Chapter 1610: Chaos Erupts

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he lifted his head again. "Since that's the case, the matter of the Great Han envoys absolutely cannot be delayed any longer! Right now, we should simply round them all up and send them to Edo... If everything remains calm, they will be guests of the shogunate. If the worst truly happens, having a few more hostages will always prove useful."

At that moment, faint voices suddenly drifted in from outside the window, and the noise grew increasingly clamorous and tumultuous, shattering the silence of what had been a tranquil night sky.

Naitō Tadashige had initially intended to ignore it, but as if struck by a sudden premonition, his eyes abruptly widened. He then stood up suddenly and staggered unsteadily over to the window.

His blood circulation was already poor from kneeling in seiza, and after seeing the scene outside the window, he grew even dizzier and nearly collapsed before he could steady himself.

"What is it, my lord?" Soga Koyū sensed something was wrong and hurried over.

The moment he looked outside, even he was left utterly dumbstruck.

From the window of the tall building, he could clearly see, in the distance, at one corner of Nagasaki city, several buildings had caught fire. The blaze was immense, shooting straight into the clouds and illuminating everything around it. Men and women in wooden clogs and undergarments could be seen fleeing in panic. From afar, the flames bursting forth from every direction were like tongues devouring everything, leaving nothing but charred blackness wherever they swept. The raging inferno spread its claws without restraint, attempting to bring every place it could reach under its dominion.

It was already nearing summer, so the weather was hot. Fanned by the wind, the fire grew larger and larger, swiftly engulfing the surrounding houses. The shrill, harrowing cries grew louder and louder, carrying all the way to the tall building where they stood.

Fires were a common occurrence, but this particular fire sent violent tremors through the hearts of the two shogunate senior officials present.

Because the direction and location of the fire was unmistakably where the Great Han legation was situated.

What exactly did this signify? Both officials, without prior consultation, arrived at the exact same thought.

"Damn it!" Naitō Tadashige let out a furious curse, then swayed violently and nearly crashed to the floor. He was only saved from falling because Soga Koyū, with quick eyes and swift hands, rushed to support him.

Naitō Tadashige quickly recovered a sliver of his energy, then struggled to stand. He immediately shouted at Soga Koyū, "Forget about me! Go quickly and take men to arrest them! Capture as many as you can—don't let them escape!"

"Yes, my lord!" Soga Koyū naturally understood the gravity of this matter. He acknowledged the order at once, then flew down the stairs and, accompanied by his attendants, rushed to the Nagasaki magistrate's office.

Shortly after, he led the officials from the magistrate's office to the site of the Great Han trading house. By this time, however, the once-grand structure had been reduced to a pile of charred, blackened ruins.

The fire was still blazing fiercely, and the gusts of scorching wind kept slapping against their faces, deepening the extreme vexation in his heart.

Because he had just asked others, and all said that not a single person had run out of the trading house after the fire started.

Either they were all already dead, or they had fled beforehand... Either outcome was a colossal disaster for him.

Suppressing the terror and fury in his heart, he stared at the burning trading house and loudly ordered the men he had brought to immediately fight the fire.

Water drawn from wells everywhere was quickly delivered, and even commoners and laborers were mobilized. Everyone busied themselves fighting the fire, while he also led men to patrol the perimeter to prevent anyone from escaping in the chaos.

Yet, until nearly daybreak, he still had not found a single person from the Great Han trading house. By then, the fire had also been extinguished. He led his men into the ruins of the trading house to conduct a careful inspection.

There was still not a single person.

Only, traces of lamp oil and even gunpowder having been spread were everywhere. It was clearly a premeditated act of arson, and one carried out by the people inside the Great Han trading house themselves.

"Bastards!" He could not help but curse aloud.

After cursing furiously for a long while, he dragged his utterly exhausted body back to Naitō Tadashige's residence. As he expected, he was granted an audience very quickly; Naitō Tadashige had also spent a sleepless night.

