Yee-Yee-Oh!: Mori (Legendary, Domination)

[Maltz]

Norinobu: "So again we split into three armies to maximize our experience, right?"
Takakage: "Exactly. And since there is a small army just outside Bingo, we will sabotage them so we can fight them separately, for another experience feast!"
Motoharu: "Hm... how do we learn anything from crushing these bugs?"
Norinobu: "We learned that they... can be crushed like bugs?"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "Father, great news! Younger brothers have destroyed Matsuda's main army in an ambush, and has seized Matsuda's two provinces!"
Motonari: "That's my great sons! Oh, of course, you are good, too."
Takamoto: "... please give me some battes to fight!"



Motonari: "Unfortunately, we have again run out of enemies. Maybe with the new monks we recruited, we could incite some rebellions and give you some rebels... Huh?"
Takamoto: "What's wrong?"
Motonari: "Our trade ships report that the Imagawa clan is sending a huge army on their fleet, and is sailing west."
maltz: "WTF, again?"
Takamoto: "Huh? Who is that?"
Motonari: "Some random retainer outside. Hm... why is Imagawa sending a huge army this way?"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "Father. The Imagawa might inavde us soon, what should we do?"
Motonari: "We have only two armies. If we pull one back, one of our fronts will be defenceless. Since our trade ships are filling up the foreign trade nodes quickly, it is a good time to explore new markets and start hiring the third army."



Takamoto: "How about the Ikko-Ikki? Although they are radical conservatives, we can still sell them goods, right?"
Motonari: "Yeah. They can burn all the Buddha literatures they want. They still pay for our silk and incense!"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "Father, Imagawa declared war on us! Their fleet is now just south of us! Although their army has not landed yet."
Motonari: "What a bunch of retards. What business do we have to do with them?... or right, we are their trade partners."
Takamoto: "Shall we ask for help from our allies?"
Motonari: "Normally this is not necessary, but Shoni happens to have a large fleet nearby. If we ask them to help, they might dispatch Imagawa for us. Saves work!"
Takamoto: "And they agreed!"



Note: Unfortunately, we have to also ask Yamana's help. as there is no such option to just ask Shoni. Besides, Shoni's huge fleet just sat there and did not bother with the Imagawa fleet. And who knows why the Imagawa AI decides to attack the human again. A bug in their naval attack script?

[Maltz]

Motonari: "Takamoto, I have something to tell you."
Takamoto: "What is it father? That I have a rice grain on my face? I wiped it off already."
Motonari: "We Mori need a third army, so we can expand into Kyushu. It is time for you to be responsible for an army."
Takamoto: "Am... Am I good enough for this?"
Motonari: "Sure! Because I will be going, but you stay. Just... don't follow your instincts and think about how to exploit the enemy's weaknesses. If in doubt, remember three things."
Takamoto: "Which three things?"
Motonari: "First, the enemies follow basic instincts. Try to understand their thinking pattern, expect their next moves, and let them step into your trap."
Takamoto: "OK!"
Motonari: "Second, make good use of agents. I give you one ninja and one monk. Remember, they are always lucky when you lay a siege on some castle. And there are many other ways to make them lucky."
Takamoto: "Some kind of superstition?... OK!"
Motonari: "Third, If you cannnot win, flee! If you do not want to fight for whatever reason, flee!"
Takamoto: "That's... not exactly honorable. OK!"
Motonari: "Good luck, son! One day you will be the daimyo of Mori clan!"



Takamoto :"Wait... there are some nanban people asking us to trade... what shall we do?"
Motonari: "(distant shouting) we build the best navy of Nihon, so what is the use of Nanban? Tell them to go back to Europe!"

[Maltz]

Motoharu: "Imagawa declared war, but showed no sign of landing. Where are they going?"
Takakage: "No idea... probably on our north shore?"
Motoharu: "We don't have time to waste an army to follow their stupid ship."
Takakage: "Exactly. Let's block their access with our own fleet! One Bow Kobaya is enough."



