Act 2 - Facing the harsh reality
1 day after the coup.
The day passed as usual, good.
People were uneasy at first, but they ultimately couldn't care less on who managed the Tri-Commission.
Regardless of yesterday's events, there are people living their lives as usual. The streets of Inazuma city were still packed with people going to and from, and merchants advertising their wares.
"Miss Kyoko, we will be late if you clog up the line like a child." A woman was voicing her displeasure.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's go." Kyoko responded as she takes a handful of dango and other sweets.
Hard to believe, but she is the Admiral of the Inazuman navy. Not that prestigious to many, but who would transport the army if it were not for the navy?
People were keeping their distance from the two. Understandable, they don't want trouble with the new leadership.
Both women made their way to the Tenshukaku complex, where they proceeded to enter the Tenryou headquarters.
The headquarters still is somewhat running the same. Though, Kyoko notes that there much more soldiers here.
They made their way to the commissioner's office, where the others were waiting for them.
The woman stayed behind while Kyoko entered the office.
"Good morning, gentlemen." Kyoko greets, getting a few 'morning' as a response.
After she takes a seat, General Fujo clears his throat, "ladies and gentlemen, congratulations for the promotions. I hope you will all make Inazuma a better place for us all."
He paused as he looked around the room.
"Now, I would like to use this time to address some of the issues facing Inazuma." He paused, "where do we start?"
Ichiro who was crossing his arms raised his hand and spoke up, "How about we address the elephant in the room. The Vision hunt decree and the Watatsumi resistance."
Fujo nods, "the Vision hunt decree is still unpopular as ever, and the resistance grows stronger and stronger with Fatui delusions."
"I propose we quickly crush the resistance" Ichiro declares.
"Hold it. We've been doing that since the start of the war. I say we focus on the Homefront by addressing the Vision hunt decree first." Kyoko intervenes. "With it, we can restore public confidence in us!"
"I agree with Kyoko, but… Sara." Fujo looks at Sara.
"The Vision hunt decree is a direct order from her excellency the Raiden Shogun! And unless the Shogun permits it, it shall not be repealed." She states.
"Why should I care for a bunch of magical stones few people have?" Ichiro waves disinterestedly.
Kyoko glares at Sara and Ichiro, ready to initiate a verbal fight. Luckily, Fujo steps in.
"Alright. We can't do anything about the Vision hunt decree right now. But we can focus on stabilizing the home islands before launching a counteroffensive to Watatsumi." He states, "any ideas?"
"Look, I know it isn't like me to say this, but… We can ask Snezhnaya to help us." Ichiro speaks up as he adjusts his position.
"Help us… like what?" Fujo says skeptically.
"Them? Really?" Kyoko sneers, "you know they've been experimenting on children, right?"
"Those are rumors, nothing more, nothing less." Ichiro interrupts, "Are you going to let go of a potential ally-"
Kyoko interrupts, "Are you going to sacrifice the children of Inazuma?-"
Fujo slams the document in his hand, "Enough. Let's move on." He says, "The next issue we should address is… the current Sakoku decree."
Almost immediately, Kyoko raises her hand, "the Sakoku decree should be repealed!" she states. Only to receive glares from the others.
Fujo slowly speaks up and asks calmly, "Alright then… why?"
"First of all, it's hurting our economy, many businesses rely on imports to produce goods" She calmly replied.
"Well, that is certainly bad," Fujo says with indifference, "But I think we can all agree that the stability and security of this nation is more important than some businessmen's wallet."
The room fell into silent murmurs, most of them in agreement with what Fujo says.
"Is that why the Inazuman people needs to stay poor?" Kyoko retorts, "Inazuma is poorer than the poorest nation on the mainland!"
"Why don't you take your foreign ideas and shove it up your a-"
"Oh, shut up, will you! Weren't you the ones proposing cooperation with the Fatui?!" Kyoko interrupts as she leans over her seat and pointing angrily at Ichiro.
"ENOUGH!" Fujo slams the table.
Ichiro and Kyoko stop their banter as silence encroaches the room. Everyone stares at Fujo, who is now starting to feel a little uncomfortable from all the stares he is getting. Gathering his composure, he continues with a calmer tone, albeit with a tinge of irritation in his voice.
