Part III: Unification
End of Sengoku (1506-13)
In This Episode:
Code:
Ashigaka Takamochi - Taira Clan Daimyo (1503-), Shogun (1510-)
Mori Yoshitsuna - Minamoto Clan Daimyo (1502-)
Shimazu Nogayobu - Tachibana Clan Daimyo (1505-)
Imagawa Naritsune - Fujiwara Clan Daimyo (1492-)
Toki Takamitsu - Takamochi's kanrei (deputy)
Toyotomi Shumei - (Diplomat 4) - Envoy to the Emperor
Uesugi Noritsune - Taisho clan General
Ashikaga Tsunekujo - Taisho clan General
Go Tsuchimikado - Emperor (1464-1508)
Go Kashiwabara - Emperor (1508-)
Otomo Tsuruchi - Tachibana clan Admiral
[b]Families:[/b]
Minamoto - Mori
Taira - Ashikaga
Tachibana - Miyoshi, Amago
[b]Terms:[/b]
Seii Taishogun - "Great general who subdues barbarians" - Shogun
Kampaku - regent for a child emperor. Used in game to represent someone sanctioned by the emperor to be Shogun.
Heimin - (loosely) a commoner. Low caste. Ikko-Ikki - peasant mobs (armies) trained by monks
Mon - a badge or emblem. The butterfly at the top of this post is the Taira 'mon.'
Preparations
For three years following the Fujiwara campaign peace reigned in Japan, unless one counts the occasional
heimin uprising or bandit raid, which no one of any consequence would. Lord Ashikaga Takamochi won much honor especially after becoming
kampaku, but he also made his neighbors nervous, and he didn't want to give his adversaries an excuse to unite.
Quiet years, but Takamochi never stopped planning and preparing. He still needed Minamoto support to be named Shogun, and there was no point in asking. Lord Mori Yoshitsuna inherited his predecessor's ambition as well as politics and still hoped to reverse his clan's fortunes. The Taira therefore prepared for war forsaking other interests.
(The first ronin option costs 44g and gives me an advisor. The second gives me 5% land tradition. The garden would have cost about 105g to create. Too expensive.)
The autumn of 1507 resulted in an unusually rich harvest. When Takamochi's officials rightfully asked for their share of the yield the peasants refused, claiming they'd earned the excess bounty and planned to enrich themselves at the clan's expense.
(Agricultural Revolution in Echigo: +1 tax) Such dangerous claims couldn't be allowed of course, so Takamochi sent an army under Uesugi Noritsune
(F3 S4 M1 Sg1) northward, and a series of clashes through the winter reminded them of their duty.
(A revolt broke out a few months later.)
In 1508 Go-Tsuchimikado, the Son of Heaven, died to be replaced by his son Katsuhito. Katsuhito took the name 'Go-Kashiwabara' at age 44.
(I assume by pure chance, EU3 matches history here. Go Tsuchimikado's son DID take the name Go-Kashiwabara, though in our world he took the throne in 1500.)
For the first and last time, the four daimyo of the clans formed after the Onin War met as equals to swear fealty. Publicly the four remained cordial with thirty years of war apparently forgotten. Privately Lord Shimazu Nogayabu promised to defend the 'weaker' clans from 'unfound aggression.' Meanwhile, the emperor confirmed Takamochi's position as
kampaku after exacting a promise to 'maintain the peace of the realm.'
Both promises were doomed by the politics of the day. When the time came, Go-Kashiwabara had little recourse while Lord Shimazu still saw an opportunity for growth.
Shattering the Minamoto
In August 1509, Takomachi's armies swarmed across the Minamoto border. In the north, Uesugi Noritsune led nine thousand soldiers while Takomachi struck the south with an equivalent army. As I've hinted, Lord Shimazu forsook his promise to help the weaker party and instead attacked from the west. Lord Mori led his army into Iwami province in a futile, but courageous effort to stave off defeat.
It took less than a month for the Taira armies to sweep the frontier clear of Minamoto supporters. By Spring 1510 three of five provinces were in friendly hands while the Tachibana reduced castles in the last two.
In April, the Amago family in Iwami warned their Tachibana masters that without relief they must surrender. Shimazu Nogayabu chose not to abandon his attacks. Takomachi therefore demonstrated along the border with overwhelming force.
(Since the new AI tries to avoid disadvantageous battles, all I have to do here is threaten to attack. Once Minamoto commits to moving, I cancel mine. End result? Their siege resets. I did this twice to ensure we'd win all our sieges before they could get one. Exploit? Heck yeah. Check the Flagland/Ulm AAR for even nastier tricks.)
