-XXXI-
"The Final Moments of a Storm"
Inabayama [1], Mino Province, August 2, 1304
"That's him again, isn't it?" asked the aide Zhang Ding, pointing in the distance toward an enemy commander on horseback ordering around his cavalry. "That's their finest general, right?"
Burilgitei shook his head.
"I cannot say for certain that Takeda Tokitsuna is their finest general, but he is a fine general indeed. We must be cautious, but never overwhelmingly so." He smiled as the firm stance of his warriors and a sudden attack by his crossbowmen compelled Takeda's retreat, a few enemies even falling into the deep river that flowed alongside the narrow battlefield hemmed in against a small mountain.
A well done move, trying to use the advance of our gunnery troops to send your cavalry in this floodplain, but one I've accounted for.
Content at his success in driving the enemy back in a cloud of smoke and hail of bullets, Burilgitei pondered the layout of the battlefield, wondering what how to handle that small mountain that hemmed in the bulk of their forces.
"If we pretended we were no longer interested in seizing the castle or advancing on either side of the mountain, we might win," Burilgitei thought, recalling his great-grandfather's strategies.
"If we attack in small numbers over the forest and brush of the mountains, we'll surely be defeated by their greater numbers or their fortress long before we can attack their main host," Zhang replied.
"That is true, which is why I want to only make it
look as we are attacking there. Tell his majesty Qutluq Temur to take 5,000 men and eliminate their men on the approach to the castle from the south."
"The south? There are reports that a group of powerful enemy warrior monks has held off a great number of our forces."
Burilgitei recalled for a moment that particular warrior monk fought under both Buddhist and Takeda banners.
Perhaps he is that man's spiritual teacher. No matter, he must be eliminated for rejecting the authority of the Great Khan.
"Tell his majesty to take 4,000 men and summon the
kheshig. The Russians and Alans care not for Buddhism, nor do many of our Semu horsemen."
"As you wish."
As chance had it, Aleksandr Zakharievich walked right in, followed by a Russian boy with vibrant wheat-coloured hair wiping the grime from the older warrior's sword.
"What do you need, Lord Burilgitei? Is the time come to charge?" the Russian warrior asked in his characteristically bad Chinese.
"At a different enemy than I believed," Burilgitei replied, aware of the sudden alteration to the battle plan.
Instead of softening up their spear troops before routing them with the kheshig
, this shall work better while costing fewer lives. "Take your troops south and then east and conquer the southwards approach of the mountain. You will serve as the vanguard of Prince Qutluq Temur, and you will encounter hundreds of powerful, well-armed warrior monks. You will slay every single one of them and return here."
Aleksandr nodded at the opportunity for combat, bowing his head and making the sign of the cross.
"The heathen clergymen will be eliminated, unless the Lord himself works upon their heart and convinces them to follow his chief deputy on Earth." He walked out of the tent, but the younger boy seemed curious of Burilgitei.
"Come, Dmitry. You've seen enough of the battlefield, now serve your father by taking care of his baggage." [2] The young boy nodded, leaving Burilgitei's presence with a bow. The entire incident recalled Burilgitei of his own son, still back in China gaining valuable administrative experience.
May both myself and Aleksandr return from this battle, so we pass on our experiences for the sake of the eternal clan of the Great Khan.
---
Inabayama, Mino Province, August 2, 1304
The main body of troops continued to fight to their fullest, but Takeda Tokitsuna did not feel satisfied.
He's launched far too many attacks over and around this mountain, and it's been some time since I've heard from Lord Nikaidou. Tokitsuna sighed, fearing the worst was happening in terms of the enemy's strategy.
A messenger ran up to him, exhausted and wounded.
"Lord Takeda, the warriors monks, Lord Fukuzawa Zennen, they've been wiped out to the man by this latest enemy thrust!" Tokitsuna could only hang his head, recalling the fond discussions he had with that old man.
"I can only hope he died without regrets, content he chose the path of death by our enemies rather than death by the decay of his body," Tokitsuna said, trying to maintain a casual optimism.
Fukuzawa commanded the body of forces watching the south side of the mountain. Our enemy must be trying to flank that side, meaning...
Tokitsuna turned at once to Komai Nobuyasu.
"Shall we tell our men to stop slaying sparrows on the mountainside so they might kill the falcon before us?"
Komai pondered it for a moment.
"Then how might we protect from the sparrows raiding our granary?"
"Scarecrows," Tokitsuna answered with a smile. "Set arrow traps in the trees and tell Nawa and Sayou to place archers and crossbowmen as needed. Inform Lord Nikaidou he is to send as many men as possible outside the walls to aid us, for all of them shall surely die if we lose this fight."
Komai nodded, content with the strategy--he relayed it to a messenger who immediately set off up the hillside.
Moments passed as Tokitsuna watched the ebb and flow of the battle before them, his cavalry gathering around him. The eager Henmi Nobutsune sat on his horse, practicing swinging his sword, while the heavily scarred Kumagai Naomitsu simply sat meditating, his posture serene compared to his mangled face. At last his favourite cavalry commander Ichijou Nobuhisa arrived, trotting up on his great horse.
"We charge, now!" Tokitsuna said, the shell trumpets blaring to clear the way. The few hundred heavy cavalry crashed into the wall of enemy troops, melting them at once. As he fired his bow, he noticed it almost seemed too easy, giving Tokitsuna an unsteady feeling as he recalled the favourite tactic of the enemy. Yet he shook that feeling from his head--too many commanders second-guessed their actions, and so long as the Mongols did not discover his strategy on the hillside, he should win.
---
Sunomata, Mino Province, 1305
"What did they say!" Burilgitei shouted at the messenger, a small, scrawny Central Asian man in a turban, beyond furious at what he just heard.
"As I said, Lord Aqutai demands all Yuan armies in Japan beside the 3 tumens of Zhengdong return to the mainland. Further, he shall be greatly reducing military-related shipping." Burilgitei threw his bowl of rice wine at the wall, cracking it at once as he could hardly believe the news.
"What about Lord Fan Wenhu?" Burilgitei demanded, hoping the worst hadn't happened to his key ally. "Why is Lord Fan no longer the grand chancellor?"
