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Palace
Jun 20, 2010 21:50:54 GMT
Post by Guan Sui [Kev] on Jun 20, 2010 21:50:54 GMT
"I h..have t..to thank m..my second in c..command for having so m..much sup...support. I asked t..to go t..together t..t..to meet lord Liu B..Bei, b..but he s..said no."
Sui looked into his cup of tea, taking a breath, then moved the cup to his mouth and took some, but suddenly sneezed and barely managed not to spoil the tea.
"S..s...s..SORRY!" he said, as he scared himself a bit but then had to grin a little at his silly self. He continued now with a smile. "Ind..deed I c..came to this city f..for a p..p..purpose. It is b..best, in our op..p..pinion that w..we went t..to serve a l..lord with p..power and t..trust f..from the p..p..people l..like lord Xuande. T..these a..are t..turbulent t..times.."
He found tones with the 't' the hardest to speak. It annoyed him more and more, but at least Lin wasn't bothered by it. The impatient magistrates of the towns he helped never let him talk that much.
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Palace
Jun 20, 2010 21:51:41 GMT
Post by Liu Bei on Jun 20, 2010 21:51:41 GMT
The guards were laughing amongst themselves, cracking jokes when a lone figure who had no apparent weapons or armour had appeared at the gate. The guards looked him down, and took notice of his height. One of them went down from the walls, and opened the gate, and said to the man,
"Well, Yong An has been extremely busy today. Unfortunately Liu Bei is not here at the moment, but his steward is here. He speaks on behalf of Lord Xuande, and so it is as though you were speaking with the same person. You may go on in to the audience chamber."
The guard then motioned for an official to lead the way, and told him of his name, so that Lin Chong would know who he is speaking with. The official nodded, and then said to Yen Shin,
"Please follow me, it is not very far."
-----------------------------------
Lin Chong listened closely at what Guan Sui was saying, and then gave a slight nod of his head in approval. Though when the sneeze came, Lin Chong laughed a bit but made a shake with his hand to suggest to the youth that nothing wrong was done. Once he was finished, Lin Chong spoke and said,
"Ah, well I am very glad to meet you then. For one who has this much respect, and a follower who helps you, Liu Bei would be grateful of you offering your services to him. As he has given command to me, I accept you into our forces, you will be given access to our war council and will receive a stipend. Liu Bei will also be informed as soon as he returns from Luo Yang. I am very certain he would like to meet you."
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Palace
Jun 20, 2010 22:02:37 GMT
Post by Fledgling Pidgeon on Jun 20, 2010 22:02:37 GMT
Most unfortunate., he thought to himself. Yen Shin had been pursuing the man for months, and when he was finally meant to meet with him, he escapes again. It seemed the fleeting Liu Bei was a hard prey to track. But at least I know this is indeed his home. It was a problem solved. That was enough to bring a smile to the man's face.
"Of course. Let us proceed." Yen Shin followed the guard through the corridors, halls and stairs of the Yamen, and was led into the room where Lin Cheng was meeting with another man. "Lord Lin Cheng, I presume. My name is Yen Shin of He Nei. I have been seeking Lord Liu Bei Xuande for months, and it is with utmost respect that I..." At this point, Yen Shin kneeled, bowing his head down respectably. "... offer my services to him, and that of two thousand loyal soldiers."
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Palace
Jun 20, 2010 22:12:56 GMT
Post by Guan Sui [Kev] on Jun 20, 2010 22:12:56 GMT
"I am g..grateful." Almost. Almost a full sentence. They were rare, he remembers only 2 or 3 times before he said one. 'I love you' and 'it shall be done', short but whole. It could make his whole week happy.
He finished his tea, and rose from his seat. Saluting he finished with: "I'll i..inform my men t..too, and I w..will await a..any news then. W..we will set up c..camp here c..close t..to the city t..then."
For now, he was relieved the conversation was over, yet regretted it somehow, but at least he could now have his bow returned.
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Palace
Jun 20, 2010 22:20:58 GMT
Post by Liu Bei on Jun 20, 2010 22:20:58 GMT
Lin Chong simply nodded to Guan Sui, and gave him a salute and let him take his leave. At this time another individual had come into the audience chamber and announced himself as Yen Shin. He had bowed, and Lin Chong grew surprised at this. He hastened to bid the man arise and said,
"Please, I am just a servant to my Lord Liu Bei. There is no need to bow to me. He has nominally left me in command to receive those into his service, and as you have expressed so with such sincerity, I will oblige. My Lord will wish to meet with you whence he returns, but for now you have access to the war council and will receive a stipend. Feel free to make your way around the city, and direct your men to stay in the barracks if they so choose."
He paced for a bit and then spoke again,
"You are confident, and I have high hopes for you general Yen Shin. You are free to come and go as you please to the palace."
With that, Lin Chong bowed and waited. No response was required, but he would wait in case Yen Shin wished to do so.
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Palace
Jun 20, 2010 22:44:03 GMT
Post by Fledgling Pidgeon on Jun 20, 2010 22:44:03 GMT
So... So soon? He was in shock. Simplicity wasn't easy for him to take in. He had thought to prove his worth, and instead he was not only accepted... He was given the honour of a compliment from the man. "Thank you, Lord Lin Cheng. I am honoured by your judgement, and will await the call to meet the Lord Liu Bei."
