[center][h3]T H E R E P U B L I C [/h3][/center] 

[center][b]Zengravian Democratic Front [/b][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/G68ty68.png[/img][/center]

The fire roared as Liu Shao fed more documents to the flames, each page to the naked eye would be an innocuous letter. But with the correct cipher, it would certainly be enough to have Liu Shao placed in front of a firing squad and shot. He did not intend to let that happen. Each message from his contacts within the Nationalist and Communists causes were carefully memorized before he destroyed them. His fellow Republicans had never understood the necessity of intelligence gathering, which is why the Republican’s found themselves still clinging to a strip of the coast instead of governing from the Royal Capital after a decade. 

The news of the Nationalist offensive had not surprised Liu Shao, he had been hearing rumbles from his contacts for weeks now. Such a massive number of men and supplies could not go unnoticed for long. What had alarmed Liu Shao was the news of the impending Nationalist success. He had not thought it possible for the Nationalists to seize a bridgehead on the River so quickly, let alone overwhelm the Royalist forts on the riverbank. 

It was an opportunity that the Republicans could not afford to miss. 

A truce with the Communists and the Royalists distracted by a full-fledged Nationalist offensive meant that the warlords had to act. 

Now was the time for the application of pressure on all fronts. 

Of course, getting that moron Chancellor Heegon Wu to endorse any kind of major offensive would be a challenge. Not with the Commonwealth pulling the strings from behind the scenes. While the Commonwealth had recognized the Republic as the legal government of Zengrav, Liu Shao knew that they quite enjoyed the current situation in Zengrav. It was out of this maelstrom of chaos that they could exert the most influence. A united and industrialized Zengrav wasn't just a threat to the Commonwealth but to the balance of power of the entire world. 

It didn’t mean the situation was hopeless. Liu Shao had spent years building allies within the Zengravian Republican Party and across Republican territory, having helped finance a number of them.

Money bought influence and he intended to use it like a club tonight. 

Carefully worded messages by secure couriers had been sent across Zang – Quin, requesting private meetings during the gala at the Red Lotus Hotel. 

One such message had been sent to his old friend and colleague, [b]Governor Xiong[/b]. If there was anyone that Liu Shao could trust on the Republican side, it would be him. 

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The city of Zang - Quin stretched out before Shao like a cancerous tumor. Everywhere one looked you could find the bright lights, the towering buildings financed by the Commonwealth, airships gliding through the sky, followed by the growl of motor cars. 

It was also a place of crushing poverty if you lacked the money. The homeless lurked in the dark corners, moved on by hamfisted policeman. Prostitutes and hawkers alike beckoned, the hardened citizenry already so used to ignoring them. 

Yet the building infront of him was the perfect metaphor for the state of the Republic. 

The Red Lotus Hotel was opulent as it was decadent. Yet it was painted over rust, a sick man that didn't realize he was dying.

There was no specter of war here. 

The only massive booms that lighted the night sky here wasn't from mortars and artillery shells but fireworks that projected an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.

Nothing could be further from the truth, it was a fantasy. 

Liu Shao entered, a short pudgy herald announcing his presence. [i]'' The Esteemed Governor - General of Haidan, His Excellency, Liu Shao. '' [/i]

A few turned to acknowledge his presence, lifting half filled champagne glasses. Liu Shao surveyed the crowd, trying to decide who would be the easiest ear to bend.

The army of valets, the constant flow of liquor, and the booming cackle of Chancellor Heegon Wu cut through the din of conversation like a knife through butter. Liu Shao had begun his rounds, working the room, quietly bending an ear here and there. While Heegon Wu boasted to his clique, Shao was lobbying to build an army of support from those warlords he could approach at the party. 

Shao had always styled himself as a politician more than a soldier. He had spent his life going to parties such as this and building a web of information on the dirty secrets of the men who filled this room. 

Intrigue was its own form of combat and Liu Shao was a master.