The War Room

“That is not what I would consider a discussion,” replied Kojuro, already beginning to feel somewhat aggravated by Ryuzo’s attitude. He found himself having to bite back words in order to leave that particular encounter of theirs in the past. He had already apologised for what he had done regarding Nakatani, and neither of them would benefit from Kojuro raking up the coals of his grievance. Instead he tried to meet Ryuzo on his own terms since he was at least trying to be diplomatic. “Of course, we will have differences of opinion. Ultimately, I must make the decisions that seem right to me. That is my responsibility.”

Kojuro couldn’t help wondering whether Ryuzo actually believed the things he said, or if he said them for effect alone. Regardless, he was missing the point almost completely. And this was merely supposed to be the first formality to get out of the way before continuing with more important matters, yet Ryuzo seemed determined to fight every single point he could. Life would be simpler if he could just tell Ryuzo to leave for the House of Reason right now, but that wouldn’t be the right thing to do, and he knew it. “That is not what I said, father. This is your home and you will always be welcome to live here if you wish it,” he said, wondering how he managed to wring that particular interpretation out of Kojuro’s words. “You can stay here and take no part in clan business if you wish to. However, I ask you to pledge your sword to the clan, or to decide that your loyalty is to the House of Reason. If the life of neither samurai nor monk appeals to you, you will be free to live out your retirement where you will.”

When Ryuzo began to ask him how he would have him serve, as if to negotiate, a flash of anger appeared in Kojuro’s eyes, and the neutral expression he strove to wore hardened. “Your loyalty should be absolute, or it is not loyalty at all. You ask me to suggest positions for you before you decide as though this is a bargain to be struck. We are not merchants haggling over the price of a bolt of cloth. Either pledge your service to me and the clan now, or don’t.” His hand made a cutting motion through the air that emphasised his point.

“Father, if you cannot put the needs of the clan in front of your own personal pride, the outcome will be just the same as it was five years ago. I know it was difficult for you to give up the leadership of the clan to Lord Genji, but no one would have thought the less of you had you stepped aside gracefully and served underneath him as his second. But you could not stand to serve under your older brother, who was the rightful head of the clan, preferring to throw your family aside for your own pride. You left us because you couldn’t bear to compromise.” How would things have been different if Ryuzo had stayed? Kojuro and Anzen had welcomed Lord Genji’s return, but neither of them had wanted to see their father leave. It had cut them both deeply. It had seemed to Kojuro that his father had become more and more distant, a thread stretching between them thinner and thinner, until the day he had left, it broke. What could he have done for Ryuzo to stay? Been a better son, more dutiful, more attentive, cleverer? He had no idea. It seemed impossible to please him and in the end he just stopped trying.

“This is just the same as that. If you decide to leave here, it is because of your own stubbornness. All you are doing is repeating the past. Is that what you want?”

“I know I'm not the son you wanted, but nevertheless, I'm the one you got,” Kojuro replied, more with resignation and sadness in his voice than anger. Although he felt Ryuzo's commentary often came after the fact and could therefore be better described as criticism than advice, the rest of the points he made were valid. He knew that he had made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions, he had no wish to compound them even further when so much was at stake. But on this occasion, he truly felt that he was on the right track. To follow Genji's wishes, but to do so in a way that made sense to him. Homura knew his plans and approved them, he had talked them over with Sayuri-dono too. “I understand why you would be concerned, but I hope you'll find I've grown a little from what you remember.” Not only had it been five years, but Kojuro felt he had learned more in the last few months than he had in his entire lifetime.

“Your analogies are flawed,” he tried to explain patiently, “The bird did not leave the sky to go take an oath to treat the sky, the earth and the sea equally, before returning to the sky to claim loyalty there. Of course you carry Hizashi blood, but you seem to forget that you turned your back on that for your studies at the resolutely neutral House of Reason. However noble that intent, however useful the work you were doing, it still remains that you put that before your house and clan, and I need you to set it aside.”

Even though Kojuro himself was angry it seemed to be nothing compared to Ryuzo's explosion of rage and he found himself becoming rather embarrassed to see such a display of raw emotion coming from his father. His face went white, although he stayed completely still and his expression was still set hard as though any tiny movement would break it entirely. At first all he heard was jealous rage as hs railed against Genji taking his place as head of the clan, and then his fists clenched slightly as Ryuzo dared to insult Genji, but then a calmness seemed to settle over Ryuzo and Kojuro tried to get his mind twisted in the direction Ryuzo was coming from.

