[Novel] Beyond the Rushing Waves ~Koin and Shunsuke~ #35

8 Internal Strife (1)

The beginning of it all was the appointment of a new chief retainer. The conservative lord of Iwakuni, Yoshikawa Tsunamasa, approved the appointment of a chief retainer from within the clan's own family. The conservative faction had begun to make a comeback.
On the other hand, in order to consider the situation of being invaded by the punitive force, figures such as Takasugi, Hatano, and Koin, who advocated for resistance, were also appointed to the Government Affairs Office.
The confrontation between those who advocated for absolute submission and those who advocated for armed submission—who would maintain a posture of submission for the time being but also prepare armaments and not shy away from a battle with the shogunate—was becoming clear.

Koin and Shinsaku were confirming their future plans with each other. The conflict within the clan was making the path they needed to take difficult.
"They say all the officials in the Government Affairs Office have submitted their resignations. If this continues, those guys will do whatever they want. So, I went to see the Lord and asked him to order the withdrawal of those resignations."
Koin decided to work on swaying clan opinion at the government office.
"I'm going to Hagi to see how the Kiheitai and the other units are doing."
Shinsaku thought he should ensure that the Kiheitai, which he had been involved in founding, would side with him.
"That is important. We must keep a tight grip on things. We are the ones who must protect the Lord and the young heir. The conservative faction puts the survival of the house first, and if they think the Lord is in the way, they might even go through with a forced retirement. I intend to do everything I can."
"Koin, what are you trying to do?"
"Unify clan opinion. I'll have everyone assemble at the castle for a council before the Lord. We'll settle it there."
"Do you have a chance of winning?"
"I don't know, but I can at least ask if there is any future in just blindly submitting. Now is the time to show the mettle of the warriors of Suo and Nagato. Even the Kiheitai you created wouldn't be satisfied with being disbanded, would they? Are there any groups that seem likely to be on our side?"
"The Kiheitai is a different matter. Most of them are not of samurai status."
"The Fourth Battalion is following us, but couldn't you lend me a platoon or so? Just in case, I want you to keep a few more of your troops in Yamaguchi."
"You should use the Sumo Corps, who are currently without a commander."
"It's decided then."
"I'm going to Hagi, but are you really going to be okay?"
"Yeah, Shunsuke is off negotiating in Yokohama, so it should be fine, right?"
"Be careful."

After parting ways with Takasugi, Koin headed to the administrative office of the government officials.
"I have brought the Lord's order to carry out the procedures for withdrawing the resignations submitted by the Government Affairs Office officials earlier. Furthermore, he has ordered that everyone assemble at the castle tomorrow. I'm counting on you."

Before meeting Takasugi, he had clutched a note that the young heir Sada-hiro's page had secretly brought him. He was acting with the single-minded determination not to let the young heir suffer such feelings.
Next, he had to go see Yamato and Kurata, who had been forced to submit their resignations, and tell them to come to the castle tomorrow. Then, he would order the Sumo Corps, which he would be allowed to use by Shinsaku, and the other units to stand by. What else needed to be done? He had been preparing various documents in the waiting room, and just when he thought he could finally go home, someone called out to him. It was the head chief retainer, Shishido Bizen. He was led to a place where there was no one else and asked for his opinion.
"I hear you are processing the withdrawal of the resignations of the Government Affairs Office officials."
"Yes, it is the Lord's order. We will hold a council before the Lord after everyone has assembled at the castle to decide the clan's policy. It is our policy regarding the shogunate."
"Absolute submission or armed submission? You were for armed submission, weren't you?"
"Yes, to assist the Lord and for the sake of our house, there is no choice but to choose armed submission."
"Will it go well? Even if you decide it at the council, the conservative faction might move the troops of the upper-samurai groups."
"It will be fine. It is important to unify clan opinion at the council."
"However, that is an ideal. Things do not go according to such ideals."
"Thank you for your concern. I have a plan as well."
"What is this plan?"

When asked, he thought he had let his tongue slip. He hesitated whether he should say it here. The person was Shishido Bizen; he must truly be worried.

"I have troops stationed at a temple in case of an emergency. I will crush them before they can move."
"I see. That is reassuring."
"Well then, I still have things to do, so I will take my leave."
"Take care."

