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Vote closed. You've critted two times so far in the rolls.
Behind the Serpent Throne (CK2)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
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...third roll, third crit.
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Gardener of Human Happiness
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I kinda feel bad for QM's whenever something like this happens. You want to provide your Questers with a challenge and then they keep rolling crits.
Atleast none of them are 2nd order crits?
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The Gods look Kiralo with favour, since he is mighty and righteous.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
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Hmm, would you say the same thing if they turned out to be critfails?
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Well, in that case it would surely mean that Kiralo has grown evil and corrupt. But obviously that's not the case, or we wouldn't be rolling so well.
Really, is like you don't know how the Mandate of Heaven works.
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I wonder whether I'll introduce people again and you'll go "Who?"
I wish that it wasn't such a hassle to make a cast of characters. Maybe I should put that next on the list of things to do? I dunno!
I wish that it wasn't such a hassle to make a cast of characters. Maybe I should put that next on the list of things to do? I dunno!
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
The Mandate of Heaven implies that the Emperor can potentially lose his divine favour.
This is obviously HERESY!!!
And yet history tells us that Emperors do sometimes get overthrown and the ones that do tend to be weak and or corrupt.
Treason not heresy.
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Also, on a similar note, does anyone have questions about the function of the Imperial Government, or the nature of the Council of Generals, or the Hereditary Governors, or so on and so forth?
I might be in a mood to answer questions.
I might be in a mood to answer questions.
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I'd be interested in learning more about the Governors, given that most of what we've seen has focused on the capital and that level of government.
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Okay, to start with. Questions in specific sometimes help jog thoughts, but it's a new system. Well, by new one means that it is centuries and centuries old by now, but it wasn't always so. But after the reconquest, from the Southlander Dynasty, ever since that date, there has been less power to fully enforce all power. Provinces were a creation of administrative efficacy, attempts to push everything together, under the false Southlander Dynasty. But they were in some ways just acknowledging the facts on the ground, that there were chief nobles and chief landholders.
But what happened was, each Province was given certain rights and duties, and a person, a Governor, who was to rule all of this. Some of them were given on a Hereditary Basis, and some not, and those that were not, were eventually sold away to be on a Hereditary Basis. Or granted so.
Thus, in theory, there are eleven, all alike in both power and obedience to the Emperor, who rules the Province of Csrae directly, needing no Governor for Lands that his palace sits upon.
Except that some are weaker than others, and some have switched hands more often than others, from one branch of the family to another. Some have stronger nobles, or the Imperial Court has retaken some power, and it has been a bugbear of Kuojah's, trying to seize as much control over taxation as possible, and over road-works, and really over anything and everything.
Basrat, while it has a Governor, was usually all but ran by the Princely line which was meant to sit on the Government after a few nasty incidents. The Prince and his descendents were supposed to secure the East, and historically that's what they did, but it means that the Governor of Basrat wasn't truly calling the shots.
And in Hari-Os, the Merchant Councils decide things and then tell the Hereditary Governor what they've decided.
In Hirand, the Hereditary Governor is more like the first among equals, the biggest bully of them all, because the rice and the sheer agricultural wealth (combined with a lack of any other real wealth) means that the Emperor takes too close a scrutiny of the area for fully independent power to form.
Beyond these basic axioms, proximity to the Emperor tends to connect with lesser independence, and even so, each Province has their own dynamics that you'll have to discover, as you did the conflicts in Hari-Su over the Governor vs. the Emperor vs The Nobles.
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Update tomorrow!
Turn 12B--Planning
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Turn 12B (and possibly more), Planning
In the morning, the problems and difficulties don't go away. In fact, they have multiplied, but now they have a new context. Now Kiralo felt as if he was able to access it, to think about the answers. But of course, there were more than answers. There were also more questions. Before his breakfast is done they come, the clerks and the petitioners, the lines of people for whom he would need an army of scribes and guards to keep out.
His father no doubt had a system to deal with this, to sort out who mattered and who didn't, for even the hardest working man couldn't take on the burden alone. But this was an army, and he was in command of hundreds of thousands of men, and of course the women and the merchants, after a fashion, the scullery boys and the whores and the washerwomen, the peasants creeping in to steal from the dead who must be kept out.
So they came, the couriers, with long letters that he was supposed to read. They should have come in person, and yes there were men who did, though all the wrong ones, excepting a few like Jun, honorable Jun, who was a fighter if nothing else, and that was in fact a lot. In a Southlander army, the commanders would have lined up to report, would have spoken to him in person, or if they could not, would have sent their seconds, or an apology, if some pressing matter stopped them, after a battle. During a battle, of course, you sent who you could spare and fought for every man.
But this was an army in which political connection and poetic skill were both valid elements. The army was a bureaucracy, it was subject to tests and politics, and this was not so surprising and new, but it meant that there were many men in many places who were far more used to writing letters than they were to anything else.
So they wrote letters, full of careful lies and even more careful truths, talking about any problems they had with their men as if they were ancient facts dredged up, and quoting as many of the old philosophers and scholars as they could remember to fit in, sometimes even when they didn't make sense.
And Kiralo was expected to reply in many cases, dictating of course, because he was saving his hand for a very different sort of letter than the ones read to him, or the dry reports of the men in charge of the supply train. Even men he was pleased with had not shown up, such as Niu, still busy with far too many other matters.
The mages don't show up either, not even Ji'lae. Not then at least.
So he hurries to get through it, and then takes the letters and reads them himself, running through them quickly and giving up dictation to merely tell them a few words, or ask them to send a request for a meeting later. He had a letter to write.
******
Calligraphy was not his strong suit, but he knew the diplomatic phrases. It was amazing how packed and loaded a sentence was, once you added in the proper titles and addresses, but he tried to write for posterity too. His hand did not need to be elegant, but it needed to be clear.
The Imperial forces, led by Cs-Kiralo, had triumphed over Prince Jinhai, the traitor, who had surrendered his forces in total to KIralo, who had considered the matter and had his own recommendations that he was hopeful would be followed by His Serenity, matching with the dictates of the Gods and the circumstances, though he carefully left room for himself to give way without claiming that the Emperor was in the wrong. It was good sense, though in another age, when he was an idiot of sixteen, he would have called it cowardice.
