Chapter One - 2079-2080
Chapter One - The Sun Rises, the Sun Sets
New Year’s first snow - ah -
just barely enough to tilt
the daffodil
-Basho Matsuo
East of the massive and powerful Middle Kingdom, China, and across the sea from the Korean peninsula, lay a nation of islands. This land was none other than Nippon, the Land of the Rising Sun. In the heart of this empire, lay the province of Kansai, and in Kansai the capital city of Kyoto resided. Kyoto was a beautiful and ancient city which the great Emperor Kammu moved to and made the capital of Nippon about six and a half centuries before, beginning the Heian Period, Heian being the old name for the city. Now, relaxing in his quarters in the Imperial Palace itself was the Emperor of all of Nippon, the Emperor Shoukou. It was March, of the year 2079, according to the Imperial calendar, which is marked from when the Emperor Jimmu became the first Emperor of Nippon. Spring had just begun.
The Emperor motioned to his attendants that he wished to step outside. The attendants quickly and silently began to move, and help the Emperor up, and the party walked outside. Outside, they stood on the wooden walkway, and sat silently, admiring the beauty of the snow-covered branches. This snow, the Emperor thought, will only be here for a short time longer. Soon, the world will turn green, and the white will hide, until it is once more ready to surprise the flowers. After several minutes of this peaceful solitude, the Emperor called for some parchment and his brush. He began to write a letter, to Ashikaga Yoshimochi, the Shougun. As he pondered what he should write, Shoukou thought of the new Shougun. In the days of his predecessor, Go Komatsu, the one hundredth Emperor, according to the official count, Yoshimitsu was Shougun. The third of the Ashikaga line. Yoshimitsu was quite the fellow, an expert with political affairs. The ideal fellow for the position of Shougun, especially in these days, where some problems began to arouse. Was Yoshimochi good for this job? Nevermind that. We must make the best of what we have. Shoukou grasped his brush, and began to make elegant strokes on his parchment.
The winds grow restless,
the ground grows pale and
the trees please my eyes with their beauty
Dear Ashikaga, the Shougun. I greet you with honor and much formality. How goes it, the state affairs?
I wish to inform the men of state, how I express my sorrows in the recent outburst, caused by the murder of Togashi Mitsushige. Do not let what is done destroy what is to come. We must all work to solve our country's problems, and to increase our income of koku, and fill the farmer's bellies further.
Farewell, and good luck
The Emperor finished his message, and reread it several times. Shoukou admired his handwriting, and silently praised himself for his skill in writing letters, and elegance of his hand. Yes, the curves, the curves. His was a glorious symbol of the very word of calligraphy. "Ah, I must call I messenger" Shoukou thought, and looked at his attendants. He picked out one younger lad. "You, you.. Please bring this letter to the Shougun. Return to me with a reply by the Hour of the Boar, and you shall receive a small gift of silver from my own hands. I am sure it is more than adequate for one such as thee. Make haste! Make haste!" the Emperor waved him off. The boy bowed low and scuttled off. "Ah, what an intelligent lad. Yes, yes. An intelligent lad. I chose the right one, yes I did" the Emperor muttered.
Within an hour, the messenger had found the Shougun. The Shougun was surrounded by the strongest men the young messenger had ever seen. These samurai... Their blades were the sharpest edges the lad had ever seen. In an instant they could kill him if they wished. "Ahh! Good evening, Ashikaga sama!"
The Shougun turned to the boy. "Yes, yes, good evening. What is it? What do you want child?"
"Sire, I carry word from the divine Emperor himself! My Emperor has instructed me to hand this message to you, and none other"
He handed the message to the Shougun. "Hmm..." the Shougun grunted, as he finished reading and took a parchment of his own. He wrote, in a rather clumsy hand, with thick black strokes, yet some of the finest, most powerful handwriting any of the men in the room had ever seen:
the belly of he
the farmer grows hollow
hunger conquers man
the hoe, a farm tool
can till fields, when one needs food
can till men, for more food
The boy took the message, and bowed deeply to the Shougun. How exciting was his day! To be seeing the Emperor and the Shougun of Nippon all in one day! He brought the message back to His Majesty, who, after paying the boy, opened the message, and read the simple message from the Shougun. Two poems. That was his message. But, two poems that told the state of affairs. The two poems that the Shougun sent told how farmers became hungry because of famine and drought. Bad harvests took much food from the farmers. Taxes took the rest. The farmers became hungry and discontent. Hunger can drive a man to do anything. The hoe was a tool the farmers used to till the fields. The Shougun described how they could use them as weapons to fight the government. "Revolts!" the Shougun thought. "Revolts" were something he would see little of in his lifetime. During the next two hundred years, men would learn about revolts. It was getting late. The moon rose to the central part of the sky. It was a full moon that night. The ground was alight with its pale glow. The Emperor retired to his sleeping quarters.
