The land of beauty -A Hiraizumi Fujiwara campaign in ROTS .

[Alwyn]

I agree with Turkafinwë, this is a good chapter and the tension between the brothers is an interesting plot-line, I'll be interested to see how that develops. Perhaps they'll be rival generals in the coming war, but would their rivalry undermine their family's strategy?

[Owlparrot3]

Thanks for commenting Alwyn. Yes, i am enjoying writing this AAR.

+rep(But due to the worst internet connection, i am unsure if the rep has reached you.)

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 11.

"Treason, deception, crime!"shouted Hidehira to whoever was unlucky to have been with him when the royal messenger arrived from the capital of Japan.

The Taira villany had been well known for its sheer audacity all over Japan, but not even the greatest of thinkers would have predicted that they would go to such lengths to hold onto their power. Emperor Mochihito had been an able ruler who had always favoured either the Fujiwara or the Minamoto families. His actions always went against those of the Taira and his sense of justice always prevailed over their acts of constant treason.

It had been well known that the Taira had tried to win him over several times, but every one of those times, he remained firm on his stand.

So the Taira instead did what no one would have imagined, through a complex networks of bribes and favours, they bought off the council of ex emperors and the royal nobility including the empress herself. They then forced Mochihito to abdicate !



In his place, they installed Emperor Antoku, a brash youngster and a puppet in the hands of his Taira mother.
And thus, this was the cause of Hidehira's unbound anger.

"What should we do now?" he asked to his advisers after a more than generous, but cooling glass of hard liquor.

"The Ex-emperor has escaped the capital with some loyalists and has declared an immediate call to arms, whos supporting him at this moment is unknown, nevertheless, civil war s here"said the adviser like a clockwork Yankee toy(Pardon the author for using this modern example).

"SHUT UP, i will have none of this ;ex; thing here, for us, he is the only real emperor."shouted Hidehira.

"I my lord, as a loyal adviser to you would advise against making any public declarations before we finish assessing our own position" said the adviser.

"NO"shouted Hidehira.

But after another more than average glass he exclaimed "You are right".

[Turkafinwë]

Good chapter my friend! A coup d'état by the Taira. It seems Hidehira is wise to listen to his advisor, even if it is after a stiff drink. Yet some declaration will have to be made for one emperor or the other before long. Intrigued to see how the Fujiwara clan will hold itself in this civil war.

[Alwyn]

Good chapter indeed, I agree that it sounds like the Fujiwara will have to declare their support for one of the two people who claim to be emperor. I look forward to finding out what will happen.

[Owlparrot3]

Thanks for commenting Alwyn. Things are quickly turning sour for the Japanese equilibrium and something must be done fast.

Here is the map(Not mine) of provinces.

(21.42)

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 12.

Hidehira was happy. One of his main pastimes in Uzen was sampling its exquisite beverages. The town was very famous for brewing drinks that could down a giant. He loved to drink together with some of the best and most loyal men that he had to ensure that, their sense of brotherhood and loyalty to him did not falter.

One particular evening it had gotten so wild that the group had not eaten dinner at all. It had started because one particularly smart general, a tall and thin man named Kirota had challenged everyone except Hidehira to a drinking contest.
"I Kirota here is willing to offer you 10 gold coins if you agree to drink with me and still be aware of your surroundings when i decide to call it a day" he had said.

In the end, the only person to accept the bout had been the man that Kirota had omitted out of respect, his lord !!!

Thus they each took glass after glass.

After the first glass itself Hidehira began to feel his body becoming heated, he could sense everything around him clearly. The second glass had a stranger reaction to him, instead of his loyal generals and old friends, he began to see his sons Kunihira and Tadahira with him. He saw Kunihra, still 18 instructing him about how the drink is going to take him some day.

Out of a corner of his eye he saw Tadahira giggle, still in his teens.

Kunihira lovingly patted his shoulder and then Hidehira ordered them both, come on, its time to eat. At that moment Kirota dumped down another glass, Hidehira's blood boiled, how is this mongrel able to drink a third glass???



The third glass literally made his body into a burning volcano, suddenly his both sons were going away from him, he watched as Kunihira and Tadahira started going out from his room and on to the sky where they created their own planets and started living in a dangerous apparent harmony.
Then Hidehira heard shouting "Yes, yes, lord Hidehira, yes, one more" , those were the men of Fukushima, thy were cheering to him after his victory at the battle, they were imploring him to capture Uzen as well.