He then proceeded out of the Yamen. Just a few minutes ago, he had entered the palace a wandering noble, without home or lord. Now, he was Commander under the banner of Liu Bei, with free rights to come and go as he pleased from the palace. And yet... It left him a feeling of emptiness inside. It was not enough. Not yet. He had to accomplish more, if he was to be at peace.
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 0:48:23 GMT
Post by Liu Bei on Jun 21, 2010 0:48:23 GMT
Lin Chong then remembered something, and hastened to chase after Yen Shin. Catching up to him, he said quickly,
"I forgot to mention this earlier, but you should present yourself to General Guan Yu. He should be in the barracks of the city, drilling and preparing the men."
With that Lin Chong gave Yen Shin a salute, and made his way back into the palace, and heading into the audience chamber once more.
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 17:04:56 GMT
Post by Fledgling Pidgeon on Jun 21, 2010 17:04:56 GMT
General Guan Yu. Sworn brother of Liu Bei, this one man was known for his several feats of strength on the battlefield. It would be an honour to meet with him, at the... Barracks? A drill exercise, now? So soon after he was recruited? That was interesting.
And so he moved out of the palace, taking the reins of his steed, Nightsong, and marched forth to his troops, organizing the now four thousand men he was in charge of into a neat formation. He would not be caught with lazing troops when presenting himself to the barracks. It was his obligation as commander to impress the General Guan Yu, and show him that his troops were a force to be reckoned with.
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wu
New Member
Posts: 5
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 19:25:48 GMT
Post by wu on Jun 21, 2010 19:25:48 GMT
Ding Feng looked up at the steps at the palace, he was tired, he had rushed from Xie Ye to here as he was told this was where Liu Bei would be found. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and slowly moved up the steps. Thoughts racing through his mind, "What If he takes some offense to me? What if he isn't here?" These thoughts cleared as he suddenly noticed he was infront of the guarded doors. He turned and spoke to one of the guards "Can you please inform Liu Bei, or whoever is inside, that Ding Feng is here to see if he may join his ranks."
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 19:51:40 GMT
Post by Liu Bei on Jun 21, 2010 19:51:40 GMT
The guard's were again conversing about menial things, some of them even playing a card game, even though they knew they shouldn't. They were addressed by a younger looking man, they all looked up at him, and then one of the older guards stood up and gave a slight nod acknowledging the request. He shouted to the guards at the top of the wall,
"Hey, open the gate!"
He then turned to Ding Feng and said,
"You may enter the palace to say that yourself. But please leave your weapons in our care, you can collect them when you return. This official coming will lead you to the audience chamber."
The official came forth and as soon as he got close he motioned for Ding Feng to follow. Upon doing so, he turned and without speaking he made his way towards the palace.
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 19:57:40 GMT
Post by scholar on Jun 21, 2010 19:57:40 GMT
Xīn Shìjiè Fēnliè, since you have expressed your wish to serve Liu Bei, I formally accept you as an officer on his behalf. You will be given access to our war council, as well as receive a stipend. I expect great results from you.(Decided to change the text colour of Lin Chong to make it easier to see). Xīn Shìjiè Fēnliè observed as the topic shifted dramatically from espionage to service. It was quite a shock, Xin had desired the topic to change and change quickly, but such an easy acceptance into Lord Liu Bei's service was unexpected to the extreme. With a sigh of relief Xin said thank you. Thank you very much for accepting me into Lor Liu Bei's service. I will serve my lord and those around him such as you Master Lin for as long as I draw breath.
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wu
New Member
Posts: 5
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 20:01:00 GMT
Post by wu on Jun 21, 2010 20:01:00 GMT
Ding Feng nodded to the guard, handed them his broadsword and shield. He then closely followed the official, looking behind him every so often and checking every corner they came across. He kept clenching and uncleanching his fists, and despite it being notably cooler in the palace than outside, his forehead was soon soaked once again. He wiped his forehead once again and then, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had descended upon the pair he said, "Err, Nice place" looking at his surroundings.
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 20:05:59 GMT
Post by Splash on Jun 21, 2010 20:05:59 GMT
((OOC: Sorry for the absence, RL has been hectic this last. Here is a little backstory to explain Zhang Fei's absence as well))
Three men rode quickly through the streets of Yong An, carefully avoiding the busy market district. At the front of this small entourage was a rough looking man. Half of his torso was exposed by the way he wore his robes but all that it revealed was a heavily bandaged torso. Arriving at the gates, the men were immediately granted entrance and they wasted no time to seek out their Lord.
