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December 14, 1840—Edo

“Well, My Lord Shogun, the population is becoming restless. Though Date’s rebellion is no longer a significant threat to the control of the nation, we cannot easily crush it. He is entrenched heavily in the mountains of Hokkaido. We believe that his main force is in the vicinity of Asahikawa.”

Ieyoshi grimaced. It was not as though it surprised him. Date was not a fool. This kind of war was one that Ieyoshi had never dreamt would happen. Fighting a foe on the battlefield was easy to deal with. The courage and determination of soldiers would not waver, regardless of odds. This, however, was completely different. Constant ambushes had taken a toll on the soldiers.

“Very well, Hiroshi. We must strike, and strike quickly, else I shall be forced to retire to Edo to secure the rest of the country. There are far too many seditious elements in the rest of the Empire for me to turn my back for long. By the way, have the Imperial Guard finished off the rebels in Kanagawa yet?”


“No, My Lord Shogun. The rebels are reeling, but they still hold a couple villages north of the city.”

The new commander of the Guard was not very efficient, promoted based on connections to the Imperial House more than competence. His predecessor, though…

Ieyoshi stopped that train of thought. Osahito, regardless of his faults and political delusions, was extremely competent. He, like Mizuno, was very good at their jobs. Why had they both left? Mizuno disappeared shortly after resigning from Ieyoshi’s service. Osahito fled the country on a Dutch freighter. Tanaka was somewhere in the mountains, and had been last seen four months previous.

If Ieyoshi were complacent, he would not think much of the three men disappearing. However, Ieyoshi was not complacent. “Hiroshi, I want you to find Tanaka, Mizuno, and Osahito. I don’t care how long it takes, but I will have them. Are you able, spymaster?”

Hiroshi bowed deeply from his six feet of height. “My Lord Shogun, they will be found. I will see to the search myself.”

Ieyoshi looked up at him. “Very well. Send General Watanabe in when you leave.”

Hiroshi stood slowly, and strode out of the tent, eagerness showing in his stride. Watanabe stepped in several minutes later. After bowing to Ieyoshi, he sat on the mat before Ieyoshi’s desk.

“How may the Imperial General serve the Lord Shogun?” Watanabe was one of the minor nobility. He was a member of the class whose blood permitted limited promotion in the army, but needed competence to compete with the sons of the daimyo. A product of this was excessive deference to the daimyo and the Shogun.

“General, it is good to see you well. I have a task for you. You are to split the army in two. One detachment will possess the best regiments of the army, not to exceed 35,000 men. It will push to Asahikawa, and destroy the rebel troop concentrations there. The rest of the army is to intensify anti-banditry operations near our current positions. I intend to press Date.”

“My Lord Shogun, it is likely that Date will retreat northward, into the Kamikawa-shicho. As the Lord Shogun is aware, that is the worst terrain on this island for warfare. If, however, by use of subterfuge, the strike detachment moves up the coast from Sapporo to Rumoi, the Rumoi-shicho can be crossed easily. The detachment will press Date southwards to the Hidaki-shicho and the coastline. He will have no avenue of retreat there, and the terrain is rather mild near Hidaki.”

“It is a good plan. Will it work?”

“It may, My Lord Shogun. It will require luck, but it is quite possible to execute.”

“Then General Watanabe, I charge you with executing this plan for the glory of the Emperor. May Fortune smile upon you and your men.”
 
Good to see an update!

As ever the trouble of finding effective subordinates... It is surely Ieyoshi's misfortune that some of the great lights of his day are on a different side.
 
Were I him, I'd be more concenred about the disappearence of his advisors than the revolts. His position remains at risk it seems.

Good to see another update, fj44. :)
 
A Shogun Showdown! :D

Great to see you back, FJ! Hope real-life will remain at bay long enough for more updates soon! How's the summer going, so far?

Renss
 
Rensslaer said:
A Shogun Showdown! :D

Great to see you back, FJ! Hope real-life will remain at bay long enough for more updates soon! How's the summer going, so far?

Renss
Summer's been extremely busy. Real life, as always, is out to get me. :(

However, I will likely work really hard on the next update today. :)
 
Excellent to hear, fj44. And even if we have to wait until the fall to see this move along again, we shall do so gladly in order to read the rest of this work.
 
December 22, 1840--Central Hokkaido Island

The four men stood quietly under the pavilion under the winter sun. Date, in full ceremonial dress, strode towards them, bodyguards trailing. The men stiffened in salute.