Koin hurried toward Yamato's residence. When Koin left the government office, he naturally could not have noticed that someone had been talking to Shishido Bizen.

Both Yamato and Watanabe Kurata promised to attend tomorrow's council before the Lord now that the resignations had been withdrawn. This was a little heartening.
On his way, he stopped by the barracks of the Fourth Battalion and the Sumo Corps. He discussed the plan to crush the vanguard unit that had come to Yamaguchi with the support of the conservative faction after tomorrow's council. Apart from this Sumo Corps, several masterless samurai who had left their clans were also nearby in groups, so they had joined up as well.
"No matter what the result is tomorrow, I will show my face at night after the council. I want you to follow my instructions then."

Koin called out to everyone as he was leaving. The attack on the vanguard unit would take place secretly tomorrow night. This was Koin's plan. He had done what he needed to do. Now, he would stake everything on tomorrow.

The next day, when he was about to leave the house, his brother stopped him and said he should go to the castle in a manner befitting his position. He said it was beneath him to go alone. Since he was persistently told that he should take a follower, he followed the instruction and decided to take Asakichi. Indeed, walking with someone from his own household provided a sense of security.

He arrived at the castle and entered the council chamber. The council before the Lord began. It was heartening to see that the group that had submitted resignations, such as Hatano, Watanabe, and Yamato, had also appeared. They seemed to have brought their comrades along as well.

"At the very least, I believe we should follow what the shogunate says and devote ourselves to the survival of our house."
Nakai of the conservative faction started the discussion.
"Do you know what the shogunate is asking for before you say that?"
Koin started from the shogunate's methods.
"The Lord and the young heir will be forced into retirement or confinement, and the government office in Yamaguchi will be demolished and abandoned. I believe a reduction in our fief is also inevitable."
"Is that all? Isn't it possible that we will be transferred to another fief? The Mori family and these two provinces of Suo and Nagato have an inseparable bond, and our power will be weakened by tearing that bond apart. Is there any meaning in following the shogunate at the cost of all that? Won't this just repeat what happened after the Battle of Sekigahara? I can only think that losing without a fight is not honorable and will not serve our house, but rather disgrace it due to the incompetence of the Mori family's retainers. In the first place, isn't it even ambiguous why we became enemies of the Imperial Court and were subjected to a punitive force? I cannot help but feel the danger in proceeding with things as they are."

Yes, the reduction of the fief after Sekigahara was ingrained in the retainers as a painful memory. This alone must be avoided; it should be effective.

"Isn't it because we pushed for radical things like immediate expulsion of foreigners that we became enemies of the Imperial Court and were subjected to a punitive force by the shogunate? There is no other way to settle this than to act calmly. Sincerity will not be conveyed to the shogunate with a double-tongued approach that talks of armaments."
"If we accept the retirement or confinement of the Lord and the young heir, we must have someone as a successor, must we not? Even if it's not Okimaru-sama, aren't you thinking that it can't be helped even if it's a close relative of the Tokugawa? We cannot accept such a thing."
"Then, are you saying we can win even if it comes to war?"
"To be asked if we can win by someone who assumes defeat... That depends on how we do it. If we do not neglect preparations and have the will to fight a decisive battle with a unified clan opinion, I cannot say we will win, but I do not believe we will lose."

Just as signs of fatigue appeared among the debaters, Takachika suggested taking a break for lunch. Koin countered that as well.

"We are eating properly now. Even if it were an era where we couldn't eat well, there is no problem with skipping lunch once at a time like this. There shouldn't be anyone here so weak that they cannot continue."

When told this, there was no reason to interrupt. Koin intended to push through with force to the very end.
Similar arguments continued after that, and the conservative faction's argument for absolute submission, which also contained the weakness of whether they would be defeated without fighting as warriors, was increasingly being refuted by Koin. As that happened, the atmosphere became such that the Lord, Takachika, could also accept armed submission.
"Alright, I understand. The policy for this time will be armed submission. Everyone, please proceed with that in mind."

A conclusion of sorts had been reached. Koin was satisfied that he had pushed through this critical juncture. However, the opposing conservative faction thought that this council was a farce and that, in truth, there was no intention to listen to their opinions. It was also clear who had orchestrated it. It was only natural that a report would go to the barracks of the vanguard unit, which had been concerned about the state and outcome of this council.