Dynasties of Heaven(IC, APPLY FIRST!)(PG-13)

[Endem]

"We have a common enemy. The Xia are gone, overthrown by a power hungry tyrant. If left unchecked, all of China will be under The Usurper's terrible yoke. Hou Jianhong has rallied the warriors of Dai, Gao, and Xue to his banner, but while this army can defeat the Usurper's Army in battle, my king cannot fight this war alone. He desires an alliance against The Usurper, all mighty Zhin. Assist us in overthrowing Dong Zhao and you will receive the most profitable of Xia's former holdings to rule as you see fit." Ming Tao said to Zhin, the envoy having perfected the art of negotiation during the reign of Li Fang, often spending weeks in the Imperial court at the behest of the recently deceased governor.

"Very well then, however, I will need to ask your lord for one thing, you see a force 90 thousand men strong has situated themselves on the mountains, away of Xindu for a few kilometers, but we need assistance with them, my men are using various tactics to demoralize them and eventually make them come to our side, but, after Xia emperor death their morale was envigorated, once I was sure that they would break any day, now, I fear that the only way of getting rid of them is by defeating them, my army grows but, it's not enough, I will gladly enter the alliance and help your lord with sword and fire, if he helps me with the army of the Usurper" Zhin said

[Flarbinia]

Xindu
"My king will receive your terms. If he finds them acceptable, his armies will march to your aid. If they are not, then you will have to look elsewhere for allies." Ming Tao said to Zhin before heading back to Xinzhou with Zhin's terms.
Nanjing, Kingdom of Jiangsu
An envoy arrived at the palace gates, the guards escorting him to the throne room. "I am Ming Chan, envoy of the Kingdom of Dai. I am honored to be a guest of a great ruler like yourself. Now that formalities are out of the way, hear me out. As you are well aware, a power hungry tyrant has overthrown the Xia and seized the throne. If he is not stopped, The Usurper will place the entire land under his iron fisted yoke, your kingdom included. Hou Jianhong and his warriors can defeat The Usurper's armies on the battlefield, but he cannot win this war on his own. I beseech you, noble king. Lend us your armies and you will be allowed to control the most well-traveled trade routes in China." The envoy said to the King of Jiangsu.

[Strala]

Jiangsu.[/quote]

Xindu
Nanjing, Kingdom of Jiangsu
An envoy arrived at the palace gates, the guards escorting him to the throne room. "I am Ming Chan, envoy of the Kingdom of Dai. honored to be a guest of a great ruler like yourself. Now that formalities are out of the way, hear me out. As you are well aware, a power hungry tyrant has overthrown the Xia and seized the throne. If he is not stopped, The Usurper will place the entire land under his iron fisted yoke, your kingdom included. Hou Jianhong and his warriors can defeat The Usurper's armies on the battlefield, but he cannot win this war on his own. I beseech you, noble king. Lend us your armies and you will be allowed to control the most well-traveled trade routes in China." The envoy said to the King of Jiangsu.

"Envoy I trust that your liege the fierce king of Dai shall uphold his end of the agreement. I, however, am not satisfied enough with just the trade routes of China. What I truly desire the destruction of the Chu dynasty and the proclamation of my dynasty and lifting my family up to the Imperial throne. I, however, understand that this will not bode well with your liege so I shall only ask for what your liege had offered and the entire southern and coastal regions of Shandong. I will only send my armies and my loyal subjects to die in this war if your king can promise me this. If your king can not promise me this then I believe that we shall have to find another way to make this alliance work." With this said the son of heaven bid the envoy leave his throne room and relay his message back to the king of Dai.

[Flarbinia]

Nanjing, Kingdom of Jiangsu
"I will deliver your terms to Hou Jianhong." Ming Chan said to the king of Jiangsu before leaving the palace. If the negotiations with Zhin are successful, the resulting triple alliance will be the end of The Usurper.
Xinzhou, Kingdom of Dai
"The envoys have been sent, but we cannot wait for them to return. Jin Fong, you will launch diversionary attacks against The Usurper's positions in the south. Zhen, our scouts report that there is a sizable force of Chu soldiers in Xindu. You are to defeat this army as a show of strength. Tai will accompany me to Shandong. The Chu forces may have our forces outnumbered, but we have them outmatched." Hou Jianhong said to his generals as he moved the figures into position, his generals nodding in agreement before leaving the palace, Zhen Hei returning to Gao to raise his army while Tai Wushu headed to Xue and Guo to muster his own forces.

