Fragments: Chosokabe

[Diamondeye]

I am considering playing a campaign while simultaneously recounting it as a story, but before then (and to get warmed up), I am going to post some short stories from my current campaign as the Chosokabe. Let me know what you think

I:Tosa
The servant bowed into the room humbly, causing the man sitting there to look up from his table, although not before carefully placing his pen besides the piece of paper he was decorating. The man's gaze, so filled with authority, darted to his servant. "Why do you disturb me?", he asked. The servant shivered slightly before answering.
"Honored Daimyo Chosokabe Kunichika, ruler of Shikoku, a messenger has arrived from General Masayo."
Kunichika got up and nodded. "Bring him to me immidiately. I am excited to hear what news he bears."
The servant bowed his head even lower before standing and hurrying to fetch the messenger. Meanwhile, the Daimyo turned to one of his guards, a silent figure standing along the wall of the room. "Fetch Motochika. I want my son to overhear this, that he may learn something."
The guard bowed silently and disappeared out the door, not daring to hurry his pace until he was outside the room. Finding the young man before the messenger arrived would require some speed.

A few minutes later, a nondescript man arrived, escorted by the servant from earlier, and a few guards. They stood silently, waiting for the Daimyo to recognize their presence. He briefly inspected each one of them, but did not motion for them to speak or sit down. Finally, after another minute or two, Motochika entered. The young man, hardly more than a boy, was dressed neatly, but his hands were folded behind his back. He had been practicing drawing, his father reasoned, and had ink on his hands. He smiled inwardly at the ingenuity of the boy, nodded lightly to him, and turned towards the messenger and his companions, who were currently kneeling for the son of the Daimyo.
"Rise, messenger, and tell me. What news do you bring from the General?"

"Sire, Daimyo Kunichika, I bear the following news from Lord Masayo: Hyuga Castle has fallen to our troops with a minimum of casualties, both among the populace and among our soldiers. The Lord General reports that the Castle held no important members of the Clan Ito, and that their main force is advancing from Osumi in the south; When I left, the winter's cold was still biting, and the Lord General counted on advancing on the Ito army when spring comes, once he has restored order to Hyuga and his armies have recuperated while the Ito starve on the long and cold trek north."

Kunichika nodded, his face not betraying any reaction to the news, but his eyes were shining. His son, still standing, could not completely conceal his mixed emotions at the news, but luckily all eyes were on the Daimyo himself. Kunichika waited until Motochika had gotten his visage under control, before replying. "You bear good news, messenger, and I will reward you and your Lord Masayo for this. Now, I want to ask you, do you have any knowledge of the exact numbers of enemy troops in the advancing army? How are they equipped and who is leading them? And how many men fell at Hyuga castle?"

The messenger bowed again. "The Lord Daimyo is wise to ask these questions. My Lord Masayo killed two-hundred and forty Ito soldiers at Hyuga, losing two of our own men, although several others suffered injuries." These numbers seemed to impress everyone in the room apart from the Daimyo and the messenger, who were familiar with the skill of Masayo on the field of battle. The messenger continued. "Our ninja spies have trailed undetected through the enemy camp on their way to Ito. Their reports indicate that the enemy field roughly eight-hundred armed men, more than half of them archers and about a hundred horses. It seems as if the Ito Daimyo himself is leading the army, along with his oldest son and two of his loyal generals."

"That is all I wanted to hear. I will ask everyone to leave me that I may talk in private to my son Motochika."

