Chapter 1674: The Tide Has Turned

After Honda Masatomo fled with his batch of domain vassals and troops, Itakura Shigemune, Takagi Kiyoshi, and the others finally despaired over the situation at Himeji Castle. They knew that under these circumstances the castle could no longer be held, nor could they even buy any more time, so they quickly chose to flee that very night.

Because the matter was so rushed, Itakura Shigemune withdrew with only a group of his personal guards, never bothering to notify the other units of his withdrawal, and fled the city just like that — he deliberately left these people behind to continue resisting the Han invaders, buying him time to escape smoothly.

But news of the commander's flight quickly spread throughout the city, sending the garrison's already battered morale plummeting even further to rock bottom. After Itakura Shigemune fled the city, he swiftly took all the remaining shogunate troops outside the city with him, and no further reinforcements ever entered the city again.

And just at this moment, a new round of strikes from the besieging army began anew. Aided by artillery fire, they launched a meticulously prepared general assault, and this time Tachibana Muneshige personally took charge of the command, determined to let

Under these increasingly hopeless circumstances, aside from a very small number of diehards, most of the garrison inside the city had lost all will to resist. They either collapsed and fled or simply chose to surrender, and those diehards were quickly wiped out to the last man.

Just as Itakura Shigemune had anticipated, all resistance within Himeji Castle was swiftly quelled, and with the elimination of the last resisting unit, Himeji Castle fell entirely into the hands of the Great Han army. Had he not fled in advance, he and Takagi Kiyoshi likely would not have escaped either.

After the final scattered resistance was dealt with, Tachibana Muneshige sent a victory report to Zhou Pu outside the city, sending the entire army into jubilation. Over these past days, because of the besieging army's enormous casualties, troops had been repeatedly transferred from outside into the city as reinforcements, casting an inexplicable psychological pressure over the whole army — everyone feared it would be their turn to be sent into the city, to become a forgotten corpse in some obscure corner.

Had it not been for the battle supervisors enforcing discipline and the Great Han cannons lending support, this army would likely have collapsed long ago. Now, upon learning that Himeji Castle had finally fallen completely, everyone was naturally overjoyed.

Zhou Pu's excitement was no less than theirs. These past days, he too had been vexed constantly by this castle. Although the casualties were all cannon fodder in his eyes, seeing his cannon fodder suffer such heavy losses still pained him somewhat. Fortunately, he had forcibly suppressed the wavering within the army and unwaveringly kept sending in reinforcements, finally crushing this city underfoot.

This was the fiercest battle he had encountered since advancing north from the Mōri clan's territory, and the first battle where he truly experienced the brutality of the battlefield. The smooth advances before had made him complacent; only now, after witnessing it with his own eyes, did he understand how cruel war truly was.

To commend Tachibana Muneshige's achievements, he personally ordered that those warriors who had fought valiantly to storm the city be rewarded, especially Tachibana Muneshige, who had led his troops to deliver the final decisive blow and ultimately captured Himeji Castle.

While bestowing rewards upon Tachibana Muneshige and the others, he also stepped into Himeji Castle accompanied by his subordinate commanders.

The destruction throughout Himeji Castle along the way shocked him deeply, and the piles of corpses strewn everywhere made it even harder for him to bear the sight. But now, as the commander of an entire army, he had to set an example for everyone else, so he concealed the discomfort in his heart, issued a series of orders, and urged the troops inside the city to rest and regroup while beginning to collect the dead and clear away the traces of war.

Led by Tachibana Muneshige and the others, he arrived at the great main keep within the castle — the very place where Itakura Shigemune had previously directed his subordinates in battle.

During the great battle earlier, because of the artillery fire and thick smoke, black dust had hung perpetually over Himeji Castle. Though it was gradually fading now, the view from the heights was still somewhat hazy. But Zhou Pu was in no mood to lean by the window and sigh; he had more important matters to attend to.

"So this is where Itakura Shigemune issued his commands?" Looking at the furnishings and objects inside the keep, Zhou Pu frowned slightly. "It seems he was very anxious during this time — everything is in such disarray."

