Iga Ninjutsu is Good (Hattori: Legendary, Domination, V5445)

[Maltz]

Momochi Sandayu: "Good job, Chisato. Because of you, the Hattori army was able to take Kawachi with ease. Now let me present you this certificate..."
Chisato: "I am now a level 3 Ninja?! Great!"
Sandayu: "Keep up the good work and prusue higher levels!"
Chisato: "What will happen when I reach a higher level?"
Sandayu: "Iga Ninjutsu is Good. Iga Ninjutsu is very rich and complex. You will know when you get there."
Chisato: "You can try to explain that to me in simple language..."
Sandayu: "Now your level is not enough, so you cannot understand. Iga Ninjutsu is about learning through practice."
Chisato: "You don't have to use English. Japanese is fine..."
Sandayu: "私はあなたが理解できないと述べた!" (I said you cannot understand!)
Goemon: "Master Sandayu, you left this... the Iga Ninja training plan on you desk!"
Sandayu: "Ops! Er... I have an important appointment with Lord Yasunaga. See you~"
Chisato: "It is all explained on the plan... I understand every word..."

***

Goemon: "There are three career paths of a Middle Ninja. One can either become a professional assassin, a escape expert, or an improvise master."
Chisato: "Improvise?"
Goemon: "Ever watched the show MacGyver?"
Chisato: " That show won't air 440 years later!"
Goemon: "so basically it is about reaching your goal without expensive operation fee."
Chisato: "Sounds interesting! I am going for it!"
Goemon: "Actually all future Iga ninjas are trained on this path. This could save the Hattori clan thousands of koku every season."

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Just got the news, the HQ hired a third Ninja called Yukimune."
Chisato: "So basically all Middle Ninja will have the same skills and... Buddha forbids we even all look the same... "
Goemon: "Yeah... but you can always stand out from the crowd by being special!"
Chisato: "How do I do that?"
Goemon: "By approaching your tasks in your unique style! Have it your way!"
Chisato: "Yes! I will be a unique Iga Ninja! Sabotage with passion! Restore Japan's order for the emperor! "

[Maltz]

Chisato: "What are you reading, Goemon?"
Goemon: "The Iga ninja just started to circulate a small newspaper called the Pocket Times. While marketed at the general public to spread propaganda in favor of the Hattori clan, orders for ninjas are actually hidden in some articles."
Chisato: "Neat! Any hidden order in this issue?"
Goemon: "You have already done something this season. Take a fishing trip on Lake Biwa! Oh... look at the news - the Omi province has been taken down by the Ikko monks."
Chisato: "So the Asai clan is destroyed?"
Goemon: "They spent all their first-year budget to purchase our military access, so the Ikko nailed them easily..."
Chisato: "And the Ikko started with a larger army, too."
Goemon: "In fact, when our ninja reported the Ikko invasion coming, we quickly managed to sell Asai inifinite military access right before it gets destroyed. "

[Maltz]

Chisato: "Now Ikko buddhists have become our new neighbor with a large stack of army. The HQ must be worried about this."
Goemon: "A little maybe. They are happier to find a new buyer of our military access!"
Chisato: "So now the Ikko will have no fund to expand further..."
Goemon: "Yeah... then maybe we will have a new neighbor to sell military access to!"
Chisato: "Being Hattori's neighbor is a curse... "

[Maltz]

(Summer 1546)

Chisato: "It looks that the Hatakeyama army is re-supplied with weapons."
Goemon: "In the meantime Hattori has also gathered enough soldiers. A heated battle is breaking out!"
Chisato: "Do you think Lord Yasunaga will allow us to observe the battle?"
Goemon: "Don't ask, just find a large tree so we get a great view!"

End of Chapter 2

[Peasant Phill]

As always, very educational and entertaining.

[Maltz]

Chapter 3. Race for the Hill



Chisato: "Now here we have a good view of the battlefield. From the number of banners they seem to be evenly matched! It all comes down to tactics!"
Goemon: "There is a high hill in the middle. It looks like whoever controls the hill will have literally the upper hand..."