The subjects and guards sifted out of the room, some of the soldiers stopping outside the door, protecting the entrance and making sure that no-one disturbed the Daimyo and his heir. Inside, Kunichika motioned for his son to sit, slowly pacing around the room. After a moment, he looked at his heir with his commanding gaze and spoke in a strict voice: "You are nearing your fifteenth year, Motochika. You are my only son, and one day you will rule the Chosokabe as I do now. Before then, you need to learn to control your emotions. You are lucky that no-one but me noticed your flinching today. When you are Daimyo, you don't have that luxury. By letting your emotions uncontrolled, you expose your weakness and bring me shame."
The boy's lip stiffened, but his eyes were dry. He bowed. "Yes, father. I apologize, father."
"Good," the old man nodded. "Now, what was it that shocked you so much about the report? It was good news alone, yet I detected something that was not quite happiness in your bearing?"
The boy bowed again. "Father, sire, I agree. I rejoice just as much as you for the victories in the west: I do not doubt the skill of Lord Masayo, but his personage... He scares me, father. Why does such a... beast... of a man, why does he command so much respect from everyone from the lowliest peasant to your halls and even with yourself, father?"
The old man had frowned, but now his forehead smoothened out as he begun explaining.
"I know that your impression of Kira is not the best," he started. It was true; the first time Motochika had met General Masayo, the boy had only been seven years old, and the General was just returning from a victorious conquest, holding the decapitated head of the enemy general and Daimyo by its blood-stained hair. The boy had been terrified.
"... But Kira is a war hero. He single-handedly led the armies that brought Shikoku under our control and forced the vassalization of the Miyoshi, in less than a decade. You heard the messenger; He lost a meagre two men taking Hyuga Castle! I have no doubt he will be succesful against the Ito in the field."
Motochika protested; "It is not his skill I doubt! I am afraid of his personage! He brings death wherever he walks as others cast shadows! It is whispered among the men that he is followed wherever he goes by a Shinigami, an spirit of death. How can you trust such a bloodthirsty barbarian with our armies, father?"
The Daimyo frowned again, clearly insulted on behalf of the absent General, but answered his son's queries nonetheless; "Kira's loyalty to me is beyond doubt! He may thirst for blood, but it is only the blood of my enemies! Did he not spare the civilians of Hyuga, as I ordered him? He has always followed my orders, and he will continue to do so until death claims one of us. There is no better man to lead the armies than Kira."
"Also," the Daimyo continued, "if you are so impressed by the rumours about my trusted general, imagine how the enemy must feel! When they are sitting with their hands shaking in their camp on the way to Hyuga, it will not be the cold that makes them quiver!"

After a moment, Motochika bowed. "I understand, father. With your permission, I will return to my education now."
Kunichika smiled. "Ah, yes, the drawing! Let me see your hands!"
Motochika blushed and held out his hands, revealing several small smatterings of ink. "Actually, father, I was writing, not drawing. I am almost fifteen, after all."
His father's smile widened. "Is that so? In that case, perhaps you are interested in this..."
His voice trailing off, the Daimyo walked back to his table and his pen, and his son followed.

II: Hyuga Fields
The air was heavy with the stench of blood, death, fire and ashes. On the fields around them and under the few trees nearby, the earth was covered in bodies of fallen soldiers, the irrigation canals were running with murky blood, and several small pyres spouted black smoke into the sky.
Lord Kira Masayo dismounted his horse and marched towards the cluster of men that were gathered around four kneeling figures. He was an impressive man to look at, taller than most and with an exquisite armour that somehow didn't lose as much of its elegance as you would have thought by bearing smeared in blood. It looked very menacing, though.
As he neared the group, the men parted to let him through, into the centre of the crowd, where the four kneeling figures were surrounded by a small breathing space before the crowd of Chosokabe soldiers. Kira walked up to one of the kneeling prisoners, his katana in his hand. He looked at the kneeling man and asked in a rough voice; "Who of you is the Ito Daimyo?"
The man sank something before answering. "I am."
"Good," Kira replied, "And who of these men is your son?"
He didn't really have to ask, seeing as two of the men were more or less the same age as the Daimyo himself. Nevertheless, the Ito clanleader motioned with his head towards his son and heir as a response.

With a lighting-swift movement, Kira swung his katana in two elegant swings, decapitating the two other men, the Ito generals. The kneeling Daimyo and his son both flinched, and two bumps were heard as the bodies of the generals collapsed. A lieutenant stepped out of the lines, picked up the heads, and disappeared. Kira turned towards the Ito Daimyo, not bothering to even wipe his sword in one of the fallen men. He looked at the kneeling clanleader in front of him, smiled menacingly and asked; "Do you know what comes next?"
The eyes of the Daimyo grew wide in panic, and he was about to exclaim something when he heard the song of Kira's blade, sweeping through the air. He closed his eyes, but felt nothing. After a moment where he thought he was dead, he heard a thump behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around the best he could to find the head of his oldest son staring at him with dead eyes from the ground. He screamed in anguish and rose against Kira, but was thrown to the ground by a forceful gauntlet punch. Kira advanced on the fallen Daimyo who pursed his lips to utter a death poem, but before he could speak, the Chosokabe general's weapon had parted his head from the rest of his body. The soldiers around them mumbled and gasped. Kira looked around at them. "That coward couldn't have said anything worth listening to."