"What's the situation?" Naitō Tadashige asked the moment he saw him. "Did you capture anyone?"

Soga Koyū shook his head miserably. "None captured. They must have all fled beforehand."

The two men sat down in a daze simultaneously, speechless for a long while.

"It seems this was a premeditated move. These Great Han envoys have been scheming against us all along. Upon hearing that we were going to send them to Edo, they simply fled." After a long time, Naitō Tadashige finally voiced the judgment they both shared. "We must now search and arrest them everywhere, and bring them all back!"

"I have already ordered the Nagasaki guards to search for and arrest them," Soga Koyū nodded. "However... my lord, there is now one matter even more critical than this."

"Yes... there is indeed one matter more critical." Naitō Tadashige suddenly raised his voice. "Send my orders at once! Have those daimyo quickly muster the soldiers within their domains, and then assemble the troops as fast as possible. Make haste!"

"I have already issued the orders, my lord. The messengers are now rushing urgently to their respective domains. They should be able to notify them after daybreak." Soga Koyū, his face grim, sighed. "Only, I fear it may already be too late..."

Another stretch of silence followed.

Although Naitō Tadashige could detect a hint of deeply hidden resentment in Soga Koyū's words, he no longer had the heart to be angry with him.

It was obvious that since the envoys of the Great Han trading house had taken such a drastic action, they must have some deeper scheme. Next, Kyushu would very likely face an invasion from Great Han. As the two primary shogunate officials currently in Kyushu, the two of them had to unite and absolutely could not afford to let any new problems arise.

"Besides summoning these daimyo, we must immediately dispatch a messenger to Edo, so that the Shogun can quickly muster the realm's soldiers to defend the country," Naitō Tadashige immediately continued. "And, right, Kyoto as well... Kyoto must also be notified. Have Kyoto make early preparations; do not let the Imperial Court fall under Great Han's bewitchment and influence!"

With that, he staggered over to the writing desk, pulled out several sheets of letter paper, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write. His hand trembled the entire time, but he never paused for a moment, writing across the paper with near-frantic energy.

"Everything my lord says is sound reasoning. I... I shall act according to my lord's instructions." Soga Koyū, finding the old man somewhat pitiable, wished to take his leave. "I will go arrange the defenses now."

"Wait a moment!" To his surprise, Naitō Tadashige suddenly called him back.

"My lord?" Soga Koyū was somewhat puzzled.

Naitō Tadashige finished writing the letters intended for Kyoto and Edo with extreme speed, then raised his head again, looking at Soga Koyū with bloodshot, slightly swollen eyes. "Koyū, I have truly wronged you... You have only just arrived here, and now you must face such a calamity on such short notice."

"My lord..." Soga Koyū still did not quite grasp his meaning.

"If everything develops in the worst possible way, then Kyushu will likely face the most wretched of circumstances. I hope you can prepare yourself mentally. No matter what situation we face, do not be disheartened and do not retreat." Naitō Tadashige gave a bitter smile, then regarded him with a peculiar look. "At the very, very least, Kyushu must resist to the bitter end, to buy time for Edo."

Soga Koyū's eyes widened, for he understood the implication behind Naitō Tadashige's words.

"Does my lord believe that Kyushu alone cannot withstand Great Han?" he asked hoarsely.

Naitō Tadashige did not answer.

Soga Koyū froze for a moment.

He had also heard of Great Han's military might and its reputation for powerful ships and guns. If Great Han truly decided to invade Kyushu, perhaps, by their estimates, they could not send too many troops, but their own side would still struggle to resist.

The shogunate's forces in Kyushu were far too few. Even adding the forces of those Kyushu daimyo loyal to the shogunate, the troops they could muster would still be insufficient. He was even less confident that these motley, disorganized units could block Great Han's military edge.

"Perhaps it will indeed be somewhat difficult. If... if it truly comes to war, could we use Kyushu's terrain advantage to delay for time, and wait for the Shogun to assemble his armies in Honshu?" After a moment, he asked Naitō Tadashige in return, with a trace of hope. "Great Han is, after all, an expeditionary force. As long as we share a common hatred, then... then perhaps there is a turning point."

