Shimokawa

Kojuro didn't exactly need Wuppo to wave for the ogre to have his attention. He was hard to miss. He looked over the large collection of cabbage that Wuppo was clutching. Wuppo had been off raiding the fields? He would have to send a note back to town to let them know provisions had been requisitioned and hadn't just disappeared. When offered the cabbage, Kojuro didn't take it but put his hand on it and pushed it back towards Wuppo. "Thank you, Wuppo. Could you hold onto that for me for now?" he asked the ogre, sure that he wouldn't mind. Riding up into camp with a cabbage in his hand might look a little out of place after all, even though the idea of it amused him. "I'm glad you found something to eat, but I hope you didn't go too far from the camp. The fewer people know you're here, the better."

Suddenly Rena pushed Wuppo out of the way, which made Kojuro have to hold back a laugh. "Yes, I have!" he replied to her. "Lets return to camp and discuss plans."

Some of the men set about cooking the rice that the townsfolk had kindly supplied over the camp fire, and Kojuro sat with Wuppo, Rena, Sanzaemon, Asano and some others to run them through what they knew about the bandit camp and their strategy. "As far as we know, there are between fifty and sixty bandits who have made camp in the forest not far from the town. They are armed with a variety of weapons - swords, spears, daggers - but no one mentioned them carrying bows. We should be aware that they may have them, although probably only a small number at most. According to the witnesses, the camp is less than a half hour ride from the village. He unfolded the inked map that Asano had drawn based on the one from the temple, with the locations of the bandit camp and possible ambush sites marked on. Pointing at various parts using a folded fan he showed the assembled group the various features. He tried to keep everything he said simple for the benefit of Wuppo. "The camp is on a hill in the woods. On the south side runs this river, the Sakekawa. Down here, it joins to the Shimokawa river which runs through the centre of Shimokawa town. The forest to the east of the bandit camp is thicker, to the west, less so.

"My suggestion is this. We approach the camp under cover of darkness. The moon is approaching full in three days time and it seems as though tonight will be clear. Ten of our men, lead by Asano, will approach from the south side of the river and take up a position directly opposite the hill just behind the south bank of the Sakekawa. They will form a line of archers along the bank. The rest of us will approach from the north. We will need to be vigilant as they may have guard posts on approaches to their base. From the northern group, two small units of five men will pass around the hill to the east, and the west, and be ready to cut down any bandits that flee, or to ascend the hill and give support to the final group.

"That group will be Rena, Wuppo and myself," he looked to the two creatures to make sure that both understood their role in the proceedings. "We will assault the bandit camp from the north, using the element of surprise and fear that Wuppo and Rena will no doubt generate. Our aim will be to cut down any who oppose us, but mainly to drive the bandits down the south side of the hill into Asano's waiting line of archers. They will be cut off by the river and any who attempt to cross will fall under arrow fire. Those who attempt to go east or west will be cut off by the two small groups of mounted samurai.

"Ideally, I want to find the leaders and capture them alive. Wuppo, you can feel free to put them into your bag, since we are going to figure out a way to get them out of it later." He smiled at Wuppo, reassuring him that he had not forgotten his friend's request.

"Please speak up if anyone has any changes to suggest, or if there's something I've forgotten to consider," he added, thoughtfully, looking around at the group to see if anyone had anything to say.

Rena also listened closely to Kojuro's plans, but even she had trouble to follow his word. Being from a tribe that took from nature and hardly got in contact with human beings, she had never been in a place where making plans had been necessary. "I am not much for strategies but as I understand Wuppo and I will be joining ya right? So I will just follow you and you can tell me when to charge." she tapped her hands lightly on the massive axe that was still hanging from her hips.

When Wuppo started to talk about the camp Rena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms once more. "So he thinks, but in truth, he definitely wouldn't have been able to handle it without me," she said to Kojuro, hoping she was far enough out of the ear sight of the ogre. She then walked back towards one of the fires, liking the way it warmed her legs and stared into the flames as they formed and swirled.

