Audience Hall

[Dark Narrator]

Come here to speak with the ruler of the city. You must gain entrance through the city gates unless authorized by the ruler.

[Sun Yuan Ci]

~Forceful Disposition~[/b]

*For any of those who proclaimed Sun Yuan Ci a saint in every aspect of the word, they would be wrong. Zhiyun had heard the tales of him, he had seen book where it labeled himself and Lu Bu twenty feel tall, battling like Titans, causing massive destruction in every direction with each swing. There was a fable that when he hunted down the bandit soldiers of Dong Zhuo's reign, he simply blew a gust of wind from his lungs that not only tore the camp apart, but also set it ablaze and slew every single man there. He'd read a book that said when he entered Ye after its disaster, the ashes began to vanish and the buildings rose once again. The people on the streets, bodies charred days before, simply stood up and regained life. This, if anything, was heretic, and insultingly false. But so it was, to establish a name for oneself is to open a door for such folly.*

*But the saint that he was called out to be would not be arriving in Bei Ping today. Sun Yuan Ci had known Gongsun Zan as a man of reason, but also as a warlord who craved seeing his famous White Horse Cavalry and their bravado at work on the battlefield. He would set out to avoid battle with the neighboring lord, but also speak with an almost insulting way about it, hopefully gaining the attention and honor of the man.*

*The small army, numbering a mere fifty men, rode up to Bei Ping's gates, brandishing the banner of T'se high in the air, nearly traveling half way up the walls themselves. It was a sight to behold, however, seeing this group of cavaliers. From head to toe, one could mistaken these men as warriors of the gods. Each one wore a headdress as Zhiyun's was, a silver head of a tiger over the forehead, the mouth being the spot to hold the wearer's face. Each soldier also had a plume of crane feathers drop a few feet down their back. They wore plate armor of a shimmering silver hue over a light grey robe with a hint of a powdered blue hue. With each man donning armor of such class, is was impossible to tell even the famous Sun Zhiyun from the rest. As the gates opened, they rode as a pack, but it was only one that dismounted his horse and ascended the atairway to the palace. This man was the wielder of the Crescent Spear. He walked up to the throne, bowing his head while speaking.*

"Lord Gongsun Zan, your name... and your reputation precedes you. I have come today to declare Xi Bei a united province. While the lands of Jiang Dong follow no man worthy to rise in power, and the Central Plains are flocked with incompetence around a lord Mengde, and Liang's storm of battle awaits, I stand in Xi Bei, declaring it free and unified from the tyranny of war. I only ask one thing of you, Lord Zan. I ask of you to fly your banners next to mine as we ride to battle, and have your famous Baima Cavalry ride with one intention: to purge the chaos from the land.

"I can be known to be a powerful man, should my tone descend from its peaceful nature. To deny this request would be to drop the province... into war."

[Cao Pi]

Gongsun had long been planning to simply go around Ye, to avoid fighting with Yuan Shao, and perhaps take his cavalry to sea and take over other province, moving his capital from its natural home in Bei Ping, Liao Dong, and Xiang Ping. However, something tugged at him and kept him from doing so, and he stayed in Bei Ping, abiding his time, making the populace happy with low taxes and little conscription.

However, now in front of him knelt this man, bedecked in silver, demanding a unification, or else he would attack Zan. Zan figured himself somewhat able to hold his own should an enemy threaten him, and was a little insulted that the man would automatically describe war in the face of a friend.

However, Zan was also old, and must look out for his kingdom. He simply stated one thing, and would allow the man to leave, though his younger aide whispered for him to have them all killed, and their bodies hung outside the gates.

"Alright then. Though, Lord Zhiyun, your form of diplomacy would incense a younger man to see that last statement as a threat. I also suggest that you learn to form your words a little better, as I doubt the land is in chaos, and to consider our lord and masterful China as such is a somewhat heretical thought at that.

However, I agree. What do you intend to do?"

Zan was standing a ways away from the man, and the hall was full of guards, Elite cavalry units. The hall was built so that a horse could be rode right up, though Zhiyun was currently standing, his horse outside the hall. The doors were now barricaded, an object known as a wolf's teeth rack in place to deter any sudden cavalry charges.

Zan did not expect betrayal, but an old man is always somewhat paranoid.

And just because he's paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

(Sorry for the wait, been busy)

[Sun Yuan Ci]

*As united as the northern lands would now be, with a strong alliance between the powerful men named Mengde and Zhiyun, and with the hostile-yet-friendly words shared between Yuan Ci and Gongsun Zan that now garnered Xi Bei to be united between the two lords, there was still a bad feeling in Zhiyun's heart. Perhaps it was his own fault, as he had taken much care in his visit to Xu Chang and spoke with great respect, finding similarities and bonds between himself and the ruler of Wei. Here, however, perhaps he found himself buying in to his fame too much, and his forceful diplomacy had united Xi Bei but weakened relations. Gongsun Zan did not fully trust Sun Yuan Ci, but Sun Yuan Ci shared such thoughts. But he was a faithful man, and any who called for peace alongside him would not see that tarnished by war unless they were the ones to bring it, blackened and bloodied at the gates of his cities.*