"Lord Fan has retired due to ill-health. He sends his condolences he could do no more for the Great Khan and his ministers."
"Tch!" Burilgitei shook his head, noticing the equally shocked generals around him. "Who the hell is this Aqutai bastard, and who is he to demand we cease our campaign now? Why, by this time next year I expect our warriors to be at the gates of their capital, the enemy's finest generals defeated!"
"I second Lord Burilgitei," Dorotai spoke up. "The enemy has taken repeated losses and can hardly raise any more forces. Soon their captains will share in the fate of the countless enemies we've defeated. Send word to the court that we request negotiations with Aqutai over the new terms of the campaign. We can send a tumen or two home, but certainly not our entire force."
"L-Lord Aqutai's decision is final," the messenger said, starting to shake as. "H-his words are backed by the Great Khan."
Burilgitei furrowed his brow.
His majesty Temur Khan was never an energetic campaigner like his forefathers, but even he realised the necessity of delivering a decisive blow to Japan. This decision, and those decisions to hold back troops from us, do not seem like his own.
"Isn't his majesty ill?" Qutluq Temur asked. "How can these orders be from him? An ill ruler can hardly be consulting his ministers of the wise decisions, after all."
"I-I do not know," the messenger stammered. All I know is it came from the imperial household and the Central Secretariat and must be obeyed at once." Burilgitei looked at his generals, suddenly very concerned as to what was happening back home.
If the Great Khan truly is ill, these decisions must be coming from someone. Burilgitei could only fathom whom that might be, but he knew for a fact that on many occasions, the wives of powerful rulers played a great role in the management of the state. Perhaps this was one of those times.
Has her majesty Bulugan Khatun taken this decisive action?
Burilgitei hung his head and breathed in deeply as he tried making sense of the situation. In particular, he felt concern for himself.
If Bulugan Khatun is leading the government along with a faction hostile to Fan Wenhu, I would be fortunate to maintain command here. Everything will change soon, and to our nation's detriment we will leave so much unfinished business.
"What day did you hear this news?"
"Two months ago, my lord," the messenger said. "The sea journey was long and hard, and rebels still haunt these lands." Burilgitei nodded, knowing the man just gave him a time limit.
In two months, this man shall report our reply to the capital. That gives us two months to defeat as many Japanese as possible.
"Very well, we shall obey," Burilgitei replied. "But this causes us serious problems. We can hardly abandon these lands we've conquered for the Great Khan at a time such as this. Please permit us to secure our land in an orderly manner as our armies return home."
"I am certain the Great Khan and his government will look favourably on that decision. Just remember your obligations, Lord Burilgitei."
Burilgitei smiled.
"As we shall. Best of luck to you on your voyage home, as for us we shall undertake the hardest of all tasks before our own voyage--restoring order."
---
Sunomata, Mino Province, July 19, 1305
In all his years, Takashina no Shigetsune never felt so nervous, for the very future of his nation lay in his hands. Even the fact he sat across from a few invader soldiers and those unruly-looking samurai who served them did not bother him nearly as much as the knowledge of what he was doing, for his own life mattered little compared to the lives of all his countrymen.
The manor in which he sat seemed poorly made, rapidly erected in some foreign Chinese style to serve as a headquarters. It was unsuited for the humid summers of Japan and annoying hot inside, but Shigetsune bore it to what degree he could. It struck him as both horrifying and ironic that the fate of his country would be decided at such an insignificant place, a small village of little note.
The enemy's minister walked in, escorted by a tall samurai and a Chinese bureaucrat. Shock ripped through Shigetsune's body--
Taira no Nakachika serves them now? He had assumed such a thing had happened given Nakachika never appeared in Kamakura that night they fled the burning capital, and indeed, he always seemed a defeatist whenever they spoke at court. A part of him felt lucky that he wasn't the one in Nakachika's place--the Mongols who captured him and his family seemed content to release them in exchange for their carriage, their horses, and a few treasures from his house, but they easily could have sent him to Hakata.
"Welcome. As I am sure you know, I am the Minister of Civil Administration Taira no Nakachika," Taira said with a short bow.
"And I am the Minister of Civil Administration--for those loyal to the Emperor--Takashina no Shigetsune," Shigetsune replied. "I have been sent to achieve a lasting peace on behalf of his majesty the Emperor and his regent Kujou Moronori."
Nakachika ignored any familiarity, his face remaining as cold as those invader warriors around him.
What a shame he has given his heart and soul to serving these villains and traitors!
"Now let us discuss the terms of your surrender to the eminent ruler of Japan and the Son of Heaven," Taira announced.
"We wish to serve neither the great Son of Heaven nor his majesty who rules in Hakata," Shigetsune said. "But we concede that his majesty in Hakata controls much of the country at this moment. It is not wise to continue to fight him over it. Therefore we will recognise the court in Hakata's rule over these provinces and lay no further claim to them." Even if Saionji Sanekane himself instructed it, each of those words dug at Shigetsune's heart for he was tearing his own country apart.
"A correct decision," Taira said. "But such matters have already been decided on the battlefield. We seek your nation's total surrender and submission to his majesty the lord of Japan, whose court temporarily finds itself in Hakata."
"We can submit to no one," Shigetsune answered. "The great Emperor stands alone in the heaven, watched only by his equal, the Son of Heaven who reigns in China."
Taira seemed downcast, but it seems he expected such reasoning.
"Then are you willing to force a most unpleasant situation where there are two suns in the sky? Are you willing to divide our nation during a time of so many great disasters?"
"That there are two suns in the heaven is only a temporary concern, for the Imperial House shall one day rise again strong and renewed and we shall see the false sun fade before the heavenly light of the true sun," Shigetsune replied. "Our nation shall not perish, much as the Middle Kingdom itself did not perish when they too recognised the temporary state of two suns in the heaven."
"You speak of the Chanyuan Treaty, I take it?" Taira answered. "It was not wise to force such an unnatural state on the Middle Kingdom, for neither Liao nor Song have existed for many years. In the end, both suns vanished. It is shameful your heart is so set on creating this division."
