To War!

Never would I have imagined that things would turn out like this.

"Iwasawa-kou-sama. The radio line is open for the speech."

"…To all the people of Kiko, Shinka, Fuku, Yukonami and the occupied lands of the Satou territory. I, Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi of Kiko and the Chancellor of the Southern Quartet Alliance, am here to give the formal answer of our people against its invaders."

Six years ago, I came here… or should I say, my soul was brought back here to live again… this time, not on a cloned body, but on a proper one.

In six years, I turned this soulless, half-baked and unremarkable patch of land in the southern tip of the country's mainland into an economic powerhouse basing its policies and progress on its status as the country's link to the continent… an inlet and outlet pipe of a country which has a natural hunger for resources.

It was a right call for me to immediately upgrade the province's military force as soon as I became its leader. From deep line formations of men carrying naginatas and katanas, cavalry bowmen whittling down infantry using their bows and primitive matchlock muskets firing sporadically across the field, the magazine-fed repeating rifles, machineguns and breech-loading artilleries that I re-invented in this world brought any enemy they encountered bleeding to death on the ground.

However, this rapid rise to prosperity and prestige brought not only good things but also bad ones… both from the world I came from and this new world where I am now.

But even amidst all of these aforementioned hazards, of fanatic cultists who wanted me to become a religious symbol, of people that consider me a sub-human mongrel who don't deserve the power that I rightfully earned and of a particular monster in human skin that should've already died but through some fluke, made his way here to renew his goal of spreading malice at wherever he goes, I have no fear in my heart.

"The treachery of Kise has been an eye-opener for all of us… Even our closest of friends can quickly turn against us and bring with them death and destruction that none can imagine from them initially."

I became a Sengoku Lord. It is a position that has both power and responsibility. A responsibility that I am now dedicated to fully take on.

"However, now is not the time for us to fear those around us… Kise has hidden its fangs well in preparation for its goal of overtaking the region. But it has failed… and it has paid a fee far too crippling for it to ever stand back up and be a harm to anyone…"

I don't care about appearances anymore.

"And so, I give anyone who wishes to backstab their fellows just like what Kise did two choices… Give up on that stupendous ambition and stand by us as we turn our enemies' lands into a sea of molten glass and ashen corpses… or continue on and be the one looked at by us within that sun poured on the face of the earth."

They have not only taken the life of my one and only beloved when I have finally decided to be with her… they have also initiated such a brutal carnage upon my allies and ceaseless terror attacks on my innocent citizens.

"Mark my words… we will track you, find you and kill you. I give those words upon my title and name."

Nothing about deciding which will sweeten this brutal conflict matters now.

"And to our enemies… I have some grave news for you if you can hear me in some way."

Now… there is only war.

"Your hell will be marching towards you in three weeks… Pray to whoever god you serve, dress in your best clothes, dine like kings and sleep like slumbering bears. For once you hear the rumbling sounds of our forces' march, the blaring horns of our iron beasts, the screeching snarls of our rockets and the untimely sunrise from your windows, you will know…"

War that will end everything as I dictate it.

"…that you have awakened a monster that should have never been brought to soberness."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A month after the events in the Imperial capital and three days after I gave the order for our ballistic missile submarine fleet to turn Kise's nine large cities into rubble, the formal declaration of war against all of our enemies was declared by me just minutes before.

"The conference with Marshall Leader and Vice Chancellor Kusanagi will be held in the Meeting Chamber of Misao Pavilion. The Noble and Common Chamber will be joining you and the Court of the Kusanagi Lordship will be joining their lord. Just between us, Kou-sama, but Minister Nagisa actually sent her personal servants to set up the chamber properly."

"…Minister Masami is almost on her delivery date and she's still doing these things? She'll be quite stressed during childbirth and she's still taking on these things… what is her replacement doing?"

"Umm… her replacement, Interim Minister Kusakabe Ino, has set up the meeting at Naka castle's throne room. However, her instructions were overruled by Minister Nagisa due to… quite the obvious reasons."

"Yeah… what kind of impression would they get if I meet them in the throne room? Seems like her replacement is still too wet behind the ears."

"I… think it's only because Minister Nagisa is too good at her job."

"Yeah… dealing with decades of family debt by managing a frugal life and budgeting what little income you get would do that to you. Anyways, has Minister Kurogawa sent his report on how we will be managing the sale of war bonds?"

"He's close but not yet finished, Kou-sama. The last time I checked through his estate landline phone, the head maid said that he is almost done with it and just writing up the contingency plans."