"Well, we are all supposed to be professionals here..." he took a deep breath before continuing.
"So, let's act like it, shall we?"
Quiet murmur slowly fills the room, most of them nodding either in agreement or out of fear. He was the General that organized this whole ordeal after all. Uncertainty is still on the back of everyone's mind, especially seeing how the other two Commissioners were treated.
A few minutes passed by before Fujo points at Kyoko, "You can continue, Admiral." He says sternly.
"U- uh... W- well..." she stammers, her eyes scanning around the room, judging the reaction from the other Generals. She was treading on very thin ice after all.
Made worse by the fact that she's the only one representing the Navy, outnumbered by Generals whose troops are right outside the door, able to do anything to her before her small, but respectable detachment of Marines can respond.
"Maybe these Army grunts will understand..." She thought to herself.
"Hello? Admiral Kyoko?"
Her musings rudely interrupted by Fujo's words. She straightens up, still stammering a little before gaining the composure to speak.
"Y- you see..."
"Yes, Admiral?"
"Well... the Navy relies a lot on foreign imports..." She begins.
Fujo's eyebrow rises, "Can you explain further, Kyoko?"
"Most of our first-rate ship uses a modified 'Guizhong Ballista' as their main armament" she pauses while scanning to see intrigued faces.
Army grunts finally listening to a sailor's lament? This must her lucky day she thought.
"Guizhong... I remember her from a book about Liyue." Sara mentions
"Liyue, that's right" Kyoko replies, almost in sync with Sara's words.
"The Navy was undergoing training with it for quite a while now, we've managed to get domestic maintenance done"
"Well, that's good then!" Ichiro interrupts, "no more dealing with those snobby merchants-"
"But-"
"Let's act like professionals, General." Fujo reminded, "Kyoko, you can continue."
"Thank you! Um, General." the relieved Admiral replied.
"Well, we might be able to maintain them, but we cannot produce them. The Technology Transfer program was interrupted by the Decree." She resumes.
"Are there any advantages to these Ballistas, Admiral?" The Tengu General inquired.
"Of course, these Ballistas has about... 30% longer range than the usual cannons."
"Ah, a longer range means an earlier opportunity to fire, I see why the Navy are so fond of them now." Sara nodded in agreement.
"You got it!" Kyoko excitedly replies, "However, some were destroyed or was brought with defecting ships during the opening stages of the civil war."
The mood in the room changed from curiosity to alarm, with a little anger in the mix.
Ichiro, whose mind wandered off listening to her explanations suddenly regained his consciousness. Already preparing a barrage of questions and accusations for the Admiral, only stopped by Fujo's and Sara's glare piercing his resolve.
"Naval Intelligence estimates that we only have a slight advantage in numbers." she explains, "Means that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are our first-rate ships travel separately, lest we lose our slight advantage." she declares.
Clearing her throat, she pauses to look at the faces of the generals.
"Change the rules." Fujo demands.
"But Fujo-" She protests, before getting interrupted again.
"Yeah!" Ichiro shouted, "Its better if we make use of those cannons!"
"This current procedure limits our ability to project significant power beyond Yashiori." she adds,"No power projections mean no landings in their homefront, no landings also mean Watatsumi stays unscathed." She concludes.
"Change the rules, ships in more places will do us better." Fujo demands again.
"Yeah!" Ichiro shouted in agreement, "We should use those cannons instead of letting them rot in port!"
"Ichiro has a point, Kyoko, either utilize your ships or we will get someone that will." Fujo insists.
There's no point continuing this squabble she thought. For her, there is only one sensible thing that she can do now.
"Very well..." she replied defeated, "But I will only change the Navy's procedure if you give me one thing."
"Very well Admiral..." Fujo obliged, hoping silently her request will not be something too difficult. After all, letting go of an experienced commander who has gained the trust of her underlings will sabotage their efforts.
"Wait! Do you not trust the Army?" Ichiro asks, "Do you not have faith in this council? Maybe you are an agitator-"
"Faith?" Kyoko interjects, "I will tell you how much faith I have!" she declares.
