Well this is my first Fic, so C&C would be nice. Hell, flame it to
death if you want, how else am I supposed to learn :) JCS


Chapter 1: Beginnings	
	Walking into his chamber of war, the tall, powerfully built figure
looks into the
faces of his generals. Seated around the triangular table, a mixture
of anxiety to frustration
could clearly be seen. Not only were his generals from his home
province here, but also the leaders and representatives of the
surrounding lands were making their audiences today, so Ranma could
get them all over with at once, and avoid having to repeat himself.
	�It�s about time you showed...,� one of the generals from the
province to the East stood and began his grievance.
	�Sit, and all will be explained� Ranma interrupted him with a brisk,
polite, but
overall stern tone of voice. �All of you, I believe, are here for the
same reason. I am going
to make one thing perfectly clear from the beginning. The attacks and
raids to your homelands was not caused, ordered, or otherwise
conspired by me, or any of my allies. This includes The Swordmaster
Kuno, The Nomad Ryoga, The Magician Mouse or his betrothed warrior
society. I must stress that given the numerous attacks and the speed
and precision of the strikes, we may be dealing with a new foe.� 
	Ranma�s personal guards stayed back by the door as he fully entered
the chamber. Circling the table to his high chair of power, he takes
his seat on the hard, uncomfortable thronelike surface. Looking, he
now notices eighteen faces from at least eight different
provinces. Most are solitary leaders and have little power, the
largest with two. Ranma himself had three of his own provinces, all
built up and fortified from many years of holding. The new attacks had
him worried however, and the private meeting he had with
his more powerful allies confirmed his fears.
	�I wish to hear what each of you have to say before I give any
information� I must be cautious, Ranma thought, I don�t know where
alliances lie.
	�I, for one, don�t believe you. I feel that either you know who is
responsible for the
attacks, or you yourself are involved.� Good old Yong of the Liu
family. He always states his mind. Not because of the law that nothing
said at the Tri-fold table could be used against another person, and
that all were open to speak their mind here without fear of
reprisal. No, that was just the way Yong was, and with two medium
sized provinces, he was the strongest of the small.
	�I�ll comment on that after everyone speaks Master Liu. Anyone else
believe similar?�
	�I trust you Master Saotome, but I am a little dubious. Rumors that
chase sometimes like a barking dog in front of us speak on the wind
that you know the attackers. Thrice now they sacked my cities without
mercy.� The poet Qian of Tao. Peaceful to a
fault, he wouldn�t invade if the other province asked him too.
Completely non-aggressive, he and his son Seth rule two very small
provinces to the extreme north.
	�I am sorry about your cities Master Tao, and thank you for your
trust. Is there any
others?�
	The remaining leaders kept silent. Ranma assumed it just happened to
be that
everything  that people came to say was already said and they now
wanted to hear what he
had to say.
	�Leaders, generals, and delegates. Thank you all for being patient as
I figure out what�s happening. As you know, we have all been victims
to these vile attacks that rack our lands. We have not been able to
put a definite source to them, however I received
reports a week ago that a new force is mobilizing to the north. I have
personally been to see Lord Cao and Lord Liu and they both have not
claimed responsibility for the attacks. I, myself, believe that Lord
Liu is telling the truth. Cao Cao on the other hand is an all
together different matter. He has been spreading himself kind of thin
however, and I feel that it is unreasonable to think that he would
merely raid. If he wanted you, he would just take you.� The silence
that held after that was profound. It was the truth and they all knew
it. If the mighty force of either Liu Bei or Cao Cao came against them
unchecked, there
would be little hope. Cao Cao held tightly to at least ten provinces
and has a loose hold over six newly taken lands. Liu Bei held seven
and has not taken any new in a long time. Neither had ever given the
lands of Saotome any problems in Ranma�s lifetime. �So I,
from rumors and other sources of information have given this new
threat the name Purple
Hoard. This is from the purple uniforms that they have been seen to
wear. We also....� The large door crashed open as the caller ran into
the room.
	�Battle my lord! The province of Ling Ling is being attacked in force
by the
unknown army. Your father, Genma, requests aid!!�
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Well there it is, I would like to write more if people like it.

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