Shigetsune sighed, knowing Taira's words were true.
This is not a matter I ever wanted to negotiate. Oh how content I would be if I might just finish out my career as a minister and shut myself away in a monastery, spending the remainder of my life in learning the truths of the world!
"Our court accepts the shame of dividing our nation, for above all we demand national survival. What are your terms so that we might achieve this?"
"Cede every province we currently occupy, in full or in part, and pay tribute to the court at Hakata so we might provide the Son of Heaven a tribute worthy of his conquest of all Japan," Taira said, his stance resolute. Shigetsune hung his head, thinking of the terrible facts.
We have little tribute with which to pay, and if the invader occupies the provinces I believe he does, we would be totally unable to resist him should he invade once more. A map of Japan formed in his head as Shigetsune recalled provinces the invader seemed entrenched in such as Echigo, northern Mutsu, Mino, Ise, Shima, Owari--losing these provinces opened up limitless opportunities for invading Japan. The samurai beside him, the young Houjou Sadakuni, shook his head at those terms.
"I beg your pardon, but that agreement we cannot accept," Shigetsune said. "If I accepted them, I should offer our complete surrender, for it would make inevitable our nation's destruction and if we are to be destroyed, it is best to avoid the needless suffering a war brings."
"No matter what your terms are, I cannot promise your nation will not be destroyed," Taira replied. "The Son of Heaven is furious with your puppet court and its rebel military regime, and that he even permits me to negotiate such an agreement is a sign of his utmost benevolence."
"If you are so strong, it is curious you would be negotiating a peace treaty now," a samurai beside Houjou said, a warrior he recalled was named Onozawa Sanetsuna. Then Shigetsune recalled what he heard--the enemy was not interested in more conflict.
There are rumours intrigue is afoot in the Middle Kingdom, and the Son of Heaven needs his armies back at home. Some smugglers claim the poor in their nation starve for the price of food is so high and rises every day. There is no proof of this beside the unbridled optimism of our people for any good news in this age of darkness, but if it is true then I can get far more lenient terms than I ever should.
"A brute such as yourself must know we negotiate such a treaty out of the kindness of our hearts," Taira growled. Onozawa glared at him for the insult, but Houjou shook his head in hopes he stayed calm.
"If those words are true, then we should negotiate a treaty that brings this conflict to an end for generations," Shigetsune said. "A treaty which leaves our nation in such a crippled state that it would tempt any arrogant conquerer is not one which will last. Therefore I say that in lieu of cessions of land in certain provinces, we pay additional tribute."
Taira looked at the old invader commander, uncertain if the terms were what his country desired. The invader commander gently nodded at him, forcing Taira to think of a response.
"You must inform us which provinces these might be. I am certain the terms for tribute will be far more extensive than we planned before."
"The provinces of Mutsu, Mino, Echigo, Owari, Ise, and Shima. All currently have many districts occupied by the invaders, and we graciously hope tribute might remove him."
Taira and the invader commander looked at each other, the invader commander whispering words into Taira's ear that made his eyes briefly widen before he composed himself, perhaps thinking of how to phrase his request.
"We shall evacuate Mutsu in its entirety, but we can hardly evacuate the other provinces lest the arrogant conquerers tempted be the warriors beneath Kamakura's banner," Taira replied.
"That is an unfair assessment, for we can hardly start a war for a generation," Shigetsune shot back. "Particularly after we pay your indemnity." He thought of something quickly, hoping it made sense. "Perhaps we should remove your warriors and tax collectors from individual districts instead of entire provinces?"
Clearly it made sense, for the invader commander immediately whispered something into Taira's ear. Taira wanted to protest, but accepted it anyway.
"Very well, but we will still charge tribute per district," he said.
"And we will give entire districts to you to lower said tribute, but maintain our position in several provinces. However, I would still like Mino, Owari, and Mutsu evacuated in their entirety."
"V-very well," Taira said. "But once again, this will cost much. You must surely be aware that the tribute includes not just rice, silk, gold, and silver, but also thousands of your people? For each province we divide, they will send 5,000 households to the Kingdom of Japan. Additionally, they will contribute 100 priests who are to pray for the departed souls and ensure this peace lasts. We will also be demanding thousands of craftsman come to our nation to rebuilt the Capital and devastated areas of the provinces."
"I understand that and graciously accept such terms. Who will conduct the surveys?" Shigetsune said. Taira smiled at such a request.
"Your own bureaucrats, of course. For all estates that span the border, they will tell that manor what their new constraints are," he replied. At once Shigetsune realised he demanded a term certain to cause endless frustration.
Even the most powerful men in the court rarely dare enquire as to the exact boundaries of their manors, lest they arouse the anger of some powerful warrior who manages it. Lord Taira knows exactly what he is doing, damn him. [3]
"I agree to such terms as well. Now, I believe that concludes..."
The invader general sitting beside their leader cleared his throat and unsheathed a Japanese-style sword, laying it on the table between them.
"Whichever craftsman made this sword they call 'Haisha-giri', I want him and all his students in my service," the general growled in Chinese. Taira was taken aback by the sudden demand and examined the sword.
"Masamune?" Taira said, reading a signature on the blade [4]. "I am no expert in swords or any sort of weapon at all, but even I am aware this is a fine sword. As requested, please send this Masamune and his students to Hakata at once."
Shigetsune sighed, knowing the frustration losing so much talent for his nation would be. Still, if sending a few dozen swordsmiths pleased the invader, a few dozen swordsmiths must be sent.
"Very well. That swordsmith and his students shall go, along with our nation's plunder and so many of our districts and province. Yet you shall give us that most precious gift of peace and the preservation of our way of life, unhindered by those from the continent."
Taira nodded, content a deal was reached, and took out a great seal belonging to the court.
"Wonderful. Now let us take that next step toward peace and draft the document so we might affix our seals to it."
---
Kamakura, Sagami Province, July 29, 1305
Nagasaki Enki awoke in the morning to the sound of solemn music blaring in the streets as if a festival gone wrong. He trodded over to his window and brushing aside the screen saw a procession of carriages traveling the streets. Weeping women and children walked aside them as a few Houjou clan vassals escorted them. Solemn music played on the
biwa and other instruments emitted from the carriages, evidently played by musicians inside.