The population of Shimokawa had swelled over the last few weeks. At first wagons full of provisions and equipment arrived, followed by groups of warriors from all over the province. Some in large processions, others in only small family groups, and eventually from Kiyonai city itself Lord Hizashi and his entourage. The town itself had been almost subsumed by a great camp of samurai. Banners of all colours and featuring many different crests flapped in the summer breeze, most prominent among them the sakura crest of the Hizashi clan on the dark pink-red ground whose colour was known as “enjiiro”. Almost all the samurai of Kiyonai were here, save those manning the borders, Kasen no Tochi and defending the Hizashi mansion itself, and of course, those who had gone south with General Kumagai to engage the Shogun's forces there.

Kojuro had chosen Shimokawa to assemble the army to march upon Xuandao as the location was out of the way and not especially well known outside of Kiyonai province, while giving them excellent access to the capital from the north and east if they followed along the Shimokawa river through the forest. Zu Fu had assured him that the army would be umolested by the spirits of the forest, and even assisted on their way, so long as they kept to their route and did not go out of their way to antagonise the kami.

Kojuro had once again stayed at the temple in Shimokawa along with his personal guard and the small leadership team that would be directing the battle and offering advice. Ryuzo had also come along, although he was not going to join them in taking the war to Xuandao but would instead return to the Hizashi mansion to make sure it was well defended. Due to his size, Wuppo had had to sleep in the temple courtyard, but since he was used to living in a cave in the woods, it probably wasn't too much of an inconvenience.

On the morning that they were to move out, he woke early enough that the stars were still visible through the windows of his room, and standing in half-armour, once again unrolled the scroll of their battle plans and looked at the now familiar black ink markings that codified their locations and formations, and what they expected from the enemy, trying to reassure himself that the plans were good, and that he had done all he could to ensure things would go well. He had Nakatani's' hair comb tucked back into his sleeve again, an amulet of good luck that he would return safe and sound. It wasn't his own possible demise that bothered him though, it was these people, all of these people, whose lives were in his hands. He was responsible for all of them, and should he make a mess of this there would be no one to blame but himself. As he assembled in full armour in the front courtyard of the temple with his people, he gave a nod and smile to Yasuke and Wuppo, but his face was white and drawn tight, and he looked far from the relaxed and carefree Kojuro that they usually recognised, despite trying to give the impression of confidence.

They made their way out of town, where camp had already been struck in the small hours, and rows and rows of samurai, plus their foot soldiers, and at the back, the many servants and pack animals that kept an army moving. Mounted on a chestnut horse, Kojuro wore a surcoat in the Hizashi clan colours over armour that bore the sakura crest, and the dragonfly design on his helmet caught the early rays of sunlight. In his sash was a flat fan used for signalling, gold with the sakura crest in black. Banners with the Hizashi crest and featuring the phrase “Yuuou Maishin” accompanied his party as he rode out. He caught a glimpse of those words and took a deep breath, if there was ever he needed to be reminded of that, it was now.

“Everyone,” he addressed the assembled, his voice carrying across the field as he spoke in a tone of command that few had heard from him before. “Today we ride out to take battle to our capital city, and take down the false shogun, who has shown himself both weak in command and disloyal to the Imperial Court. There is corruption at the heart of our country and we go forth now with sword and spear to cut it out. In this, I carry forward the will of my uncle Lord Genji Hizashi, but also I cannot claim the skill or experience of Lord Genji, but I do carry forward his will, and the will of all people who wish to live in a land where justice is seen to be done and prosperity for all comes fthrough wisdom. With all of your help, I will do my best to ensure our victory. You have pledged the Hizashi clan your lives and they will not be vainly spent. Together we will strike down tyrrany - for the nation, and for the Emperor!”

There was a moment of silence, in which Kojuro half expected yells of dissent or heckling. A shout, accompanied by the drumming of spear points on the ground, roared up from the assembled army in a terrifying unity. “Move out!” Kojuro commanded, raising his fan in the direction of the path they would follow to the capital, and with great discipline the army began to march out along the road that followed the Shimokawa river to the west.