Once the storm had died down, Kojuro spoke again. “Father, we needed Genji,” he said quietly, almost gently, “The clan had fallen into stagnation. And worse, we were dying. The Hizashi became nothing but a hollow shell, ready to crumble at a touch, as you retreated more and more from your duties, from yourself, from us. We needed Genji to raise us up. To give us our purpose, our rightful place in the world again.” In a way Ryuzo was right. Genji had been both inspiration and teacher, not just to Kojuro, but the clan as a whole. He had shown them what they were capable of becoming. There had been hard years as Hizashi Mansion became a dark and neglected place and the only times he had seen Ryuzo was when he had deigned to notice him enough to pass some judgement on his latest exploit or lack of achievement in some area or other. “Father, however much I admire Uncle Genji, how could that ever take away my love and respect for you?” he said quietly, rather shocked at this revelation of his father's feelings. He felt his eyes prickling and blinked hard. “Don't you remember how it used to be back when –?” back when mother was alive. Although he couldn't bring himself to say it. Maybe it was merely a coincidence that things were better then, probably it was his own increasing incompetence and willfullness that had caused Ryuzo to withdraw from him in frustration.

Kojuro was initially relieved to hear that Ryuzo was ready to pledge his sword, until there was one more caveat. “I do ask you to,” he agreed, “and you will. I will answer your question first out of respect you as my father, but regardless of the answer you will pledge me your sword.” There was no hesitation or compromise in his voice on that point. He sighed and his shoulders dropped slightly. “I'm sorry to say Uncle Genji is unlikely to survive,” he replied in a low voice barely above a whisper. “Which is why I intend to move quickly. But whatever happens I will remain as Lord of Kiyonai until my appointed heir succeeds me.” And he looked his father steadily in the eye.

Regardless of whether that was enough of an answer for him, Kojuro nodded to samurai at the side of the room who brought forth a beautifully presented tachi with golden braid and the Hizashi crest in gold lacquer repeated along the scabbard, upon a black lacquer background where gold lacquer dusting added a star-like texture. The wrappings of the hilt were the maroon colour of the the clan crest. The samurai bowed before Kojuro presenting the sword with both hands, and he received it with one. He held it out before him as the samurai retreated, inviting Ryuzo to come forward and formally take it from him.

A small frown of confusion flickered onto his face. Was his father actually … if not giving him approval at least giving him the benefit of the doubt. Suspicious, even though some part of him deep inside was pleased to snatch at this vaguely positive comment and hold onto it tightly, Kojuro replied stiffly, “Thank you, father.” Perhaps this was his way of trying to mend things, and if so, then this could only be good. He gave a small, guarded smile, and a tilt of his head.

“I’m sorry father, but thinking about something does not necessarily make it so.” Maybe Kojuro was often criticised for thinking too little before acting, but thinking too much had its consequences too. “It was difficult time for all of us.” He had begun to leave the children to their own devices just when they needed him most. They both remembered those simpler times and the melancholy of nostalgia seemed to fill the air between them. Kojuro’s mother had died too young, and after that it seemed he lost his father too, as he gradually grew further and further away. Perhaps there could be happier times in the Hizashi Mansion in the future too, once the war was over, once everything had been settled. He hoped for that and wondered if his father could ever share that vision? But neither of them could bring themselves to talk of such a frivolous thing now, as the pall of another illness in the family hung over everything.

He wasn’t sure how to answer, seeing Ryuzo’s horror and sadness at hearing the truth about his older brother. “I … pray that he will live. We all do. But it seems that every time he recovers a little, the relapses are only longer and leave him worse than before. It’s hardest on Anzen-onee-san. She is unable to heal him, only relieve his suffering a little,” When I wrote to you, to ask you to come to the wedding, it was because I suspected it might be the last time we would see him as he once was, on his feet, laughing and joking.” It was hard for both of them to think of Genji withering away when he seemed in his prime. Happiness and life itself was so short and fleeting. Rather than give into tears that threatened, especially seeing Ryuzo’s eyes moisten, he remembered that it was for Genji’s sake that he could be so driven now, to succeed in seeing Genji’s wish enacted despite his own failings. “You should visit him, father, perhaps he will able to see you. At the very least it might comfort him to know you are there.”

Both of them were forced to put emotion to one side, and the formal ceremony let them master themselves. It was short and to the point – a formal pledge was made and accepted, the words traditional. It was the first time for Kojuro to accept such a pledge and likely the first time Ryuzo would have to give it. At the end, Kojuro released the sword into Ryuzo’s hands, symbolising once again his status as a samurai of House Hizashi.

Once that was done, Kojuro seemed to un-tense a little. Progress had been made and he now felt himself free to talk about further matters that concerned the clan. “I plan to move against the Shogun,” he said simply, unsure of how Ryuzo would react to this. “Lord Genji set the clan upon this path and I intend to finish it, and soon.”

