World Conquest Online

"Percennius didn’t spend the last four weeks sat relaxing, he has built the temporary camp in to a fort that could rival that of Mountview, It has been named the Westwood Fort for now and it currently aligns with what we believe should be the western line of the Kingdom when we complete our drawing. I do not intend to leave him and his experienced Legionaries there permanently though. I plan to send our next batch of recruits there, we currently have a Civilian and Ex Slave batch training, some are from Tongpai Town who want to try something new, whilst others were bought by Crassus." Subutai explained.

"Some of them were ex miners, so I had expected them to join our mining teams." Crassus laughed, changing the tone of the meeting around the Map. "Instead, they said now they had been granted freedom, they wanted to see some of the World. We said that as long as they contribute they will have earnt their freedom and I can’t think of a better way than by joining our Military."

"I agree, which is why we have allowed is. Pullo has been very busy with his training, he is a very happy man." Subutai agreed with a smile, before continuing. "Banas headed North West, she has discovered some more forest areas and open land. A lot of it seems usable for future expansion, but for now I believe it is too much to add to our list at this time."

"That makes sense, we already have multiple towns we want to build in the north, and now we have a large piece of land to the south we want to occupy, if we spread west as well then we will be being greedy for our capabilities." Dom replied, looking at the huge piece of land on the map.

"We don’t have the capabilities to fully secure the north yet, so the south will be a big enough challenge." Lucius agreed, "But the situation can change quickly if we can bring in the right resources, both Civilian and Military."

"Expansion and then securing our Internals." Shang Yang stated, "That is what is key."

"Huang Xin headed directly to the west, and was greeted by a mountain, with the forest south of Banas to his North, and the Valley of the Red Hare to his south, where Liao Hua continued his journey. He ended up returning to the Westwood Fort, and then exploring South East of his position in to the Red Woods where Qin Ming hadn’t explored." Subutai Continued, "The Mountain and the Valley are a natural border for us. If we can build a wall north from the mountain to the Calm River’s southern fork, then we can have a defensive line to the west."

"We intend to continue exploring the west before we make this decision." Xun Yu interceded, "But it has been added to Hatshepsut’s list for resource allocation and building."

"It makes complete sense, it allows us to continue inwards, whilst defending externally." Dom agreed, "For now, that land is meaningless from a growth perspective, but it is important to secure that border."

"It is on our list." Subutai smiled, "Liao Hua headed south west through the Red Hare Valley. They discovered some more horses, that have been brought back to Riverside and added to our stables. Our team have worked on setting up a breeding area for them, hoping we can add natural growth as well as the stables perks. Through the Valley and the mountains on both sides, he discovered a lot more grasslands and came in to contact with a Tribe of Africans."

"What type of Tribe of Africans?" Dom asked, aware that the history of the games covered a large span, and their would have been hundreds if not thousands of African Tribes throughout History.

"We believe they are called the San." Xun Yu explained, "Little communication has passed between the two, but no blood has been spilt on either side. From the envoy that has spoken to Liao Hua, they are a tribe of hunters who live off the land. The land nearby is full of deer like animals called Antelope. This is all information out side of our knowledge."

"I have some dealing with African’s, but very minimal." Crassus added when Xun Yu turned to him to speak. "These are too far removed from the Egyptians or North Africans that we have dealt with."

"How was the first impression and do we have an idea of numbers?" Dom asked, wondering what to do about this Tribe. They were far enough away from Riverside to not be a major risk at the moment, and the expansion to the south had not yet began. But unlike the Village in the Cove, these Tribesmen were aware of Dom’s Kingdoms existence.

"Liao Hua was marching through the grasslands with seventy Female Horse Archers, ten Lancers, four German Guards and two Spartans and Two Hoplite of Leon and Erastus." Subutai began, "It is an intimidating sight as all of the horses are powerful and the Warriors well equipped. Six of the San were chasing one of these Antelope through the drier parts of the grasslands, when one of the Archers shot the Antelope, unaware that it was being chased."

"So a disagreement over who the food belonged to?" Dom asked, interested to learn more about the San’s hunting style and how this progressed.

"It was more surprise at first that their prey had fallen, and then more surprise when they saw the heavily armoured Liao Hua and the guards. Supposedly they thought that Liao Hua was a Warlord and there was some confusion over the large amount of Female Warriors." Subutai laughed, "Liao Hua thinking fast, immediately gifted the Antelope to the hunters to create a positive impression. They feasted together on a nearby hill, some of the Archers had spread out and brought back some more kills. The San were open enough to say that they lived nearby and that there were a few hundred of them. I believe they expected that would intimidate Liao Hua, but they weren’t aware of his real role at that time."

"So did he tell them the truth?" Dom asked, impressed with how his General had acted.

