I am the Real Shogun! - The AAR
Update 2: The Hosokawa and the Heir - Part Five
At this point in time Japanese women did not enjoy the same privileges that being born a man bestowed upon you, they could for example not inherit or help rule the clan from positions of power. Yet they still held one form of power, the power over a man's heart. Perhaps the death of his wife is what caused his death, the broken heart he suffered... or perhaps it wasn't. It may be that his wound that had been bothering him since the very first battle he fought in this shameful war had finally caught up to him. He had lived a full life, fathered 5 sons and a daughter, married 4 times and done well for the clan. Yoshimasa was mourned by many.
Whatever the reason of his death, on the
14th February, 1479, Yoshimasa the Brave was no more. The time had come for a new ruler, his son, Ashikaga Yoshihisa. Whereas his father had been the rightful Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshihisa had never enjoyed such luxury. Provinces fell, lineages died out, all because of this one fact. His rule would certainly be contested, yet it was his in his blood, he was the heir. Where many young rulers and heirs let their power and might defeat them, succumbing to arrogance and the like, Yoshihisa had merely been humbled by the experience. He had become a remarkable person, kinder than most and willing to give to those in need.
The Shogun knew that a 13 year old cannot truly rule. On his deathbed Yoshimasa appointed his most loyal vassal Ashikaga Harutane to rule until the boy was ready. (
Until he turns 16, I will tell the story from Harutane's perspective)
Even with my guidance the boy would prove to be a man of incredible character. As Shogun his first act would be one of superb kindness, going against the instructions and advice I gave him and even the advice of the court, he married his father's fourth wife. His own stepmother, a 40 year old woman, was hardly a suitable candidate to be the first wife of a Shogun yet he persisted. Why? To show her she still had family.
However no man, or boy, is perfect. Without the pride that had driven his father to fight so bravely against the Hosokawa the boy had become content with his place in the world. I would have to do my best to guide him, to ensure that the Ashikaga shogunate has a leader they can depend on.
The rightful Shogun has left us in a favorable position, yet in the grander sense we are quite vulnerable. The Sengoku Jidai is underway, many are hungry for the title that the young Yoshihisa holds. Hosokawa may seem like the enemy now, yet their defenses have crumbled and their provinces and the riches within them are being taken by others. In comparison we have grown very little, others like the Ouchi and Yamana have truly benefited from this unjust rebellious war.
If we are to stand a chance at a unified Japan, a Japan once more under the rule of the honorable Ashikaga Shogunate, we must manuever carefully.
In the south the siege of Nishikibe that Yoshimasa began has been progressing well. Back home I rally what levvies I can, while we must certainly go on the offensive now, we cannot afford to lose any ground either. The Rokkaku are pushing in from the north and we risk missing out on some territorial gains that the old Shogun tried for, Otagi. I send an army to lay claim to it.
It is around this time that Hosokawa must've realized what fools they had been, marching right through our lands rather than conquering us. You should always deal with the easiest threat first. And so they try, they send a rather strong army to lay siege to my capital, Kadono. Just east of them I am laying siege to Otagi and once more they make the grave mistake of not dealing with the weaker target first.
The siege in Nishikibe is underway and I realize that it can certainly keep going with a smaller force, I send what men I can north to help deal with the Kadono siege.
Some men dare, and some men don't. I may be nothing more than a vassal. Yet this is a time when vassals break free and rebel against their masters, when vassals are treated with paranoia and seen as dangerous competitors. In a time such as this did he not, Yoshimasa the Brave the rightful Shogun himself, trust me to the extent that he would let me take control of the clan? I would like to be remebered as more than merely a competitor, and so it falls upon me to make the hard decisions.
In a time such as this you must think in the grander sense, you must risk losing your capital if it means gaining a favorable position on the larger stage.
And so I devise a cunning plan to lay claim to as much of the land west of our territory as I possibly can, the western alliance is after all fighting our war, the war for the succession of the Ashikaga shogunate. Is that not what they claimed to begin with? Their honor demands that they respect our claims, if we get there first and besiege the fortifications they will be ours no matter whose blood is spilled in the assault.
In the south I split the Nishikibe siege force and send one half to Izumi, the Takeda and Kono have taken over Shikoku and are pushing east. In the north I keep a portion of the army in Otagi, the rest are sent like a river to lay claim to as much as I possibly can between the sieges of the Takeda, Rokkaku, Ouchi and Yamana.
The plan's first stage works, 8 additional provinces are besieged by forces under my control and while they may not be enough to conquer all of those on their own allied forces accept the claims as they arrive to assist with the sieges.
The last leg of the war is upon us.
End of Part Five