A Time Traveller's Guide To Feudal Japan

"You already know what to do, don’t you Isabella?"

Gengyo asked the woman as they sat in his office together.

"I do. Find a suitable ship to target, and then deliver that information to Morohira."

She spoke, cradling a cooling cup of tea within her finger, not meeting his gaze.

"It will get harder, in time, to find a suitable target. The risks you’ll have to take will increase. Are you prepared for that?"

He spoke, seeking a reaction. No doubt there were very few vessels that would visit the port as often as the Suruga iron trading vessel. If the vessel did not visit regularly, each day, then instead of merely observing, one would need to actively try and find information on it’s visiting times from other people, and that could prove rather risky.

"I have thought about it, yes. Morohira has taught me some things with the dagger – I will be safer than I was."

Her eyes drifted upwards, wondering whether he would judge such a thing to be sufficient.

"As long as you take the necessary precautions, it should be fine."

He decided, finishing the last of his tea with a gulp, before setting the cup back down upon the table, and studying her a little.

"How did you get on with others?"

Came his question. He was genuinely curious.

"They were polite to me."

Was her short response.

"Well, that’s good enough. After I am gone, you are free to continue using the home as you wish. Jikouji and Morohira will take care of it should you have any problems. And, your payments will always be taken as a percentage of what we sell the final loot for, so you can expect your gold in a couple of days, when Jikouji returns."

He expected she already knew that last part, but it did not hurt to confirm it for her anyway. Jikouji had been gone a few days already, and the final preparations for his journey into South Shinano were nearing their completion.

The men had come back from the cove to spend a few days in the village, relaxing, as they waited on new information from Isabella. The Morojos were doing the final repairs on the ship, and adding more permanent living arrangements to the cove, so they had their hands full for a while.

"I understand. Will that be all?"

She said, moving to get up, as she walked towards the door.

"Yes. I will let you know when I am leaving."

He nodded in response to her question, and she left the room. He was slightly put off by her timidness, but decided not to pursue it with a question, and simply left it down to the fact that she was struggling to adapt.

’As long as she’s able to do her job, it does not matter.’

He thought to himself, as he strummed his fingers on top of the hard wood of the table. They had decided not to let the villagers know that he would be leaving for a couple of weeks, for fear of the unrest that it might cause. He only hoped that the trip would prove to be meaningful, as they were setting so much aside for it.

’But that’s down to me is it not?’

He corrected his line of thought. As long as something was within his control, he could approach it with confidence.

The other men would face new levels of danger once he left. The city guard was one of them, and he wondered quite how they would respond to the new threat of the black-sailed ship. They had already confirmed the bounty on their heads with great amus.e.m.e.nt, but were not well informed as to the counter measures the commander of the guard had employed to deal with them.

No doubt – should the piracy spree continue – the anger of the guards would only grow, and they would have to take drastic measures in order to ensure the safety of the port for all the traders that would be threatening to take their business elsewhere.

...

...

"So these are the new men, are they Koroman?"

The commander of the city guard asked, as he stood before 200 men within the courtyard of the city’s governing mansion.

"They are, my lord."

’Though if you’d simply look forward, you’d have been able to confirm that.’

Koroman thought to himself, somewhat bitterly. He had managed to recruit this amount in a matter of days, yet there was not a word of praise sent his way. Not that he expected praise from the commander of the city guard. He wished for his true employers – that of the Daimyo’s governing body – to notice him, so that he might be recalled from this miserable port town, and posted elsewhere.

But until then, he was stuck.

The commander of the guard cleared his throat, in preparation for another one of his less-than-inspiring welcome speeches.

"Welcome, honourable men! Rejoice, for you have passed one of the most rigorous selection processes in the entirety of Japan! You have been granted the opportunity to fight in an elite force – that opportunity is for you alone. I hope that you grasp it with both hands, and put your hearts and souls into your training."

They each wore stoic expressions that threatened to creep into smiles as he lathered them in praise. In reality, all that he had said was at least half a lie.

The selection process had simply been beating one of their poorest fighters in the duel. It allowed them a false sense of confidence so that they could assert themselves more aggressively about town.

And the commander knew this. He was not a stupid man – even if his mannerisms were not entirely intune with his surroundings – and he knew how to create an effective fighting force with minimal effort. The only thing that one required was for his troops to have confidence, and belief within themselves, so that they would charge head first into danger without worry for their own lives.