NO, those were simply his courtiers asking him to drink one more. Despite some initial fears, he did it flinchingly.

Suddenly his sons were back with him. He wished it was they and not his friends who would have been drinking with him today, had he become vainglorious???
Then again suddenly Hidehira found himself back to his own youth, he was in a wrestling bout, the opponent was a heavy fellow, but Hidehira punched him hard on the face and he fell face up to the ground, then Hidehira punched again, and again and again and yet again until he cried out............

"Enough, lets call it day" , it was Kirota.

He had done it, he had won, even at this age, he could still beat these youngsters at anything and everything, including the two youths stationed near Fukushima.

Suddenly his guards cut the scene.
"My lord, a Kiso clan diplomat wishes to see you immediately" he said.

"Oh no, guards, I am drunk, prepare me for the meeting" ordered Hidehira..
At this order, the guard made a sudden movement forward and shouted as loud as he could "FOOL" and then slapped Hidehira hard on his cheek turning it bright red, for a moment it looked as if Hidehira would have the man beheaded, but he recovered and said
"Thanks my man" to the guard .

A few minutes later, the diplomat entered inside the room.

He was a short stocky man, must be young of age, but his etiquettes were flawless indicating atleast a few years of experience behind him. His clothes were royal, must have been a gift from his master. On his belt was a solitary dagger, as everyone knew, diplomacy was not a safe profession in this age, and bandits were a constant problem for travelling long distances. After bowing in full salute, as a friend, not as a servant, he rose up and the talks began.

"I am Hano, my master Torimana Kiso Minamoto gives you his greetings sir" said the diplomat.

"Lets cut to the chase my man, i am a touch drunk, so , what does your war mongering master has to say?" asked Hidehira.

"My master is concerned exactly about this, while we do support the Kamkura, we feel that their tactics of aggression are going to bring doom to our lord, yet, we are honourbound to support them in their war against you and your lowly soldiers" answered the diplomat.

"Guard your tongue well you sewer rat, or I will have it cut, you say that you are honour bound to face our mighty armies, yes, we can put down both, you and the Kamakura, yet, judging by this meeting and its character, i would like to ask, how much is the cost to release your master from these chains of honour?" asked Hidehira.

For a moment, Hano wavered, then a smile appeared on his handsome jaws.

"The amount is written on this woodblock" said Hano and then he handed over the block to Hidehira.

"Hmm, the amount is big, courtiers, what do you think?" asked Hidehira displaying the amount.

For the next few minutes, Hidehira and Hano remained silent while the rest of the room became abuzz with the sounds of men arguing and discussing.
After a few minutes, the most dominant of them started shouting and fighting.

All of a sudden, Hidehira, still hallucinating, replied

"I ACCEPT" he shouted.

"Magnificent sir, my master would be very happy by your acceptance" said Hano .

"I would like to ask you a question, how can i trust a man who does not hesitate to betray his own brothers for money/" asked Hidehira.

"The same way that we offer to one who has vanquished his own brothers" replied the diplomat instinctively.

"You are brave my man, here's a little something for you too" said Hidehira offering him a gold coin.

"Thanks sir thanks, there is another thing for you sir" said the diplomat.

"What?"

"A rarity from China, a sturdy horse, they say its superior to any other horse in the known world in every way, its from a place from the very edge of the world, a land of vast deserts, located thousands of miles away from our land" said Hano.

"Which land?" asked Hidehira.

"Arbiya" said the diplomat.

"What was guarding your horse in case we had not accepted your offer?" asked Hidehira curiously.

"My servant had a pellet of a deadly poison for that case" replied the man immediately.

[Turkafinwë]

That certainly must be a strong brew if after 2 glasses you start hallucinating. I need me to find some of it . Let's hope a slap to the face is strong enough to recover from such a trip. The meeting with the Kiso diplomat might otherwise go not so well.

Again a lovely chapter!

[Alwyn]

I agree with Turkafinwë, that must have been a strong brew! I wonder what will happen in the meeting and whether the diplomat will realise Hidehira's condition (and try to take advantage of it).

[Beckitz]

It's tender scenes such as these which really bring Japan to life...

[♔atthias♔]

agree with the other commenters here a beautiful description of japan when all seems to be peaceful +rep

[Owlparrot3]

That certainly must be a strong brew if after 2 glasses you start hallucinating. I need me to find some of it . Let's hope a slap to the face is strong enough to recover from such a trip. The meeting with the Kiso diplomat might otherwise go not so well.