He wrote that all major followers, as defined by the Emperor, but a list of whom was included--he told a clerk to call for Jinhai to provide the names, as part of the deal--were to submit themselves to judgment. They were to die, but those in their family, male and female, who were younger than sixteen would live, even if they lost their status and their lands.
They were to not impede the Imperial forces in any way, and were to cooperate in helping them understand the full depths and complexities of the conspiracy. Meanwhile, Jinhai and those major figures who were present were to be brought immediately to court, to be sentenced and officially executed.
He wrote that the Prince's family in its entirety should be brought to the Imperial court for sentencing and disposal. He said many other things, gilding the words carefully and properly, without, he hoped, overstepping his station.
And then he added his own comments, on the way that war had come, but war must pass, at least civil war. He wrote a separate proclamation, asking that all might beseech the Gods for peace, that all might obey the Emperor, that there was an end now to the struggles, and that now the world would be put into proper order. He wrote from his heart, but with the eye of history gazing down upon him.
After that, knowing that he couldn't merely surprise his father without a hint of his own plans, he called for another scroll, and wrote his father a far more careful letter outlining just what he had said and done. And asking for support of his choices. That would be sent ahead as fast as possible. But then, so would the official declaration, even if it were not technically official in some ways.
*******
The young man, Haolinof Lineage Yengu, was a noble and a cavalryman, dashing in his way, and he'd done well for himself in the battle, according to Kueli, who had of course showed up in person to provide a quick list of people who he had been impressed in, and a far longer verbal list of all of the people he had disliked, and all of the problems that had to be fixed… and then all of the ways that he could lighten Kiralo's burden.
There was a subordinate (and a friend) who hadn't left him with more work after he arrived than he left with, though the balance was very close.
This young man was not handsome, but he looked aristocratic, with smooth skin and dark, placid eyes, staring out at Kiralo without the least emotion allowed to flicker past.
It was his lips that gave him away, the way that they worked themselves up and down and around, as if he were trying to chew on the air itself. He was worried that this was for some failing, something he did or didn't do. He was young…
No, well yes. Yes he was, but this young was twenty-three, if his answer was to be trusted, and Kiralo hadn't been that young since he was perhaps seventeen, maybe eighteen at the far end of it. But nobles grew up slower, perhaps, grew towards something else. When you were born in Csirit, of a high enough station, the family wrote down the day of your birth in a vast book, so that later when trying to marry, or cast lots to see just what fortune had in store for you, what the Gods willed, or who would be a proper spouse, they could pin you down.
An exact date was important in a way it wasn't in the Southlands, though Kiralo knows when he was born, of course. It was noted down in a book that his mother couldn't keep, but she wrote it down in her heart, and whispered it and the signs, the symbols and the meanings that such a day might have in the stars, to him… thinking he would care.
He did, of course.
Then. And perhaps his father has it written down somewhere as well.
So this boy worried.
"Welcome, Haolin. You are not a courier, but these are not normal times. I have a few couriers here, but they need someone to go with them."
"What?" the boy asked, his voice deep, his look as if someone had struck him upside the head.
"Many someones. I am granting them more mercy than perhaps I might have, but if they run, or if they kill themselves and their children out of fear of torture and then death, or if they burn the tax records out of vengeance, or do any number of foolish things…" Kiralo shrugged, heavily, stepping forward. "An army will be coming, but that will take a week or two just to enter Basrat, and then it has to spread out, and in force, to occupy and take control of the whole Province, which is quite large."
"Oh?"
"It will take time. Too much time. We need them on their knees in obedience, we need them compliant, and we need men that I can trust, and that the Empire can trust, to ensure that the word spreads." Kiralo did not rest his hand on the boy's shoulder. He was too young to play the father, and besides, the boy is disliked by his own father, though he remains properly respectful and obedient of his father, who thinks him a disgrace, and packed him off to the official cavalry for just such a purpose: there he could ride prettily and perhaps catch the Emperor's notice on some hunt.
He hadn't though, Kueli had said.
"Cs-Kiralo?" Haolin asked.
"I ask it, though I could demand it." Kiralo let a little of his worries show, but just enough for his purposes. "But I hear from my friend, Cs-Kueli--"
"Your friend, sir?"
"Yes. He is my friend, and a loyal subordinate," Kiralo said, as if he were not interrupted, allowing a slight glow to show. It was not as if there was any way to deny it, and showing it would make Haolin feel the privilege of seeing inside. The same sort of inside as if he had become a friend of the Emperor in some small respect. "And he said that you were honest, and honorable, and a good rider." Though not, Kueli had emphasized, more than a middling bowman. Good enough for Csiritan standards, but no more.
"Oh," Haolin said, looking down, though the expression on his face was pleased.
"And honor is important. They will offer bribes, and they will try to run. They will attempt to burn scrolls and books, and some of them might be fool enough to attack the messengers, in the hopes of hiding their shame long enough to escape. I need you to find nobles and men you can trust, that can ride well enough to keep up with and protect the couriers. It is important to the Empire."
The boy was imagining his father, was imagining what success could bring.
"How many may I take?"
"As many as you think best," Kiralo said, seeing the glow in the boy's eyes. "Remember, you need to travel fast, but travel with plenty of protection. Feel free to grab a small handful of non-nobles if you think you can trust them. Remember, each person you take is your responsibility."
In another circumstance, Haolin would have blanched at this thought, but at the moment he was thinking of success, and what it would bring, he was thinking, perhaps, of his father and his father's wishes. Kiralo smiled at the boy, and then said, "You'll have to leave before noon, ideally, and my scribes will be copying the missives you are to spread and declaim across Basrat."
"I will not fail you, Cs-Kiralo," Haolin insisted, almost shivering with excitement, aware of what this could mean.
Was he truly as honorable as he seemed? Kiralo didn't know whether he'd be immune to bribery and graft in the ordinary sense. It was a part of politics, getting favors, giving favors. But he had no reason to doubt that Kiralo was watching him.
That he was being judged and that a failure here, that letting the enemy get away, would be noted. As indeed he would be. Kiralo had talked to the sneakiest and cleverest couriers, and a few spies that Kueli had sniffed out, people monitoring him from the Imperial palace, people highly placed who could pretend to be couriers as well.
If Haolin was the open hand, then they were the hidden dagger that would make sure that this open hand took in no bribes, or missed by accident no particular.
