Henan province, En encampment
Seven months and one week after the prophesied arrival of the Messenger of Heaven
If it weren't for the fact that it would have made a poor impression with the other heads of state, Shoukatsuryou would have probably hidden behind Haru as they stood and presented themselves to Enshou, Sousou, and Sonken.
In all honesty, Enshou herself was not particularly intimidating. Her blonde hair was styled into extremely large ringlets, and she wore golden armor over a red skirt and a rather gaudy sword; her smile seemed sincere, but the way she carried herself made it completely obvious that she had a bit of a swollen ego.
Sousou and Sonken were exactly the opposite, examining Haru with keen, sharp eyes. For his own part, Haru stared back without even flinching. He had a clear height advantage over both of them, and they didn't seem particularly dressed for combat. Sousou had added a pair of arm bracers and an armored corset to her usual ensemble, but all Sonken had done was put on a rather elaborate headpiece; Haru was particularly unimpressed by the way Sonken's dress exposed her navel and the underside of her cleavage.
However, neither Sonken nor Sousou had come alone.
A girl with brown hair tied in a pair of low buns behind her ears and a monocle covering her right eye, stood quietly at Sonken's side, wearing a purple hat and matching dress with long sleeves. She was probably around Ryuubi's age, and the nervousness was clear in her light brown eyes.
A younger girl in a blue dress with a pale-green catlike hood and short light-brown hair was right next to Sousou. She leered nastily at both Shoukatsuryou and Haru, but shrank back a little bit when Haru noticed her combative expression and intensified his own stare to intimidate her a little more.
The atmosphere stayed extremely tense for a while as they kept sizing each other up, and eventually, Enshou broke the tense atmosphere with a surprisingly polite nod. "Lord Haru of Zhuo, yes? It's a pleasure to meet the Messenger of Heaven in the flesh. I am Honsho Enshou of the En family, China's most prestigious lineage."
Haru returned the nod. "It's a pleasure." He patted Shoukatsuryou on the back gently, and he felt the slight tremor in her body vanish. "This is Koumei Shoukatsuryou, my strategist."
Sousou smirked slightly and put her right hand on her hip. However, her gaze did not become any less challenging toward Haru. "Moutoku Sousou of Gi." She nodded to the girl beside her. "This is my strategist, Bunjaku Jun'iku."
In contrast, Sonken's attitude was honest and polite as she nodded at Haru, though her arms stayed folded and her expression remained serious. "Chuubou Sonken of Go." She turned her head slightly to look at her companion, and the girl's nervous expression vanished under a blush. "My strategist, Shimei Ryomou."
After Sonken's introductions, Enshou sighed and crossed her arms, sweeping her green eyes over the group, then the camp around them. "Ordinarily I would say that we should begin these proceedings, but it seems like we're missing someone. I told that foolish girl Kousonsan that we were starting promptly at noon."
"And I sent you a messenger saying that I had a dispute in camp to settle and that I would be slightly late, Enshou," Kousonsan's voice replied as she walked up to them. Though her actual style and choice of clothing was exactly the same, Kousonsan looked much more rested and fresh than she had during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The disgruntled frown on her face fell away as soon as she saw Haru, and she smiled broadly at him. "Haru, my friend. You're looking great."
"So are you, Hakukei," Haru replied. "The Turban leftovers didn't trouble you, I'm guessing?"
Kousonsan laughed, and stood next to him. "Not even close." She spread her hands out as she faced the other generals. "Again, I apologize for my tardiness. Some of my men decided to place a side bet on a silly game and got into a fistfight over it. I had to sit and make them see reason. So let's not delay any more."
"Indeed," Enshou replied, her tone slightly annoyed. "As nice as it is to see our two lowborn fellows get along so nicely, you can have your reunions once we're done here."
Haru and Kousonsan both shot her dirty looks, but Enshou completely ignored them and continued talking. "Ahem. Yes. As I was going to say… we've gathered here today to discuss the matter of that impudent Toutaku taking power in Luoyang. Being the head of the distinguished En family, I am most happy to lead a united front against this usurper, but in order to do so, I must ask that you great generals lend me your strength."
"So long as you don't intend to pass our strength off as your strength, then most certainly," Sousou said. Her manner of speaking made it sound like she was talking about the weather, but the insult was most definitely clear, and Haru could see Jun'iku's lips twitch in amusement.
Enshou immediately bristled at that. "I'm sorry, little one. I don't believe the adults heard you from all the way down there. Would you mind saying that again?"
