Post by Shizuo Heiwajima on Sept 3, 2012 9:39:29 GMT -5
I'd strongly suggest reading the Plans, Plans, Plans thread before reading this. It may not make as much sense without it .-.
Sengoku Jidai. 1545. The Ashigaka Shogunate has ruled in the seat of Kyoto behind the figure-head emperor for nearly 200 years now, great power has always been within their hands, splendour was always visible in their presence. But their rule is decaying and they find themselves losing the authority and power that they have for so long held dear. Ashikaga Yoshiteru reigns as the true ruler of Japan whilst Emperor Go-Nara is kept in the capital of Kyoto and is seated merely as a symbol of the Shogunates power. The over-mighty clans of the other daimyo, dare not stand for such disobedience in the name of the Emperor any longer, and rise up in rebellion against the Ashikaga Shogunate, each aiming to march into Kyoto and take power from Yoshiteru and seat themselves within the capital. But only one can be Shogun… Who will it be..?
Our Daimyo, Shimazu Takahisa, can trace his ancestry back to the Shogun’s of the 12th Century. By blood, he has every right to be seated in Kyoto, for he is a true believer in the way of Bushido and respects the Samurai clans in every right. His generals remain by his side with the utmost loyalty, and all would raise their blades in his defence. Our lands have always kept our people well-fed and happy, but our enemies to the South-East, the Ito, remain envious of the lands that we own, war with them is the clearest option and must be pursued. To the north, our long-time trade partners, the Higo, hold bountiful lands rich with warhorses that would be a great asset to our cause, but they are not weak, and should not be taken lightly. First, we must clear up out front with the Ito, before even thinking about launching an assault on the Higo. The Shimazu clan are masters of the sword, and for decades we have trained the finest katana samurai that Japan has ever known. In battle, our blades are feared and respected. But this does not mean that we are not open to entirely new methods of warfare.
Strangers, have come to our shores. We found these shipwrecked men who claim to come from the other side of the world, but it is not the colour of their skin, or the strangeness of their language that intrigues us… It is the weapons that they have brought. Matchlock rifles have arrived on the shores of Japan, and it is we, the Shimazu who must make use of this extraordinary weapon! So let the flames of war be fanned, for it is we who shall be victorious! Bishomoten, the God of War has awoken! Now is the time to defeat our enemies! All will bow to the Shimazu clan! We wait no longer!
Destiny calls!
Chapter 1; Securing Satsuma
Shimazu Takahisa strode from the Tensho, the local castle in Satsuma, with his sword attached at his waist. The soldiers guarding the entrance all bowed down to his presence as the Daimyo walked from his castle, and down into his town. Making the rounds as he did at least once a week, he sampled the products of the local merchants, made conversation with the people whom he passed, made sure that he appeared as a strong, friendly and most of all, loyal Daimyo. Eventually, he ended up outside of the barracks, where he greeted the Marshall and was invited inside. The two took a seat at the Marshall’s desk and Takahisa placed his interlocked hands upon the table. Takahisa’s dark black eyes locked onto the Marshall’s and the Daimyo gave a small smile, raising his thin black moustache as he did so.
“Marshall Yoshimasu, I have a request for you.” He stated, looking across at the man sat before him. The Marshall was older than Takahisa himself, and had served his father before him.
“What is it you wish, my Lord?” He asked, bowing his head slightly, which rose a smile from the Daimyo seated opposite him.
“The time has come for us to prepare for war against the Ito clan. I want you to raise me an army to lead into battle… I have come to discuss army composition with you, good sir.” The Marshall nodded slowly, raising a hand to stroke the thick black beard that covered the lower half of his face.
“Of course, I agree… What did you have in mind, my Lord?”
“My general, Tomokata is already in the field, with a small army consisting of Yari Ashigaru, Yari Samurai and Bow Ashigaru. I wish to create a force to compliment this. I would like you to recruit me two units of Katana Samurai, each 160 men in size, from the local dojo. Two Naginata units formed from the peasant class, each 400 men in size. Finally, I would like two Yari units, also formed from the peasant class, again 400 men in size. Do you believe this can be done?” The Marshall stroked his beard again before giving a firm nod.
“And what of bowmen, my Lord?” He asked. Takahisa smiled slightly as he gave an almost casual shrug.
“Our bow dojo is fledgling, and I doubt we will be able to recruit anything of worth from their yet. Let us assemble what we can for now, and worry about recruiting more men at a later date, hm?” The Daimyo stood up and bowed to the Marshall, who returned the gesture. “I leave now to speak about construction within the town, farewell, Marshall Yoshimasu.” The Marshall gave a second bow to the Daimyo, before moving aside so that he could leave.