Motoharu: "Hm... I think their fleet is stronger than that."
Takakage: "Yes. Stronger, but slower. They will never catch up if we sail in circles."
Motoharu: "So why don't they just ignore us and sail over?"
Takakage: "Because we control the strait. They can't pass unless they attack us. Once they attack us, they can't get pass. It is a perfectly circular logical loop."
Motoharu: "Puhahahaha! I like you, Takakage. Now they are forced to land!"
Takakage: "I doubt they are so flexible. If their task is to "reach this point to land", they will simply find the next route for it..."

[Maltz]

Messenger: "Mori Daimyo! I am the emissary from the Shoni clan. We are attacked by Sagara clan! We urgently request your assistance!"
Motonari: "Oh? Hm... Sagara is allied to Ito clan, but Ito is also your ally. Which side does Ito pick?"
Mssenger: "Ito stands with us!"
Motonari: "So Sagara is now against the rest of Kyushu 1 vs. 7? You can win even without my help."
Messenger: "You are... probably right. But please, Mori Daimyo, if you say no, my head will be chopped off!"
Motonari: "Hm... Too bad."
Messenger :"Please reconsider!"



Motonari: "Hm... there is one way..."
Messenger :"Please!"
Motonari: "Let's make a deal in secret, shall we?"
Messenger :"Yes!"
Motonari: "Just for your sake, I now agree to join the war on Shoni's side! I will immediately start preparing an army and march to Buzen. But you have to tell your daimyo that the Mori army is here to help. We have no ill meanings."
Messenger: "Of course! Thank you, Mori Daimyo! You saved my life!"
Motonari: "Now go back! And please come to see me when our army arrive later."
Messenger: "Certainly!"

This concludes chapter 4 of our story.

[Maltz]

Chapter 05. Fatal attraction

Takamoto: "Puhahaha! The rebellion worked in Mimasaka! I am a genius!"
Monk: "... You are welcome."
Takamoto: "All I have to do is to keep the siege for three seasons, and the province will be mine! Father will be most pleased."
Ninja: "Don't forget that we are only lucky if you maintain the siege."
Takamoto: "BAH... just go scouting around. There is no more work for you right now."

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father! It is nice to see you again. Brother and Yorinobu has returend to Bitchu to keep an eye on Urikami, as you requested."
Motonari: "That's good. Now Urikami lost their Mimasaka province to rebels, it will be our best interest if their main army leaves Bizen in an attempt to reclaim it."
Takakage: "So Mimasaka is only a bait?"
Motonari: "Maybe there are more than one big fish in the pond."



Motonari: "What's our trade situation?"
Takakage: "We are still signing new deals whenever we have new trade ports completed. Why these guys would like to pay so much for us to earn even more from them, I have no idea. The finance of Mori clan cannot look any better."
Motonari: "Good. Let's head for Kyushu!"

[Maltz]

Ninja: "Ha! I found something! Bessho clan had an army gathering at the border of Mimasaka - even before the rebel took over. And by the way I poisoned their daimyo's son just for fun."
Takamoto: "What does that mean?"
Ninja: "He will recover after a season or two."
Takamoto: "I mean the army!"
Ninja: "Oh. That means Bessho was going to declare war on Urikami and attack Mimasaka. But we kind of prevented the war."
Takamoto: "Oh... a lost opportunity."



Ninja: "Lost one, gained one. If general Motoharu calls off my colleague in Bizen and stops burning down their castle gate every season, Urikami may get the idea to reclaim Mimasaka. Then that army will be frozen by me, and my associate can turn Bizen to rebel as well."
Takamoto: "That's... brilliant! You have a bright future in front of you!"
Ninja: "Thanks! My dream is to be people's hero and do everything free of charge!"

