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Oh, I was just kidding about the characters. I think your rate is fine!

Looking forward to the day when these rebels can be put to rest (or to death!), and you can get on with some co-prosperity spheres! :D

Rensslaer
 
Takeda's Civil War

November 3, 1837

Wretched Times Live
Forever Lasting Darkness
In the Garden, Peace


~Ikabe Kanagawa, 1840​

The man sighed. Though still young, he felt much older as of late. A mere twenty-nine, his hair was beginning to grey. His health had become more temperamental over the past two years. He had been faced with multiple deaths in the family in quick succession, people he loved. Rebels had tried to burn his house, murder him. His ‘friends’ had hounded him mercilessly. His wife died three days ago. Her funeral had taken place this morning.

The old hermit, Ikabe, from around Kanagawa, had visited after the funeral. Ikabe spoke as a friend. He sympathized. He wept. He offered his services to guide and nurture the one surviving child, Iemochi. He received a choked out thanks before he left.

The man had been unable to control his emotions, but he loved her. He was cast adrift in a sea of grief without a compass. He was lost in the mountains without a guide. Quiet footsteps combined with the setting sun to wake him from his sadness. He looked up.

Iemochi, all of seven years old, cocked his head, and squinted at his father. “I miss mother,” he said softly.

“I do too, my son, I do as well. We loved her, and she loved us.”

A silence held for a while. “Father, will I be seeing Mizuno-san and Uncle Iesada tomorrow?” He referred to his tutors, who were teaching him the arts of law and combat.

“We will see, my son. Do you want to see them tomorrow?”

“I want to see Mizuno-san tomorrow. Uncle Iesada yelled at me last time for forgetting to bow as I left.”

“Iemochi, my son, you should always remember to show respect for everyone, even if you are higher born. Do you want to learn from Iesada any more, or would you prefer a new teacher?”

“I don’t know. I don’t like Uncle Iesada, but I don’t want to be impolite.”

“Very well, I’ll think about a substitute. It’s getting late, Iemochi, get ready for bed, because you have an early appointment with Mizuno-san tomorrow.”

“Yes, father.” Iemochi walked off towards his room.

Mizuno emerged from the shadows. “Well, you handled that well. The child has a sharp mind.”

“Who would know, but his teacher. Is the convention at Tenpo still going on?”

“Yes, yes, it is. I try to guide them, but most are just too stubborn to listen to reason.”

“Keep trying, I have to fix the leaks in my roof. You keep it from raining.”

Mizuno laughed loudly. “Each of us have gifts.” With a wink, he turned. “Good night. I will speak with you some tomorrow.”
 
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Takeda's Civil War

January 15, 1838—The village of Iksaru, thirty kilometers from Utsunomiya

mtnclds37vp.jpg


Takeda looked out from behind his black hood into the foggy dawn. Was this what he really wanted? War with his brother was understandable. Ienari had been single-handedly responsible for the loss of his birthright. Now he was fighting his nephew, a much more nebulous struggle. Ieyoshi was slowly reducing Takeda’s control of the countryside, a startling accomplishment. The only way to remedy this was to drive on Kyoto. This would force Ieyoshi’s hand.

His advisors had pressed for an attack on Edo. On the surface, it seemed the logical thing to do. Go after the seat of the shogun, and force him to yield or lose his most productive lands. Just two months ago, Takeda would have advocated just that. Ieyoshi’s increasing claims on the loyalties of the peasants ensured that Ieyoshi would easily survive the loss of Edo. He, on the other hand, would need to be able to establish himself in a town, or face the inevitable, increasing loyalist uprisings. The loyalists had almost gotten him in Satsuma. They would likely succeed next time.

Those accursed Imperial Guards were another problem. They were trained to a quality that his famed House guards were unable to match. How was Ieyoshi able to train peasants to such levels? Takeda’s guards were from the landowning families with a mix of veteran soldiers from regular units. They were the best, not only by virtue of natural skills and discipline, but they were also from noble houses. By definition, these men were the best soldiers ever to fight. How could his nephew do it?