But that was not for saying, not specifically. There were advantages to subtlety, and there were advantages to schemes. The letters to his father were under the best seals, and in a code he knew could be decrypted, but not soon. And even then, they only hinted at some things, because some things deserved only hints. But why mention that, why let it burden the young mind of such a boy?
******
After, Qing'lu arrived, with his attendants and his thoughts, eyes darting around. "I've heard of your decision."
"That's odd, because I haven't made one, officially," Kiralo said.
"Everyone hears that you've written a proclamation. The sort of thing that doesn't get written unless you're going back to court." Qing'lu shrugged, dressed just as Kiralo was, in courtier's clothes. "I came to give advice."
"What advice is that?"
"You can suggest a man for Basrat, until the court sends more people, and you have the authority to order men into Hari-Os. But there are matters to consider as for this. First, who would be the most fitting. But second, there's also Cs-Ha'dong to consider. He was set back, in theoretical charge of the armies at the capital, and no more than that. He has power, and if you do not do something he will think you his enemy, and think himself your enemy."
"A position?"
"He is, by unofficial but long consent, in charge of the East. Basrat and Hari-Os both largely fall under his charge."
"He did well by them," Kiralo said, the words coming out more biting than he had intended.
Qing'lu laughed. "That he did. He has honor to restore, though one wonders, would he be too merciful for Basrat? Or too vengeful, getting revenge on his provincial enemies? Or would he be just right? And as a general in charge of the Hari-Os work, he is certainly the youngest of us, and thus the most likely to respond with vigor, or so I could speculate."
"True," Kiralo conceded.
"Then there's the matter of your return. What do you bring, and what don't you bring? You need to balance political and military concerns, and I know there are… reasons that you want to be back in court as soon as possible. Balancing them is your job, not mine. You've taken the job of pleasing everyone, I've taken the job of gaining power and doing as I will." Qing'lu smiled, his expression sour. "Dealing with other supposedly noble men is far more work than dealing with a bastard like you."
Kiralo decided not to take offense, because it was not as if Qing'lu was not a bastard himself. "We should be in conference, so that by noon we might have the plans ready. Call who you will, for this will be a long… breakfast of sort."
"A second breakfast? Stay in the capital long enough and you'll be as thick as Li-Jin is."
The unofficial General of the North, and thus one of the five real powers in the Council of Generals, at least as to how it, in practice, worked, he'd been neutral and careful. But bearded, certainly. And not thin.
"We'll see. Either way, we have a lot to decide."
Issue #1: Who shall Kiralo push, and temporarily put in charge of, for the military portion of it, the occupation of Basrat?
[] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
[] Jun was more a bandit-killer general than anything else, but he proved himself well, and perhaps he can win some glory for himself.
[] Niu is a bureaucrat as much as a soldier, so perhaps he was the right person to move to Basrat, though if the Imperial Forces bring their cannons to bear in Hari-Os, they will miss him sorely.
[] General Fuling is not one of Kiralo's men, his friends, but he did distinguish himself, and so perhaps it would be a fitting reward, though it is known that he was interested in fighting against the Sea-Raiders.
[] Let whoever is in charge of the Irit Army, or whoever maneuvers their way into the right sort of influence, act as the occupying force.
Issue #2: And for the situation in Hari-Os, both occupation and war at once?
[] Ha'dong, for the same reasons as above.
[] Qing'lu might be able to pass muster. Parts of Hari-Os are southern, or could be called that, and combined with the cleansing of some parts of Hari-Su, it could be swung. He was a fighting man, aged but with some experience, and who could object--without making themselves a powerful enemy--to his inclusion.
[] Jun too is a fighting General. Less powerful, though thus in a way less hungry, perhaps he could do well, though he would need protection in court, having some reputation, but less than would be required for such a position… he also needs duccess.
[] General Fuling has discreetly expressed his desire to come to grips with the Sea Raiders, and certainly he has enough power that perhaps…
[] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
Issue #3: Should Hari-Os troops be allowed to join in defense of their homes? Can they be trusted to do so?
With all of the captured troops, Kiralo was left with a problem debated thoroughly on both sides. Obviously, any and all troops were going to have to be escorted back home, even if it meant splitting up the army some. The alternative was for troops to go bandit. Plenty wouldn't, but some would.
Obviously, the troops of Basrat cannot be trusted in any way: mercy was not the same as stupidity, after all.
But, can some portion of the troops coming from Hari-Os be trusted, under careful supervision, to work in the defeat of the Sea-Raiders?
[] Yes.
[] No.
[] Write-in.
Issue #4: At what speed and in what style should the journey back to court be undertaken?
[] As fast as possible, with as few guards as makes sense, hurrying all men to the Imperial Court.
[] At normal speed, in order to be both safer and more secure against any sudden bandit activity.
[] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
Issue #5: The division of the army? (Choose an option for each of the choices)
[] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
-[] Would be best in going with Kiralo, at least primarily, as they can be faster escorts.
-[] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
[] The Hanin…
-[] Should go to Hari-Os.
-[] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
[] The cannons…
-[] Most of them should be returned to the court, for continued experimentation and development.
-[] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
[] Any instructions as to the division of the army, and the actions of any of its parts beyond that which is obvious enough?
-[] Write-in.
********
Ayila seemed taller, though that surely couldn't be. She was standing next to Ji'lae, so that couldn't be it. The young man was looking at him with awe.
"You know, not all of them want to go on, but I could make them go on," Ji'lae said. "If you needed some to fight against Hari-Os. Not all of them, you have to understand that, but you have people who support you. They'll come out for you there."
"I'm glad of that. What is Ayila doing here?"
"She wanted to talk to you. Or rather… she has fears. She's going back to the capital, one way or another, but she--"
"What?" Kiralo asked, wondering why he was avoiding saying it.
"You have many things on your mind," Ayila said, stepping forward boldly. She had never looked more like a barbarian than she did then, dressed in Southlander women's garb, silks and layers of colors on colors on colors. Her eyes were flashing with power and control, with all that she was.
Dangerous, among other things.
"I do. And?"
"I do not want to be forgotten. I must be on my way soon. Within a few months. Not now. If you were to put me within your household for some time," Ayila said. "I could do you good service, and in exchange--"
In exchange, he would place all of his labor towards her end. She had an artifact of some kind to recover. Another person, like HIro, who was fated for great things, though who knew what they would be, in full.
