Chapter 1649: Pouring Forth the Resources of Fusang

The Cloistered Emperor and his party of Left and Right Ministers had traveled for days to reach the south. Like Emperor Go-Daigo before them, they had fled Kyoto in a wandering exile, then journeyed south in constant trepidation.

After Emperor Go-Daigo went south, he used the authority of the throne and the widespread discontent with the Kamakura shogunate to briefly reclaim supreme rule, governing a vast territory and inaugurating the Nanboku-chō period. The Cloistered Emperor and his right-hand men harbored ambitions even greater than their predecessor's.

Because the Great Han army had invaded Kyushu, the southern provinces were already in chaos. Refugees streamed north everywhere. The various domains had initially tried to block the refugees from leaving by force, but the surging tide of humanity soon rendered their efforts futile. In the end, they all abandoned the blockade, and many domain samurai even gathered their families and joined the fleeing masses.

Under the onslaught of the surging crowds, the roads everywhere were somewhat clogged. With no one to maintain order, chaos reigned. Bandits and robbers infested the routes; unaccompanied women and children, even ungrouped able-bodied men, would be stripped of everything. Wails and cries rose one after another, a pitiful sight.

The group traveling south blended into the tide of refugees. Almost no one noticed that their direction differed from the rest. Everyone now cared only for themselves, with no energy left to mind others' affairs. Fortunately, because their party was large and they carried weapons, looking far from easy prey, the scattered bandits left them alone.

Along the way, watching the landscape so different from Kyoto's, and the endless stream of people with terror and despair etched on their faces, the Cloistered Emperor's mood grew heavier and heavier. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"I truly hope these calamities pass quickly, so that… so that the people may soon return to their homes and livelihoods, and suffer no more!"

"As long as the shogunate can be swiftly crushed, we can restore peace to the realm," Nijō Yasumichi, who guarded his side, said in a low voice. "To crush the shogunate, some cost is always necessary. For now, we can only ask the people to endure a little longer."

"You are right." The Cloistered Emperor lowered his gaze, clearly in deep agreement with Nijō Yasumichi's words.

Though compassion stirred in his heart, the thirst for power still prevailed. As long as he could reclaim his lost authority, he would not begrudge the realm its suffering. Precisely because he saw what lay in the Cloistered Emperor's heart, Nijō Yasumichi simply offered him a graceful way to agree.

"Yes, the people suffer now, but if it overthrows the shogunate, it is worth it," the Left Minister Ichijō Kanetō joined in at the opportune moment. "Better a short pain than a long ache. Rather than languish under the shogunate's rule for generations, it is better to stir a great storm and topple its reign. That way, the people's suffering will only be lessened."

"The Left Minister speaks truly," Nijō Yasumichi immediately echoed. "This time we absolutely must not compromise with the shogunate, or we will simply repeat past mistakes. We would rather die than suffer such humiliation again!"

The past mistake he referred to was the lesson of the Southern Court. After Emperor Go-Daigo fled south and established a regime that confronted the Ashikaga shogunate for decades, the Southern Court's situation grew increasingly dire, its territory shrinking. Finally, under the rule of the third Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, after decades of stalemate, the Southern Court, no longer able to resist the Northern Court, chose to surrender under the shogunate's bait of recognizing their imperial succession rights.

Yet after they surrendered, the shogun reneged on his promise, stripping the Southern Court's imperial line of its succession rights. Emperor Go-Kameyama of the Southern Court died of melancholy and indignation. These men knew this lesson by heart, of course. They spoke of it precisely to steel the Cloistered Emperor's resolve, lest he waver now, having come this far.

"Indeed. Now we and the shogunate are irreconcilable; there is no room for compromise." The Cloistered Emperor clenched his fist, visibly more resolute than before. "My beloved ministers, your deep understanding of righteousness truly moves me deeply."

"Your Majesty, what matters now is to find us all a place to shelter, where we can rest a little and swiftly issue our decrees," Ichijō Kanetō immediately laid out his current plan. "If we remain wandering and displaced on the road, I fear unforeseen danger may befall Kyoto…"

The unforeseen danger he spoke of was the fear that after their flight, the shogunate might install a regent in Kyoto, or even enthrone a new emperor, then denounce them as rebels. If that were done, it would be nothing short of pulling the firewood from under the pot, thinning their already weak authority even further and making it far harder for them to elevate their own standing.