"He defied the will of all under heaven, opposed the heavenly troops, and caused so many to die in this conflict. He deserves death a thousand times over," Nijō Yasumichi said bitterly. "It's infuriating that he got away. Had he fallen into our hands, we would never have spared his life!"

"Even if he ran, we can still pursue him and see if we can cut them off," Tachibana Muneshige suddenly spoke up. "They fled in a panic, so their speed cannot be fast, and they are in a state of alarm. As long as we can intercept them, we can certainly smash them!"

"Pursue?" The moment they heard Tachibana Muneshige say this, the other commanders all began to hesitate.

During these days of assault, the units under their command had all suffered enormous losses, and the survivors were utterly exhausted. Everyone felt they could fight no more and hoped to rest and recover properly. Tachibana Muneshige's abrupt proposal to pursue put them all in a difficult position.

"Minister of War, our army needs rest right now. Let us hold off on pursuit for the time being," Nijō Yasumichi, having suffered the heaviest losses, was the first to voice his opposition. "The officers and men are utterly exhausted in body and spirit; they need some time to recover."

"If we are utterly exhausted, then they are surely even more so. They have just suffered a crushing defeat and are fleeing in utter panic — they are far more fragile than we are!" Tachibana Muneshige did not change his stance. "Now is the best time to pursue them. As long as we keep following and attacking, they will certainly crumble under the blows. Even if we cannot capture Itakura Shigemune alive, we can at least scatter all his remaining forces. My lord, please do not let this opportunity slip away!"

By now he was making his request directly to Zhou Pu.

Seeing his earnestness, Zhou Pu quietly considered his proposal. Itakura Shigemune and the others had fled two days earlier, but in two days they certainly could not have gotten very far, and as a defeated army in flight they surely had no will to fight. If they could truly be caught, then they should be able to deal the enemy another heavy blow.

Moreover, with the enemy fleeing in such panic, local order along their route would surely descend into chaos, and this was precisely the best moment for his own side to expand their occupation zone. If they did not seize this moment of shaken morale to expand their gains as quickly as possible, it would be a terrible waste.

The farther they moved from their point of departure, the greater the distance and difficulty of supplying the front lines from the rear. So if they could quickly carve out a large occupation zone in the wealthy Kinai region, it would certainly alleviate these supply problems to a great extent.

However, he also understood the condition of his subordinates. The troops led by Nijō Yasumichi were mostly newly recruited soldiers to begin with, and they had already paid a heavy toll in casualties during the siege. Now they were utterly exhausted; if he pressed them to pursue further, they might truly collapse.

In that case, he might as well attend to both ends at once.

After weighing the matter, he quickly made his decision.

"Very well, then let it be as General Tachibana says — pursue immediately. However... aside from the units directly under General Tachibana, the troops that previously participated in the siege will remain in the city to rest and regroup, and will not take part in the pursuit. Presumably the enemy has already suffered grievous losses and does not require our entire army to pursue. General Tachibana..."

He looked at Tachibana Muneshige. "From here on, you shall have full authority to lead the pursuing forces. You must bring the Kinai region into our army's hands as quickly as possible!"

Through this period of working together and growing familiar, Tachibana Muneshige had earned his trust. Whether in ability or in obedience, Tachibana Muneshige stood a cut above the rest, so Zhou Pu simply chose to delegate authority directly, letting Tachibana Muneshige sweep the surrounding regions for him as quickly as possible.

"I shall never fail your expectations, my lord!" Tachibana Muneshige immediately bowed his head and accepted the order. "I will set out tonight and give Itakura Shigemune and the others no chance to catch their breath."

"Good! Excellent! It is truly fortunate to have your assistance, General — that is why our campaign has gone so smoothly..." Zhou Pu could not help but laugh. "Now then, it is time to discuss rewards based on merit..."

With these meaningful words, he turned his head toward Nijō Yasumichi. "Lord Minister of the Right, I said before that whoever could take Himeji Castle and seize the great main keep for our army would be granted a fief of two hundred thousand koku... General Tachibana led his men to storm the great main keep and captured this city for our army. Granting him an additional two hundred thousand koku is well-deserved, is it not?"