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Hattori's hill is higher, and it has lots of trees."
Chisato: "What an excellent defensive position..."
Goemon: "If the Hattori soldiers use their stealth and arrive early on this high hill, they can hide themselves well within the trees. Without knowing this, the Hatakeyama army might decide to rush for the hill without a proper formation..."
Chisato: "So they will be easily defeated?"
Goemon: "Only the first wave is easily crushed. But Hattori's reinforcement is coming from behind. If they can run fast enough, the Hatakeyama army will be hopelessly wrapped in the middle. That will break ashigaru's morale."
Chisato: "Sounds like a good plan! Should I inform master Momochi?"
Goemon: "I think he already thought about this. Look carefully, Hattori soldiers are already hiding under the trees!"

[Maltz]

Chisato: "The Hatakeyama army is rushing toward the high hill! Two generals left behind their ashigaru infantry!"
Goemon: "A perfect setup to kill their generals!"

Note: After the FOTS patch (v5346) the AI loves high hills - even if the human player already has an army on it.

[Maltz]

Goemon: "The Hatekayama generals bumped into yari ashigaru's spear wall!"
Chisato: "Don't let them escape!"
Goemon: "They are not trying to escape... marching to the hill continues... "

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Nice, the Hattori spearwall routed the Hatakeyama generals. The Hatakeyama infantry started their uphill charge!"
Chisato: "And the Hattori Yari Samurai lead the charge downhill! Easily a winning match!"

[Maltz]

Chisato: "The Hatakeyama ashigaru have arrived! They outnumber the Hattori ashigaru! The Hattori reinforcement is still on their way..."
Goemon: "This could be dangerous. We need something to distract them."
Chisato: "Master Momochi is the distraction! He is leading a flanking enemy away so our line hold up!"

Note: AI likes to chase our cavalry with yari infantry. But since this requires micromanagement, the reinforcement stood on their destination for a few seconds.

[Maltz]

Goemon: "The Hattori Yari Samurai has routed their match. Now they charge into Hatakeyama's Bow Ashigaru!"
Chisato: "The Hatakeyama Yari Ashigaru line is broken - they flee downhill!"
Goemon: "Master Momochi led the reinforcement. The final wrap up begins!"

[Maltz]

Chisato: "The Hatakeyama army is completely broken. They flee for their lives!"
Goemon: "That was quick work!"

Note: An effectice tactics for the Hattori clan is to predict which hill the AI is going to rush to (usually the tallest hill on the battlefield with trees), then deploy and hide durable infantry to trap the AI trying to claim the hill. The rest of the army can then wrap up to deliver the final blow. We will see another example in chapter 6.

[Maltz]

Goemon: "The once formidable Hatakeyama clan is largely defeated in the Kinki area. But three hundred men fled the battlefield. We can't let them move around free."
Chisato: "So there is going to be another battle?"
Goemon: "Yeah. Master Momochi probably wants easy battle command experience..."

Note: The battle was manually played to the end to make sure that some enemy do escape. This gives another battle and allows Momochi to reach level 2 and pick a better retainer. He eventually got +10 Bow unit accuracy (rubber bow), one of the better retainers out there.

After the FOTS patch (v5346), if one loads the auto-save file prior a battle, the resulting retainers are no longer randomly selected. A work around is to generate another save file before the battle. On Legendary this can be done by hitting End Turn, which generates an auto-save before the turn ends.

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Indeed, Master Momochi leads the second attack. Lord Yasunaga is the reinforcement this time."
Chisato: "So this way Master Momochi will be the chief commander even if he commands no army?"
Goemon: "Yeah. Apparently experience is also about fame. So whose name goes on the front page matters..."

Note: Actually for the AIs, all participating generals, no matter they are an reinforcement or embedded in an army, receive the full (or more than full) experience. This is why we see so many high-level AI generals.

[Maltz]

Chisato: "Shall we go ahead and observe that battle?"
Goemon: "You can go if you want... I think I will fall alseep during a one-sided massacre."
Chisato: "Ok... see you later."