The Shougun, unlike the Emperor, and many other men, all over Nippon, did not retire to sleep. The Shougun sat in his room, planning. Always planning. Now, Yoshimochi was planning the repositioning of the Imperial armies. Currently, the forty-thousand men which made up the force were positioned in their base, on the Kanto Plain. By morning, the Shougun had this plan:
The Plan of Defense of Nippon
All men in Kanto shall split into four armies. Each army will consist of about ten thousand men. One army will march to Kyushu and defend it. One army, the Imperial Army, will march to Kansai. They will defend Kyoto and the Emperor. These men of the so-called Imperial Army must be the bravest and most powerful samurai in the land. all must be strong, noble, and loyal. Another regiment will march to Tohoku and defend it. And finally, the last ten thousand men shall remain at their base in Kanto, and defend the plain. In Kyushu, Kansai, Kanto, and Tohoku, these four armies will hire and train the finest troops they can find in the region. Each army will be supplied by the clans of the region. These selected clans are those closest to the Emperor and the Bakufu. The other clans will supply those lord whom they are loyal to, following the laws of feudalism. This "chain" eventually leads to the highest lords who are those who serve the Bakufu directly.
In the provinces of Shikoku, and Ezochi, we had no armies. New armies will be trained in each of these regions. The Shikoku Army and the Ezochi Army. The Shikoku Army will be comprised of samurai from that region and many militia who are the regions farmers will be called to action when there is an attack. The Ezochi Army will be comprised of the samurai of the region, as with the other provincial armies, as well as some local Ainu who are loyal to the Bakufu. If any of these armies fail to repel any kind of foreign invasion, or crush any rebellion, their neighboring province will be expected to come to their defense. The Imperial Army in Kansai will be expected to defend Shikoku, Kyushu, and Kanto, if the armies in those provinces are under attack and the local armies are defeated. If Kanto is under attack and the local army is defeated, and the Kansai army is elsewhere fighting, or is too busy defending Kansai, the Tohoku army will defend Kanto. If Ezochi is under attack, and the Ezochi Army is defeated, then the closest "idle" army (An army not busy fighting) will be shipped to that island by the Imperial Fleet.
The Imperial Fleet is based in Kyushu, and is regularly supplied with new ships when they are needed. The Fleet stays at a size of about 45 ships as a "limit". Its duty is to transport our armies if necessary, and defend Nippon's shores from pirates and foreign invasion, if necessary.
Ashikaga Yoshimochi read the plan of defense to the Bakufu officials and the daimyo at a special meeting on April 2. On June 3rd, news came from the mainland that China declared war on the Manchu's. The Shougun announced, shortly after on June 5th, that Nippon would remain neutral in this war, and not take part in these foreign wars. Nippon would defend its own borders, not leave them to fight others. "However" Yoshimochi said, we will try to make alliances and keep close relations with as many nations as we can, especially those closest to us: China, Korea, and Manchu[/i]". In June, Nipponese merchants increased their hold on the Kansai market, and brought a rather large annual trade income to the Bakufu. By the month of October, the entire defense plan for Nippon was complete, and the armies of the different regions slowly increased in number over the next months. The daimyo, many of whom thought this plan was silly and would fail, were utterly impressed and praised Yoshimochi for his work.
In November, an ambassador from Korea informed the Bakufu that, on November 2nd, Korea had declared war on Manchu. Yoshimochi still remained firm in his plan to remain neutral. The year ended, and Korea and China were each at war with Manchu. In early February, we sent royal marriage proposal to Korea. On February 15th, the Koreans told us that they rejected our proposal. In early March, we sent a gift to the Korean state to improve relations. We spent much of the year's income on this lavish gift, but the Koreans paid little repect to our efforts.
On that sunny mid-March morning, which showed early signs of the coming spring, the Shougun Ashikaga Yoshimochi sat with seven of the most powerful provincial daimyo in all of Nippon. The men were sitting in a moment of silence, when suddenly the door slid open, and an elegantly dressed samurai walked into the room. He bowed low, and reported, "Honorable lords, I bring news from the Imperial Courts. The Koreans have, after rejecting last month's royal marriage proposal, not even thanked us for our gifts to them!"
The Shougun looked up, his face with a most curious expression. An expression which one cannot tell is representing sadness, happiness, or anger. It was expressionless, yet told the feelings of the Shougun on the matter in a very subtle way. Silently and calmly, Ashikaga asked, "Why?"
"What? Ah... My lord... What is it you mean by 'Why?' Do you ask why the Koreans are acting this way? Is that it?"
The Shougun paused. Then he said, "No, no.
The daimyo and the messenger samurai looked at the Shougun with curious, puzzled expressions. Why did the Shougun say "why"? Why?
"I ask why you did not shut the door behind you. Why?"
The daimyo burst into laughter. The samurai thought for a moment, blushed, and then laughed along with them.
Yoshimochi laughed to himself for a moment, then became serious. He called for silence.