Naitō Tadashige still only smiled bitterly. "Yes, we must drag it out. In short, we must fight to the death and absolutely cannot yield. Perhaps resisting to the end will cause us heavy casualties here, but... at least we will have bought time for the Shogun and the shogunate. In that way, no matter what, all of Japan will remember us."

He did not hold an optimistic view that Kyushu, relying solely on the shogunate's own capabilities, could contend against the Great Han army. The shogunate's main forces were in the Kanto region, and merely mustering them would take time, let alone arming them and marching them to the western provinces. Although he had already written letters urging the Shogun to make early preparations, it would certainly take many days.

If the shogunate mobilized at full strength, it could field an army of several hundred thousand, enough to entangle Great Han on home soil and wear them down to exhaustion until they were forced to withdraw—just as Goguryeo had dealt with Emperor Taizong of Tang back then. But... as for himself, being the first to bear the brunt, he might not be able to hold out until that time.

Yet now, he was not panicked; he was even calm instead, because through one nightmare after another before this, he had already made up his mind.

Under Naitō Tadashige's gaze, Soga Koyū cast aside his last shred of wishful thinking and understood the severity of the situation and the pressure he faced. "My lord, please rest assured. As a hatamoto of the shogunate and the Nagasaki bugyō, I bear my duties and the Shogun's trust. If the war turns unfavorable, I will absolutely fight to the death alongside my subordinates and will never flee or surrender. Even if I die in battle, I will leave a glorious name for a hundred generations!"

"It is good that you have such resolve." Naitō Tadashige nodded slowly. "This is the spirit we samurai ought to possess."

Then, he suddenly let out a long sigh. "In the past, everyone assumed that Great Han needed our mineral exports, that they had something to ask of us, and therefore we held the advantageous position and could tilt the trade between our two nations more toward our own needs... Who could have imagined something like this would happen! I can only hope this is merely a false alarm on our part, and that Great Han will not go mad, plunging both nations into the scourge of war."

He was well-versed in history and knew that back then, the Great Yuan had attacked Japan twice, both ending in failure. Yet during those two great wars, the Kamakura shogunate had also exhausted its financial resources and was unable to reward the warriors who had rendered meritorious service in battle. As a result, the ruler and his subjects became estranged, and in the end, it was overthrown by the rebellious Ashikaga Takauji.

Would this war be the same? Great Han suffering troop losses and depleting countless resources, yet toiling in vain, while the Tokugawa shogunate was likewise drained to exhaustion and ultimately forced to face a realm plunged into chaos?

Until this very moment, he still found it hard to believe that the Great Han would make such an unwise choice — expending countless resources, wealth, and manpower to cross the sea and invade Japan.

"May the Divine Lord continue to protect Japan!" he prayed silently.

At the very moment the Great Han trading house in Nagasaki erupted in flames, almost simultaneously, a great fire also broke out in a residential quarter of Kyoto, not far from Kyushu.

Because the arsonists had likewise made thorough preparations beforehand, this fire was just as fierce and quickly spread through the city district.

Kyoto's buildings are almost entirely wooden, and in such sweltering weather they naturally caught fire easily. In fact, Kyoto had historically suffered severe fires on many occasions, so no one grew suspicious because of this.

As the fire began to spread, the yoriki and dōshin constables responsible for maintaining order in Kyoto swiftly gathered in the residential area and threw themselves into extinguishing the blaze.

However, just as they were assembled at the fire scene with no attention to spare for elsewhere, a group of people used the twilight to arrive outside the walls of the Imperial Palace. These people were all dressed in black, their heads covered with hoods, their identities completely indiscernible — in the night, all one could see were vague, dark silhouettes.

Though called an Imperial Palace, its architectural layout was quite cramped, and the surrounding walls were naturally not very tall. Under cover of night, they swiftly made their way to the Gishū Gate at the southwest corner of the palace. Because someone inside had acted as their accomplice, the gate was not locked, merely left ajar.