"Good. I plan to discuss it with Kyoko too. I think Shinka's people would be squalling to buy the bonds after we announce it. Given that they lost some of their loved ones in the recent war, they'd surely want every bit of revenge, even an economic one."

"That's a pretty cold thing to say, my lord."

"…I know that it is. But that's the truth."

It has only been three days since I arrived back in Kiko and now, I am preparing to double-back on my steps alongside an army.

"Speaking of people who are still wet behind the ears… My lord…"

"Yes?"

"…I regret being unable to be as good of an assistant to you as Lady Aoyama."

"…"

"I don't deserve to stand where she once stood. But even with that, I will do my best to be of help."

Out of everything that his meddling mouth can say, this guy really decided to aim high and hit center…

"Don't be stupid, Tatsu."

"N-no, my lord! I apologize for-"

"You're doing a good job. Don't worry too much about being not that good at this."

"Ah-"

"Don't give your all to me… I heard that Chiyo formally signed the early retirement of Asada-san and that you've been planning your wedding for a while, but the war broke out and you two postponed it."

"U-Umm… Yes."

"Asada-san is the one that deserves your all right now, Tatsu… not me."

I still wish for the best, but I have already half-accepted the worst to be true. Even then, I do not wish for my loss to be a burden to everyone's hearts and minds.

"Go home to her early today and care for her during these tough times. Leave the rest to me."

"B-But my lord! I am your-"

"Everyone is with me in the chamber. Don't worry, I can handle this… Besides, do you really think you can appear there when some of the nobles in the Kusanagi lordship's court might be former victims of yours?"

"T-T-that is…"

"Hehe… Got you."

I rode my horse to Misao pavilion, meandering around the city that was recently attacked by possibly seventy separate bombing attacks in just three days. Entire city blocks weren't left undamaged, roads were filled with holes, shop showcases made of glass were shattered and hundreds of dead people left blood splatters and dismembered limbs where they were blown up by the suicide bombers.

If the pirate attack three years ago caused costly damages on our property and several dead and injured, this more direct attack would put it to shame. To date, this is the bloodiest day in Kiko's civilian history… and people have begun calling it as "Casus Belli", a term they must've borrowed from the Latin words that I placed in our laws pertaining to "reason to declare war".

What a fitting name for something that we all had right now.

"Ladies and Gentlemen… His Highness, Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi and his contingent of Congressmen and Ministers are entering the hall… You may now be seated."

"…I am pleased to see you again, Kyoko."

"Likewise, Hiroshi."

Our exchange was so professional, yet friendly that I almost forgot that back in Hitachi, I rejected her and the last time we met personally, I almost strangled her to death out of the sheer pain of losing Chiyo.

"I heard about the declaration on the carriage ride towards here… your words were so fitting with what happened in Kise."

"…It ended the war immediately though. I regret nothing."

"I can respect that. This is war after all. The longer you stall, the more of our forces and citizens would be put in harm's way… Although I wish to say that you could've at least informed me about those submersible ships of yours… You're not being very kind to your Marshall leader, you know?"

"Heh… It's exactly because I need to assure everyone's safety that I hid them well and used them only once. Weapons such as those are best to not be used."

"Indeed… for peace-loving people like us, having to take up such arms is a loss."

After our officials have taken their seats beside each other so they can converse about our policies and agreements, we officially started the conference regarding the mobilization of the allied army and the invasion of the central plains in accordance with the plans handed by the Amanogawa Shogun.

"General Furutani said that the orders he got from the Shogun was absolute. Command of him and his army group was given to us, and he expects us to arrive at Yamato province within autumn."

"Autumn… six months? Why so long when we have an unrestricted route towards there through his railways?"

"That's because he expects everyone in the central plains to turn on him after we declare war, Kyoko."

"I thought he has won over those provinces and their ruling leaders?"

"He won over the people and some of its commoner-leaning nobles but having the unerring loyalty of the ruling nobles and lordships is nothing but a myth. They took his side because he was able to overthrow the Amanogawa Shogunate and make it his'. Those leaders will turn on a pebble just so they can survive and stay in power, so they accepted his rule and feigned loyalty to him."

"But he knows that if someone stronger will appear, they will change sides."

"And the show of force that I gave in Kise was that proof that someone stronger than him has appeared… but then, why did he come back if he knew that he will be trapped there?"

Simply put, even before it can happen, Sora has already anticipated that he will be boxed-in at the Shogunate capital. If so, why did he still went there?

