Leadership Exercises

[Oda Nobunaga]

Your lordship has requested that all units work on their leadership and teamwork. Because of this, he has had his men set up small fields for skirmish. Two companies of twenty men will have a mock-battle against each other.

Objectives: Your company has lost half its men, and the opposing company has the rest pinned down from constant arrow fire. Your task is to set up a victory for your men any way you can, whether it be through flanking or blitzing. Try not to lose any more men than you already have.

Rewards: Up to +3 Wis.

Location: Outside your faction's main camp.

Prerequisite: You must have completed the Rebuilding SPQ.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"They've got us pinned down!"
"What are we gonna do?!"
"They took out half our guys -"

"Alright, shut the hell up for a second!"

Takehiro's unit company had been doing a mock battle with another company, and his unit was being paid to expose all the flaws they could in the other company's form. A daimyo had hired the mercenaries as a means of giving his men a taste of battle against men they did not know the technique of, and there was much to be learned from fighting new opponents! Of course, the company of mercenaries was only to be paid of they win, and right now, Takehiro's company was losing. Bad.

"Here's what we're going to do," he spoke as quietly as he could, though he had to be sort of loud, to account for the arrow fire raining against their cover. "Two of you are going to remain here. The other eight of us, we'll break off into two groups, go around through the brush and the trees, and flank 'em on either side. The two who stay, your job is to keep the fire on you, but you keep your head down while you do it. Once we're in position, the group with me will rain fire down on these guys from one of their blind spots. Then they're going to focus on us, and here's where the other group comes in - when they're focused on us and the other two guys, you're going to get their last blind spot. If all goes well, they'll be focused on my group, and the other group of four, leaving the two who stay behind the chance to cover ground and get the stragglers. Are we clear on this?"

The men looked to each other, worried. If they lost any more men, they lost their pay check. But this was their best bet. Reluctantly, three of the men would group up with Takehiro, and another four would group up together. Two men stayed behind at the cover, throwing rocks and launching arrows overhead, to keep the enemy focused.

"Alright, we'll head down their left flank, you guys take their right. Wait until they're focused on us before you fire. Let's go."

Bow in hand, Takehiro's small group would make their way around the battlefield, moving in an arc. They stayed in the cover of the trees and the bushes, moving as quickly but quietly as they could. They would find a good amount of cover for four men, and they quickly set up behind it. They each nocked their arrows, and just as the enemy released theirs, Takehiro's group did as well. One wave of arrows had taken out four of the twenty men, and Takehiro's men quickly hid behind cover after that first assault.

Already down to sixteen.

As the group focused fire on Takehiro's men, the other band of mercenaries had launched a small volley of arrows into the group, taking out another four, easily. The men were confused, disoriented, and no longer focused attacks on the other group of two.

Down to twelve.

The Daimyo's men would focus fire on the two flanking groups, leaving the two men who'd stayed behind the opportunity to cover ground. They rushed across the battlefield, drawing their bokken, and, once in proximity, they struck down the confused men, each effectively felling two before the men could comprehend what was going on.

Now, the tides of battle were shifted from twenty to ten, to ten to eight.

Takehiro's group arose from cover, bows drawn and arrows nocked, all eight aimed at the Daimyo's men. The two mercenaries also had their bokken drawn, at the necks of two of the soldiers. Reluctantly, the soldiers put their bows down, surrendering.

"I gotta say, I'd make one badass tactician."

[Takeda Shingen]

Amakusa Takehiro: +3 Wis

[Sanada Yukimura]

"This isn't good..."

"Half of our forces have already been wiped out!"

"What'll we do young Master! Young master?"

"... Yeah... It just might work..."

Yukimura's unit company, comprised of his father's men, had been taking part in a mock battle against an opposing unit company comprised of Lord Shingen's men, as per request of Lord Shingen himself. Both sides were experienced in the art of war, Yukimura included, but this mock-battle was not meant to test their experiences in fighting. This mock-battle was meant for them to work on their leadership skills and teamwork, and so far, Yukimura was not doing his clan proud. The remaining men left, himself included, pinned down from constant arrow fire, literally the only thing keeping them alive was their shields locked together in a dome shape.

