Well, we knew we were getting a fixer upper, and her passion isn't wrong, merely inconvenient when not properly focused. We can help with that. Go big or go home, baby, that's how the Toturi Dynasty rolls!
[X] Spend as much time with Shiba Kaname as practical.
[X] When spending time with Kaname, attempt to balance the two (Air roll TN 20)
[X] Spend as little time with her as you can get away with.
-[X] Order her to change her view of the world and make clear that you will not tolerate such behavior long-term.
Alright I feel fairly comfortable in calling this... lets see how the roll goes.
5k3 versus tn 20...
8+9+9=26 It seems that Arangee the Fortune of Luck has blessed you.
Year One of your reign, 5th day of the Month of the Horse.
The faint sound of cicada fills the air, as you drink your tea. You are surrounded by the counsellors you have. Before you lays a small pile of folders, writing, and at least one token of affection from Kaname.
Kaneka, your mother and Kasuga Taigen, the admittedly greedy and capricious head of the Kasuga family sit around you. The topic of the day as it had been for the last few meetings was of course...Kaname.
"She's spirited" Kaneka began.
"She's a menace, what that Otomo was thinking..." your mother mutters.
"She has potential" Taigen said diplomatically.
"I would assume you mean my fiancée yes?" you ask dryly.
"Hai...forgive me, my Emperor, we do not question your wisdom...but she is trying." Kaneka says.
"The Scorpion have already begun making noises about how very very sad they are that your wife is apparently so...forthright" Taigen nods.
"Then it is time to give them something else to talk about." You say.
"Hai...then your sessions have born fruit my son? I admit, I did not expect to have such a quick turn around." Your mother says.
You shrug slightly.
"She is...learning that as father of my Empire, I will protect my children as any parent might." You say.
"Fortunately, her zeal for the duty of motherhood is growing."
Which was of course code for. 'She's learned that saying that sort of thing is going to make me angry at her.' Along with. 'She likes me enough that she's not willing to make me angry' which was the best you could hope for. Getting the kitten had been a good move on your part. Overall you think that she hasn't really changed her opinions but she was willing to allow that not everyone held them and she shouldn't think less of them for that. Combine that and her willingness not to talk about it? You're willing to call that win.
Bonus, she actually touched your hand the other night in the fountain room...it was nice.
"Your father would be impressed" Kaneka says absently.
"Thank you my Shogun." You say with a wry smile.
You're pretty sure your father would box you about the ears for not choosing Kakita Ayane. Still, it is nice of your uncle to say that. The silence hangs for a moment as you decide what to do first.
"Let us begin with the candidates for Imperial Treasurer then." you say.
"Hai Heika...we have three candidates for this." Taigen says.
He draws out three dossiers and portraits, arranging them for all to read.
"Three? The Unicorn aren't throwing their hat into the ring?" Kaneka asks.
"I'm given to understand that Lord Yoritomo had some very interesting things to say to Khan Moto during the celebrations. The Unicorn have fielded no candidate" Taigen says.
"Very well, let us see them then...." you say reading them over.
Yoritomo Hiroko
Water Skill:3
Born in 1149 Isawa. Yoritomo Hiroko's family fought for the Kitao faction in the Mantis Civil War. and paid for it afterwards. Ordinarily that would be where the story ends. Yet, even though her family was reduced to one ship, Hiroko brought them back through a mixture of careful negotiations and brilliant trade deals, by the time of the War of Fire and Thunder, her family was one of the wealthiest the Mantis had to offer, with strong connections to the Order of Daikoku. However, in spite of her many talents, she is know for an acid tongue, and complete willingness to simply kill everyone involved in a problem and then take her money. A Mantis Supremacist, it's almost guaranteed that she gives her clan excessively good deals while ensuring everyone else is forced to compensate. On the other hand, she will make trade flow again, and will ensure you have koku in the vault.
Yasuki Osamu
Water Skill 3
The Angry Carpenter Fish as some call him. Yasuki Osamu was born in 1143 Isawa Calendar and was one of the main critics against the Yasuki Wars from within the Yasuki, something that bought him no favours. His arguments were entirely logical in that they disrupted the main task of the Yasuki...but that didn't make him any friends. In spite of that, or maybe because of it. Osamu remains arguably the third richest man in the Yasuki Family almost entirely on his own merits. A shrewd investor he owns and ships most of the sake in the south at least in theory. The fact remains that his nickname from his youth holds still. When it comes to people disrupting his profit, he is an angry angry man. On the other hand he sees the value of taxation and trade, and provides a careful balance to both in his outlook. Although unlikely to treat the Crane with particular favour, he holds no particular animosity for anyone who doesn't threaten the koku flow.