Again a lovely chapter!

Yeah, it is quite a strong brew. The meeting would sure be interesting. Thanks for commenting. +rep(Given to you in your AAR).

I agree with Turkafinwë, that must have been a strong brew! I wonder what will happen in the meeting and whether the diplomat will realise Hidehira's condition (and try to take advantage of it).

Yes, even i hope that the meeting goes well!!! Thanks so much for commenting man. Please keep commenting. I am trying my best to make this AAR better and better.

It's tender scenes such as these which really bring Japan to life...

Thanks so much for the compliment man. Please keep reading and commenting, your comments are like fuel to me, they help me get better.
About the tender scenes, i just thought, what could i write in peacetime? Then the answer came to me, magical realism.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Thanks again and +rep.

agree with the other commenters here a beautiful description of japan when all seems to be peaceful +rep

Yes, i also loved to infuse the beauty in it. Thanks so much for commenting man. Please keep reading and commenting. I read all your comments and they help me to improve.
+rep.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 13.

During his time of border campaigning, Kunihira had the fortune of getting many different experiences, the main aim was to add fuel to the war to force the Kamakura Ashikaga overlord in Shimotsuke(Refer map) to make the first move.

On one particular clear winter day in early 1183, he first took a violent action, he had gotten news that a certain low rank noble of Shimotsuke had broken protocol and came to the border for a quick day of hunting. Kunihira, who had a huge army with him was bored and wanted some action, so he was thrilled, he took 25 of his best and young bodyguards and decided to attack the hunting party. His scout found the party in a clearing in the forest. Apparently, their leader had just shot down a mighty eagle that had been harassing the party for hours and they were celebrating with a quick snack, there were abut 40 men in all with the noble, but not all were soldiers, Kunihira's orders were simple.

"I want none but one man alive" said he.

As they surrounded the clearing, everyone of Kunihira's men were looking out for blood.
After they had carefully set up positions around the clearing, Kunihira gave the orders "CHARGE" .

The party was taken by complete surprise as a hail of arrows hit them hard, so hard in fact that 9 men fell even before Kunihira had charged. Speaking of the charge, the Naginata's force took down 13 more men, among them one being the noble's brother. Among the reminder of the party, only 7 more men were warriors and they fought bravely to cover their lord as he tried to learn, Kunihira shouted "AFTER HIM" .

The lord was riding his horse as fast as he could, no matter how hard he rode, Kunihira was unable to take him down when suddenly...................an arrow from the clearing(Where by this point, his men had stalled all opposition) a determined and fast arrow hit the lord right in the forehead. For a moment he wavered and then his foot got stuck in the reins, a corpse hanging on to his horse.



Despite this 6 more men remained in the clearing, tied by Kunihira's men when he returned .

"What to do with them sir?" asked a bodyguard.

"Cut down 5 of them here, leave the youngest, give him money and arms to protect himself so that he may take the tidings to his masters in Shimotsuke" said Kunihira coldly.

The one person a boy of 17 cried as his father and brother were both cut down before his eyes, they had just been a band of drummers who had agreed to accompany the noble on his hunting trip. After the dirty work was done, he was given a horse, a few gold coins and an axe and sent back.
Kunihira himself swallowed hard, such cruelty, though ruthless had to be displayed for the greater good, but was the cause he was fighting for really the best?
This was not the time to think about that, what was done was done, but first he had to reward the excellent arrow that had been shot by one of his men, such brave display had to be rewarded, the man's name was Konami.

During this time however, the Minamoto leader, Minamoto Yoritomo 'The great' himself, showed great resolve and patience, they absolved from attacking, their technique was simple, fight only when we are powerful enough to face the enemy, regardless of the fact that he has more time to call in more men or build more fortifications!
So they did not attack.

Minamoto Yoritomo, a man of great character, praised by friend and foe alike.

And fortifying he did, by summer 1183, Kunihira's forces on the border had almost doubled !

Yoritomo himself was a shrewd intelligent man, he had read all the edicts of Kunihira and he had been the first man in Japan to realise their genius, he had built on those grounds, a force of elite corps which were called 'Samurai' , something that the Hiraizumi Fujiwara were themselves hadn't done yet for its cost.

By this point Kunihira had, in all, massacred 17 caravans, destroyed 5 outposts and killed 3 more important persons, men who mattered, one of them was the most brave and fiercest fighter in the Shimotsuke army. But what finally tipped off Yoritomo's hitherto limitless patience was the brutality that Kunihira showed at the attack on 'Midori no' nojo' farm just outside Shimotsuke.

