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Noble Friends,
Russia mourns with all the passing of Augustus. I stand ready to depart for the last ashes upon the end of my coronation next round.
I am deep concerned that having set out so long ago we still have seen no sight of my dear friend Orestes. The news from the south is also disturbing for it appears yet another exchange of harsh words has occured and for poor little Korea to be shunned thus is tragic. Truly you are entirely right my friend, Greece has been over-generous, but I cannot but pity the peasants in the fields of rice knowing that centuries of civil conflict has brought them to this state.
My Portugese friends and neighbours, I am sorry to have had to temporarily suspend our Open Border agreement but I do not wish to see your Clerics wandering over Russian lands and into Russian cities. I have offerred to re-open them immediately but if this should occur again then they shall be closed permanently.
Likewise Khmer, leave my lands post-haste or I will have to end the free movement of goods and services twixt our nations to the benefit of neither of us.
At last words from the Metalheads! A very strange folk but friendly and great in the arts of the kitchen. A fine dish indeed is the Lamb Phall but it did cause me to visit my court physic the day after to explain the effects however perchance I shall recover in time for the coronation.
Blessings to you all,
Prince Andrei Bogolubski
Russia mourns with all the passing of Augustus. I stand ready to depart for the last ashes upon the end of my coronation next round.
I am deep concerned that having set out so long ago we still have seen no sight of my dear friend Orestes. The news from the south is also disturbing for it appears yet another exchange of harsh words has occured and for poor little Korea to be shunned thus is tragic. Truly you are entirely right my friend, Greece has been over-generous, but I cannot but pity the peasants in the fields of rice knowing that centuries of civil conflict has brought them to this state.
My Portugese friends and neighbours, I am sorry to have had to temporarily suspend our Open Border agreement but I do not wish to see your Clerics wandering over Russian lands and into Russian cities. I have offerred to re-open them immediately but if this should occur again then they shall be closed permanently.
Likewise Khmer, leave my lands post-haste or I will have to end the free movement of goods and services twixt our nations to the benefit of neither of us.
At last words from the Metalheads! A very strange folk but friendly and great in the arts of the kitchen. A fine dish indeed is the Lamb Phall but it did cause me to visit my court physic the day after to explain the effects however perchance I shall recover in time for the coronation.
Blessings to you all,
Prince Andrei Bogolubski
Kim gave him a death stare, and walked into the house. His wife was already prepared for her final rites. She was laid out upon a table, hand-crafted by Sung Ye. He would never say it but he spent two weeks mourning her loss, preparing this table alone. Kim fell to his knees and caressed her cheek, his eyes began to well up as his lip quivered, "...no..." he muttered, "....how could they.... why...." he then realized her belly was no longer showing pregnancy, "Where is our child?" he said, still staring into her eyes.
General Kim approached his men and General Suk Yong. A Greek General Lyssander Mikanos of Knossos was present. He had a high affinity for Korea, having lived in a city very close to Korea and inhabited by a higher than normal Korean population (for a normal Greek city anyway) he spoke Korean fluently and often dined on Korean cuisine. Since Greece had been in relative peace for centuries he often enjoyed reading about the exploits of Korean Generals who were off on diplomatic missions (often Korean military officials acted as diplomats), especially the journey of General Jumong, and the voyage of Generals Han Gong and Kim Jong-seo. To him Kim was not only a celebrity, but also a man of great honor and experience. The Greeks had come to Pusan days earlier to help the Koreans learn new tactics they would need to fight the stronger and more advanced Mayan army which threatened their northern border. The Greeks brought new Rifles and Cannons for the Koreans to use in their northern war, and the army of Pusan was easily the most advanced army in Korea at the time, boasting an intimidating array of siegecraft from Hwachas to Cannons. The soldiers were prepared to give the Mayans a run for their money, but Kim Jong-seo had other ideas. He approached the dais, before the crowd of men and began to deliver a speech that would later be known as the Peasant's Rally of Pusan...
"My brave brave boys of Goguryeo. I know, I am tardy by many days, many weeks, even months. I have been gone discovering the truth, and no I don't mean it in some anecdote you'd hear from a monk. Or some serman from a Taoist priest, or even a lecture from a teacher. No, I have learned real truth. True grit, the truth of life and death and how cheap it has become in this country. How mere power, no matter how insignificant the world may deem it, can cause men to do the most horrible things to eachother. Even to those that they call friends. Even to those who have served them without condition, who have done horrible things for them and their family throughout the years. I will tell you men of Pusan, men of Pyong'yang; I have done horrible things for the Imperial family. I have lied, I have cheated, I have stolen, and yes I have killed. In fact I killed one of our very own, Gang Jo. Yes, I know, an honorable man of Pyong'yang, the top Commander to Warlord Wang Geon, and I killed him to hide a secret. A secret that is so terrible, it alone would tear apart our Empire. Our Emperor is NOT blood royalty, our Emperor is the spawn of an illegitimate congress between the ancient Princess Sinjeong and General Gang Jo. This family has no legitimacy to the throne, and yet they claim they are of noble blood. They are high-born, and better than the lot of you! Better than real, salt-of-the-earth men of Goguryeo, men of Korea. The workers of the land, the shapers of the land, and the defenders of the land. These men are foolish, they use you for their own power which is upon a basis that is imaginary. They call you peasants, serfs, commoners, but in reality they are no different from you than you are from one another. You bleed the same blood, and make the same mistakes; lust, greed, fear, arrogance. We are not below them, by our numbers alone, by our work alone, we are greater than they can ever wish to be. And they know this, which is why they try and keep you down. Our war will not be against Maya, but against Gojong himself! Men of Goguryeo, in their petty squabble these men have killed my wife! They do not see us as worthy lives, they see us slaves, as servants, to their decedant palaces and vast estates. They tax you into oblivion, they have cost this country half of its population! If you are true defenders of Korea we must attack the true enemy; the Imperialists!"
When they arrived at Seoul there was hardly any resistance to their forces, a small force of footsoldiers ordered them to leave by the Peasant Army made short work of them, not losing a single man, and continued on their way to the Imperial Palace, cheered on by throngs of supporters in the streets of Seoul (the capital itself lost over 60% of its population due to famine and slaving during the Nobles' Wars, and was getting sick of Gojong and his internal politics). General Kim and General Mikanos (who had become fast friends) approached the gates, there was an army of guards waiting for them.
As soon as Kim's armies entered the courtyard they were attacked by Imperial soldiers who attempted to block them in the gates. They made a crucial error though; the Imperial soldiers were all armed with swords while the majority of the Peasants were using long pikes, this gave them a distinct advantage ni the small corridor that was the palace gates. The Imperials were unable to reach the Peasant Army as they slowly drove into the Imperial soldiers using their long pikes, leaving a pile of death in the corridor. General Kim urged them on as they made a final push through the corridor. As the Peasants reached the courtyard itself a rain of arrows fell upon them taking many lives. The Imperials were assured of victory as Gojong and Park Long watched from a nearby balcony. But then the Greek Rifles came into play. With traditional muskets there was no real accuracy, and musketmen would simply form lines to maximize the effect of their volleys, but these riflemen were not only using more accurate weapons but they were also sharpshooters sent to train Korean soldiers. Their aim was deadly accurate as they picked off the Imperial crossbowmen, turning the tide.
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