It did not take long for Shimazu Takahisa to find the Quartermaster, a feeble looking old man who had been serving for a long time under the Shimazu clan. The old man had known Takahisa since he was a boy, and still treated him as such, despite the Daimyo being 25 years of age now. Takahisa approached the old man and gave him a respectful bow, which the older man returned.
“Quartermaster.” Takahisa said, straightening himself up, the elderly Quartermaster also picked himself up, albeit with more trouble than the young Daimyo.
“Ahhh! Lord Takahisa!” He stated with a broad, almost toothless grin. “To what, do I owe this honour? No doubt you’re here to ask about extending Satsuma, hm? Simply having it as a fort is not enough for this young one, I see.” Takahisa gave an audible laugh as he clapped the old man on the shoulder.
“You know me too well, old man. You are right, we are about to march on the Ito in the coming months, and I want to make sure that Satsuma is ready to brace itself for anything that they throw at us. So I need more men on the walls, but how can I do that without extending the walls? I want to turn Satsuma into more than just a mere fort, she needs to be a stronghold! One of legend!” The elderly man chuckled as the Daimyo spoke, before giving a small nod.
“Alright, alright. I shall see to it! Give me a few months and I shall make these walls impregnable! Dare I ask, does that mean you’ll be sending messages out to Tomokata, telling him to march..?” Takahisa nodded solemnly.
“Yes… I shall be joining him when my army is prepared. For now he shall only march up to the border and he is under orders to engage no forces larger than his own. Rest assured, I shall keep Tomokata safe.” The Quartermaster gave a solid nod.
“Good! He is my grandson after all. My daughter would never forgive me if I let you march him to his death… You make sure that he comes back to us, Lord Takahisa.” The Daimyo nodded.
“I shall. Farewell, old man!” With that, the two men bowed to one another before the Daimyo headed back to his Tensho, in order to send out the message to Tomokata.
Out in the fields of Satsuma… An hour later…
Tanegashima Tomokata was seated in his tent, with two Katana Samurai guards either side of him as he read the message that had been sent by the Daimyo. He read it, then re-read it, and then read it a third time just to make sure. He straightened out his outfit before grinning broadly, he then started laughing, before standing up and turning to a stand that was placed behind him. The stand contained a set of dark green samurai armour and a crescent-bearing Kabuto. He motioned to a few servants sat nearby to help him into his armour, whilst his unit officers before him looked on.
“General Tanegashima.” The officer of the only Samurai unit in the army spoke up. Tomokata looked up from the servant helping him fit into his breastplate.
“Yes, Captain Kagawa?” He asked as the servant tightened up one of the leather straps on the lamellar armour.
“May I ask… What is it that has gotten you so excited all of a sudden..?” The Captain bowed his head slightly, as if what he said might have been insulting. But Tomokata simply smiled and started laughing.
“I have just received word from Lord Takahisa.” He said with a nod. “We are to move up to the Ito’s border and monitory their movements. Lord Takahisa will move up to reinforce us when his army is fully prepared. So go and get your armour gentlemen.” He looked each Captain in the eye as a servant handed him his Kabuto, which he placed on his head. “It’s time that we went to war.” The Captain’s all bowed and nodded before moving out to prepare their units for the march.
It took Tomokata’s men only a few hours to march up to the border with the Ito. Once in position, they could see the city of Osumi on the horizon, and Tomokata wasted no time in positioning his scouts around the town in order to see what was going on. Reports came back that the city was relatively empty… Which concerned the young general, where were the armies of the Ito..?
Back in Satsuma
Takahisa had ridden down to the docks with his retainers in order to meet the Harbourmaster, in order to talk about expanding the port and building a shipyard. It would be essential to their trade with the nanban, the men who had arrived from the west. The Harbourmaster was a grizzled man, not much older that the Daimyo himself, but he bowed out of respect all the same.
“Lord Takahisa. To what do I owe the honour?” Takahisa nodded from his horse, unable to bow atop the creature.
“You are the Harbourmaster, yes? I am here to make a request… Like all of the people of Satsuma loyal to the Shimazu clan, you are required to make your effort to further our cause.” He gave a small smile as he motioned to the harbour. “And being Harbourmaster, what better way for you to contribute, than to expand your enterprise, hm? I would like to humbly request that you increase the size of your port in order to make space for a shipyard, in order to create my navy. From there, we can expand into a trading port and enter trade with these nanban who seem so intrigued in our development… What say you?” The Harbourmaster scratched a stubble chin as he looked across at Takahisa, before nodding slowly.
“Alright… That makes sense. You have my co-operation, I’ll begin work immediately.” Takahisa gave the man another nod.
“Wonderful! I’ll expect regular reports. I shall take my leave now.”
“Farewell, Lord Takahisa.”
As Shimazu Takahisa rode away atop his horse, he smiled slightly. He had fully consolidated his position in Satsuma now, he was prepared to attack the Ito in the coming months and his armies were almost at their peak. All that he had to do now, was position all of the pieces and give the order… As soon as he had the south of Kyushu under his belt, he would be able to begin his northern advance.
