VCs Imagawa Campaign Story

[VoodooChild]

This is my attempt at a Campaign Story, All realism settings, normal mode, and an inexperienced player. Enjoy -Joel

1530 Clan Status
-Finance (3000 Koku)
Average Harvest last year
1947 Total Income
720 Total Expenses
1227 Projected Annual Profit
-Territory (6) (Farm Output)
Totomi (155), Mikawa (260), Suruga (100), Hizen (408), Chikugo (320), Chikuzen (304)
-Structures (6)
Totomi – Archery Dojo, Tranquil Garden, Ninja House, Spear Dojo, Port
Hizen - Port
-Army (6)
Imagawa Yoshimoto (Age 11) 8-0 Hatamoto4(11) – Totomi
Kanamori Nobunaga 0-0 SA2(60), YS0(60) – Totomi
Nagai Ujisada 0-0 SA2(60), YS0(60) – Mikawa
Sakai Iesada 0-0 SA2(60), YS0(60) – Suruga
Katagiri Katsuie 0-0 SA2(60), YS0(60) – Hizen
Fukushima Yoshitsugu 0-0 SA2(60), YS0(60) – Chikugo
Fukushima Hisanobu 0-0 SA2(60), YS0(60) - Chikuzen
-Special Forces (3)
Toda Masanaga – Ninja0 – Totomi
Sakai Hiromasa – Ninja0 – Totomi
Imoue Takanobu – Emissary0 - Totomi
-Family
Imagawa Ujizane (Age 10) - Brother
-Diplomacy
No Allies
No Enemies
-Happiness
Totomi (163), Mikawa (166), Suruga (166), Hizen (133), Chikugo (133), Chikuzen (133)

[VoodooChild]

Sakai Masaharu waited patiently while the new lord of the Imagawa Clan read the detailed summary of the Clan’s holdings. At age eleven, there was much responsibility that had been thrust upon the Daimyo, but Masaharu knew that the young lord carried with him the strength and wisdom of the Imagawa line.

When finished Lord Imagawa made a brief nod to indicate that he was ready to hear what advice his strategists had prepared. Bowing deeply Masaharu began. “My Lord, as you can see your forces while advanced in Kyudo (The way of the bow) they are not numerous enough to begin to expand your holdings. Your council advises that you begin to marshal your forces in Totomi then attack Shimazu in the south and claim Kyushu as your own. Hizen should host the training grounds for Shinobi which will act in advance of your armies and help quell decent in Kyushu. Your emissary should broker treaties with the clans of the north while our ninja strike to eliminate potential threats before they grow.” Masaharu bowed again and held it so that his lord could speak his approval of the council’s plans.

“No” Lord Imagawa spoke with certainty. Masaharu while puzzled held his bow and awaited the Daimyo’s instructions. While certainly not necessary Lord Imagawa began this with an explanation. “The wisdom of Imagawa is that a single well trained, motivated, and equipped man is worth ten without those qualities. Numbers is not the path to success, advancement is. We must first begin with a strong foundation which can only be gained from a strong economy. Begin immediately to improve the farmland in Chikugo and Chikuzen. Hizen will follow, but only after the training of Shinobi has begun. Totomi should expand its castle to make way for more advancements in the training of our samurai.”

“Yes my lord” Masaharu replied, before Lord Imagawa continued. “Those who look upon my lands with greed and think a mere child not capable of rule will be shown their ignorance. This will be done with a bold display of tactical skill. They will then hesitate to reevaluate my strength. During this time they will receive my offers of treaty which are only a ploy to give me more time. Meanwhile my shadow warriors will strike at my rival Clans emissaries which will create distrust between my rivals which may lead to them throwing themselves at each other in vain while I still continue to advance. These delays will give me enough time to deploy advanced troops to counter any attempts to control my land. I will hone the edge of my forces to razor sharpness to cut away all of those who stand in my way.”

“Yes my lord, and where will your bold display of tactical skill be shown?” “Shinano” again Lord Imagawa spoke with certainty. “But my lord, Shinano is a death trap for those who attack and even if it should be taken, it is beset on all sides by your rival Clans.” Masaharu protested. “Exactly” replied Lord Imagawa. “Where else could I make a stronger statement? Besides, Shinano has a good yield of Koku, sand deposits from which to make stronger armor, and the breed of horses there are known throughout all of Japan. Therefore it must be Shinano because it serves all of my purposes.” Masaharu secretly smiled as he remained bowed, yet that secret would be shared with his Daimyo as Masaharu replied “Yes my lord.” Indeed strength and wisdom live on in the Imagawa.

