Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXXVII 18/1)
Chapter XXXVIII- Amateur Plotters
1559- Mid-Summer
“Welcome to my ship, Yuki-san.” Tsurunai Munetsune said with welcoming, outstretched arms which silently boasted ‘yes, this is all mine’.
“So this is where you hide away.”
“It is my home away from home. Excuse me if I don’t sleep in the snake’s nest like you do.”
“Someone has to.” I muttered. “What is it, keep your friends close-”
“And your enemies closer.” Munetsune finished the sentence tiredly. “Undoubtedly the Nagano think that as well.”
“It is a fine home.” I said admiringly. The ship was immaculately kept, one could easily mistake it for never having seen battle except for the few scars it proudly displayed.
“You expected anything less?”
“Yes, I entirely expected a small, barely seaworthy trading vessel to be our admiral’s flagship.” He threw his head back and laughed.
“Only the Mori can boast a better ship.” He boasted. “Elegant yet sturdy, she flies on the water and has the manpower to deal with anything less than Akkorokamui1 itself.”
“And the Mori flagship.” I added.
“Is manned with Mori men. They are like frogs who, admittedly, can admiringly survive on both land and water but excel on neither.” He made a ribbeting sound to accompany the analogy.
“And your men are?” He faltered in the delivery of another analogy.
“Men.”
“Men?”
“Men.” He confirmed.
“Wako?”
“Some. So?”
“I once led an attack on a wako encampment in southern Kyushu.” I said offhandedly, looking around the ship.
“Join the club. The wako are not so much a race as they are a line of work. You’ve killed samurai haven’t you?” I nodded. “And I’ve killed Wako.” The conversation seemed to have reached a stalemate. “Will you join me inside?”
“I can spare the time.”
“Oh don’t pretend you weren’t waiting for the invitation.” He chuckled: I was. Guards lined the passage down into the ship. They all seemed to smirk at a silent joke. “Don’t mind the guards. They’re cheery men, they tell too many jokes.” Munetsune’s quarters were extravagant; a long, low wooden table, a colour matching that of the walls but with a greater vivacity and quality to it. It lay covered in maps, letters, little decorative pieces. You felt immediately like there were many stories within those walls. “You worry too much about this plan of ours.”
“Who said I came here to discuss the plan.” I had.
“What did you come here to talk about?” He poured some sake, despite the time. I politely declined.
“Sorin-tono tasked you with increasing our fleet?” I asked instead, vaguely remembering something about an increased fleet that Sorin had mentioned.
“Oh you came to talk about ships.” I nodded. “That’s a topic I can get behind, much more entertaining than constant scheming.” He took what looked like a celebratory gulp of sake. It seemed to hit him hard and by surprise. “Yes, we’ve had more and more,” cough, “timber come in over,” cough, “the past couple of days.” Cough. “Wow, that sake is strong.” He acknowledged at last. “But don’t fool yourself that we could take on the Mori, they’re too well positioned, reinforced and most importantly, too large. Not to mention the other fleet sent by the Chosokabe is stuck in Bungo, pinned down by more Mori patrols.
“So we can’t even defeat them with the magnificent Tsurunai Munetsune-sama at the head of our fleet?”
“Trying to get into bed with me?”
“Metaphorically or literally?”
“Both.”
“Well your wife’s not here.”
“I don’t know who you think you are Yuki-san that you can attempt to sleep with me after only a day of knowing each other but to be honest, you’re not exactly my type.”
“Not foreign enough?” I asked jokingly.
“Get a gaijin name and I might consider you.” He poured himself some more sake as if he’d forgotten how he had handled it last time. “I think there was something I had to tell you.” He said, repeatedly snapping his finger in an attempt to remember whatever it was. “Ah yes, I received a message from the commander of our gaijin mercenaries.” I was intrigued. “He asks that you visit him on their ship which is anchored somewhere out there.” He waved his arm vaguely out to sea. “I decided to leave it to you.”
“Me?”
“You’ve had quite a few dealings with them.” It could be taken as both a compliment and an insult.
“Your wife?”
“Yes. But still, I’ll give you the pleasure of dealing with them.”
“Any idea what they want.” No point arguing with him over it.
“Money, food, women. To disembark off their ship onto dry land.”
“Could be useful having them somewhere we could actually use them.”
“And where would we put them?” I hadn’t exactly thought of that.
“The Nagano, I’m sure, will sort it out.”
“Oh they will be really happy to have more Otomo soldiers infesting their castle.” He sarcastically added.
“Do you have a free scout ship or something you can lend me or I do have to swim there?”
