Nobunaga's Ambition: Tenka Fubu

"He reminds me of a crow," the older boy said.

"Really? I'm not seein' it," Inuchiyo said.

"Hey, Crow, kick the ball over here!" the older boy ordered.

"Wha-? Don't tell me what to do!" you exclaim at the ragged-looking boy. "You're just some dirty peasant!"

What else could he be, looking like that? Obviously he was just some servants' kid who got all high and mighty because he was the oldest.

Several of the boys freeze in shock. One of them, a very plain-looking boy who seems only a little bit younger than the oldest one who's been hanging around near the back, suddenly rushes to the front.

"H-He didn't mean that!" he says frantically, holding out his hands to the older boy. "Listen, you can't be saying things like that! This is-"

"Gorō. Move," the older boy said calmly, his voice low. With a sigh, Gorō moved aside.

The boy walked up to you slowly, a piercing glare keeping you rooted to the spot. Through it all, though, you remembered what Father always told you, and stood strong with a challenging glare of your own, no matter how scared you were.

"One last chance," he says as he stops in front of you, looming over you menacingly. He holds out his hand. "You made me walk all the way over here. Hand me the ball."

'Before his life, a samurai is concerned with his pride,' Father said to you. A samurai stands above mere commoners; you're not about to take orders from one! But you'll give him the ball...

You thrust it into his stomach, hard. The boy doubles over a bit at the impact, more from surprise than the force of the blow. He glares down at you, which you return with your own. A silent battle of wills. Even young as you are, a samurai is fated to win such an encounter!

Then he cheats by knocking you to the ground, trying to pin you down. Luckily, you wrestle with your brother all the time, so you're used to facing a larger foe, and struggle with all your might!

Unfortunately, no matter how used to it you are, the fact remains that you always lose when you wrestle your brother, and it doesn't go any better here. Eventually, despite all your struggling, the older boy has you pinned, both of you facing each other. It is then, that he proves once and for all his total cruelty, his sheer horrible monstrosity.

"Bleh~!" He opens his mouth, a single long, thin strand of drool slowly escaping from it, hanging right over your face!

"No! No!" you scream, renewing your struggles, hoping for some kind of salvation. "Stop!" You're so panicked you don't even hear the uproarious laughter from the other boys that draws in your savior.

"Lord Kippōshi! Stop that this instance!" a man's voice yells.

As the wretched monster in dirty peasants' skin spins his head around to the voice, mercifully the spittle flies out to the side and misses you entirely. Seeing your opportunity, you give one mighty heave in just the right way that you've learned from long experience to break free of his wicked grasp!

"Ugh, maybe instead of a crow you're an eel," the boy mutters as you break free and scramble to your feet.

"Ah! You must be Kanma Rikimaru," an old man - your savior - says. He turns to the dirty peasant boy. "Lord Kippōshi, what are you doing to a boy so much younger than you?"

Wait… Lord Kippōshi? Isn't that the name of… Oh.

Oh.

Lord Oda Kippōshi, the likely heir to the Oda, scratches his hair in apparent boredom. "He wouldn't give me the ball," he says simply.

Meanwhile, you're frozen still, silently freaking out about how badly you've messed up.

The old man puts a hand to his forehead in consternation. "So you decided to do that to a boy half your age! My lord, he is the son of one of your father's most trusted retainers!"

What's going to happen to your family!? What's going to happen to your dog!?

"Yeah, and one day he'll be mine," Lord Kippōshi explains casually. "What use do I have for a retainer who won't listen to me just because I happen to be dirty?"

Are you going to have to kill yourself to save your family!? But Big Brother says that hurts!

"Perhaps, then, you should dress in such a manner that you won't be mistaken for a servant's whelp!" the old man scolds. He walks up and puts a hand on your shoulder, bringing you out of your thoughts.

"My apologies for Lord Kippōshi's behavior. As his mentor, it is entirely my own failing," he says kindly. "Classes will start soon, but a quick wash and some new clothes can be provided for you first."

"Thank you… um…"

"Hirate Masahide," the man says. "I'm one of the karō who has the task of teaching you children. And it seems I've been stuck with all the problem children!" he calls out to the gaggle of boys led by Lord Kippōshi. The one named Gorō looks apologetic, but the rest either laugh or don't care.

"Well, it was assumed you would be attending class with my charges, but if you'd rather take classes with your older brother and Lord Kanjurō under Sir Hidesada, I'd understand," Sir Masahide says.