The two men in the lead casually pushed the gate open and charged inside with the group behind them. Then, from among the group, someone produced what looked like a whistle and blew it several times; the sharp sound, like the shrilling of cicadas, immediately drifted through the Imperial Palace.

A group of guards instantly clustered around them, and it was at this moment that they were finally discovered.

"There are traitors stirring up rebellion in the palace — we have come to quell the insurrection! Everyone stay where you are and do not move, or you will be dealt with as rebels!" The man in the lead bellowed the command, then charged deeper inside with the people behind him.

A few guards tried to stop them, and others tried to flee, but they were immediately rushed by these well-prepared men, who drew their weapons and killed them.

The harrowing screams quickly alarmed the entire Imperial Palace, and soon the serving women were shrieking in terror as well, fleeing in all directions.

Amid the chaos, these men never broke stride, advancing straight along a predetermined route as if they were thoroughly familiar with the palace's layout. They first crossed through the Shishinden, then skirted past the Seiryōden, penetrating deep into the Imperial Palace until they finally reached the Tsune-goten, where the Emperor resided.

Just then, the clamor of confused shouting reached the Tsune-goten as well.

Emperor Okiko, who had already fallen asleep, hazily opened her eyes. Then she discovered that before her was not darkness, but dim candlelight — and her father, the Retired Emperor Masahito, kneeling beside her the entire time.

"Father?" She blinked, struggling to bring her vision into focus. "You... you still haven't gone back to rest?"

Dissatisfied with the progress of her studies, the Retired Emperor had lately been staying in the Tsune-goten, diligently instructing Okiko in calligraphy and the way of literature. Today he had taught from the afternoon straight into the evening, only ending the lesson when Okiko began to feel weary, after which she had drowsily fallen asleep. She had not expected that, even after she slept, Father would still not have left her room.

The Retired Emperor did not answer. He simply extended his hand and stroked Okiko's head.

Okiko yielded to her father's affectionate gesture, merely struggling a little to lift her head and look outside.

"Outside... what is happening outside? Why has it suddenly become so noisy?" she asked softly.

The Retired Emperor still did not answer. He only gently drew his daughter into his embrace and continued to caress her.

For a moment Okiko found it slightly hard to breathe, but after a faint struggle or two she stopped again. She felt it was very sudden — Father was ordinarily a very stern person, his face set in a rigid expression all day long; he never made such affectionate gestures.

Moreover, because of the cold war between Father and the Shogunate during her childhood, he had often treated her with extreme harshness. Truth be told, she was somewhat afraid of her father and not close to him, nor did she like the sudden closeness he had shown recently — but of course she never dared reveal this in front of anyone.

At that moment, accompanied by several shouts, the group had already stormed into the Tsune-goten and was heading straight toward where the Emperor was.

"Who are you people, to dare violate the Emperor's residence!" A few attendants tried to block them, but were quickly shoved aside and collapsed to the floor with cries of pain. Then, before anyone else could react, they charged directly into the chamber where Okiko was and pushed the door open.

Amid the clamor, Okiko grew even more panicked. She clung tightly to the Retired Emperor, trembling uncontrollably.

Yet the Retired Emperor remained utterly composed, showing not the slightest trace of alarm.

Under his gaze, the man in the lead knelt down.

"Greetings to Your Majesties!"

The man was none other than the current Minister of the Right, Nijō Yasumichi. His clothes were stained with traces of blood, so the moment he entered, the thick stench of blood spread in all directions, so pungent it stung the Retired Emperor's nose.

"You may dispense with formalities." The Retired Emperor answered calmly, then rose to his feet, bringing Emperor Okiko with him. "The Three Sacred Treasures are all in their proper place. Go and retrieve them at once — time is pressing, do not be overly concerned with propriety."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Nijō Yasumichi waved his hand, and immediately several men dashed off in the direction indicated.