[Maltz]

Motoharu: "The Imagawa navy gets blocked by us, and they turned around!"
Yurinobu: "Let's keep the pressure! Now we control the entry strait to our water, there is no way Imagawa can land in our territory.
Motoharu: "Maybe we won't get their invasion after all..."



Note: Imagawa's fleet sailed all the way back to Migawa... I am speechless.

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father, we have learned the secret to use fire arrows, and we are learning new arts faster than ever."
Motonari: "Good. Just when we need it."
Takakage: "Should we get to our naval techs?"

[Maltz]

Motonari: "We still need some more seasons to build Medium Bune and the Military Port in Bingo, so there is no hurry to rush for Way of the Sea as the tech only unlocks Fire Bomb Kobaya. Let's do the Heaven and Earth art first, then Way of the Sea."



Takakage: "Then finally we move on to the Chi arts?"
Motonari: "Exactly. After we finish all money-making Chi arts, we come back to finish the advanced naval techs."
Takakage: "Sure!"

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father, we are about to cross the strait to Kyushu next season. Anything we should expect?"
Motonari: "Other than the lukeworm welcome of Shoni? Somehow they are not getting happier because we are sharing the common enemy Imagawa. Even worse, for the Yamana clan, they actually get mad because we "have an alliance with one of their enemies". Now look at their list of enemies - Imagawa and Hattori. We have absolutely nothing to do with them! What's wrong with their heads?"
Takakage: "Hm... that's really messed up."
Motonari: "Anyway, as long as there is no sudden black out, we can proceed. Oh, look who is here?"



Messenger: "Mori daimyo, you come! Thank you for agreeing to help with our clan's war against Sagara."
Motonari: "You are very welcome. So what's the current status of war?"
Messenger: "Not very good. Sagara had two full stacks of army. We just lost Bungo to them. Even worse, the sudden surge of Buddhist population in Buzen started a religious revolt." So we lost control of Buzen as well."
Takakage: "So did your army attack Sagara's defenceless home province Higo?"
Messenger: "We are still gathering an army in Tsukushi. Now Sagara's army has returned to Higo."
Takakage: "So there is no clear winner yet. How's Ito doing?"
Messenger: "They promised to attack Higo with us."
maltz: "I don't think you AI are that smart."
Messenger: "Hm? Who was that?"
Takakage: "Just a crazy retainer. Good luck on the coordinated assault."
Motonari: "OK! So please tell your Daimyo that we are here to help. We also brought 3 ninjas and 3 monks to assist our joint military actions. First, since we are about to cross the strait, we will help you deal with the rebel in Buzen. Then we will attack Sagara together."
Messegner: "Thank you! I am reporting this to our daimyo immediately!"
Takakage: "... Who is that crazy retainer?"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "Oh look who is here. The Urikama daimyo is leading a large army trying to reclaim Mimasaka! But I got here first!"
Ninja: "Please do not fight the rebels, if they die off, we will lose the luck!"
Takamoto: "OK, OK. Father told me to flee if I do not want to fight. There is no shame in dodging... an obviously easy victory. Right?"



Ninja: "It is called a tactical retreat. Somehow we Mori clan always act before them. So what will happen is this that you will resume the siege next spring, and again got there before Urikama. They will never be able to lay siege on the castle even if you fled... I mean, tactically retreated!"

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father! We are now laying siege on the Buzen castle. Proceed with assault?"
Motonari: "Definitely. We are much more powerful than the defenders. Now where is my stunt double? I am going to take a nap in the back. Let him replace me for that one..." (Auto-resolved)

[Maltz]

Motonari: "Ah... that was a good nap. So what's the status in northern Kyushu?"
Takakage: "Shoni's army is gathering south of Tsukushi, leaving their castle relatively defenceless."
Motonari: "Ha! Are you thinking what I am thinking?"