"I have an assumption about it."

"And what is that, Kyoko?"

"General Furutani said that his army group comprise about one-thirds of the Shogunate's forces with a number of 70,000 men. If that is one-thirds, then that means that at most, the Shogun only leads about 210,000 soldiers."

"Wait… those numbers are too low for someone whose forte should be on military strength."

"That's why my assumption is that the Shogun was preparing for a standing army during peacetime. One whose purpose is to protect the country and not actively wage war. That… or he is hiding his aces well."

"Are you trying to say that he's hiding his properly armed men and not declaring them as existing?"

"Yes… You have talked to him and saw him in action. He's the kind of person who'd be feigning weakness throughout a fight and suddenly throw a decisive blow that would bring you to the ground."

"Alright… please stop reminding me about that duel please."

"You lost. Take it like a man and learn about him… As I said, he is good at pretending that he has no chances against you, so he'll let you inflate your ego and let you have minor victories until he sees a weak spot and before you know it, you're spasming like a dying fish on the floor."

"…"

"Do you get what I am trying to say? He's doing that right now. Those spineless nobles who will soon declare that they are against him would begin to siege his province. But since he won over the people on those lands, they will protest, probably even try to overthrow their leaders. Only then will those hidden soldiers prop out of the woodwork and begin the counterattack to free them up."

"So, what he is trying to do is for us to feign that we will be assisting the nobles of the central plains and once they think they got our backing, would begin their assault with them on the front and us on the back…"

"A double-sided attack. One that would quickly finish them and let us push onwards to the north."

It seems to be an excellent strategy. It would take time for us to justifiably reach the Central plains while "fighting the remnants of the Shogunate Loyalists", so we can better prepare our armies.

"I may have declared our mobilization in three weeks, but I guess what we can do instead is to just send garrison forces and combat engineers along the border of Hashidate and Haguro province so we can use those points as staging grounds of the proper invasion force later on."

"I think that would be for the best. Hashidate would surely like the increase of foot traffic in their area due to the invasion… but Haguro province is…"

"I know. That disease took a toll on some of the population. The Shogun took the blame since it was his permission that allowed it to happen."

To put it simply, Haguro became the victim of one of the Shogun's biological attacks against his enemies.

During my time there, it was apparent that there is someone against him who is working behind the scenes to help out the rebel army by supplying them with arms and information. It was because of this that he allowed for a series of mild influenza breakouts to happen in the province to dull the war effort. In the end, about one-fifth of the population had that disease at some point, a pretty large yet uneventful epidemic… the worst was actually during my time as a hired doctor when he actually allowed the spread of vicious illnesses to stop our advance.

The Shogun might be our ally right now, but that doesn't mean that I cannot criticize his methods. He did horrible things and allowed for horrendous events to happen for the furtherment of his goals… but who am I to say anything? After all, I hired and killed bandits to burn down prostitution dens which I feared would spread diseases on my land.

"In any case, we should move on with the staging of the invasion."

"Right. Since you have a navy, I'll leave the naval blockade to your force. For me, I'll take Yukonami's remaining forces and the Allied army to the Satou territory to finalize the terms with the people there before continuing to Hashidate where they will be garrisoned."

"Good. I'll send both General Shimura and Himeji to Haguro since they have experience in there already. With Kotori leading the army, I'm sure the Haguro folk wouldn't be too intimidated with ceding a sliver of their eastern land for the fortifications."

"Nice… I'll coordinate with them once we're all in the scene."

Kyoko was quick on the uptake and gave excellent decisions and plans for the preparation of the war. Before sunset, she went back to Shinka with her military leaders, leaving behind her ministers to finalize the budget and handing of arms and other war paraphernalia to the allied force.

"Welcome back, Iwasawa-sama…"

"Asada…san?"

"Yes. I have returned to service for a while…"

To my surprise, after I got back to Naka castle, I was greeted by Asada Kahono-san who should've already retired and living with her fiancée, Kaminari Tatsu.

"But why? You don't have to come back anymore. Tatsu is your family-"

"It's true that Tatsu-kun will be my husband soon… but that doesn't mean that I will just forget the people whom I served and treated like family."

"Asada-san…"

"Come now, master. Let me help you go to your room."

After she took my haori coat, she led me by the hand to my bedroom which didn't have a single speck of dust or the smell of being locked in for a long time.

"I have been keeping your room tidy since you left. The main reason is that you may come back any day and be in need of immediate rest… and the other is for the sake of Lady Aoyama who comes here almost every night, longing for you."

