Chapter 1682: Erasing It Bit by Bit

"My lord?" Hearing the Kyoto Deputy say this, Takagi Kiyoshi couldn't help but freeze. "You... what do you mean by this?"

"Have I not made myself clear enough?" Itakura Shigemune's smile faded, and finally he let out a long sigh. "I no longer wish to run. I will remain in Kyoto, die for the shogunate, and give an accounting to all under heaven."

"My lord, at a time like this you're still thinking of such things — this is irresponsible!" Takagi Kiyoshi was growing angry.

"With Kyoto lost, the shogunate must give an accounting to all under heaven. Even if I lead the troops away, I will certainly be punished by the shogunate, and in the end it will still be a dead end." Itakura Shigemune shook his head gently, looking somewhat despondent. "Since it's a dead end either way, why should I die a humiliating death at the shogunate's hands? Better to fight the Han invaders to the death. At least that way I can preserve the Itakura family name!"

"My lord thinks only of his own family name — why not think of us, your subordinates?" Takagi Kiyoshi looked at him coldly. "The current great army in Kyoto was all built by your lordship's own hand, and only your lordship can command it as freely as his own arm. If your lordship stays here now, how are we to carry out the shogunate's orders and seize that traitor Tachibana Muneshige?!"

"Even without me, you can lead the army on your own. You are a man sent by the Elder himself, and I imagine the Elder has given you certain instructions." Itakura Shigemune answered calmly. "So there is no need for me to add to your troubles."

"My lord..." Takagi Kiyoshi was momentarily speechless, and only then began to defend himself. "That was only a precaution! The army of the western provinces must still be commanded by you."

When he had been sent by Elder Doi Toshikatsu, in order to guard against Itakura Shigemune being unable to attend to affairs due to sudden circumstances — and also to prevent him from defecting to the enemy — the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu himself had given him an order, charging him with keeping watch over Itakura Shigemune, and, should the need arise, forcibly taking over the army of the western provinces.

However, ever since arriving in Kyoto, Takagi Kiyoshi had observed that Itakura Shigemune was serving the shogunate with all his heart and strength, without the slightest hint of rebellion. At the same time, he knew he himself had no experience leading troops, so he had not made Tokugawa Iemitsu's order public, instead devoting his energies to seeking peace negotiations with the Han invaders.

Now that the negotiations had failed and the situation was deteriorating by the day, he had even less confidence, and instead wanted to rely on Itakura Shigemune to hold the shogunate's army in the western provinces together.

"Now is precisely that moment of need." Itakura Shigemune sighed softly. "Ever since I began fighting the Han invaders, I have been defeated in every battle. My forces have suffered enormous losses, and the Han invaders have advanced step by step, seizing vast tracts of land. A defeated general like me ought to have taken his own life in atonement long ago... It is only by the shogun's benevolence that I have been allowed to linger on in disgrace. But... I cannot go on living so shamelessly! As Kyoto Deputy, it is my duty to defend Kyoto, until death."

"My lord!" Takagi Kiyoshi still wanted to persuade him further.

"Enough, say no more!" Itakura Shigemune raised a hand and cut him off. "My mind is made up; further words are useless. Since you are to retreat, leave before dawn tomorrow — delay no longer. I will summon all my subordinates at once and have them follow your command, to leave Kyoto with you."

Looking at Takagi Kiyoshi's face, which seemed to want to speak but held back, he smiled faintly.

"Takagi, as a samurai, do you truly wish to stop me from fulfilling a samurai's honorable name? Why must you insist I return to face the shogun's judgment? Besides... with me here defending, your retreat will go far more smoothly."

Amidst his smiling words, Takagi Kiyoshi understood as well — the Deputy had truly made up his mind, and the matter was beyond remedy.

Without a doubt, after he took the men and left, Kyoto's defenses would be even more hollow. Itakura Shigemune staying here would serve no purpose whatsoever; it would be nothing more than a death for death's sake.

Back at Himeji Castle, Itakura Shigemune had already resolved to take his own life, and had only reluctantly changed his mind because Takagi had been at his side persuading him. Now, it seemed, he had no intention of changing his mind ever again.