A strong, cold wind lashed his crouched form, interrupting his thoughts. Would the fog ever let up? His guards tried to pretend they were impervious to the wind, but they were as frozen as he was. Much like the guards, his cause looked strong, but it was weak. Unless he found shelter, he would freeze to death. He stood slowly, beckoning Commander Takamatsu to his side. “Bring the commanders to my tent in an hour.”

“Yes, sir.” Takamatsu seemed eager to leave his potentially mad lord and the cold winds. Curse him! Probably plotting against him. He would have Ichikiro look into it. The wind made him shiver as he made his way towards his tent.

Ichikiro was waiting for him there. His personal inquisitor, retained after Satsuma to purge the loyalists, and make sure it never happened again. “Ichikiro, I want you to look into Takamatsu.”

“I will, Great Lord.”

“Do you have any other leads?”

“Not really, sir. After I dealt with General Yamamoto, there has been a dearth of informants. However, Great Lord, I have a potential contact within Ieyoshi’s household. With the Great Lord’s permission, I will use him for information, and possibly even as a way to remove Ieyoshi from the equation.”

“Ichikiro, were you responsible for Merissa’s death?” Takeda looked at his henchman menacingly.

“Great Lord…I…had an agent slip poison into her glass. It was not the same one. If I overstepped my bounds, please forgive me.”

Takeda’s face went purple with outrage. “YOU WILL NOT KILL ANYONE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

“Yes, sir.” Ichikiro looked humbled. He took his leave, presumably to take his resentment out on a servant. If Ichikiro were not so good at his job, he would have been killed long ago. Takeda shivered, then prepared for his lieutenants’ arrival.
 
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Takeda's Civil War

The wind ripped down the mountain, into a crevasse. Sub-commander Tanaka shivered too. He had fallen in the snowstorm last night. Unfortunately for him, Tanaka fell into a hidden crevasse. He fell close to eight meters, quite a fall. He couldn’t feel his right leg. Frostbite or paralysis, it didn’t really matter. The crevasse turned into a cavern twenty meters to his left. A frozen pool taunted the thirsty officer.

snowcave3qy.jpg


A couple minutes later, it seemed a little brighter. Perhaps the sun had risen and was melting the snow above him. Drops of water were running down the walls. His chances of being rescued were astronomical, but Tanaka had never let the odds discourage him. A torch emerged from around the corner of the cave. A grizzled old man stepped out.

“Are you all right, brother?”

‘Brother’? The man looked very old. “Sir, I’ve fallen, and can’t move. Could you get help? There are some men I know on the mountain above us.”

“My friend, that is what you get when you…drop in unexpectedly.” The old man’s lips twisted in a small smile. The man was making jokes in a set of nasty circumstances. Tanaka didn’t appreciate the humor.

“Please, sir. Get my friends. I need healing.”

“If you’ve come for healing, you’ve come to the right place. Though I will heal your broken body, your broken soul can only be healed by Jesus Christ.”

Tanaka couldn’t believe his ears. A Christian!? Living in a cave in the mountains!? He knew the anti-Christian laws were harsh, and his parents had told him that all the Christians had disappeared from Japan centuries before. His mind disbelieved what his ears were telling him.

“Sir, you could get in serious trouble for jesting about that.”

The man walked up next to Tanaka’s crippled form. He peered into Tanaka’s face. “You don’t believe that any followers of the Way still live here. Our rulers have done well at purging Christianity from Nippon, but there are still faithful here.”

Tanaka recoiled from the hermit. Christianity was a plague. The emperor, god personified, had said so. It was a destabilizing philosophy, bent on the destruction of society.

Tanaka looked at the hermit, who had taken a knapsack off his back, and was rummaging through it, muttering to himself. Would a Christian’s healing contaminate him? Possible. Death might be worse. Maybe. But…what if the Christian was right? What if there was only one God? He was confused.

“Ah there it is.” Sub-commander Tanaka, veteran of more than fifty engagements, six assassination attempts, and witness of two hundred attempts at battlefield medicine, feinted upon seeing the axe the hermit was brandishing in his right hand.
 
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fj44 said:
“Ah there it is.” Sub-commander Tanaka, veteran of more than fifty engagements, six assassination attempts, and witness of two hundred attempts at battlefield medicine, feinted upon seeing the axe the hermit was brandishing in his right hand.

That is awesome. Great set of updates there. Let's see how Tanaka survives the ordeal.
 
