The Town Where Lions Converge

獅子會
Shīzi huì

Situated in the hills between two uneasy warlord neighbors, the town of Shizi Hui has been a place of negotiations for the past fifty years.  Peace has been warily maintained by virtue of the quiet, contemplative nature of the town.  Its farmers provide the town with sufficient food, and two tributaries from the mountains, coming from the northeast and northwest, meet just south of the town, providing plentiful water for all needs.

While the town is certainly important to the negotiations of the two sides, neither has been willing to enforce the law in the town, for fear of provoking their neighbor with troop positioning or putting their men in a position of vulnerability depending on the political climate at the time.  As a result, the town has become a popular nest for organized crime, who keep the common thugs out in exchange for some small tribute and the local's silence.  Up until recently, the local Boss was willing to keep the town as a quiet refuge for those on the run.

Unfortunately, one of the younger officers has allowed his ambition to cloud his sense of loyalty.  Noting that the rivers would provide an easy smuggling route for opium, and that the almost non-existent government oversight would allow for processing of the raw drug on a large scale.  Gathering followers, including support from some of the clan's higher-up members that reside elsewhere, he has declared himself the head of his own local family.  Facing off against the local Boss, Their occasional skirmishes have disrupted the daily life the people have grown so accustomed to.

Making matters worse, there is only a month until the next set of negotiations between warlords is due to take place.  Neither will be happy to find the town in such disarray, and both are likely to use it as grounds to declare the other incompetent.  Of course, such incompetence means they should be removed from their position, likely by force.  Once removed, it would be only natural for their neighbor to manage their lands for the foreseeable future.