Sengoku Jidai. 1545. The Ashigaka Shogunate has ruled in the seat of Kyoto behind the figure-head emperor for nearly 200 years now, great power has always been within their hands, splendour was always visible in their presence. But their rule is decaying and they find themselves losing the authority and power that they have for so long held dear. Ashikaga Yoshiteru reigns as the true ruler of Japan whilst Emperor Go-Nara is kept in the capital of Kyoto and is seated merely as a symbol of the Shogunates power. The over-mighty clans of the other daimyo, dare not stand for such disobedience in the name of the Emperor any longer, and rise up in rebellion against the Ashikaga Shogunate, each aiming to march into Kyoto and take power from Yoshiteru and seat themselves within the capital. But only one can be Shogun… Who will it be..?
Our Daimyo, Shimazu Takahisa, can trace his ancestry back to the Shogun’s of the 12th Century. By blood, he has every right to be seated in Kyoto, for he is a true believer in the way of Bushido and respects the Samurai clans in every right. His generals remain by his side with the utmost loyalty, and all would raise their blades in his defence. Our lands have always kept our people well-fed and happy, but our enemies to the South-East, the Ito, remain envious of the lands that we own, war with them is the clearest option and must be pursued. To the north, our long-time trade partners, the Higo, hold bountiful lands rich with warhorses that would be a great asset to our cause, but they are not weak, and should not be taken lightly. First, we must clear up out front with the Ito, before even thinking about launching an assault on the Higo. The Shimazu clan are masters of the sword, and for decades we have trained the finest katana samurai that Japan has ever known. In battle, our blades are feared and respected. But this does not mean that we are not open to entirely new methods of warfare.
Strangers, have come to our shores. We found these shipwrecked men who claim to come from the other side of the world, but it is not the colour of their skin, or the strangeness of their language that intrigues us… It is the weapons that they have brought. Matchlock rifles have arrived on the shores of Japan, and it is we, the Shimazu who must make use of this extraordinary weapon! So let the flames of war be fanned, for it is we who shall be victorious! Bishomoten, the God of War has awoken! Now is the time to defeat our enemies! All will bow to the Shimazu clan! We wait no longer!
Destiny calls!
Chapter 1; Securing Satsuma
Shimazu Takahisa strode from the Tensho, the local castle in Satsuma, with his sword attached at his waist. The soldiers guarding the entrance all bowed down to his presence as the Daimyo walked from his castle, and down into his town. Making the rounds as he did at least once a week, he sampled the products of the local merchants, made conversation with the people whom he passed, made sure that he appeared as a strong, friendly and most of all, loyal Daimyo. Eventually, he ended up outside of the barracks, where he greeted the Marshall and was invited inside. The two took a seat at the Marshall’s desk and Takahisa placed his interlocked hands upon the table. Takahisa’s dark black eyes locked onto the Marshall’s and the Daimyo gave a small smile, raising his thin black moustache as he did so.
“Marshall Yoshimasu, I have a request for you.” He stated, looking across at the man sat before him. The Marshall was older than Takahisa himself, and had served his father before him.
“What is it you wish, my Lord?” He asked, bowing his head slightly, which rose a smile from the Daimyo seated opposite him.
“The time has come for us to prepare for war against the Ito clan. I want you to raise me an army to lead into battle… I have come to discuss army composition with you, good sir.” The Marshall nodded slowly, raising a hand to stroke the thick black beard that covered the lower half of his face.
“Of course, I agree… What did you have in mind, my Lord?”
“My general, Tomokata is already in the field, with a small army consisting of Yari Ashigaru, Yari Samurai and Bow Ashigaru. I wish to create a force to compliment this. I would like you to recruit me two units of Katana Samurai, each 160 men in size, from the local dojo. Two Naginata units formed from the peasant class, each 400 men in size. Finally, I would like two Yari units, also formed from the peasant class, again 400 men in size. Do you believe this can be done?” The Marshall stroked his beard again before giving a firm nod.
“And what of bowmen, my Lord?” He asked. Takahisa smiled slightly as he gave an almost casual shrug.
“Our bow dojo is fledgling, and I doubt we will be able to recruit anything of worth from their yet. Let us assemble what we can for now, and worry about recruiting more men at a later date, hm?” The Daimyo stood up and bowed to the Marshall, who returned the gesture. “I leave now to speak about construction within the town, farewell, Marshall Yoshimasu.” The Marshall gave a second bow to the Daimyo, before moving aside so that he could leave.
It did not take long for Shimazu Takahisa to find the Quartermaster, a feeble looking old man who had been serving for a long time under the Shimazu clan. The old man had known Takahisa since he was a boy, and still treated him as such, despite the Daimyo being 25 years of age now. Takahisa approached the old man and gave him a respectful bow, which the older man returned.