*The gates were closed behind him and barricaded, but that mattered not, as his men were outside of the city, and Gongsun Zan would have no reason to slay him now, as the formalities were through and Zhiyun's harsh words would be redeemed shortly. It was a success, however, to show Gongsun Zan his own intentions with a metaphoric slap in the face. It was as Cao Cao had told him. To get people to listen, you must now use force. But he now had the attention he required to finalize the unification of Xi Bei under one banner. If not under one banner, though, under two banners that waved peace to one another.*

"Master Gongsun Zan, it would appear as the rumors of your reason live up to your figure. I apologize for speaking so harshly, but I am afraid in times as these, diplomacy will get you places few and far between. You need to use force to get people to listen. That is how Dong Zhuo rose to power, and I am sure that is how others will rise. But together, you and I along with the plans I hold for these lands can make a difference. We can change things. There are people in power that should not be, that would do harm with it. I am one of a triumvirate of those who would do good. There is also Cao Cao, who masks a vision of peace behind questionable means to achieve it. And there is Wei Yan, who has risen like a lone flower in a patch of dirt.

"However, Ma Chao holds at his grasp the greatest military one could possibly form. Between his well-trained men and fine-bred horses, and his rumored military alliances with the Qiang, he could conquer all of China should we allow him. There is also Liu Bei. Xuande, who uses a reputation of a hero to gain power. I do not believe his intentions to be just. I believe he hides greed like a needle withing a stack of hay. While people flock to his influence, he conquers without the need for weapons. I, however, have a plan to see his true colors. But that should not be necessary for some time. For now, we must stop the stampede that is Ma Chao and his riders. You have the only cavalry that can match his. Wei Yan shall call for aid... will you ride with me?"

[Cao Pi]

Gongsun listened to the boy speak, a boy in relative terms of course, while petting the head of his own steed, a white mastiff that went only by the name Baima, White Horse.

He listened intently, the man's speech about uniting the land against common enemies, and his trials with Cao Cao. He was impressed that this man had done what many had tried, and failed, at doing; gaining the trust of one of the lands most powerhungry warlords.

That was a feat in of itself.

Then, he spoke of how he had Wei Yan, a fierce man, who Zan had seen wreak havoc on the Dong Zhuo rebellion. He spoke of power and its uses, something Zan understood, though could not comprehend, as he was not exactly the most politically savvy man.

However, one thing made him angry, and that was the claim that someone else had a cavalry force to rival his own.

"You speak of Ma Chao as though he is something.

He is nothing but a whelp. I have farted harder and stronger than he has swung a spear.

I agree to your idea of a northern coalition. My mountain horses will outrun his plains horses any day! I agree. I assume this is long term, and that no subterfuge will come from you or your men? I intend to just use your places you call home as buffer zones." A hearty laugh, an old man's joke, "But seriously, I accept.

Let us crush this whelp Ma Chao. I can not condone Liu Bei's wholesale slaughter, as I knew him to be an honorable man, and have met with him a few times. However, Ma Chao is nothing but an upstart.

Let us go then?"

[Sun Yuan Ci]

*Gongsun Zan snapped at the remark of the mounted prowess at Mengqi's disposal. As Zan the power of Ma Chao and his cavalry in an assaulting way, Sun Yuan Ci finally was able to see the side of the man that was indeed a fine warrior. He could see how in this man's youth, he could have been the striking warrior that Zhiyun now was. Perhaps this was the similarity and bond he was looking for in Gongsun Zan, that he had found in Mengde. An alliance between differing men was doomed to die out like a candle in a cool breeze. But between brothers, a military alliance could become so much more. Sun Yuan Ci, receiving the words of Gongsun Zan that shot insult at Ma Chao, and stretching a smile wide across his face. As his insult concluded, Zhiyun laughed a friendly merriment.*

"Perhaps the many mentions Ma Chao makes of his own might deceives me into believing him in possession of talent. It is not him that has me worry, but his militarism and his vast military and alliances. Word has it that he has an army on the move. I do wish to keep lords like us out of the vast picture of the land, but I fear that is becoming impossible. With Liu Bei's influence spreading so fast, and Ma Chao's presence creating a fear that could be seen as influence, we all must go and gather cities that serve as homes for the people and use them as fortresses. No longer will regents act as they used to, as in times of war a regent is a puppet and nothing more, puppets to kings like Ma Chao would claim to be.

"Gather your armies, and prepare them for war. I shall do the same. When you are ready, meet me at the Phoenix City. I shall call the arms of my forces, and by the morrow we shall be geared for war. Liu Bei, if he is still just, shall answer to my call. This shall be the first step to seeing the man's true colors. The walls of Ye shall keep a weary eye on the northern horizon, waiting for your cavalry to block the distance with their vast might."

*Zhiyun dropped to a knee, bowing his head while punching his two fists together in a respectful and military salute. If that was all Gongsun Zan needed of him, he would see his way out of the palace, and proceed to mount his horse and leave the city to the south, riding with his men back to Ye, to gather men for war.*

[Cao Pi]

Gongsun Zan was already fitting his horse with armor.

"Give me but a week."