[Endem]

Xindu
"My king will receive your terms. If he finds them acceptable, his armies will march to your aid. If they are not, then you will have to look elsewhere for allies." Ming Tao said to Zhin before heading back to Xinzhou with Zhin's terms.
Nanjing, Kingdom of Jiangsu
An envoy arrived at the palace gates, the guards escorting him to the throne room. "I am Ming Chan, envoy of the Kingdom of Dai. honored to be a guest of a great ruler like yourself. Now that formalities are out of the way, hear me out. As you are well aware, a power hungry tyrant has overthrown the Xia and seized the throne. If he is not stopped, The Usurper will place the entire land under his iron fisted yoke, your kingdom included. Hou Jianhong and his warriors can defeat The Usurper's armies on the battlefield, but he cannot win this war on his own. I beseech you, noble king. Lend us your armies and you will be allowed to control the most well-traveled trade routes in China." The envoy said to the King of Jiangsu.

"Good, 20 of my men will escort you to the borders of the land I managed to secure" said Zhin and left the room, things were going much better, soon he issued a mobilisation edict, and Zhin's troops have flocked to Xindu's walls, they had about 10 thousand soldiers now, they will wait until the Dai soldiers arrive, if they arrive...

[Aeyariss]

Imperial Palace
Xia/Chu Dynasty

"So, Dal Kingdom wishes to die as a barbarian instead of embracing the Middle Kingdom? As they wish." the Emperor was calm, even after reading the message from the reply letter coming from the so called Dal Kingdom to their immediate south. He contemplated for a while, then called out to his court. "Marshal Zhou."

The emperor said, motioning to one of the field commanders.

Lord Zhou Liang stepped fort and prostrated himself.

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Assemble your forces and the Imperial Army, you shall have command of 100,000 fresh troops. Teach them a lesson so that others may learn. You shall reinforce Lord Ming in the South."

And thus, another 100,000 fresh troops begin war preparations.

[Aeyariss]

Shangdong
Ju Territories

Another day, another rider arrived with fresh order from the central imperial government.

General Song read the content of his codified orders and contemplated.

"You need to be careful, my lord general, it could be a trap." his fellow officers said to him when he conferred the latest order to them.

"Well, if's my destiny to die, then I shall die. This however seems foolish. Ah, so be it. If I die, you shall have command of this army - lay waste to their cities, you can do whatever you want and then return to the capital."

"Good, I can think of a few campaign myself." His deputy commander Cao Zhin says, chuckling.

"Well, then the army will continue marching, and we shall see we this will go. Send a rider to Ju, let them know we are coming."

[Flarbinia]

Lu
The Chu soldiers at the border outpost were feasting and drinking, the only sound being the crickets and the laughing of men. Unbeknownst to the jovial garrison, a small group of warriors approached the palisade, wearing no armor and equipped their knives. Once they had gotten close enough, these warriors of the night got behind the sentries and slit their throats of sentries before they could move a muscle. Once the last of the sentries had been dealt with, a spy opened the gates and allowed the warriors into the outpost. This would only be the first of many attacks meant to deceive The Usurper into believing that Hou Jianhong is planning to head straight to the capital.

[Flarbinia]

Gao
As Hou Jianhong and Tai Wushu were feasting in the palace of Fong Zi, a nobleman who had fought alongside Hou Taipang when the barbarians came from the steppes, an aristocratic woman dressed in white entered the room, the flames dimming as the air grew colder, the guards standing still as she approached Hou Jianhong. "Hou Jianhong, King of Dai. You seek to overthrow The Usurper, sending your most experienced general to divert the enemy enemy's attention to Lu while your armies march to Xindu and Shandong, gathering capable generals to bolster the strength of your armies. However, while The Usurper will fall and the Chu Dynasty cast down, you will not live to see it, your head shouting curses as your body swings at any foe that gets close enough, your forces retreating to your homeland to defend your kingdom's territory from retaliation by the Chu, nor will it be a man from the territories that fly your banner that will topple him, for a pretender to throne will rise in the south, taking the capital with an army of rebels and barbarians flying the banner of Xia. As your son lies on his death bed, the King of Shang will rise up, overthrow the pretender, and bring the weakened kingdoms of Jiangsu and Dai into his empire." The woman said to Hou Jianhong before vanishing into thin air, light and warmth returning to the room as Fong Zi sent for shamans and priests to purify the room. "There is no hope of victory in this war through strength of arms, whether you sit in your capital, enduring siege after siege, or marching out to be overwhelmed. You have a choice of evils. Whichever path you choose, what warriors I have left are at your disposal." Fong Zi said to Hou Jianhong as the servants brought more food and drink. "Then, if the choice be mine, I choose to march." Hou Jianhong said to Fong Zi as he drank from a pearl encrusted cup, the old nobleman heading to inform his generals of their king's decision, his spirit leadened by the prophecy as he walked through the halls of his palace, passing servants and guards. Even bolstered by additional forces, the army heading to Shandong was still outnumbered. If Hou Jianhong's strategy failed, they would be overwhelmed and surrounded by The Usurper's armies.