3: Higo, two years later
The Sagara Daimyo leaned forward as the kneeling man in front of him spoke. The man was a soldier of the Shoni, allies of the Sagara in their war against the Chosokabe and the Matsuda clans. He was also one of the sole survivors of the massacre at Kagoshima. His voice trembled as he relayed his report.
"... And then, arrows began raining on the courtyard! Thousands and thousands of arrows! We had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide... The castle was surrounded on all sides by Chosokabe samurai and yari formations, and breaking out was impossible... The general sent our archers to the walls, of course, and they inflicted great casualties on the Chosokabe archers, but there were so many, they were like insects... Soon, even behind the walls, our archers had been massacred. The entire courtyard was being bombarded in arrows from all directions, and we were trapped inside, all eight hundred... Or, at the beginning, we were eight-hundred... When the arrows stopped falling, only around sixty of us were still alive, and almost everyone had taken serious injuries... It was then the Chosokabe sent in their Samurai, their agents had sabotaged our gates, and even if they hadn't we were in no shape to man the walls... It was a disaster..."
The Daimyo interefered; "How did you escape, then?"
"Sire, I climbed the wall on the north side and let myself drop its full height into a thick foliage, before running off. When the Chosokabe finally spotted me - and they did - it seemed as if their general held back his cavalry, as if... As if they didn't bother swatting me out like a fly. I admit, it stains my honor to have run away like this, but I need to warn my Lord Shoni... Can I ask for a horse and provisions from the Sagara?"

The Daimyo made a subtle wave with his hand. "You need not worry. We will warn Lord Shoni that the Chosokabe are coming. You stay here and rest."
The soldier's eyes watered. "Thank you, milord! I am much grateful!"
"Oh, you don't need to thank me," the Daimyo responded, and made a more forceful motion with his hand. One of his retainers jagged a knife into the chest of the kneeling soldier. "We can't let you run around spreading these terrifying stories anyway," the Daimyo told the dying soldier. "We need the help of the Shoni, not to scare them away."
He looked around at his court, as if to say, "Here you see what happens to those who spreead the rumour of the massacre at Kagoshima."
Messengers were sent out that same day, carrying a more neutral and less terrifying version of the story to Lord Shoni and asking for his aid. It would take several days before the stories of the massacre had reached the sake houses of the city, but when summer came, the population were panicked, and the soldiers on the walls looked to the south, constantly awaiting the reveal of the fateful banners of Lord Kira Masayo, the harbinger of the Chosokabe.

[Napoleon The Emperor Of Europe]

I am considering playing a campaign while simultaneously recounting it as a story, but before then (and to get warmed up), I am going to post some short stories from my current campaign as the Chosokabe. Let me know what you think

I:Tosa
The servant bowed into the room humbly, causing the man sitting there to look up from his table, although not before carefully placing his pen besides the piece of paper he was decorating. The man's gaze, so filled with authority, darted to his servant. "Why do you disturb me?", he asked. The servant shivered slightly before answering.
"Honored Daimyo Chosokabe Kunichika, ruler of Shikoku, a messenger has arrived from General Masayo."
Kunichika got up and nodded. "Bring him to me immidiately. I am excited to hear what news he bears."
The servant bowed his head even lower before standing and hurrying to fetch the messenger. Meanwhile, the Daimyo turned to one of his guards, a silent figure standing along the wall of the room. "Fetch Motochika. I want my son to overhear this, that he may learn something."
The guard bowed silently and disappeared out the door, not daring to hurry his pace until he was outside the room. Finding the young man before the messenger arrived would require some speed.

A few minutes later, a nondescript man arrived, escorted by the servant from earlier, and a few guards. They stood silently, waiting for the Daimyo to recognize their presence. He briefly inspected each one of them, but did not motion for them to speak or sit down. Finally, after another minute or two, Motochika entered. The young man, hardly more than a boy, was dressed neatly, but his hands were folded behind his back. He had been practicing drawing, his father reasoned, and had ink on his hands. He smiled inwardly at the ingenuity of the boy, nodded lightly to him, and turned towards the messenger and his companions, who were currently kneeling for the son of the Daimyo.
"Rise, messenger, and tell me. What news do you bring from the General?"