Daidoji Takahiro
Water Skill 3
Born in 1135, Daidoji Takahiro was born with a club foot, something that he determined would not prevent him from being a splendid samurai. Forbidden from the spear wall, he turned his mind towards managing the land and fuelling the needs of the Crane no matter the cost. It was his careful style that allowed the Crane to finance their support of Toturi I's final campaigns against Hantei XVI in the Spirit wars, and the second Yasuki War. Although sidelined during the the Four Winds Crisis for his belief that Toturi III should rule, Takahiro's skill was too great to ignore, and when Toturi III was swiftly given back all of his previous duties and titles. While a member in good standing of the Daidoji Trading Council, Takhiro's real talent is his ability to look at a region and discover what it is holding back people from becoming rich. This ability for tax growth has made him quite valued even as he grows older. However, Takahiro is not without flaws, once convinced of a course, he becomes almost intractable in changing it. Furthermore he has angered both the Yasuki and the Mantis repeatedly with his dealings.
"Hmmm quite the eclectic group eh?" Kaneka muses aloud.
"Hai, thats one word for it....despite his temperament, Yasuki-san would be a benefit to this council, able to both grow the merchant trade, and the peasants is ideal" your mother says.
"My apologies Lady Toturi, but I will disagree. I think that Daidoji-san is probably going to be what we want with our current policies. Making people make more wealth for us to tax is what we want anyways."
Taigen looks over the picture of Hiroko for a moment.
"This is all moot isn't it? The Mantis are muttering of drastic action as it is, while I agree that the Crane and Crab candidates are superior....do we really have a choice?" He asks.
You frown. The Kasuga had a point, he wasn't supposed to do that.
In the end you want to choose....
[] Yoritomo Hiroko (Trade focused, Locks Mantis to 20 minimum for 2 years. +5 bonus to Unicorn and Scorpion relations. -5 everyone else)
[] Yasuki Osamu (Balanced, Locks Crab minimum to 20 for 2 years. +5 bonus to Dragon and Crab Relations. -5 everyone else)
[] Daidoji Takahiro (Growth focused, Locks Crane to 20 minimum for 2 years. +5 bonus to Lion and Crane Relations. -5 everyone else)
AN: So to explain briefly what the Trade/Balance/Growth thing means. This relates to their favoured means for handling problems in their wheelhouse. Hiroko will look for a way to make trade flourish through out the empire, swelling the merchant classes pockets and by extension tariffs. Takahiro on the other prefers to invest in peasants and artisans so they make more, swelling their pockets and by extension taxes. Osamu strikes a balance between the two.
I had intended to write up the imperial Advisors in this post too...but that got away from me, so next update.
Ah Political compromise.
Can we influence our treasurer in any way or will we just let them have free reign?
Though I'm not sure how to word "while making a honest profit is okay, screwing everybody else over to do so is counterproductive to my goals of healing rifts and repairing the economy" in a way that would both work and not be rude to someone who is at least ostensibly our agent.
Can we influence our treasurer in any way or will we just let them have free reign?
Though I'm not sure how to word "while making a honest profit is okay, screwing everybody else over to do so is counterproductive to my goals of healing rifts and repairing the economy" in a way that would both work and not be rude to someone who is at least ostensibly our agent.
Like Kaname, and your other advisers, there are personal options that will arise when they first come on board for how much you ride herd on them/convince them to do things your way, naturally there are trade offs.
She has the same water score as the three others, and by this point, that's all that matters. She will funnel wealth to her own clan - probably blatantly enough that it will be seen as buying them off. You know what? It *is*. We're going to give the mantis exactly what they most desire, and then *work* them for it... because Mantis at Clan Rating 5 is simply not maintainable. The fact that it bumps the Unicorn up a touch helps too.
Her being trade-focused is actually not bad. We can work on improving the base economy ourselves (and, indeed, have been), then let her figure out how to knit those markets together.
Side note: we're going to have to start worrying about the Dragon soon. Hopefully we'll eventually start to see at least a few actions that are actually Clan Rating-positive.
I want to vote for Daidoji I prefer growth to trade to an extent and he seems like he'll be the most help in any Earth actions we take such as rebuilding roads and things, however,
Doing so puts the Mantis somewhere between active opposition to us and active rebellion.
[X] Yoritomo Hiroko
Additionally it means the most in terms of +relationship. This puts the mantis to +20 minimum which is the same as giving us +15 compared to any other option. And from here for the rest of the year we can continue to shit on the Mantis in favour of other clans to artificially increase our popularity.
[x] Yasuki Osamu (Balanced, Locks Crab minimum to 20 for 2 years. +5 bonus to Dragon and Crab Relations. -5 everyone else)
As much as a Mantis treasurer would keep that Clan happy, if they can't find someone more level-headed then it's hard to see we should favour them with an appointment.
I don't think there's anything saying that Hiroko's not level-headed. She's a careful negotiator, a brilliant dealmaker, acid-tongued, completely willing to resort to violence, and heavily biased towards her own clan. She'll make the trade flow and put money in our coffers. If anything, Osamu is the one with the anger issues.
I'll point out that, while the Kasuga is right, he is right in a specific way that benefits him in the extreme. With focus on mercantilism and trade, tariffs will be raised through the roof. In that environment, smugglers like the Tortoise will thrive.
That being said, the Mantis is the only real option, and the Mantis know it, that's why they threw us a hardball candidate. If we refuse, then they can throw an even more extreme candidate for Imperial Advisor, or if they're particularly vicious, send no candidate at all and possibly guarantee grounds for rebellion.
