Session 41. (30/11/12)

It is summer of the Year of the Goat (1487). Another year has passed since the last trouble with peasants. Hidasue has hired Taotsu Faa as his housekeeper. The Ogawa mayor and justice have been imprisoned and the horse bandit chieftain executed. No more horses have been stolen. The fine riding horse recovered and coveted by Onuma was found to belong to the daimyo's niece, but it had already been replaced so Onuma is allowed to keep it. The troubleshooters have found time for 9 weeks of training. Emishi takes refresher courses in kenjutsu, kyujutsu, bajutsu, mah jongg and domestic duties - though there is no issue from the last of these. Tomtare mastered kenjutsu then started learning yadomejutsu. Ishan Ashte spent 7 weeks studying iaijutsu then did some reading to improve his kanji. Onuma spent the entire three months improving her speed until she could execute three actions per turn. Sahpo studied kanji and tantojutsu, getting both into the Stone Zone. Yoshi Yeesu finally perfected his Precision Strike.

There has been little trouble with peasants in the last year, but the naturalised Wajin know that discontent still rumbles on. Tax collectors travel in pairs and with a contingent of guards, so taxes are being paid. The Shin Buddhist priests are instrumental in both raising the expectations of the peasants and keeping them content, helped by regular meetings with Hidasue and his charges to negotiate improvements in land management. There is some give and take, as always agreed with the daimyo.

One day news reaches Utsunomiya that peasants have risen up in Kaga province, far to the west, north of the capital Kyoto. Kaga's daimyo, Togashi Masachika, is away from the province fighting for the Ashikaga Shogun against the Rokkaku in Omi province. He is said to be planning to return with an army as soon as he can get away. For now, no-one seems to be in charge of Kaga. His Jito (Land Steward) has committed seppuku for allowing the peasants to revolt.

An hour later a proclamation is circulated in Utsunomiya, coming from the daimyo. He orders all his staff to keep quiet about the news from Kaga, to stop it reaching the ears of the peasants and giving them ideas.

However, a few days later is becomes clear that the news has reached many peasants, probably spread by the Shin Buddhist priests. Hidasue summons his staff.

"I've heard that peasant meetings are being organised all across the province by these Jodo Shinshu priests. We must find out what goes on at these meetings. I want you to attend as many meetings as possible - infiltrate some, go in an official capacity to others, and find out what you can. If you can defuse the tension at the meetings, do so. Otherwise we will have to prepare for rebellion."

The troubleshooters confer and decide to infiltrate nearby village. They will go in pairs: Tomtare and Sahpo to Ichikai; Emishi and his wife Hana to Mashiko; and Ishan Ashte and Onuma to Motegi. Ishan Ashte and Onuma will pose as a carpenter and his wife, though Onuma draws the line at any pretence at domestic duties. Emishi and Hana will pose as a farmer and his wife, natural enough as Emishi has experience of farming and Hana is his wife. Tomtare and Sahpo go as a rather mismatched pair, a hunter and a Shinto priest. They all dress in peasant clothes and reluctantly leave their swords behind, taking only tanto. Onuma takes kabuki make up, just in case.

In Motegi, Ishan Ashte and Onuma blend in very well. Ishan Ashte does some carpentry jobs and Onuma draws on her acting skills to pretend to be his loving, dutiful wife. Gossip around the town is that the peasants of the province are ready to fight for better conditions, and the peasants in Motegi are no different.

In Mashiko, Emishi impresses with his knowledge of farming methods (which is better than his skill in its practice), and Hana impresses by dancing for the entertainment of villages in the evenings. They hear that a peasant army is being mobilised somewhere in the province.

In Ichikai, Tomtare has little interaction with the villagers as he has to go out hunting in his present role. Sahpo tries to lead the villagers in Shinto rituals, but as he only knows the basics he only succeeds in confusing them. He switches to Ainu-based animist teachings, telling them the Saga of the Owl That Protects the Village and the Parable of the Falling Bear, and these go down much better. He manages to listen in on a village meeting and learns that a peasant army is gathering close to the capital, though he doesn't learn exactly where.

The three pairs return to Utsunomiya and report to Hidasue. Sahpo sums it up: "It's too late to prevent a rebellion. We must prepare to defend the city."

"What can you do to help the daimyo's army?" asks Hidasue.

"I know battle strategy," offers Emishi. He is put in charge of 1,000 men, a tenth of the total force.

"We can find the peasant army," suggests Onuma. She organises some scouts and a few days later received news that the peasant army is already marching from Kanuma, and is only a day behind the messenger. It's war!

The next morning, the 12,000-strong peasant army approaches from the west. The daimyo's army, under Matsukura Koreyasu, marches out to meet it. Emishi controls one of ten contingents, and Tomtare, Onuma and Ishan Ashte are at its fore. Sahpo intends to stay at the rear of the contingent, concentrating on healing, but as the battle starts he finds himself joining the charge at the front. The first hour of fighting is a great success for the daimyo's army, using superior strategy and tactics to reduce the ill-equipped peasant army by a third without any significant losses. Things do not go quite so well for Emishi's contingent, losing 200 men while killing only 100. Emishi suffered a minor injury, Tomtare contributed 5 heads, Onuma 3 heads, Ishan Ashte 1 head and Sahpo 3 heads. Yoshi Yeesu, fighting with one of the other contingents, took 3 heads. Onuma, Ishan Ashte and Sahpo also had one-on-one encounters with enemy heroes. Onuma's foe strikes first with a hit for 4 while she readies hew Hand is Faster than the Brain spell, and is hit again for 5 as it goes off. The peasant misses, then Onuma whirls in for six attacks but finishes the fight with a critical hit for 24! Ishan Ashte spins both his swords, and attacks, hitting with one; attacks again, hitting with one; attacks again, hitting with one... to finish the fight. His opponent never landed a blow. Sahpo has a major encounter with a level 5 peasant fighter, suffers a hit for 7 damage then hits the peasant with four Arrows of Wood; two are resisted, but despite a 50% success rate at fighting the eight levels of poison, the peasant slumps, weak as a kitten.

