A Pawn’s Passage

Spirit Guard Jia Chen led the Black Robes Heavy Cavalry out from Mount Suzuka, cutting off the retreat of the Sonno-joi faction. The two sides clashed fiercely at the borders of Anno District, Suzuka District, and Mie District. In the end, the Sonno-joi faction was defeated, failing to reach Kobe Castle. Instead, they retreated into Kameyama Castle, situated within Suzuka District and bordering Anno District.

Since their retreat was already cut off, being overtaken by Spirit Guard Jia Shen's forces was only a matter of time.

However, there was also good news for the Sonno-joi faction. Some of their reinforcements had taken an alternative route, bypassing the interception of Spirit Guard Ding Wei. They landed at Tsu Castle in Anno District by sea, then pushed hard toward Kameyama Castle, intending to break its siege.

As a result, these reinforcements collided head-on with Spirit Guard Jia Shen's troops, who had entered Anno District, triggering another battle.

Since they had come by sea, the reinforcements were lightly equipped. Whether or not they had heavy artillery, the conditions of the journey made it impossible to bring much. Upon encountering Spirit Guard Jia Shen's army, they were immediately routed under the devastating bombardment of the heavy artillery formation.

With the retreat to Tsu Castle cut off by Spirit Guard Jia Shen's forces and the line between Kawawa District and Anno District severed by Spirit Guard Jia Chen's forces, the Sonno-joi reinforcements had no choice but to flee toward Kameyama Castle.

Thus, the reinforcements that were meant to relieve the siege did indeed join forces with the trapped Sonno-joi army, but just like the defenders inside, they became caged birds, besieged within the city.

At this time, the atmosphere inside Kameyama Castle was unbearably grim. Nearly everyone was wounded.

Even their commander, Maeda Masao, was no exception. His entire right arm was gone, thanks to Spirit Guard Jia Chen. In truth, it had only taken a single clash for him to lose his arm, and he had narrowly escaped death.

This first-rank Spirit Guard of the Daoist Order truly lived up to their fearsome reputation.

Maeda Masao had not expected the Daoist Order's offensive to be so swift, nor their army to arrive so quickly. He had only just finished negotiating terms with the Westerners and was planning to proceed gradually, yet in the blink of an eye, the Daoist army had already struck, shattering all his ambitions like they were mere illusions.

Maeda Masao had no choice but to admit the truth. Before the Daoist Order, holding the title of general meant nothing.

The disparity on the battlefield was simply too great. With fewer than 50,000 troops, the Daoist Order had fought all the way from Musashi Province to Ise Province. The casualties alone on the Sonno-joi side nearly matched the entire number of the Daoist army.

Based on Sarutobi Shosai's report, Maeda Masao learned the fate of Hisai Castle. The entire fortress was reduced to ruins, 40,000 troops were annihilated, and the Ise-jingu's Shinkan-dan, ranging from jokai-rank shinkan to the most ordinary shinkan, was nearly wiped out. Princess Tamako had been captured, unsure whether she was alive or dead. Zen Master Sosen of Mount Hiei had been killed outright by a young Daoist Deputy Hall Master.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu—these two names caused Maeda Masao a pain far sharper than the loss of his right arm.

According to intelligence reports, they were a pair of prospective Daoist companions.

Qi Xuansu came from the Quanzhen Sect. Once an obscure nobody, he suddenly rose to fame after the Jinling Prefecture incident. After that, he was deeply involved in the struggles of the three sects. This earned him the favor and trust of the Quanzhen Sect's high-ranking figures, allowing him to soar through the ranks. Yet, unverified rumors whispered that he was actually the illegitimate child of a powerful figure within the Quanzhen Sect. Though that person held no official Daoist post, they commanded immense hidden influence. That person's backing was the reason Qi Xuansu was able to climb the ladder with such astonishing speed.

Zhang Yuelu had an even grander background. She hailed from the Zhang family of the Zhengyi Sect and was the grandniece of the Heavenly Preceptor. In terms of status, she ranked even above Princess Tamako. Their union was a political marriage, and they were equals in power.

The Daoist Order sent such uniquely positioned youths onto the battlefield for two reasons. First, to set an example at the front lines, thus inspiring morale. They did not believe in allowing the children of commoners to bleed while the children of the elite sat back in comfort. Second, this would allow them to accumulate military merit in a legitimate way. Of all merits, none ranked higher than battlefield accomplishments. Having military merit would ensure these two rose swiftly.

Maeda Masao asked, "Do you have portraits of these two?"

Sarutobi Shosai replied, "I've only crossed paths with Qi Xuansu. I wounded him, but for a Martial Arts Practitioner like him, it was of little consequence."

Maeda Masao barked, "Bring over the brush and paper!"

Soon, an attendant brought over writing materials.

Drawing was a compulsory skill for a ninja for portraits and maps.

Before long, Sarutobi Shosai handed Maeda Masao the completed portrait.

Maeda Masao's gaze froze. "This man—"

He had seen this man before. He was the Harima Onmyoji who called himself Docho!

Docho, when translated to the Central Plains language, was simply an honorific for Daoist priests.

The Iga ninja Maeda Masao had sent out had all died inexplicably. The Black Robes Heavy Cavalry had also appeared at Mount Suzuka out of the blue.

