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Woody Man

SWMH Bretwalda
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May 12, 2004
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Moriyake's Ambition

An AAR for EU3 MMU set in Sengoku era Japan.

Opening Cutscene

 
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Part I

"One should not be envious of someone who has prospered by unjust deeds. Nor should he disdain someone who has fallen while adhering to the path of righteousness."

Moriyake and the Onin War - 1445-1476

In 1464, the monk Ashikaga Yoshimi was persuaded to give up the holy life, and was made the heir to his brother, the childless Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Yoshimasa had been the younger brother of the previous Shogun Yoshikatsu, who had died in a riding accident at the age of ten. Yoshimasa was elevated by the Bakufu to the position of Shogun at the age of fourteen, and ruled from 1449 to 1473. The elevation of Yoshimi to the position of heir to the Shogunate would mark the beginning of the succession crisis within the Shogunate, and the beginning of the Onin War.

The young ages of these successive Shoguns is an important factor in understanding the situation of Japan in the mid-fifteenth century. In essence, the Ashikaga Shogunate, in contrast to later powers, was an institutionalised office, centred around the Ashikaga dynasty, and strengthened by the association between the office and the family. But also one where the individual Shogun held little power compared to the predecessors of the Ashikaga, the powers of government were shared more equally between the Imperial courts and the Bakufu, and the nation of Japan had become a patchwork of highly decentralised fiefdoms. In simple terms, it seems that Japan, though a loose coalition of states, was held together by the institution of the Ashikaga Shogunate, whose stability ensured relative peace. The current Shogun, Yoshimasa, was even more dependent on his family name and influence, being less of a soldier, than a patron of the arts, and leaving military matters to those who cared for it, creating a sort of vacuum in the military sphere of Ashikaga power.

Yoshimi's return from monasticism was the chosen method of averting a succession crisis and thereby preserving the stability of the Ashikaga. This plan encountered a significant problem when a concubine of the Shogun Yoshimasa, gave birth to a son, named Yoshihisa in 1465. A succession crisis loomed closer than the previous year, with two contenders for the throne of the Shogun. This argument over who should succeed turned into open warfare between the Hosokawa and the Yamana clans over who should control the affairs of the Bakufu, known as the Onin War, the conflict would lay waste the capital Kyoto, shatter the power of the Ashikaga, and transform the nature of Japanese feudalism.

The betrayal of Moriyake Takehiko, a minor retainer of the Hosokawa clan, in 1476, was just one of many local uprisings against the established families of Japan. Both major clans and the Bakufu, exhausted by a decades fighting were incapable of holding back the surge of violent decentralisation. The central government of Japan had now lost all power and influence, the Hosokawa, though shaken by the Onin War and the loss of Awaji and similar territories, had survived and still retained some power. But many families disappeared in the growing chaos.

The Moriyake Family

The Moriyake should not be said to have come from humble beginnings. Merely middling ones. Takehiko's ancestors were Ji-Samurai, holding small parcels of land but owing allegiance to no clan or major Daimyo. This changed when a family crisis lost Moriyake lands and forced Takehiko's grandfather, Takekatashi to begin a life of wandering until he found service with the growing power in the region; the Hosokawa clan. It was dutiful vassalage of the Moriyake to Hosokawa Lords that enabled Moriyake Takehiko to ascend to a trusted position.

Born in 1449, Moriyake Takehiko was the first son of the eldest son of Takekatashi. Takehiko's father, Takeshin had introduced Takehiko to the world of the Samurai retainer. From a young age, Takehiko was properly educated and prepared for the time when he would be called upon to serve his Hosokawa lords. When the crisis over the Ashikaga boiled over into war between the Hosokawa and Yamana clans, the Moriyake family were called upon by the Hosokawa to rally their soldiers.