"Sire, Daimyo Kunichika, I bear the following news from Lord Masayo: Hyuga Castle has fallen to our troops with a minimum of casualties, both among the populace and among our soldiers. The Lord General reports that the Castle held no important members of the Clan Ito, and that their main force is advancing from Osumi in the south; When I left, the winter's cold was still biting, and the Lord General counted on advancing on the Ito army when spring comes, once he has restored order to Hyuga and his armies have recuperated while the Ito starve on the long and cold trek north."

Kunichika nodded, his face not betraying any reaction to the news, but his eyes were shining. His son, still standing, could not completely conceal his mixed emotions at the news, but luckily all eyes were on the Daimyo himself. Kunichika waited until Motochika had gotten his visage under control, before replying. "You bear good news, messenger, and I will reward you and your Lord Masayo for this. Now, I want to ask you, do you have any knowledge of the exact numbers of enemy troops in the advancing army? How are they equipped and who is leading them? And how many men fell at Hyuga castle?"

The messenger bowed again. "The Lord Daimyo is wise to ask these questions. My Lord Masayo killed two-hundred and forty Ito soldiers at Hyuga, losing two of our own men, although several others suffered injuries." These numbers seemed to impress everyone in the room apart from the Daimyo and the messenger, who were familiar with the skill of Masayo on the field of battle. The messenger continued. "Our ninja spies have trailed undetected through the enemy camp on their way to Ito. Their reports indicate that the enemy field roughly eight-hundred armed men, more than half of them archers and about a hundred horses. It seems as if the Ito Daimyo himself is leading the army, along with his oldest son and two of his loyal generals."

"That is all I wanted to hear. I will ask everyone to leave me that I may talk in private to my son Motochika."

The subjects and guards sifted out of the room, some of the soldiers stopping outside the door, protecting the entrance and making sure that no-one disturbed the Daimyo and his heir. Inside, Kunichika motioned for his son to sit, slowly pacing around the room. After a moment, he looked at his heir with his commanding gaze and spoke in a strict voice: "You are nearing your fifteenth year, Motochika. You are my only son, and one day you will rule the Chosokabe as I do now. Before then, you need to learn to control your emotions. You are lucky that no-one but me noticed your flinching today. When you are Daimyo, you don't have that luxury. By letting your emotions uncontrolled, you expose your weakness and bring me shame."
The boy's lip stiffened, but his eyes were dry. He bowed. "Yes, father. I apologize, father."
"Good," the old man nodded. "Now, what was it that shocked you so much about the report? It was good news alone, yet I detected something that was not quite happiness in your bearing?"
The boy bowed again. "Father, sire, I agree. I rejoice just as much as you for the victories in the west: I do not doubt the skill of Lord Masayo, but his personage... He scares me, father. Why does such a... beast... of a man, why does he command so much respect from everyone from the lowliest peasant to your halls and even with yourself, father?"
The old man had frowned, but now his forehead smoothened out as he begun explaining.
"I know that your impression of Kira is not the best," he started. It was true; the first time Motochika had met General Masayo, the boy had only been seven years old, and the General was just returning from a victorious conquest, holding the decapitated head of the enemy general and Daimyo by its blood-stained hair. The boy had been terrified.
"... But Kira is a war hero. He single-handedly led the armies that brought Shikoku under our control and forced the vassalization of the Miyoshi, in less than a decade. You heard the messenger; He lost a meagre two men taking Hyuga Castle! I have no doubt he will be succesful against the Ito in the field."
Motochika protested; "It is not his skill I doubt! I am afraid of his personage! He brings death wherever he walks as others cast shadows! It is whispered among the men that he is followed wherever he goes by a Shinigami, an spirit of death. How can you trust such a bloodthirsty barbarian with our armies, father?"
The Daimyo frowned again, clearly insulted on behalf of the absent General, but answered his son's queries nonetheless; "Kira's loyalty to me is beyond doubt! He may thirst for blood, but it is only the blood of my enemies! Did he not spare the civilians of Hyuga, as I ordered him? He has always followed my orders, and he will continue to do so until death claims one of us. There is no better man to lead the armies than Kira."
"Also," the Daimyo continued, "if you are so impressed by the rumours about my trusted general, imagine how the enemy must feel! When they are sitting with their hands shaking in their camp on the way to Hyuga, it will not be the cold that makes them quiver!"

