The July sun shone on the snow-capped peak of Mount Yōtei, glinting with a pure, radiant glow. From the base of the mountain, this nearly two-thousand-ter-high white volcano that stands in the southern part of Ezo land resembled the Mount Fuji of the Northern Country, and was thus revered by the Wa people as the 'Ezo Fuji.'
"Ezo Fuji, indeed, is a divine mountain housing the ancient spirits of the mountains in the Northern Country! The Ezo people call it 'Male Mountain,' while the adjacent Kao Bie Mountain is called 'Female Mountain.' These two mountains, one male and one female, are like the ancient Heavenly Deities from Ezo legends, dividing the expansive Ezo land and making it impossible for us to cross boundaries..."
A camp of Wa people stood at the foot of Mount Yōtei. The camp was not large, but its location was strategically significant, with its back against the mountain and facing the water. To the south of the camp lay higher terrain, making it easy to defend; to the north, the Kao Bie River flowed diagonally westward, blocking any attacks from the south; to the east, the river valley facilitated cavalry maneuverability, providing a gentle eastern slope that allowed for cavalry to swing around the right flank for a surprise attack...
From this simple camp, one could clearly see the extensive military experience of the Wa commanders, who evidently had seen many battles.
At this mont, the thirty-sothing Kaozaki Yoshihiro, donned in an iron armor Doumaru symbolizing his role as the commander, stood on a high vantage point at the back of the camp, gazing up at the snowy peak of 'Ezo Fuji.' Surrounding him were a dozen Koyozaki retainers clad in similar Doumaru armor, along with an old general in a lighter Doumaru. They looked at the snowy volcano and at the young Yoshihiro with relaxed expressions.
Indeed, the heavy Big Armor was not suitable for the vast Ezo land in the north, and the Kaozaki clan was relatively poor and did not have more than two sets of Big Armor. Besides, against the Ainu tribes, who couldn't even assemble leather armor, the Doumaru was sufficient and also convenient for a swift pursuit after defeating the enemy...
"May Hachiman Mahasattva protect us! May the ancient spirits of the mountain bless us! May He bless my father, restoring his health, and let him persist like the mountain..."
Kaozaki Yoshihiro gazed upward for a mont, quietly prayed, and then turned to the old general beside him, asking with a sigh.
"Kudo Chief Retainer, why is it that once we pass this mountain, our rice can no longer grow? All Wa villages can only be established south of Ezo Fuji. The Twelve Halls in the South have never managed to cross this line, the boundary drawn by the divine spirits!..."
"Therefore, even if we defeat the Ezo people in the north ti and again, and extract tribute and wealth from them each ti... we still cannot truly occupy these northern lands! Are the Guardian Divine Might, as spoken of by the Ezo people, real? Are they indeed residing on this sacred mountain, watching over us?..."
"..."
In the face of the Young Master's question, the old general Shigeyasu Kudo remained silent for a while, seemingly pondering how to respond. The surrounding Koyozaki warriors all lowered their heads slightly, and their expressions beca serious. It was evident that the white-haired 'Kudo Chief Retainer' held much higher military esteem than the young Kaozaki Yoshihiro.
After a mont, the old general Shigeyasu Kudo shook his head and replied gravely.
"Young Master Yoshihiro, matters concerning divine spirits should be handled by monks and shrine priests. I cannot answer your question, I only know about matters of warfare. When an army campaigns outside, even when collecting tribute from the Ainu people, it must be treated as a real war! Therefore, please do not say things that may harm our soldiers' morale. The warriors must not be disturbed by the potentially existent divine spirits; they must have unwavering confidence in their own strength and bravery to truly showcase their prowess on the battlefield!"
"Hmm..."
Listening to this implicit admonishnt, Kaozaki Yoshihiro was montarily stunned. Looking at the serious chief retainer, he couldn't help but break into a faint smile.
This ti, they were only there to collect tribute from the Ainu tribes, not engaged in a life-and-death battle. And the force deployed by the Kaozaki clan entirely overwheld these weak Ainu tribes. Beyond the four hundred allied tribe warriors, just the two hundred Koyozaki warriors—with half of them as armored Armored Warriors clad in Doumaru, along with ten horseback archery cavalry—were enough to easily defeat hundreds of warriors from the Beiyu Cold Shore Division in a frontal open-field battle!
However, even with such an advantage, the old general Shigeyasu Kudo remained cautious. He carefully surveyed the surrounding terrain and built the camp in a location that was easy to defend and hard to attack, albeit inconvenient for drawing water and gathering firewood. Having experienced too few battles, Kaozaki Yoshihiro found such perpetual caution sowhat unnecessary. Yet, out of respect for the eldest of the house elders, he slightly bowed his head and offered his apology.
