Chapter 1664: Beneath Himeji Castle

"My lord... can we... can we really hold back the Han invaders?" To Itakura Shigemune, already deeply agitated, this question grated on his ears more than ever.

How would I know if we can hold them? If I knew, would I need to be so troubled? He couldn't help cursing inwardly.

The realm has been at peace for so many years now. Most of those fierce and renowned ministers and warrior generals of the past have long since withered away, and their descendants, raised in lives of comfort and ease, have lost the courage and hot blood of their ancestors. In this frail and sickly Honda Masatomo especially, one could see not the slightest trace of the heroic spirit of his father or grandfather.

These past days, he had been perpetually uneasy. Especially after hearing the news that Mizuno Katsunari, the lord of Fukuyama Domain, had been killed by the Han army, he had become so terrified he could barely make it through each day, dreading that he might meet the same fate. He had long since sent his family and relatives away to the Kanto region. Had Itakura Shigemune and the shogunate not refused his request to withdraw back to Kanto, he himself would likely have abandoned his own Himeji Domain and fled back there long ago.

Even so, he had not shed his original terror. These days he had constantly hovered around Itakura Shigemune, as if hoping to borrow some courage from him. Were it not for the Honda family's deep-rooted power and influence within the shogunate, Itakura Shigemune would have already punished him for such cowardly behavior.

"For generations we have received the shogunate's grace, and we are fudai daimyo confirmed by the Divine Lord himself. We are duty-bound to serve the shogunate loyally to the very end. What use is there in overthinking?" He could not help but quietly rebuke the man. "Now that the shogunate faces peril and hardship, this is precisely the time for men like us to lay down our lives for our country. So long as we have done our utmost for the shogunate, that is enough! As for whether we can hold them or not, that must be left to Heaven's will."

"Yes... yes." Honda Masatomo's expression flickered faintly, but he said nothing more, merely nodding lightly.

Though he knew the other man inwardly dismissed his words, Itakura Shigemune had no interest in arguing further with this fudai daimyo. Ever since arriving in Himeji Domain, he had ordered all the assembled domain troops to be placed under his own command, to be directed by him personally — and Honda Masatomo had offered no resistance to this, knowing he himself had little experience and was better off following another's lead.

Yet however composed he might appear on the surface, what confidence did Itakura Shigemune truly have? He too had grown up in an era of peace, and he too had little faith that he could thwart the Great Han's military might and force the Han invaders to halt in the western provinces.

So all this time he had been ceaselessly reporting to the shogunate, hoping it would dispatch more reinforcements and elite troops to support him. Though the shogunate had lately been continuously mobilizing a great army toward Kyoto, he always felt it was still not enough, and so he had been steadily drawing in the forces from the surrounding areas.

But no matter what, Himeji Castle was a fortress, and behind Himeji Castle lay a stretch of open plain — an unobstructed path all the way to Kyoto. If Himeji Castle were breached, the Han army could advance in a single thrust, perhaps even striking directly at the walls of Kyoto itself, turning the entire Kinai region into a war-torn land.

So even though he felt the forces at his disposal were insufficient, he had still personally led a large army to Himeji Castle, intending to rely on this fortress to resist the Han invaders as long as possible.

He stood atop the great central tenshu of Himeji Castle, looking down from his high vantage point at the troops patrolling everywhere within the castle.

After the Han invaders made landfall, quite a few people in the castle had already chosen to flee the city out of fear, and the moment he arrived, he had ordered all civilians unrelated to military affairs to be relocated toward the Kinai and Kanto regions. Thus, there were now very few civilians left in Himeji Castle — soldiers were everywhere.

For these driven-out civilians, the resource-strapped Itakura Shigemune had provided no safeguards whatsoever, simply chasing them away and leaving them to their fate. Their journey ahead would surely be fraught with the harshest of conditions, forced to wander and drift from place to place. But in Itakura Shigemune's view, this was still a little better than being trapped inside Himeji Castle and becoming sacrificial victims caught between the cannon fire of both sides.

Of course, apart from resisting the Han invaders' advance to the death, he had also received another order from Edo, a thousand li away — one that, unlike holding fast and awaiting reinforcements to resist the Han, could not be publicized and had to be carried out in secret.