“Scout ship?” He scoffed at the idea. “You’ll take this wonderful vessel.” He patted the walls like it was a pet. “Impressions.” He sounded like Suzume. Suzume didn't care for where the impressions got you or who you were impressing she just knew they were important.
“And you will part with her for that long?”
“Part with her? I’ll take you there, you’re just doing all the talking.”
“We’ll leave this instant then.” I had nothing better to do.
“We don’t want to leave our friends waiting.” He agreed. All he had to do was give the word and his page came running down. “Have the men take their stations and tell them to set a course for the gaijin ship.” The boy bowed and ran off. “Good boy,” he remarked when the boy was out of earshot, “sometimes I catch him staring at my wife.” He added nonchalantly. “Adolescence, I guess.”
“So about our plan……”
The trip was short and pleasant, Munetsune having kept his quarters full of food. The ship was fast, surprisingly so, just as Munetsune had boasted and it helped that the wind kindly got behind us. It bounded over waves, taking each it in its stride. On shore, the gaijin’s ship could be seen hugging the horizon, an ominous beast. As we approached it, its majesty and imposing size did not diminish. The white sails, emblazoned with a red cross, flapped violently in the wind. The great sound of a conch shell announced our arrival and we made sure to fly the Otomo mon high and proudly.
"Don't you wish you had one of those." Munetsune whispered as we stood on the deck of our ship, craning our necks upwards as our ship, dwarfed by the gaijin’s, came up alongside theirs. “Oh the places you could go.” He gawked.
“Your wife came on one of these did she not?” Neither of us took our eyes off the ship.
“Yes and she regales me with tales of such far off places. I admit I turn giddy.”
“I can see.”
“Don’t test me, Yuki-san.”
“Bom dia, we are representatives of the lord of Bungo, Otomo Sorin-tono.” They answered with silence until a great rope ladder was thrown over the side of the ship, landing on ours with a great thud.
“Men, stay on the ship.” Munetsune shouted, answered by obedient replies. He turned to his second in command. “You have the reigns now. I trust you know what to do if things go wrong.” The man grinned and nodded. “After you, Yuki-san.”
“How polite of you.” I placed a shaky hand on the rope and tried to stabilise it. The rope wobbled and swayed as I put my first foot on it and in response I gripped the course and rough rope even more tightly. It was a constant struggle to steady it and I was full aware of all the men below and soon above whose eyes were on me. I placed a second foot on it and had more luck. I lifted the other leg and placed it on the rung above. Breathe, I reminded myself. The other leg followed and then the previous leg and soon I had set into a stable pace. Large, bronze cannons with great gaping, hungry mouths greeted me as I went up. I was an ant on the side of a ship from lands I’d never seen before.
At last I lay my hands on the edge of the deck and heaved myself up and onto it. Fifty or so pair of eyes stared at me as I tried to regain some composure.
“Yufu Yuki-sama, commanding officer of the Kokura garrison and chief advisor to the lord of the Otomo clan, Otomo Sorin-sama.” Munetsune had given them a rather pompous and exaggerated set of titles for me, that bastard. The man himself rose from behind me, placing his foot down heavily. He seemed to hide his excitement well for the time being.
“What did you say earlier to them.” He whispered from behind me.
“And lord Tsurunai Munetsune, kokujin of Kitsuga,” the herald announced,
“What?”
“The gaijin words.”
“head of the Tsurunai clan and admiral of the Otomo navy.”
“Oh, ‘bom dia’.”
“Bom dia.” Munetsune replied to the gaijin, butchering the pronunciation as much as possible. Muffled laughs could be heard in the background. “Where is you captain?” He straightened his kimono and brushed off the dust on it from the ship.
“Right this way.” The man who previously introduced us said. He walked towards where part of the deck was raised much higher than the rest, stairs required to get up there. He waited at a door, decorated in gold, that was built in to this raised deck. It opened inwards as I have seen other gaijin doors do so, yet still it was always most strange to see it in action.
If I thought Munetsune’s quarters were grandiose, I couldn’t possibly describe what these were like. The captain of the ship, an ordinary sized man about forty or so, sat at a desk, a high table like the gaijin prefer. It was made out of the same type of wood that the walls were, with an indescribable darkness to it. The size of it should have dwarfed the captain had he not been enthroned in an even bigger chair. Maps, more strange and extraordinary than Munetsune’s hung from the walls, lay on the table and some even furnished the floor, the outlines of strange lands etched in ink on them. The lustre of gold and silver caught our eyes, piles of it flowing from a chest in the corner. Sunlight entered through a small window as a trespasser, unwanted and unwelcome and was soon gone. A small lamp glowed on the desk, devouring the darkness the sunlight couldn’t.
