[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/p6PPXJq.jpg[/img]
[h2][color=red][b]The Imperium of Hiron[/b][/color][/h2][/center]

[u][b]A Grave Offense[/b][/u]

Emperor Ryugo Shuu violently threw the sheet of paper informing him of the deaths of the Hironese diplomats onto the table in front of him. Fumes could practically be seen coming from his mouth, the Imperial Ministers audibly gulping. Rarely was the Emperor ever truly angered beyond theatrics meant to sway public opinion, but this time was different as the man growled, "Those goddamned savage pieces of shit. They killed some of our best men. Those men served the Imperium for years, and now they're dead because I sent them there. I should've known better than to think the Xiang could understand anything other than [i]force[/i]. If force is what they want, force is what they will get. Scribe, I have some orders for the Hidden Arm." Ryugo glared at the scribe, whom furiously began to write down every word the Emperor spoke.

A day later, after the Arm had begun to move into action, the Emperor came before the people to give an announcement to those assembled in front of the Palace, "Yesterday, my people, we received word that the primitive and savage Xiang, particularly the warlord of Du Nam, executed a series of Imperial diplomats and their escorts. I'm sure the news has already reached you by now of this incredibly grave offense. This grave offense, however, will be remembered in the future as the beginning of the end of Du Nam in particular. This grave offense is in actuality, a grave [i]mistake[/i]!

"The Imperium will not sit lightly while the treacherous Du Nam sit upon their throne of corpses, adding the bodies of our own people to them. They may be across the sea, but the Imperium makes no mistake in asserting that we will sail across the sea and bring them to heel soon enough. The warlords shall be captured, tortured, drug through the streets behind Imperial horses, subject to beatings by anyone interested in doing so, and then summarily fed, alive, to ravenous hounds.

"Why will the Imperium do this, you may ask? It is because the warlords understand nothing but [i]force[/i] and [i]killing[/i]. If they wish to kill our diplomats, the Imperium shall inflict upon them pain far greater than anything the Du Namese can begin to do to the Imperium. They shall be made to pay dearly for their grave mistake. The Imperium will, in the coming months, exact an amount of unrelenting force upon these beastmen the likes of which the world has never seen before. Thank you. And may our lost brothers be swiftly resurrected back into the Imperium to rejoin us. For the Imperium!"

[u][b]Clandestine Agitation[/b][/u]

It was an oft-overlooked fact that the press of the Imperium was controlled almost entirely by the government, either directly or indirectly, as it was in most other nations of the world. It was this very press that had placed a speaker in the town of Furuu, one who held up the newest publication relating the deaths of the Imperial diplomats in Du Nam and the Emperor's rousing speech. That speaker yelled to the assembled group of mostly poor civilians, "The Xiang have killed our peaceful diplomats that sought only to help them against the Meung Menace, the Imperium learned on January 21st. They were solemnly beheaded as they knelt in a field, giving their lives for the Imperium despite having never expected to shed blood."

The speaker then recited the words of the Emperor's speech, yet when he finished, the crowd was mostly unaffected despite the sense of tension in the air. It was clear that war was approaching, a war in response to the offenses of Du Nam and likely the rest of the Warlords as well. But no one seemed to want to take that first step into accepting it.

Until a man thrust his closed fist into the air, shouting something. He repeated the motion two more times, but soon, five men had joined him. Then twenty. Fifty. A hundred. Women and children along with the men were now shouting it, "[i]Blood for Blood.[/i]" No one noticed the man who started the chant was just passing through town.

[u][b]A Quiet Night at Sea[/b][/u]

A rickety old wooden fishing boat rolled to and fro on the gentle waves of the night, approaching the city of Mui Ne. While the warlords were vicious, they were far from observant and lacked the incredible depth of skill that the Hidden Arm had, a fact that would be their undoing as an operative clothed in fisherman's garb chewed some herbal leaves. Joining him on the ship were a series of Xiang fishermen, the people oppressed by the warlords being no friend to those in power.

The boat had made the fairly short journey offshore to the infiltration site, plucking the operative off the top of a surfaced submarine that quietly descended once more and headed back towards the Imperial Islands. The fishermen took care not to look the operative directly in the eye, nor to comment on the healed bullet wound in his leg, a wound they had no idea was sustained in Veletian Settumu.

Hours later, the boat docked a few miles south of Mui Ne, the operative stepping off, cracking his neck, and disappearing into the night before muttering to himself, "Let's not fuck this one up. More careful this time..."

[u][b]Preparations for War[/b][/u]

Matsuo Shirobi assembled with the his group of trainee Marines around their drill instructor, the future Marines sitting on the grass while the instructor spoke to them, "Men, your training finishes next month. I am incredibly proud of how far all of you have come, and how far you will go as Marines. As the first batch of Marines to finish training, I have some very important news to tell you.

"You will also, almost certainly, be the first Marines to hit the beaches of a foreign enemy as well." At this sentence, there was great series of laughter and cheers, the soon-to-be Marines aching to get out and tear apart the enemy. The instructor ignored this, "Perhaps you've already heard whispers of growing discontent within the Imperium and particularly from the Emperor about the heinous murders of our diplomats. Well, the Imperium will not stand by and let this offense pass. The military will shortly be used to bring vengeance to those savage pieces of shit. The Marines, the Army, and the Navy shall strike our enemies like lightning bolts. They shall know retribution unlike any other they've faced before, and the Warlords will learn to fear the Imperium as they should.

"I expect all of you to train twice as hard in this coming month! We're going to be having a special emphasis on fighting in the Xiang terrains as well, as well as amphibious landings and further marksmanship practice! Now get off your lazy asses and get back in formation!" When the instructor finished shouting, the men burst to their feet and lined up in their elements, listening carefully to the marching orders belted out by their leader.

Matsuo Shirobi's face showed no emotion whatsoever on it as he marched, but deep down inside, he was smiling like a mad lion ready to pounce.

[u][b]Factory Matters[/b][/u]

Ishikari #1 received orders from the Imperium to alter production from Field Guns to Rifle Ammunition, yet another sign that the Imperium was gearing up to enter war.

[hider=Summary]The Emperor delivers a highly anti-Xiang speech whilst the press and the Hidden Arm begin riling up the population. At the same time, Hidden Arm operatives begin infiltrating Du Nam for unknown purposes. Ishikari #1 Factory switched production to Rifle Ammunition.[/hider]