Omi, Yabu, and Buntaro all silently agreed with Toranaga’s wisdom of withholding information about this afternoon’s decision to launch the attack in the rainy season, at once.
That will create a sensation, Omi told himself, his bowels churning at the thought of warring in the rains through the mountains of Shinano.
“Our guns will force a way through,” Yabu had said so enthusiastically this afternoon.
“Yes,” Omi had agreed, having no confidence in the plan but no alternative to offer. It’s madness, he told himself, though he was delighted that he had been promoted to second-in-command. I don’t understand how Toranaga can conceive that there’s any chance of success in the northern route.
There isn’t any, he told himself again, and half closed his ears to Toranaga’s stirring exhortation in order to allow himself to concentrate once more on the problem of his revenge. Certainly the attack on Shinano will give you a dozen opportunities to manipulate Yabu into the front line at no risk to yourself. War, any war, will be to your advantage, provided the war’s not lost. . . .
Then he heard Toranaga say, “Today I was almost killed. Today the Anjin-san pulled me out of the earth. That’s the second time, perhaps even the third, that he’s saved my life. My life is nothing against the future of my clan, and who is to say whether I would have lived or died without his help? But though it is
Amid general acclaim, Toranaga said, “Anjin-san, sit here! Mariko-san, you as well.”
Jealously Omi watched the towering man rise and kneel at the spot to which Toranaga had motioned, beside him, and there was not a man in the room who did not wish that he himself had had the good fortune to have done what the barbarian had done.
“The Anjin-san is given a fief near the fishing village of Yokohama to the south of Yedo worth two thousand koku yearly, the right to recruit two hundred samurai retainers, full rights as samurai and hatamoto to the house of Yoshi Toranaga-noh-Chikitada-Minowara. Further, he is to receive ten horses, twenty kimonos, together with full battle equipment for his vassals—the rank of Chief Admiral and Pilot of the Kwanto.” Toranaga waited until Mariko had translated, then he called out, “Naga-san!”
Obediently Naga brought the silk-covered package to Toranaga. Toranaga threw off the cover. There were two matching swords, one short, the other a killing sword. “Noticing that the earth had swallowed my swords and that I was unarmed, the Anjin-san went down into the crevasse again to find his own to give to me. Anjin-san, I give these in return. They were made by the master craftsman, Yoriya. Remember, the sword is the soul of the samurai. If he forgets it, or loses it,
To even greater acclaim and private envy Blackthorne took the swords, bowed correctly, and put them in his sash, then bowed again.
“Thank you, Toranaga-sama. You do me too much honor. Thank you.”
He began to move away but Toranaga bade him stay. “No, sit down here, beside me, Anjin-san.” Toranaga looked back at the militant, fanatic faces of his officers.
‘Fools!’ he wanted to shout. ‘Don’t you understand that war, whether now or after the rains, would only be disastrous? Any war with Ishido-Ochiba-Yaemon and their present allies must end in slaughter of all my armies, all of you, and the obliteration of me and all my line? Don’t you understand I’ve no chance except to wait and hope that Ishido strangles himself?’
Instead he incited them even more, for it was essential to throw his enemy off balance.
“Listen, samurai: Soon you’ll be able to prove your valor, man to man, as our forefathers proved theirs. I will destroy Ishido and all his traitors and first will be Ikawa Jikkyu. I hereby give all his lands, both provinces of Suruga and Totomi worth three hundred thousand koku, to my faithful vassal Lord Kasigi Yabu, and, with Izu, confirm him and his line as their overlords.”
A thunderous acclamation. Yabu was flushed with elation. Omi was banging the floor, shouting just as ecstatically. Now his prize was limitless, for by custom, Yabu’s heir would inherit all his lands. How to kill Yabu without waiting for war?
Then his eyes fixed on the Anjin-san, who was cheering lustily. Why not let the Anjin-san do it for you, he asked himself, and laughed aloud at the idiotic thought. Buntaro leaned over and clapped him on the shoulder, amiably misinterpreting the laughter as happiness for Yabu. “Soon you’ll get the fief you merit,
“Thank you, Buntaro-san.”
“Don’t worry—we can get through any mountains.”
“Yes.” Buntaro was a ferocious battle general and Omi knew they were well matched: Omi the bold strategist, Buntaro the fearless attack leader.