Who was part of Destiny, as some would call it.
But destiny or no, while her aid would be good, there were downsides, always downsides. She was a Southlander, and bringing her so close? It was not like Kueli, who had his army to shelter him, and who didn't care anyways.
Bring a foreign women into court? Into the Imperial Palace City?
It would be a scandal, and yet he remembered seeing it, even at a distance. She'd conquered a Great Spirit, and put it under her control, or at least somehow done something far too like it to underestimate.
Issue The Last: Should Ayila be accorded a place in Kiralo's household?
[] Yes.
[] No. She can stay in the city, while Kiralo figures out how to get her what she needs.
A/N: There's a lot of things to vote on. You might want to make a plan, actually. Because this is pretty major stuff, here.
In the morning, the problems and difficulties don't go away. In fact, they have multiplied, but now they have a new context. Now Kiralo felt as if he was able to access it, to think about the answers. But of course, there were more than answers. There were also more questions. Before his breakfast is done they come, the clerks and the petitioners, the lines of people for whom he would need an army of scribes and guards to keep out.
His father no doubt had a system to deal with this, to sort out who mattered and who didn't, for even the hardest working man couldn't take on the burden alone. But this was an army, and he was in command of hundreds of thousands of men, and of course the women and the merchants, after a fashion, the scullery boys and the whores and the washerwomen, the peasants creeping in to steal from the dead who must be kept out.
So they came, the couriers, with long letters that he was supposed to read. They should have come in person, and yes there were men who did, though all the wrong ones, excepting a few like Jun, honorable Jun, who was a fighter if nothing else, and that was in fact a lot. In a Southlander army, the commanders would have lined up to report, would have spoken to him in person, or if they could not, would have sent their seconds, or an apology, if some pressing matter stopped them, after a battle. During a battle, of course, you sent who you could spare and fought for every man.
But this was an army in which political connection and poetic skill were both valid elements. The army was a bureaucracy, it was subject to tests and politics, and this was not so surprising and new, but it meant that there were many men in many places who were far more used to writing letters than they were to anything else.
So they wrote letters, full of careful lies and even more careful truths, talking about any problems they had with their men as if they were ancient facts dredged up, and quoting as many of the old philosophers and scholars as they could remember to fit in, sometimes even when they didn't make sense.
And Kiralo was expected to reply in many cases, dictating of course, because he was saving his hand for a very different sort of letter than the ones read to him, or the dry reports of the men in charge of the supply train. Even men he was pleased with had not shown up, such as Niu, still busy with far too many other matters.
The mages don't show up either, not even Ji'lae. Not then at least.
So he hurries to get through it, and then takes the letters and reads them himself, running through them quickly and giving up dictation to merely tell them a few words, or ask them to send a request for a meeting later. He had a letter to write.
******
Calligraphy was not his strong suit, but he knew the diplomatic phrases. It was amazing how packed and loaded a sentence was, once you added in the proper titles and addresses, but he tried to write for posterity too. His hand did not need to be elegant, but it needed to be clear.
The Imperial forces, led by Cs-Kiralo, had triumphed over Prince Jinhai, the traitor, who had surrendered his forces in total to KIralo, who had considered the matter and had his own recommendations that he was hopeful would be followed by His Serenity, matching with the dictates of the Gods and the circumstances, though he carefully left room for himself to give way without claiming that the Emperor was in the wrong. It was good sense, though in another age, when he was an idiot of sixteen, he would have called it cowardice.
He wrote that all major followers, as defined by the Emperor, but a list of whom was included--he told a clerk to call for Jinhai to provide the names, as part of the deal--were to submit themselves to judgment. They were to die, but those in their family, male and female, who were younger than sixteen would live, even if they lost their status and their lands.
They were to not impede the Imperial forces in any way, and were to cooperate in helping them understand the full depths and complexities of the conspiracy. Meanwhile, Jinhai and those major figures who were present were to be brought immediately to court, to be sentenced and officially executed.
He wrote that the Prince's family in its entirety should be brought to the Imperial court for sentencing and disposal. He said many other things, gilding the words carefully and properly, without, he hoped, overstepping his station.
And then he added his own comments, on the way that war had come, but war must pass, at least civil war. He wrote a separate proclamation, asking that all might beseech the Gods for peace, that all might obey the Emperor, that there was an end now to the struggles, and that now the world would be put into proper order. He wrote from his heart, but with the eye of history gazing down upon him.
After that, knowing that he couldn't merely surprise his father without a hint of his own plans, he called for another scroll, and wrote his father a far more careful letter outlining just what he had said and done. And asking for support of his choices. That would be sent ahead as fast as possible. But then, so would the official declaration, even if it were not technically official in some ways.
*******
The young man, Haolinof Lineage Yengu, was a noble and a cavalryman, dashing in his way, and he'd done well for himself in the battle, according to Kueli, who had of course showed up in person to provide a quick list of people who he had been impressed in, and a far longer verbal list of all of the people he had disliked, and all of the problems that had to be fixed… and then all of the ways that he could lighten Kiralo's burden.
There was a subordinate (and a friend) who hadn't left him with more work after he arrived than he left with, though the balance was very close.
This young man was not handsome, but he looked aristocratic, with smooth skin and dark, placid eyes, staring out at Kiralo without the least emotion allowed to flicker past.
It was his lips that gave him away, the way that they worked themselves up and down and around, as if he were trying to chew on the air itself. He was worried that this was for some failing, something he did or didn't do. He was young…
No, well yes. Yes he was, but this young was twenty-three, if his answer was to be trusted, and Kiralo hadn't been that young since he was perhaps seventeen, maybe eighteen at the far end of it. But nobles grew up slower, perhaps, grew towards something else. When you were born in Csirit, of a high enough station, the family wrote down the day of your birth in a vast book, so that later when trying to marry, or cast lots to see just what fortune had in store for you, what the Gods willed, or who would be a proper spouse, they could pin you down.
An exact date was important in a way it wasn't in the Southlands, though Kiralo knows when he was born, of course. It was noted down in a book that his mother couldn't keep, but she wrote it down in her heart, and whispered it and the signs, the symbols and the meanings that such a day might have in the stars, to him… thinking he would care.
He did, of course.
Then. And perhaps his father has it written down somewhere as well.