You glance back at Kippōshi, who's standing with his arms crossed looking at you. You aren't sure what the expression on his face is.

What's your answer?

[] Learn under Hidesada

You get along well with your brother, and Lord Kanjurō can't be any worse than his brother.

[] Learn under Masahide

You refuse to let him dictate your actions! And this way you can let him know that maybe, if he's nice, you'll apologize for mistaking him for a dirty peasant. Even though he dresses like one. And acts like one. Really, he should be apologizing for being misleading, but you're nice like that.

---X---

AN: Congratulations! You picked the animal that has the worst starting relationship with your likely future lord, the least concern or care for the lower classes, and the one most likely to let his pride affect his judgment!

And, you know, all the good stuff I stated in the write-up, rather than just hinting at or expecting you to parse out.

I figured when I first put it up that the Fox and Crow would be the big contenders, which promised to be amusing because in terms of who they get along with, they're pretty much exact opposites.

7 Tenbun (1538)

Hōjō Ujitsuna had taken Kawagoe Castle last year, and with it much of Musashi Province, and was positioning himself as the primary power in Kantō. However, there were other enemies to his expansion than the Ugigayatsu-Uesugi.

One such enemy was named Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the self-proclaimed Kantō Kubō, though others knew him as the Oyumi Kubō. With the support of the Satomi clan of Kazusa and Awa Provinces, Yoshiaki began to raise an army to attack Ujitsuna and check his further expansion into the eastern half of Kantō.

When Ujitsuna heard of Yoshiaki's army approaching Edo, flying the banners of the shōgun and with Yoshiaki himself at the head, he laughed.

"What a fool!" he exclaimed once his laughter had died. "Does he think the shōgun's banner is going to strike fear in our hearts? Does he think the sight of the kubō will send us into flight?

"Hah. He's let those minor victories the Satomi helped him attain get to his head. Poor deluded fool. Prepare the troops. The kubō is about to receive a very unfortunate glimpse of reality."

---X---

The Ashikaga troops met with the Satomi near Kōnodai and held a war council to discuss the army that Ujitsuna had raised to oppose them.

Satomi Yoshitaka advised Yoshiaki to strike the Hōjō army while they were crossing the nearby Edo River, allowing him to effectively split the enemy army in half.

Yoshiaki, however, refused this advice.

"I have no intention of giving any of the dogs of Hōjō a chance to escape!" the kubō proclaimed with the utmost confidence. "As far as I'm concerned, this battle is a failure unless I can take Ujitsuna's head, and I will give him no chance to get away!"

Holding in his urge to sigh, Yoshitaka tried once more to make him see sense. "If we allow them to cross the Edo before attacking them, we not only miss the chance to cut their effective strength in half, we'll be facing them while their backs are to the wall. A cornered soldier is at his fiercest; since ancient times, this has been the rule of war."

Yoshiaki merely leaned back confidently, a smile on his face. "Yoshitaka, why so timid? I am the Kantō Kubō, second only to the Shōgun himself! The men of Kantō ride at my back, and the dogs of Hōjō surely cower at my very name! Let Ujitsuna and his wretched mob steel themselves; it will only make my victory all the more impressive!

"Perhaps when the outcome is uncertain, it may be wise to consult the old masters," he continued amiably. "But there is no doubt at all of who shall win this day. So, if the result is not in doubt, then my plan should be to ensure my victory is as complete as possible! To do anything else would be simple cowardice on my part."

Yoshitaka looked hard at the kubō as he all but preened at his own words, and came to his decision. "... Understood, my lord. If that is so, then I will concede the vanguard to you, that you may manifest your might most effectively. I shall provide the reinforcements to wipe whatever's left of the Hōjō clean once you have attained suitable glory."

Yoshiaki laughed heartily. "My thanks, Yoshitaka! You're an excellent retainer. I think once I've wiped out the Hōjō I'll wipe out the Uesugi too, so I can make you my Kanrei!"

"You are too kind, my lord," Yoshitaka said humbly, and took his leave.

Once he was back in his own camp, Yoshitaka finally gave voice to his thoughts. "Typical. I'd hoped the minor battles I had him lead would teach him how war works. But it seems he's nothing but a sheltered noble.