This false arrogance would be cultivated within them, and continually reinforced, to the point where they themselves would truly begin to believe it. When they threw their weight about town, they would discover that the people cowered for fear of doing them wrong. They would discover that they had power.

But when they collided with a true fighting force – one that they could not be overwhelmed simply by numbers, one that was solid in its training – then they would crumble, and be revealed to be what they were: a mismatch of mislead men who held their own abilities in too high a regard.

"Don this armour, men, and arise anew! You are no longer simple soldiers or serfs – you are guardsmen of Toyokawa! People will tremble when they hear your coming. In this armour, sits hundreds of years of history, and power."

He quietened, and knitted his eyebrows together, as though distracted, and then he glanced to his left, seeming to be searching for something. The men’s eyes followed too.

He leaned close, and spoke in a whisper.

"Forgive me... But I could not allow anyone to overhear this next part... Within this armour, is thousands of years of history – it’s made from the very material that our ancestors wore all those years ago!"

Looks of surprise flickered on their faces. An armour that old? And they were given the honour of wearing it? It did not even look too shabby – the armoursmiths had done a grand job refashioning it!

"And... That is not all... The men who wore this armour were men of a harsher time. They had to deal with threats that our generation simply can not comprehend. As such, they were far stronger than we are. But... When one puts on this armour, something strange happens."

He contorted his face, and looked left and right, as though truly worried someone would overhear.

"The spirit of our ancestors influences our blade. It’s true! Don this armour, and you will find that your mind is clearer, and you are able to react more swiftly to your opponents attacks. That is the secret behind the city guard’s success! That is why peace has reigned in Toyokawa for hundreds of years! And now that power is yours. But men, I bid you, please keep this a secret, or else I fear the power will lose it’s effect."

They were truly enraptured by his speech. An armour that could boost fighting ability? What man - what warrior - would not wish to wear such an armour? Now, in their eyes, was an even more profound eagerness. This was no longer simply a job – it was a way forward. With that power, they would be able to accomplish many great things.

Koroman watched on with disgust – though he did not let that emotion filter through. He had seen many such welcoming ceremonies where the exact same thing was said, and throughout all that time, the men believed it.

It was truly a clever ploy, for you could not prove it wrong. By simple placebo effect, they believed that their fighting ability was a bit stronger – even by just a fraction. No doubt they also claimed to have their mind feel clearer.

Even if the effect was minimal, it was still more than an ordinary man had, and it would grant them the confidence required to confront things going forward.

Servants passed through the ranks of new guardsmen, and placed these sets of armour within their arms, as the guard’s commander continued his speech.

"I hope you can wear that armour of our order with honour, and be able to confront what lies in front of us with bravery."

They were already dressing in the equipment before he could even finish, but he showed no signs of reacting to it, and merely continued.

"As you know, there has been a new, rather high-profile piracy case on these beautiful waters of ours. I’m sure you’ve heard of what I speak? The black-flagged vessel, indeed. Through deception and all manner of dishonourable tactics, it even managed to sink one of our own sh.i.p.s."

’Deception? Of course! There’s no way they could have won in hand to hand combat – not with this armour.’

Came their general thoughts. They had been wondering this – if the city guard was so powerful, how had they fallen to such a pathetic vessel as that black-flagged one? But the answer had come. Their armour and skills were useless should their ship be sunk from under them.

"You men will be in charge of bringing that ship down. I know you are more than capable. You will not make the same mistake our brothers did, and will not fall for their petty tricks. As long as you are able to get close enough to fight them, then victory is yours!"

The men nodded confidently. It would not prove a challenge, not in the least. They simply needed to be careful, and avoid falling for traps, and then it would be the easiest mission they could ever be endowed with, and then peace would once more fall upon Toyokawa, and they would be able to retain their position as men of the city guard, and enjoy all the benefits that came with it.

"We will have 100 men posted at all times, ready to deal with the vessel should it come! The villagers and traders will be able to sleep safely knowing that you are watching out for them."

He announced their task. He himself had stated that 200 men would be needed to tackle the threat of the black ship – and they would have that number. But they needed yet more men.

"Thank you."

And so he bowed lightly towards his new subjects – unbefitting of a man of his standing – and twitched his moustache towards Koroman, the intent behind which was only known by another man.

’Yes, you will have your men, little lord commander. It will be done.’