Wuppo seemed (as per his usual state of being) out of place among the Hizashi. Wuppo had been in and out of the Hizashi mansion in the weeks and months before the Hizashi clan warriors were to leave for war, and had initially came dressed in his own preparations for fighting. The only problem was that Wuppo wore exactly what one might think an ogre with limited intelligence and even more limited materials would be able to craft. He came wearing a massive iron pot on his head, with a bit of mud holding on several leaves right where a crest might be. On his chest he wore a bit of bark that hung from his neck with homemade rope. On the bark were painted several lines, swoops, circles, and squiggles - none of which came close to being recognizable symbols and all of which intersected and overlapped into a mass of meaningless scribbling. As Wuppo explained;

"Dis say, 'Wupp wiff da green leafy bits. Wuppo BIG! Wuppo ANGRY! GRRR! Wuppo wiff da Wise Otta, him wiff da dragonbug... I'z Wuppo'."

This only added to the bewilderment of some in attendance. After the events at the bandit camp, stories of a great beast circulated in whispers amongst the Hizashi clan. As sake was poured, the stories became more and more fanciful. An ogre became a beast, a beast became a monster, and before long Wuppo was painted to be a vicious demon dragging the enemies of Hizashi into the abyss itself. Wuppo ready to fight in such silly garb perplexed some of the humans in the mansion. Surely, some thought, this imbecile wearing a pot on his head wasn't the thing these nightmares were made of; the demon had to be somewhere else. More believed that this was proof the stories were wholly untrue; there never was a monster or demon chasing the bandits away for Hizashi. And more still believed that Wuppo was indeed everything the stories told, and had assumed this form to trick their enemies. Of course, none of this was brought up directly to Wuppo.

As the time approached, proper armor was made for Wuppo by the clan craftsmen. Real armor made of hard leather plates, and lacquered to a shine, along with a crest of his own. His crest was a pair of radishes, their greenery and bodies forming a circle emblazoned upon his chest. It only made sense, given his affinity for green leafy vegetables. Finally, a new weapon; a tetsubo made from the trunk of a tree, and studded with brutal iron spikes. This new tetsubo was far too heavy for a human warrior, but Wuppo's strength would allow him to wield it as if it were a green maple branch.

In the hours before dawn on the day they were to leave, Wuppo was 'helped' into his armor. First the normal servants attempted to help him, but Wuppo was far too large and too apt to move and wiggle to make the job possible for them. In the end, four large men - farm hands under the direction of a page - wrestled Wuppo into the armor. The process tickled, and getting the plates laced up properly and tied to each limb and body part looked more like the men trying to calm several angry boars stuffed into the same large grain sack.

As the men assembled, Wuppo did as well. Like Yasuke, Wuppo had never seen so many people gathered in a single place at once. The banners, armor, weapons, and generally the great upheaval of everything around him had the ogre’s head on a swivel constantly. When he wasn’t looking around, Wuppo was touching the crest on his chest. This was all very new to Wuppo, and in his new armor and weapon he looked far more like the monster of the stories that had been circulating in the months before. The people who packed into the small village left Wuppo alone, even if they hadn’t the slightest who he was or why he was there.

When Kojuro emerged, Wuppo moved closer to him, and he was already talking when Wuppo found Yasuke. Wuppo tried to listen, and understand. Wuppo had heard Kojuro and the other samurai speaking of duty, honor, and pledges of death. These ideas confused Wuppo, and in fact his lack of motivation by duty, honor, and loyalty to clan Hizashi bothered some. But, Wuppo of course knew loyalty. His loyalty was to one of his only friends. He had set himself a task to protect Kojuro, and of course Yasuke’s presence gave him another reason to be there as well. Perhaps Wuppo didn’t care specifically for clan Hizashi, but there was no denying that the clan’s fate and the fate of Kojuro were inextricably linked, and to that end the clan had itself a steadfast ally in the giant.

As the group began to file out of the village, Wuppo seemed quieter than usual. He walked along side Kojuro and Yasuke, his longer legs making him easily able to keep up with the pair mounted on horses. Wuppo was deep in thought. Yasuke might have been tuning out Kojuro, but the words of the ‘Wise Otta’ had given Wuppo something to contemplate. Yasuke correcting one of the other riders brought Wuppo back to the present.

“Wise Otta! Tigga Fish!” he said, attempting to get their attention. He reached his arm out to poke Kojuro. “Wuppo has da armors! You see da armors?” he announced, beaming and once again touched the crest on his chest. “Wuppo wiff da green leafy bits!”