Just what sort of madness is going on?
"Tomosada! Get in here and explain what the hell is happening!" Enki shouted, calling in a loyal servant. Sure enough, the guard ran in and bowed before him.
"My apologies for the noise they cause you, Lord Nagasaki, but these are the many artisans and craftsmen of the city who are now bound for the occupied capital. The truce signed with the enemy was harsh indeed."
"Tr-truce? What truce?" Enki demanded, having heard only rumours that the court was negotiating something like that.
There are hundreds of people down there. If we lose that many artisans, then...
"Several days ago, a senior minister named Takashina no Shigetsune signed peace on behalf of the Imperial Court. My kinsman Lord Sadakuni of the Rokuhara Tandai was present as well."
Enki clenched his fist, absolutely furious.
These fools dare sign such a damaging peace treaty behind my back? He knew at once that said treaty involved co-existance with that puppet state the invaders established.
What impudence! What betrayal! Damn them all!
"The court regent must take responsibility and resign at once," Enki said, uncharacteristically frustrated from both his rude awakening and the terrible news. "The maker of the treaty himself, that Takashina, he will be banished to the Izu Islands. For that matter, banish Sadakuni as well."
"L-Lord Houjou, please forgive Lord Sadakuni," Houjou said, bowing once more. "He is young, has proven himself in battle, and has surely been forced into this by those with him in the field. I am certain this treaty is but a plot by that man Saionji Sanekane, and Saionji has enough warriors outside our clan on his side that surely Lord Sadakuni and perhaps even all our vassals were forced into it just to give it legitimacy."
Enki took a deep breath, realising Houjou was correct about his kinsman Sadakuni.
Right now it would not do well to alienate a man who owes his entire position to me. And no doubt I can force him to make some choice donations if he wishes to avoid other punishments.
"Saionji Sanekane...damn you," Enki growled.
That man is untouchable and dares interfere in Shogunate affairs. He seeks only power for his family no matter how much he calls himself a Buddhist priest or loyalist of the Emperor and acts as nothing but a parasite on our clan's success.
"Speaking of Lord Saionji, earlier this morning his son, the eminent monk Kakuen of Koufuku-ji came by, requesting if you were available for a meeting."
"Kakuen? Oh, that fool came by, begging for alms once more. I already told him he will receive no more meetings, for his actions are nothing but attempts to aggrandize his father."
Those damned temples of Nara will never be welcome in Kamakura, let alone one the Saionji wish to use as a source of wealth and warriors.
Enki noticed Houjou giving him a strange glance.
"Tomosada, do not look at me like that," Enki growled. "Matters now are frustrating, but they will improve. See to it that the invader is informed the treaty was negotiated in error by a faction of rebel ministers."
"Very well, but the Shogun's seal was affixed to it as well. We can hardly renegotiate it now."
"The Shogun!?" Enki clenched his fist, knowing at once that sly boy Takaharu was behind it.
It was strange enough he gathered those so-called 'Attendants' around him who clearly were warriors. Saionji is using that man to move against me.
Suddenly the evidence assembled in Enki's mind.
Saionji would not risk such a damaging peace unless he profited from it. If our nation is at peace, he can use all manner of warriors in his schemes against us. The Shogun is one of them, as are all the warriors loyal to him, and judging by the frequency of his appearances, he commands much loyalty indeed.
"He is rather old for a Shogun, isn't he?" Houjou asked. "It's no different than in the past--the older the Shogun gets, the more trouble he causes our clan. We best dismiss him soon."
"Were it not for that incompetent Takeda losing battle after battle, I would have already sent the Shogun to join his predecessors at a monastery," Enki said. "But there is still more than enough time. Gather our vassals, for once this commotion in the streets dies down, we shall depose him. Increase surveillance on Saionji and the Shogun, and all new temples in the city."
"We're finally doing it?" Houjou wondered. "We're finally striking against them?"
"That is a crude manner of phrasing it," Enki replied. "We are merely asserting the Houjou clan's pre-eminence in the politics of the Shogunate and providing appropriate counsel to our leader. Further, it is time to apply such counsel to the Imperial Court as well."
"If I recall, the situation there is bleak," Houjou said. "All of the current Emperor's brothers are old and linked to those greedy temples, but if we enthrone the Daikaku-ji once more than most of those few anti-Saionji courtiers left will be furious. Worse, we'd be enthroning the Shogun's nephew and inviting his powerful grandfather to serve as Retired Sovereign."
Enki nodded, knowing exactly what Houjou spoke was true. Even so, he remained optimistic and calm as he appraised the situation further in his mind.
Saionji holds many advantages now. But he is a fool if a courtier like him seriously believes he can manipulate the Shogunate to his will. His family only rose because they rejected Kujou Michiie's foolish attempt to do so, and at that time few warriors believed they would gain anything. Nearly all those warriors who despise the Houjou have long since joined the invader, and even those men like Ashikaga and Takeda will still serve us out of their inherent conservatism, for serving the Houjou offers more than serving the court ever will.
And just like Kujou, once we show our true strength, they will have none but a few warrior monks and a half-hearted force of cowards left. Just as so many times, all who dare oppose the Houjou shall be destroyed.
---
By 1304, a succession of Mongol setbacks and strategic failures the previous year ensured the grand scheme of conquest fell apart. The Mongol supreme commander Nanghiyadai fell back on his second plan--crushing the main Shogunate army in the field and advancing toward their capital. The fate of the war would thus be decided in the center of the country in the provinces of Mino, Owari, and Ise. There, the two foremost generals of either side--Burilgitei and Takeda Tokitsuna--stared each other down preparing for the decisive battle of the Banpou Invasion.
