Thunderous Interlude II: «対峙する»
"Feel the lingering warmth between the pen and paper, and record the yesterdays you should not forget. To «Confront» is to learn how to stop our hands from trembling, in search of what courage and strength truly is."
- Shigeyori Kujou, General of Narukami
Unlike what the stories may have one believe, raising an army was no simple feat.
It is said that by the order of the then-Divine Priestess, Yuuna Mouun raised the First Navy and her sister Ayame the Umigozen raised an army of legendary proportions for their war against the Narukamii. What the stories don't mention are the pains they must've gone through to do such a thing. It made sense, after all stories must be interesting, and logistics were anything but.
With the blessing of hindsight, anyone could tell that the Omikami-Narukami War was lost from the start for Watatsumi. No matter the valour and courage of the Watatsumii, it was a fact that that was the first war they would ever fight - with a completely new navy and army, one entirely inexperienced.
On the other side, the Narukamii had revelled in the war since the beginning of time. Under the banner of the Shogun they had conquered every island in the Inazuman Isles until then - from Yashiori to Seirai - founding the Narukami Shogunate. They repelled invasion after invasion from the continental mainland to the north, and fought bloody wars one after another against the Dark Sea to the south.
Blood and iron was carved into their histories. The Narukamii had long perfected the art of war in a way no other people did, and the Watatsumii suffered for it.
Which is why, even if Uchitake placed his belief in the Divine Priestess and the Omikami's Will, there was still a traitorous part of his brain urging him to abandon the war.
He shook his head miserably, it was too late now. The vassals of the Izumi Clan were already gathered on Suigetsu, the designating mustering grounds for the Watatsumii host. Currently, only seven-thousand men have gathered in the seastone walls of Suigetsu - including Yuuna and Izumi vassals. As the two lords whose domains sat on the eastern edge of Watatsumi, it was natural their banners would gather first.
The Komaki Clan and Sangonomiya Clan were still mustering their first wave of soldiers in the interior of the island - as the clans with the most vassals under them, it would take time for them to gather. Meanwhile, the Miwa, Mochizuki, and Shizuru's holdings were on the opposite side of the island, and it would take time for them to ferry all their men over to the front line.
Uchitake walked down the halls of Suigetsu Castle, the namesake of the city that was built around it. It was a storied fortress, first built by Yuuna Ayame thousands of years ago as her new home - and as relations with the Narukami Shogunate soured, she reinforced its walls and turned it into a mighty castle to guard Watatsumi's eastern border. After her death, the Yuuna Clan migrated from their holdings on the mainland to Suigetsu Castle, raising a new city around it.
Uchitake found Lord Yuuna waiting outside a door with his officers, and nodded to each other in greeting. Their rivalry has no place here, for now it was time for war - and that meant cooperation.
Lord Yuuna opened the door and the two of them entered the chamber, followed by their attendants. The Divine Priestess was already inside, hunched over a large map of the Inazuman Isles laid on an oak trestle table.
"My lords," she greeted without looking at them, eyes fixated on the lines, "Shall we begin."
"By Your Excellency's grace," they answered together, bowing.
Behind them, the door closed with a thud, and their officers surrounded the table.
"Let me make this clear," the Divine Priestess said, her inner eyelids blinking, "We are not fighting for independence, but to force the Shogun to revoke her Megari Decree."
"I concur," Uchitake bowed, "Independence would only spell disaster for us, for we rely on Narukamii grain and rice to sustain ourselves. Now that we are repeating the actions of our ancestors, we must also learn from their mistakes."
The Divine Priestess nodded decisively, "Well said. Our ultimate objective is to occupy Inazuma City, and for that we must accomplish three things."
She looked up from the map and stared all of them in the eye, "First, we must secure our resources. We cannot sustain our army for long, and thus we must take Yashiori Island to do so - this is the bare minimum."
"Second," she continued, "We must command naval superiority. We do not have the manpower to fight a bloody war all the way to Narukami Island over land, so we must rely on our only advantage - our superior navy. Once we achieve this, we will secure seawise supply lines and force a landing on Narukami Island."