"I have a plan. We are going to form up into the turtle formation, three men in front, one on either side, three in the back, and two in the middle. Those in the middle will form the shield roof, while the rest will cover the front, side, and back with our shields. We are going to hit them hard and fast, but the most important thing is, everyone must march at the same pace, or we will all die here. Understood?"

"Yes young Master!"

Although the men were worried, they had faith in their young Master, and gathering their shields together, would quickly get into formation, Yukimura at the head of the circle. With a nod, they would begin their march, as wave after wave of arrows rained down on them from up above, but due to their formation, would bounce off their metal shields harmlessly. Slowly they inched towards the opposing unit, and the moment they were in range, the spears from the front row would shoot out, impaling the unlucky men standing in front, as three were immediately taken down. Keeping up the pressure, they would march forward, the archers trying in vain to take them down, but with the formation they had, the arrows could not reach them, as the archers would be forced to stop and take aim to fire through the gaps of the shields, which was long enough for them to move forward and impale them.

Impaling the archers on their spears as they marched forward, taking down three at a time, soon the opposing unit had been reduced from a huge twenty men to just eight. With the last volley of arrows launched in vain, reluctantly, the men placed their bows down, surrendering to Yukimura and his unit.

"Young master, your plan worked!"

"... Lord Shingen and father will be pleased to hear about this..."

[Oda Nobunaga]

Sanada Yukimura: +3 Wis

[Morei Haji]

"ARROWS!!!"

One of the men under my command shouted aloud, and my unit quickly ducked behind the wooden scaffolding to take cover. Hearing the loud thud of the arrows hitting the other side, we sat there as the men looked to me for a plan. "My lord, what do we do? We're heavily outnumbered here!"

"First off, stop with that lord business." I said, holding my hand up to the guy. It just felt really weird. I was but a lowly kid without any status to my name. So what if this was a training exercise? Regardless, I picked up a rock and brought it to the ground in front of us all.

"Let's see..." I wondered aloud. There were at least double the men on the opposing side. Their arrow rain made a forward charge suicidal, which indicated we needed an alternate strategy. I began to draw on the ground with the rock. "This is our position." I marked a spot on the ground to indicate our encampment. "And this is the enemy." I drew a spot further away to show their position. I continued to draw other noteworthy areas in the area, such as the river on one side and the forest on the other.

"I'm going to need four of you to take up a bow. Two of you will cross the river, it's shallow, and camp there out of sight. Two of you will sneak over into the forest, also camping out of sight. You two will align parallel to each other with the enemy in between you. On my signal, you will begin to fire arrows as quickly as you can at them. Make them believe that they're being attacked by a larger force. Once they stop firing arrows at our camp, the rest of us will charge in. From there, we'll take them out."

The men's faces lit up, seeming so amazed by such a simple plan. It wasn't much, but there was little I could think of with such few numbers, nor did I have the time to construct a more elaborate plan. "I promise you, this will work." The confidence of a strategist. Even with a plan that seemed hopeless, a bit of confidence could take the men a long way. I had faith that these men could surprise me.

The men departed, using the cover and the dimming light to their advantage. We waited for some time, arrows thudding at the wood behind us now and then. Patience was the most important factor, and the men here had to stay as calm as possible. A few of the remaining men gripped their bows, anxious to return the fire, but I held my hand up every time one of them wanted to move. "Not yet." I looked over towards the points I specified for the men, waiting for them to appear...

Soon enough, I spotted movement briefly. The men were in position on both ends, and I grabbed a bow, readying an arrow. I aimed it at the enemy encampment, firing it. This arrow letting loose was the signal, and my men on either side began to fire arrows as swiftly as they could from either side. I heard shouts from the enemy's side soon enough, and with that, the men and myself emerged from the cover.