As he himself had said, even if he led the troops away from Kyoto, no matter how great his future achievements, there would certainly be no way to atone for his crimes — though Takagi Kiyoshi knew that the earlier defeats could not really be blamed on the Deputy; no matter who had been in his place, the outcome would not have been much different.

How much longer can I hold out? Amidst his gloom, this thought flashed through his mind.

Although he now enjoyed the deep trust of the Elder and the shogun, if he were to commit any misstep going forward, he feared there would be no forgiveness for him either. One day, perhaps, he too would have to atone with his life, just like the Deputy. Moreover, the shogunate was now in such a precarious state — who knew when it might collapse entirely.

In the present circumstances, he could only take things one step at a time.

That afternoon, Itakura Shigemune summoned the commanders under him, then informed them of his arrangements. These commanders were just as shocked as Takagi Kiyoshi had been, and one after another they earnestly pleaded with him to leave Kyoto with them, but he sternly refused them all.

Many wished to remain in Kyoto and die for their country fighting alongside the Deputy, but Itakura Shigemune refused the vast majority of these requests. He knew these men were only saying so to save face, and that in their hearts they all wanted to leave Kyoto, that certain deathtrap. Only a small handful were sincere — and he had no need to keep too many men anyway.

After keeping two or three hundred men as a garrison to hold Nijo Castle, he handed all of his troops over to Takagi Kiyoshi to command, then urged them to leave Kyoto under cover of night.

Once the plan was settled, Takagi Kiyoshi and the others, though deeply reluctant, still obeyed the Deputy's orders and left Kyoto. After their departure, Itakura Shigemune took the remaining men and withdrew all the way into Nijo Castle, and Kyoto became a de facto empty city.

Though Takagi Kiyoshi and his men were extremely cautious, the movements in Kyoto did not escape the scouts the Great Han army had sent out in all directions. By dawn, Zhou Pu, stationed at Fushimi, had already received word of the shogunate army's large-scale movements within Kyoto.

Judging by the scale of the movement, the shogunate had withdrawn nearly all its troops from Kyoto — which meant Kyoto was now an empty city.

"They've fled?" Zhou Pu was utterly astonished.

According to their original projections, they had all guessed the shogunate army would use Kyoto to fight the Great Han army to the death once more, and had made preparations accordingly. They had never imagined that before this battle even began, the enemy would simply flee, abandoning Kyoto.

Perhaps they had been scared out of their wits by Great Han, or perhaps they did not wish to fight Great Han in a place as topographically disadvantageous as Kyoto. Whatever the case, for him this was excellent news.

These past days, Nijo Yasumichi and others had been constantly at his side offering counsel, hoping to bring the Kyoto campaign to a swift conclusion — they were all court nobles and did not want Kyoto to suffer too much destruction. And in order to demonstrate the righteousness of Great Han's military intervention and make better use of the Japanese imperial court as a banner, Zhou Pu indeed did not wish to fight too brutally in Kyoto, lest it affect how the various factions in Japan viewed Great Han.

All these days he had been pondering how to minimize the devastation to the area when occupying Kyoto. He had never expected that the shogunate's voluntary withdrawal would resolve this dilemma for him.

Since that was the case, there was nothing left to worry about.

Before daybreak he summoned Nijo Yasumichi, Hashimoto Sanemura, and the others. The two men were also overjoyed, and immediately requested that Zhou Pu dispatch troops to advance and occupy Kyoto. Zhou Pu gladly agreed, and that very morning, the great army began its march toward Kyoto.

Because of the chaos caused by the Great Han army's earlier landing on Honshu, compounded by the shogunate's deliberate scorched-earth policy, the once-prosperous Kyoto region was now much desolate. As the Great Han army began its advance on Kyoto, the desolation was even more pronounced, with scarcely a sign of human habitation.

That very afternoon, they finally arrived at Kyoto.

At this moment, although the houses and mansions of Kyoto still stood as they always had, there was hardly a soul to be seen; it was almost like a deserted city.

However, when the remaining residents discovered the traces of the Great Han army — and especially once they understood that the commanding general of this force was the Minister of the Right himself — there was practically an explosion of joy. Many people flocked to the front of the army's formation, cheering and leaping as they watched this great army's arrival.