"Lastly, we must cripple the Shogunate's combat potential, lest they overpower us in every encounter. Whether it is through decimating their manpower or destroying their military industry, every effort counts."
The Divine Priestess grinned at them, her dagger-like teeth on full display, "I want every strategem we adopt to accomplish at least two of these objectives - keep that up and I am certain we will win this war."
Uchitake silently harboured his doubts. While the Divine Priestess' words were sensible, they were also incredibly ambitious - and quite honestly implausible. The only one of her objectives that seemed possible was the second one, for it was well-known that Watatsumii spellsingers - or whalesingers as they were called - could command entire armies of sea-beasts from the deep. Stories from the Omikami-Narukami War sung of whales clad in coral armour smashing against the fleets of the Narukamii and sharks feasting on drowning sailors.
But even then, the First Navy had stagnated - with limited resources they couldn't build the massive warfleets of the past. The Narukamii, on the other hand, had never halted the production of new vessels - with the Arsenal of Inazuma continuously launching new warships every single day. They were outnumbered by many times even at sea, and it would take miracles to overcome the Shogunate Navy.
As for taking Yashiori Island, their ancestors couldn't do so even when the balance of power was more equal, so how could they now?
Uchitake shook his head, a little doubt was healthy - it kept one sane - but too much would only be detrimental to their efforts.
"Your Excellency," Lord Yuuna asked, "How are we to take Yashiori Island? The Washizu Clan's capital at Higi is well-defended, not to mention Fujitou Castle. While I may not like to admit it, Lord Izumi has the right of it - the Washizu Clan and their vassals alone can field at least fifty-thousand men!"
"We have the element of surprise," one Lord Yuuna's elderly vassals gruffly replied, "The Narukamii do not care for us - so we summon all our men right under their noses, hundred-thousand in all, and strike them hard - just as our ancestors did."
"Your age must be getting to you, old man!" another younger officer retorted, "We do not have the resources or the logistics to field a hundred-thousand, that is our absolute limit!"
The officer slammed his fist on the table, causing those beside him to flinch.
"Until we secure Yashiori Island, we can only comfortably field our first banners - around twenty-thousand men," he continued, "Anymore and our combat ability will suffer."
"Then how will we defeat an enemy three times our number!?"
"You said it yourself, my lord!" the young officer's eyes gleamed, "We have the element of surprise, they won't be expecting anything! We take a small contingent and sail to the north side of Yashiori and land north of Fujitou Castle. Then, while the Washizu are distracted, we take the rest and land here when they least expect it!"
The officer's finger tapped a point on the map, on the western coast of Yashiori - the port town of Setsuzoku.
"We crush their fleet at harbour," he continued lowly, "And sweep up from the south!"
"You would condemn the northern landings to fail?"
"Sacrifices must be made for victory, my lord," the officer insisted.
"Unacceptable," Uchitake cut in, "Do not treat our men as expendable. Once the Shogunate mobilises, they will have upwards of three-hundred thousand troops, three times anything we can field. We must be miserly with our options here."
"Lord Izumi is correct," the Divine Priestess agreed, to his relief, "What is your name?"
The officer's eyes widened and he hastily bowed, staring at the floor.
"N-Nobunao, Your Excellency! Forgive me for my insolence!"
"There is nothing to forgive," the Divine Priestess returned, "We must hear every idea with open hearts lest we miss a potential victory. Officer Nobunao, your idea has merit - with your strategy, we can both take Yashiori as well as cripple a part of the Shogunate Navy. However, your plan has too many moving parts, and as the weaker force, we cannot afford to rely on fortune."
"I-I understand, Your Excellency!" the officer gasped, "I shall take your words to heart!"
"We must use only what we have," the Divine Priestess raised her voice, "Only when we have comfortably secured ourselves can we afford to take large risks!"
Lord Yuuna nodded, scratching his chin, "I agree with Your Excellency. However, if there is one advantage we have and must use, it is our element of surprise-"
BANG!
Uchitake whipped around, hand grasping for his sword - until he realised he wasn't wearing one. It didn't matter, there was only a messenger at the door, sweat running down his face as he struggled to breath. The smell of sea salt wafted from the man's skin.
