Spring 1582. Asano-san has arrived safely in Owari and proceeds to Mikawa. Though his men are few in number, they are ninja, and perhaps the fear they inspire will discourage the large Takeda force in Shinano from a surprise attack against our most lightly garrisoned province. As there is a port there, Asano and his men can quickly embark on a raid if circumstances require it.

My emissary has arrived safely in Satsuma, and none too soon. A high-ranking Shimazu commander has been sighted in Chikugo, and this bodes ill for defenseless Hizen. Though I had hoped the Shimazu would focus on the island of Shikoku and delay their invasion of Hizen, it appears that they may not. This is unfortunate for us, as Hizen, even reduced to basic farmlands, is generating a large portion of our income. Koku will be a big problem again shortly, but we have managed under such conditions before.

The shuffling of superior Yari Samurai trained in Owari to Totomi via Mikawa continues. The completion of the port in Owari will significantly simplify the transfer process. With three Yari Cavaly units in Owari and two under my command here in Totomi, I have ordered their production suspended. At 500 koku per unit, the expense is considerable, and our income is still marginal. Mikawa continues to produce shinobi which are immediately assigned to areas in central Japan surrounding Yamashiro. In the event that we do bribe the Ikko Ikki in Kawachi, spies will be needed to manage province loyalty until a substantial garrison can be trained.

My emissary in the east travels from Shimosa to Hitachi. He has sent reports of mighty Hojo castles and advanced troop training facilities. Given this and the richness of the Kwanto, they represent a formidable threat, though not yet fully realized. I must be careful if Katsuyori breaks the alliance, or I move to cripple the Takeda if they are careless. If we are significantly weakened in the process, Lord Hojo is sure to take advantage of it and we may be hard-pressed to survive. I must play the great lords against each other, and bide my time for precisely the right moment. I must wait for the bird to sing.

Hideyoshi took a small force north from Mino into Echizen and has not yet returned. I suspect that the clever Oda commander has succeeded in his bid to bring Echizen under Oda control. A fairly large force still remains in Mino, but their commander is relatively untried. Oda strategy has been sorely lacking. They have neglected their heartlands, which now roil in chaos. They leave their flank wide open to Takeda attack from Shinano, and Oda Nobunaga has been trapped in Iga-Ueno castle by a small force of rebels. There are no reinforcements in the vicinity, so I suspect that the Oda Daimyo's days are numbered.

We will continue to produce Yari Samurai and shinobi, but I have ordered all other expenditures to be tightly controlled. I hope to have enough koku next season to bribe the rebels in Kawachi. The addition of this province with its citadel and advanced training facilities will alleviate the effects of losing Hizen. Hopefully enough shinobi will be in a position to move into Kawachi when the bribe is offered. It will take more than a year to complete a port there, assuming we even have enough koku after bribing them to begin building one immediately. Whatever the case, times will be tight financially.

The Takeda still stand like a mountain of smelly, annoying unchi in Shinano and Suruga ... .