So this boy worried.
"Welcome, Haolin. You are not a courier, but these are not normal times. I have a few couriers here, but they need someone to go with them."
"What?" the boy asked, his voice deep, his look as if someone had struck him upside the head.
"Many someones. I am granting them more mercy than perhaps I might have, but if they run, or if they kill themselves and their children out of fear of torture and then death, or if they burn the tax records out of vengeance, or do any number of foolish things…" Kiralo shrugged, heavily, stepping forward. "An army will be coming, but that will take a week or two just to enter Basrat, and then it has to spread out, and in force, to occupy and take control of the whole Province, which is quite large."
"Oh?"
"It will take time. Too much time. We need them on their knees in obedience, we need them compliant, and we need men that I can trust, and that the Empire can trust, to ensure that the word spreads." Kiralo did not rest his hand on the boy's shoulder. He was too young to play the father, and besides, the boy is disliked by his own father, though he remains properly respectful and obedient of his father, who thinks him a disgrace, and packed him off to the official cavalry for just such a purpose: there he could ride prettily and perhaps catch the Emperor's notice on some hunt.
He hadn't though, Kueli had said.
"Cs-Kiralo?" Haolin asked.
"I ask it, though I could demand it." Kiralo let a little of his worries show, but just enough for his purposes. "But I hear from my friend, Cs-Kueli--"
"Your friend, sir?"
"Yes. He is my friend, and a loyal subordinate," Kiralo said, as if he were not interrupted, allowing a slight glow to show. It was not as if there was any way to deny it, and showing it would make Haolin feel the privilege of seeing inside. The same sort of inside as if he had become a friend of the Emperor in some small respect. "And he said that you were honest, and honorable, and a good rider." Though not, Kueli had emphasized, more than a middling bowman. Good enough for Csiritan standards, but no more.
"Oh," Haolin said, looking down, though the expression on his face was pleased.
"And honor is important. They will offer bribes, and they will try to run. They will attempt to burn scrolls and books, and some of them might be fool enough to attack the messengers, in the hopes of hiding their shame long enough to escape. I need you to find nobles and men you can trust, that can ride well enough to keep up with and protect the couriers. It is important to the Empire."
The boy was imagining his father, was imagining what success could bring.
"How many may I take?"
"As many as you think best," Kiralo said, seeing the glow in the boy's eyes. "Remember, you need to travel fast, but travel with plenty of protection. Feel free to grab a small handful of non-nobles if you think you can trust them. Remember, each person you take is your responsibility."
In another circumstance, Haolin would have blanched at this thought, but at the moment he was thinking of success, and what it would bring, he was thinking, perhaps, of his father and his father's wishes. Kiralo smiled at the boy, and then said, "You'll have to leave before noon, ideally, and my scribes will be copying the missives you are to spread and declaim across Basrat."
"I will not fail you, Cs-Kiralo," Haolin insisted, almost shivering with excitement, aware of what this could mean.
Was he truly as honorable as he seemed? Kiralo didn't know whether he'd be immune to bribery and graft in the ordinary sense. It was a part of politics, getting favors, giving favors. But he had no reason to doubt that Kiralo was watching him.
That he was being judged and that a failure here, that letting the enemy get away, would be noted. As indeed he would be. Kiralo had talked to the sneakiest and cleverest couriers, and a few spies that Kueli had sniffed out, people monitoring him from the Imperial palace, people highly placed who could pretend to be couriers as well.
If Haolin was the open hand, then they were the hidden dagger that would make sure that this open hand took in no bribes, or missed by accident no particular.
But that was not for saying, not specifically. There were advantages to subtlety, and there were advantages to schemes. The letters to his father were under the best seals, and in a code he knew could be decrypted, but not soon. And even then, they only hinted at some things, because some things deserved only hints. But why mention that, why let it burden the young mind of such a boy?
******
After, Qing'lu arrived, with his attendants and his thoughts, eyes darting around. "I've heard of your decision."
"That's odd, because I haven't made one, officially," Kiralo said.
"Everyone hears that you've written a proclamation. The sort of thing that doesn't get written unless you're going back to court." Qing'lu shrugged, dressed just as Kiralo was, in courtier's clothes. "I came to give advice."
"What advice is that?"
"You can suggest a man for Basrat, until the court sends more people, and you have the authority to order men into Hari-Os. But there are matters to consider as for this. First, who would be the most fitting. But second, there's also Cs-Ha'dong to consider. He was set back, in theoretical charge of the armies at the capital, and no more than that. He has power, and if you do not do something he will think you his enemy, and think himself your enemy."
"A position?"
"He is, by unofficial but long consent, in charge of the East. Basrat and Hari-Os both largely fall under his charge."
"He did well by them," Kiralo said, the words coming out more biting than he had intended.
Qing'lu laughed. "That he did. He has honor to restore, though one wonders, would he be too merciful for Basrat? Or too vengeful, getting revenge on his provincial enemies? Or would he be just right? And as a general in charge of the Hari-Os work, he is certainly the youngest of us, and thus the most likely to respond with vigor, or so I could speculate."
"True," Kiralo conceded.
"Then there's the matter of your return. What do you bring, and what don't you bring? You need to balance political and military concerns, and I know there are… reasons that you want to be back in court as soon as possible. Balancing them is your job, not mine. You've taken the job of pleasing everyone, I've taken the job of gaining power and doing as I will." Qing'lu smiled, his expression sour. "Dealing with other supposedly noble men is far more work than dealing with a bastard like you."
Kiralo decided not to take offense, because it was not as if Qing'lu was not a bastard himself. "We should be in conference, so that by noon we might have the plans ready. Call who you will, for this will be a long… breakfast of sort."
"A second breakfast? Stay in the capital long enough and you'll be as thick as Li-Jin is."
The unofficial General of the North, and thus one of the five real powers in the Council of Generals, at least as to how it, in practice, worked, he'd been neutral and careful. But bearded, certainly. And not thin.
"We'll see. Either way, we have a lot to decide."
Issue #1: Who shall Kiralo push, and temporarily put in charge of, for the military portion of it, the occupation of Basrat?
[] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
[] Jun was more a bandit-killer general than anything else, but he proved himself well, and perhaps he can win some glory for himself.