"You are Yuuna Ieharu, yes?" the Divine Priestess asked, "Lord Yuuna's son and heir."
"He is, Your Excellency," Lord Yuuna bowed, "I took the privilege of sending him to scout Yashiori Island with a small boat and crew."
Ah, Yuuna Ieharu, the young man he had hoped his daughter wed. Despite only being on the cusp of adulthood, Ieharu had already grown to be a handsome, amiable man with a keen mind - more keen than his father's in any case.
"I see," she hummed, "What do you have for us, then?"
"U-Urgent news!" Ieharu gasped, "The ships at Setsuzoku are flying the Washizu Clan's colours! They're already mustering their troops!"
Shocked silence overwhelmed the war council for a moment, then-
"What!?" Lord Yuuna roared at his son, "At Setsuzoku!? That means they must have known in advance, we must have spies in our ranks-"
"Good work," the Divine Priestess smiled, as if unaffected by the disastrous news, "Cool your head, rest a while. Your efforts are appreciated."
"Your Excellency," Uchitake struggled to grasp her mindset, "If the Washizu are prepared, then we have already lost this war!"
Glancing around, he could see that while the other officers did not like to hear what he said, they still grudgingly agreed with him. Surprise was the only advantage they had, and they had lost it before the war even started.
"Your Excellency," Lord Yuuna urged, "We must find the mole immediately-"
"After your audience," the Divine Priestess cut in, "I immediately had a raven sent to Higi with our official declaration of war."
Uchitake choked on his breath, coughing violently. Hastily sucking back his clearly rude reaction, he cautiously glanced upwards to see Lord Yuuna staring in disbelief and several other officers discretely wiping their faces in frustration.
"Your Excellency," Lord Yuuna hesitantly spoke, "I wouldn't dare to question your motives… but with all due respect, what is your strategy?"
Yes, Uchitake mentally agreed, perhaps the Divine Priestess has a genius strategy none of them had yet seen. Ideas came and went through his head, attempting to parse out what the Divine Priestess may potentially be thinking off - to no avail. Uchitake mentally disposed of the small, treacherous part of his mind that told him the Divine Priestess had no idea what she was doing.
"Lord Washizu is a young, hot-headed man, eager to prove himself after the passing of his lord father," the Divine Priestess smiled softly, "Give a hound a little bait, and they are sure to chase after it."
One of the officers furrowed his brows, "I don't see how letting him prepare for our attack-"
"No…" Nobunao breathed, "He isn't preparing to defend, his ships are flying his colours - Lord Washizu is preparing to attack!"
"Correct," the Divine Priestess placed both her palms on the table, staring intently at Setsuzoku, "I sent him the declaration of war with the intent of taunting him. For that, I killed his envoy and mocked him attempting to establish the Megami Decree here - all with the intent of enraging him. Truthfully, I had no idea if it was going to work, if it didn't I had another plan - but it seems that all is well."
"I understand-!" Lord Yuuna gasped, "Give me the order, Your Excellency, and I will have the First Fleet attack Setsuzoku and smash them against their port!"
"Patience is a virtue, my lord," the Divine Priestess chided, "Have any of you read the Art of War?"
"It is a Narukamii book on war," someone sniffed with disdain.
"It is the greatest book on war," the Divine Priestess corrected, "Written by the hand of Shigeyori Kujou himself, the founder of the Kujou Clan."
Uchitake was struck with a thought - he suddenly remembered the Divine Priestess was a renowned erudite. It was no surprise that in her tenure as Divine Priestess, she had filled the halls of the Coral Palace with massive archives of tomes and books from all across Teyvat, from Inazuma to Snezhnaya.
How could he forget, Uchitake chided himself, it was his late lady mother who had tutored the Divine Priestess back when she was but a child. It was his lady mother who always returned with stories of how when she wasn't being taught, the young Sangonomiya Kokomi would always lock herself in her libraries reading, never leaving unless she must be in attendance for some ceremony or the other.
It was said that after the death of the then-Divine Priestess, Sangonomiya Kokomi looked to be half-dead during her mother's funeral. Most whispered that she was devastated at her mother's death, but Uchitake's lady mother secretly told him it was probably because she had spent the night before drowning in her books.