Kyoto was the gathering place of the court nobles, and its residents were all more or less connected to the imperial court and the Fujiwara clan. So after the Minister of the Left and the Minister of the Right had departed with the Cloistered Emperor and the Emperor, although the shogunate gnashed its teeth in hatred toward the two ministers, in the eyes of the people here, the two ministers were great heroes, and they were the hope of the imperial court.

Although some people had misgivings about the two ministers borrowing troops from Great Han, once they considered that the court's status could thereby be transformed, and that it might truly come to hold territory and real power, their attitude shifted to tacit approval and support. Only a very small minority found this impossible to accept, and they had already fled to Kanto with the shogunate's people before Great Han advanced into the Kinai region.

As Great Han advanced steadily into the Kinai region, news of their successive victories began to reach Kyoto. By now, people knew how mighty the Great Han military was, that the shogunate was utterly unable to resist, and they also knew that Great Han treated the imperial court with great respect — going so far as to supply the court with funds and provisions, allowing the court to have an army under its own direct command.

People who had lived through the chaos of the Warring States period certainly understood how vital it was to have troops in hand, and what tremendous significance it held for the imperial court to possess armed force. By now, virtually everyone who remained had become a supporter of Great Han, ardently hoping that the armies of Great Han and the court would swiftly reach Kyoto and make it the center of all Japan once more.

Some were even calculating what sort of official posts they might secure for themselves in the court in the future — surely the court would rule over a vast territory, and the offices and stipends it could offer would be far greater than before.

Under the influence of this mindset, the hearts of the people in Kyoto had all inclined toward the imperial court. No wonder Itakura Shigemune had been so pessimistic about the situation.

After the great army arrived outside Kyoto, since the shogunate had already withdrawn all its forces, the remaining people came out of the city to welcome the Great Han army, arranged according to family rank and the hierarchy of court offices.

Since the members of the Five Regent Houses had all been forcibly taken away by the shogunate, the person at their head was the Acting Senior Counselor Hanazonoin Sadayoshi. He was summoned directly before Nijo Yasumichi.

Hanazonoin Sadayoshi, only a few years older than Nijo Yasumichi, made his way through the army's formation. Though initially awed and intimidated by the martial ferocity of the troops, when he learned that these forces were all under the direct command of the imperial court — of the Minister of the Right and the Middle Captain of the Left Inner Palace Guards — he became extremely excited and stirred.

Looking at Nijo Yasumichi, his emotions surged, and he immediately dropped to his knees.

"I pay my respects to the Minister of the Right!"

"Counselor, please rise." Nijo Yasumichi, equally delighted, gestured for him to lift his head. "It has been many days. Have you been well?"

After so many days, and through countless twists and turns, he had finally overcome all hardships and dangers, returning to Kyoto at the head of a great army. Naturally, he felt a sense of returning home in glory.

In this way, he had also proven that his original ideas and actions had been correct — no matter the cost, the imperial court now had its own army and territory, a foothold of its own, and would never again have to live at the shogunate's mercy.

"All these days, we have been worrying constantly for His Majesty and for you, my lords, fearing that any mishap might befall you... At last, by the protection of the gods and buddhas, the court has turned peril into safety..." As Hanazonoin Sadayoshi spoke, tears nearly fell from his eyes. "This is truly a blessing from heaven... a blessing from heaven!"

"The imperial court is the rightful sovereign of all under heaven, and naturally receives the protection of the gods and buddhas." Nijo Yasumichi answered with brimming confidence. "A mere shogunate is nothing but a clownish farce. Tokugawa Iemitsu's days of arrogance are numbered!"

After delivering this bold declaration, Nijo Yasumichi immediately asked Hanazonoin Sadayoshi about the upheavals that had occurred in Kyoto after his own escape, and about the city's current condition. Hanazonoin Sadayoshi promptly reported everything truthfully.

After the incident in which the Cloistered Emperor, the Minister of the Left, and the Minister of the Right had fled, the shogunate had been furious and immediately ordered the confiscation of the residences of Ichijo Kaneyoshi, Nijo Yasumichi, and others as punishment.