"He did, he told them he was from a Kingdom to the North, where Tribes and Warriors had joined together to create something new and united. He explained that he was just one general and there were thousands of Warriors." Subutai laughed again, "Supposedly their faces paled, before expressing a desire to meet the Warlord. Liao Hua explained that it was a possibility, but they should develop a friendship first."

"What else have we learnt about them?" Dom questioned, intrigued to learn more.

"They have excellent energy, they can run for hours and use this to tire their prey. They have an immense knowledge of the local fauna, finding herbs and plants that can be used to cure illnesses or give energy boosts when needed." Xun Yu replied, "Hua Tou has already expressed an interest in visiting them to see if there is anything we can learn from them. They are quite small in stature and they have traded some artwork created on small rocks with Liao Hua, in return he has gifted them some wine and fruits."

"How has the progress been since he met them?" Dom asked.

"Over the last fourteen days, he has met with them on multiple occasions on the Hill, feasting with other San Tribesmen who have come, including their Chieftain." Xun Yu continued, "We believe there are two key opportunities here for us."

"What are the opportunities?" Dom asked, himself thinking of a few options.

"We haven’t expanded that far south yet, we could use the San as an ally in the south. We could create trade with them. They seem a very intelligent people, with a lot of skills with the land. They could potentially bring us meat, herbs for medicines and furs for clothes." Xun Yu replied eagerly. "Having an Ally gives us a buffer and an early warning system to any potential foes in the south, it also cements our southern border, as we claim all land north of the valley ours."

"There is a lot of merit to this option." Dom agreed, "If we use them as a piece on the map, all the land that Qin Ming and Tomoe have searched would eventually meet with the San people, so they can become a natural border for us."

"The other option is to incorporate them in to our Kingdom." Crassus stated, "That is a least a few hundred new members to our growing Kingdom, with a wide range of helpful skills, many which we don’t currently have. We could keep them together or incorporate them as we have with Banas and her people, even setting up a base on the south of the River for them. They currently hunt Antelope, but there are Goats, Crocodiles and many other creatures roaming free to the north of the Valley and the Red Woods."

"Banas and her people had a reason to join us, they were weak and in need of help, we solved a problem for them and gave them stability." Dom countered, "Why would they leave their home to join a foreign force? If they are peaceful, I am reluctant to use force when we need to concentrate on domestic matters and internal growth."

"We could create an opportunity." Crassus coughed, before putting his hand up before anyone argued against him. Shang Yang and Lucius already looking at him seriously. "I am not saying anything negatively, but we don’t know what could happen in the future. I am not saying we poison them like Bagoas did to Banas and her people, I am just saying we could keep our options open if that is what we wanted."

"Just because we can conquer, doesn’t mean that we should." Disagreed Lucius. "I am more inclined towards Xun Yu’s approach, an Ally for now, can become our best friend in the future. When we decide to expand further in the future, we could talk of incorporation then. Potentially they would be willing when we grow to that stage."

"What are your thoughts Shang Yang?" Dom asked, as the elderly statesmen stood and listened.

"Liao Hua is the best person to make this decision, if he thinks it is safe, maybe our Warlord should meet their Chieftain. I think we should recall him and ask him for his thoughts." Shang Yang replied honestly. "Eventually, all should fall under your Leadership, that Land will become ours eventually, be that tomorrow or in years to come."

"I agree that we should get Liao Hua to give us more information." Subutai added, "Shall we add this to the ever growing list. We can have Huang Xin’s unit and some of Sun Ce’s men join you. If we send a few hundred men, similar to the size of their tribe, it will show our strength."

"Intimidate them?" Dom asked with a raised eyebrow, himself thinking more along Xun Yu’s idea.

"Partially, but it also shows that we are a worthwhile Ally. If they think we are weak, they will approach us differently." He replied seriously. "If we show that we are strong and powerful, but that we chose a peaceful approach, their respect will raise and they will be more inclined to want to work with us. Personally, I am aligned with Crassus, but I understand the benefits to Xun Yu’s suggestion."

Dom did agree with Xun Yu’s idea, if they were able to bring the San in to their Kingdom then it would be a great boost, however currently they were trying to complete the Kingdom founding quests. One of the main parts of the quest was to create a border and claim all the lands within it. The North was in a comfortable position but the South was too open. Using the San as a natural border in the South West solved multiple problems, and allowed them to show that they weren’t just a Kingdom of conquest.

"Eventually, we will have to expand outwards." Shang Yang stated, pulling Dom from his thoughts. Dom looked at Shang Yang and could see that he had been understanding what Dom was thinking. "The North and South of the Calm River are a big piece for us for now, but eventually we will out grow that land. At our current pace, if will be years. But with everything changing regularly, it could be a lot sooner. From this information we only have four routes that we can expand into."