"I am asking for a signed letter from this council, with all your signatures stating that I was ordered to change our procedures!" She demands, both Generals was rather shocked at her sudden burst of anger.
"I'm not signing it." Sara finally spoke up, "I'm on her side on this one"
"Are you trying to worsen our divide, Sara?" Ichiro questions
"We have little to no knowledge on why the Navy is run a certain way, suddenly changing their doctrines will be disastrous, especially when demanded by Generals who never sailed on the High Seas."
Kyoko looks at Sara with a small, relieved smile on her face.
"If you wish to continue however, I am in no position to oppose it practically." she adds, "I would like to make it known in the letter that I oppose this change" she concludes.
"Very well then, this matter is settled." Fujo declares, "You will get your letter once this meeting is over."
Sara gives an understanding nod to a disappointed Kyoko. At least she wasn't replaced, or worse, Kyoko thoughts.
The room froze in silence, the four of them still staring at each other unblinking. They continued like this for a long while, before Fujo finally spoke up.
"And before I forget... I'm giving you two new jobs." Fujo looks over to Sara and Ichiro, "Sara, you'll be in charge of the Kanjou and Tenryou commissions until further notice."
Sara nods.
"Ichiro, I want you to reinforce our front lines."
"You got it." Ichiro waved.
"Now I think we'll leave it at that, for now." Fujo scans the room, "I hope our future meetings will be more civil. That is all"
As everyone stood up and left the office, Fujo was left alone to gather his thoughts.
After everyone left and the doors were closed, Fujo let out a deep sigh. His eyes looked down at the documents laid on his table.
After the takeover, he ordered his men to find and gather any and all documents relating to government affairs. And he is starting to regret it a little.
To sum it up, Inazuma is fucked.
The Vision Hunt Decree that the Shogun issued was very unpopular, maybe very is an understatement. Yes, the commissions, the Tenryou commission specifically has carried out this decree effectively, maybe too effective.
Yet, after the Shogun locked herself in the Tenshukaku, with no one to lead them, the Tri-Commission became corrupt, and easily manipulated by the Fatui.
What's worse, the Sakoku decree was issued alongside the Vision hunt decree. Thereby Banning the travel from and into Inazuma.
This also applies to foreigners already in Inazuma, which forbids them from leaving the nation.
The final blow was the resistance. Which formed in response to the Vision hunt decree.
Many of the soldiers defected to the resistance, carrying with them military experience and assets.
What was initially thought to be an easy victory, quickly became a chaotic political and social shit show. Which has influenced Inazuman society has a whole, as seen in today's meeting of the emergency council.
The army and the navy don't trust each other. Though they are united in their cause to crush the resistance, they often acted alone without the support of each other.
Fujo leans back on his seat and closed his eyes.
Then there's the government bureaucrats. Civilian government officials who run the day-to-day governmental affairs.
Problem is, many of them are liberal leaning. As opposed to the usual conservative thinking of the military. Negotiating with them will be hard.
But he has to try.
First and foremost, the economy.
Junpei Ryosuke and his small team of economists has been handling the treasury for a decade now, and they often operate on a budget. As seen on the financial report documents.
Regardless of political standing or rivalries, to carry out any significant reforms or military offensives requires money.
And Inazuma doesn't have a lot of that.
Taking a deep breath, he orders a soldier to summon Ryosuke to his office.
Junpei Ryosuke was a man of few words.
Graduating university in Liyue and returning to Inazuma to work as an accountant in the Inazuman treasask, and getting married later that year. What more could a man ask?
Things started to go downhill when the Vision hunt and Sakoku decrees were introduced. Many of his colleagues either resigned, defected, or arrested for treason. This left him as the only senior accountant left in charge of the treasury.
Sure, why not? It was an easy path to power. What's the worst that could happen?
Turns out, a lot.
Despite his best efforts, the Tri-Commission is spending more than earning more mora.
The budget often rides at a deficit, and no amount of creative accounting is going to solve it.
Hopefully, the recent coup d'etat and the emergency government will listen to his advice. Hopefully. Ryosuke doesn't have high hopes for military officials understand basic economics.