After a moment, Motochika bowed. "I understand, father. With your permission, I will return to my education now."
Kunichika smiled. "Ah, yes, the drawing! Let me see your hands!"
Motochika blushed and held out his hands, revealing several small smatterings of ink. "Actually, father, I was writing, not drawing. I am almost fifteen, after all."
His father's smile widened. "Is that so? In that case, perhaps you are interested in this..."
His voice trailing off, the Daimyo walked back to his table and his pen, and his son followed.

II: Hyuga Fields
The air was heavy with the stench of blood, death, fire and ashes. On the fields around them and under the few trees nearby, the earth was covered in bodies of fallen soldiers, the irrigation canals were running with murky blood, and several small pyres spouted black smoke into the sky.
Lord Kira Masayo dismounted his horse and marched towards the cluster of men that were gathered around four kneeling figures. He was an impressive man to look at, taller than most and with an exquisite armour that somehow didn't lose as much of its elegance as you would have thought by bearing smeared in blood. It looked very menacing, though.
As he neared the group, the men parted to let him through, into the centre of the crowd, where the four kneeling figures were surrounded by a small breathing space before the crowd of Chosokabe soldiers. Kira walked up to one of the kneeling prisoners, his katana in his hand. He looked at the kneeling man and asked in a rough voice; "Who of you is the Ito Daimyo?"
The man sank something before answering. "I am."
"Good," Kira replied, "And who of these men is your son?"
He didn't really have to ask, seeing as two of the men were more or less the same age as the Daimyo himself. Nevertheless, the Ito clanleader motioned with his head towards his son and heir as a response.

With a lighting-swift movement, Kira swung his katana in two elegant swings, decapitating the two other men, the Ito generals. The kneeling Daimyo and his son both flinched, and two bumps were heard as the bodies of the generals collapsed. A lieutenant stepped out of the lines, picked up the heads, and disappeared. Kira turned towards the Ito Daimyo, not bothering to even wipe his sword in one of the fallen men. He looked at the kneeling clanleader in front of him, smiled menacingly and asked; "Do you know what comes next?"
The eyes of the Daimyo grew wide in panic, and he was about to exclaim something when he heard the song of Kira's blade, sweeping through the air. He closed his eyes, but felt nothing. After a moment where he thought he was dead, he heard a thump behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around the best he could to find the head of his oldest son staring at him with dead eyes from the ground. He screamed in anguish and rose against Kira, but was thrown to the ground by a forceful gauntlet punch. Kira advanced on the fallen Daimyo who pursed his lips to utter a death poem, but before he could speak, the Chosokabe general's weapon had parted his head from the rest of his body. The soldiers around them mumbled and gasped. Kira looked around at them. "That coward couldn't have said anything worth listening to."

3: Higo, two years later
The Sagara Daimyo leaned forward as the kneeling man in front of him spoke. The man was a soldier of the Shoni, allies of the Sagara in their war against the Chosokabe and the Matsuda clans. He was also one of the sole survivors of the massacre at Kagoshima. His voice trembled as he relayed his report.
"... And then, arrows began raining on the courtyard! Thousands and thousands of arrows! We had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide... The castle was surrounded on all sides by Chosokabe samurai and yari formations, and breaking out was impossible... The general sent our archers to the walls, of course, and they inflicted great casualties on the Chosokabe archers, but there were so many, they were like insects... Soon, even behind the walls, our archers had been massacred. The entire courtyard was being bombarded in arrows from all directions, and we were trapped inside, all eight hundred... Or, at the beginning, we were eight-hundred... When the arrows stopped falling, only around sixty of us were still alive, and almost everyone had taken serious injuries... It was then the Chosokabe sent in their Samurai, their agents had sabotaged our gates, and even if they hadn't we were in no shape to man the walls... It was a disaster..."
The Daimyo interefered; "How did you escape, then?"
"Sire, I climbed the wall on the north side and let myself drop its full height into a thick foliage, before running off. When the Chosokabe finally spotted me - and they did - it seemed as if their general held back his cavalry, as if... As if they didn't bother swatting me out like a fly. I admit, it stains my honor to have run away like this, but I need to warn my Lord Shoni... Can I ask for a horse and provisions from the Sagara?"

