Hello folks,
thanks for the interest in my campaign report. It is Imagawa, Starting in 1530 with difficulty Expert, aiming to Conquer all Japan.
I will give the report a bit the character of a one-player roleplay game. I hope you don't mind. I will try to balance the battle reports and the decorating story as good as possible. If I am failing at this, feel free to tell me.
Please note that this is mainly fictional, with some historical influence.
Enjoy!
Short Letters to Mariko
The following letters signed by Hayashi Minoru were found in the house of a Chinese carrier pidgeon breeder in the late 17th century. They draw the subjective picture of Japan during the Epoque of the Warring States.
Initial letter
"Beloved Mariko,
I miss you.
The pain of loss keeps making me restless. I cannot stay in one place for too long, I can hardly sleep and it must be 3 years ago since I last attempted to read a book. I am even lacking the adequate dedication to Buddha but I do not dare to cleanse my mind of mundane things. Thoughts are quick, quicker than swords. I can dodge blades and arrows that threaten my life, but I cannot avoid the piercing vigor of my troubled mind.
It took me a while to decide writing this letter and I hope this bird finds its way so you get to read it. I have spent years hardly talking to anyone, trying to absorb my sentiments but I cannot hold them any longer. I have to share them with someone and I have always shared them with you.
I have seen 3 winters since you died and so much has happened. Our daughter Yoshiko is fine. She is 6 years of age now and really smart. I am afraid you would dissaprove, but I am already teaching her to handle a wooden sword. I am far away from being a good teacher, but she moves faster and smoother than any child of her age I have seen so far.
It is spring in the 4th year of Go-Nara Tenno and I am in service of Great Imagawa Yoshimoto, Daimyô of Hizen in Northern Kyûshû, Totomi and Suruga in Central Honshû, for 2 years now. I do not know how, but I must have impressed him in some way while I was practising sword fight in the yard of Nagasaki castle in Hizen. Listening to some of my thoughts on castle defense he suddenly chose me to command the garrison of Hizen and to ensure the infrastructural expansion in that province. I am still residing in Nagasaki and grateful for this opportunity. It keeps me busy the whole day with war preparations. The authority of the Ashikaga Bakufu has declined from moon to moon and many local warlords seek to expand their influence.
You might recall that the Shimazu family has eversince been a decisive political power on this isle. Lord Imagawa expects them to attack us in near future in order to bring whole Kyûshu under their control. Therefore I am preparing to defend my borders while considering to take provinces from the minor clans of Kyûshû. It is a tough mission since for me, a former peasant, it is nearly impossible to execute the necessary authority on the mostly noble unit leaders.
My past seems to be my most vicious enemy in those days. With one hand I am trying to achieve honour and respect amongst my fellow warmen, while the other is struggling to cope with my loneliness. But the sound of blades is heard on this isle. The minor clans sense the instability threatening their authority and they are becoming aggressive and suspicious.
The war is about to begin.
実
Letter from Summer 1530
Mariko,
the pidgeon has returned, without my letter! This means it must have delivered it! I thank Buddha for this wonderful fortune!
Summer has come, our daughter is now 7 years of age. Though I am feeling a lot of joy in my heart every time I see her, things are getting troublesome. The men are sensing the growing threat and get aggressive. As I already told you I have problems controlling them. We are 360 men in Hizen but to expand I need a lot more.
Lord Imagawa is in Totomi at the moment, but he already informed me that he might arrive within a year to support the expansion. With his message came additional 120 archers, lead by Inoue Kagemochi, a first rank general. He asks me to be ready to invade Northern Kyûshû at the time of Lord Yoshimoto's arrival.
Still, my biggest problem is to not run out of koku. I ordered to build watch towers along our border in order to get a glimpse at the strenth of the surrounding clans. I want to take Chikuzen and Chikugo within two years. From Imagawa Yoshimoto's message I know, that he is behaving similar in Honshû. He also told me to raise tax rates to a maximum. I am reluctant, but I have to give in. I cannot protect the peasants in times like these, although I would like too.