"…"

"I and General Shimura are witnesses to her pure and undying love for you, Kou-sama. Those two years that you didn't see nor even talked to each other were probably the hardest for her."

Hearing all of this made my heart sting yet again. The pain that I have repressed for almost a week now resurfaced… bringing with it anger, frustration and pain.

"Sit down, master… and let it all out of you. It is not good for your heart and mind to let these kinds of things to swirl inside of you and cloud your judgement."

"Kuh-! Hik!"

"There, there…"

Asada-san has the stature of an adolescent… and yet, she knows how to comfort someone like a loving mother who will lend a shoulder for her child.

"Chiyo… Chiyo!"

"…"

"I don't want to… I never wanted to say goodbye! I don't want you to leave me…"

I really am a bad liar. I thought earlier that I have already half-accepted that Chiyo will never be with me again… But deep inside…

"I don't want her to go! I don't want her to… to leave me behind again…"

I don't know anymore what to say. I even spouted that I don't want her to leave me again… as if we have met each other before I was reincarnated here.

I just cried and cried… I don't want the worst to happen… but I'm afraid that it will happen.

That night, I yearned for Chiyo… just like how she did to me for two years.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You're strangely quiet."

"I… just don't have anything to say right now."

"…"

"With what happened in the past few days alone… I just want some quiet in my life."

At the train heading towards Haguro province, I and my fellow commander, Himeji Kotori, were tasked to scout the border land and inform the people about the recent happenings in the country.

"I believe Chiyo was the one who came to your room that night, yes?"

"H-huh?"

"I heard her exiting her room and going towards yours after your date with Iwasawa-sama. She must've known all about it and decided to comfort you."

"That is…"

"Chiyo has always been like that. Even as children, she wouldn't let me wear a frown or talk to her with a lonely tone. She always tries her best to cheer up those around her and give them a reason to continue on their path."

To say that those two should have had an uneasy relationship would be normal. And yet, after learning that the man that they both loved has rejected the woman who is supposed to be her rival, she came to her room that night and comforted her… a night before she herself was accepted by him.

One might see it as a show of superiority… but for Chiyo, it is just the kindness of her heart who doesn't want to let anyone she knows to carry a burden in their heart or mind.

"You may think that I am staying quiet right now because Iwasawa-sama turned me down and has almost gone mad after losing Lady Aoyama…"

"Are you not?"

"No… Far from it. It's exactly because she stayed beside me when I finally let my tears to flow out away from Iwasawa-sama's gaze that I came to realize that she does deserve to be with him more than I ever will be."

"…"

"And yet, before they can truly be together and she can give Iwasawa-sama the happiness that he deserves after everything he went through, she was shot in front of him… and may never live through her wounds."

"Kotori…"

"I can give up on what I want… but I don't want anyone to be stopped from reaching theirs' when they deserve it. That's why I am filled with anger right now."

As the capital city of Haguro appeared from the horizon, Kotori left me with words that would forever echo in my mind.

"There are times when people who shatter the dreams of others deserve to lose everything… for if there is anything sacred in this world, it is the pursuit of a goal that gives one's life a meaning."

Oh… how I underestimated the power of her words. For once the war started, I can never change it anymore… I can't take back everything that she will later cause.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the Northern sea of Japan, the 12-ship strong fleet of the Kiko Navy blockaded the shipping routes leading to the central plains and northern isles of the country.

Five Destroyers, namely the Sagiri, Hibiki, Fubuki and the two new additions, Yugumo and Shimakaze, patrols the waters and warns any ship that pass to turn back, or risk being boarded and held at a port in Mizuki province.

Four Cruisers, namely the Kuma, Tenryu and the two new additions, Heavy Cruisers Mogami and Takao, acts as the backbone of the force, cruising around the intended blockade line to catch anyone who sneaks around the patrol routes of the primary destroyer fleet.

Lastly, the current flagship of the navy, Battleship Kongo, acts as the floating naval base of Admiral Kuwahabara. With its imposing armaments and a clear superiority in all kinds of ways, none but the most desperate of the enemy supply ships dare to cross the blockade to supply their lands.

"How many have we caught as of this time?"

"About seven large ships and 53 barges, sir. The inventory of their cargo shows that most of the supplies are iron ore, coal and common cloth from the mainland."

"Supplies for a long and drawn-out siege. Iron for weapons, coal for the coming winter and cloth for tents and bandages… Communicate this to headquarters immediately."

"Aye, sir!"

"Do we have reports of firefights from any of the ships?"