In 1467 Hosokawa and Yamana armies clashed over the province of Yamashiro, and the city of Kyoto; the Imperial capital, by September of the same year the northern part of the city was in total ruin, in November, the great temple complex Shokoku-Ji was destroyed. The city that had once housed the Ashikaga Shogunate was in ruins, an all too clear sign of their failure to restrain the ambitions of the Yamana and Hosokawa clans. All that could flee the city did so, and Kyoto was left to looting mobs, and the retainers of the warring clans.

While the Shogun Yoshimasa spent time expressing his cultural aspirations, bloody fighting continued within the capital. The Onin War had now become a hard war of attrition, and the combination of the war and the Shogun's complacent attitude became an open invitation to the Daimyo's of Japan to settle their own disputes. Loyal to the last, Moriyake Takeshin continued to aid the Hosokawa in maintaining their hold over Kyoto. In 1472, Takeshin and his younger brother were killed in one of the many skirmishes in and around the city. Not content to watch the family inheritance be split further than was absolutely necessary, Takehiko, now at the age of twenty three laid claim to the entirety of his father's, and his uncle's inheritance. Predictably, he was opposed in this by his three cousins, Hiroto, Hirokatsu and Hironobu.

Takehiko had not banked on cooperation, and his attack was swift. Utilising his more clandestine servants, Takehiko had his oldest cousin, Hiroto and his family murdered that night. Hirokatsu escaped death by Takehiko's assassins, but lost his own son in the attempt. Hironobu also escaped but was caught and killed by Takehiko's retainer; Iwanaga Katsurou. Only Hirokatsu managed to rally his own retainers to brook some resistance to Takehiko's seizure of the Moriyake inheritance. Hirokatsu's supporters were massacred by Takehiko, and Hirokatsu was obliged by Takehiko to commit Seppuku.

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The death of Moriyake Hironobu - 1472

The Hosokawa lords, though deeply opposed to the Moriyake disagreement had little choice but to allow Takehiko to take full control of the family inheritance. Takehiko had depended on the growing exhaustion of the major clans of Japan, and now that he had received the desired response from his liege, he set about reforming his own clan. There were those that had disapproved of Takehiko's actions, and they were removed appropriately, the advisory council that had assisted his father was reorganised and augmented by Takehiko's three main supporters; Tokushi Ichiro, a high-born Samurai with philosophical leanings, Sato Hideaki, a lawmaker and statesman, and the soldier-Samurai, Iwanaga Katsurou. All men that were highly supportive of Moriyake's ambitions.

A year later in 1473, the principal leaders of the Onin War, Yamana Sozen and Hosokawa Katsumoto died, but the fighting continued with no end in sight. After following through his father's campaign in Yamashiro, Moriyake Takehiko petitioned Lord Masamoto of the Hosokawa clan for new orders, suggesting a premptive relocation to the island of Awaji in order that he might protect the island against the troublesome Miyoshi vassals.

Suggestion though it was, Hosokawa Masamoto was given little choice in the matter. By 1474 the Moriyake clan had moved to Awaji and secured the island.

After two years of careful preparation, the Moriyake clan made their break from the Hosokawa, taking advantage of the continuing war, and the civil strife now raging throughout Japan, Samurai and Ashigaru under Moriyake stormed the residence of the aging Hosokawa vassal Nagashima. The meagre garrison was forced into the residence itself, and unwilling to wait, Moriyake burnt the building to the ground.

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Japan 1476

Takehiko's education had made much of filial loyalty, of politic thinking and military strategy. But these virtues were tempered by a belief that betterment requires bold action, and by an ingrained ambition to better himself above others. In his youth, Takehiko fought for the ruins of Kyoto, and saw the impotence of the Ashikaga Shogunate, to Takehiko, it appeared that in reality, only strength was respected. His decision to seize his uncle's inheritance in 1472 can be seen in the context of a desire to keep the clan strong, or as others have argued, as a part of his own ambition and greed for power. Moriyake Takehiko emerged from the brief power struggle as a man known for quick and decisive action, something sorely missing from the leaders of the Onin War. It was possible, even likely that Takehiko was already considering rebellion as early as 1472, and it's near certain that Hosokawa Masamoto was expecting betrayal when Takehiko left for Awaji.