[theSilentKiller]

Kunihira appears to be a ruthless person, although he himself seems to struggle with this pragmatic cruelty - I like that, it contrast between how someone acts and appears, and what this someone actually thinks about his actions, the reasoning so to say. And now Yoritomo lost his patience - will this force him to an unwise offensive? Can't wait to see!

[Owlparrot3]

Kunihira appears to be a ruthless person, although he himself seems to struggle with this pragmatic cruelty - I like that, it contrast between how someone acts and appears, and what this someone actually thinks about his actions, the reasoning so to say. And now Yoritomo lost his patience - will this force him to an unwise offensive? Can't wait to see!

Yes, the next chapter is exciting, maybe even surprising, unexpected.
Watch out for it and thanks for commenting. Your comments are like fuel to me and they help me improve a lot.

[Turkafinwë]

As theSilentKiller stated, ruthless and cruel actions versus a kind personality shows a character that knows what to do in hard times but is not happy with it. A great character development I would say. Intrigued to see how this will affect the future. Looking forward to the next chapter! +rep

[Owlparrot3]

As theSilentKiller stated, ruthless and cruel actions versus a kind personality shows a character that knows what to do in hard times but is not happy with it. A great character development I would say. Intrigued to see how this will affect the future. Looking forward to the next chapter! +rep

Yes. Watch out for the next chapter soon.
Thanks for commenting.
Also feel free to give tips.

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 14

The quiet farm of Midori do Nojo was sleeping, being the biggest estate in the region meant that the people living there had nothing to fear despite living next to the forest. The local caretaker was a melancholic old man of 78, he had the authority to order the four dozen or so imperial guards stationed there. He always liked to boast in the evenings over a glass of cheap liquor, he boasted mostly of his age, he told wild stories of the past, some true, some false, but no one could tell what was what, so they did their job, they listened patiently and forgot about it later.

Of war too he spoke much. That day his main topic of idle boast was about wolves.

"I was barely a child, many many years ago, when your parents were't born yet, they came in their hundreds, with their sharp white fangs, dark black furs and ther ear splitting howls nothing like that have i ever seen again in my life" he said.

"Yes, and what year did this happen old man?" asked a guard laughing hard.

"Hmm, let me guess, hmm, about in 1117" he answered.

"Hah, thats a lie old man, this farm wasn't even built back then, i know it, i learned it from that wise man in Kyoto who teaches military history" said the guard.

"Thats why i don't like smart asses like you, you go with rote learning, history and nature are not like that, the wolves may not have come in 1117, but come they do, in the hundreds, they creep silently among the bushes and trees and then they attack" said the old man.

The young man laughed again and said, "Really, hah lies, more l..AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

The old man's dropped from his hand as a disciplined barrage of about a hundred arrows swooped in, he barely had a minute to try jumping and dodging before about 5 arrows hit him smack in the heart, he would never boast again.

Despite the best efforts of his sharpshooting archers, a few guards still remained, but Kunihira's men were obviously more than willing to complete the dirty work with their swords.



The orders were the same, they found a stable boy who had remained alive, he was treated for his wounds and then brought outside for a tour of the premises, everywhere there were hanged bodies of men, some had been impaled . He was then given a cart filled with 7 disfigured bodies and asked to ride out to Shimotsuke to describe and show what he had seen admist bouts of brutal vomiting.

The next morning, stationed a mile and a half away from the farm, in a cleared ground on the countryside, Kunihira waited, as he waited, he ate some fruits and drank milk, he had himself thrown up all of his previous nights dinner after watching and contemplating what he had done, what had happened off his own two hands. He hoped that this would be the last time, he was not wrong, Yoritomo immediately rode out with all of his forces to the farm, but what happened next was unexpected and strange for two noble generals.

Yes !!!

[Turkafinwë]

A tragic end for the boasting old man. The connection between the man's story about wolves and the attack by Kunihira is well done and I loved it! Another great update! If something comes up that I think you should change or could improve I'll let you know .

[Owlparrot3]

A tragic end for the boasting old man. The connection between the man's story about wolves and the attack by Kunihira is well done and I loved it! Another great update! If something comes up that I think you should change or could improve I'll let you know .

Thanks for commenting man.
Yes, although I am gonna put the gore level down.
This is supposed to be beautiful and full of pictures.

The next chapter will be beautiful again.