Turn 7 News - Year of the Horse

… surprisingly delayed wedding finally took place. They claim the Glorious Administrative General Gui Huaidan was responsible for the delays, all those old by-laws, but that's just an excuse. It's the emperor, and his famous inability to decide. 'Will I marry the Khan's daughter or will I let the city burn? Oh, it's so hard to decide when I don't care about anyone but me!'

At least the wedding was spectacular, the bride looked beautiful if very pale. I suppose it's because it's so cold on the steppes that she looked like she didn't have a drop of blood in her.

I had a good look since I was one of the new militia units in the march past. It's amazing that Vigilant Factor Tan Qia and General Zhushen Yu managed to organise it all so fast. Just shows the amazing strength of the people of the Imperial Capital is what I say. Marched like soldiers, must have been an amazing sight from the imperial podium to see the choreography of it all…

Damao Shan, seat of the priesthood's power, has been retaken from the Terracotta Army thanks to the valiant efforts of General Zhushen Yu. A full half of the clay soldiers lie broken and shattered and the banner is once again safely in righteous hands. The priests are very grateful that the battle, which lasted days, did not interfere with the arrival of the funeral procession of the Storm Empress (an Eastern goddess), which was allowed into Heaven undisturbed. All will now return to normal in Damao Shan.

Thanks to the patriotic efforts of Yu Min, Ren On and Wa Kheng, the Imperial Navy has now been reclaimed from Ankytherine ownership and is now once again serving the interests of the Empire and not the Barbarian Westerner!

Word on the street

“I'm glad that the Anky's don't own the Navy no more, but it's not like the Empire owns it either. Now it's the plaything of a bunch of merchants.”

“Well it's not like the Navy ever did much more than protect the Guild's ships anyhow, so I doubt things are going to change. Anyhow, now they're paying for it and not our taxes. That's a fine thing if you ask me.”

Chief Magistrate Xan Yi has issued an edict - gambling is illegal, unless one obtains a license for it. According to those who have tried, it's nigh on impossible to get one. All across Chi'in, mahjong parlours and other, previously legal gambling dens, are being shut down. And given that so far there has yet to be a single legal gambling den, many gambling addicts and those looking to make quick, easy money are now turning to the various underground gambling dens opening up. Rumour has it that some of the old Triads in Wei are taking a particular interest in this, and are slowly getting back their strength. Hopefully that's just a rumour.

For much of the year the Empire has been ravaged by lightning storms. Hundreds have been struck by lightning and thousands have been killed by fires started by the intense storms.

However the skies have now cleared and for one it seems there is no natural disaster on the horizon. Priests from the Ministry of Rites are tentatively suggesting that divine favour has finally been bestowed to the Empire once more and the Mandate of Heaven must surely be possessed by Emperor Shen Ye Zi.

Xizizi is more popular than ever. All the cool kids are doing it. The nobles are doing it. The Khan's men are doing it. It seems like the hallucinogenic properties have been dealt with, and whatever else the person did to change it, it's better than ever. So good, in fact, that the Khan's men who have taken a hit are refusing to leave, in case they can't get their latest fix back home. As a result, the Khan's horde and the Khan are still remaining in and around the Capital.

In addition, a number of crimes have been reported, where the addict has tried to get their next hit a little too quickly, murdering the dealer for drugs or others for money. Rumour has it that the foreign doctor Blossom of the New Moon is responsible for the potent formula.

The Ankytherine Tradeship Constitutional Amendment 347 has been hijacked by corsairs under the leadership of the co-called Pirate King 'Red Blade'.

Reports from a passing Imperial vessel suggest that the Ankytherine ship was assaulted by another vessel of equal size, apparently of traditional Chi'in design. Since no ship of this scale has been produced since the time of Zheng He, these tales are not considered reliable.

Delegate Kleitos has called upon the Imperial Navy to recover the stolen ship and to put an end to Red Blade's threat to legitimate shipping in the waters around Chi'in.

What started off as a somewhat catchy, if clumsy, ditty about the Emperor's indecisiveness, lack of merit, and the repeated theft of the Imperial Seal sung by children and street urchins in the Imperial Capital has become a rousing sensation throughout the Empire. The children's song has been reworked into a work of such transcendental beauty that it has caused many to question the true worth of the Emperor. The catchy melody and memorable lyrics have prevented the Ministry of Culture from eradicating it: in the time it takes to capture and reeducate a deviant travelling minstrel, three more have sprung up singing their own versions of the song.

There are rumours of Wu and Wei declaring independence, the movement led by the Phoenix. While Wu and Wei still seem to be about as loyal to the Empire as they were before, several localised peasant uprisings have occured, with the people claiming that they are being lied to and their freedom obstructed.