Takakage: "Father, I have already sent the monks to incite rebellions, and the ninjas to sabotage their army. None of them will be able to get back in time before both Hizen and Tsukushi fall to the Buddhist rebels."
Motonari: "Great!"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "Wa, look at this! We have an uninvited guest! The daimyo of Bessho is also leading a full stack army, trying to take Mimasaka!"
Ninja: "But again they have no chance at all. We act before them, so we lay the siege. The rebel acts after them, so we flee after them..."
Monk: "Maybe this is the last time general Takamoto have to flee. My colleague has... er, taken care of Urikami's Bizen and is on his way to Bessho's Harima ."
Takamoto: "Oh? So my brother Motoharu will be able to sieze two extra provinces without facing these two full stacks... even not to declare war?"



Ninja: "Exactly. That's the power of the rebel province - an attraction that they cannot resist. But as long as we have something in line before them, they will never be able to reach it!"
Monk: "And they will die waiting in the line! Buhahaha!"
Takamoto: "... Aren't monks supposed to preach peace and empathy?"

[Maltz]

Motonari: "Takakage, suppose we take over Shoni's provinces, we will be left with Sagara and Ito. Sagara is our enemy, and Ito is not very friendly, either. It will be ideal if we can somehow befriend Ito, so we can take some sweet time converting Shoni's population back to Shinto-Buddhism."
Takakage: "How about an alliance? There is no way they would refuse."
Motonari: "Alliance could be bad - what if we want to make a peace deal with Sagara? Then we would get a bad name as an unreliable ally."
Takakage: "That's true. How about marriage? I heard that the Ito daimyo has a single daughter. And one of my second cousins are still looking for a bride."
Motonari: "Cousin... Nobu... nobunoda? nobanodu? nabanudo? er..."
Takakage: "Yes, that's him. Anyway, let's see if we can get a marriage link with Ito."
Motonari: "Good!"



Takakage: "Father! Is 350 koku a fair price?"
Motonari: " Less than the price of a unit of Bow Ashigaru to buy a clan's friendship?"

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father, as we expected, the Buddhist rebels are gaining ground. They have taken Tsukushi."
Motonari: "Hm, what took those in Hizen so long?"
Takakage: "Don't know. Maybe these rebels were hiding from the forests, so it takes them longer to reach the castle."



Messenger: "Mori daimyo! We are under attack from Buddhist rebels! And... our armies cannot move because our cargo wheels were all sabotaged! Must be the bastards of Sagara!"
Takakage: "Yes! Must be those Sagara rats!"
Motonari: "This is really unfortunate. In fact, our army has reached Tsukushi. We will deal with the rebels there."
Messenger: "Sigh... we knew we should not covert to nanban's religion before we can get the permit to build chapels! We wish you good luck - those Buddhist rebels are quite powerful."
Motonari: "We will be careful. Now please go and tell your daimyo that they can always count on us."
Messenger: "Thank you!"

Motonari: "Ah... this is probably going to be easy again. Now where is the my stunt double again? Let me take another nap. Northern Kyushu summer is so hot and humid. This makes me sleepy."

[Maltz]

Motonari: "What? We lost 400 men? Well... Let's hope Sagara gets tied down by Ito, so we can recover."
Takakage: "Sorry father. Without your precense, I did my best."
maltz: "No actually Mr. Kobayakawa took a nap as well." (auto-resolved)
Takakage: "Get this retainer out of here! Oh right, he brought the news that Imagawa wants a peace treaty with us if we pay 2700 koku... wahahaha!"



Motonari: "Buhahaha! That's really a good afternoon joke."
Takakage: "They seem to be serious, actually. And of course I have asked that crazy retainer to cut the emissaries' nose off before sending him back."
Motonari: "What a bunch of clowns!"
Takakage: "If they dare to come back, our real navy will be ready for them!"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "The rebels are fleeing! Charge!"



Note: There is no more point of fleeing if we are confident that some rebels will be left fleeing off the field and back into the castle, and therefore keep the siege alive. This way, the Bessho stack is locked in their "attack Mimasaka" mission, and will never get the wrong idea to attack us. Just to play safe.