Fortunately, they now held the Emperor in their custody as well. Moreover, Edo was in such chaos that even if the shogunate wanted to hastily set up a rival court, it likely could not manage it.

Furthermore, even if they wanted to raise the banner of the Imperial Court now, it would be extremely difficult. Refugees were scattered everywhere, and local order had collapsed. Even if the Court raised its banner here, who would heed it? Let alone issuing decrees and sending proclamations across the realm.

There would be no one to deliver them at all.

Everyone understood the predicament they were in. Previously, the urgency of escaping the shogunate's grasp left no time to dwell on it, but now, having wandered south, they had to face it squarely.

"The only plan now is to find one or two powerful domains, cooperate with them, and have them raise the banner of honoring the Court," the Right Minister Nijō Yasumichi, less encumbered by reservations, immediately voiced his thoughts. "With war and chaos everywhere, only powerful domains have soldiers and resources to protect the Court. Moreover, a powerful domain can amplify the Court's prestige, making it better able to summon the realm to action."

The Cloistered Emperor Masahito understood this logic perfectly well, but he also knew things would not be as easy as they sounded. "If we are to cooperate with a powerful domain, which one should we seek? The Court has been in decline for so many years; the domains have long acted on their own. They… they harbor unpredictable intentions, and may not be so eager to aid the Court…"

What he said was also fact. The Court's authority had been weak for centuries. The ancestors of the current domain lords never obeyed the Court's commands, so how could they be expected to obey readily now? Even if they did not obey, what if they harbored thoughts of currying favor with the shogunate, or simply acted out of self-interest, and seized the Court upon receiving word? What then?

All these considerations were indeed worrisome.

"In the end, it is because the Court has no army and no wealth, forcing us to tread on thin ice with trepidation, always looking over our shoulders in fear that all our efforts will come to naught." Thinking of this bitter point, the Cloistered Emperor could not help but sigh again. "I can only hope that Heaven will bless me and my ministers, allowing the Court to escape this plight, so that our descendants need never suffer such bitterness again!"

Seeing the Cloistered Emperor so grief-stricken and indignant, the two ministers could only join him in self-reproach while offering constant consolation, thus finally soothing his emotions.

Resentment aside, having come this far, they could not avoid facing reality. They had to follow their earlier plan and seek aid from a powerful domain in the south.

There were not many powerful domains in the south, and even fewer that could be trusted even a little. The two ministers carefully pondered and weighed which ones to appeal to.

The closest to them—the Ikeda clan, whose main and branch families respectively ruled the vast territories of Tottori Domain in Inaba Province and Okayama Domain in Bitchū Province—was the first to be ruled out. The Ikeda clan's ancestor, Ikeda Terumasa, was a Sengoku-era general. He first served Oda Nobunaga, later pledged allegiance to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and finally, after Hideyoshi's death, went over to Tokugawa Ieyasu. He rendered illustrious service at the Battle of Sekigahara, earning the deep trust and reliance of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

To win him over, Tokugawa Ieyasu married his daughter Tokuhime to him, and Ikeda descendants continued to intermarry with daughters or adopted daughters of the Tokugawa family. Their ties ran exceedingly deep.

Beyond his direct descendants, the shogunate also specially rewarded his kinsmen. His younger brother Ikeda Nagayoshi, his second son Tadatsugu, and his third son Tadao were all made domain lords. In the final tally, the Ikeda main family and its various branch families together held a vast domain of nearly one million koku. For this, Ikeda Terumasa was known to the world as the "General of the Western Provinces" or the "Himeji Chancellor."

Ikeda Terumasa was now dead, but the Ikeda clan still enjoyed the shogunate's utmost favor. Their family was the shogunate's pillar in the western provinces. Though such favor might not withstand the terror of having one's house ruined and nation destroyed by the Great Han, the Court could not possibly place any hope in them.