Aaah! Cliffhanger! ;) You know you're not supposed to use cliffhangers! Who would use one like that on us? :D

FJ, you have a gift for dialogue! And for mood and atmosphere, also. I really liked the scene with Iemochi.

You might enjoy checking out another author, if you haven't already. Catknight (Resurrection and Rebirth: a USA EUII AAR) is very skilled at some of these same things.

So does the Christian hermit kill Mr. Tanaka because he would reveal where they have taken refuge? Or does he endeavor to save him? Hmm... I think I know what I would do. :rolleyes:

Rensslaer
 
Takeda's Civil War

February 18, 1838—Twenty kilometers south of Niigata

08snowridge3jh.jpg


Sureido looked down the pass towards Niigata. He had heard the crunching of boots on snow just an hour earlier. Now, nothing disturbed the freshly fallen snow on the Niigata-Edo road. Takeda’s army had been in Niigata two nights ago. His contact was certain they should be here. Sureido’s ears thought they should be here too.

Though Takeda was good, so was Sureido. As one of the Shogun’s trackers, he had always been observant. Over the past twelve years, he had honed his skills to an art form. Despite the snowfall, it should be impossible to move forty thousand men down a dirt road without being seen by someone who knew you were coming. Sureido shook his head, just as a gust of cold wind darted down the front of his cloak. He cursed, and spun around as he attempted to right his cloak.

It was then that his eyes widened at the crossbowman standing forty paces to his rear. The crossbow bolt sliced through his cloak, barely missing his body. Sureido quickly recovered, whipping out a knife, launching it at his assailant. The crossbowman took the blade in his throat, staggered back a couple paces and fell.

Looking around for more, Sureido let himself start breathing again. Sureido ran over to him. Too late. The man was dead. Sureido extracted his knife, and wiped it on the crossbowman’s cloak. Sureido muttered a prayer for the dead man, and stood. A faint crunching noise came from the far side of the ridge. Sureido shivered as the adrenaline stopped running. He slowly walked to the other side, the side facing the Kyoto road.

His heart stood still as hundreds and hundreds of soldiers marched down the road towards Kyoto. He turned, and ran south. Grabbing his horse at the base of the slope, he mounted, galloping towards Edo.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iesada looked dubiously at the bedraggled young man. The peasant likely was lying in hope of payment. He adjusted his look to a scowl. “Young man, do you have any proof of this happening?” The peasant looked angry. “Besides your word, I mean.”

The peasant growled at him. “Would you like me to take all forty thousand prisoner and deliver them to you? I can do that. Instantly. Would that satisfy you, or would I need to bring a note signed by Takeda himself!?”

The gall of the man! “You dare take that tone with me!? Guards! Arrest this man as a traitor and a rebel.”

The peasant took a single, look at the guards and turned back to Iesada. “Sir, My name is Sureido Nakajima, one of the shogun’s trackers. I insist on my right as a Tokugawa liegeman to speak with the current head of the house, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi.”

Iesada’s eyes widened. Could he be possibly telling the truth? Insubordination, anyway. “Very well, Nakajima-san, you will have your audience with the shogun. Guards, take him away, and hold him under house arrest until the shogun has time for him.”

A while later, Ieyoshi stepped in. “Iesada, have any of my trackers reported in yet?”

“Yes, Ieyoshi. A peasant claiming to be one of your men came in a while ago. He had no proof, and was being insubordinate, so I locked him up.”

“How tall was he?” Ieyoshi’s sharp voice commanded Iesada’s attention. Why wouldn’t his brother drop the matter?

“He was two inches shorter than myself.”

“You are a fool Iesada. Guards, fetch me Sureido Nakajima, and be quick.” As the guards ran to obey, Ieyoshi looked at Iesada. “My brother, he may have been insubordinate, but that was no excuse to arrest him. My orders were for you to report immediately, immediately, if any of my trackers came in. You have failed, and this failure may cost me the war. Leave this palace. You will only return upon receipt of my permission.”

Iesada’s mouth hung open. He had heard rumors of Ieyoshi developing a temper like Takeda’s, but he had never seen this before. He bowed his head meekly, and walked out.
 