“Hello, Yuki-sama." The captain launched himself from his chair. “Is that correct?”
“Yes de Ponte Geraldo-sama.” I replied, hoping I had recalled the right name from the letter. The captain looked confused and then realised I had simply switched the names. I had observed that the gaijin spelt their name with their family name last and hadn't got use to how we did it.
“And hello, Munetsune-sama.”
“Yes, errrr, hello Geraldo-sama.” Munetsune replied absently as he gawked and gazed at all the treasure the room held. The captain bowed awkwardly.
“Would you like a seat?” He pulled two wooden chairs from the side of the room and put them down in front of the table.
“Thank you, Geraldo-san.” I said as I walked over to one of the seats. Munetsune walked over slowly, transfixed.
“Are you a lover of foreign lands, Munetsune-sama?” The captain asked as he walked over to a small, ornate cabinet.
“Yes, yes I am.” Munetsune regained some poise and restraint. “Only ever been as far as southern China though.”
“Your wife has told you the places she has been, has she not? You are the man married to senhora Johanna Kwakernaak?”
“Yes but tales are a poor substitute for seeing with one’s own eyes.”
“Yes, too true. Would either of you like a drink.”
“No, I’m fine. I try not to drink.” I answered. Munetsune nodded.
“Try not to drink your own drink but wait until you try ours, Yuki-sama.” He poured a cup for me before I could respond and handed it to me in a strange cup, much larger than ours, with a sort of stalk to which you could hold it. The drink was a dark red and accompanied by an even darker but fruity aroma. “A fine drink from near where I live. Go on try it.” It didn’t hit as hard as sake but was full bodied unlike most drinks I had had.
“Quite the drink.” Munetsune noted.
“I must say, Munetsune-sama, your marriage caused quite a stir back home.” The captain said looking into his glass. “I know the girl’s father, a good man- for someone from the Lowlands.” Munetsune only showed the slightest bit of tiredness of the topic, willing, if not eager, to indulge the man. “Did he approve of the marriage?”
“He was begrudging, yes. But I am a lord of considerable power and wealth.” I didn’t dare mention that by considerable power Munetsune meant within Sorin’s lands, not the whole country. “It won him over.”
“Well now that it has made him a little fame he seems to be anything but begrudging. All I can is that it still is quite a big talking point.” The captain exclaimed, revelling in the retelling of old gossip. Munetsune sat with the sort of uninterested expression on his face that one has when one is being told one’s life story. “A merchant’s daughter marrying a Japanese lord! And they didn’t even know what a ‘Japanese’ was! Even reached the royal courts I heard.” Obviously the royal courts meant little to Munetsune or me.
“That’s nice to know.”
“The father made quite the fortune from it, always saying he had ‘connections’ and using these ‘connections’ to get first choice on trade and to keep coming here. He must be quite wealthy by now.”
“He has visited twice, I believe.” Munetsune confirmed.
“Man must love the sea."
“Yes he must.” I echoed, the topic not exactly thrilling me. “I take it discussing Munetsune-san’s wife wasn’t why you called us here.” The captain seemed annoyed then grinned.
“No and I’m sure my men would like me to cut to the chase.” He poured himself another cup before ‘cutting to the chase’. “We wish to disembark at Kokura.”
“There should be no problem with that.” I was taken aback by the simpleness of the request. Maybe the man was just being polite. “A simple letter would have easily sufficed.”
“It’s a bit more difficult than that. We intend on staying onshore and so, need some,” he looked for the right word, “accomodation.”
“Of course.” Munetsune said.
“And you wish for us to provide it?” I asked.
“We are employed by you.” The captain reminded us. “We are your men.”
“You’re men are tiring of the ship?” Munetsune asked, buying us some time.
“Yes, Munetsune-san.” He looked like he had as well. “Food is getting low, boredom is high and there are no women.”
“All understandable problems.” Munetsune concurred.
“And of course my men are much more of use for you inside your castle than out in here in the case that anything went wrong.”
“Hmmmm.” I hesitated. There wasn’t much room, although this would substantially further our plan.
“They can be disciplined if you want.” The man continued. “Keep them within the castle walls and out of the city proper and there should be no problems. As long as there are women and drink and food.” The man clearly longed for all three as badly as his men did.
“Yes, yes. I should be able to find room. Sail into the harbour and disembark tomorrow and it should be sorted.” The captain looked most please. Munetsune raised an eyebrow for a moment before resuming the neutrally jolly face he put on most of the time, especially when people weren’t relaying gossip about his marriage from foreign lands.
