discover."

With things calmer, she did attempt to reach across the divide, it was clear they had a fundamental disagreement that no amount of diplomacy could cross but it did not need to be testy. Perhaps with time, his group would disband or join the guards.

"Wan is not perfect as witnessed by our last oh so glorious leader, just the guards didn't benefit. We were rather ignored, allowed to do our own thing and our own infrastructure has been run down. I do think your plan is misguided but I assure you, I will not force the disbandment or seek to harm your group, I just hope such things will no longer be seen as needed soon. Hopefully at that accord, we can work together."

What was the phrase? The egg and the duck? Egg and the dragon? Whatever that scholar had once told her, it came to mind as Huang Dong said why the neighbour had not gone to the guards. She had heard it before, it was frustrating but a common place attitude.

"You do see the problem with not telling us? The neighbour is unhappy, our reputation is lowered as she talks about it but we don't hear of it so we do nothing and so next time, others won't tell us. I know there is always some distrust of guards and with all that is happened in Wan, that will be worse. If we are seen handling such incidents, it builds a bit of trust or at least stems the damage. In terms of getting information, a guard captain's support is more valuable to a business then a guard, I will be able to get information."

Li Jun held her hands up with a chuckle as he subtly suggested she might be of the correct temperament to talk to the neighbour.

"I'm calmer on duty, one gets used to a amazing provocation when on duty. I can put on my armour if it helps and with you with us, perhaps that will help reassure her."

Li Jun's passion, though of a calmer sort, returned as she spoke of the drunken guards.

"It matters that we are seen to deal with drunk guards. It damages our reputation, a guard drunk is armed which is not a good thing for obvious reasons, any arrest made is harder to prove if the guard is arrested, we can't rely on said guard in emergency. If a young lad being a bit stupid? A month worth of extra duties will stop it happening again, if this guard is a regular drinker on duty, that guard is not fit for service."

[Mal Tijie]

Guards

Dao Long? Im not familar wif the name.

Intoxicated or not, Zang did not know who the Dao Long that Li Jun spoke of. In fact he was not familiar with any of the prominent families or members of society in the city. Rarely ever did he leave his village other than buying supplies and food.

Aye, If hes a mercant, wood he not be able ta gif money to tha city? Everyone shud be contributting to tha cause! No matta how small tha part!

[Dong Zhou]

Guards

Li Jun smiled at Dai Ren's not at all a joke and wondered at what point she would have to get Dai to carry Ma home. He was being a bit loud, clearly not thinking but at the moment, not a danger to himself. Li Jun peered round to see if Ma Zang had anything sharp or dangerous on him that might need to be removed.

"I believe the term for that is taxes Ma."