[Wasp]

Nice write-up, I'm curious to see how you will fare

[Martok]

Looking forward to more.

[VoodooChild]

Travel from the Totomi region to Shinano was not a long one, but Sakai Masaharu used the time to prepare the young Daimyo for what lay ahead. Even though this would be Lord Imagawa’s first direct command, he had bore witness to several of his father’s battles during the Oni Wars. It never ceased to amaze Masaharu what understanding the young lord possessed considering how long it took the aged Sakai samurai to reach a similar level of understanding of battlefield tactics.

While the defenders would choose where the forthcoming battle would take place, it was up to us to choose when. Upon arriving to the general area our scouts had reported back that 180 men stood in challenge of our 131. While the scouts could not determine the composition of those forces, it was likely given our information gathering sources that the enemy would likely field Samurai Archers and Yari Spearmen. Given the skill of our own Samurai Archers, Lord Imagawa correctly waited for fair weather before he deployed his forces. While spring’s rains did persist for several day the sun did shine upon us just about the time we thought we could not wait any longer.

Entering in the valley the enemy chose, we could see the yari general on the opposite side and to the left halfway up the slope that ended the valley. It of course was bait for another yari unit backed by archers that were high and to the back of an imposing cliff to our right. Lord Imagawa immediately saw the flaw in the enemy’s deployment, and began to climb the cliff on the right well out of the range of their archers. The move worked brilliantly because it was only after we had reached the summit that the Uesugi realized we held higher ground. At this time Imagawa ordered the archers to vector towards the enemy to set up position for an archery duel, while our samurai and hatamoto proceeded in parallel of the valley far below. Should the enemy yari attack our archers or Lord Imagawa himself, our yari would be in a position to charge at the enemies flank. The more mobile hatamoto would also be poised to charge the enemy archers should the opportunity arise.

After some quick feints, Uesugi’s forces realized their position unsound and began to withdraw into the valley and up the opposite cliff. Lord Imagawa ordered his archers to quickly deploy along the ridge we now controlled to pepper the withdrawing forces as they moved across the valley.

It can only be explained as a lack of experience to puzzle why the Uesugi general made his next move. From his position he began to march directly towards our archers. Also he ordered his archers to move back into the valley presumably to get into a position in which to fire from, but left the second yari unit in reserve on the opposite cliff. Waiting until the perfect moment, Lord Imagawa held until the Uesugi forces were positioned just right. Then the order came: Charge. Inspired by Imagawa’s greatness and from higher ground our yari samurai leapt at the enemy general. Meanwhile Lord Imagawa swept behind the Uesugi unit to ride down into the ranks of archers in the valley. The Uesugi reserves tried to save the archers from their proper fate, but Lord Imagawa had waited long enough to make that impossible. First the Uesugi general, then the archers broke under the weight of our crushing blows. As our yari sought the head of the enemy general, Lord Imagawa circled around, out of the reach of the enemy’s yari, to strike down the fleeing archers. The remaining Uesugi yari knew they could do nothing and began to position themselves for a last stand in a hill top grove to the left of our opening position.

From the two other units, only three yari samurai were able to survive. Lord Imagawa rested his troops who despite only brief engagements were quite tired from march up and down cliffs. We watched to see what area the remaining enemy chose for their deaths. Then began the pursuit. Lord Imagawa did not wish to waist his tired yari in a one on one engagement, but also did not want to charge blindly into a thicket of trees were the enemies yari would prove very detrimental. With purpose Lord Imagawa lead his hatamoto almost to the tree line. The enemy desperate to claim the head of a great clan lord, moved quickly through the trees to try and engage. This is just what Lord Imagawa had hoped for, he pulled this unit back, but slow enough so that the enemy would still pursue. And right out into the open did they come. Our yari struck at the rear flank of the enemy and even before the hatamoto could turn around, the enemy broke in fear and panic. None of the reserve would leave the field on that day.

While I knew that Lord Imagawa possessed a keen tactical mind, his first true battlefield command was an astounding victory. The three surviving Uesugi would tell their lord frightful stories of the Imagawa armies that decimated their units in one of the most defensible regions of all of Japan. Our own troops gained much honor that day. Our yari are credited with 89 kills, including the enemy general to only 10 losses of their own. 24 arrows found a mark while one unfortunately was a Imagawa archer. Imagawa’s own hatamoto ran down 64 Uesugi while only loosing two horsemen themselves.

Lord Imagawa had certainly made a bold display of tactical skill for all of Japan to take note of.