Nijō Yasumichi's expression soured somewhat, but he still nodded. "General Tachibana is both brave and resourceful, has led his men to repeatedly perform extraordinary deeds, and is truly a pillar of the court. Rewards certainly cannot be lacking. As for the fief my lord has mentioned, I will report to the sovereign and secure his approval. In addition, I will also have the court confer additional official rank and title upon the Minister of War — he shall not be shortchanged in any way."

During the siege, the troops that paid the heaviest casualties were his own subordinates, and now the greatest reward had been snatched away by Tachibana Muneshige. He was bound to feel some displeasure.

However, rewarding Tachibana Muneshige was now an established fact, and there was nothing he could do to change it. That the Great Han envoy was willing to inform him before bestowing the reward, going through the formality of the court's name, was already giving him face. For him and for the court now, preserving a veneer of righteous legitimacy was extremely important, and Tachibana Muneshige was also well worth the court's efforts to win over.

"I thank you both, my lords!" Tachibana Muneshige once again expressed his gratitude to the two of them. Though his face remained composed, inwardly he was quite delighted.

When he had first pledged allegiance to the Great Han envoy, he had already received a promise of a five hundred thousand koku domain as a postwar reward, and now another two hundred thousand koku had been added. That meant he would now have a domain of seven hundred thousand koku after the war — and judging by the Great Han envoy's past conduct, as long as he continued to perform well in the future, further grants would surely follow.

Perhaps I could even become a daimyo of a million koku after the war — the thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

In the past, under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, though he had been highly regarded, he had at most been granted a domain of just over a hundred thousand koku. Having endured so many ups and downs, he had originally seen through the ways of the world and had been quite content with his domain in Yanagawa, planning to live out his remaining years there. He had never expected that in his twilight years, with one foot in the grave, he would be put to such great use because of the envoy sent by Great Han, and might even become one of the largest daimyo in all of Japan.

The impermanence of life — Tachibana Muneshige had come to understand it with painful clarity.

And the Great Han envoy's generous rewards had also stirred within Tachibana Muneshige a feeling that he would gladly die for one who truly knew his worth. He hoped to use his own efforts to repay the other's high regard for him.

After rewarding Tachibana Muneshige, Zhou Pu also began, within the main keep, to bestow large-scale rewards upon the officers and soldiers who had rendered meritorious service in the campaign. To soothe the feelings of Nijō Yasumichi and the others, he deliberately rewarded many soldiers from the Japanese court's army. However, considering the Japanese court's desperate hunger for land, he rewarded these soldiers only in gold and silver, and granted no fiefs.

Tōgō Shigekata also arrived at the main keep at this time to receive his reward from Zhou Pu. Upon seeing this old acquaintance Tōgō Shigekata, Zhou Pu's eyes lit up, and he set aside everyone else, walking straight up to Tōgō Shigekata.

"Tōgō, it's been a long time!" He greeted the other man with a smile.

Yet in the face of such warmth, Tōgō Shigekata was slightly at a loss.

Previously, under orders from his domain lord Shimazu Tadatsune, he had come to this Great Han envoy's side to serve as a guard. Back then, however, the envoy was in dire straits, his life hanging by a thread, and the two of them had become friends of a sort.

But now everything had changed beyond recognition. He was now the master of ten thousand troops, the Great Han envoy whose word was absolute law, before whom even court nobles and domain lords from every region had to bow and scrape in utter deference. He, Tōgō Shigekata, was merely a humble domain samurai — what standing did he have to be so familiar with him?

"I pay my respects, my lord!" With this thought in mind, he bowed deeply with the utmost respect.

His extreme formality made Zhou Pu pause for a moment, and then he could not help but laugh.

"Don't be so formal! We were friends before, and you helped me so much. Now you're acting so distant — aren't you putting me in an awkward position?"

"My lord..." Tōgō Shigekata hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Alright, don't be so stiff. Just treat me the same as you did back then." Zhou Pu smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I've already heard about your deeds during the siege. They filled me with admiration — truly a man of heroic caliber. Your domain lord did not misjudge you."