"And now, men, to victory!" I drew my sword and together, we all began to run towards the enemy. A few of the men were firing arrows from behind me towards the camp as well to cause further confusion in the enemy ranks. Soon enough, we were among them, and steel clashed against steel. Our men from the sides had run in as well, and our initial rush allowed us to take out a good share of men, putting the odds more than in our favor. Two of them rushed at me, and pulling out my second sword, I blocked both of their blows as two of my other men came in and slashed at them, downing them quickly. I quickly dashed forward and struck down two others behind them. The remaining enemies fell to their knees and surrendered. The enemies who we felled were on the ground groaning in men, and I smiled at my men. They remembered to use the blunt sides of their weapons for this exercise as I did.

"Good job, men! We are victorious this day!" I raised my weapon as the men cheered. "Good job, lord strategist!" was only one of many shouts I heard, but I was satisfied with the results overall. Battle wasn't so bad, so long as no one died.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Morei Haji: +3 Wis

[Wakeshima Shoji]

Sho internally sighed exasperatedly. Of course this had to be a mock battle. To test his abilities on the battlefield and impress the wealthy patron, he had to lead this men and pretend to fight. There was no real bloodshed and death. The worst that would happen is maybe an accidental scrape, or shot from an arrow. The likelihood that something fatal would occur was low, and that greatly disappointed the psychopath.

But, even so, Sho wanted to spend the evening dining with the patron, and perhaps secretly bedding his well-endowed wife. Oh, the man had noticed how she oggled him earlier, and Sho couldn't disappoint, now could he?

Crimson eyes overlooked this sorry group in the abandoned cabin. Most of his men were "down", only ten remaining, and most looked prepared to throw in the bag. They were all hiding, avoiding the windows and unable to leave the building from the front. At the slightest movement, arrows were fired, and so they were effectively trapped. Or so they all thought.

Shoji was standing at the back of the cabin, eyes closed, thinking through the battlefield. They could effectively go through the forest and circle around, flanking the enemy, but the issue was leaving the hut. As he leaned back against the wall with his full weight, there was a loud creak and the man's eyes opened. He glanced over to the side and furrowed his brows. Putting more force behind his weight, he found that the wood was weak. The hut was old and falling apart. With enough manpower, they could an opening large enough to escape.

The man called out and relayed the information to the group, and then drew out the plan on the dirt floor with his foot. Four archers remaining behind and firing back to prove as a distraction, while three others with bows and two swordsmen went with Shoji in the woods to attack the enemy. But some of the men still didn't seem convinced, tired and wanting this to be over. It would take some bribing, of sorts, to have them get through this.

"If we win this, men, we'll be dining with Camui-sama. We'll have all of the sake and women we want," he exclaimed cheerily, smiling widely. For the first time in an hour, there was a light of hope in the men, a sense of excitement, and Sho knew he hooked them. Now it was time to reel them in. "We'll party tonight! Alright? Alright! Who's with me?"

The entire group cheered, raising their arms up, and Sho internally smirked. Yeah, he was good. Too good. Except there was no such thing as too good. They all worked at ripping out the wooden planks and, after a good half an hour (since others were distracting the archers outside), there was a hole through the building large enough for them to slip through. Swiveling around,  and began barking out orders, pointing at the men already at the windows.

"You four! Keep distracting the other side with fire. The rest of you will come with me. The woods are thick and they won't expect us from behind."

After they all slipped out of the building, the samurai released a wide grin and said excitedly in a hushed voice, "Let's go!"

They quietly made their way deep into the woods, making a wide circle and slowly heading towards the back of the other side. Some time later, they drew near and Sho made a sign for them to stop. One of the men with a bow was a true archer and Sho had him climb up a tree and scope out the layout. Knowing it, Shoji came up with a plan of attack. The warriors would slip in silently while three archers would be at the edge of the trees, up on branches. They would lay in a barrage of attacks, and the rest would attack the distracted men, who would be taking fire from both the front and behind. There was no way they would lose!

And they didn't. Everything went smoothly and Sho's side won. At this point, all of his men were with him and they were talking excitedly, some even cheering, and Shoji grinned widely, winking and wrapping his arms around two beside him.

"Time to have some fun, boys~"

Of course, they would all just get drunk drinking with the servants and if any of them got lucky it would only be with the so-so whores. Now Sho? The patron wanted him specifically to converse and discuss plans, making his new top man comfortable, and so did his wife, but in an entirely different manner. Tonight would be long and oh so delightful, and he smirked wickedly.