Regardless, Takehiko had made his decision and now faced war against the aggrieved Hosokawa. For Moriyake Takehiko, it would never be enough to merely be independent, his ambition would be never-ending.
 
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Holy mother of Buddha - a Woody AAR, and I get to follow it from the beginning! And a Sengoku one at that.

Certainly an ambitious beginning! The struggle between the shugo daimyo of the Sengoku period makes for a very intriguing history-book style AAR. I am not familiar with the MEIOU mod, but does it incorporate the Ikkō-ikki and other complex interest groups like MMP does?

And the Kanji characters - Ye Wang Sen Mou - does it translate to Moriyake?
 
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A new Woody Man AAR, and set in the Sengoku Jidai? Subscribed!
 
AHHH It's finally arrived ! the long awaited Woody Sengoku AAR ! You have no idea how long I've waited for this :D I love it already !! Always amazing work , old bean !
 
axzhang - I am hoping that it says Yabo no Moriyake, which is what my sources said it was *fingers crossed* MEIOU does include much of the Sengoku features, but I'm not sure to what extent it matches up to MMU, I haven't looked at Magna Mundi in a long while..

dinofs - Thanks for reading!

canonized - Thanks old boy, and sorry for keeping you waiting!

CatKnight - Thanks for popping by!
 
Excellent start, EP. ;) Very nice. Looking forward to what you come up with. Good luck!
 
Go one word: wow!

*Patiently waiting for the next episode*
 
coz1 - Thanks coz :D I only just worked out why you were winking haha!

Saulta - Thanks for reading! The proper update will be coming along soonish, I'm playing the game as we speak, however, I thought it might be interesting if we looked under the hood at the Moriyake clan gameplay wise :)

SUPER HAPPY GAMEPLAY INTRODUCTION OF MORIYAKE GAMEPLAY

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So, let's take a look at the Moriyake empire. Awaji island has little to recommend it bar nice scenery and traditional puppetry. In truth, I can't actually remember if a total income of 10.24 from a province is any good, but to put it in perspective, the neighbouring Miyoshi province of Samuki makes over twice that amount. Further, our trade good is fish, not the most lucrative of businesses, but we do what we must right?

On the plus side, our manpower is not bad, and on another minor bad side, both our neighbours, the Miyoshi clan, and the Hosokawa clan have cores on Awaji. Although, from my point of view, I don't particularly want either as friends, and well, we're already in a war against the Hosokawa, so it's not the end of the world by a long shot.

The two icons you can see in the top right corner are Land Reform (in the next update) and Moriyake fief. Nothing enormously exciting.

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Nothing major to say here, the succession is safe in hand, unless we get one of those balls events. Ichiro Tokushi and Hideaki Sato (the names in game are westernised in order (instead of the Japanese Surname First name order)) are representations of two good friends of mine, I think both deserve five stars as advisors, regrettably, I can't really afford to hire a third advisor, fish and all that sort of thing.

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Joy of Joys, my fish and rice based economy. As you can see, my advisor salaries amount to almost twice my military budget. Unfortunately, the Moriyake clan does not have great reserves of liquid assets, even less so once we've properly militarised for war, and I make so little, that we can't run on a monthly deficit. Hopefully, the acquisition of more provinces will give us more cash to work with, otherwise we are going to run into problems with inflation.

This also has a knock-on effect to technology, (oh how I dislike the investment system). I am notoriously bad at keeping up with AI tech, our one saving grace at this point is that stability is obscenely easy to max out, and tech is pretty cheap thanks to the size of our island.

