The march was quick, and of Sadayoshi was half the judge of men that he thought he was, he was sure the majority of them were bored. They knew that there were more than enough wars that could be fought instead of mock battles and endless marching. Only the captains knew otherwise.
The marched on behest of Imagawa Yoshimoto, who desired his heir Ujizane to meet his eventual vassals away from the confines of Sunpuu-jo and Suruga Province.
After a day and a half of easy marching, the Tokugawa column approached the Imagawa camp. It was, much to their disgust, set up as if a hunting trip was soon to be underway. Fitting, thought Sadayoshi.
Hirotada and his senior retainers dismounted, and with around thirty other soldiers from each of the army's four divisions approached the Imagawa pavilion at the center of the camp. The men removed their kabutos and bowed to Yoshimoto who returned the bow. After the initial exchange of customary pleasantries and refreshements, Ujitane irritably waved away the servandts. His father sat passively behind him.
Imagawa Ujizane was a young man, slender, but he had the light of intelligence in his eyes. Once his vassal-guests were seated, he spoke. "The Tokugawa have proved themselves to be very useful vassals," he said in a clear voice. "You have brought great honor and prestige to us, and and remedied the follies of the Asano clan's failures." An Imagawa retainer to the side winced almost imperceptibly.
Hirotada nodded. "It was our duty and pleasure to expand the size of your domains, Ujizane-sama."
Ujizane nodded, as did his father, who appeared bored already. "You have also enlarged your own personal holdings, Hirotada-san," he continued, "and now your lands are far larger than any other vassal. We are of a mind to remedy this imbalance," he said coolly. He paused and glanced at the armor that the Tokugawa wore though they bore no weapons.
"Imbalance, my lord?" asked Sadayoshi.
Ujizane looked down his nose at Sadayoshi. "Yes, imbalance. There are many voices who speak of your power and the great autonomy you have weilded," he said vaguely, "as well as voices of jealousy. We would not want Hirotada-san to fall victim to suspicion or jealousy." The men waited to hear what would be said next. "To this end we will be redistributing some of the land you have recently seized."
Sadayoshi began to speak, indignant at this, but Ujizane motioned him silent and continued. "I advise you to keep your wilder retainers in check. In any case, we will not be unfair in this. Lord Imagawa has decided that we will leave half of the land you have taken to the Tokugawa, and perhaps more west of the Yahagi-gawa. If I may ask, why do you all wear armor.?"
Matsudaira Moriakiri answered. "If it pleases you, my lord, we have been drilling our men for the last several weeks before coming here. Another march in armor was thought to be in the best interest of their fighting condition."
Hirotada spke after Moriakiri. "It is this martial spirit that has allowed us with Heaven's grace to defeat our enemis, tono."
Ujizane nodded. "There are, perhaps, other vassals who could certainly learn from the Tokugawa. Your efforts are commendable. Our officials will be in Mikawa in a month's time to see to the redistribution of land. Until then, Lord Imagawa has suggested that we go hunting."
"Ah, yes, hunting," Hirotada said distantly. Sadayoshi noticed Matsudaira Hidenaga tense ever so slightly.
Ujizane frowned. "Yes, hunting. My father wishes to make a gift of a fine falcon to you."
Hirotada smiled lazily. "A most welcome gift,
tono, but a bird, however glorious, does not balance hundreds of thousands of koku lost, nor the lives of thousands of Tokugawa warriors."
"Then do not take the bird," Ujizane sneered. "It makes no difference to us."
"Be calm," Imagawa Yoshimoto finally spoke. "Do you have something else in mind Hirotada-san? In my eyes this is quite reasonable. You will still be our most powerful, and favored vassal."
Hirotada leaned forward and slapped his palm against the ground. "I do not think so!" he barked. The Imagawa jerked backwards, startled. With a roar, the ten Tokugawa senior retainers drew hidden weapons and cut down the guards nearest to them. "What.. what is this treachery?" Yoshimoto cried. His son pushed him towards the exit of the pavilion, until Okubo Moritoki cut him down, as well as another guard that leapt between him and the fleeing Yoshimoto. A pity, thought Sadayoshi, that that one did not come to power earlier. He could have been one to follow.
There was a sudden, eary silence. The Tokugawa's armor had served them well; only one man was dead. The rest hurriedly left the tent and signaled to the hundred or so men that had accompanied them into the Imagawa camp. Their captains drew their swords and cut down their Imagawa counterparts. What followed was a brief massacre as the unprepared Imagawa in the area were all killed. One of the Tokugawa ran to the edge of the camp, waving his arms. He was soon answered by the calls of conch shells and, after a moment's hesitation the rumble of thousands of running feet.
The Tokugawa warriors streamed into the Imagawa camp, killing indiscriminately, and Sadayoshi watched with pleasure as his former Oda warriors flowed past him with bloodied weapons, howling their revenge at the Imagawa.
It was a samurai by the name of Ii Nagaochi who claimed the greatest honor. Sprinting through the maze of tents, half dazed by the shock of being in a rebellion, he soon lost his way. Hearing frantic voices ahead, he crept forwards until he could see two frantic Imagawa soldiers trying to calm a horse for Imagawa Yoshimoto himself. Bellowing his name and ancestry as a challenge, Nagaochi leapt forward with his yari raised above his head, and brought it crashing down on one of the Imagawa soldiers, who crumpled. The shaft splintered and the blade cut deeply into horse, which reared in pain. The second soldier reached for his own yari, but Nagaochi thrust the jagged end of his own weapon into the man's unprotected neck, tearing our his throat.
He looked up just in time to see the Imagawa Daimyo fleeing and chased him through the camp to a horse paddock. Both men mounted up - Yoshimoto scrambling onto the previously wounded horse, and Nagaochi leapt over the fence to the paddock and onto the back of a horse himself. He rode after Yoshimoto, showering the coward with insults the entire time. Finally, realizing that he could not outrun the younger samurai, Yoshimoto riened in his horse abruptly, turning it to face his pursuer and lashing out at him with his sword. Nagaochi caught the blow on his right arm guard, but the fine blade cut through. He drew his wakizashi and, while his opponent's sword was stuck in his arm, punched the blade into Yoshimoto's unprotected armpit. The Imagawa Daimyo swayed, then fell from the saddle. Within moments more newly mounted Tokugawa soldiers arrived at the scene, congratulating the bleeding Nagaochi.
Withing a bloody thirty minutes, the attack was finished. Men stood scattered around the ruined Imagawa camp, grinning at each other, for they had rendered the Imagawa clan leaderless. Another thousand Imagawa soldiers were dead or had fled into the hills, but the flames of rebellion were just kicking up in the Imagawa lands.
Re: For Honor or For Glory? A Tokugawa (Matsudaira) AAR Updated Oct 23
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