The ceremony served to clear the charged atmosphere a little, and bring both of them to a more stable and composed state. Ryuzo had been cloistered for a while, and it didn’t surprise Kojuro that his father was unaware of the current state of the nation. Even while he was leading the clan, he could hardly see the decay happening within Kiyonai, never mind outside. It was easy for them here, to perhaps ignore the state of affairs further afield, but Genji had seen the bigger picture, perhaps with the clearer eyes of an outsider, when he taken over the Hizashi clan once again. “The Shogun isn’t harassing us directly, you’re right. Part of the difficulty is that he cares little for what happens in the provinces. Far too little.

“His great ally Omaharu Nobuhide has fallen in Tokhung. A new clan, the Yukimoto, has begun to claim leadership there. Sarisu was abandoned by the Yanata clan. Lord Akagi of Quying decided to leave the nation entirely and form his own state. Meanwhile, he rules the Capital with an iron grip. It is the only thing that concerns him, and while the Shogun holds it and uses his position to please only his own whims at the expense of the empire, he keeps the Son of Heaven little more than a prisoner in his palace. I’ve been to Jeoncho several times. The closer one gets to the capital, the worse it seems. Homura-dono and Kiri-dono have told us many disturbing stories.” Kojuro was mostly convinced that the “bandits” who had attacked him on the way back form Xuandao the last time, were no less than Shogunate agents attempting to intercept the clan’s correspondence. And there were far darker tales than that about his clandestine activities.

“When Unle Genji returned here, he had seen Katashima fractured and fallen into a civil war that no side could hope to win. For the same to happen here would be intolerable. Tawakoshi just needs someone to step forward and take the reins, release the Emperor from servitude and unite the nation, before it is too late. This is what Lord Genji wished, and it is my duty to see his will carried out, for that reason above all others, I will lead the clan against the Shogunate.” Kojuro was set on this path and no matter what reasons Ryuzo had to oppose him, he would not be swayed.

“Me?” he asked, surprised that Ryuzo would suggest it but refraining from answering with a laugh as he might have done another time. It was all too possible that somehow that position might fall to him through the vagaries of fate, and it wasn’t as though he hadn’t considered what might happen. “No. That position belongs to Lord Genji. Homura-dono will remain in the capital and make decisions on his behalf if his illness prevents him from carrying out his duties.” It wasn’t a perfect solution, and it meant the future was still uncertain, but Homura could hold the capital until Genji’s child came of age if necessary. Kojuro held his tongue on that part. He had vowed to Sayuri to keep her pregnancy a secret, and still would.

It seemed that Ryuzo was actually taking the conversation seriously, rather than just telling Kojuro it was a terrible and disappointing idea. “Kiri-dono has gone to Quying to talk to Lord Akagi. There’s not much chance of them taking the Shogun’s side, but whether they would wish to be involved is another matter. Even if they remain neutral, it’s probable that they wouldn’t allow any of the Shogun’s people safe passage away from Tawakoshi if they tried to flee, but then again, Quying is a province of merchants, for the right price perhaps they would aid the Shogunate. It’s hard to say, but I’m sure Kiri-dono will bring us back enough intelligence to gauge Akagi’s motives.”

Kojuro nodded. He hadn’t had many dealings with Nobuhide, but it was said that the harsh lands bred harsh people, and the Omaharu lord had a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty. “The Yukimoto will have their hands full trying to subdue the whole of Tokhung. I’m hoping that they will be occupied with that, but that does present another reason for us to move quickly. In the meanwhile, there will be many attempting to cross the border into Kiyonai. What we choose to do with those people will influence how the Yukimoto feel about us, and we will need to make official contact with Lady Yukimoto as soon as possible once we have secured the capital.” If Yukimoto wanted to bring an army across the great divide into Kiyonai, the terrain itself would be as huge a barrier as always. As long as the border remained guarded, it would be extremely difficult for them to invade.

He was glad of Ryuzo’s questions. It helped him to evaluate his thoughts so far. When he mentioned Sarisu, Kojuro smiled a little. They had already won one province, albeit without any resistance and were holding onto it with very few men. “Sarisu is already under Hizashi control. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that afterwards. I think there’s something you could help me with.” Putting that aside for now to go back to the talk of war, Kojuro listened as Ryuzo gave his thoughts about the Shogun. He was surprised to hear him talk in such venomous terms about him, he hadn’t really given a thought to how Ryuzo personally felt about the Shogun, only that he assumed Ryuzo had no particular problem with accepting him as their overlord. Would Genji have dared to challenge the Shogun’s might without the extra troops and experienced samurai he had brought with him from Katashima? Kojuro thought that probably he would, but obviously it wasn’t a question anyone could really answer. The fact that Ryuzo had put a lot of thought into ways to deal with the Shogun wasn’t something he had even imagined. “Did you … come up with any good ideas?” he asked. The chosen tactic that Homura had come up with was assassination. Had Ryuzo ever thought along those same lines?