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Rensslaer said:
Aaah! Cliffhanger! You know you're not supposed to use cliffhangers! Who would use one like that on us?
I don't know what you're talking about. :rofl:

I learned it from a great teacher, though. ;)

Rensslaer said:
FJ, you have a gift for dialogue! And for mood and atmosphere, also. I really liked the scene with Iemochi.

You might enjoy checking out another author, if you haven't already. Catknight (Resurrection and Rebirth: a USA EUII AAR) is very skilled at some of these same things.

Thanks for the compliment. I'll look into Catknight's AAR. :)

Rensslaer said:
So does the Christian hermit kill Mr. Tanaka because he would reveal where they have taken refuge? Or does he endeavor to save him? Hmm... I think I know what I would do.
There are three ways to solve this dilemma.

1) Guess randomly.

2) Look back through the update, and guess semi-randomly.

3) Wait for more updates. :D

BBBD said:
AHHHHH! Christian, Christian!!!

Will a new plague swamp Japan?

You'll have to wait and see about the Holy Plague. :D

The anti-Christian laws, though unenforced owing to a lack of Christians, were very strict. Kulturkampf had nothing on the Japanese persecutions of Christianity.

During the Meiji Restoration there was a growing Christian movement in reaction to the shogunate and these laws. It ultimately failed to become widespread, but it made its presence felt. ;)

prussiablue said:
That is awesome. Great set of updates there. Let's see how Tanaka survives the ordeal.

Thanks. You'll see what happens to Tanaka later.

To all: Thanks for reading and commenting. More updates will be coming this weekend. Just so y'all know, I'm through 1841 in gametime, so I'm playing a little bit of catch-up, or is it 'ketchup'? :D More coming.
 
Sorry! Read this last night, but didn't have time to comment...

You know, if I had this guy dogging me and trying to take my head, or my lands, or my throne... I'd bite that guy's head off too! No excuse for disobeying specific orders of the such.

Reminds me of many of the stupid things that have cost lives over the decades... Like the "get confirmation" response, regarding the mini-sub shelled early on Dec. 7 at Pearl Harbor. Or the similar reaction of a certain airline pilot on 9-11.

"What do they mean, 'Beware cockpit intrusion'? Copilot, why don't you confirm that, but first see who's at the door!"

I just don't understand some people!

Rensslaer
 
Rensslaer said:
Sorry! Read this last night, but didn't have time to comment...

You know, if I had this guy dogging me and trying to take my head, or my lands, or my throne... I'd bite that guy's head off too! No excuse for disobeying specific orders of the such.

Reminds me of many of the stupid things that have cost lives over the decades... Like the "get confirmation" response, regarding the mini-sub shelled early on Dec. 7 at Pearl Harbor. Or the similar reaction of a certain airline pilot on 9-11.

"What do they mean, 'Beware cockpit intrusion'? Copilot, why don't you confirm that, but first see who's at the door!"

I just don't understand some people!

Rensslaer

Politics, my friend. Politics. :D
At least in this case.

BBBD said:
Damn, I say next rebel province you retake, kill everyone, I mean EVERYONE and let them learn from that.

Wow...someone's bloodthirsty. :D

Remember the problem here is Takeda and the nobility, not the peasantry. ;)

All: You'll get another update this weekend, but after that, none until Wednesday night at the earliest. Sorry, university calls. :(
 
Takeda's Civil War

March 14, 1838—Kyoto, four kilometers outside the city walls

Sureido winced as the eight-foot ballista bolt smashed through the wall four feet left of where he stood. That was too close. He looked to his right, at Ieyoshi. The man had no fear. He had not reacted at all to the shot. He turned to Sureido, smiled thinly, and spoke.

“Sureido, surely you didn’t think that would strike you, did you?” Sureido shook himself, returning his gaze to the terrible siege weapons below.

“My lord, they’re preparing to assault.”

“Indeed they are, my observant tracker.”

“We lack the troops to repulse them. There is no way ten thousand can halt forty thousand once the walls are breached.”

“Sureido, there are twenty thousand of us, but you would be right. If you discounted my surprise weapon.”

“And what is that my Lord?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?” The shogun had become more hardened as the rebellion went on. His sense of humor, had changed, becoming much more cynical. He had walked into Iesada’s reception room to hear Ieyoshi’s outburst. Yes, this war was wearing on him.