The only battle of consequence took place in September when Lord Shimazu challenged Lord Mori in Iwami. The two armies were roughly equal in size (15,000 vs. 13,000) with
ashigaru predominant. The Tachibana army met their enemies on an open field where they could use their 2:1 cavalry advantage and flanked the Minamoto. Lord Mori was no coward however, and fought with the determination of one trying to save his honor and prospects. His men didn't share his determination and after several hours retreated in different directions. Over seven thousand Minamoto were captured or killed at the cost of five thousand Tachibana. By the time the first snows fell his army ceased to exist.
(Destroyed in pursuit.)
Through the winter the Tachibana and Taira debated Minamoto's fate. Shimazu Nogayubu wanted to make sure his clan didn't come away empty handed as it had so many times before and demanded Aki province. Takamochi agreed.
(Actually I waited several months to see if Tachi. would peace out. If so, then I could have finished the Min. off or taken another province.)
According to Nogayubu's complaint to the emperor in the summer of 1511, Lord Ashikaga Takamochi promised to repudiate his goal of becoming shogun. It seems unlikely he agreed to forsake his life's goal. Indeed, when Lord Mori signed the treaty that split his clan's holdings in two and crippled his own family, he publicly endorsed Takamochi as the only man who could restore peace.
(I gave Tachibana a province because, as long as I'm showing you my feelings for the DW AI, I thought I'd try to get the two isolated provinces to defect to me via patriot rebels. Unfortunately neither of the two border provinces offer them.)
War of the Seii Taishogunate
Takomachi caused quite a stir in Kyoto by rushing through the ceremonies and celebrations that accompanied his ascension. At the time courtiers heavily criticized his breaches of etiquette and apparent lack of respect. Their complaints are justified, but as you know only because they did not understand his reasoning at the time. Takomachi wasn't showing disrespect to the emperor, but rather the opposite as he rushed north to follow his new duties.
As I have written, the Fujiwara never recovered from the last war.
Ikko-ikki overran much of the north which Lord Imagawa Naritsune lacked the resources to fight. Traitors turned on him paralyzing his government and several families seemed on the verge of forsaking their clan. Therefore with no regard to his personal comfort or safety he rushed to the Fujiwara border. Unable to find rightful authorities (or much of any authority at all), he invaded to restore order.
(At the start of the war peasants owned one province and had a 3K army. Fujiwara had 1K and was building a second regiment.)
This was the excuse Shimazu Nogayubu was looking for. Citing his already broken promise to defend weaker clans and calling Takomachi's ascension a 'travesty of justice' and 'lapse in judgement' he attacked the
Seii Taishogun and therefore became a traitor.
Such treachery caught Takomachi by surprise. Nonetheless he remained resolved to help his Fujiwara neighbors and deployed his army to destroy the
Ikko-Ikki and reduce the castles of those families ready to revolt against Lord Imagawa. Proof of Lord Shimazu's lies came almost immediately when, rather than seek out the 'bully' and push Takomachi out of Fujiwaran lands, he asserted his claim to Settsu province in general and Osaka in particular.
(About two months after the war started and with Settsu under siege.)
Through the summer of 1511 this pattern continued.
Taisho Uesugi Noritsune succumbed to lung sickness in April leaving the conduct of the northern campaign to Takamochi. In Inabayama Castle Toki Takamitsu, his
kanrei, ordered fresh levies to meet the Tachibana threat and placed them under the command of Ashikaga Tsunekujo.
(F4 S3 M0 Sg0)
Upon learning of Tsunekujo's ill-experienced but determined army forming in the heart of Taira lands, Shimazu Nogayobu trembled and determined to get out of the war with his ill-gotten gains as quickly as possible. He ordered a direct assault on Osaka itself resulting in much several thousand civilians killed and a dozen buildings burned. The Taira butterfly
mon still flew over the city for several months before defenders succumbed in October.
This was the low point of the war, but by no means the end, for October also saw Tsunekujo's army take the field. They avoided Nogayobu's men as they advanced to Yamato, instead descending on Tachibana raiders in Harima and Bingo.
(Two battles against isolated units, destroying both.)
Tsunekujo rushed north then and linked with his master's. Takamochi, having reduced the rebels and restored Lord Imagawa Naritsune to Edo Castle, marched south having received promises of future Fujiwara support. Their armies linked and on December 17, 1511 met Lord Shimazu at Iga.
Takamochi's army numbered about eleven thousand vs. thirteen thousand Tachibana. Takamochi dismounted his samurai cavalry, deploying them on ridges flanking his spearmen to rain arrows down on the advancing enemy.
Nogayobu hoped to use sheer mass to break the spear formation and ordered his horsemen forward. As they advanced some samurai abandoned their posts on either ridge leading to skirmishes. This delayed Nogayobu's men long enough to disrupt their charge, so the Taira spearmen advanced leading to a mass melee.