But he could try.
"You wanted to see me, general?" Ryosuke called out as he opens the door to the office.
"Yes, have a seat." The general gestures to the chair in front of him.
Both were silently staring at eachother before Fujo finally speaks.
"So… let's get straight to the point." Hr taps his fingers on the table, "how's our economy?"
Ryosuke mentally took a deep breath and puts up a serious face, "Sir, the national economy has been reduced by 30%. Industries that were once a major contributor to the economy have all been disrupted or outright destroyed because of the Sakoku decree and the civilwar."
"The only saving grace is the agricultural production has fared slightly better. Only having a 10% reduction in production. The Tri-Commission has implemented measures and rationing; however food shortages have been a major concern ever since." He finishes.
Fujo silently nods, taking time to process all that.
After a while, he speaks up, "So, what do you think we should do?"
"If I may be so bold. The Sakoku decree should be repealed-"
"It's not happening any time soon." Fujo interrupts. "I want you, to come out with a plan that doesn't involve opening up our borders. This is an order."
Ryosuke was speechless, he tried to talk some sense into the general, only to be ordered, that's right, ordered.
With a scoff, Ryosuke leaves the office.
If the generals are this dense, then is it any different than the previous government?
Admiral Kyoko made her way back to the Port of Ritou, its deserted by any large merchant ships. She was greeted by a soldier from the Kaigun Rikusentai who is guarding the Navy's section.
She shut the door behind her as she entered her office, before finally sinking into her seat. The meeting was not a physically demanding ordeal, yet she was mentally drained after that confrontation.
At least she is safe here, surrounded by a library of naval charts and books that she hasn't touched since taking office. While still loyal to the Shogunate, she is more sympathetic towards the Vision Bearers, often ordering patrols away from popular routes for refugee rafts.
In her mind at least, a Vision Bearer escaping to Liyue or more unlikely Mondstadt. Sumeru, or even Shneznaya is better than one that escapes to join the Watatsumi Resistance instead.
That is assuming that these rafts would not sail west into more contested waters.
One thing is still on her mind however, the issue of Ballistas still present like a brainworm infesting her mind. With all Liyue's dockworkers leaving after the Sakoku Decree was implemented, there was a techical lack of know-hows especially in the maintenance department.
Left unsolved, the current tenuous advantage she possesses over the Watatsumi Navy, mostly comprised of defectors from Narukami Island would disappear. Even worse, reports of a Mercenary Unit operating under their banner made her weary that they could, in theory, make contact with the Liyue Qixing and acquire an advantage over her forces.
A group of frigates on the docks was finalizing preparations before setting sail for another sortie. As its sails was unfurled and the group sailed away, none of the crews aboard realized that the Admiral herself was watching their routine from afar.
Silently watching their departure, a plan suddenly emerged in her head. It would be an ambitious one, and if word got out, it could very well mean her death.
But in her eyes, this is the best path forward.
Yoimiya is a bright and cheerful girl. Even when times are bleak, such as during the Vision hunt decree, where she tries to help anyone.
And even after the leadership change, she remains positive on the world.
She was walking down the streets when she saw dozens of people crowding a place.
Oh yeah! There was a leadership change within the Tri-Commission. People were talking about it ever since the general's speech yesterday.
Curious, she makes her way to the front of the crowd, Yoimiya sees a new bulletin. On the top is the symbols from the Three Commissions in Inazuma. However, she notices that this bulletin comes from a different group.
The title, written with big, bold letter reads;
"THE EMERGENCY COUNCIL PPROMISES
EIEN NO KAIKAKU;
TO ERADICATE CORRUPTION
TO BRING PEACE IN INAZUMA
TO ENSURE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY"
The bulletin concludes with the words;
" FOR INAZUMA. FOR THE SHOGUN. FOR ETERNITY"
written in the same bold letter as the title.
This must be their new motto, Yoimiya thought. She went along continuing her activities, joined by others who have finished reading it. Unaware of the changes behind the scenes.
Author's note:
both of the writers got sucked into the honkainstar rail addiction. whoops.
made by: Meniir and Breadunderscore (Ao3: Breadunderscore)