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father, we have received a special prmotion on Ashigaru trainers. For 8 seasons we can train superior Ashigaru!"
Motonari: "Wow. That happened way too early - we do not even have encampments yet! Can we ask the Ashigaru trainers to delay this?"
Takakage: "How? They have posted the recruit ads..."
Motonari: "Hm... so unfortunate..."
maltz: "No problem. We only need to load the auto-save from the beginning of the turn..."



Takakge: "Father! We have received a promotion... Sushi buffet is 20% off this week!"
Motonari: "Nice! Let's go!"

Note: Actually I have no idea whether canceling the promotion event will actually delay it. Maybe the event will never return! We will have to wait and see.

[Maltz]

Motoharu: "To Bizen! This is too easy... we only have to wait and suddenly we have another city to take over. Hm, I suddenly feel sleepy... "
Yurinobu: "Exactly. Now we have access to the best blacksmith of Chukoku! Let's start the constructions! Yeah let's take a nap together." (auto-resolved)



Note: Forgot to split the generals! Corrected this in real-game.

[Maltz]

Motonari's stunt double: "That's Hizen! The last province of the late Shoni. Soldiers, start the assault! Is my voice acting good today?"
Takakage's stunt double: "Sh...! We only get paid if nobody recognize us! Let's just issue the orders!" (auto-resolved)

[Maltz]

Yorinobu: "General Motoharu, it seems that the little badges in front of my chest are a little different than the rest of yours..."
Motoharu: "Indeed. You are going to be our clan's very first Navy general! Congratlations!"



Yorinobu: "But my only retainer gives me +1 attack for land battle..."
Motoharu: "Er... too bad. That means you can look for chances to do landing attacks."
Yorinobu: "But... when is the last time you hear about a landing attack?"
Motoharu: "Actually, never. Ha!"

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father, our ninja reported two full stacks of Sagara army in Higo. Our ninja only temporarily disabled one of their generals."
Motonari: "Hm... it looks like Sagara was not even hurt since the beginning of the war."
Takakage: "Should we attack them?"
Motonari: "Let Ito play with them if they can. The Christian population needs some time to convert. If they come to us, we will crush it and force a peace treaty."
Takakage: "Sure. But Sagara also converted..."
Motonari: "Ah... that Bungo province is a holy curse! Whoever takes it converts right away without thinking about consequences."

[Maltz]

Takakage: "Father, Ito threw a full stack of army onto Sagara and was promptly defeated."
Motonari: "Yep. Not everyone has night-vission goggles. Sigh... we have to rely on ourselves."
Takakage: "But Sagara is here. They are asking for peace!"
Motonari: "Oh? That's funny. If we can make Sagara focus on Ito, we can buy all the sweet time we want to convert the population. Then our monks will be freed up to cause some damage."



Takakage: "How about their daimyo's daughter. We can't run out of single second cousins..."
Motonari: "Yeah, Nobunoda or whoever he is! Deal!"

[Maltz]

Takamoto: "Ah... the two huge stacks awaiting outside Mimasaka have both disappeared. Finally I can take it."
Ninja: "Great! But... that would be end of our lucky streak."
Takamoto: "No worry - I have asked your associate to recite a rebellion in Yamana's province! That's where I will be headed next."
Ninja: "Have fun!"
Takamoto: "Yeah! Catch me if you can, rebels!"

[Maltz]

Norinobu: "Great, we already have four Medium Bune. I will lead a powerful navy!"
Motoharu: "And we are now able to train Wako Raiders from Bingo, too!"
Norinobu: "Gosh they are so cheap and effective. They would be a great addition to our armies. But why not do it in Bizen for the armor bonus?"
Motoharu: "Because... Bizen does not have a port! Those Wako requires a military port..."
Norinobu: "DOH! We will have to wait for Satsuma then."



This concludes chapter 5 of our story.