Kou Uprising[Closed]

A gleam of sunlight shone upon an outlying city of the Kou Empire, and in turn many glints of the sunlight reflected back. All was not well in the city as evidenced by the many farmers, shop owners and citizens who were gathered together. Some had farming scythes, others had hoes, man had torches and some even had old swords and spears; leftovers of prior service to the Kou military. The angry mob of citizens began a march through the streets, shouting as they moved. Many women, children and elderly shut themselves behind the security of the doors to their homes, fear evident upon their faces. It was as if somehow a hornet’s nest had been stirred, and matters could escalate at the drop of a needle.


Their goal was easily determined by the direction they moved; the government sector of the city. As they arrived, however, the last vestiges of the local government were riding upon horses and leaving the direct vicinity of those with weapons. A contingent of guards were left behind to cover their retreat and to keep the peace. This, however, only further enraged the citizens. ”HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RUN MY FARM!? I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THE GOVERNOR!” Many other cries of outrage were shouted as porter teamsters and shop owners alike raised their torches, farming tools and weapons.


The guards did their best to calm the sea of citizens… But then, from somewhere within the large crowd, several stones were thrown and struck some of the soldiers. Enraged, one of the soldiers struck back, stabbing a citizen who subsequently let out of scream of pain. It was at that moment that every sound stopped. Silence reigned in what seemed to be a pause in time itself. The captain of the guard unit reacted first, swearing under his breath. ”Form up! Begin a measured retreat!” The tide of citizens would be too much for them; they had to move quickly before they were overrun.


Only moments later the crowd reacted. Shouting with righteous anger, they charged forward like an unstoppable flood. At first the guards slowly retreated, wielding their blades and spears and intimidating the citizens into staying back. This did not last for long, however, as some of the citizens charged forward fearlessly and became wounded in the process. Somewhat deep cuts across the arm, stab wounds into the shoulders; these were not fatal wounds, so long as the citizens got medical attention, however the blood turned their eyes red.


With a final surge of ferocity the citizens threw away their inhibitions and began attacking with killing intent. Kou had always been a militaristic country, and while nobody seemed to be leading the citizens to battle they had all experienced the mandatory training that the country required of them. When the guards began to fall the orders for a full retreat were sounded. Those that were wounded and upon the ground were discarded as their brothers-in-arms ran for their lives. The stampeding mob crushed the stragglers beneath their feet as angry shouts chased after the retreating backs of the guardsmen.


The mob was not finished; blood had been spilled, and reason had left. Giving chase to the guards, the citizens made it out of the city and onto the roads. There were no sounds coming from the forest to the side of the road even as the sun rose over it. It seemed as if the animals had sensed the coming storm and hid in safety. Out in the distance the government forces could be seen between two mountains. The mob ran. Some out of shape individuals lagged behind, but it was fairly cohesive considering it had no leadership.


After a five minute chase the ground began to rumble. Everyone paused, wondering what was going on. This wonder did not last long, however, as a large number of troops appeared from the forest’s edge. The standard and coat of arms worn by the soldiers were that of the Kou standing army and the current Emperor Yoshiro’s identifications. It seemed that they were somehow prepared for the situation. Even with their preparations, though, the mob outnumbered the soldiers three to one. This did not seem to concern the soldiers as they moved forward and struck out against the rioters...

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Suddenly a projection appeared within the marketplace of several large cities. This projection displayed the scene of citizens fighting against soldiers. It was readily apparent that the citizens did not stand much of a chance against the soldiers, although the soldiers were vastly outnumbered. Slowly the citizens were cut down, shaving their numbers little by little. At the rate it was going the battle would be an overwhelming victory for the soldiers as the death or incapacitation of six citizens took place for every single soldier that was rendered unable to fight.


At that very moment, however, a horn sounded out in the distance. The ground rumbled to a much greater degree than when the Kou soldiers came from within the forest. In the distance, past the two mountains, dust was being kicked up as far as the eyes could see. Though there was not much space between the two mountains, that space was taken up by a line of horseman. In the lead was an opposing man of stature. His body was muscular, and his face was that of a man born on the battlefield. The Kou general wearing Yoshiro’s identification sucked in a cold breath of air through his teeth. ”Gao Yuan Zu! But how!?”


The man was recognized not only by the Kou general, but by the citizens as well. It was as if the entire people before Gao Yuan Zu had come under a collective shock. Gao Yuan Zu was supposed to be dead, after all!