The Phoenix herself is no longer in Wei, though she still holds claim to the position of Duchess. While many peasants appear to want to stay neutral, undecided about siding against their old charismatic leader, the rest have their loyalty divided between Lan Hou, the voice of the People, Xan Yi, the noble Consul of Wei, and Shen Sun Qian, concerned over the supposed selfishness of the previous leader. The Phoenix herself has been spotted in different parts of the three provinces, reclaiming old loyalties and supposedly protecting the weak and helpless. Among some, she is something of a folk hero. Others still want to remain out of all this political trouble.

… had to get the local militia to drive those bastard horsemen off. They smashed into my neighbours house and were tearing the place apart looking for silver, making piles of anything they could sell.

It's a disgrace and it's only going to get worse!

See my daughter's taken a shine to one of the horsewomen, seems a nice enough girl but smells of horse unsurprisingly, so I hear a few things you might not. She says the Khan was planning to have the whole army marching north months ago but he can't.

These new drugs you've heard about? Someone's been selling them to the barbarians. Really making an effort to make sure they get it too since the Khan tried to stop it as soon as found out. Now great swathes of his army are addicted and they won't move from their supply, which is in the Capital. They had money before, the loot from Wu and some of that 'dowery' but they're running out and they still need to pay for more of the stuff.

I hear the Khan tried to have the addicted forced north, lashed to horses and led by the unaffected. Addicts died after only a few days without their fix! Now it's all the Khan can do to stop them looting the Capital for their fix.

I've sold up and I'm moving out. I hear Wei is nice this time of year. I think you should visit, maybe stay, if you catch my drift.

Throughout Wu and Wei temples are abandoned and rites go unperformed as the people turn away from Heaven.

The only authority upon the earth, in the Middle Kingdom, comes from the people. It is wielded by the people and it is held by the people. The Jade Emperor does not bestow his Mandate upon us. If we choose we bestow a mandate on him! Is the chaos and devastation we have seen this last year really happening with the blessing of an 'enlightened' ruler?

Look to your history! Dynasties rise and dynasties fall in a cycle all the way back to the first and Heaven seems content for the cycle to continue forever? But who suffers in the chaos between dynasties? The people! And how much benefit do we see in the peace when there is an Emperor or Empress on the throne? Only the crumbs the nobles and bureaucrats have not consumed themselves.

Will any of live to see this prosperity? The 'emperor' is a weak fool who has failed to earn even the tawdry mandate himself. How much happier must they be in the East and in the West amongst the strange Ankytherines where they reject such things and all the misery the cycles of history bring!

Over the past year there seems to have been several strange deaths within the offices of the imperial bureaucracy. A number of minor functionaries seem to have met their ends in somewhat odd circumstances.

The central magistrates office has issued a statement saying that an investigation has been opened and that anyone with any relevant information comes forward promptly.

Perhaps the most notable recent death was that of Hon Ji the once organizer of the imperial demise. The man apparently fell into the press when inspecting the imperial mint, clumsy oaf.

… Did you hear that colossal noise last week. That was apparently some giant cannon firing out at some military base. I thought the noise when it fired was big but that was nothing compared to the crack when it hit the clouds. Of course the oddest part was that nothing ever fell down, It all went up and stayed up. Most odd really.

It appears that some form of giant experimental cannon has been fired at a military base just outside the city. The reports of what was fired vary from a hedgehog of some kind to a giant fruit basket. It seems to have been a failure in any case as upon firing the machine exploded injuring many of the soldiers at the base and the fired payload was never found.

Wang Feifei, Queen of Shu has once again gone missing from her kingdom.

The following notice is posted in many ports around the Empire.

THE DREAD PIRATE FENG MAKES THE FOLLOWING DEMANDS FOR THE RETURN OF THE QUEEN OF SHU

1. A PARDON FOR ALL PAST DEEDS
2. A WRIT OF SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH IMPERIAL WATERS
3. A LETTER OF MARQUE FROM THE EMPEROR OF CHI'IN
4. ONE THOUSAND TIMES THE QUEEN'S WEIGHT IN SILVER AND GEMS

Siampan, the City of Gold and Ivory, has a new Raj in Wa Kheng. The Merchant Prince has started to revitalise the city and surrounding areas, making it self sufficient and seeking further cooperation between the great cities of the South. Many speculate that he may soon be wed to Rani Ajala of Kalarat, uniting the Southern nations for the first time since they fell under Imperial dominion.

As owner of the Ivory Bank, leader of the greatest mercenary force in the Empire, part-owner of the Imperial Navy and now Ruler of Siampan, Wa Kheng's influence is now said to equal that of the Provincial Rulers (indeed some insubordinate souls might say he is more powerful than the Emperor himself)