"Well, it's not a complete loss," he mused. "At least the men and I can get a good show out of it. And what's more… staying out of this will be more than enough to pay my debt to Ujitsuna…"

Yoshitaka's father, Satomi Sanetaka, was a second son who became head of the clan when his elder brother died while his only son was a small child. That child, Satomi Yoshitoyo, rebelled in the 2nd year of Tenbun (1533) and killed Sanetaka. Yoshitaka had been away at the time, and turned to the Hōjō for aid. Seeing an opportunity to indebt the Satomi to him and thus perhaps secure peace from the Bōsō Peninsula, Ujitsuna had given Yoshitaka the aid he needed to defeat and kill Yoshitoyo the next year.

Now, recognizing that his attempt at backing Ashikaga Yoshiaki as a figurehead was doomed to fail at some point, Yoshitaka decided to repay his debt to Ujitsuna and shed himself of a pawn that was no longer serving its purpose…

---X---

Allowing the entire Hōjō army, 20,000 strong in all, to cross the Edo River, the 10,000-man Ashikaga force found themselves outnumbered 2 to 1. Despite Yoshiaki's bluster, the Hōjō troops were neither demoralized by the thought of facing the kubō, nor outmatched by his soldiers. To all but Yoshiaki himself, the outcome was never in doubt. Hence why several of his former allies, most notably the Chiba clan of southern Koga Province, had abandoned him for the Hōjō. His only major allies left were the Mariyatsu-Takeda of Shimōsa and, of course, the Satomi.

At the moment, though, Yoshiaki continue to believe in his victory. Though, he had to admit, he was impressed.

"Damn, not bad Ujitsuna…!" he said through gritted teeth, nursing an arrow in his shoulder. Luckily it wasn't his sword arm, so he could still fight!

"Reporting in!" cried an orderly just before Yoshiaki could charge back into the fray to finish Ujitsuna off once and for all. "Lord Yoshizumi has fallen!"

Yoshiaki's face went white with shock, then red with rage. "What!? First my brother, now my son! I'll pay you thrice over for this, Ujitsuna!"

In a rage, Yoshiaki once more took the head of his army and led a reckless charge at the enemy.

"Come face me like a man, Ujitsuna!" Yoshiaki bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Show yourself, you cowardly dog!"

"A brainless chump like you isn't worth my father's time!" cried out a voice even louder than Yoshiaki's own. A man in splendid armor with a huge banner attached to his back rushed out to meet the kubō. "Hōjō Tsunashige is more than enough for the likes of you!"

The two generals clashed, Tsunashige's spear against Yoshiaki's sword. Though the Oyumi Kubō proved his reputation for valor and strength was not all talk, in the end he found himself cut down. Tsunashige's spear pierced his side, and Yoshiaki fell from the saddle, too weak to even pick himself up from the mud as he bled out onto the ground while his men died all around him, their morale broken at the sight of their commander falling under the spear of Tsunashige.

"No… no, it wasn't supposed to be like this," Yoshiaki moaned, his once-booming voice now a pitiful whine that no one but himself could hear. "I'm… the Kantō Kubō, the… the hope of the Ashikaga. How could… these upstarts…?"

"The kubō has fallen!" Tsunashige roared triumphantly, pulling his sword to thrust it into the air dramatically. "This fight is ours! The old world is dead! Long live the Hōjō!"

"Long live the Hōjō!" came the triumphant cry from the army.

While his men busied themselves with slaughtering the rest of the Ashikaga forces, Tsunashige dropped down from the saddle to cut off the kubō's head. "And that makes three!" he said happily, using the head's long hair like a rope to tie it to his saddle, right next to the heads of his brother and son.

"Man, I got all the luck this fight," Hōjō Tsunashige mused to himself. "I managed to find all three of them before anyone else! Good thing, too, I haven't had a good fight since Kawagoe, and that wasn't nearly enough to repay my debt to Father and Big Bro."

Originally of the Fukushima, Tsunashige had fled to Sagami after the Hanakura Revolt. Ujitsuna, seeing his potential, had married him to his daughter and given him the Hōjō name. Ujiyasu had taken to having yet another younger brother with aplomb, and the two had swiftly grown as close as true brothers, fighting together at Kawagoe the year previously.

And so, the Battle of Kōnodai was an overwhelming victory for the Hōjō. Without having ever committed his own force of 10,000, Satomi Yoshitaka withdrew without a word, his debt to Ujitsuna paid as far as he was concerned. For the rest of his life, he would be an enemy to the Hōjō without a second thought, clashing with them time and again in an attempt to keep them from engulfing all of Kantō.