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I can at this point in time actually move a slider, however, I don't want to risk some of the events at such a crucial juncture, all for a bit of centralisation or Quality. The three NI's that I have chosen were mainly picked for RP reasons, what makes sense for the whole feel of the Moriyake. I love Military Drill for the obvious reasons, generally, we need better drilled troops, we have a military limit of 3, and thus need the quality. Our extra morale also offsets the drag on morale from the Quantity slider. There is an increase in recruitment time, but I find it negligible. MEIOU also gives Military Drill a bonus to our generals and to disciple, all in all, a pretty useful NI.

Espionage I chose mainly for RP reasons. Takehiko is a man who likes to get things done no matter the method. The NI gives us an extra yearly spy and halves the cost, which is pretty damn useful considering the state of our treasury. Spies are something that I've only really recently begun to use, but I certainly intend to use them here.

Lastly, I chose Bureaucracy over Patron of the Arts, Bureaucracy gives us handy bonuses to Tax, Magistrates, Spy defence and Government costs, while slightly increasing stability costs. A worthy pay-off I say, I need the money, and Stability is soo cheap now anyway, a little more makes no difference.

General Strategy

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Let's take a quick look at the map. Our attention is for the moment, drawn immediately to the Hosokawa Clan, our old Liege lords. We are currently at war with them, but so are the Yamana clan, and we are on an island. Defence should be easy enough, but I am intending once I see an opening to jump on the carcass of the Hosokawa if they start losing. After following through with that war, we should start looking at the Miyoshi to the south of us on Shikoku island. At the moment, they have one province, so if we time it right, we could grab it off them, and then continue our expansion until we take all of Shikoku.

In the long term? The Moriyake clan will one day have take all of Japan, and begin a Tokugawa like rule over the islands. That's my own central goal, but like other powerful Daimyo, I may also attempt invasions of Korea and the southern islands. But I'm hoping to achieve these objectives by the appropriate means of the period. I won't simply annex my way through Japan, I'll try and achieve Hegemony over it first. Korea is my punching bag though, if I see a chance, I'll hop over the sea and attack.


Next update - Back to our regular viewing!
 
What will you do if Hosokawa beats Yamana?
 
Woody Man: Pardon by noobness but what does Land Refom And Moriyake Fief mean? :eek:o

Good report, I liked the map. I have a thing for maps.

Mmm... Maps.

...
 
dinofs - Probably white peace, with my poopy 3k support limit I can't do much against them unless they're in bad shape.

Saulta - No probs, Moriyake Fief is just a provincial modifier used by the MEIOU engine for the Sengoku Jidai, it gives no bonuses or maluses though.

Land Reform is a provincial decision, which gives extra tax etc, but raises stab costs IIRC. Benefits outweigh the negatives though.

Yes, maps are nice, trying to find a better map to use at the moment.

Readers - Well I've played a few years, and that's my script for the update, I might do a little narrative update first, but expect the full history book sometime this week.

Thanks for reading!
 
A Woody AAR! Sure to mean a well written interesting story.

Subscribed.
 
Very nice start and it's going to be an interesting ride!

And the Kanji characters - Ye Wang Sen Mou - does it translate to Moriyake?

And yes, they read as "Yabou no ...". Yabou is also Yashin, which in addition to Ambition, can mean "aspiration", "sinister design", "intrigue", or "treachery". The "shin" is a different character than the "bou" but they are interchangeable in terms of meaning as far as I know (as my kanji dictionary says!) :D

I like the additional nuances....all sorts of possibilities are there this way! :eek:
 
Lord Strange - It's nice to see you again! And thanks very much, I hope I have/can live up to the reputation!

Marco Oliverio - Thank you! And thanks for the reassurance there :D

Readers - Begin writing a small narrative episode today, hopefully might finish it too!
 
Ahh worthy goals for any sengoku era Lord ! What I wouldn't give to go back in time to forge dynasties with you haha
 
Ahh worthy goals for any sengoku era Lord ! What I wouldn't give to go back in time to forge dynasties with you haha

Haha, and I as well Ichiro Tokushi!