[] Niu is a bureaucrat as much as a soldier, so perhaps he was the right person to move to Basrat, though if the Imperial Forces bring their cannons to bear in Hari-Os, they will miss him sorely.
[] General Fuling is not one of Kiralo's men, his friends, but he did distinguish himself, and so perhaps it would be a fitting reward, though it is known that he was interested in fighting against the Sea-Raiders.
[] Let whoever is in charge of the Irit Army, or whoever maneuvers their way into the right sort of influence, act as the occupying force.
Issue #2: And for the situation in Hari-Os, both occupation and war at once?
[] Ha'dong, for the same reasons as above.
[] Qing'lu might be able to pass muster. Parts of Hari-Os are southern, or could be called that, and combined with the cleansing of some parts of Hari-Su, it could be swung. He was a fighting man, aged but with some experience, and who could object--without making themselves a powerful enemy--to his inclusion.
[] Jun too is a fighting General. Less powerful, though thus in a way less hungry, perhaps he could do well, though he would need protection in court, having some reputation, but less than would be required for such a position… he also needs duccess.
[] General Fuling has discreetly expressed his desire to come to grips with the Sea Raiders, and certainly he has enough power that perhaps…
[] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
Issue #3: Should Hari-Os troops be allowed to join in defense of their homes? Can they be trusted to do so?
With all of the captured troops, Kiralo was left with a problem debated thoroughly on both sides. Obviously, any and all troops were going to have to be escorted back home, even if it meant splitting up the army some. The alternative was for troops to go bandit. Plenty wouldn't, but some would.
Obviously, the troops of Basrat cannot be trusted in any way: mercy was not the same as stupidity, after all.
But, can some portion of the troops coming from Hari-Os be trusted, under careful supervision, to work in the defeat of the Sea-Raiders?
[] Yes.
[] No.
[] Write-in.
Issue #4: At what speed and in what style should the journey back to court be undertaken?
[] As fast as possible, with as few guards as makes sense, hurrying all men to the Imperial Court.
[] At normal speed, in order to be both safer and more secure against any sudden bandit activity.
[] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
Issue #5: The division of the army? (Choose an option for each of the choices)
[] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
-[] Would be best in going with Kiralo, at least primarily, as they can be faster escorts.
-[] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
[] The Hanin…
-[] Should go to Hari-Os.
-[] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
[] The cannons…
-[] Most of them should be returned to the court, for continued experimentation and development.
-[] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
[] Any instructions as to the division of the army, and the actions of any of its parts beyond that which is obvious enough?
-[] Write-in.
********
Ayila seemed taller, though that surely couldn't be. She was standing next to Ji'lae, so that couldn't be it. The young man was looking at him with awe.
"You know, not all of them want to go on, but I could make them go on," Ji'lae said. "If you needed some to fight against Hari-Os. Not all of them, you have to understand that, but you have people who support you. They'll come out for you there."
"I'm glad of that. What is Ayila doing here?"
"She wanted to talk to you. Or rather… she has fears. She's going back to the capital, one way or another, but she--"
"What?" Kiralo asked, wondering why he was avoiding saying it.
"You have many things on your mind," Ayila said, stepping forward boldly. She had never looked more like a barbarian than she did then, dressed in Southlander women's garb, silks and layers of colors on colors on colors. Her eyes were flashing with power and control, with all that she was.
Dangerous, among other things.
"I do. And?"
"I do not want to be forgotten. I must be on my way soon. Within a few months. Not now. If you were to put me within your household for some time," Ayila said. "I could do you good service, and in exchange--"
In exchange, he would place all of his labor towards her end. She had an artifact of some kind to recover. Another person, like HIro, who was fated for great things, though who knew what they would be, in full.
Who was part of Destiny, as some would call it.
But destiny or no, while her aid would be good, there were downsides, always downsides. She was a Southlander, and bringing her so close? It was not like Kueli, who had his army to shelter him, and who didn't care anyways.
Bring a foreign women into court? Into the Imperial Palace City?
It would be a scandal, and yet he remembered seeing it, even at a distance. She'd conquered a Great Spirit, and put it under her control, or at least somehow done something far too like it to underestimate.
Issue The Last: Should Ayila be accorded a place in Kiralo's household?
[] Yes.
[] No. She can stay in the city, while Kiralo figures out how to get her what she needs.
Letter Diplomacy: 1d100+23+5 (Night's Sleep)=126+1d100=190
Talking to Hao'li: 1d100+23+5 (Kueli's Advice)+10 (The Victorious General)=133+1d100=158
Intrigue (Courtier): 1d100+14=110+1d100=195
Conversation (Qing'lu): 1d100+23=84
Conversation (Ayila) 1d100+23=109
Talking to Hao'li: 1d100+23+5 (Kueli's Advice)+10 (The Victorious General)=133+1d100=158
Intrigue (Courtier): 1d100+14=110+1d100=195
Conversation (Qing'lu): 1d100+23=84
Conversation (Ayila) 1d100+23=109
A/N: There's a lot of things to vote on. You might want to make a plan, actually. Because this is pretty major stuff, here.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Also, you might want to vote by plan if you have, like, a plan for how this all hangs together?
Shouldn't there already be someone in charge of the military occupation, given the army that was gathered in Irit should already be within the province, with it's respective military leaders?
Secondly, it was mentioned when we were calling forth troops that Hari-Buelli was being invaded by the Buelli once again and had lost territory (probably even more since we called their army away), so should there be an option regarding them?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I suppose that could be an option: "Just let whoever winds up arguing their way in charge of that to be in charge of the occupation." And added.
Might add it in. And, people are overstating the Bueli matter. It's an invasion, sure, technically. But it's border skirmishing, at least as far as Kiralo knows for the moment. "Invasion" implies that Hari-Bueli is going to be conquered or something, rather than that the border is being pushed back. Basically, it's a major concern, but it's not an immediate concern, or anything you can do anything about, when you're in Hirand.
However: that is actually a valid sub-vote, to go, "all Hari-Bueli troops are to return to Hari-Bueli" for the deployment vote.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
Right, I think we should pick Ha'dong for one of these, because fucking politics, can't afford him as an enemy. For the other I'd pick either Jun or Niu, because we have some influence over them. Leaning towards Ha'dong for Basrat and Niu for Hari-Os.