***

Chisato: "Darn, it was over before I got there! There goes my precious Sunday vacation!"
Goemon: "Yeah. Some things can happen instantly. Oh, by the way, HQ reveals a new mission for you - go meet up with Lord Yasunaga's army and lead them to attack Settsu this season!"
Chisato: "They have already fought two battles. Do they still have the energy to march that far?"
Goemon: "They don't. Your mission is to give them the last push."
Chisato: "I need a push myself..."

[Maltz]

Chisato: "Lord Yasunaga, the Settsu castle is right west from there!... I think."
Yasunaga: "Good! Use your last bit of energy to claim Hatakeyama's last province!"

[Maltz]

Chisato: "It is getting dark, my Lord. Shall we wait till tomorrow?"
Yasunaga: "This is the last day of summer - we have to attack so we get something else to do in the fall."
Chisato: "Hm, but the Hatakeya soldiers are defending in the castle."
Yasunaga: "Yeah... judging from the height of the walls, this could be a problem..."

[Maltz]

Chisato: "Er... my lord, you can take off your telescope."
Yasunaga: "Huh? They are not hiding inside the high walls?"

[Maltz]

Yasunaga: "That was easy work! Thank you, Chisato. We rushed two provinces because of your help."
Chisato: "No problem! All I need is to climb up to a tall tree and the castle sticks out like a sore thumb."
Yasunaga: "Yeah but regular samurai are not insured on falling from trees..."

Note: There are two kinds of level-1 castles where the AI defenders tend to march out of the gate. One is the "+" shaped castle, seen in Settsu, Kai, and a few other provinces. The other is the dumbbell "|-|" shaped castle, seen in Tosa, etc. Both types of castles allow us to easily lure them into traps and destroy. The rest is also easy work by arrows.

[Maltz]

Chisato: "So does that mean I am insured on falling from trees?"
Yasunaga: "And falling from castle walls."
Chisato: "Sounds dangerous..."
Momochi Sandayu: "If you practice often, you will not fail! Now go and sabotage some nearby castle gates!"
Chisato: "Yes master. On it!"

***

Yasunaga: "So Momochi, we won three consecutive battles this season! That's not an easy feat."
Sandayu: "Yeah. Let's spread the legend that Lord Yasunaga is the avatar of Amaterasu!"
Yasunaga: "Amaterasu, the great god of sunshine?"
Sandayu: "Yeah! Every summer the people loves you more and fights better!"

Note: The +1 happiness bonus applies to the summer season. However, since the game looks at the happiness of each province at the very beginning of a season, we have to consider the happiness effect during spring. For example, if we project a loyalty at -1 during spring, it will become +0 in the summer. But if we project a loyalty of 0 during summer, it will become -1 in the fall and town growth gets a -25 penalty from unrest.

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Good work, Chisato. The Hattori clan has forced a peace treaty with Hatakeyama. We now have no enemies."
Chisato: "But I cannot relax. Master Momochi asks me to keep improving my skills. It will be terrible to fall from castle walls or trees..."
Goemon: "You know, the official doctrine of the Iga Ninjutsu is "Chant Iga Ninjutsu is Good; the master's spirit protects you. If the power of faith helps you, go ahead."
Chisato: "Yeah I have heard testimonies. Some guy released his kidney or bladder stones when he chanted that. Master Momochi is great! "
Goemon: "Ok~"

End of Chapter 3

[Maltz]

Chapter 4. Beach Drops



Chisato: "Goemon, what's new this season? Any new orders?"
Goemon: "Not really. Keep breaking Hanato's castle gates."
Chisato: "But they keep repairing it... I feel that my life is going nowhere. I am only wasting the clan's funds."
Goemon: "That cannot be farther from the truth. By sabotaging a new neighbor clan's castle, you prevent their recuirtment. If they do not have enough soldiers, they will not declare war on us. In addition, since they cannot recruit more soldiers, they will have more funds leftover and will pay more for our military access. Your missions are definitely profitable."
Chisato: " That's great!"

[Maltz]

Chisato: "Since the clan is also selling military access to the Bessho clan, I guess we also have a Ninja there?"
Goemon: "Exactly. Yukimune is taking care of them as we speak."
Chisato: "So if we keep sabotaging all our neighbors' castles, we do not even need garrison troops."
Goemon: "Exactly. We can get away with no defending army for a while. But sooner or later the weakened neighbors will be replaced, and we do not have an unlimited supply of Ninja. So this strategy is only a short-term solution."
Chisato: "So what's a long-term solution?"
Goemon: "Expansion!"

