The next few hours were spent waiting on the rooftop, scanning the area for more hostile activity, watching the members of the Defence Corps toil and scurry about the streets like rats, putting out fires they had little hope of extinguishing. The errant officers returned to camp, and they were immediately subject to a biting reprimand by Toyohime. Despite this, the princess ended up sending them away again, mainly due to the fact that their dereliction of duty was not at all unwarranted – the front lines were understaffed and under-supervised, with too many soldiers waiting for orders and too few officers to give them. Most instructions consisted of telling the infantry to do what they thought to be best, which more often than not turned out to be the worst course of action in the circumstances.
Though I said little throughout the course of the morning, the more mishaps and misjudgments I witnessed, the more I wondered how well the princess would take to criticism. She had brought me here to give her advice, but by now I was convinced that nothing short of a total overhaul of the structure of the Lunarian Defence Corps would suffice. I had not been a soldier in my past life – the absence of any memories regarding actual combat or warfare, which would have been quite striking and patent despite the haze that clouded the theater of my mind, made me sure of that. Yet even the most insignificant of salarymen operating in the cesspits of urban society could recognize the value of well-defined hierarchy, of strategic planning, and of effective communication between the echelons of an organization.
No such facets of good governance existed in the scenes that played out before me. It was, to put it bluntly, a mess.
The noon bell tolled faintly, and a recess of sorts was called, though the skirmishes did not cease just so we could have lunch – the enemy were not that kind, and I supposed that they themselves had little need for food or rest, given that they apparently consisted of purely magical entities. Reimu, Marisa, Miko and Byakuren swiftly returned, and we sat down at one of the central camp's many desks.
"I hope you have good news to report," Toyohime said as we began to eat. The meals we were given were a far cry from the luxurious feast of yesterday evening, an onigiri and a bowl of soup being the best choices on offer for us. Army rations, indeed.
Reimu shook her head. "I have to confess, the narrow and oblong terrain has not been conducive towards our efforts. The enemy are scattered, mobile, and use the cover well. I do not wish to destroy the surrounding abodes, but eventually we may have no choice, especially if we are overwhelmed."
"They are all evacuated," Toyohime replied. "You can let fly with whatever level of power you wish."
"Maybe so, but they are still homes. A part of their former occupants' soul still resides within them, and given the precarious nature of the spiritual balance on the Moon, we cannot approach this battle with such wanton abandon. As a fellow observer of Shinto, you would know well of what I speak."
"I suppose." Toyohime stopped chewing on her food and started absentmindedly chewing on her finger instead. "If we cannot hold those districts permanently, then we must find some way of reinforcing the areas around them. But if I reposition the forces I have spread out around the outer third of the city, then we may let some of them slip through. Yet if I take no action, then they may capture those districts, and…" She scratched her head, rubbing some of the rice stuck to her fingers into her golden strands. "It pains me to say this, but I am at a loss as to what to do."
"Then we will simply have to keep on fighting," Miko said, and the others quietly concurred.
Lunch was hastily ended after around twenty minutes, and the four maidens flew back out into the field to do what needed to be done. Toyohime and I stayed behind once again, gazing out at the endless stream of soldiers running to and fro in the streets below, some rushing away to fight, others carrying their comrades back to the medical tents. The chaos was unending, a long chain of oversights and inadequacies that seemed only to multiply, feeding into each other and exacerbating the overarching sense of mayhem and tumult.
It was far too much for me to bear, and I decided I would have to speak up before more lives were needlessly lost. I was not sure if I had the answers, but I could at least try and provide the right questions.
"Princess," I said.
Toyohime did not turn around as she continued surveying the area. "What did I say about using my name?"
"Apologies, Watatsuki no Toyohime."
"Better. What is it?"
"If I may, I have formulated an opinion on what could be done about this situation."
"You have?" Toyohime turned and gave me a perfunctory smile. "I am happy to hear it – I have been waiting all morning for you to say something. Speak freely."
"I feel that, well…" I coughed. "Your approach to this war reflects the training and education of the Lunarian Defence Corps as a whole. They have acted as a patrolling organization all this time, and I am sure they have performed that duty in an exemplary manner. However, that is conversely what hinders them in a fight encompassing the whole city, as opposed to resolving incidents that are isolated and specific in nature. In short, they act like scouts, but what you need is soldiers."