Narrative Episode incoming!
 
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Part I - Narrative Episode I: 家 (1472)

Hirokatsu had lain awake for many hours now. The meeting with his cousin Takehiko had been exhausting and he was tired beyond all belief, but yet he could not sleep. It had been only days since his father and uncle had been killed within the ruins of Kyoto, and while Hirokatsu had been seeking pleasure among the yujo[1], Takehiko had been using every means necessary to secure both of their inheritances for himself.

Though he stared at the ceiling all his eyes could see was the meeting between them. How Takehiko had summoned Hirokatsu and his brothers before him. How Takehiko had sat, his retainers and advisors arrayed behind him. Takehiko had talked of duty towards the clan, Takehiko had always talked of duty, Hirokatsu believed in it too, but Takehiko seemed obsessed, for him, it seemed to be a weight that he was born to carry. Duty to the clan was obvious, when had Hirokatsu faltered in that respect? Perhaps he was not so committed as Takehiko, but he had never willingly gone against the will of the family, he had always sought to uphold their dignity.

When Takehiko talked of duty towards himself, then the three brothers had looked at one another, as he continued it became clear that Takehiko was taking their father's inheritance for himself. When their grandfather had died, his possessions were divided equally among his three sons. Now Takehiko was claiming not only his father's entire inheritance, but that of his uncle. His elder brother Hiroto had stormed from the room and returned to his camp, young Hironobu, tall and strong had spent the last minutes of the meeting with his fist balled around his sword, all the while being watched by Katsurou Iwanaga.

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Takehiko declares that he is taking the Moriyake inheritance

Hirokatsu had just stayed silent as he felt a great weight sink into the pit of his stomach. Takehiko had recited all his beliefs in cold order, it was like listening to the ghostly lamentations of an unhappy spirit justifying the actions he was killed for. Perhaps Takehiko was justifying what he would be killed for?

Hirokatsu sat up in the darkness, he could hear movement in the next room.

He strained his ears, but could only hear the soft regular breathing of his son, Hirohiko.

Hirohiko had followed him to Kyoto with faithful devotion, the ways of war were becoming all to important as part of a young man's education. After this was over, what could Hirokatsu leave to his son.

Something began to move outside, Hirokatsu started to make out shadows of slow movement on the paper screen. His heart began to thump wildly, it made his head pulse and his hands tremble. Hirokatsu reached slowly for his sword and silently came to his feet.

The slap of blood hitting the shoji screen broke the silence and in a second Hirokatsu knew that his son had been murdered. Without hesitation he barrelled toward his would be assailant, his sword cutting through the screen and the assassins chest. A second came toward him from Hirohiko's room, Hirokatsu turned to face him as he stepped from the house. The clandestine figure stepped rapidly toward him, his left hand flashed out toward him. Hirokatsu felt the blade travel past him, cutting his arm and letting hot blood flow upon his jinbei[2].

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Takehiko's men come for Hirokatsu

Hirokatsu struck first, a wild outward sweep to the chest, but it was swiftly parried aside, the riposte came just as fast, a straight lunge towards Hirokatsu's neck. Hirokatsu was however, a far more experienced fighter than he'd been given credit, he simply leaned aside the blade and grabbed the black garbed wrist before plunging his katana into the unprotected groin of the ninja. Hirokatsu held him until the body went limp and then removed his blade.

Hirokatsu took a minute to catch his breath, bizarrely, his mind worked now with an almost unparalleled clarity. The attack had lasted seconds, each side had meant to kill the other, Hirokatsu was certainly meant to have been killed, and it was obvious who had ordered the attack. Takehiko had surely cultivated interesting allies.

Hirokatsu had to move fast, he was not the only one that Takehiko had meant to kill, and though the death of his son was regrettable, there was little that could be done. He had to join the others, if victory was not assured, he should at least fight for survival.