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Chisato, you are invited to the birth party of Lord Yasunaga's newborn daughter! A Hattori clan general meeting will follow."
Chisato: "Great! What kind of gift is appropriate for a baby girl?"
Goemon: "You have a bright future, young man."

[Maltz]

Hattori Yasunaga: "Welcome to the Hattori clan general meeting of Winter 1546. First, let's take a look at the known clans of Japan in Kanji. If you can't read Kanji, you will have to listen to me. "

To the north of Hattori are the Ikko buddhists in Omi. Omi is the common destination of all eastern clans' westward expansion, so it is best for us to avoid taking possession of it. All we want is to maintain peace with whichever clan that owns Omi. Ikko buddhist currently have other enemies, so their eyes are not on us. Ninja Sanetomo is closely monitering the situation there.

Sanetomo: "The Ikko clan has marched their army away to attack Mino. There is little to worry about."
Yasunaga: "Very good."

To the east of Hattori is the weak Kitabatake clan in Ise. The Kitabatake clan was quite unfriendly to us, so we need to send a Ninja there as soon as possible so they do not have enough army to invade us.

Momochi Sandayu: "We need to hire more ninja!"
Yasunaga: "The Sake Dens are under construction. We will get two more ninjas soon."

To the west of Hattori is the weak Bessho clan in Harima. Bessho is at war with Kikkawa, but it looks like Kikkawa has more enemies.

Sandayu: "If we keep Bessho as a buffer, we should be safe from another powerful enemy."
Yasunaga: "Indeed. We have to use our ninja to control the size of their army - just enough to survive, but not enough to expand. That probably means just a couple of units short of a full stack."

To the northwest is the weak Hanato clan in Tamba. Hanato is sealed off by the successful Takaoka clan. While these two clans just cancelled their alliance. The downfall of Hanato seems unavoidable.

Sandayu: "Takaoka will eventually defeat Hanato. We should find some way to befriend Takaoka."
Yasunaga: "Takaoka's lands are mostly poor - it is not our interest to fight them. Our primary interest lies on the west - the hottest moneymaking spot of Japan - Northern Kyuhu!"
Sandayu: "I will personally lead a full stack of army to start our Kyushu campaign, starting in the northern province of Tsukushi and complete in a counter-clockwise circle."
Yasunaga: "Chisato and Yukimune!"
Chisato & Yukimune: "Here!"
Yasunaga: "You two will board the ship with Momochi. The prosperity of the Hattori clan lies in your hands!"
Chisato & Yukimune: "It is an honor, my Lord!"
Goemon: "Looks like that Chisato is not the only one who offered gifts... "

[Maltz]

Chisato: "I will be part of the great western campaign! I am too excited to sleep!"
Goemon: "But it won't happen until next Summer... 200+ nights away."
Chisato: "Why wait this long? The ships are ready in a season."
Goemon: "Because we do not have one full stack of army yet, and we can use those army for garrison back home. For now, just keep burning down Hatano's gates."

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Hm, I heard that Momochi recruited two more Ninja, Masataka and Mitsukata, from Iga."
Chisato: "Now there are five of us!"
Goemon: "Yeah. Three Ninjas defending home (by sabotaging neighbor's castles) should be a safe bet. Now the HQ must be thinking about hiring monks."
Chisato: "But the Hattori clan only owns small lots in the towns, and they have been used to build Sake Dens".
Goemon: "Yep. The Sake Dens will be demolished to make room for Temples."
Chisato: "No more pubs to go?"

[Maltz]

Goemon: "Look at this frontline news on [i]Pocket Times[/b]!"
Chisato: "Town folks protest Sake Den demolition? I already read it."
Goemon: "That's on the last issue. This one says the traditional Buddhist rebels in Omi have taken over the province while Ikko Buddhists looked away!"
Chisato: "Wow. I did not know repeatedly burning down castle gates could make people this mad."