Yasuke leaned back half blundering against a tree as the mood seem to lean towards the somber anyway. He would have loved to share a bit of sake with Kojuro this close to battle but no one seemed to be in the mood for such things. However as a courier approached Yasuke opened one eye and then afterwards both in slight surprise - who dared disturb his nap? Kumagai? Noritoshi? Hmmm, Yasuke couldn't quite put faces on these people and closed his eyes again with a deep sigh. It was nice that the war in the south went well but it didn't really change anything up here.

Hearing Kojuro's voice address him Yasuke jumped a little.
"Huh... fewer why?" Yasuke said confused trying to gather his thoughts. "Ohh the victory down south." Yasuke said and rolled his eyes. "Yeah that's all well and good but I wouldn't slack even the slightest because of that. Maybe it means the shogun prioritized wrongly... or maybe it means that the shogun has a lot more men than we thought and managed to dust the clans for every last soldier. I somehow don't think my spear will lack action!" Yasuke said and laughed grabbing it as it lay beside him before throwing it into a tree a couple of yards away the spear lodging itself inside the trunk. "You see just killing one isn't going to cut it!" he said and chuckled. "Or else I need many spears!" he said with a wry smile.

Yasuke mused for a moment.
"How long are we from battle though? The shogun isn't going to go into these woods to fight us is he?" Yasuke asked leaning back on his arms against a tree. "And what do we do, if we actually encounter the shogun? Do we just treat him like that tree..." Yasuke said and nodded towards the impaled tree. "... or do you want to show him a trial, Kojuro-dono?" Yasuke asked and chuckled a bit looking at Wuppo. "If it's the latter I would appoint Wuppo to be the judge, jury and executioner." he said as a smile crept up his cheeks.

“Mm,” he nodded. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. Whatever happens we’ll need to be on our guard, but, it’s just good to know that our first move worked out in our favour. Hopefully that will set the tone for the rest.” Yasuke made some good points, and they weren’t exactly things he hadn’t considered, but the fact that the first play in this war had gone well, was something Kojuro was pleasantly surprised and extremely relieved about. “We’re not going to rest on our laurels though obviously…” he added, but was prevented from sinking back into too much serious thought by Yasuke slamming his spear into a tree. He laughed, “You might need a few spares if you’re going to keep chucking them away like that.”

At Wuppo’s yell a huge clash of metal could be heard as many of the soldiers around readied weapons. Once it was noted that Wuppo was the cause of the sudden cry, the people around gradually replaced their pointy bits in their sheaths and sat back down though more than a few eyed the ogre warily. While the Hizashi force was not used to Wuppo’s presence among them it was more than clear that he was a favoured companion of their lord and so they kept any misgivings to themselves. Even the sceptical could tell that Wuppo would be an asset in battle even if he wasn’t dinner party guest material.

Kojuro looked in curiosity at the “eat rock” that was dropped into his lap by the ogre. There was a rather tasty smell wafting up from the roasted tuber. He drew the small utility knife out of the side of his tanto and dipped it into the white flesh, tasting a little. “It’s good, Wuppo,” he grinned, wondering how many rocks Wuppo had tried to roast before he found ones that went soft. “Did you bring these with or find them here?” It made a change from endless days of rice since they had left Shimokawa.

“I doubt the Shogun will come out to fight himself, and even if he does, he won’t enter the forest. Once we’re north of the city, we should meet the Shogun’s forces on the plains between the forest edge and Xuandao. If they aren’t there already, we’ll wait for them. Of course we’ll kill him if he meets us in battle, unless he surrenders. In which case he can commit honourable suicide.” What Kojuro didn’t mention was that there were plans in place for the Shogun to meet his demise quite some way from the battlefield. That was only known to a scant few – Homura, Kiri, Akagi-dono, and the assassin. He continued to eat some yam, letting Wuppo’s enthusiastic talk cover his silence. “That’s right Wuppo, you can smash him good,” he agreed, “But leave at least a few of his generals for Yasuke to kill or he’ll be sad bringing his spear all this way for nothing.”