Act 3, Scene 14
1st of the 7th Cycle
Report on the Siege of Fujitou Castle
Shogunate Forces/Losses
Shogunate Army (1st/2nd/3rd): 70,000/13,000
Watatsumi Forces/Losses
Watatsumi Army: 15,000/9,700 (5,300 captured)
Kujou Sara put down the report. She was currently stewing in her tent in the Shogunate camp, the castle was in no state to serve as… anything, at the moment. This was a victory, yes, they had achieved all of their tactical and strategic goals.
Still, the losses were hard to swallow. In this siege alone, they lost more men than the enemy. In the entire campaign, they lost over three-fifths of the entire army. She could see this as nothing more than a loss. How many letters will she have to write? For newly widowed wives, orphaned children, grieving parents?
Dark ink, cold words. Your husband, your father, your son - died in the line of duty, serving the Shogun. Premeditated words, nothing to soothe the aching heart, nothing to bring back the dead. They aren't returning with honour and glory, but ships laden heavy with bones and lost dreams instead.
She crushed the paper in a fist and slammed it against her desk. Tears ran down her cheeks, dripping onto the wooden surface below. Even now, she could hear the crackling fires of the pyres outside, burning bodies day and night. The stench of burning flesh lingered in the air, the eerie glow of souls passing to the other side illuminated the camp.
Losses, losses, nothing but losses. She was now the highest authority in the Shogunate Army, with her own brother dead. She may have never loved Masahito, but she owes her position to him. Not only that, he taught her more than anyone on how to be human, it was him that told the retainers to accept her as a Kujou, as if she had always been of his blood.
She owes it to him, to give the Sangonomiya the justice they deserve. She swore in her heart. that they will not go unpunished. This is justice, for the deaths, the wars, the horrors.
Sara wiped her tears, opened another letter.
For General Kujou's eyes only.
Do you know of a 'Thoma' from Mondstadt? I met him, back when I first arrived at Inazuma, at Ritou City. He claims to be a retainer of the Kamisato Clan. In any case, he told me that Lady Kamisato wanted to talk to me, in private. This surprised me, because I never told anyone I was travelling to Inazuma.
Do you know what he told me? He said he knew who I was from a Liyuean contact who arrived in Ritou several days before. I think you know where I am getting at.
Regards,
Admiral Aether.
Kujou Sara burnt the letter using a candle on her desk.
Closing her eyes, she massaged her forehead. The Kamisato were one of the oldest clans in Inazuma, second only to the Kujou, as far as Sara knew. The sheer thought that the Kamisato were traitors is quite frankly absurd.
And yet, the mercenary admiral has no reason to lie. Sara knew Thoma quite well, he was one of the Kamisato's closest retainers, and a loyal servant of theirs…
She shook her head, all that the admiral provided was circumstantial evidence. While the Liyuean contact was most likely the Crux Fleet, there is a good chance that that's all they were, a mere contact. Furthermore, there is also a chance that Lady Kamisato was acting on her own, and that her actions weren't sanctioned by the clan itself.
Sara decided she will investigate after the war is over, but for now, she would post a few more agents in the Kamisato contingent of the army. If the Kamisato were spying for the Sangonomiya, she'd find out.
She sighed, has Inazuma truly fallen so far? The Fatui weren't much of a surprise, it was in their best interest to keep the war in Inazuma raging, so they could continue selling weapons. But the Kamisato as well? Who's next, the Hiiragi?
Enough, the main goal now is to force an advantageous peace deal with the Sangonomiya. While the Shogunate losses were great, the Watatsumi losses were even worse. Watatsumi Island must be running out of manpower. Sangonomiya Kokomi was a genius strategist, and a somewhat decent tactician, she'd realised that she have no chance of winning the war.
Act 3, Scene 15
7th of the 7th Cycle
Similar to Narukami Island, no hostile army has ever set foot on Watatsumi Island. While the Shogunate officers dreamt of being the first, they knew deep inside that it was highly unlikely.
Which is why it was a pleasant surprise when an envoy arrived to seek audience, and told them the Sangonomiya Clan is offering peace negotiations on the Tail of Watatsumi. Some argued against it, saying that it may be a trap, but most agreed to accept the proposal.
The Shogunate was undeniably winning, the common consensus among the officers was that they needed to quit while they were ahead.
The vessel chosen to ferry the envoys was the Deicide, as it was undoubtedly the most powerful ship in their fleet. Five other ships will escort the Deicide. As for the envoys themselves, they were Kujou Sara, Kuroda Nagamasa, Kagawa Noriko and Kamisato Akeno.
9th of the 7th Cycle
Aether watched as the Shogunate envoys boarded his ship. General Nagamasa was recently promoted to Samurai Daishou following the death of Kujou Masahito. Admiral Noriko was now the highest ranking admiral in Inazuma following the death of Hiiragi Sadatake. Kamisato Aneko was chosen by General Sara so she could keep an eye on her, she was a lesser general, aa Ashigaru Taisho.
Following behind them were their personal retinues, who will also serve as their bodyguards. Lastly, several coffins were loaded onto the ship, the coffins contained the bones of several Sangonomiya members, and other Watatsumi clan members, such as the Yuna.
The last coffin brought aboard contained the bones of the highest ranking general in the Watatsumi Army, General Gorou. He was said to be a close friend and retainer of Sangonomiya Kokomi, he was killed in the Siege of Fujitou Castle by Sara and Yoimiya.
The official purpose of bringing the bones along was to return them to the Sangonomiya in a gesture of good faith. The real reason is that they were holding the bones hostage, if the peace talks were a trap, they will burn the coffins and destroy the bones.
Speaking of Yoimiya, Aether wanted to know how she was doing. He had told her to enlist in the Shogunate Army after bringing her over, and last heard that she was doing quite well, and was recently promoted to hatamoto.
He went over to General Sara, "How is Yoimiya doing, I heard she was promoted?"
Kujou Sara turned to face him, her piercing yellow eyes flashing.
"Indeed, if it wasn't for her, we might have failed to take Fujitou Castle. Her charisma is quite commendable, perhaps she could even be a general, in time. You have my thanks for recommending us such a talented individual."
"Good to hear. She was quite eager to join the army, I'm not sure why."
"Is that not because she has a Vision? After the battle, she had confided in me that she did not know what her true ambition was. Perhaps it is similar to mine, serving the Shogun."
"I… don't think so. She is far more free-spirited than that."
"You may be right. We'll just have to see, don't we?"
The conversation ended with that. As the last soldier clambered aboard, the Deicide started to drift away from the pier. Aether returned to the helm.
Soon enough, they were well underway to the Tail of Watatsumi. The escort ships fell flanked beside them, two on each side.
With luck, the war would have ended by the time they returned.