The Daimyo made a subtle wave with his hand. "You need not worry. We will warn Lord Shoni that the Chosokabe are coming. You stay here and rest."
The soldier's eyes watered. "Thank you, milord! I am much grateful!"
"Oh, you don't need to thank me," the Daimyo responded, and made a more forceful motion with his hand. One of his retainers jagged a knife into the chest of the kneeling soldier. "We can't let you run around spreading these terrifying stories anyway," the Daimyo told the dying soldier. "We need the help of the Shoni, not to scare them away."
He looked around at his court, as if to say, "Here you see what happens to those who spreead the rumour of the massacre at Kagoshima."
Messengers were sent out that same day, carrying a more neutral and less terrifying version of the story to Lord Shoni and asking for his aid. It would take several days before the stories of the massacre had reached the sake houses of the city, but when summer came, the population were panicked, and the soldiers on the walls looked to the south, constantly awaiting the reveal of the fateful banners of Lord Kira Masayo, the harbinger of the Chosokabe.

Amazing.,..This is what I would love to read.

I'm gonna do the same to,once I get the game.

[Diamondeye]

Thanks It's really funny, actually, I played on after I wrote this, and Kira's loyalty is faltering because of megalomania and now, the succession has pushed his loyalty even lower. Also, I marched on Higo and killed the Sagara. More stories probably around the corner, then. And the Shogun is angry, and the Matsuda are growing too powerful... An intriguing game!

[Napoleon The Emperor Of Europe]

Thanks It's really funny, actually, I played on after I wrote this, and Kira's loyalty is faltering because of megalomania and now, the succession has pushed his loyalty even lower. Also, I marched on Higo and killed the Sagara. More stories probably around the corner, then. And the Shogun is angry, and the Matsuda are growing too powerful... An intriguing game!

I dont find that it funny,I find it Brilliant,you have amazing story writing skilles(i suck)You will get this story a lot fame,one reason why its good(Its because of the Historical Accracy which makes you to write your story more easliy)

I shall Be the Takeda when I have the game,

How about we collabrate and makes some Takeda vs Chosobake stories?

That will be very good

I hope to read more of your stories!

[Diamondeye]

IV: Higo
In the faltering light of the sunset, the large Higo Castle towered over the forested hillsides that surrounded it. The Sagara Daimyo was standing at the wall, leaning against the ledge that protected those inside from arrow fire. Behind him, almost invisible in the darkness, stood his personal guard and retainers. His gaze was strafing out across the land, where hundreds of campfires were burning. The old man laughed a bitter laugh; it fitted him well. "Hah! Is this the best the mighty Kira Masayo can do? Starve us out? He has no more honor than a rabid dog, and now we see that he has no teeth, either!"
The crowd behind him were silent. Despite the relief that there had not come a direct assault, they knew that they had few hopes of surviving the siege; almost all of the Sagara soldiers were peasant archers - ideal for holding a fortress, but not too ideal for breaking out of one. The Chosokabe general had done the right thing in besieging the castle, and not without precognition; it was common knowledge that Higo Castle had at one point housed spies of the Chosokabe. Indeed, they had even tried to poison the Daimyo, but he had been cautious enough to avoid death, and the assassin had only just escaped with his life by the slimmest of margins.

The Daimyo's personal retainer and one of the Sagara generals stepped up to him. "What are your orders, milord?"
The old man revealed a foreboding smile. "Ready the men. Tomorrow, we break the siege."
If the air had been silent before, it was now completely void. After a moment, the retainer answered.
"But sire, surely, you cannot-"
"You heard me. We attack tomorrow, and we are victorious! I will not be a prisoner in my own home! We shall see how well the Chosokabe fare if they lose their esteemed general!"
The Daimyo stood mulling for a while. "And now, bring me my son. I have important matters to discuss with him."
The retainer bowed, thankful for a reason to leave the scene. Soon thereafter, the Daimyo's son presented himself on the wall. They were left alone, and the Daimyo looked at his only son and heir, and spoke:
"Tomorrow, we break out. The Chosokabe have made it through the winter, and for every season that passes, they grow stronger and we grow weaker. We must act now."
His son bowed obediently. "Yes, father."
"My servants think me mad for this decision, but know that I have a good reason. I don't want you to join us in the assault tomorrow."
"Excuse me, father, but why is this?" The young man was well raised; he did not betray his surprise.
"You will take our yari samurai as escort and travel as fast as possible to the north. With your authority as my heir, I want you to raise a militia, and muster the troops of the Shoni, our allies. Before winter comes again, you must return and lift the siege. I will hold the castle with our archers."
The young man bowed again. "Yes father. Thank you for the trust you put in me."
"You are worthy of it, my son. Do you have any last things you wish to speak to me of, before the fateful day tomorrow?"
The young man hesitated, but resolved and asked, his voice under control: "Will you allow me to take our best general with me? I fear that I need his skills more than you will, father."
His father smiled. "Yes! A fine thought! I will call for him immidiately. Now, go and rest. You will not be sleeping much these coming nights."