[Flarbinia]

Xindu
The army of Gao crossed the border, the Thief Who Stole Gao leading his army under the shade of a wooden circle kept carried on poles held by slaves. "Noble lord, the men are exhausted and we have been living off of mere roots and worms. We need to set up camp soon or they will mutiny." One of Zhen Hei's captains said to the ruler of Gao. "Send the scouts to find a suitable location and head to Zhin with ten of my most loyal men. The bandit king will not tolerate trespassers and it would not help Hou Jianhong's cause for his desired ally to see us as an invading army." Zhen Hei said to the captain, the officer bowing before heading to relay his lord's orders to the scouts, the warriors who had overheard the conversation breathing a sigh of relief. Most commanders would simply make have the captain and a few other men executed as an example to the other men. Zhen Hei, on the other hand, was willing to listen to his officers and do what he can for the men under his command.

[Endem]

Xindu
The army of Gao crossed the border, the Thief Who Stole Gao leading his army under the shade of a wooden circle kept carried on poles held by slaves. "Noble lord, the men are exhausted and we have been living off of mere roots and worms. We need to set up camp soon or they will mutiny." One of Zhen Hei's captains said to the ruler of Gao. "Send the scouts to find a suitable location and head to Zhin with ten of my most loyal men. The bandit king will not tolerate trespassers and it would not help Hou Jianhong's cause for his desired ally to see us as an invading army." Zhen Hei said to the captain, the officer bowing before heading to relay his lord's orders to the scouts, the warriors who had overheard the conversation breathing a sigh of relief. Most commanders would simply make have the captain and a few other men executed as an example to the other men. Zhen Hei, on the other hand, was willing to listen to his officers and do what he can for the men under his command.

The man send to him were quickly intercepted by Zhin forces and brought before him, with Captain at front, "So, who are you, judging by your colors and army you came from you come from Dai, which, I have received a messenger before asking about alliance" Zhin circled around the captain as he spoke to him "ruling out all the possibilities you come from an army send here by Hou Jianhong to help with the army situated in the mountainous terrain near Xindu, but, there is the problem that messenger didn't have the time to come back to your army, so, there are lord possibilities, you blufed and as soon as the Usurper army will be defeated you will kill me and attack Xindu, or, King of Dai took a guess and guessed the talk's went smoothly, either way, you are here with some message" he walked to his chair on a small platform with stairs leading to the top, akin to a throne but all wooden easily transported clearly designed to house emissaries if the need arises "So, say it"

[Flarbinia]

"Hou Jianhong could not wait for the messenger to return to Xindu, as the Chu are preparing to invade Dai. Instead, my king sent Zhen Hei to defeat the Chu forces in Xindu to show you the strength of his armies. Unfortunately, the men are exhausted and they will mutiny if we do not set up camp soon, so I, Captain Zhong, sent scouting parties to find a suitable location while I head to your capital with ten of my lord's best men to inform you of our intentions." The captain said to Zhin as he kowtowed before the Bandit King.

[Endem]

"Hou Jianhong could not wait for the messenger to return to Xindu, as the Chu are preparing to invade Dai. Instead, my sent Zhen Hei to defeat the Chu forces in Xindu to show you the strength of his armies. Unfortunately, the men are exhausted and they will mutiny if we do not set up camp soon, so I, Captain Zhong, sent scouting parties to find a suitable location while I head to your capital with ten of my lord's best men to inform you of our intentions." The captain said to Zhin as he kowtowed before the Bandit King.

"Well then, I will send 20 of my men two help pick your army a suitable spot, most of my most trusted soldiers are masters of fighting and living on the hilly terrain near Xindu, for the food problem, I think we can spare some but, it won't be much as farmers and hunters are working hard to supply this army, I hope when more cities are liberated from Usurper's grip this problem will solve by itself, when the time comes for the battle we will aid you with our army, my men will escort you out of the camp" Zhin replied

[Flarbinia]

Upon his return to the Army of Gao, the captain immediately headed to Zhen Hei, his leader still shielded from the sun as his slaves suffered in the heat. "I have informed the Bandit King of our intentions and not only will his warrior assist us in battle, but they will find a suitable place to set up camp and provide us with what food he can spare from his granaries." The captain said to Zhen Hei, his leader smiling before motioning for him to leave, the captain immediately heading to inform the men that they will soon have food and rest. After two hours, a messenger approached Zhen Hei, flanked on both sides by Zhen Hei's bodyguards. "What does Hou Jianhong desire of me? My King has ordered me to defeat the Chu forces in this province and we shall lock blades with them once my men are rested and their bellies are filled. Has the plan changed?" Zhen Hei asked the messenger as he feasted on his share of what few ripe berries the scouts managed to find. "Jin Fong is still launching diversionary attacks on Lu and Hou Jianhong is advancing into Teng. Your orders are to march on Handan with Zhin's army once the Chu forces in Xindu have been defeated." The messenger said to Zhen Hei before heading back to Dai, Zhen Hei stroking his short beard. To head to Handan after gaining victory over the Chu forces in Xindu was nothing short of ambitious, the messenger's words having indicated that the ambition would only become reality with the assistance of the Bandit King's army.