Huo Li and Bai Yan rode silently and remained silent as Zhang Fei led them through the palace looking for Liu Bei. Silently they contemplated about the past while. Silently they tried to forget the shame and embarassment they felt. While laying waste to remnants of the Yellow Scarves on the out lying boarders of Yong An, a stray arrow made its way across the hills and struck the brave warrior in the back. Unknown Zhang Yide at the time, he carried on fighting, a simple arrow wound was no problem for a man of his standard. Without a cry of pain, he continued to rain down his furious and vicious strikes like the violent thunderstorms of a humid summer day. Slowly he started to realize what had befell him, the poison was slow acting, perhaps due to his strong constitution, but it was beginning to make its way throughout his body. The poison may have been lethal to a weaker man; to a scholarly man. However, Zhang Fei continued his fight though his movements become sluggish. His swings were becoming wide, his Serpent Blade swung across and slashed those in front and behind him before he ducked low to avoid an onslaught of spear thrusts. Putting the massive spear on his back, he blasted the spears above him into the air, leaving the men wielding them disarmed and defenseless. A sharp pain could be felt in his chest and Zhang Fei stumbled forward, barely able to support his stance with his spear impaled into the ground. Seeing this, Huo Li began cutting down enemies to make way over to his commander but he was not quick enough. Once again the Yellow Scarved Remnant bandits were flocking to Zhang Fei, hoping to take his head for themselves. Dodging and swinging a wide left hook, Zhang Yide braced for the first man's charge head on and met him with a wide left hook. His right hand still remained on his spear, it was evident that without it, he would not longer be able to stand much less continue this fight. Ducking his head, he managed to avoid a spear thrown straight at his face, but his movements were beyond slow now. A perfect opportunity for the enemy to strike.
As Huo Li continued to cut his way across the enemy hordes, he watched in admiration as the men surrounding Zhang Fei began to take a few steps back. Slowly they inched away from the brave warrior. In the air, was a single man, suspended in motion and seemingly time as well, he was held there, impaled by the Serpent Blade. Standing firm and still, Zhang Fei finally showed signs of life when he pulled a spear out of his torso and used it as support. With a swing of his right arm, he threw the man off of his spear and into a pile of people behind him, the force knocking them all down. Snapping back to reality, Huo Li took his yan yue dao and uttered a deafening warcry, the youth was learning from Zhang Fei quite well. Slashing and smashing, he cut his way through the enemy and found his commander.
Seeing the battle lost, the remaning Yellow Scarved Bandits dropped their weapons and retreated. Still standing tall despite the poison and his injuries, Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs. The deafening roar was met by cheers of victory on his side, but at the cost of a collasping Zhang Fei. It looked like he had finally met saw is limits when the poison caused him to vomit blood. Everything became blurry and Zhang Fei started to fade out of consciousness.
With his wounds and the poison in his system, it took a full week of painfully torturous rest before Zhang Fei could be recommissioned. Painful and torturous in the sense that while he was laying down to rest and recover, his duties wwere be neglected and his promise to his big brother was being left unfulfilled. However, the brave warrior understood that in his condition he was not fit to do much, at least no until he could move around again less he serve as a deterance to the morale of his troops. A cool breeze flew down into the courtyard, tickling the exposed chest and arms of the fierce looking warrior before he stopped at a certain set of doors no different from the rest. After receiving the guards greetings, Zhang Fei gave them a nod of acknowledgement before knocking on the door. "Brother, Yide has come to see you!" His voice was loud, but it carried with it excitement and happiness.
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 20:30:07 GMT
Post by Liu Bei on Jun 21, 2010 20:30:07 GMT
The official looked back at Ding Feng when he had spoke, and gave a slight nod, and said,
"Yes, we try to keep it well maintained. And the natural features of Yong An are beautiful."
He led him up the long steps towards the audience chamber, walking rather quickly. When he reached the top he waited for Ding Feng to follow, and then he spoke again,
"Well, we are here. Just go through those doors, and you will be able to meet with Lin Chong, who is watching over the city at the moment for Lord Xuande is away temporarily."
------------- (Prior to Liu Bei leaving for Luo Yang, and no worries Splash, real life comes before role playing.)
Liu Bei was anxiously awaiting news of Yide's return from snuffing out remnant pockets of Yellow Turbans. Instead what he got was news that his younger brother had collapsed after defeating them, and he was carried into Yong An on a stretcher. Rushing towards the gate, he escorted the men carrying him into the palace. They went to Yide's room, and carefully put him on the bed. Xuande then hastening to call the best physicians in the area.
Many heeded the call, and they were able to do what they did best. But Zhang Fei was required to rest. Liu Bei could only wonder at how agonizing this would have been for Yide, but Bei maintained that he follow the doctor's orders to the letter. He watched his brother's countenance get better every day, and on one particularly nice day, while Xuande was reading on the porch of his room he received a knock on his door and heard his brother's voice.
Getting up quickly, he went to the door and opened it, seeing Yide's excitement. He bade him come in, and then said,
"Yide, it is good to see you up and getting better. But don't overdo it, you still haven't completed the full period of rest that the physicians prescribed to you."
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wu
New Member
Posts: 5
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Palace
Jun 21, 2010 20:34:17 GMT
Post by wu on Jun 21, 2010 20:34:17 GMT
Ding Feng nodded at the official and thanked him, he then took a few breaths then opened the doors. He got down on one knee and removed his helmet, holding it by his side. "Greetings sir, my name is Ding Feng, I have come here to offer my service to Lord Liu Bei, and I was told you were the man to come to in his leave.
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