The following day:
General Kira Masayo was walking the camp. The sun was up, and he had already eaten and was wearing his traditional armour, its rich splendour making sure that no-one doubted who he was. He was a conqueror.
The camp was bustling with a sort of slow but orderly activity which Kira knew and appreciated. He was alone with his own thoughts, something that seldom happened and which he had lately grown more fond of. His contemplations were cut short when something broke the tranquil surroundings; a scout was galloping towards the centre of the camp, caught a glimpse of Kira's armour, and rode towards him. Kira put his thoughts away and ran to receive the man. "What news do you carry, that you are in such a hurry?"
"The Sagara! They are breaking out! The gates are opening!"
Kira was well surprised. "But that is suicide! Are you sure?"
"Positively, sir! Their archers have abandoned the walls and you can hear their formations from outside the castle!"
"We have no time to waste! Warn the generals, I will signal the troops!"

Not an hour later, the two armies were lined up. The Sagara formed a single line, five man deep and more than two hundred wide, and on their left flank, the line continued into woods, hiding their exact numbers. All of the visible troops were Ashigaru archers, with a few Yari Ashigaru along the line to defend the archers from being run over. The Chosokabe had taken up defensive positions on two wooded hills south of the castle. Kira himself manned the right flank with his samurai melee troops and the Ashigaru archers, whereas the hill on the left flank was held by his lieutenants, commanding the samurai archers and the Yari Ashigaru. The woods on the left flank also hid the few Chosokabe horsemen they had been able to equip with the Shoni warhorses from Satsuma. The blank steppe between the two hills were bare except for a single formation of Yari soldiers; they were exposed, but approaching them would mean getting inside the range of the Chosokabe archers on both flanks. Kira did not anticipate his enemies to try such a foolish move, but then he had not anticipated them to even attempt to break out. The poisoned pawn remained in play.

The Sagara lines advanced slowly and cautiously, and the Chosokabe did not move after having taken up positions in the outskirts of the woods. They were waiting.
The battlefield slowly came alive as the two armies got within range of arrows. From the woods on the left Sagara flank, archers revealed themselves as Kira had expected, firing at his position with little effectivity, but also remaining in cover. The situation on that flank was a standstill.
On the other flank, however, things were happening. The Chosokabe archers were busy whittling down the Sagara archers, and without Kira's presence and because of the limited outlook from the woods, it was not noted in time that the Sagara yari ashigaru were advancing. It was clever of Kira to have placed his best archers on this flank, for they defended themselves with great prowess and were soon backed up the the Chosokabe's own yari ashigaru.

Kira was aching to lead his samurai troops to a charge on the right flank, but he had not yet seen the Sagara samurai anywhere; encountering these in the woods would cost many lives. Finally, his patience ended. "All samurai, full charge. We need to cover the bare stretch of ground with as few casualties as possible."
The three-hundred-and-twenty men started slowly into a run towards the Sagara archers hiding in the woods. Kira himself stayed and relayed orders to the rest of the soldiers on the right flank before following his Samurai, leading a small division of heavy cavalry.

More than fifty brave samurai fell to arrows on the way to the woods, but once they had arrived, they quickly cut down the Sagara archers. From their new positions in the forest, the could see the lines of Sagara archers trailing off into the distance. They had effectively taken the Sagara's left flank. They regrouped for a moment before Kira gave them new orders: "We charge along the Sagara lines and kill as many archers as possible. If they turn their arrows on us, they will kill just as many of their own men. I want the yari samurai on our right, that they may deal with the Daimyo's cavalry bodyguard. If at all possible, we need to kill that man. The katana samurai on the left, with me. Sound the charge!"
When the Chosokabe exited the woods and clashed over the Sagara flank like a tidal wave, Kira noticed that his cavalry had joined the charge on the right flank unprompted. He caught the eye of the lieutenant and yelled. "What would you do if the woods had been filled with Sagara yari? Died!"
The lieutenant rode closer to him. "We spotted the Yari leaving for the north just now! Their samurai are running for their lives!"
Kira knew it to be unliekly, but knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth; the Sagara archers were defenceless.
"Run them down!", he yelled at the lieutenant, and at the cavalry in general.