Even before winter ended, Kim Heun's army moved first and attempted to outflank Takeda. Takeda split his army and sent Chuujou Kagenaga and his kinsmen Tsubarai Nobutsugu (円井信継) with 8,000 warriors (including many
akutou under Kusunoki Masato) to defeat Kim. The armies clashed at the village of Tatsuwa (立和) along the Kiso River in Owari Province on March 14, 1304, and despite Kim holding the numerical advantage, Tsubarai's cavalry charge broke his flank and cut off the expected path of retreat. A panic arose as Kim was wounded, and the Shogunate forces pressed on to victory and forced the Goryeo army.
Nanghiyadai sent Dorotai with 12,000 men to crush Tsubarai's army, and ordered Burilgitei with 20,000 men to cut off all paths of retreat for Takeda. Yet the rivers swollen by snowmelt proved imposing obstacles, particularly as there were few boats to be found thanks to Takeda burning or capturing all boats. The pace of the Mongol advance slowed as conscripted peasants to build new rafts and boats to cross the wide rivers of Mino and Owari. Tsubarai managed to escape Dorotai's army, but Burilgitei immediately shifted course and blocked his path. They clashed at the village of Hagiwara, where Burilgitei's sudden attack forced Tsubarai to immediately retreat south with over 3,000 losses in his force and cease his plan of outflanking the Mongols.
Although this strategy may have worked, Tsubarai gained reinforcements. In Kii Province, an uprising of anti-Mongol
do-ikki in April 1304 prompted the Iyo Tandai to send 3,000 warriors under his deputy Houjou Tokihide as well as Ashikaga Sadauji to aid them. Ashikaga learned that Tsubarai's army was in danger and came to the aid of the peasant rebels. This force united with Tsubarai's army and now numbered 10,000 men--Ashikaga and Tsubarai thus liberated western Owari Province and drove the Goryeo remnants into Ise.
His campaign may have stopped there, but events in the Hokuriku and especially Mutsu in 1303 and 1304 ensured he received additional aid. In mid-1304, the
chinjufu-shogun Houjou Koresada sent 5,000 warriors from Mutsu under Yuuki Munehiro and Shiba Muneuji south to Ise Bay. Uniting with the remnants of the Kutsuna and Murakami
suigun as well as Suzuki Shigezane's Kumano-
suigun, they waited until the Sashi fleet was laden with plunder and leaving the bay where they struck at Ozukumi Island on July 22, 1304. Unfavourable winds dashed many Sashi ships against the rocks and left them easy prey for the trained warriors of Mutsu. The unconventional boarding used by loyal veteran Mutsu Ainu forces in their
ibune in particular proved shocking to the fleet of mostly Kyushu Japanese. Subsequently this large force invaded and retook much of Shima Province.
These events forced Nanghiyadai to shift course, sending even more men south to deal with the renewed Japanese offensive. Additionally, he faced complaints from Chonghur to dispatch reinforcements so he might continue his own troubled advance. Nanghiyadai ignored all of these demands, wishing to totally defeat Takeda Tokitsuna.
Burilgitei's army of 23,000 finally caught up to Takeda at Inabayama in Mino Province on July 31, 1304. Although Takeda did not wish to do battle, the influential Nikaidou clan of Shogunal bureaucrats demanded he make his stand at Inabayama Castle (稲葉山城), a powerful fortress controlled by their scion Nikaidou Tokifuji (二階堂時藤). As many Nikaidou men and peasants fought in his army, battle was inevitable. At a narrow pass, Takeda deployed his army of around 15,000 men to take maximum advantage of the constricted terrain.
But Burilgitei would not make a frontal attack. He sent his Japanese subordinates such as Adachi Tomasa, Ijuuin Hisachika, and Sugimoto Tokiaki over various trails to launch feints at Takeda and impede any attempt at retreat. While Takeda countered this adequately, Burilgitei used the opportunity to deploy a quick feint against these troops. Aleksandr Zakharievich's
kheshig struck the warrior monks of Fukuzawa Zennen (深沢禅円), who thus far had expertly held the lines. Zennen and hundreds of monks died--so successful was the
kheshig that Takeda believed a great number of enemy troops had accompanied them.
The centerpiece of his defense eliminated convinced Takeda to withdraw his forces from the mountain and mount a decisive thrust on the enemy at the river bank. He covered the mountain with hundreds of Nikaidou clan warriors as well as a few dozen archers and arrow traps. Takeda ordered a charge, but Burilgitei turned this into a feigned retreat for several minutes, exhausting the Japanese as they cut their way through.
This brought immediate disaster once the Mongols saw through Takeda's tricks. Sources vary on how--the Japanese claim a Nikaidou clan warrior who preferred defending a castle over fighting on a hillside surrendered and explained the plan to Qutluq Temur, but the Mongols claim Li Dayong, Qutluq Temur's deputy, discovered the Japanese tricks and rushed through the forest to seize the castle with bombs and a cannon he ordered hauled up the mountain. It is said Li Dayong's cannon cracked after a single shot from the rough trip up the hillside, but that single shot killed Nikaidou Tokifuji and a dozen men--Inabayama Castle did not last long after that.
Inabayama fell far faster than Takeda expected. Tokitsuna recognised the forced retreat, but only too late. He tried retreating, but was caught in a trap between Qutluq Temur's force and the main Mongol army. His warriors forced their way out of the trap through several great sacrifices of men, including Nasu Suketada who remained shooting his bow alongside a mixed group of samurai and archers until he was finally struck down. Takeda himself lost his horse, while his strategist Komai Nobumura and several other generals were wounded defending him. Around 6,000 Japanese warriors perished, replaced by poorly trained peasant levies and boys from Eastern Japan.
The defeat at Inabayama marked a setback to Shogunate efforts to defend Mino Province
This was among the most catastrophic defeats Takeda Tokitsuna would ever suffer, and one in which he had little to show for it. Mongol casualties were only around half his own, even if they wasted much gunpowder trying to breach the castle and Shogunate lines. One historic source suggesgts that his rivals among the Houjou laughed in glee upon receiving word of his defeat, for he was now just like their kinsmen. Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa died in shock when word of the disaster reached him.