Sousou narrowed her eyes into blue slits. "Or perhaps your hearing and your looks are both dropping off at the same rate, you old hag. As is your common sense. If you really think that the empress of Gi is a child, I'll be happy to kill you as a demonstration otherwise."
The two women continued to glare at each other, but right as Enshou started to speak up again, Haru cut in with a loud grunt. "Geez, is this a pissing contest or a war council? Both of you cut it out already. We've got shit to do and you're holding us up."
Shoukatsuryou managed to avoid hissing, but wanted nothing more than to be extremely far away from this place at the moment as Sousou, Jun'iku, and Enshou stared in his direction again.
"I find it interesting that such an ugly man would feel fit to involve himself in business that doesn't concern him," Sousou said frostily. Haru could feel a retort on the tip of his tongue, as the way she'd spoken reminded him way too much of Rachel. "However, I will agree; this is no time to be arguing over such trivial things."
"... Yes," Enshou replied, trying to appear to be the bigger woman now that Sousou's ire had been drawn toward Haru's thoughtless rebuke. "It isn't. So, let's continue with the meeting." She unclenched her fists, and put her hands on her hips. "I am assuming that we are all in agreement about the fact that Toutaku must be punished for his behavior. So let's move on to who will lead our alliance." A slow smile spread across her face, and Sonken and Sousou both looked annoyed by it, while Kousonsan frowned suspiciously. "I believe that with the exception of Zhuo, the rest of us have the resources, provisions, and talented soldiers to execute this task, but without a leader, all of that is meaningless. So, I propose that the most distinguished amongst us, with the divine talent of a long-standing bloodline, be the one to—"
"If you're about to say that you should lead us, I'm going to say 'screw this alliance' and go home. I think I'd rather take a blade to the gut first."
The moment that those words came out of Haru's mouth, Shoukatsuryou couldn't help herself and let out a whimper that sounded like a mouse being crushed underfoot. The only people that didn't stare at Haru with some form of shock on their faces were Sousou and Jun'iku, who were now clearly smirking at Enshou's rapidly reddening complexion.
"Would you like to repeat that again, oh great Messenger of Heaven?" Enshou asked loudly.
"All you've done since we started talking was get into a fight with Sousou over stupid personal shit that has no place in a god damn war council and babble about things no one cares about," Haru said, letting his natural scowl grow darker and fiercer as he went on. "On top of that, you insulted both me and my good friend Hakukei for no real reason. I don't think a spoiled amateur should try to lead a bunch of soldiers up against someone with a reputation like Toutaku's, especially if we have to get through two goddamn fortresses just to get to Luoyang." He looked to Sousou and Jun'iku, then to Sonken and Ryomou, then to Kousonsan. "Am I right?"
To his surprise, Sonken spoke first, with slightly more warmth in her voice than before. Haru could have sworn that she was almost smiling as she looked at him. Almost. "I agree."
Ryomou nodded and spoke up for the first time. Her voice was surprisingly clear, and lighter than Sonken's, but was softened by clear nervousness. "As do I."
Sousou's smirk grew, and she closed her eyes as she replied. "You're correct."
Jun'iku and Kousonsan nodded, though the former took a moment to still leer nastily at Haru.
Enshou growled, but knew that it would do her no good to go up against the combined disapproval of all her peers. "Then who exactly do you nominate? Yourself?"
Haru snorted. "Hell, no. Said it yourself earlier, didn't you? I'm kind of lacking in troop power and resources. Besides that, I ain't made for strategy and tactics beyond 'go here and smash this guy and move here when you need to'. If I had to recommend someone, it'd be either Sousou or Sonken. They're used to leading big armies and would probably have a better idea how to move and place us."
Sousou and Sonken both blinked at that suggestion, and took a moment to look at Haru once again. Seeing no duplicity in the bored scowl on his face, they turned to each other.
"Well, Sonken? What do you think of that proposal?" Sousou asked. Her smirk was challenging, but less mocking than it had been when Haru criticized Enshou or asked the other rulers to give their opinions about her.
Sonken shrugged. "I have no particular interest in taking the lead in this alliance. I'll participate fully, of course, but otherwise I am fine with working under you instead of above you."
Sousou turned back to the others. Jun'iku in particular couldn't help a small, self-satisfied laugh, and Haru managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Then I accept the position, unless there are any objections."
No one said a word.
Sousou clapped her hands. "Then we've come to an accord. Excellent!" The satisfied look disappeared from her face shortly afterward. "Now the next question is how we will assign who does what..."