The next hour's fighting sees the peasant commander gain the upper hand over the daimyo's loyal band, but skilful tactics from Koreyasu reduces the losses, and both sides end up with losses of 2,000. Emishi does his part, matching his counterpart a resulting in a deadlock with no significant losses. Tomtare gets 2 heads and 2 damage, Onuma 2 heads and 3 damage, Ishan Ashte 3 heads and 2 damage, Sahpo 3 heads and Yoshi Yeesu 3 heads and 1 damage. Emishi has a major encounter as a L5 ashigaru trooper storms his command position. Emishi, surprised, hurries his attack and dazes himself; fortunately the peasant misses, but gets an attack on the woozy Emishi and hits for 9 damage. Emishi pulls himself together and strikes back for 11 while the peasant scores with another 9. Then Emishi critically misses again, though managed to miss himself this time, but his foe doesn't, landing a blow for 10. Emishi finally gets a grip and, with his opponent connecting only with thin air, hits for 12 and 9, downing the ashigaru.

The third hour of fighting results in deadlock for the main armies, but Emishi outwits the peasant's local commander in strategy and tactics, and reduces them by 300 men without major loss, equalling the forces at 800. Emishi also takes 5 heads, Tomtare and Ishan Ashte likewise, Onuma 2 heads, Sahpo 3 heads and Yoshi Yeesu one head and was also the only one to take a wound, for 1 damage. Ishan Ashte had a heroic encounter with a L5 ashigaru, which followed a regular pattern: Ishan Ashte attacks with both swords and hits with one, then attacks again and misses with both. By the third iteration the peasant is getting fed up, especially as he has only one hit from four attacks himself. He attacks and hits for 6 damage, but Ishan Ashte relieves his boredom with a critical hit for 14, killing the peasant.

As the sun starts on its return journey to the horizon, the situation with the main army is fairly static: a slight strategic advantage for the daimyo is negated by the peasant commander's tactics and the army sizes remain about the same - 6,000 peasants versus 8,000 loyal defenders. However, Emishi repeats his success of the previous army and reduces the enemy contingent by 300. He contributes 2 heads himself, Tomtare and Onuma 7 each and 5 each for Yoshi Yeesu, Sahpo(!) and Ishan Ashte, the latter two also receiving 5 and 4 points of damage. Tomtare and Yoshi Yeesu have encounters: Tomtare misses with his first attack, as does his level 2 foe, but then connects critically for 30 damage, the peasant's body clearing the green monster and ending up in Lansdowne Street. Yoshi Yeesu's encounter with a level 3 sickle-wielding peasant is much less spectacular: hits of 8 and 13 fell the peasant, who didn't land a blow.

In the fifth hour of battle, the daimyo's commander gains a slight advantage and the cumulative losses finally reduce the peasant's numbers to a number nearer 5,000. Emishi also wins by 1 troop point, gaining a 2-to-1 advantage for the next round. Tomtare takes 1 head, Onuma 5, Ishan Ashte 3, Sahpo 1 and Yoshi Yeesu 6. Onuma encounters a L4 foe and uses her improved speed to get three attacks to the peasant's two - with each missing once per round, Onuma gets twice the rate of success, inflicting hits of 10, 8, 12 and 10 while taking only 4 and 7 damage, winning the fight. Yoshi Yeesu meets a L4 ashigaru: he hits for 11, misses, is hit for 5, hits for 9, misses, is missed, is hit for 5, and hits for 9 to end the contest.

The afternoon draws on. The peasant launch an all-out attack and get a significant strategic advantage, but the daimyo's commander counters with tactical nous and evens the losses at around 2,000, which, given the defender's prior numerical superiority, results in a 2:1 advantage as the battle's dénouement approaches. Meanwhile, Emishi makes the most of his local 2:1 advantage and routs the peasant contingent, killing 300 without losses. Emishi also took 2 heads, Tomtare 6, Onuma 5 (and 5 damage), Ishan Ashte 2 heads, Sahpo 3 and Yoshi Yeesu 2 heads and an encounter with a L3 ashigaru. Yoshi Yeesu makes short work of the peasant warrior, dodging his blows and landing hits of 12 and 9, exactly enough to fell the foe.

Hour 7 sees the peasant army facing defeat as their numbers dwindle to a single thousand, outnumbered and out manoeuvred by the daimyo's forces. Emishi's contingent of 800 wipes out the last hundred peasants facing them. Emishi's leadership is no longer needed, so he wades into the fight and contributes 6 heads (for 5 damage), while Tomtare takes 2 heads (and 5 damage), Onuma 3 heads and 2 damage, Ishan Ashte 4 heads, Sahpo 3 heads and Yoshi Yeesu 1 head and 4 damage.

The remaining peasants flee into the gathering gloom, half-heartedly pursued by a few of the daimyo's troops. The troubleshooters gather for celebration and to have their wounds healed by Onuma and by Sahpo's Sagas.

"So," says Tomtare, "who took the most heads?"

They tally their scores and find that Tomtare and Onuma have tied for the lead with 29 heads, followed by Ishan Ashte with 25, Yoshi Yeesu 23, Sahpo 22 and Emishi last with 16.

"I did best at commanding troops," he boasts, "and still took 16 heads!"

The others sigh collectively, and wonder what rewards the daimyo will be handing out.

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