All Takeda could do was maintain his scorched earth retreat, for all Mino was now open to Mongol raids. The Mongols advanced far into the province, checked only by periodic Japanese counterattacks. Among the destruction was the Toki clan's manor itself, where Mongol raiders leveled their prized fortified mansion of Hitoichiba and carried off hundreds of peasants and artisans employed there as slaves. But it is reputed that all were freed by a group of
akutou led by Tajimi Kuninaga, whose hundred warriors ambushed and distracted a far greater Mongol force as the captured peasants escaped. Tajimi could not be recognised for this deed, however, due to the Houjou clan seeking his head for leading the 1303 attack on Houjou Munenori, former military governor of Mino, although it is likely that Toki Yorisada covertly aided--and rewarded--his
akutou group.
This constant campaigning and scorched earth campaigns wore down the Mongol advance. Checked in the south by Yuuki and Ashikaga and facing supply line issues from peasant rebels and pirates in Kii, Nanghiyadai and Burilgitei could not sustain their offensive against Mino and Owari. After looting hundreds of temples, burning hundreds of villages, confiscating a great deal of supplies, and carrying off thousands as slaves, the Mongols retreated to a defensive line behind the Nagara River.
In late 1304, events in China ensured the conflict wound down. The minister Fan Wenhu, who had risen to Grand Chancellor of the Left in the Central Secretariat in the years after he returned from ruling Japan's occupation government, suffered bouts of ill health. The elderly minister, most prominent among Temur Khan's expansionists, retired late that year and died soon after. He was replaced as Grand Chancellor of the Left by the minister Aqutai (阿忽台), a political ally of Temur's empress Bulugan.
Further, Temur Khan himself, stricking by depression and illness, increasingly lost control of his government to his empress Bulugan and his powerful Chancellor of the Left Aqutai. Because both believed Temur would not live long with his illness, they conspired to establish the perfect conditions for an impending regency for his young son Daishu (德寿).
The war with Japan proved inconvenient for their goals. It was costly and required much in the way of shipping. In April 1305, word reached Cheligh-Temur and Nanghiyadai that they were to send home 25,000 ethnic Chinese and Mongol warriors and would receive deep cuts in received supplies from China. In essence, Bulugan and Aqutai demanded the Kingdom of Japan sustain its own war.
The Mongols launched one final offensive before complying with these orders, for Nanghiyadai sent Dorotai, Naimantai, and Shi Bi and thousands of Japanese allies under Adachi Tomasa and Shouni Tsunekiyo (少弐経清) (younger brother of Sadatsune and the deceased Sukenobu) to link with the remnants of Kim Heun's army and reconquer Ise and Shima. With a combined 20,000 men, this army far outnumbered the motley force of 12,000 led by Yuuki and Ashikaga. Ashikaga attempted to ambush them at the coastal town of Hazu (羽津) in Ise Province on May 22, 1305.
His successful attack, combined with a force of 2,000 pirates under Suzuki Shigezane striking in the rear, managed to break Dorotai's lines and rout his wing of the army (nearly killing Adachi in the process), but the victorious Japanese immediately ran into an ambush arranged by Kim Heun and Naimantai. The Goryeo warriors blocked their escape route and completely destroyed the pirates and nearly encircled and wiped out the Shogunate Army. Around 7,000 died, including high-ranking Ashikaga vassal Kira Sadayoshi (吉良貞義) as well as Suzuki, but they themselves killed around 6,000 Mongols.
The remnants of the army escaped south, conducting a scorched earth campaign and periodically skirmishing with the Mongols. They were relieved only by Takeda Tokitsuna, who advanced west upon hearing of the Mongol force in Ise. He struck at their flanks and raided their supply lines, but avoided direct confrontation due to being severely outnumbered. Nonetheless, this kept the Mongol force cautious and wary and prevented much of southern Ise and eastern Shima Province from being reconquered.
Leaving Dorotai and his brother Naimantai to finish off Ashikaga's army, Burilgitei rushed north and combined with forces with Nanghiyadai. Yet he would never get a chance to fight another battle against Takeda. Continued complaints from the central government forced Nanghiyadai to at last comply with the demands, returning 25,000 warriors to China after seven long years of warfare.
The Battle of Hazu, a decisive but costly Mongol victory, was the final major battle of the war
Final battles in the north
The 1304 defeat at Asahiyama in Dewa Province marked the high water mark of the Mongol invasion of Mutsu. Although the Japanese strategy of linking their forces in the north failed with the defeat at Tsubata in Echigo later that year, these battles held enough significance in weakening the local Mongol forces and delaying their continued advance. Nanghiyadai rejected requests for additional warriors, even ordering Chonghur to dispatch additional forces to him instead. Chonghur and Taxiala were thus ordered to consolidate ground.
In Mutsu, Taxiala retreated from Dewa, burning and looting as he went. This only aroused the fury of the surviving warriors in occupied lands and resulted in staunch resistance to Mongol foraging parties. He reoriented his goal toward sacking the large port of Tosa, defended by the walls of Fujisaki Castle where the treacherous Soga Yasumitsu had withdrawn toward.
Tosa itself had lost much of its prosperity from the war. Hong Jung-hui's fleet and most importantly, the coastal settlements he maintained, stopped practically all smuggling between the mainland and Tosa. Much of its commercial shipping had been lost from Hong's actions, who made sure the Shogunate could not use the grain and horses raised on the Tsugaru Plain to reinforce their forces. Many of Tosa's male residents had been forced into the Andou-
suigun and perished in the war. Even so, Taxiala and the Mongol force still desired to capture the city and destroy their most bitter enemy--those in the Andou clan who served the Shogunate.
Spring 1305 saw the Mongols regain Etchuu Province, defeating Houjou Sadaaki once more, yet Houjou managed to keep his army intact and retreat to Echizen. At sea, Matsuura Sadamu destroyed much of a large reinforcement fleet of thirty warships and fifty cargo ships at the cost of sacrificing many of his surviving ships as fireships. Among the heroes of this battle was Matsuura's subordinate Nawa Nagatoshi (名和長年), son of Yukitaka who had been captured by the Mongols in 1293 following the fall of his home province Houki but had been convinced to leave his post as minor darughachi of a fishing village by Matsuura. Nawa's warriors rode a flaming ship that boarded the flagship of Yuan admiral Chu Ding (楚鼎), where they killed most of his crew and threw the admiral overboard before extinguishing the flames and seizing the ship for Japan. The admiral of the defeated fleet barely survived, floating at sea for nearly three days before being rescued whereupon he was sent to a remote post for his failure.