"Now, I understand the situation. However, I don't understand why the Koreans are acting this way towards us. We are trying to befriend them. They act indifferently about our hardest efforts. Are our intentions of peace and friendship not clear?" the Shougun trailed off, then patiently waited for the seven daimyo to give their opinions. These daimyo would act as his advisers on the Korea situation.
The first daimyo, a rather pudgy and jolly rice-loving fellow was the first to speak. He bowed to the Shougun, and began "We should forget about Korea! Let us ignore those on the continent. We should be using our koku to produce more rice fields!" his eyes wandered thoughtfully, then the daimyo's belly rumbled with laughter, and he bowed and sat down.
The second daimyo was the most powerful warrior of the daimyo in the room. A samurai who spoke with his sword instead of his mouth. He arrogantly bowed to the Shougun, and loudly and indignantly shouted around the room, his eyes piercing those of each of the men in the room, "Korea is threatening us by not becoming our friends! We shall show them who is the boss! I say we send our armies to crush them! My samurai alone could conquer their peninsula nation! Let me handle these infidels, my lord! I promise the soil of Korea to be stained with blood -- Korean blood -- and our flag waving over the peninsula before this month is over!"
The third daimyo, a diplomatic man who was shocked at the words of the second samurai, stood up, bowed to the Shougun, and glared at his militaristic rival daimyo. "You sir," he began "are as evil as those Chinese and Koreans, who make war against the Manchus! You don't use the truths of diplomacy, but the point of a sword! My lord," he turned to the Shougun and the other daimyo, "we must continue diplomatic actions with Korea! We must give them more time and use more diplomacy. Then, and only then, will they understand our intentions of being their friends. Korea must remain independent, free, and safe! A Chinese or Manchu conquest of Korea would clearly, please look at a map, be a threat to Nippon. The daimyo of Tsushima and I have already discussed the danger. The Tsushima daimyo has informed me that that kind of occupation of the peninsula, and then capturing Tsushima as a starting base, would, in his opinion, be a serious danger to our nation. Therefore, I insist that we continue diplomacy with Korea. It is the only civil option. We should not ignore them. It is partly up to us to keep peace in the region. We can't ignore them. And we shouldn't conquer them! Obviously that will drag us into the Manchu and Chinese war! We have to find another alternative!" he bowed, and then the second daimyo began.
"You fool!! Coward!! Weakling!! You know nothing of these affairs! If we listen to you, we will all die!"
Both of the daimyo stood up and glared at eachother, each looking ready to pounce at the other, each with his hand at his sword. "Enough!" it was the Shougun. The men turned, bowed, and sat down, occasionally exchanging ugly glances. "We will have no quarrels amongst eachother. We will not fight unless it is the defense of Nippon. Perhaps some of us should read the defense plan we all agreed upon more thoroughly." the Shougun looked at the second daimyo, who grinded his teeth. "Now," he continued, "I have come to a conclusion. We will use diplomacy to ensure the peace of the region. I am sure there will be a turn of the tides. We must hope that the terrible war between the Manchu's and the Chinese ends soon, and peace throughout the region can be made. I believe the first thing we should do in our part of this peaceful resolution, is work towards closer relations with Korea, our closest neighbor. We should next decide upon a kind of official stance towards Korea, which shall be strictly followed."
And so, the seven daimyo and the Shougun settled their differences and problems, and agreed upon the following official stance towards Korea
The Official Stance and Position of Nippon Towards the Kingdom of Korea
We, Nippon, shall remain firm, as long as the Ashikaga Bakufu rules (Oh may our just rule live long!), towards these ideas about the Korean peninsula. No nation lies closer to Nippon than the Kingdom of Korea. Our goal is to keep peace in the region of the world in which we live. This sphere of our peace-keeping includes four nations. These four nations are the Empire of Nippon, the Kingdom of Korea, the Empire of China, and the tribes of the Manchu. The Kingdom of Korea is our closest neighbor. That Kingdom is a nation that consists of the peninsula south of the Yalu river. It lies in the middle of the three other nations in our region.
It has been agreed upon by the wise and munificent rulers of our empire that a Chinese or Manchu occupation of Korea would be a serious threat to Nippon. We believe in also the safety of our neighbor. Korea is not only in the middle of the three other nations of the region, but the weakest in military might. It is up to Nippon to keep the nation of Korea defended and independent. We therefore wish to keep a constant promotion of friendship to that nation. Conveying our intentions of defense to Korea should be our first goal. However, being their friends means almost nothing. Nippon must also keep peace between the other nations of the region. It would be ideal to bring peace and prosperity to the nations. Perhaps even a quadruple alliance.
Emperor Shoukou received a copy of this notice. He read it twice and placed it on the table before him. He called for his brush and some parchment, and composed a poem:
the sun rises
the world changes
the sun sets
The Emperor smiled at his poem. And then he yawned drowsily. He made his way to his sleeping quarters, and fell into a deep and heavy sleep through the night.
Nippon had made its plan, and our story only just begins....
