The Eagle and the Osprey | (Kouzai, Loolaalee) | [CLOSED]

Nobutada received the message from Orow.

The demons besieging the temples were not merely a raiding party.

There was at least three Daitengu at the head of the charge, and several red and blue Oni.

The demons were not merely raiding a country-side shrine...this was a full-fledged invasion force, and they were taking out one of the larger shrines...a holy place. A holy place that could be used to the advantage of the Empire's soldiers, but also provided artefacts that could exercise and destroy demons.

This was planned.

Nobutada frowned. He turned to General Timbly. It was with a heavy sigh that he began to talk to her in hushed whispers what he had been told.

"The demons planned this attack," he explained, "It was not merely a raiding party that had gotten whipped into a frenzy as I had feared...this is a full on invasion force."

Nobutada looked out at the sea; they travelled along the coastal roadway. Nippon had five major highways systems surrounding each of the major geographical centres of the region. For the main central region where they were currently travelling it was known as the Gokaido. The Five Great Routes.

They were currently on the Tokaido, the major roadway between the east and west of Nippon, going from Seian'kyo to Kamikimura Village, using the coastline.

It was the fastest route to the temple.

"I have good word that they are being led by at least three Daitengu...that means we have a fight ahead of us," explained Nobutada, "Have you ever seen battle before? Not to be rude, but I know the mainland can sometimes be...safer than Nippon."

Corrina nodded to the prince. "Yes, I have seen battle," she explained. "They didn't just hand me this promotion, after all. I may have been stationed at the mainland, but I did a period of service abroad as well." She looked out over the waves, watching as they lapped up against the shore.

This was going to be an interesting situation, though. She'd never fought against demons, and demons that are organized by leaders are even more dangerous. This was new territory for her. "Hard fight or not, it's up to us to defend the temple. You mentioned that it was a source of hope, that the sisters have strived to maintain the holiness there. If we can't protect hope, we might as well be rolling around in the dirt all day."

Corrina pulled her spear out of its sleeve on her saddle and rested it on her shoulder. She sat up a little straighter, a determined look on her face. "If we die, we die with honor, standing for the Empire."

She looked over her shoulder at the vast sea of troops behind her. Every one of those men and women was willing to die for their country. Many of them were seasoned soldiers who had been stationed on Nippon long enough to have fought against the demons before. They were not afraid. Neither was she. She was prepared to lead her army to victory.

"My liege," she said, turning towards Nobutada with a smile, "let us ride to glory."

Nobutada smiled broadly.

She understood.  

She understood exactly what this shrine meant, what Nobutada needed in a second...what he needed in a successor once he was recalled to the mainland to succeed his father.

Emperor Nobunaga had not made the slightest hint he was looking to retire, but it was customary for Crown Princes of Nobutada's age to begin to work in government with their father.

In the Empire of course, "working in government" meant taking on political roles, going on embassies and visits to foreign nationals.

The government was the family business.

Both of Nobutada's sisters served as Ministers of the Left and Right respectively and oversaw the various ministries and agencies of the Imperial Throne. For now, they served their father but eventually would serve Nobutada when he took the throne.

As Crown Prince, he would likely be a stand-in for his father at political events that required his attention, but he could not attend. An extension of his father's will--already an extension of thousands of years of ancestry and dynasty.

The Ezofuji family were one of the few monarchies that had sat the throne since the creation of the Four Nations, uninterrupted, and undeposed; not once replaced by a branch family.

It was a lot of pressure.

Nobutada spoke no more during the ride to the temple. He sat there, planning strategy upon strategy, examining the siege from many ankles.

The demons were laying siege to the temple, and Nobutada and General Timbly would need to lead their forces to lay siege to the demons.

Nobutada had the advantage in that he could surround the demons...but they would put up a fierce fight. There would be losses. Not to mention, the demons had several high ranking demons amongst them. Daitengu were not to be underestimated.

They flew above their soldiers, shouting orders to their wicked hordes. Larger than any man by two, with long, bird legs, black billowing wings, armour forged of the strongest steels, raked talons for fingernails, skin as red as blood, and long, protruding noses. They were weapon masters; as skilled and ruthless as they were cunning and vicious.

The Oni were just as concerning. Large hulking behemoths, three times as tall as any man, with bulging muscles, skin of red and blue, and one or two horns based on their colouration. They carried massive clubs and axes, clothed in the skins of animals, dragons and humans, patched together in an uneven mess. They were incredibly strong, but unlike Daitengu, they were not incredibly bright, and very slow. They acted more on instinct and rage than on any kind of plan or thought.

The minor demons were no concern.

Still...there would be losses undoubtedly. Nobutada could not stop that...but he had to find a way to mitigate and minimize it. Staunch the bleeding, reduce the size of the wound.

It was a half day's ride to the temple.

The army had marched up the winding narrow coast of Nippon. Along the narrow roads of the coastal Tokaido highway. One of the five Nakasendo highways that stretched across the land and fed commerce and travel.

The Tokaido was the coastal route, and one of the two most popular and used routes for movements from east to west. The Nakasendo was the other popular route, going inland across the mountains and forests. Three other routes spiderwebbed off the two main routes, leading to other remote areas of the land.

The army column paused a half a kilometre from the temple, and even from there they could see the smoke of the demon's campfires, and smell blood and hear the sound of battle.

Demons roared in a cacophonous harmony.

The demons seemed to be led in three columns, each headed by a massive Oni. At least two Daitengu remained at the rear of the columns, high above the battlefield, examining and giving orders and adjusting their strategies to breach the temple's defences.

The temple seemed guarded by a shimmering green veil. The priestesses were holding...for now, but the demons beat against the massive barrier, slowly but surely chipping away at it.

The army needed to act soon.

"General Timbly!" called Nobutada, "I've been thinking over a plan I'd like to run by you."

Nobutada began to explain, quickly, but carefully. "I was thinking we split our forces in two. They can't get through that barrier, and their backs are two us. If we each take a portion of the army, you can lead an attack from here into the open field ahead from this narrow mouth of a road. I can take the lower road going down to the beach here, lead our soldiers around, and attack from the other side."

"We can catch them from both sides and hit them hard in between us and the barrier. We can have riflemen focus on the Oni, and archers focus on the Daitengu--the archers will have a better range as the Daitengu fly about above. We need to ground those monstrous bird demons."

Nobutada, for the first time in hours, turned his horse to face Corinna directly. "What say you?"

Corrina examined the battlefield herself, thinking of the strengths and weaknesses to her superior's plan. "Take the route on the west side and utilize the cover of the forests. If you go down the beach, you'll be spotted in an instant by those flying bastards. Move swiftly and quietly. We'll draw their attention to us." Corrina brought her palm and fist together and bowed to Nobutada. "Ready at your command."

Corrina began riding through the army, dividing troops and spreading the word about their plan. She barked orders with a strong tone of authority. Few would dare question her, and those who did need only see the way she carried her spear to be scared into submission.

After only a few minutes, the troops were divided into two groups, two columns ready for the order to either attack or move.

Corrina returned to her place at Nobutada's side. "They're ready. At your command, sir." She took one last look over the army, men and women ready to fight and, if necessary, die for their country and its people. They were fully aware of what was at stake, as was Corrina herself. But they didn't station just anyone on Nippon. Everyone who stood before her was experienced and deadly. Not one of them showed a sign of nervousness, only determination.