Perhaps, Uchitake thought, he should try giving this Art of War a read.
"The Fifteenth Stratagem of the Art of War says Cho Tora Hanareyama," the Divine Priestess nodded, "Lure the tiger down the mountain. If we are going to fight a foe greater than us, we must draw them away from the land they are familiar with. This was the mistake our ancestors made, we fought on their land, now we must not repeat that."
"I see…" one officer murmured, "Your Excellency is guided by the Omikami's Will! Tell us, what must we do?"
The Divine Priestess' smile stiffened, and Uchitake couldn't help but think she was annoyed that her own talents were attributed to a higher power. Nevertheless, she did not mention anything of it, and continued laying out her plan.
"The reason I sent the raven to Higi and not Tenshukaku is because I needed to lure him out while delay the Shogunate as long as possible," she explained, "By now, Tenshukaku must have received Lord Washizu's raven, and are now scrambling to mobilise. However, the Shogunate is large, and it will take time for them to gather - so we must leap forward now, and leap forward far."
The Divine Priestess met all of their gazes, her slitted eyes boring into them, "Lord Washizu is not waiting for the Shogunate to reinforce him, and is rushing ahead. With this single strike, we must accomplish a part of all three of our objectives."
A spark lit up in Lord Yuuna's eyes, and he swiftly leaned over the map in eagerness, "I understand, Your Excellency! The Shogunate Navy is formed of three armadas, the First Armada at Ritou, the Second Armada at the Arsenal in Tatarasuna, and the Third Armada in Setsuzoku. The Third Armada alone is over two-hundred ships!"
"Yes," she nodded decisively, "We will wait until Lord Washizu mobilises all of his vassals, all fifty-thousand men and two-hundred vessels and more. Then, when he attempts to land of Watatsumi, we will strike - make no mistake, my loyal vassals, no enemy has ever set foot of Watatsumii soil, and they never will."
The Divine Priestess paused, letting them mull over her words. Her eyes raked over the map - a finger tracing over the eastern shores of Watatsumi in particular.
"Where do you think Lord Washizu will land?" she finally asked.
Nobunao answered without hesitation, "Suigetsu, Your Excellency, there is no other viable place. Fifty-thousand men on two-hundred ships… they do not have the range to land on any other side of Watatsumi."
"What about Ojima?" one Sangonomiya officer asked, "Lord Izumi's domain is also on the western eastern coast."
"They wouldn't if they were sane," Nobunao shook his head, and Uchitake agreed, "The Tail of Watatsumi is surrounded by treacherous waves and coral reefs and islands. Only the most experienced of fishermen can avoid them, but an entire armada? Not a chance."
"I concur," Uchitake nodded in the officer's direction, "There is a reason why Umigozen only fortified Suigetsu and built a port here - only here are there deep enough waters for a fleet to approach and dock, or land troops. The rest of Watatsumi's eastern shore is protected by hidden reefs that would turn any fleet into driftwood."
"I would agree with you," Lord Yuuna leaned over the map, "But as Her Excellency mentioned, the Narukamii have never set foot on Watatsumi Island. Do they even know about the hidden reefs around the Tail of Watatsumi?"
"...They might not," Uchitake grudgingly answered, "Your Excellency, what is your opinion?"
"...As I mentioned," she murmured, "For now, we can only act with the information we have, and not take any risks."
The Divine Priestess turned to Lord Yuuna, "Split the First Navy into two divisions, send the larger unit behind the Tail of Watatsumi, and the smaller unit behind Suigetsu. Reinforce the defences of Suigetsu in the event of a landing."
"Understood!"
"The result will be the same in any scenario," Her Excellency's eyes gleamed with a mad tint, "If they approach Ojima, send the first division around the island to flank them from behind - and smash them against the reefs. If they approach Suigetsu, smash them against our seastone walls."
"Capture as many vessels and men as possible, then we will land at Setsuzoku and sweep up the undefended island," she continued, "The regent of Higi would be Lord Washizu's younger brother - a more sensible man. With our leverage, we will force him to surrender without a drop of blood spilled. We will take a quarter of the Shogunate Army out of the fight, capture a third of their navy, and secure our resources with Yashiori Island."