But that was later. In the meantime, he fell upon the lands now vacant thanks to the death of the kubō and his few loyal supporters. The Satomi took the lands of the Oyumi-Ashikaga and the Mariyatsu-Takeda without any resistance, thus taking full control of Awa and Shimōsa.

---X---



Ashikaga Yoshiaki: 1497-1538
LEA 84, VAL 88, INT 34, POL 60

10 Tenbun (1541)
Odawara Castle, Sagami Province

Hōjō Ujitsuna, the second head of the Hōjō clan, had followed in his father's footsteps and led his clan with the utmost in skill. Though ambitious, he tempered his drive to expand with compassion for the people. Over the course of 20 years, he expanded his power slowly but surely, making sure to minimize the disruptions to the people under him.

In addition to rebuilding the town of Kamakura and the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, he gained the love and respect of the people through generous donations to local temples and the application of reasonable tax rates. Throughout his reign he ordered repairs and reconstructions for the Samukawa Shrine, the Hokane Gangen, the Rokusho Myō, and the Izu Mishima Shrine, and granted special labor and tax exemptions to these and other shrines. This had stimulated the local economy by attracting pilgrims and traders to service them, ensuring greater prosperity for the people.

As well, he ordered the construction of the Sōun-ji in honor of his father, a move that garnered respect even in other lands.

But even the most beloved and popular of men are destined to die, and Ujitsuna was now on his deathbed. Around him was nearly his entire family.

His younger brother Genan, who had taken vows as a monk years ago. His sons, Ujiyasu, Tamemasa and Ujitaka. His foster sons, Tsunashige and Tsunataka. His daughters...

He broke out in a fit of coughing, ruining his train of thought.

"My sons..." he said weakly, once his coughing fit was passed. "Do you remember the five principles I taught you?"

Blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall, Ujiyasu, ever the dutiful son, began to recite the first. "One… Value righteousness above all else. Nothing is more disgraceful than to be a ruler who is not righteous."

Genan softened his muttered prayers, so that their recitations could be heard, his beseechment to the buddhas for the sake of his brother becoming mere background noise.

"Two…" Ujitaka began, his voice wavering, but still able to be heard by all in the room. "Show love to all people, whether they be samurai or peasant. Employ them in positions where they are useful, and place them where they can avoid their weaknesses…"

"No person is truly worthless; if a man feels worthless, it is the fault of his leader for not placing him in a position that suits his merits," Tamemasa picked up, as Ujitaka's voice gave way to choked sobs.

"Three," Tsunataka continued. "Be wary of both pride and flattery. Know always where you truly stand, and do not forget your place."

"Four," Tsunashige took up in his turn. "Work hard, but efficiently. A good warrior values the old ways and adapts them to his needs. Those who obsess over the novel and forget the tried-and-true often lack dedication."

"Five," Ujiyasu said, bookending the recitation. "In war, the more you win, the more care you must take. To take pride in victory is to underestimate the enemy and invite a greater defeat. After a victory, tighten the straps of your helmet and prepare for the next battle without pause."

"Excellent," Ujitsuna said, a peaceful smile on his face. "You've all learned well. Ujiyasu… when you were young, you were weak and unreliable. I worried for you day and night.

"But I have no worries anymore," he said, his voice growing fainter. "You've grown into a man who will surpass even me. And the rest of you… with you at his side, all of Kantō will tremble."

"Father…!" Ujiyasu choked out, tears falling freely now.

"Heh… Crying again?" Ujitsuna jibed. "Hoping that if you worry me again I'll spring up to whip you back into shape? I'm sorry, but that won't work, Ujiyasu. So please… put your father at peace before he leaves this world behind."

At his father's words, Ujiyasu mastered himself. With a quick wipe of his sleeve, the tears were gone, and he sat straight and stoic, as his father always had. "Of course. I apologize for that display, Father."

"Ujiyasu… everyone… the Hōjō is in your hands. Protect the people… put them at ease…"

"Yes, sir!" the gathered Hōjō family cried out as one as their patriarch left this world.

Upon the death of Hōjō Ujitsuna, people all throughout Sagami, Izu and Musashi mourned the death of their beloved leader, while in the neighboring provinces, powerful men celebrated the death of the man who had struck such fear into their hearts.

---X---


Hōjō Ujitsuna: 1487-1541
LEA 94, VAL 82, INT 93, POL 92