The Asano clan of Hiroshima Domain likewise had extremely deep ties to the shogunate. Their ancestor, Asano Nagamasa, was one of the Five Commissioners in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's regime. After Hideyoshi's death, amid the fierce struggle between civil officials and military commanders, he chose to side with the Tokugawa clan and made vital contributions to the Tokugawa seizure of Japan. He was richly rewarded by the Tokugawa and granted a domain of 420,000 koku in Hiroshima Domain, Aki Province.

At the same time, like the Ikeda clan, the shogunate deliberately used marriage ties to win over the Asano. Asano Nagamasa's son and heir, Asano Nagaakira, married Tokugawa Ieyasu's daughter Furihime as his principal wife. Furihime's legitimate son, Asano Mitsuakira, had now inherited the lordship after Nagaakira's death—Mitsuakira was, in fact, the current shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu's biological uncle, though younger than Iemitsu.

From this perspective, the Asano clan was equally unreliable.

After all calculations, among the great daimyo of the western provinces, only the Mōri clan could be trusted to a certain degree.

The conflict between Mōri Terumoto and Tokugawa Ieyasu was a universally known fact. It was also common knowledge that the Mōri clan had been ruthlessly suppressed by the Tokugawa, their family domain drastically reduced. It was impossible that they harbored no resentment. They were at least worth a try.

Moreover, after the Great Han pacified Kyushu, the Mōri clan's territory would be the first to bear the brunt. The moment the Great Han decided to march north, the Mōri clan would have to make a choice—and before the Great Han's military edge, the Cloistered Emperor and his ministers believed they would not be determined to die for the shogunate.

Yet even having decided to contact the Mōri clan first, the sovereign and his ministers were stumped by the question of how to reach them.

The Mōri clan was situated at the southernmost tip of Honshu, now holding the provinces of Suō and Nagato. Though their territory was still sizable, they were isolated by the shogunate and the large domains loyal to it. To their west and south lay the sea. To their north, Iwami Province, with its Iwami Silver Mine, had been confiscated as shogunal demesne, under the shogunate's direct jurisdiction. To their east lay Aki Province, home to the Asano clan's Hiroshima Domain.

After seizing the realm, the Tokugawa shogunate had taken great pains to consolidate its rule. Such arrangements were naturally a meticulous design to contain the Mōri clan. The shinpan, fudai, and trusted tozama daimyo in various regions surrounded those daimyo who harbored disloyalty, denying them any room to expand, while using various political and economic means to suppress them.

Had the Great Han not suddenly invaded and shattered this absolutely dominant balance, the Mōri clan and other powerful domains might well have had no chance to rise against the shogunate's rule for another century or two.

Under such conditions of isolation, how exactly to establish contact between the two sides and secure a safe haven for the Court was truly a vexing problem.

It went without saying that, to guard against the Great Han, the areas along the route were now under strict emergency martial law. Their own group, traveling south so conspicuously, might be discovered at any moment.

"Traveling south together to the Mōri clan's territory is definitely out of the question," Ichijō Kanetō nodded in agreement. "Setting aside the hardships and dangers of the journey, if the Mōri clan harbors disloyalty and refuses to serve the Court, falling into their hands would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den, would it not?"

"The Left Minister speaks truly," Nijō Yasumichi concurred. "What does the Left Minister think we should do next?"

"If we continue south, we draw ever closer to the Kyushu front. Defenses along the way will grow tighter, and the crowds thinner, making it hard to conceal our identities… So in my view, it is best to head west now, taking side roads into Iwami Province. Iwami is mountainous, and though it is direct shogunal territory, its garrison is small. As long as we hide carefully, we will be safe…" Ichijō Kanetō laid out the considerations he had pondered along the journey.

Under the expectant gazes of the group, he continued, "Once there, we can observe the situation in the realm while finding ways to contact domain lords like the Mōri. If we can persuade even one or two domain lords to be our vanguard, proclaiming to the realm will not be difficult… Even if everything goes poorly, we can at least wait for the Great Han army to march north, then go and offer our allegiance to them, keeping our options open."

His considerations were thoroughly comprehensive. Nijō Yasumichi thought it over and found nothing to object to.