Through the morning Tachibana reinforcements advanced towards the main melee north of Iga, but scouts warned Nogayobu of Tsunekujo's presence on his left flank. Dreading a flanking maneuver, Nogayobu ordered his men to pull back. Both sides lost about two to three thousand men.
In the spring of 1512 Lord Imagawa, honoring his promise to help Takomachi, attacked their 'protectors' thereby denying Nogayabu all excuse for fighting the shogun. Rather than taking the opportunity to make amends at the cost of some minor indemnity he chose to fight on relying on his fleet to defend Kyushu and Shikoku from Taira attacks.
The Tachibana navy was mighty, consisting of six heavy warships and six transports, but its commander was an undisciplined fool. When Otomo Tsuruchi learned that the vastly inferior Taira navy was blockading Iwami he rushed north. Though Tsuruchi won the subsequent battle, this allowed Takamochi to requisition a number of fishing vessels and trading junks and invade Shikoku in force.
(I forgot to take pictures, but here's another neat exploit. My navy was vastly inferior and had no chance of forcing a crossing onto the southern islands. When I moved it into open waters however, the Tachibana obligingly moved their fleet to intercept which gave me time to cross the strait.)
By May 1512 the Taira liberated Osaka, fought local garrisons for all of Shikoku, and with covert Minamoto support
(Patriot rebels) sieged all of Tachibana's holdings on the main island. Nogayabu fled before Takomachi's army and, rather than defend his people, attacked Harima.
(The main Tachibana army moved from Shikoku (island) to Kyushu, then all the way back up Honshu to the border. Part of the new maneuvering AI I think.)
Through the hot summer of 1512 things remained at an impasse until another naval diversion
(See above, though now I lose my fleet) allowed Takamochi to recross onto Honshu. This led to the final battle of the Sengoku wars.
This time it was no contest: Takamochi's army was reinforced to eighteen thousand including six thousand horsemen, while Nagayobu's army hadn't increased beyond thirteen. On October 6 the two armies clashed on an open field near the Minamoto border. The demoralized Tachibana
ashigaru abandoned their lord and were cut down by samurai cavalry. Lord Shimazu's own samurai fought bravely enough but proved unable to reform a coherent line. Rather than one large melee therefore, the battle broke down into six or seven clashes with the Tachibana constantly outnumbered and outmatched. Over the next few weeks Lord Shimazu's army disintegrated.
The war continued for another few months on paper, but there would be no more battles. In February 1513 Lord Shimazu begged for leniency and paid homage.
Victory
Two months later, Takomachi moved his personal residence, much of the clan's functions and fully half of the Taira army to Muromachi district in Kyoto where his ancestor held court. After consulting with the emperor on matters of defense he summoned the other three clan daimyo and requested they abandon any claims to the shogunate and dissolve the clans to unite Japan.
Ashikaga Takomachi said:
For thirty-five years our empire has experienced continual war. It is time to come together and put aside our private grievances.
Lord Imagawa Noritsune had already sworn fealty. He quietly consented then withdrew to his private rooms.
Lord Mori Yoshitsuna saw a chance to perserve his family's name. By 1513 he knew the Minamoto could not win, and that with his family's holdings crippled in time the Ouchi would dominate clan affairs - if a new war didn't destroy them entirely. Better to be a willing supporter of a thriving shogun, than lord of a dead clan. After a brief consultation with his advisors, Yoshitsuna dropped to his knees and presented his swords.
Faced with the wrath of all three clans and the probable loss of all lands outside of Kyushu in a future war, Lord Shimazu Nagayobu saw wisdom. After securing a pardon for his treachery, he also conceded defeat.
The Sengoku wars were over.
********
COMMENTS: I stated a few posts ago that I'd stay with this until I felt victory was inevitable. I am now stronger than the other three clans combined. Were I to continue, you'd see one or two posts where I let my Infamy die down. The Minamoto wouldn't survive another war, and I've proven I can beat the Tachibana. My Shogun influence rating actually went up after the war, so that's in no immediate danger.
Some end game stats:
Taira: 19 provinces, 51 base tax (59.5 with Fujiwaran vassalage)
Tachibana: 10 provinces, 30 tax
Fujiwara: 5 provinces, 17 tax (8.5 with vassalage)
Minamoto: 3 provinces, 16 tax
There's not much I can say without being snarky. An AI that's so easily taken advantage of is no fun to fight against. I am simply not in the same league as EU3's best players. This shouldn't be happening.
A similar thing happened late in EU2's patches (1.09) before being fixed at the very end. I hope it gets fixed. There's decent potential here - but it's not here yet. I'll be pulling back to HttT (or IN and MMP) for the near future.
Thank you everyone for reading and commenting. As always, you're the best part of these AARs.