“Intention”: War for the Han Frontier sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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Xiahou Dun nodded thoughtfully and retreated with Cao Xiu.
“…Ours is a strange profession, Mister Jia,” Cheng Yu said with a tone
that insinuated amusement. “Our lords have us doing all sorts, don’t they…? But
where does our responsibility end and theirs begin, mm…? I ponder that all the
time.”
Jia Xu hummed ambiguously, and Cheng Yu retreated; Jia stood and stared
at the shrine for a while longer.
“…No one man moves a heavy stone,” Jia Xu said at last, and then he
joined the procession as it continued the journey to Liang.
The ‘mediation camp’ in Liang Province was in a designated ‘neutral
zone’ where neither Ma Teng nor Han Sui felt that the other had prevailing
influence. Liang’s Inspector, Wei Kang, Minister Yang Fu and Army Adviser Zhao
Ang were present at the meeting, which was chaired, as promised, by Excellency
of Works Cao Cao. Ma Chao was conspicuously absent on the first day, which
saddened his father Ma Teng. Both of the warlords were dressed in white
garments as a sign of their grief and a sign to the other that compensation was
due, which worried the mediators.
The talks went on for three days, and the migraine-stricken
Cao Cao was often frustrated to the point of almost walking out as Ma Teng and
Han Sui bickered over borders that were not theirs and demands for ‘reparation’
for personal losses that had been matched by the other; a compromise was
eventually found, and both of the Qiang warlords - to the disdain of many of
the minor chieftains that they controlled - agreed on a peaceful settlement. It
was a relieved government faction that attended the last day of talks; Ma Chao
was conspicuously present and defiant in his stance, and that saddened Ma Teng
even more.
“My goodness… he is like Lü
Bu…!” Jia Xu muttered as he stared at Ma Chao.
“Yes, Mister Jia, and we killed Bu easily enough in the end,” Cheng Yu
replied casually.
“I hope that you have not come to disrupt these talks, Ma Chao,” Han Sui
said as he glared at the only man to match his ferocity in recent times.
“Not at all,” Ma Chao replied tonelessly. “I’m here to support my father
and ensure we get a fair deal from these Han lackeys.”
Inspector Wei Kang shuddered.
“…I am a man of my word,” Cao Cao said. “I’ve done everything that I
ever intended and promised to do.”
“Indeed you have,” Ma Teng
chortled.
“I’m prepared to agree to everything that we’ve discussed,” Han Sui
declared. “Are you, Ma Teng…?”
“No more kin’s blood needlessly shed,” Ma Teng replied. “I agree to it
all.”
The two Qiang warlords got up from their seats on opposite sides of the
‘command tent’ and met at the centre, at which point they clasped hands tightly
and nodded tersely to indicate an end to their feud.
“…Now I must go,” Han Sui said as he backed away from Ma Teng. “You have
your dead to mourn, and I have mine.”
“Indeed,” Ma Teng replied. “After that… we rebuild what we had.”
Ma Chao smiled and stared at Cao Cao, who returned the gesture.