The cavalry under Gao Yuan Zu’s control crashed into the government leaders, killing them cleanly as they continued forward and into Yoshiro’s soldiers. The fight was fierce but short. The foot soldiers, equipped for combat against citizens, could only pose a nominal threat to Gao Yuan Zu’s forces. The citizens immediately backed off; it was as if cold water had been dumped over their heads as they witnessed the slaughter of the soldiers they were desperately fighting against just moments before. There was no retreat; the only way in or out of the valley that held the city was between the two mountains that Gao Yuan Zu had come from.


Gao Yuan Zu stood before the Kou citizens and cupped his hands together. ”I, Gao Yuan Zu, stand before the loyal subjects of Kou. It looks like I have been gone for far too long! My son, Gao Yoshiro, has taken my place as Emperor during my absence and has administered it against the traditions of our Empire!” Gao Yuan Zu dramatically waved his arm, his cape flickering behind his back as his hand gestured to the crowd of citizens before him.




”You have all stood up against this injustice! True citizens of the empire! I could ask for nothing less!” Gao Yuan Zu gaze crossed those watching; it was as if he looked into the being of everyone watching, as if his gaze crossed the boundary of space and was present to those who were watching the projection within the cities across the country. ”I have returned to once more lead our country! Our tradition is one of warriors. We are NOT turtles who hide within our shells! Our people have always held one belief; to lead is to be strong!” At the sound of his voice a horn was blown. The dust from beyond the valley path leading out rose once more. The sound of an army marching could be heard, with the steps in rhythm with each other. ”My citizens of Xinzheng! I will lead you to the country our ancestors have worked so hard to create! Follow me to that glorious future!”


The crowd stared at the man standing before them. How could they not know the visage of their previous emperor? Some of the men’s blood boiled, and out in the crowd a growing chant was heard. ”Gao. Yuan. Zu. Gao. Yuan. Zu! Gao. Yuan! Zu! Gao! Yuan! Zu!” The intensity reached a crescendo before the projections throughout the rest of the cities were cut off.



That day several other cities revolted. Many of the revolts were ended peacefully, however there were some that managed to revolt successfully...

A few days prior…


Yoshiro sat with the members of his government, carefully thinking. His forefinger tapping against the table in a steady rhythm, the Kou Emperor finally broke the silence. ”It’s true that there are no lack of barriers in discarding slavery from our country. What we need are solutions, however, and not inflexible opposition to the removal of the slavery institutions. To be progressive and finally break free from the oppressive and cruel policies of my predecessor… We must hold steadfast in our will to move forward. We must change this country for the better of all of our subjects. To this end, we should begin with slowly transitioning. Minister Of The Right… Yoshiro nodded to one of the men at the table before continuing. ”You bring a valid concern. If we are to go through with this, we must provide clear and concise instructions on how to handle any riots that come about from those who run businesses and rely upon slavery to help make their living.


Emperor Yoshiro was a decisive figure, cutting through the mire of bogged down policies whenever they obstructed him. With a focus on creating solutions to problems instead of simply allowing problems to obstruct him, he was slowly working towards re-stabilizing the country. It had been a few years since the transition of power, and the decisions made at the beginning to return the land taken by war to the tribal folk of the Great Plains had impacted their economy were still affecting the country.


The meeting continued for some time before finally ending. Yoshiro handled a bundle of scrolls with wax seals affixed to them; the seal of the Emperor of Kou. The contents of the scrolls were the standing orders on how he wanted the riots to be handled, in the event any occurred. They would ensure the least amount of violence was used, though it was still assumed that there would at least be some violence that took place during the situation. They had the precedent of Reim to look at when it came to abolishing slavery, and had a good deal of insights into the matter. Yoshiro was confident that he could slowly integrate these solutions.

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A military courier rode upon a galloping horse, heading towards an outpost. It was here that he would exchange horses in order to continue with the utmost haste to his destination; a city within Kou that had a sizeable population. The man was middle-aged, and the way he handled his horse and withstood the pains of traveling long distances showed that he was a seasoned hand at his job.


Upon reaching the stable there was an equally veteran man handling the horses in the stalls. ”Orders from Emperor Yoshiro. I need the fastest horse that can travel to the next outpost to the south.” At first the man flashed a medallion to the man in his right hand. A strange bracelet around the man’s right wrist was shown briefly before falling back under his clothing.


The veteran stableman caught sight of it and raised his own right hand, showing a similar bracelet. ”I’ve been waiting for you. Here.” A scroll was pulled from the robes of the stableman’s clothing, affixed to the scroll was the very same wax seal that was on the scrolls that Emperor Yoshiro had created. The two exchanged the scrolls that were in each other’s possession before the courier continued on his way…