Now, everything made sense.

Maeda Masao regretted making this one fateful mistake of letting the man slip away.

He could not help but sigh.

At this point, pursuing blame was meaningless. Mount Suzuka had already become the Daoist forces' bridgehead, and they were trapped here. The urgent problem was no longer killing one or two Daoist leaders, but how to break out. The lesson of Hisai Castle made one truth clear—times have changed. Castles and cities were no longer impregnable. Ordinary cities could be blasted into ruins. Across all of Fenglin, only a handful, like Xiujing and Heian Capital, could possibly withstand such bombardment.

Kameyama Castle, where they currently stood, could hardly withstand such attacks.

But the problem was, they could not hold the castle. If they sallied forth for open battle, they were no match for the Black Robes Heavy Cavalry. They could not defeat them or shake them off. It was a dead end.

Sarutobi Shosai said, "The situation is obvious. The Daoists have encircled us in Kameyama Castle. Next, they will strike at our reinforcements. They deliberately left Tsu Castle unblocked for this very purpose, since it will force our reinforcements to come through that route. The Daoists will kill each force that comes through, cutting flesh with a blunt knife and bleeding us out slowly."

Maeda Masao turned to the map. "Tsu Castle is a port. Our reinforcements can come by sea through Tsu Castle into Ise Province. The Daoist Donghai Navy left the harbor unblocked, which is certainly intentional. But that is also where our hope lies. If a cavalry detachment strikes from the rear flank of Spirit Guard Jia Shen's forces and causes chaos, we can coordinate from within and form a pincer attack, at least in the short term until Spirit Guard Jia Chen's army comes from the north. Thus, we can turn their strategic location into our own point of breakthrough."

One of a ninja's core duties was reconnaissance and mapping terrain during wartime. Thus, Sarutobi Shosai was well-versed in military matters. He said, "The situation now requires an elite relief force to rush here. But those two first-rank Spirit Guards are seasoned commanders, deeply versed in strategy. If I were them, I would certainly set ambushes along the way, layer upon layer of defenses, all aimed at delaying reinforcements. As long as Spirit Guard Jia Shen's army can hold briefly until Spirit Guard Jia Chen's army arrives, the Black Robes Heavy Cavalry will easily raze us to the ground. It will be a total collapse."

Maeda Masao sighed. "We have no choice but to face it, unless we abandon Ise Province. But abandoning Ise Province means losing the people's trust. Now, all those neutral daimyos are watching the situation in Ise closely. If Ise holds and the Daoists suffer a crushing defeat, those daimyos will side with us and join the Sonno-joi faction. After all, there are only a few Daoists, and they are fighting far from home. The war could drag on. But if Ise falls, those daimyos will turn to the Daoists without hesitation, becoming their vanguard. That will truly be when the tide turns against us. So even knowing it's an open stratagem, we must force our way through."

Sarutobi Shosai fell silent for a moment, then mused, "No wonder they say war is but the continuation of politics. Appearances and influence still can't be neglected."

Maeda Masao said, "Do you think it's any different for the Daoists? The position of the seventh-generation Grand Master remains vacant. Pei Donghua, as the Chief Omniscient Sage of the Golden Tower Council, wields significant influence. If things continue this way, Pei Donghua stands a very strong chance of becoming the Grand Master. That's why this Fenglin campaign is key for Li Qingwei to surpass him. Hence, why the Daoist cannot afford defeat. They must win in an upright manner. Many of their younger generation are already shouting that they will defeat us in three months. If the victory drags on and grows messy, they will be harshly criticized."

Sarutobi Shosai nodded. "Since the Daoists demand speed, then we must do the opposite."

As the leader of the Sonno-joi faction, Maeda Masao's grasp of the situation far surpassed that of ordinary men. "Exactly. This is where our chance lies. As long as we hold Ise and repel the Daoists, we will win the hearts of our people. The entire Fenglin will become a quagmire that bogs the Daoists down at every step. We need not seek outright victory, only to drag things out for a year or so. By then, the Daoists themselves will turn on Li Qingwei, accusing him of exhausting resources on a faraway campaign yet fighting without results. At that point, not only will the seat of the seventh-generation Grand Master be beyond his reach, but even his position as Sage Commander may no longer be secure.

"If Li Qingwei steps down and another takes his place, that successor will lack his influence. They may fail to unify the Spirit Guard Office, Tiangang Hall, Chancellor Toyotomi's Office, and the Donghai Navy, let alone ensure that the Xiujing command camp and the Qizhou base remain united. It's even possible that Xiujing and Qizhou will diverge, obstructing each other. In such a case, even if the Daoists have tens of thousands of troops, they will still suffer defeat in the midst of victory. As for us, once we drag matters until the Daoists deem the cost of conquering Fenglin outweighs the benefit, they will withdraw of their own accord, and we shall achieve victory without battle. The temporary gains and losses in warfare are not what's most important. Political victory is the true measure of success."

Sarutobi Shosai was stunned for a while before sighing in admiration. "To hear these words from you surpasses ten years of study."

Maeda Masao said, "Whether we bleed out or bloom in adversity depends entirely on how we fight, so we must plan carefully."

Sarutobi Shosai nodded. "Yes, sir."