Hirokatsu raced through the empty streets of Kyoto. This outskirt was one of the few that had been in good enough shape to live in, and here his brothers had elected to set up their headquarters. But the houses of their retainers were empty. Hiroto's house too was empty, save for the bloody corpses that littered the floor. Hiroto, his wife and children. This murder too was a professional job, the rest of the house was undisturbed, and nothing of note was missing, the shoji had been slid open and all within had been murdered, the violence of their deaths a sure indicator of Takehiko's methods of dealing with those who would not fall in line.

The sky was under an early morning twilight as Hirokatsu left his brother's house. If escape was to be made, it should be attempted soon he thought.

But as he feared, his arrival at Hironobu's house was pre-empted by retainers of Takehiko. Hirokatsu stopped and crouched behind a nearby wall.

Of all the retainers he recognised only Katsurou Iwanaga. An old friend and trusted retainer of Takehiko's. Any doubt of his involvement, however small, was washed away. Hironobu was alone, and surrounded by enemies. And though a part of him urged himself on account of honour to at least die with Hironobu as brothers, the other part realised just how much might come to him as the lone surviving son of Hiroshin. What conversation there was between the interlopers had gone and now Hironobu faced Iwanaga. Although Hironobu was far taller than Iwanaga, Iwanaga had the posture of a man who was not going to die. Both stood stock-still, their bodies a mirror of the other in movement. Hironobu reached for his sword first, his motion was rapid, but half-hearted. Iwanaga did not move, but watched as Takehiko's retainers surrounded Hironobu and cut him down.

Hirokatsu felt nothing, no remorse as the samurai cut down Hironobu's giant frame. He had felt nothing that day, no sadness for his son or brothers, for his nephews, only cold clarity. Was this how Takehiko felt as he pruned the Moriyake family?

***​

“Is this right Ichiro? I have killed my cousins, and now only one remains, with a pathetic band of ill-equipped Samurai.” Takehiko Moriyake murmured to his friend. His mount restlessly kicked at the dust and threw its head back.

“Without this, the Moriyake's would be split in two, yes, we have lost men, but not nearly as much as we would have done had we let Hiroshin's sons go free.”

Ichiro Tokushi could feel Takehiko's eyes upon him, evaluating his answer, and all the time trying to justify his actions.

“I do not regret killing, Ichiro, but I regret that I have killed my own family.”

Takehiko looked out before him. On a dirty plain within sight of ruined Kyoto, his cousin Hirokatsu had managed to rally what minuscule support he could, and now Takehiko would crush it.

“It is sad that I could give them no choice.” Takehiko broke the silence between them.

“I know”

Ichiro nodded to Iwanaga who raised his gunbai[3]. At his signal, the black armoured soldiers of Moriyake Takehiko marched on their former comrades. Hirokatsu's men, distinguished only by gold cloth tied to their armour, pulled their line back, creating a circle of spears around their commander. Iwanaga was unphased, at his order arrows were loosed into Hirokatsu's lines, driving through armour and clothing into the flesh beneath. When melee was actually joined Hirokatsu's lines were already failing.

The skirmish had taken mere minutes, but to give Hirokatsu's men their due, all died to a man in defence of their chosen lord.

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Takehiko watches as his last cousin is defeated in battle

Takehiko had watched impassively, and was equally impassive when he saw the bloodied Hirokatsu kneeling in submission before him. All knew what must happen, what this point had been leading up to. Takehiko did not communicate however, but walked away from the field. As he wrote a letter to Lord Hosokawa petitioning for permission to move his forces to the island of Awaji, Ichiro Tokushi bore witness to the Seppuku of Hirokatsu Moriyake.


[1]Yujo - A woman of disrepute
[2]Jinbei - A kind of sleepwear
[3]Gunbai - A War fan - used for signaling, there are also amusing stories of Generals defending themselves with one.
 
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