Constrained by lack of resupply, Chonghur still attempted to seize control of the Hokuriku, holding out some hope his efforts might convince Nanghiyadai--and the Imperial Court--of impending Yuan success. He clashed with the Shogunate army at Takada in western Echigo on May 20, 1305, intending to crush their outnumbered army with his 14,000 men. His attack was fierce and broke Japanese lines, but he was knocked from his horse by a stray arrow. Rumours spread in his army that Chonghur died and combined with a sudden thrust from Shogunate forces, the enemy attacked faded. The Shogunate army retreated in an orderly fashion in a battle that proved inconclusive to either side.
Meanwhile, the Shogunate performed little better in Mutsu. On July 2, they attempted to relieve the siege of Fujisaki, but at the advice of Ashina Morimune, the Mongols divided their force and met the 10,000 warriors of the Shogunate with only 6,000 men, keeping Soga besieged within Fujisaki. Ashina himself divided his men into two groups (the second being under Kira Tsuneuji) and on June 12 attacked the Japanese from both sides at night, using an excess of torches to make his numbers seem larger.
It was immensely successful--the storm of fire arrows routed the Japanese and let Ashina's men kill around 4,000 of them at little cost to their own men in what would be the last major Mongol victory of the Banpou Invasion. But the Japanese army did not disintegrate. Instead, the
chinjufu-shogun ordered continual raids on the Mongol force, preventing their resupply and sending a visible signal to Soga and Andou that their army still remained in the field. Because of this, Fujisaki Castle did not fall no matter how fierce the Mongol advance was. Among these successful raids were those led by Takeda Nobumune, who in years to come was to take credit for preserving Fujisaki Castle.
The Battle of Fujisaki was the final battle of the Banpou Invasion--like many others, it was a Mongol victory
News of the ceasefire reached the Mongol force in early August 1305--the deeply frustrated Taxiala returned to Ezo along with pro-Mongol garrisons in the north of that province, frustrated at yet another failure to conquer Mutsu. This ended the battles in the north as the Mongol force pillaged those areas of Mutsu they occupied in their withdrawal to Ezo. Thousands more peasants were abducted and displaced in the process and Mutsu was to suffer severe famine.
Tensei Truce
The ceasefire ending the Banpou Invasion was far more concrete than previous conflicts due to changing political circumstance in Japan. In March 1305, Nagasaki Enki refused to donate Houjou clan land to Houkou-ji (法興寺), a branch temple of Koufuku-ji founded by Saionji Sanekane's son Kakuen (覚円) in 1302 as a temporary temple for his family and the Fujiwara clan as a whole [5]. The reason appears to be related to both the Shogunate's finances and desire to avoid a powerful temple such as Koufuku-ji rebuilding its power--and warrior monk armies--as a challenger to the Shogunate.
In response, Saionji donated the land himself and began organising Houkou-ji's warrior monks, beginning a conspiracy against Nagasaki. He helped Shogun Takaharu organise a new unit of twelve warriors loyal only to him as Shogun, the Shogunal Attendants (御供衆), in order to spread his influence into the Shogunate. Further, Saionji enlisted the aid of retired Emperor Go-Uda and used his influence in both court and shogunate to levy great rewards for the Takeda clan, hoping to gain the last piece of what was a planned coup against the Nagasaki clan.
What Saionji Sanekane planned to do remains unknown. Likely he sought to raise a faction against Nagasaki within both Houjou clan and Shogunate, kill Nagasaki Enki, and scatter his clan to the winds. In preparation he ensured Adachi Tokiaki received the court title Governor of Mutsu, an honorary post his great-uncle Adachi Yasumori once held [6], whilst on the Shogunate side of the affair recruiting the high-ranking bureaucrats of the Nagao clan and crucially the Shogun himself to his plot. In this situation, Saionji likely would have issued an imperial decree to hunt down and kill Nagasaki Enki for corruption, mismanagement of imperial lands, and murder.
Yet Saionji remained wary of the potential for civil war should the plot go poorly. It was, after all, the largest court interference in Shogunate affairs since imperial regent Kujou Michiie's own plot in tandem with the Miura clan in 1247. Saionji thus sent an envoy to Sunomata, the increasingly fortified Mongol encampment where tens of thousands of Mongols sat encamped. There the Kamakura Shogunate negotiated a ceasefire with the Mongols--and the Kingdom of Japan.
Such an event marked a landmark in the Mongol Invasions, for neither imperial court nor Shogunate had ever made official ceasefires or treaties with the Mongols. In the past, they were only conducted on an adhoc basis in disputed areas due to the ardent assertion they had never lost territory and fought only rebels. Yet now the most powerful politician in Japan wished to sign a ceasefire, a shocking event for all parties involved.
The template and precedent for this event was the Chanyuan Treaty between the Song and Liao Dynasties in China exactly 300 years prior, the first time in Chinese history two emperors ever recognised the other. Termed the Tensei Treaty, proved surprisingly lenient, for at no point did it require the Japanese to officially renounce any territorial claims, nor recognise the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Japan or pledge allegiance to the Yuan Emperor. Saionji Sanekane agreed to its terms on July 19, 1305, ending the Banpou Invasion after seven years of war.
Ijuuin Hisachika and the minister Taira no Nakachika (平仲親) negotiated the terms for the Kingdom of Japan, and by extension the Yuan, although Nanghiyadai influenced the negotiations. Their counterpart was the elderly Saionji clan ally and minister Takashina no Shigetsune (高階重経) for Japan itself alongside the senior Rokuhara Tandai leader Houjou Sadakuni. In exchange for evacuating Mino, Mutsu, and Owari, the Shogunate transferred several partially occupied districts to Mongol rule in Ise, Echigo, and Shima. Ise Province was divided in two, with the interior mountainous districts to be controlled by the Kingdom of Japan as well as the port of Anotsu (安濃津) [7], its corresponding district, and all other districts of Ise south of it to the border of Shima Province, thus transferring the sacred Ise Grand Shrine to Hakata's control.