Zhou Pu's words stirred Tōgō Shigekata's memories, and the harrowing scenes within the city surfaced before his eyes once more.

How could the toil and sacrifice of that time ever be fully captured by a mere phrase like 'a man of heroic caliber'?

"Now you are a meritorious officer of our army, and your battle achievements must be rewarded," Zhou Pu continued while he was still lost in recollection. "I intend to make you a daimyo. Are you willing?"

Because Tōgō Shigekata had followed him with such wholehearted dedication before, Zhou Pu now intended to repay him handsomely. Using his battle merits within the city as pretext, he would grant him ten or twenty thousand koku of land, letting him break away from Satsuma Domain and become an independent daimyo — his way of returning the favor.

Zhou Pu felt that for a warrior, becoming a daimyo must be a lifelong ambition — now realized because of a single word from him — and the man should be deeply grateful.

Yet after waiting a moment, he received no tearfully grateful response from Tōgō Shigehō. Instead, the man still stared blankly with unfocused eyes, as if his spirit had wandered elsewhere.

Probably his mind hasn't caught up yet after fighting day and night inside the city, Zhou Pu thought to himself.

"What do you think of this reward?" he asked again.

"My lord, would you grant me one request?" At that moment, Tōgō Shigehō suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhou Pu.

"Speak," Zhou Pu said, slightly surprised.

He had already offered more than generous terms. If the man demanded even more, that would be pushing his luck.

"My lord... in this siege, our army suffered tremendous losses. Among those fallen soldiers, many fought even more fiercely than I did. It was they who gave their lives so that our army could breach this city... Compared to theirs, our own contributions are truly insignificant." Tōgō Shigehō looked at Zhou Pu and spoke with deep sincerity. "Therefore, I wish to request that you, my lord, order the construction of a memorial monument within the city to honor these fallen soldiers, so that their heroic spirits may rest in peace."

Zhou Pu was momentarily taken aback. He had not expected the man to make such a request in his presence.

Still, he quickly nodded. "Very well. Thank you for the reminder. I will give the order to erect a monument in this city."

Then, he let out a soft sigh and patted Tōgō Shigehō on the shoulder once more, as if entrusting him with something. "Once you become a daimyo, always remember to care for your people..."

Tōgō Shigehō dropped straight to his knees and kowtowed heavily before Zhou Pu. "Thank you, my lord! I shall never forget your lordship's kindness for all my life!"

"Keep fighting well from now on," Zhou Pu said, waving his hand to dismiss him.

Under Zhou Pu's orders, restoration work within the city soon began, and Tachibana Muneshige also led his troops out of the city to advance toward the Kinai region, beginning the pursuit of the shogunate's defeated soldiers.

Just as Tachibana Muneshige had predicted, the shogunate army that Itakura Shigemune had led away from Himeji Castle indeed had no will to fight during their flight and moved at an extremely slow pace. Thus, he pursued them rapidly and soon routed these forces again. Most of them were killed or captured, and the few surviving officers and soldiers scattered into the mountains and forests, no longer able to contest the Great Han army.

Itakura Shigemune fled all the way and finally abandoned his troops entirely, escaping back to Kyoto alone with Takagi Kiyoshi.

With the shogunate army's collapse in the Himeji Domain, the situation grew even worse for them.

Bitchū and Bingo had fallen, and Iwami Province and Izumo Province in the San'in region also fell one after another. The entire western provinces had fallen into enemy hands. Now, with Harima Province lost, the Kinai region lay wide open. The Great Han army advanced all the way into Tango Province and Settsu Province, their blades pointed straight at Kyoto.

The fact that the Great Han army had broken into the Kinai region also made the hearts of the people there even more unsettled. The great merchants of the Kinai increasingly turned toward the Great Han, sending a steady stream of supplies into their hands. Osaka and Sakai themselves, left defenseless by the shogunate's depleted forces, had already slipped from the shogunate's control and were simply waiting for the Great Han army to come and take over.

Anyone could see that the shogunate's cause was lost.