After he nodded, everyone else turned to look at the Cloistered Emperor Masahito, awaiting his final decision.

"My minister's strategy is most apt; I also find it excellent." The Cloistered Emperor nodded first, then immediately raised his own misgiving. "But who should be sent as envoy to the Mōri clan? The times are hard; to persuade the Mōri clan requires both great wisdom and great courage…"

"Your Majesty, in my humble view, the Mōri clan is already completely shaken. One more push from us, and they will surely topple. I am at least seventy to eighty percent certain!" Ichijō Kanetō suddenly said with conviction.

"Why… why do you say that?" The Cloistered Emperor was somewhat surprised.

"As we traveled south, among the refugees we saw, we saw remarkably few from Hiroshima Domain… Your Majesty, think about it—is this not rather suspicious?" Ichijō Kanetō lowered his voice. "Could it be that the people of Hiroshima Domain do not wish to flee? It must be that the entire domain, high and low, has other plans, and so they prevent their people from fleeing."

The Cloistered Emperor and Nijō Yasumichi exchanged glances, clearly perceiving certain clues.

A smile appeared on Ichijō Kanetō's face. "To facilitate their own defense against the enemy, domain lords everywhere are actively letting their people migrate outward, and deliberately sending the domain lords' families north as well. Some domain lords have even fled on their own initiative… Why then does Hiroshima Domain show no sign of this at all? Does the Mōri clan truly hold such loyalty to the shogunate that they are determined to perish together with their domain in a blaze of glory?"

"Yes! Yes!" The Cloistered Emperor suddenly saw the light. "My minister speaks truly."

Judging from these signs, before the Great Han's military edge, the Mōri clan must already harbor different intentions.

This was hardly surprising. Originally, the Mōri family could only seethe inwardly, but now, the situation had changed. The Great Han had given them an opportunity — it would be strange if they hadn't thought to seize it.

It was just that Ichijō Kaneyoshi could be so meticulous, and discern the whole from a single clue, which was unexpected and earned him the deep admiration of the others.

It was clear that now, rather than persuading the Mōri family to rebel against the shogunate, it would be better to win them over before they surrendered to the Great Han, making them a support for the Imperial Court, with each side getting what it needed.

"In that case, let me simply go to Hiroshima Domain to negotiate! If we lay out the stakes, surely they will also see the most advantageous path for themselves." Nijō Yasumichi said with great agitation, "The road ahead is perilous, and I would not be at ease sending anyone else. Please allow me to go!"

The Cloistered Emperor and Ichijō Kaneyoshi exchanged a glance, and finally agreed to his request. Nijō Yasumichi possessed extraordinary courage and strategic sense, and held the esteemed rank of Minister of the Right — he was indeed a good candidate to send to Hiroshima Domain.

"Your Majesty, if we wish to persuade the Mōri family to turn their hearts toward us, we cannot do so without offering some favorable terms." Just then, Ichijō Kaneyoshi suddenly spoke up to warn the Cloistered Emperor, "The Mōri family has always been cunning and opportunistic, and seeks nothing but profit. Without offering tangible benefits, they will absolutely not take action."

The Cloistered Emperor closed his eyes slightly, clearly considering how to deal with the Mōri clan and what terms would move them.

"For the specifics, you may consider them yourself, my beloved minister. We grant you full authority to handle this." After a moment, he made up his mind, then opened his eyes and looked at Nijō Yasumichi. "If necessary, you may promise to enfeoff them with all the Mōri clan's original territories within the western provinces, and... you may bestow rewards following the precedent of the Toyotomi family."

Following the precedent of the Toyotomi? Nijō Yasumichi was slightly stunned.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had, after all, risen to become the Chancellor of the Realm as the foremost among the court nobles... And the Toyotomi family had also been listed among the sekkan houses, treated as a court noble family of the highest rank.

Mōri Taikō? The sound of it was somewhat laughable and awkward...

But these were extraordinary times, so doing some extraordinary things was unavoidable, was it not? They had already done things like inviting in the foreign troops of the Great Han — why fear doing this?

"Yes!" He solemnly bowed to His Majesty the Cloistered Emperor and accepted the task.