Indeed, along with the reinforcements sent over, Edo had also dispatched a group of envoys. They were all trusted confidants of the Elder Doi Toshikatsu, and they had come here bearing a special mission — a mission known only to Itakura Shigemune and a very small handful of others.

While the Great Han rampaged everywhere, spreading war and calamity in all directions, and had even issued a formal proclamation declaring their intent to chastise the shogunate, vowing to make Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and his senior ministers pay the price for their past disrespect toward the Great Han — the shogun was actually, in secret, planning to negotiate peace with the Great Han, seeking to reach a compromise with them. If word of this got out, it would surely send tremendous shockwaves through everyone else.

The shogunate today, in its public proclamations, constantly declared it would fight the Han invaders to the bloody end, taking Hojo Tokimune as its model, with the entire nation united as one to jointly resist the Han incursion. Who could have imagined, behind the scenes, that it was the shogun and his senior ministers themselves who were exhausting every means to compromise with the Han invaders, even prepared to pay an enormous price?

But Itakura Shigemune accepted this reality. After all, he was the one who had to face the Han invaders' military might directly, and naturally he, more than anyone, wished for this sudden war to end as soon as possible. He had already witnessed how wretched the displaced and wandering refugees were, and he was deeply afraid that if the fighting continued, the people of Kanto would also suffer such terrible calamity. He was even more afraid that the shogunate's rule would collapse amidst the raging storms, dragging fudai daimyo like himself down to be buried alongside it.

After Honda Masatomo departed the top floor of the great tenshu with his heart full of anxiety and unease, the top floor fell into complete silence. It was only after a long while that a few scattered footsteps sounded behind him.

The newcomer was a man of about forty, dressed in the same manner as an ordinary samurai, though his features were rather refined and scholarly, making him look more like a civil official than a warrior who rode into battle to slay enemies.

"I pay my respects, my lord." Upon reaching Itakura Shigemune's back, the visitor bowed to him with great deference.

He was Takagi Kiyoshi, a trusted confidant of the Chief Elder Doi Toshikatsu, and the very person dispatched this time to lead the peace negotiations.

Cautious by nature and meticulous in his conduct, though his official rank within the shogunate was not high, he had caught Doi Toshikatsu's eye. This matter had to be carried out in utmost secrecy, and it required someone like him to handle it.

And he himself understood the gravity of his mission. From the moment he received his orders, he had traveled without pause from Edo to Kyoto, and had then accompanied Itakura Shigemune to Himeji Castle.

Himeji Castle, of course, was not the final destination of his journey.

"Takagi, the situation in Himeji Castle, and indeed across the entire western provinces — you have witnessed it all along the way here. So the immense importance of your mission, I trust, is clear to you?" Itakura Shigemune did not turn his head to look at him, but continued gazing out at the tiers of distant towers and pavilions. "The high hopes of His Excellency the Shogun and His Excellency the Elder — you must act with the utmost care and absolutely not disappoint them."

Although Takagi Kiyoshi was the Elder's trusted man, Itakura Shigemune was the Kyoto Shoshidai, a position within the shogunate's hierarchy just one step removed from Elder itself, and his status was exceedingly exalted, so he had no need to stand on ceremony when speaking to him.

"My lord, please set your mind at ease. I understand completely." Takagi Kiyoshi, still bent at the waist, answered with the utmost respect. "The times are dire now; with each passing day, the situation deteriorates further. That is why I am now willing to risk my very life to go and negotiate with the Han invaders on behalf of the shogunate. The moment I detect any trace of the Han invaders, I shall set out at once."

"I naturally cannot know the Han invaders' exact line of advance, but judging by the speed of their march, it will not be long before they enter the borders of Harima Province. So you need only head southwest immediately, and you will soon encounter their army." Itakura Shigemune answered at once. "However, along the way you must maintain absolute secrecy. Under no circumstances can you allow anyone to learn the purpose of your journey — not until you have met with the Han invaders' leader. Is that understood?"

"The Honorable Elder gave me the same instructions. I will absolutely not divulge a word of this." Takagi Kiyoshi replied immediately.