“My men will be quite happy. Shall we drink to this?” Before we could answer he poured us both more of his strange drink. “To the Otomo.”
“To the Otomo.” Munetsune and I echoed in hesitant celebration.
“We should be off.” I said once we'd finished our cups. “Stuff to organise and all.”
“Yes, I do hope we shall talk soon.”
“I look forward to it.” In all truth the captain was a good man, there was not much you could fault in him that you couldn’t fault most other people. He launched himself up from his chair and strode over to the door. “Until tomorrow, adieus.” We all bowed and then walked out the door onto the deck. Men lay around, exactly as the captain had described, bored and their eyes darted to the two foreigners emerging out of their captain’s quarters and then they left us, too bored to care. The descent down the ladder was slightly easier than the ascent. Our own men waited for us, tired but disciplined compared to their lounging, lazing gaijin counterparts.
“Do you wand to explain to me how you’re going to fit all of your gaijin friends.” Demanded Munetsune as we walked into his cabin. The ship started without him even having to give an order.
“It involves kindly asking the Nagano to send their men home.” The plan sounded slightly less crazy and unlikely in my head.
“Home?”
“Those who have homes in the city have no need to take up space in the barracks. And others I’m sure are just not needed.”
“Fusamori-san won’t like this at all.” Munetsune warned then downed a cup of sake as if to digest my plan.
“I know but what is he going to do to stop it. It’s for the good of the war.” Munetsune poured another cup and then another one. I shook my head furiously.
“I’m sure you could toast to the that?” I hesitated but gave in and he handed me the cup, no doubt a little bit delighted at my momentary weakness. I stared at it and it seemed to stare back: old adversaries.
“To the good of the war.”
“And to the the good of us.” Munetsune added. The sake went down smoothly, leaving a trail of delicate sweetness all the way down my throat. I had forgotten how nice it could be.
We disembarked at the docks and walked through the streets of Kokura towards the castle. The streets were quiet today and I hoped it was a one off, though rumour abounded of food shortages and a drop in trade. The city itself wasn’t blockaded but Mori ships patrolled the seas not far off, hampering trade. Letters from Bungo sang the same story.
“Have you head anything from Sorin-sama because I haven’t.” Asked Munetsune at one point.
“No but I suppose we’ll hear something if they win or lose a battle.”
“So we’ll only get any news if we’re either stuffed or safe.”
“Pretty much.”
We passed through the barracks on the way to the palace. Munetsune and I had given out orders to increase the intensity of the training per our plan and it was pleasing to see the orders being carried out or at least the effort to fake it being put in. Kuju Hitotake, commanding officer of the yaris ran up to us with a most astonished look on his face.
“We have some unexpected guests.” He said cryptically.
“What do you mean unexpected, Hitotake-san?” Demanded Munetsune.
“Monks. Warrior monks.” Munetsune and I both exchanged the same look, one that said ‘not my doing, yours?’.
“Where?” I asked.
“In the main courtyard of the tenshu, Yuki-sama. They seem to want you.” Munetsune’s face now read ‘so it is your doing’.
Kuju Hitotake wasn’t lying. In the courtyard stood, like statues impervious to the mid-summer sun and to distraction or boredom, fifty or so monks. They were dressed in the usual monks garbs, long white and grey robes with hoods covering their heads. They held a bow in one hand, the other in a closed fist at the waist. A quill was the only thing that hung from their backs.
“Who is your leader?” I asked hesitantly. What else was I meant to say?
“I am.” One of them stepped forward, a noticeably strong man even behind all those robes.
“I am Yuki-san.” I bowed.
“Hidemori-san at your command.”
“At ease man.” The monk seemed to want to follow my command but looked uneasy at being at ease. “For what purpose do you come here, Hidemori-san.”
“We were sent by our sensei and head monk, Shizurako-tono, to aid in the war.” The past hit me like an angry, old friend. Shizurako, wow. “We are at your command.” I needed time to process all of it. More men, at least.
“You are all trained with the yumi?” Munetsune inquired.
“Yes, Munetsune-sama. The yumi and the naginata and some the katana.” Hidemori answered humbly.
“Have you got accommodation?” I prayed they had.
“Yes, a temple has offered us their hospitality.”
“We shall send down food and drink so their supplies aren’t stretched.”
“You are most kind, Yuki-sama.”
“I’ll visit tomorrow at the temple to sort out the rest.”
“Until then, Yuki-sama.” The man bowed. “Men, march.” Statues come alive they were. They marched with the upmost discipline. They would surely cause a lot of commotion marching through town. In fact, I was surprised they hadn't already and that Kokura wasn’t already abuzz. Maybe they slipped through a side entrance.