Imagawa seeks to form an alliance with Lord Takeda. This would secure his Eastern border and he could concentrate on Kyûshû.
I will occasionally try to draw you a picture of our current situation, but in this busy times I lack the proper concentration.
Ogenkide,
実
Letter from Autumn 1530
Mariko,
not much has happened since my last letter, but again the bird has returned. Construction of border watchtower is still ongoing, but he minor clans remain silent.
Lord Hôjô Ujitsuna has attacked and taken Izu. Apart from that, there is nothing new from the East.
I feel myself getting impatient. Kagemochi is a very able and nice person. He is teaching me the proper use of bow and arrow. I am getting better and might finally have found my weapon of choice.
実
Letter from Winter 1530
Mariko,
the towers are ready, I visited them today. The guards say that the Kikuchi Clan of Chikugo have several archers and yari ashigaru, some of them apparently already fight the Shimazu army, but lost. Chikuzen is controlled by the Akizuki family and has no archers, as it seems.
Although the latter might be a lot easier to overwhelm we need to march south to reach the river before the Shimazu do so. I will await spring to come, though. I am expecting support from Yoshimoto as soon as the snow fades.
Takeda accepted our alliance proposal. Since we now share a common border with Lord Hôjô I proposed allying to him as well. As far as I know he is becoming a major force in Honshû.
Ogenkide,
実
Letter from Spring 1531
Mariko!
Lord Yoshimoto arrived and we are preparing to attack. I will assist the Great Daimyô as part of Kagemochi's archer unit while he is staying in Hizen to guard the castle with 120 bowmen. This could be my chance to prove my worth.
Altough taxes are hardly bearable we are only slowly generating funds. This slows down the process significantly. I hope this will change with acquisition of Chikugo.
Lord Hôjô accepted our proposal. As long as they keep their promise we will be safe in Honshû.
実
Letter from Summer 1531
Mariko!
We won in Chikugo! It was a great battle. Talking with Yoshimoto about the best tactic of advancing, we both agreed in trying to lure the Kikuchi onto the bridge in range of our archers. It worked, they took heavy casualties when trying to push our infantry from the bridge. Seeing this, they withdrew quickly, leaving their dead general behind. And we chased them. Although they turned another time to resist Lord Yoshimoto fought them down with his own hands. I have never seen a fighter like this. He alone must have killed 10 men that day.
But a lot more has happened: coming back from the battlefield there were two messengers. One arrived from Lord Takeda. He told us that his master and the Hôjô were at war with each other and they seeked our aid in this conflict. Lord Yoshimoto asked me for my opinion on the matter, and I spoke: "I wish not to insult Lord Takeda, nor do I wish to abandon him in troubled times. But it was Hôjô Soun-sama who Shinkurō mediated the succession dispute between supporters of Great Imagawa Yoshitada's son Imagawa Ujichika and Yoshitada's cousin, Oshika Norimitsu. I think that we owe the Hôjô too much to openly offend them by abandoning our alliance. I ask Lord Takeda to forgive me and pray to the Great Buddha for his sake."
Yoshimoto agreed and the matter was settled.
The second messenger came from Inoue in Hizen. He told us that he was attacked by 240 men of the Akizuki clan and that he killed 220 of them, only loosing 7 of his 120 formidable archers. As a reward, he was promoted to the Second Rank.
Despite the good news, our situation is critical. We saw a major Shimazu army in Higo, the defeated Kikuchi rebels fled to Chikuzen merged with the Akizuki, now forming a considerably threat to the small Hizen garrison. We would barely be able to hold our position in Honshû if Takeda would attack now and we still do not have the money to build up considerable armies. In order to avoid a revolt in Chikugo, we had to lower the tax rate to a minimum.
Reinforcents are expected to arrive Hizen from Totomi until the next full moon. All we else can do, is wait.
実
Summary:
My position is a bit instable, but as long as the Shimazu crushes rebels and Takeda and Hojo fight themselves I can hold it. Still, I need to expand, I not generating enough cash to hold off Shimazu in the long run.
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