"The Han invaders are currently riding a wave of successive victories, their morale at its peak, so they will likely not agree to the terms we propose right away. If they refuse, you must by no means lose heart. So long as you can first establish contact with the Han invaders' high command and make our intentions known to them, you will have preliminarily accomplished your mission this time. Additionally, you must pay close attention to gathering intelligence on the Han invaders — ascertain exactly how many troops they currently have, how those forces are composed, and what the enemy's morale is like. Such intelligence will also be of immense use to us." Itakura Shigemune continued his instructions. "This will likely be a protracted negotiation. You must not, under any circumstances, cause the shogunate to lose face."

"I will certainly handle all the matters Your Excellency the Shoshidai has entrusted to me, and exhaust every means to probe for information on the Han invaders." Takagi Kiyoshi immediately agreed.

"Very good. It seems the Honorable Elder did not choose the wrong man." Itakura Shigemune smiled with relief. "Time waits for no one. You will depart the castle tonight under cover of darkness and head west. That way, you will not stir up any unrest among the troops. I will send a few loyal and tight-lipped men to escort you."

"Many thanks, my lord!" Takagi Kiyoshi nodded heavily, then suddenly grew solemn. "My lord, when I was departing, the Honorable Elder also gave me certain instructions. He said the Han invaders are ravenous wolves with insatiable greed. If everything goes smoothly for them, they will surely make outrageous demands, putting forward terms we would find absolutely impossible to accept. If we wish to make the Han invaders withdraw on terms we can accept, we must demonstrate that we are still capable of resisting them. Therefore, my lord, you must exhaust every means, at any cost, to block the Han invaders. Even if you cannot stop them, you must make them suffer losses they cannot bear!"

"That goes without saying." Itakura Shigemune lifted his head once more to gaze at Himeji Castle. "Himeji possesses such formidable natural defenses, and fortifications painstakingly built up over successive generations. It can be called impregnable. No matter how strong the Han invaders are, if they want to breach this place, they will have no choice but to batter themselves bloody against it. Once they have been taught a sufficient lesson here, they ought to come to their senses."

"I can only hope that what you say, my lord, will come true." Takagi Kiyoshi smiled faintly, then suddenly lowered his voice. "There is one more matter that I must ask you, my lord, to pay particular attention to. This matter is of grave consequence. The Honorable Elder specifically instructed me to tell only you, my lord, and no one else."

"What matter?" Itakura Shigemune was somewhat puzzled.

"Just before I left Edo, the shogunate received word that His Excellency the Dainagon has escaped from Takasaki Castle, where he was confined, and his whereabouts are unknown." Takagi Kiyoshi quietly revealed this news. "To avoid shaking the realm, this matter is being kept secret for now and not announced. However, I must ask you, my lord, to be vigilant and take strict precautions. Under no circumstances can we allow His Excellency the Dainagon to make contact with the Han invaders!"

"His Excellency the Dainagon... has actually fled..." Upon hearing this news, Itakura Shigemune was also greatly shaken.

The Dainagon Tokugawa Tadanaga was the legitimate son of the previous shogun, and had once contended with the current shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, for the position of heir. Even now, with Tokugawa Iemitsu having no sons, he remained, in theory, the most legitimate and rightful heir to the shogunal seat.

Because of this special status, his escape would naturally cause tremendous upheaval throughout the shogunate, high and low.

Even more worrisome was that if he made contact with the Han invaders, he would inevitably, like the Imperial Court, become a pawn in their hands, used by them as a weapon against the shogun.

Therefore, no matter what, this fugitive Dainagon must not be allowed to make contact with the Han invaders. For this very reason, even with troops stretched thin everywhere, the shogunate had still dispatched large numbers of men to search for and arrest Tokugawa Tadanaga. Moreover, Tokugawa Iemitsu had issued a special order declaring that his younger brother had already committed the grave crime of treason and rebellion, and could be executed on the spot without any further regard for his status.

And Itakura Shigemune, on his end, naturally had to guard against this with the utmost vigilance, absolutely preventing Tokugawa Tadanaga and his supporters from having any opportunity to make contact with the Han invaders.

After Itakura Shigemune understood the Honorable Elder's meaning, he promptly indicated that he too would pay close attention to this matter, which finally set Takagi Kiyoshi's mind at ease.

