"What the bloody hell?! Bloody barbarians!" Wellington shouted. An enemy tank had just literally rammed them. After chasing the Shogun around for almost an hour, the girl finally struck, just not in the way Wellington expected. More than half of her tanks charged Eton's squadron. The unexpected maneuver caught the boys off guard, leaving them utterly confused. Many of the light Chi-Ha-Tan vehicles drove in front of Eton's tanks, immobilizing them, or hit them in the sides. Panicked, some of the drivers crashed into each other. Most of the enemy tanks broke down during or shortly after the crash, and the ones that didn't could be easily taken out, but the resulting jam meant the Eton was a sitting duck.
"We have regained our honor!" the Chi-Ha-Tan commander cried. "Shogun Banzai!"
"By God, they have a completely different definition of honor than us," Wellington cried.
"Didn't expect this, did you?" Sharpe asked from the gunner's seat, chuckling. "Thought it would all be like a pistol duel among gentlemen? Ha-ha! We're not fighting the Imperial Japanese Navy, mate. We're fighting the army." Sharpe was right. Unlike the navy that believed in decisive, single sword stroke battles, like a duel between two katana wielding samurai, the army was not beyond calling for suicidal charges.
"Shut up and shoot!" Wellington ordered. There was no time for hesitation. He took a deep breath and focused. "Everybody close the hatches!" It was ill advised to keep your head up during a battle, but the boy would not comply with his own orders. He had to coordinate the squadron and good situational awareness was of utmost importance. When the enemy finally started firing he would have to tell everyone where to shoot. A part of him thought it was a dumb thing to do. He was more valuable than the other tank commanders – he should have used someone else as spotter – but he couldn't bear seeing his lads hurt. Besides, he had a feeling that if he kept his head up, Katanako would not shoot at his tank.
With a thunderous roar, the last operational Kamikaze was take out by one of the Eton guns. Wellington didn't even have to give the order, the other commanders had quickly recovered from their confusion and directed their crews to effectively take out the survivors even with the hatches down. But the easy part was over. The rest of Chi-Ha-Tan would descend upon them at any moment.
Wellington was aware that he could not say anything with confidence about the Shogun after watching only one of her battles. He was uncertain whether it was idealism or strategy that influenced her low sacrifice style, although he leaned towards the latter. But now he knew. She had preserved her forces waiting for the ideal moment to strike. Because he had relaxed during the so-called friendly match, the girl ran them around in circles then led them into an ambush. So, after all, the girl's opposition to his style of command was not based on a difference in ideals, but on a difference in tactics.
"Of course!" Katanako confirmed. Wellington took a sip of his tea. With the battle over, the two retreated to discuss the aftermath. Even with their squadron ambushed, Eton still won the match… albeit by the skin of their teeth. His boys had come a long way. Before, their lack of skill led to losses of otherwise tactically advantageous battles, but now they could turn the table and win when at a disadvantage. Katanako smiled at the one who defeated her. Eton truly stood a chance against Roosevelt. "I thought we both understood that."
"I was unsure whether ideals played an important role in you decisions…" Wellington admitted.
"Oh…" the girl looked a bit confused. "Well, Wellington-dono… I seek to preserve my forces both because I do not like needless sacrifice and because I like having numerical superiority. Even in the battle against Roosevelt, I was attempting to do the same thing I did with you, but they destroyed us too soon." Katanako's smile turned bitter. She wanted to have a rematch, but Roosevelt cared little to face her again.
"I thought as much…" Wellington said. Her strategy wouldn't have worked on him either if he had been going all out. It was a decent approach, especially with the tanks she had at her disposal, but it was too dependent on terrain and a lack of attention on the opponent's side.
"So it is not merely ideals, and it is not merely tactics that shape my style," the girl continued. "It is both," she said clearly and with confidence. "I have never believed our ideologies to be different, and our conversation confirmed my opinion of you. I am glad to know that you, just like me, care for your crews and do not wish to see them sacrificed for nothing."
"At first I thought you were some kind of incurable idealist who would blame me for my ruthless tactics," Wellington muttered. "Although why you complimented me would have been a mystery if that were the case."
"I have to admit that I found some of your plans… distasteful…" Katanako added half-heartedly. "As I said, I believe that a more honorable and non-Machiavellian demeanor would improve your character, but even if I did not agree with everything you did, that does not change the fact that you are worthy of respect," she said, regaining her smile and confidence half through.
"When I will have the luxury of winning without trickery I will follow your advice," Wellington said. He let out a short sigh, his curse weighing heavily on his heart. "So, you thought I was too quick to sacrifice my tanks? You were opposed to my plans?"
"I find nothing fundamentally wrong in sacrificing your tanks. After all, it is just as you said, this is not war, they do not die," the girl explained. "But as I said before, you played game of chess, exchanging pieces ineffectively when you should have played Go, outmaneuvering, surrounding and taking out the enemy with a single blow." She talked about her style with utmost enthusiasm. In that matter Wellington found her similar to himself. "I felt both that you sacrificed for pointless objectives with an ease that probably made some people wonder whether you enjoy it," Katanako added.
"By God, you thought I took pleasure in seeing my tanks taken out?" Wellington's shock was plainly visible in his gape.
"Not me, no!" the girl corrected. "I told you I had faith in you from the start!" Her statement was delivered with such fervor that it made it sound like a confession. The boy wondered how it would look to Assam if she entered the room at that point. "But I am certain that to many you come off as too cold and uncaring."
"I know that too well…" Wellington mumbled. "But you misunderstand. All the sacrifices I've made, they were not part of the plan. I never sent my tanks on suicidal charges. Even the riskiest mission I assigned had a chance of success," the boy explained, each word louder than the other. "I didn't plan to lose an entire squadron as bait to Kuromorimine. They were expected to return! It was their lack of skill that caused their downfall, not my plans – although I am still accountable for not taking that into account. But you, Shogun, you have your girls charge like Kamikaze. That's insane!"
The girl was taken aback by the boy's accusation. "I thought we agreed, this is not real war," the girl defended. "I obviously would never do it if it was and I take no pleasure in it."
"I'm sorry," Wellington apologized, his head having finally cooled down. "I meant no disrespect. Your tactics are just as unconventional as mine are, or even more so, but they are effective and highly unpredictable. Surprise is how I won so far, so I can't exactly blame you." Perhaps if Chi-Ha-Tan had more time to shine, it would have been the Shogun who was considered ruthless, not him. Or maybe not – nobody could beat his mud avalanche. Even he had to admit that was crossing the line – a million things could have gone wrong – but there was no other way to win and defeat was not acceptable. Too many things were at stake… his oath, his future. Defeat was not an option.
Silence filled the room. Wellington took another sip of his tea. Katanako did the same. "For what it's worth," the girl said, "I hope you win the tournament. I find you to be much more likable than Roosevelt."
"Thank you," Wellington said. "I believe the lessons you have taught me will be of great use."
"I have learned much from you as well, Wellington-dono. I hope to do this again another day."
"The fight, or the talk?" Wellington chuckled.
"Both!" The girl stood up and took a bow. "On behalf of Chi-Ha-Tan, I humbly thank you for you hospitality," Katanako said. "Fighting Eton was an honor!"