Furthermore, fearing the edge of Great Han's blade, they had decided to relocate the important court nobles and imperial family members of Kyoto to Kanto. Under their coercion, the Five Regent Houses and certain other high-ranking families, as well as the imperial family, had all been forcibly taken away. The eldest of the court nobles, Kujo Yukiie, the head of the Kujo family, though unable to act freely himself, had decided to leave a portion of the court nobles behind — partly to watch over the houses and properties left behind by the imperial court and the various nobles, and partly to secretly prepare to welcome the court back when it returned.

He understood that if the court could fight its way back, then the shogunate would need them as bargaining chips. But if the court were utterly defeated and the shogunate achieved total victory, then they would absolutely have no good days ahead.

Through his painstaking arrangements, Kazan'in Sadayoshi and a group of court nobles were finally able to remain. While guarding the property and the imperial palace, they also probed for information in all directions, waiting for the Great Han army and the imperial court to return to Kyoto as soon as possible.

Afterward, Kazan'in Sadayoshi told Nijō Yasumichi everything he knew about the situation with the shogunate and the imperial court, exactly as it was.

Upon hearing that his own mansion had already been destroyed by the shogunate and his family seized by them, Nijō Yasumichi flew into a towering rage — until he heard the news that the shogunate's Kyoto Deputy, Itakura Shigemune, was still inside Nijō Castle. Only then did his fury turn to delight.

"Let that wretch Itakura and Nijō Castle be burned to ashes first, to avenge this grudge!" He left these words behind, then led his troops straight into the city, advancing toward Nijō Castle.

For Nijō Yasumichi, this castle — so close to both his own mansion and the imperial palace — was nothing less than a symbol of humiliation. And since the shogunate had treated him this way, he would of course retaliate in kind.

To spare Kyoto from the ravages of soldiery, Nijō Yasumichi, upon hearing that the shogunate had already withdrawn, had left his main army outside the city and entered with only a small contingent of personal attendants. After receiving this news, he sent men to redeploy the troops.

And when they heard that a shogunate force still remained within Kyoto, the soldiers, who had grown somewhat slack, roused themselves once more. They streamed into the city in a continuous file, threading through Kyoto's grid-like streets, until they finally reached the Nakagyō district and surrounded Nijō Castle completely.

Though called a castle, Nijō Castle was not very large in area. However, its inner and outer perimeters were ringed by moats, each with only a single bridge for passage in and out. So even though it was besieged by a great army, it could not be breached in an instant.

Night had fallen, and the sky had grown very dim. Nijō Yasumichi ordered torches lit on all sides of the castle to create the impression that it was utterly surrounded, then commanded his men to loose fire arrows into Nijō Castle.

It was the sweltering summer season. Though the defenders inside the castle had long been prepared, they could hardly extinguish every blaze. Soon, flames were leaping up everywhere, dyeing the water in the moats a golden yellow.

Next, without even calling for their surrender, Nijō Yasumichi directly ordered his troops to exploit the chaos within and begin the assault.

At his urging, the soldiers threw timber and stones into the moats, piece after piece. Once the moats were roughly filled in, they crossed directly over them and attempted to scale the low walls of the outer fortifications.

At that moment, the shogunate soldiers inside the castle surged out as well. Braving the arrows and arquebus fire from outside, they charged at the troops who had gained the outer walls. Fierce, close-quarters slaughter erupted between the two sides at once.

Perhaps because they had already resolved themselves to die, these defenders were extraordinarily fierce, fighting the attacking soldiers with almost no regard for their own lives. Though at an absolute numerical disadvantage, they managed to hold off the initial assault.

Yet the disparity in numbers was overwhelming after all. Before long, the attacking army had secured several footholds atop the wall, and from there they fought their way inward along the ramparts.

Many of these troops under the imperial court had experienced the battle at Himeji Castle, so they felt no fear before the tiny Nijō Castle.

Swiftly, the attacking army broke the defenders atop the walls and then surged inward to slaughter. The ramparts were left strewn with corpses.

"Leave not a single defender alive — kill them all! Be sure to burn the Tokugawa palace to ashes!" Outside the castle, Nijō Yasumichi issued his command, brimming with satisfaction and pride.

He was determined to tear out this scar upon Kyoto, and every last trace of the Tokugawa clan within the imperial court, root and branch.