She slammed her fist on the table, "Our forebears failed to capture Yashiori Island with a hundred-thousand men, we will do it with ten-thousand."
Silence overwhelmed them as they stared at her map. Uchitake could see it playing out in front of him, and though he had no mind for military strategy, he could see how the plan would work. Just as the Divine Priestess said, the one thing they can currently count on is Lord Washizu going on the offensive - even if they cannot ascertain where he would attack, Watatsumi Island had enough natural fortifications to narrow down their choices.
It could work- no, it must work, they do not have the luxury to think otherwise.
"Then," Her Excellency continued to their collective surprise, "We can begin phase two."
"Phase two?" Uchitake questioned.
"A grave mistake our forebears made was leaving the population of Yashiori unscathed," she said firmly, "And because of that they suffered from irregular warfare as the locals resisted them. To counter this, once we secure the island we must conscript the remaining fighting population into our ranks."
"That will completely empty Yashiori Island on manpower, Your Excellency, who would till the fields then?"
"We will relocate our own people to Yashiori," the Divine Priestess answered, "This will resolve two things; lessen the strain on Watatsumi, and secure a reliable source of food. Furthermore, we will secure Jakotsu and its mines, securing ourselves a source of metal for our equipment."
"Taking Jakotsu will also eliminate a large factor in the Shogunate's war industry," an officer agreed, "But the Narukamii conscripts will still be unruly and rebellious, we must decimate as many of them as possible."
"Perhaps we can march them over the Nazuchi Isthmus," Lord Yuuna proposed, "Either the Shogunate Army will hesitate, allowing us an opening - or the Shogunate Army will destroy them with artillery, ridding us of the problem."
"An good idea, but denied for now," the Divine Priestess furrowed her brows, "That is wasting manpower we cannot afford to lose. Every action we take must have a clear, useful objective that will improve our strategic position…"
She drifted off into silence, clearly stewing over her own words. The rest of them followed her lead, tearing apart the map with their eyes trying to think of a plan that will both improve their combat potential as well as get rid of the human problem.
Uchitake's thoughts drifted. Killing the conscripts then and there would be the simplest solution - but as the Divine Priestess said, it was a massive waste of resources. Sending them over the Nazuchi Isthmus was the obvious next solution.
Alas, he was no strategist- but then he remembered what Her Excellency said in the beginning. Any plan they use must effectively accomplish at least two of three objectives. With the first objective complete, the only two left were achieving naval superiority and crippling the Shogunate's war potential-
"Your Excellency!" Officer Nobunao suddenly shouted, "I have an idea- would you listen-?"
"Please," Her Excellency waved, "Do not hesitate."
Nobunao leaned over the tap, pointing at Tatarasuna while looking at her.
"Your Excellency," he pressed, "Tatarasuna is the location of both the Arsenal and the Mikage Furnace. Even if we destroy the Third Armada, they can soon replenish their losses as long as they have the industrial capacity in Tatarasuna."
"Are you saying we should attack it?" Uchitake asked, "The Shogunate knows that Tatarasuna would be a target. The city sits on an island, surrounded by high walls and a closed harbour. We will not be able to storm it-"
"So we don't!" Nobunao excitedly said, "The Shogunate will be reeling from their losses at Yashiori, so we must press the advantage. After we conscript the Narukamii on Yashiori, we load them onto our captured ships and sail them right at Tatarasuna's harbour!"
"That doesn't change anything-"
"We must act quickly," he interrupted, "Before the Shogunate understands what happened in Yashiori. We dress the ships in Washuizu colours, disguising them as refugees. Meanwhile, the First Navy would escort them in secret with their umibouzu and sea-beasts. When the ships get through the closed harbour, the First Navy attacks, taking out the Arsenal and the Mikage Furnace!"
Lord Yuuna's eyes shone, clearly eager for his prided First Navy to get more glory.
"With that, we will both cripple their war economy and Second Armada!" he grinned, "And more, if we send a few of our most elite troops, we will be able to hold Tatararuna and cut off the Shogunate's supply lines."