This was just great. Ieyoshi getting old. Iesada getting mad. Iemochi not yet of age. It was a recipe for disaster. At least Ieyoshi’s will indicated that Mizuno would become regent, not Iesada.

A boulder, as high as Sureido himself, screamed into the wall below his feet. Sureido tackled Ieyoshi, forcing the shogun off the threatened portion of wall. Two seconds later, the wall fell in. Ieyoshi stood up, merely looking at Sureido. The tracker shook his head. How was the man so calm? Sureido was scared half to death. He pulled himself up, grimacing at the pain from his left arm. That would be a bruise tomorrow. Hopefully.

“Here they come!” The shout came from down the line, to the left. The black ranks of rebels poured towards the breached wall. Ieyoshi glanced at them. Truly, the man had no fear. Sureido eased his sword from its sheath. If he was going to go down, he would go out honorably.

“Sendai Force, assemble. South Wall.” The shogun’s voice rung out clearly over the sounds of the approaching host. Levies mustered, forming a battle line before the city wall. Eight thousand peasants from Akita, Sendai, and Niigata. Most had never fought in battle, or even marched in formation. They likely would break within fifteen minutes. When they did, Ieyoshi’s grand scheme would fail.

siege6qd.jpg
 
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Great battle description. Well let's hope the shogun's peasants can suprise us all.
 
Cliffhanger alert!

Or hanging from the wall, in any case! ;)

I wonder whether the assaulting forces will realize that the horde moving against them is made up of untrained peasants, or if they will fear the worst.

Kind of like the Battle of Leyte Gulf... The appearance of overwhelming force, aggressively applied, can move mountains!

Rensslaer
 
Takeda's Civil War

The rebel wave broke on the pikes of Sendai Force. The boundary between the two formations became non-existent. Ieyoshi glanced at the battle momentarily, held a slow count to ten, and summoned a runner. “Send my compliments to Commander Beiru. Then inform him that I am of the belief that a charge in the next five minutes would resolve rather well. If he concurs, I shall expect the charge.”

“Yes, My Lord” The runner bowed, and ran off to the south.

Sureido looked at Ieyoshi. Well, at least the man was bringing the rest of the levies in to the battle. The rebel charge stripped the rest of the siege. The defenders would now follow suit. Sureido looked back at the battle. The levies were standing strong as of yet, seeming like real soldiers.



There. The left side of the usurper’s line rippled. Finally. The damnable peasants were fighting like demons. Takeda growled to himself as reports from the battle line trickled in. Losses were heavy. He could only hope they were as high for Ieyoshi. He cursed to himself as the attacking line thinned out. Losses were heavy, and with heavy losses came reduced cohesion. Takeda immediately ordered his entire reserve, 10,000 peasants of the 4th Force, Akita, into the fray. Takeda knew he was gambling the entire battle on breaking that line. If he failed, the siege likely would be broken, and Takeda would only be remembered as ‘that traitor’.



Tenjiro lunged with his spear, skewering the rebel in front of him. He dropped, with Tenjiro’s spear wedged tightly in his ribs. Tenjiro looked up. There was a shortage of rebels. He could see the siege lines. It was almost over.

Tenjiro suppressed a groan, as all his dreams were shattered. Another, gigantic, group of rebels was moving up to the front. He desperately tried to extricate his spear from the dead man on the ground in front of him, but to no avail. Two more rebels forged forward through their dead comrades towards him. The next levy in the rank jabbed right, killing one, but the remaining enemy still advanced. Tenjiro pulled his knife, knowing that it was pure foolhardiness, but he would die with a weapon in his hand.

“For the Emperor!”

The cry shocked both rebels and levies into inaction, as thousands of soldiers charged into Takeda’s flank. A big soldier charged towards Tenjiro and his assailant, whipping his sword around, leaving bloody patches on the ground where rebels used to stand. The rebel in front of Tenjiro whirled, sticking a spear up towards the soldier’s armpit. He never made it. The soldiers sword swung around, separating the rebel’s head from his body. At the same time, Tenjiro’s dagger smashed through the rebel’s spinal column.

“You’re quick. You should join the Guard.” With that, the man turned, and continued his bloody work.
 
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