“Well, commander. Where is the strike going to come?”

“Ieyoshi is a fox, but I have news he left for Edo last week. That would leave Hashimoto in charge. As the Lord Daimyo is well aware, Hashimoto is no brilliant tactician. However, he is brave, and inspires his men onward. He is well-known for his loyalty to the Tokugawa shoguns.”

“My Lord Daimyo, he is almost certainly the commander of the assault, as Watanabe is far too independent for Ieyoshi. Watanabe is not the type to march on Edo to install himself, but Ieyoshi thinks otherwise. If Watanabe were commander, there is little I could do to stop him.”

“Fortune smiles on us, commander. I can feel it. I want this battle to be decisive. I want the annihilation of Ieyoshi’s army. I intend to be in Edo by next fall.”

A sharp, cold gust cut through to Commander Nishimura’s skin. Was fortune smiling on Date? Or was it merely vanity? Hashimoto would strike soon. He would attack bravely, but his men would be massacred on the slopes. The shogun’s levies would be exhausted, and semi-mutinous. Then, Nishimura’s counterblow would devastate the enemy.

What was he missing? Ieyoshi was smart. He had known him personally during the war with Takeda. Ieyoshi knew that Hashimoto was no match for him. Why?




A rider rode up, dismounted, and gave a deep bow. “A message for Commander Nishimura. It is urgent.”

Nishimura nodded to the messenger. “What is it?”’

“Commander, Sub-commander Ichiro’s forces at Rumoi have been destroyed. The enemy is sweeping all opposition before him. They have at least twenty thousand men.”

Nishimura growled an oath to himself. So Ieyoshi had done it, the sly fox. Watanabe led the assault, and completely surprised him. “Messenger, do you know who commands the enemy attack?”

“No, Commander. The fighting never was hot enough to identify him.”

Nishimura nodded tiredly. “You are dismissed.”

The rider remounted, bowed from the saddle, and galloped off.

“My Lord Daimyo, your cause is lost. I will make a last stand here. The few horsemen we have are prepared to cut a path to the coast, where my Lord may get transport to the Kurils.”

“Come with me, Nishimura. You are the best I have. I would have you lead my armies once more.”

“No, my Lord. Your cause is finished. Fate has taken sides, dictating that Ieyoshi is the rightful ruler. Go, my Lord.”

Date mounted, and started to ride east. He turned towards Nishimura abruptly. “Do you intend to die here?”

“Death comes for all of us, my Lord.”
 
A wily move. Nishimura was right to fear, clearly.
 
Some resolution to a long and complicated conflict! At least, so it seems...

Great to see you back and writing, FJ! Hope all is well.

Looking forward to more great work.

Rensslaer
 
Resolution, but only for the time being I suspect. Once again, honor rears it's head and is played well, even in defeat. Nice to see another update, fj44!
 
fj44 said:
Summer's been extremely busy. Real life, as always, is out to get me. :(
You're supposed to seize the day... not let IT seize YOU! :p

Renss
 
This is just a bit of feedback to keep the raging hordes at bay. :p

stnylan: Wily indeed, however, there's a twist. In the next update. ;)

Rensslaer: Resolution? Never. The scheming and backstabbing goes on and on and on... :cool:

coz1: Yes, the problems of today are dealt with. There's always tomorrow, though.

Rensslaer: :rofl:
I have final exams coming up for the classes I've been taking this summer. However, you'll get another update before then. :)

All: Thanks for staying with me despite my rather erratic pace this summer. It should get more regular come the fall.
 
Well, I was going to make an update, but it seems my save file is corrupted. I'm going to run a few tests, but if this is indeed correct, it will be a problem. :(

If I can't continue the AAR under 1.03, I'll do the work required to move the AAR up to 1.04, and try to continue from there.
 
Ick!

That's sad to hear... especially considering all the work you've put into this, and your clear talent for writing this!

I guess if you had to start over it wouldn't be too hard, would it? You're not that many years in... you wouldn't really have to re-do all the revolts.

Do you know how to modify save-files? Might come in handy for some fine-tuning.

Best wishes to you, Sir!

Rensslaer
 
Unfortunate. Hopefully you will be able to get things sorted out. Given what has happened so far it would be a great shame were this AAR to have to end prematurely.
 
Sorry to hear this, fj44. Hopefully you can get something worked out. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the support, gentlemen. I said earlier that I'd convert the AAR to 1.04. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of getting Revolutions. :cool:

So, the game is now advanced to where it was. I am now working on the update. :)