Tentatively yes. Maybe if we can put some kind of restriction, like only troops from the coastal parts familiar with the Sea Raiders. Though looking at the shape of Hari-Os and depending on how many rivers there are, that could be the entire province....
I think we should either go as fast as possible so we can get to work quickly or hold a procession to milk every last point of Influence out of this.
The cannons and light cavalry are pretty useful against raiders, so they're going to Hari-Os. The Hanin I feel won't be as useful there, so they stay in Basrat to keep the order. Maybe split of some mages?
Oh boy. On one hand, scandal. On the other hand, we're a victorious general so the scandal won't be as bad perhaps. Or perhaps that would make it worse?
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] Plan Random
Issue #1: Who shall Kiralo push, and temporarily put in charge of, for the military portion of it, the occupation of Basrat?
[X] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
Issue #2: And for the situation in Hari-Os, both occupation and war at once?
[X] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
Issue #3: Should Hari-Os troops be allowed to join in defense of their homes? Can they be trusted to do so?
[X] Yes.
Issue #4: At what speed and in what style should the journey back to court be undertaken?
[X] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
Issue #5: The division of the army? (Choose an option for each of the choices)
[X] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
-[X] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
[X] The Hanin…
-[X] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
[X] The cannons…
-[X] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
[X] Any instructions as to the division of the army, and the actions of any of its parts beyond that which is obvious enough?
-[X] All Hari-Bueli troops should return to their province as soon as possible.
-[X] Have Ji'lae ask around for any mages that wish that go with the army to Hari-Os.
Issue The Last: Should Ayila be accorded a place in Kiralo's household?
[X] Yes.
Ha'dong for Basrat, don't want him as an enemy.
Niu for Hari-Os, since we have some influence over him and he's unlikely to oppose us.
The Hari-Os troops probably won't desert if they literally have to defend their homes from foreigners, so we can probably use them.
Grand procession to get as much Influence out of this as possible.
Fast troops like the light cavalry are great to intercept raiders and Niu will find a use for the cannons. Hanin are probably not that great in this situation, so have them garrison Basrat. Hari-Bueli troops are to go home to defend it against Bueli and Ji'lae will most likely find a decent number of mages willing to reinforce the army going to Hari-Os.
For Ayila... well, we already consort with foreigners and I suppose we're also planning to make the Rassit part of our household, so that's nothing new. Of course she's also a woman and we'd be bringing her into the Imperial Palace but... if we always follow the norms of the Empire, we're going to miss out on some good stuff. And if we can get people used to having one dirty foreigner in the Palace, it might make it easier to bring in a second one etc. Proposing to bring in foreign ambassadors was an action, if I remember correctly, and it's certainly something Kiralo would want to do in the long-term. Plus, I think we can deal with any stupid scandals that pop up. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
Issue #1: Who shall Kiralo push, and temporarily put in charge of, for the military portion of it, the occupation of Basrat?
[X] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
Issue #2: And for the situation in Hari-Os, both occupation and war at once?
[X] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
Issue #3: Should Hari-Os troops be allowed to join in defense of their homes? Can they be trusted to do so?
[X] Yes.
Issue #4: At what speed and in what style should the journey back to court be undertaken?
[X] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
Issue #5: The division of the army? (Choose an option for each of the choices)
[X] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
-[X] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
[X] The Hanin…
-[X] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
[X] The cannons…
-[X] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
[X] Any instructions as to the division of the army, and the actions of any of its parts beyond that which is obvious enough?
-[X] All Hari-Bueli troops should return to their province as soon as possible.
-[X] Have Ji'lae ask around for any mages that wish that go with the army to Hari-Os.
Issue The Last: Should Ayila be accorded a place in Kiralo's household?
[X] Yes.
Ha'dong for Basrat, don't want him as an enemy.
Niu for Hari-Os, since we have some influence over him and he's unlikely to oppose us.
The Hari-Os troops probably won't desert if they literally have to defend their homes from foreigners, so we can probably use them.
Grand procession to get as much Influence out of this as possible.
Fast troops like the light cavalry are great to intercept raiders and Niu will find a use for the cannons. Hanin are probably not that great in this situation, so have them garrison Basrat. Hari-Bueli troops are to go home to defend it against Bueli and Ji'lae will most likely find a decent number of mages willing to reinforce the army going to Hari-Os.
For Ayila... well, we already consort with foreigners and I suppose we're also planning to make the Rassit part of our household, so that's nothing new. Of course she's also a woman and we'd be bringing her into the Imperial Palace but... if we always follow the norms of the Empire, we're going to miss out on some good stuff. And if we can get people used to having one dirty foreigner in the Palace, it might make it easier to bring in a second one etc. Proposing to bring in foreign ambassadors was an action, if I remember correctly, and it's certainly something Kiralo would want to do in the long-term. Plus, I think we can deal with any stupid scandals that pop up. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
Issue #1: Who shall Kiralo push, and temporarily put in charge of, for the military portion of it, the occupation of Basrat?
[] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
He's skilled and powerful. Giving him temporary charge of the land will make him even more powerful, and thus a bigger threat.
If we do this we should make an effort to befriend him at least, or the power will twist against us in time.
[] Jun was more a bandit-killer general than anything else, but he proved himself well, and perhaps he can win some glory for himself.
[] Niu is a bureaucrat as much as a soldier, so perhaps he was the right person to move to Basrat, though if the Imperial Forces bring their cannons to bear in Hari-Os, they will miss him sorely.
[] General Fuling is not one of Kiralo's men, his friends, but he did distinguish himself, and so perhaps it would be a fitting reward, though it is known that he was interested in fighting against the Sea-Raiders.
These three are better put to use elsewhere I think.
[] Let whoever is in charge of the Irit Army, or whoever maneuvers their way into the right sort of influence, act as the occupying force.
This just puts the best snake or the most lucky in. Pass.
[] Ha'dong, for the same reasons as above.
Giving him one may work. Giving him both is not a good idea. That's more power in one man's hand than is safe.
[] Qing'lu might be able to pass muster. Parts of Hari-Os are southern, or could be called that, and combined with the cleansing of some parts of Hari-Su, it could be swung. He was a fighting man, aged but with some experience, and who could object--without making themselves a powerful enemy--to his inclusion.
A solid choice and unlikely to offend anyone.