“Quartermaster.” Takahisa said, straightening himself up, the elderly Quartermaster also picked himself up, albeit with more trouble than the young Daimyo.
“Ahhh! Lord Takahisa!” He stated with a broad, almost toothless grin. “To what, do I owe this honour? No doubt you’re here to ask about extending Satsuma, hm? Simply having it as a fort is not enough for this young one, I see.” Takahisa gave an audible laugh as he clapped the old man on the shoulder.
“You know me too well, old man. You are right, we are about to march on the Ito in the coming months, and I want to make sure that Satsuma is ready to brace itself for anything that they throw at us. So I need more men on the walls, but how can I do that without extending the walls? I want to turn Satsuma into more than just a mere fort, she needs to be a stronghold! One of legend!” The elderly man chuckled as the Daimyo spoke, before giving a small nod.
“Alright, alright. I shall see to it! Give me a few months and I shall make these walls impregnable! Dare I ask, does that mean you’ll be sending messages out to Tomokata, telling him to march..?” Takahisa nodded solemnly.
“Yes… I shall be joining him when my army is prepared. For now he shall only march up to the border and he is under orders to engage no forces larger than his own. Rest assured, I shall keep Tomokata safe.” The Quartermaster gave a solid nod.
“Good! He is my grandson after all. My daughter would never forgive me if I let you march him to his death… You make sure that he comes back to us, Lord Takahisa.” The Daimyo nodded.
“I shall. Farewell, old man!” With that, the two men bowed to one another before the Daimyo headed back to his Tensho, in order to send out the message to Tomokata.
Out in the fields of Satsuma… An hour later…
Tanegashima Tomokata was seated in his tent, with two Katana Samurai guards either side of him as he read the message that had been sent by the Daimyo. He read it, then re-read it, and then read it a third time just to make sure. He straightened out his outfit before grinning broadly, he then started laughing, before standing up and turning to a stand that was placed behind him. The stand contained a set of dark green samurai armour and a crescent-bearing Kabuto. He motioned to a few servants sat nearby to help him into his armour, whilst his unit officers before him looked on.
“General Tanegashima.” The officer of the only Samurai unit in the army spoke up. Tomokata looked up from the servant helping him fit into his breastplate.
“Yes, Captain Kagawa?” He asked as the servant tightened up one of the leather straps on the lamellar armour.
“May I ask… What is it that has gotten you so excited all of a sudden..?” The Captain bowed his head slightly, as if what he said might have been insulting. But Tomokata simply smiled and started laughing.
“I have just received word from Lord Takahisa.” He said with a nod. “We are to move up to the Ito’s border and monitory their movements. Lord Takahisa will move up to reinforce us when his army is fully prepared. So go and get your armour gentlemen.” He looked each Captain in the eye as a servant handed him his Kabuto, which he placed on his head. “It’s time that we went to war.” The Captain’s all bowed and nodded before moving out to prepare their units for the march.
It took Tomokata’s men only a few hours to march up to the border with the Ito. Once in position, they could see the city of Osumi on the horizon, and Tomokata wasted no time in positioning his scouts around the town in order to see what was going on. Reports came back that the city was relatively empty… Which concerned the young general, where were the armies of the Ito..?
Back in Satsuma
Takahisa had ridden down to the docks with his retainers in order to meet the Harbourmaster, in order to talk about expanding the port and building a shipyard. It would be essential to their trade with the nanban, the men who had arrived from the west. The Harbourmaster was a grizzled man, not much older that the Daimyo himself, but he bowed out of respect all the same.
“Lord Takahisa. To what do I owe the honour?” Takahisa nodded from his horse, unable to bow atop the creature.
“You are the Harbourmaster, yes? I am here to make a request… Like all of the people of Satsuma loyal to the Shimazu clan, you are required to make your effort to further our cause.” He gave a small smile as he motioned to the harbour. “And being Harbourmaster, what better way for you to contribute, than to expand your enterprise, hm? I would like to humbly request that you increase the size of your port in order to make space for a shipyard, in order to create my navy. From there, we can expand into a trading port and enter trade with these nanban who seem so intrigued in our development… What say you?” The Harbourmaster scratched a stubble chin as he looked across at Takahisa, before nodding slowly.
“Alright… That makes sense. You have my co-operation, I’ll begin work immediately.” Takahisa gave the man another nod.
“Wonderful! I’ll expect regular reports. I shall take my leave now.”
“Farewell, Lord Takahisa.”
As Shimazu Takahisa rode away atop his horse, he smiled slightly. He had fully consolidated his position in Satsuma now, he was prepared to attack the Ito in the coming months and his armies were almost at their peak. All that he had to do now, was position all of the pieces and give the order… As soon as he had the south of Kyushu under his belt, he would be able to begin his northern advance.