“Ah well,” at this point, that slight faltering of confidence that Ryuzo had been scrutinising for, was finally visible. “If Lord Genji were to die without issue then … that still leaves me as his heir. I can’t possibly put myself forward as shogun, even if I would still be head of the clan. It would be better for Homura to remain in the capital as Regent then, too.”

He nodded. It was good to hear that his father thought that Lord Akagi was reliable. He thought that Akagi had decided to declare Quying's independence out of disgust with the shogunate rather than disloyalty, and that, talking with Homura, that it was more detrimental for Quying to strike out on its own rather than remain part of the Tawakoshi. It spoke of his motives being good ones, even though it marked him as being exceptional prideful.

“It's not an assumption, it's a calculation,” he replied. “Of course the Shogun will have loyalists. If not the people, then the warriors who are under his direct command will fight for him. The priests … will likely side with the Emperor, but that is by no means certain. In war there are always casualties, but Homura and I have created a strategy that will lead to as bloodless a takeover as possible. No one wants to see the people suffer unnecessarily. So, yes, I'm willing to take the risk, once the risk has been made as minimal as possible.” Not only was the Shogun's assassination on the cards to strike off the head of the beast, but Homura and Kiri's subtle insurrection in the capital had secured them allies within, and Kiri had been instrumental in ensuring the Emperor would speak up against the Shogun and in support of the new regime once they were ready. He hadn't imagined when he started this conversation that Ryuzo would take such an interest in the minutiae of the war. “Those in the capital will deal with those in the capital.”

“Of course I would have backed you,” he replied instantly, surprised Ryuzo would even ask such a question. “There was nothing wrong with that idea as long as you have the right tools for the job,” he added, as Ryuzo brought up the idea of assassination. Although he didn't explicitly mention that that was precisely the move they were planning to make, the implication was there. “But you're right... the timing is critical. Everything needs to play out at the vital moment, or it will prolong the war indefinitely. This is why we need to move now.”

“Perhaps everyone is sick of shoguns... if we're placing the Emperor's court back at the centre of the nation, then whoever leads it should be leading with the Son of Heaven's consent. The Regent wouldn't be a high general – he would be as much a civil ruler as a miltary one. As Homura is not head of his clan, if he were to be named Shogun then that authority would need to pass to him too.” His tone indicated that while he had no intention of ruling the nation from the capital, he was not going to pass on the leadership of House Hizashi either.

“I said ‘as bloodless as possible’. All our warriors are prepared to die for the Hizashi clan, and no doubt the shogun’s men are just as ready to lay down their lives,” he said, a look of steely determination in his eyes. “But peasants and townfolk shouldn’t have to suffer unduly. This isn’t about the hardness of the strike, but its accuracy. If it comes down to fighting a bloody war on the streets of the capital, and taking it inch by inch, we will. But it is not my preference.” Determination alone wouldn’t make their plans succeed, and there was always a possibility that one part of their strategy would fail, even given the contingencies that he had considered. Pausing for a moment, he gave an appraising look to his father and, wondered if what he was going to say next was really the best idea. He hadn’t expected his father to become so well involved with the war, and had planned to give Ryuzo something else entirely to work on. But despite his misgivings, he took a breath and asked, “Would you like to look over the plans for our strategy? I didn’t think that you would be concerned with in the ins and outs so much, but if you have any improvements to suggest that would be valuable.”

He wasn’t sure why Ryuzo found this last point so aggravating. “Honestly, I’d rather Genji-dono wasn’t titled as Shogun either. But as a conqueror he would have that right, should the Son of Heaven see fit to grant it. But Homura-dono is neither a general or a daimyo. Shogun would be inappropriate, whereas Regent fits better. What is it that you would have him styled as?” Kojuro knew how much Ryuzo loved to pick holes in things without ever making a better suggestion himself, but this time he didn’t feel like letting him get away with it.

“Before you go, there’s something else,” he said, as Ryuzo started to make his excuses to leave. “I would like you to take over the plans for rebuilding Sarisu Island. It’s been slow progress mainly because we haven’t had anyone competent to manage a project of that scale. It would be well-suited to your skills. Yamazaki has sent the current documents over to your study so you can get acquainted.” Obviously this wasn’t as urgent as preparing for the war, so if Ryuzo wanted to be more involved with the strategy then he could put this to one side for the present.

“Please remember that everything we have talked about here is confidential,” he also noted in regard to Ryuzo heading off to write his letter to the House of Reason.