"There are some, sir. One trading junk approached the Hibiki and began to pelt its side and deck with stones. The captain ordered for its masts to be pierced with bullets. None of the crew of the belligerent vessel was wounded and they were brought to Mizuki island for holding."

"Good. Anything else?"

"Cruiser Tenryu reported a train of barges that followed the coast of Haguro province. They sent a fast craft to intercept the barges, only to learn that it's a crayfish trawling fleet from Yukonami. The fishermen offered to sell us some of their harvest."

"Well, that worked up my appetite. Is there another one?"

"Well… this one isn't in our fleet."

"Pardon?"

"Our submarine fleet informed us that they will be passing by through our blockade line and would like to play cat-and-mouse with us."

"Huh? Wahahahaha!!!"

"Hehe… I knew you'd have fun with this announcement, Admiral."

"Heh! That guy really has the balls to face any harm. I find it hard not to believe that he did let his ship be bombed."

From his seat, the elderly sailor stood up and looked out of the window of the ship's bridge. There is a joyous smirk on his face as if he is reminded of an amusing memory.

"Alright then. Tell every ship to activate their hydrophones. If they ask any questions, tell them that it's a routine anti-naval mine exercise and instead of engaging, try their best to dodge anything they detect."

"Aye, sir!"

As the only land in Japan that has an all-dreadnought fleet, Kiko has the country's waters in a stranglehold. If it wishes, it can isolate the country from the outside world.

Such was the power of this economic and military juggernaut.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

For the next three weeks, the armies of Kiko, Shinka, Fuku, Yukonami and volunteers from the Satou confederation raised armies that made a beeline to the fortifications east of Hashidate and Haguro province.

The call to arms signaled the beginning of a hostility like no other. A war waged not by the command of a despot or the wishes of the populace, but for the sake of revenge. Of vengeance that must be served to those who pulled the trigger first.

Ceaseless railroad transportation of men and equipment sent upwards of 3,000 soldiers to the border of the two frontline provinces every day. Soon, the uneventful looking shores of Onnoki gulf and the empty grasslands of Hashidate turned into a 30-kilometer-long trench fortress. Soldiers patrolled the trenches every minute, artillery teams are primed to fire their guns across the horizon in a matter of moments and commanders on the ground always carry a sealed steel container which has the instructions for them in case of a preemptive attack from the enemy.

Within only half a month, the defensive line that separates the lands of the allied provinces and the central plains that are prepared to turn on the Shogun anytime was put into place. If anyone can see this, they know that the invasion will come from this front… the only question that is left is…

When will it happen?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Woah!!! It's so fast! I'm getting excited!"

"Go faster, Chito-nee!"

"Argh! Don't stand up, you two! I can't control it properly if you move too much!"

I already half-expected someone to finally perfect the internal combustion engine that I left as a blueprint for public viewing. With it available to anyone who is interested with making it, it would speed up and diversify the way we can increase the mobility of not only public transport but also of our military.

And yet, the sight I am seeing right now can only give me a sense of exasperation and disbelief.

"So, what do you say, Sensei?"

"Chito… you really made this thing by yourself?"

"Yep! From the engine, transmission and even the electrical wirings. The only things I outsourced is the chassis and the body. The castle workshop can't make those."

To put what my student made into simple terms, she made a tankette. A small tank that is usually done as a testing phase for a proper and larger armored vehicle. And right now, she, Yukari and Rinne, are riding it around the courtyard before they parked it in front of me.

"I can't believe it… I thought someone else would be making it."

"The old businessmen are all arguing about patents and licensing of parts, so they became slow. By the time they agreed on whose company will make what part, I'm just waiting for the armored body that I ordered from an outside metalworking shop."

"I see…"

"This is just a prototype. Once I figure out the issues in the gearbox and transmission, we can make a mass-production run. What do you think, sensei?"

"I think it's impressive! I didn't expect a twelve-year-old to get this far already."

"Hehe! I've got a good teacher who gave me free rein in experimenting. You had your part in it too, sensei."

As I looked at the small vehicle drove by these kids just moments earlier, I began to think about how I initially planned to conduct the war and how this sudden development can speed up and save lives in our invasion.

"These will be helpful in those times indeed."

A modern army and navy are enough to topple our enemies. But from what I learned throughout my journey, "just enough" isn't going to be enough.

"Hey Chito."

"Yes, sensei?"

"Let me help you perfect this. I want to see how far we can improve this."

"Okay! Haha! I'm excited with it now!"