[] Jun too is a fighting General. Less powerful, though thus in a way less hungry, perhaps he could do well, though he would need protection in court, having some reputation, but less than would be required for such a position… he also needs duccess.
Less threatening, but would require maintenance actions. Functionally putting a puppet we can manipulate, but should we lapse, other sharks will come in.
[] General Fuling has discreetly expressed his desire to come to grips with the Sea Raiders, and certainly he has enough power that perhaps…
He wants it, so we could perhaps make bargains with him over it.
[] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
And the safe option, since this leverages his advantages and hes favorable to us. Basically feeding him success and building power under someone who likes us.
But, can some portion of the troops coming from Hari-Os be trusted, under careful supervision, to work in the defeat of the Sea-Raiders?
[] Yes.
[] No.
No brainer here. They'd be fighting against foreigners, though it gives them a better chance at rebellion if they were dead set on it, their leaders are wiped out and it also serves to reunify them.
Nothing unites a people like a common foe.
[] As fast as possible, with as few guards as makes sense, hurrying all men to the Imperial Court.
Seize the moment. Not much point to this really, unless the Sea Raiders were worse than expected or daddy dearest kicks the bucket.
[] At normal speed, in order to be both safer and more secure against any sudden bandit activity.
Neutral.
[] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
We NEED the legitimacy and stability to bolster the young Emperor's position, so lets make a big show of it and give Kueli time to work his magic.
[] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
-[] Would be best in going with Kiralo, at least primarily, as they can be faster escorts.
-[] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
Raiders need fast responders.
[] The Hanin…
-[] Should go to Hari-Os.
-[] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
Hanin make great garrisons.
[] The cannons…
-[] Most of them should be returned to the court, for continued experimentation and development.
-[] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
Dakkamancy needed against the pirates
[] Any instructions as to the division of the army, and the actions of any of its parts beyond that which is obvious enough?
[] Plan Power Balancing
-[] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
-[] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
-[] Yes.
-[] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
-[] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
--[] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
-[] The Hanin…
--[] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
-[] The cannons…
--[] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
-[] Yes.
[X] Plan Random
When you take so long to do the plan that someone made the exact same plan with more details
[] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
He's skilled and powerful. Giving him temporary charge of the land will make him even more powerful, and thus a bigger threat.
If we do this we should make an effort to befriend him at least, or the power will twist against us in time.
[] Jun was more a bandit-killer general than anything else, but he proved himself well, and perhaps he can win some glory for himself.
[] Niu is a bureaucrat as much as a soldier, so perhaps he was the right person to move to Basrat, though if the Imperial Forces bring their cannons to bear in Hari-Os, they will miss him sorely.
[] General Fuling is not one of Kiralo's men, his friends, but he did distinguish himself, and so perhaps it would be a fitting reward, though it is known that he was interested in fighting against the Sea-Raiders.
These three are better put to use elsewhere I think.
[] Let whoever is in charge of the Irit Army, or whoever maneuvers their way into the right sort of influence, act as the occupying force.
This just puts the best snake or the most lucky in. Pass.
[] Ha'dong, for the same reasons as above.
Giving him one may work. Giving him both is not a good idea. That's more power in one man's hand than is safe.
[] Qing'lu might be able to pass muster. Parts of Hari-Os are southern, or could be called that, and combined with the cleansing of some parts of Hari-Su, it could be swung. He was a fighting man, aged but with some experience, and who could object--without making themselves a powerful enemy--to his inclusion.
A solid choice and unlikely to offend anyone.
[] Jun too is a fighting General. Less powerful, though thus in a way less hungry, perhaps he could do well, though he would need protection in court, having some reputation, but less than would be required for such a position… he also needs duccess.
Less threatening, but would require maintenance actions. Functionally putting a puppet we can manipulate, but should we lapse, other sharks will come in.
[] General Fuling has discreetly expressed his desire to come to grips with the Sea Raiders, and certainly he has enough power that perhaps…
He wants it, so we could perhaps make bargains with him over it.
[] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
And the safe option, since this leverages his advantages and hes favorable to us. Basically feeding him success and building power under someone who likes us.
But, can some portion of the troops coming from Hari-Os be trusted, under careful supervision, to work in the defeat of the Sea-Raiders?
[] Yes.
[] No.
No brainer here. They'd be fighting against foreigners, though it gives them a better chance at rebellion if they were dead set on it, their leaders are wiped out and it also serves to reunify them.
Nothing unites a people like a common foe.
[] As fast as possible, with as few guards as makes sense, hurrying all men to the Imperial Court.
Seize the moment. Not much point to this really, unless the Sea Raiders were worse than expected or daddy dearest kicks the bucket.
[] At normal speed, in order to be both safer and more secure against any sudden bandit activity.
Neutral.
[] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
We NEED the legitimacy and stability to bolster the young Emperor's position, so lets make a big show of it and give Kueli time to work his magic.
[] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
-[] Would be best in going with Kiralo, at least primarily, as they can be faster escorts.
-[] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
Raiders need fast responders.
[] The Hanin…
-[] Should go to Hari-Os.
-[] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
Hanin make great garrisons.
[] The cannons…
-[] Most of them should be returned to the court, for continued experimentation and development.
-[] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
Dakkamancy needed against the pirates
[] Any instructions as to the division of the army, and the actions of any of its parts beyond that which is obvious enough?
[] Plan Power Balancing
-[] Ha'dong, the General of the East, is powerful and from Basrat, and perhaps this would placate him, and maybe it would even be a good choice.
-[] Niu is a master of cannons. That doesn't mean he should necessarily be in charge of the entire army… but he might be placed there, and certainly he would be the least likely of any candidate to use it as a weapon against Kiralo, or Kuojah for that matter.
-[] Yes.
-[] A grand procession of victory, slowing down considerably in exchange for milking the Prince's defeat for all that Imperial cause is worth, which is a great deal.
-[] The light-cavalry (excepting the Rassit)
--[] Should be primarily sent to Hari-Os, against the Sea-Raiders.
-[] The Hanin…
--[] MIght be best used in keeping order in Basrat.
-[] The cannons…
--[] Most of them should be sent to Hari-Os
-[] Yes.
[X] Plan Random
When you take so long to do the plan that someone made the exact same plan with more details
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
All I can find about him is that he put down a heresy once.
Reading it further, it sounds like he wants to invade their homeland after defeating them.
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[X] Plan Random