"Chief Retainer Kudo, you are right! I should not harbor arrogance or confusion, nor be misled by the evil spirit myths of the Ezo people… May Buddha grant clarity, and may you remain perpetually alert to assist in completing my father's task and bringing back the much-needed Northern Land tribute for the Kaozaki Family!"
"Young Master Yoshihiro, I will certainly assist you in completing this expedition successfully!"
The old general Shigeyasu Kudo bowed his head solemnly and returned the salute. The surrounding samurai retainers followed suit, paying respects to Young Master Kaozaki Yoshihiro. From this spontaneous act of following, one could discern Shigeyasu Kudo's standing and his prestige within the Kaozaki military!
In fact, Shigeyasu Kudo, originally nad Kuro Kudo, had such deep experience that he ranked first among the Kaozaki family retainers. Forty years ago, when Takeda Nobuhiro departed from the Wakasa Takeda Clan, he was one of the five retainers who initially followed Nobuhiro. Over these forty years, he followed the Family Head from Wakasa Takeda to the Koga Kubo, then to the Ando family and Nanbu clan, and finally to the Ezo land, participating in nearly every campaign and battle!
Now, at sixty, Shigeyasu Kudo, as the youngest and only surviving mber of the Wakasa retinue, is arguably the most militarily experienced and loyal house elder. This ti, although Takeda Nobuhiro nominally appointed his son Yoshihiro as the army's commander for the northern tribute expedition, it was actually this senior deputy marshal who was in charge of the military affairs.
"Chief Retainer Kudo is the cornerstone of the house, the true military leader of the tribute expedition team!... And the Family Head has ensured that this elderly gentleman leads the troops, exercising utmost caution and paving the way for the Young Master's succession to the extre!"
Seeing the two commanders, one with white hair and the other with black, bow to each other, the lower-ranking command officers couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
For this northern tribute expedition, the Kaozaki Family mobilized a full two hundred samurai, brought along a hundred sets of iron armor, and even included ten cavalry units! This was almost the entire dependable force under Victory Mountain Manor and was ard to the hilt, representing the peak of Kaozaki's military strength. Indeed, if it weren't for the bulk military supplies brought in by the great rchant Mori no Kiyoshi over the past two years, there would've been no way for the Kaozaki Family to gather those hundred sets of iron armor with their ans!
The reason the Kaozaki Family had exerted all efforts and set out in force was not just to acquire the Ainu people's resources to pay off their massive debts to Mori no Kiyoshi's rchant convoy... but also to ensure that while Takeda Nobuhiro still lived and could suppress both internal and external threats, Young Master Kaozaki Yoshihiro could suppress the Ainu tribes through military conquest and build a military legacy, establishing prestige among the Wa Tribes in the Southern Route Twelve Halls and alliances with the Ishikari Tribes!
In other words, this was all about paving the way for Kaozaki Yoshihiro's rise, for the inheritance of the Kaozaki Family Head's rule over the Southern Route Twelve Halls… And the reason Kaozaki was so blatant and impatiently prepared was solely because the once-feared "evil old eagle of the South", Takeda Nobuhiro, who had intimidated the Ainu tribes for forty years, was truly nearing his end!
Beneath Mount Fuji of Ezo, the Wa people's camp was neat and tight, contrasting with the white snowy peak and shimring with iron armor. anwhile, the camp of the Ishikari Tribes, two miles apart, was disorganized and chaotic, set up by the riverbank where accessing water was easier and the terrain flatter.
By the riverbank, two scouts from the Ishikari Tribe hurriedly crossed the river, rushing to their clan's camp. Subsequently, the originally scattered camp boiled like a steaming pot, suddenly clamorous. A Great Chief from the Ishikari Tribe personally led a few warriors, quickly heading towards the Wa allies' hilltop camp, bringing along shocking news just received.
"The Guardian Divine Might of the Black Bear! The deceitful Bei Yu Cold Shore Division, while superficially bowing and kneeling to claim submission and tribute, have actually been stalling. They said they needed ti to prepare the tribute, but secretly they've been making preparations for war against us!"
"Divine Might of the Ancestors bears witness! They've requested reinforcents from the Beiyu Cold Swamp Tribe to the north! Our scouts spotted nurous tribal boats along the northern Ishikari territory coast, all laden with Beiyu Clan warriors, swarming southward like schools of salmon! With the ti taken for scouts to report, those reinforcents must surely have reached the Beiyu Cold Shore Division by now! The Cold Shore Division's village was originally very fortified and hard to conquer, and now with this influx of tribal reinforcents, how could it possibly be overco? And what infuriates to the core, leaving in disbelief..."
"Among those reinforcents, there are actually three large ships! Three large ships that only your Wa Tribes would possess, each as long as four or five small boats, fully loaded with armored Wa warriors!… Damn it! Young Chief of Kaozaki! There are traitors among your Wa Tribes, colluding with the Beiyu Division!!"
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