"Enlighten me, then, traveler." Toyohime stared at me intently, as though she were hanging on my every word. "Please, tell me what needs to be done."
"I do not have all the solutions, but perhaps we should start with this. Do you have a means of communicating directly with your subordinates, or at least with your most senior officers?"
"I… somewhat." Toyohime pulled a slip of paper out of her pouch. "This is a carrier shikigami. Words may be written on the paper, and the paper will then fly to its intended recipient. I do not often have the need to use it, but it is there."
"That is good to hear. You may need to arm each of your officers with a large number of these shikigami."
Toyohime tilted her head. "Why is that?"
"In war, there is no greater asset than information. You must know the movement and status of your enemy in real-time, so you may plan counter-attacks and allocate your troops wherever they may be needed. And to do that, your officers must update you on a regular basis about their situation. With all due respect, your failure to do so means that your maps are rendered essentially useless, unless your officers return to report to you personally."
"I see, I see." Toyohime nodded. "Then I will have a shikigami-based communication system implemented in the morrow. They are expensive to make, but such expenses will be necessary. Anything else?"
"There is also a lack of a general chain of command within the Defence Corps," I continued. "There appear to be squad leaders and squad members, but no further levels of hierarchy. On Earth, our armies have multiple ranks and roles, from the private all the way up to the general. Your senior officers should themselves oversee junior officers, instead of each squad leader simply taking care of their own squad."
"But they all report to me anyway," she replied bemusedly. "What would be the use in that?"
"Yes, but a similar flaw as with the lack of communication arises. Sometimes officers must be able to make quick decisions in the field, and it is better that they take orders from a nearby senior officer rather than having to run all the way back to central camp to obtain instructions directly from you. It is a matter of saving time, which in turn may be a matter of life and death."
"Maybe so." The princess frowned, and cast a glance outwards at the city. "The senior squad leaders will have to be re-trained, and their subordinates will have to be assigned to other groups. It may take a couple of days."
"Even one extra level of hierarchy will help," I assured her.
"It will be done, then." Toyohime chuckled, though her laugh was noticeably mirthless. "Our ineptitude must disappoint you. We are advanced in many ways, but so frustratingly primitive in others."
"On the contrary, a nation that has not seen war for centuries is something miraculous to behold." I followed Toyohime in looking out at the rest of the Lunar Capital. "You are far ahead of the Earth at large in the sense that you have learned to live with one another without descending into destructive conflict. It is the same here as it is in Gensokyo, the underworld, and all the awe-inspiring places I have visited thus far. You say you can learn from us, but in truth it is us that should learn from you."
"Well, having to live in fear of discovery by you Earthlings does help smooth things over somewhat." She flashed me a wry smile. "I prefer not to fight if I do not have to, and I am sure my fellow Lunarians feel the same. It is our way."
"That is admirable in itself. Speaking of which," I added, "if I may ask, why do you not fight yourself? Is it to do with your having to take command of everything that transpires here?"
"Partly." Toyohime pressed her lips together. "But it is also due to the nature of my magic, and the way in which it is used. I am able to enter into battle if need be, but my powers are greatly curbed. They are being siphoned away towards a more… substantial purpose. One that is far more important than even this war, which threatens to destroy our world."
"What purpose would that be?"
Toyohime pointed up towards the sky, where the black void of space was punctured by the iridescent shimmer that shrouded the Lunar Capital, keeping it safe from the ruthless, voracious vacuum beyond its boundaries.
"The barrier," she replied. "It is my magic, and my magic alone, that sustains it."
A/N (December 13th 2021): I don't commonly write author's notes (probably not a good thing since everyone else seems to do it), but I feel like doing it here. I remember saying that I wanted to finish this story before this year ended, but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen. Regardless, I will try to keep on writing until I reach a conclusion. I already have an idea of how I want the story to end, and the arc after the current Moon arc will be the final one - albeit also the longest one - so do keep on reading!
I will also take the chance to ask for some reviews, although I again don't like doing this because it makes me sound like a beg. But a nice word or two (as well as constructive criticism, if you're so inclined) will motivate me greatly to keep going. If you've read this deep into the story, I presume that you've liked what you've seen so far, so if it wouldn't be too much trouble...
Anyway, onto the next chapters. See you soon.
- A Port In Any Storm