The Shogunate paid an exhorbitant fee for these relatively generous terms--2,000 taels of gold, 10,000 taels of silver, 20,000 horses, 20,000 bolts of silk, and 50,000 koku of rice [8]. All prisoners held by the Shogunate such as Gao Xing were to be released at once with no ransom paid. Additionally, they demanded 5,000 households and 100 Buddhist monks from each of Mino, Owari, Echigo, Mutsu, Shima, and Ise to be transferred to repopulate the devastated regions of Japan and pray for peace.
Further, the Kingdom of Japan demanded 1,000 craftsmen specialising in everything from shipbuilding to making ornaments for ceremonies be shipped to them. Several famous craftsmen were specified by name, including the swordsmith Masamune (正宗) whose blades were wielded by many Shogunate generals--Masamune had fled from Izumo Province to Sagami Province over a decade before in the Shou'ou Invasion.
No matter the costs, the Tensei Truce accomplished its goal of ending the most devastating conflict in Japanese history. No disaster beside perhaps the great Tenpyou Epidemic in the mid-8th century killed as many Japanese [9]. While casualties remain unknown, it is believed that around 15-20% of the Japanese population perished in the war, with losses in wartorn regions such as Western Japan, Mino and the western Tokaidou, the Hokuriku, and the north of Japan suffering a 25-35% drop in population. Heavy use of conscripts by both sides depleted the male population in many areas. Out of around 6 million Japanese (the number already depleted by the previous two invasions), at least 1 million died in battle, in massacres, or from the starvation and epidemics during the invasion caused by expropriation of food and soldiers.
The harsh costs of this treaty were immediately felt, for soon the households and craftsmen were relocated. These deportations, carried out by Houjou clan warriors, met with fierce resistance from the clans involved as well as
do-ikki peasant rebels who protested the deportations. Saionji Sanekane ensured blame fell on the Houjou and their vassals, accusing them of agreeing to the seemingly harsh terms of peace. As for Takashina himself, the elderly minister had accepted the burden of his mission to avoid the blame falling on younger, more promising men--he committed suicide shortly after, joined shortly after by his wife.
Conflict broke out across remaining provinces under the Shogunate's control. In border provinces, bands of
do-ikki refused deportation and aided villages that faced it. The populace in Kamakura rioted against high food prices, while warrior monks rebelled over treatment of guild members that served their temples. In every case, blame fell on the Houjou clan.
Nagasaki Enki never agreed to the armistice, yet was astounded when informed the Shogunate agreed to it. This was due to Shogun Takaharu secreting out his seal to Saionji, a grave betrayal of Nagasaki--and the Houjou clan. On August 1, Saionji sent demands to Nagasaki Enki to resign his post so leaders within the Houjou clan might appoint a new majordomo, one who would agree to far reduced powers for his post.
Although at this point Saionji's enmity lay solely with Nagasaki, prominent leaders within the Houjou clan interpreted this as an attempt to usurp their authority by using the Shogun and a few secretly disloyal lords. The two sides hurtled down the path toward exactly the scenario Saionji feared--a civil war. Yet not in Saionji's wildest dreams could he imagine the extents at which the conflict would reshape Japan.
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Author's notes
This is it! This is the end of the arc regarding the Banpou Invasion which has taken up about 2/3 of this TL (20 chapters worth!). As you may have predicted, it ends in a mutual stalemate. Temur Khan is manipulated into ending the conflict on terms highly favourable to the Mongols. The size of Japan and its topography is indeed a most formidable challenge to the Mongols, particularly since both OTL and TTL they still have to deal with a lot of economic issues in funding their numerous conflicts.
The next entry or two will be tying up loose ends regarding the conflict between the Saionji family and the Houjou. After that I will cover the aftermath of the conflict in both the Kingdom of Japan (i.e. how they deal with incorporating all that land as well as the Miura-Shouni rivalry), the Yuan (the remaining years of Temur Khan's rule), as well as a few updates regarding the world as a whole since there are resolutions to conflicts such as the war between Kaidu and the Yuan, Burma, etc. which I haven't shown. I will also progressively update this TL with maps as well when I have time.
As ever, thank you for reading this.
[1] - Today the castle is known as Gifu Castle and is among the few castles still standing in Japan
[2] - Aleksandr Zakharievich's OTL son, Dmitry Aleksandrovich Zerno. Little is known about him other than his parentage and his service to Ivan I Kalita of Moscow. His age is unknown but he probably is not butterflied TTL and I'd assume his father might have requested he come to Japan with him.
[3] - Since the Heian era, land surveys in Japan were done on an adhoc basis primarily by the people who actually managed the estate rather than the courtiers who owned them, hence the central government rarely had accurate records. This was due to the risk of opening boundary disputes with adjoining manors (or public lands) or having tribute demands increased, hence why those attempting inspection were often expelled by force. Indeed, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's land survey was revolutionary simply because he could conduct one on a national scale.
[4] - Masamune rarely signed his swords, but let's say for the sake of the story that this was one of those rare examples
[5] - Fictional temple from TTL--the Hossou sect was always small and didn't seem to have much of a presence in medieval Kamakura. But as Koufuku-ji was the Fujiwara clan's chief temple and Saionji Sanekane (as a Fujiwara) seems to have had some affiliation with it as, I feel he'd try and maintain its power by helping them found a branch temple
[6] - Due to Mutsu Province's size and wealth, it was a highly prestigious post, and like all governorships by this point in time had no relation to actually governing the province in question
[7] - Anotsu today is simply called Tsu and is the capital of Mie Prefecture
[8] - A little over 7,000 tons. Note the koku TTL is about 5.5% smaller than OTL because it uses the
renmasu (鎌枡) as its base for measurement (see Chapter X).
[9] - The Tenpyou Epidemic was a smallpox epidemic that struck Japan from 735-737. It was possibly a virgin soil epidemic in some or all of Japan and killed about 25-35% of the population.