“More men could never hurt.” Motochika remarked as we watched them march off.
“The Nagano might just be a bit scared of us now.”
“I would be. Care to explain who this Shizurako-sama might be?”
“Maybe later.” I shrugged, delving into the past was often a tiring affair. “Shall we give them the bad news?”
“I see no better time than now.” The palace was certainly lively on our way to speak with Nagano Fusamori, word of the sudden appearance of fifty warrior monks providing the entertainment for the afternoon. Nagano Fusamori was less than thrilled. We met him in the usual meeting room, a small square room with tatami mats, the heavy smell of incense and a perpetual supply of tea.
“Good afternoon Munetsune-san and Yuki-san.” He said through gritted teeth. “You seem like happy men. Were those warrior monks a pleasant surprise?” It clearly wasn’t for him. Servants scurried behind him, in and out of the doors, propping up flowers, replacing tea.
“Any additional troops are a pleasant surprise for the war effort.”
“Ahhh yes the war effort.” He rubbed his leathery hands together and grinned. “Quiet nowadays isn’t it?”
“Anything’s quiet if you block your ears enough.” I shot back.
“The war is indeed why Yuki-san and I are here.” Munetsune interjected in a more moderate tone. “We have more troops arriving tomorrow.”
“And they need accommodation.” I added bluntly.
“So?”
“Well your men in the barracks surely have homes in the city so I’m not sure why they require room in the barracks.”
“We’re at war as you pointed out. It’s all about the war effort.” His oval-shaped eyes were placid and docile, hiding something.
“They can be quickly moved back if a Mori force appears out of nowhere.” Fusamori looked less than pleased. I didn’t really want his men in the castle even if a Mori forced appeared.
“Very well, how many of my men should I relay the bad news to.”
“Is it bad news that they can go back to their wives and families?”
“You seem to have an idolised view of how enjoyable a family is, Yuki-san.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged.
“Won’t be more than seventy five.” Munetsune answered.
“Not many men. Has Sorin-tono forgotten about you two?” He relished in the idea that he had.
“I can assure you they are very well armed and trained. And let’s hope for your sake he hasn’t.”
“My sake?” He was looking to bait me and I had so nearly fallen in. I tiptoed around my response with caution.
“I fear you’d lose your castle to a Mori force without the threat of a larger Otomo army.” I replied cordially.
“What are these men?” He ignored the fake pleasantries I had offered him instead of the anger he wanted.
“Gaijin mercenaries. Armed with a teppos and pikes. I believe they call themselves ‘Tercios’.”
“Gaijin.” Fusamori grimly repeated.
“Yes, gaijin.” Munetsune shot me a look of warning. And with that I felt the conversation could be gladly ended. “Good day, Fusamori-san.” I bowed and left with haste.
“Fusamori-san.” I heard Munetsune echo and then him follow. “Well that was fun.” He smirked.
“Quite.”
“Not too strong on the idea of subtlety, I see.”
“Only when it’s needed.”
“Too right. The mutual dislike between us and Fusamori-san is very open. Why should we need subtlety?”
“Exactly.” I continued the fast pace. I needed to simply collapse in my quarters, I underestimated the energy needed to deal with the stuff that was being thrust upon me.
“They must be onto us by now.”
“Does it matter? Aren’t we trying to provoke them?” We both looked at each in confusion.
“So the plan was to provoke them?” Munetsune asked.
“I thought so.” I answered meekly.
“All good then.”
“Amateur plotters we are.” I said with an exhausted laugh.
“Yes, yes we are. Well played indeed, that wasn’t so much a gentle poke but rather a forceful stab. The tiger must wake up now.”
“Thank you.” We reached my quarters. “I don’t think Fusamora-san is so much a tiger but rather a, a fat, greedy cow.” Munetsune smiled and nodded his head in agreement. I slid open the fusuma just enough for me to slip through. “Until tomorrow?”
“Tired are we?”
“I did most of the talking today. All you did was gawk.”
“Observe, my friend. It’s called observing.”
“Call it whatever you want Munetsune-san.” I bowed then slipped through and into my quarters. Papers and all sorts of official whats its were strewn everywhere. I wondered if Suzume had replied to my letters. I rummaged through the mess but in vain. Maybe she’s finally annoyed the man in charge of the crows enough, I thought as I collapsed onto my bed.
1Akkorokamui- A mythical Japanese monster that is similar to a giant octopus or squid. More here.
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Originally Posted by Shankbot de Bodemloze
But thank-you, I'm humbled you think of it so. 
) Are you planning to turn Akara into Cersei? Is Akara slightly more out of her depth than she thinks?