"Yes," the Divine Priestess hissed, flicking her forked tongue out, "I will volunteer my Sangonomiya Marines to this cause. They will not make it out alive, but they will hold Tatarasuna to the last man. With this bought time, we will fortify the Nazuchi Isthmus into a killing ground, stalemating the Shogunate Army."
Uchitake closed his eyes, "And with the Shogunate Army locked in place, we will be able to defeat the Shogunate Navy in detail until we fully command the seas."
"Your Excellency!" Nobunao suddenly knelt, "Please allow me the honour of leading the vanguard into Tatarasuna!"
"Peace, officer," the Divine Priestess smiled, baring teeth, "Patience is a virtue. Strategies planned this far ahead are unlikely to survive. We must be flexible. However, if we are able to carry out this plan, then I will surely award you command of my marines - this is your stratagem, after all."
"A thousand gratitudes, Your Excellency!"
"And one more thing," the Divine Priestess turned to address Uchitake, "My lord, you are well versed in spies, yes? You have been in charge of Watatsumi's counterintelligence."
Uchitake bowed, "That is the duty of all Guardian Clans, Your Excellency. Rest assured, I have turned away every Shogunate spy since my ascension to Lord of Ojima."
He shot Lord Yuuna a glare, to which the lord turned away.
"That's good," Her Excellency smiled, "It is clear you have no head for military strategy - and I mean this in no offence, my lord."
"None taken, I know my weaknesses."
"So," she continued, "After we secure Yashiori, I want you to take a ship to Ritou undercover as a refugee. There will certainly be people dissenting the Megari Decree on Narukami Island, if only Vision Bearers."
"You want me to build an intelligence network, Your Excellency?"
"That's right," she nodded, "And if possible recruit rebels to join our cause. I heard that Lord Kamisato and his sister are Vision Bearers as well, see if you can contact them - discreetly of course."
"Rest assured, Your Excellency," he bowed, "Your faith in me will not go to waste."
Her Excellency clapped, loud and clear like a thunderstrike, "Then all is set."
The silence that followed was filled with a brimming tension so thick you could cut it with a blade. But it was not anxiousness, no, it was eagerness. Some of the officers were visibly buzzing on their feet, eyes darting across the map as they planned for the battles ahead.
"My lords and ladies!" the atmosphere around Her Excellency commanded the chamber, "We have a long year ahead of us, and I want us to complete all the objectives planned today by the beginning of winter, the end of the campaigning season!"
"We will not disappoint you, Your Excellency!" Lord Yuuna bowed, "The Omikami's Will guides us!"
"Aye!"
"Let's smash those gods-damned Narukamii!"
"The Omikami's Will is with us!"
"Ancestors look down upon us!"
"My loyal vassals! If all goes well, then we will be remembered by history!" the Divine Priestess slammed her palms on the table, looking each of them in the eye one by one, "We will be remembered as the ones who rewrote the Art of War!"
The war council erupted into raucous cheers, and as the cheering, shouts, and hollers were filtered into white noise by his ears, Uchitake couldn't help but fix his gaze on the Divine Priestess. She was positively glowing, mouth set in a rictus grin - all teeth bared and eyes dilated with madness.
She must've planned this all out from the moment she asked the envoy where he hailed from, Uchitake thought in silent horror, was this truly the result borne of reading ancient tomes - or was she truly the prophesied dragon, the heir of the Omikami's Will? What kind of monster in human skin would plan the death of so many with glee in their eyes and a grin on their lips?
No, he silently shook his head, it was simply too early to tell.
But if he knew one thing, it was that this plan was insanity - insanity so mad even their valourous ancestors never thought of it even with the Omikami by their side. It was ruthless, it was dishonourable, it was the worst of men - and yet here they were cheering for it.
It was absolute genius.
A childish glee bubbled up inside him, and for the first time since the audience, the Lord of Ojima wanted to go to war - if only to find out how this mad strategy would play out.
Because for the first time since their grievous defeat thousands of years ago, Watatsumi might just emerge victorious from this age-old war.