That very night, Takagi Kiyoshi and his party, escorted by the guards Itakura Shigemune had assigned, departed Himeji Castle under cover of darkness and headed all the way toward the western provinces.

And just as they had surmised, the army led by Zhou Pu had at this moment advanced all the way to the vicinity of the border between Harima Province and Bizen Province.

Ever since they had defeated the army of Mizuno Katsunari, the lord of Fukuyama Domain, and killed Mizuno Katsunari himself, the powerful families and domain lords of the surrounding areas had been even more terrified out of their wits. None dared to cross swords with the Great Han army again, all fleeing at the mere rumor of their approach. His advance had thus become exceedingly smooth. Had it not been for the need to secure and stabilize the flow of his logistics and supply lines, his army might even have already pushed into the Kinai region.

However, he and the staff officers around him had not let this string of victories go to their heads. Not only did they prioritize steadiness in their advance, but their assessments of the coming battles had also begun to grow cautious, shedding all of their earlier optimism.

"The shogunate truly acts with resolve — to think they would actually dare to abandon the entire western provinces, empty the fields and strengthen the walls, and wait at ease for us to come to them!" In the temporary encampment, Huang Changguo sighed to Zhou Pu. "Sir Zhou, when we considered this before, we all thought the shogunate would be unable to restrain itself and come to fight a decisive battle with our army. Then our army could defeat them in one stroke and afterward launch an all-out offensive into the Kinai. Now they are so resolute — no matter how we provoke them, they refuse to come south and engage our army in a decisive battle, forcing us to push northward step by step, stretching our own supply lines longer and longer... The more they concentrate their scattered forces, the stronger they become. I fear our army will face considerable hardships ahead."

"This was within expectations. I never imagined from the start that we could simply march into Kyoto without a hitch." Zhou Pu was not particularly anxious. "Besides, the more shogunate troops we can draw here, the better we can coordinate with Marshal Zhao's operations, isn't that so?"

"That may be true, but if our column encounters repeated setbacks and finds itself unable to advance an inch, that would be a loss of face for the Great Han, and we would lose the Great Han's prestige in the eyes of these domain lords." Huang Changguo answered with a serious expression. "Don't forget, our column has only a little over a thousand Han soldiers. If these domain lords truly lose their nerve, or even begin to harbor disloyal thoughts, the consequences would be unthinkable..."

His words did indeed give Zhou Pu some cause for concern.

"Then what does Advisor Huang suggest we do? We can't just stop in place and not move, can we?"

"We several staff officers have already discussed this. Everyone agrees that since we have already begun the advance, we might as well keep pressing forward. There must be no hesitation or wavering. However, our manner of fighting should be more cautious — seek steadiness, not speed." As Huang Changguo spoke, he gestured and traced lines across the map. "Since the shogunate harbors the intention of waiting at ease for our exhausted forces, they will certainly rely heavily on terrain to engage us. Nothing serves better as terrain than strong cities and fortresses. So the enemy has likely already concentrated at Himeji Castle, planning to block our advance there."

"Himeji Castle...?" Zhou Pu's gaze shifted across the map, finally settling on this city. "That is indeed a formidable castle. If the defenders' will is resolute, I fear it will be difficult to breach quickly."

"Yes, my lord. According to the intelligence we previously obtained, this Himeji Castle is a large-scale fortress, with extremely tight and numerous defensive works, completely different from the domain castles we've encountered along the way so far." Huang Changguo also nodded. "Against such a formidable castle, with the shogunate having concentrated a large number of troops there, if we simply launch a reckless frontal assault, I fear... I fear we will suffer very heavy casualties."

Zhou Pu thought it over in silence, and came to agree with the other party's view.

After the forced conscriptions along the way and recruitment by the imperial court, the army under his command had now swelled into a force of tens of thousands. However, its core strength was not large — merely the ten or twenty thousand men he had brought over from the Nine Provinces. Even the quality of those men left much to be desired. The most reliable troops were still the thousand-odd soldiers of the Great Han — and these were absolutely not to be squandered lightly.

"Therefore, after our present discussion, the best course is still to seize a city with a working port as quickly as possible, and then have the navy land the siege cannons ashore. Only in this way can we reduce our army's casualties." Huang Changguo voiced his opinion. "I implore you, my lord, to communicate with the Nine Provinces at once!"