The Sagara Daimyo looked as his left flank was completely overrun. He had counted on the battle to take longer, but he had not really doubted its outcome; without the samurai, his position had been weak. He looked around at his men; the ashigaru archers were faltering, still firing against the Chosokabe position on the forested hill and receiving, in turn, arrows from invisible archers among the trees. Casualties were heavy, and morale low. He sighed; he needed to buy his son more time.
"Everyone; to the left flank. Put down your bows, pick up a weapon, and follow me!"
He rode into the fray with his small bodyguard, and the ashigaru followed him. They clashed with the Chosokabe advance, and for a moment, stopped it. Then, the ashigaru began crumbling under the assault of the Chosokabe samurai. His own horses were being held back by yari samurai, and the Daimyo knew that he had led his men to defeat. Nevertheless, he kept fighting, and they fought with him, and died for him.
Suddenly, his eyes were caught by a menacing figure on a large warhorse, bearing down heavily on his ashigaru troops. His banner made clear who it was; the legendary Kira Masayo, Bane of the Ito and Lord of Death. The ashigaru were fleeing before him, but the Sagara Daimyo gathered his last few horsemen and led them in a wedge against the enemy general. They got within thirty feet of the man before the horses faltered under the continued pressure of the Chosokabe yari; the Daimyo pressed on, and saw that Kira himself noticed him. With a natural movement, the Chosokabe general turned his horse and began moving towards him. The Daimyo turned and rode for the castle gates; while killing Kira would have been a great blow to the Chosokabe, holding Higo was more important. When they saw their leader rout, the Sagara lines broke. Few of the ashigaru ever reached the gates; the Chosokabe cavalry hunted them down until their horses fainted from exertion.

At the end of the day, Lord Sagara was left with two-hundred of his archers, and just a handful yari. He knew that it might not be enough to hold Higo, but every day they held out brought his son and the reinforcements closer.

V: In the fields, north of Higo Castle, some days later
The young Lord Sagara was eating with his two generals after another hard day's march. They had not stopped to rally the peasants, as reaching the Shoni as soon as possible was their first priority. Yet the stares of the people as they rode by had hurt the young man. He knew they thought that he was abandoning them. And now, his generals were advicing him to do the same.
"Think about it, milord, for a moment. You can swear fealty to the Shoni, I am sure they will let you have your revenge when the time is right. But you must abandon Higo now; It is lost. Your father was a brave man, and his sacrifice for his clan is great, but he is buying you time to escape, nothing else. He would not wish for you to come running back to die at the walls of your childhood home!"
The young man was furious. "You speak of him as if he was already dead! Have you no faith in the clan you serve?"
He gestured angrily, reached for his sake and emptied the small cup. Its bitterness combined with the treachery of his most trusted men almost made his eyes water.
The general replied, with some indignation. "Your father trusted me - us - because we can assess a situation without sticking ourselves blur in our eyes! Without prejudices! And that is why-"
He stopped yelling and looked at the young boy. In a completely different tone, he asked worried: "Milord, are you alright?"
The young man was sweating heavily, his skin was pale and his eyes wide.
"I..." he groaned, "I don't feel so well. If you will excuse me, I shall retire."
He got up, but fell over on the ground, toppling his chair. He screamed in agony. "My throat! It is burning! I am burning from the inside!"
The generals got up, and the guards around them flocked to the heir of the Sagara clan who lay writhing on the grass. Cries of "Poison!" were heard, and after the initial panic, the guards were sent in all directions. One of the generals led them, another marched straight to the kitchen tent that had provided the food for their meeting.

Silently perched on a branch above them, Norimitsu waited for a chance to escape the scene. When everyone had left, the ninja landed silently in the grass and disappeared out of the camp to send a message to his master, the Chosokabe Daimyo, and General Kira.

Lying in the grass, he left the silken thread that he had used to pour the poison into the sake from above, and a small, empty vial.