Oh, was he going to have fun~

[Takeda Shingen]

Wakeshima Shoji: +3 Wis

[Oda Nobunaga]

All participants receive: Proficiency: Leadership - D

[Yuy Masahiro™]

I snarled as I held my back against the tree as arrows rained down on the men. The cavalry stayed as far back as they could with their horses attempting to stay away from arrow shots. I looked at the leader of my squad. He stood there shaking. Like I could belittle him for it… I stood there shaking as well… I didn’t envy his position of leadership. I wasn’t sure I could do any better than him.

“You need to come up with something for us to do!”

”I… I… I don’t know…”

“God dammit… you men come with me!”

I sheathed my sword and crouched low as I started to move against the cover of trees. I looked around to pinpoint the location of the archers. We couldn’t just attack them head on… If we did, we’d be done. But the entire group couldn’t just flank them. We’d be spotted far too easily. Hmm… but maybe that could work.

“Alright men… here’s the plan…”

The horses were sent out. The men rode out onto the battlefield as the rest of the squad moved quickly. While the archers had their focus on the horses, we ran through the side of the field and out-flanked the archers. To their surprise, it was our entire squad that attacked the archers. I smirked seeing the shock on all of their faces.

Out on the battlefield, the horses continued to run across the battlefield as the “men” that were mounted on them fell to the ground. You see… the men that were falling to the ground were nothing more than the armor of my actually men filled with tree leaves and twigs. From a distance, it was enough for the archers to believe that it was the actual men charging out to battle. From there we had rubbed dirt against our bodies to blend in with the ground.

I unsheathed my katana, without my kimino and roared at the enemy as I charged them. The dirt served a secondary purpose as well. It was a form of war paint and intimidated the enemy as we charged them. I slashed three down, hitting them with the blunt ends of the sword and smacked the hilt against another’s head. Running at him, I jumped up and planted both of my feet onto their squad leader’s chest.

“Tell your group to stand down or else my men will keep attacking.”

[Oda Nobunaga]

Yuy Masahiro: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - D

[Yamabara Shou]

“Well Captain, it isn’t 12 hours of mud and rain, but they have us pinned down and we’re starting to look like fools out here.” Shou as arrows flew over the groups head and the make shift barricade wooden detritus. “I’m surprised you made it this far messenger boy.” The captain of the unit he was normally assigned to on training exercises snapped back. “You do have a plan, to help us look a little better in front of Lord Shingen I hope?” Shou asked quietly so as the other troop cowering in their cover couldn’t hear. “I’d be open to suggestions.” The Captain replied. “Any ideas?” he added. “You’re asking me, I’m shocked, and how far off would you say those archers are?” Shou asked and the captain quickly peeked out from the cover, before Shou pulled him down. “Around 300 yards. Why?” “And to that thicket of tree to our right over there?” Shou continuing to fire off questions. “Around 100.” “Could your men make it if they had a distraction?” “Maybe but it unlikely all of them would be distracted.”

Shou ripped at the mess of wooden cover and pulled free a few of the larger flat section of wood that he could. “Take these.” He said throwing the wood over towards some of them men “Run in pairs, men with those on the outside, use it as movable cover. Go when I shout, I’ll distract as many as I can.” Shou ordered, pulling free another piece of wood. Holding it in both hands, he darted out from the cover in the opposite direction of the thicket. “GO.” He shouted as most of the archer turned and loose arrows towards him. Eventually the archer realised however what was happening but by then most of the men were nearing the trees. Turning on the spot, he darted back the way he came. The wood deflecting some arrows, catching other, while some flew past him. However luck didn’t last forever and as he threw himself into the cover he had before, an arrow caught him in the shoulder.

Staggering from the pain into the cover, he felt to the ground on to the make shift shield, the weak wood breaking from his weight and the damage cause by the arrows. Pulling himself up, he looked over to the thicket. With a pointed gesture toward the enemy, and from their new superior cover, the men started to return the arrow fire. Ignoring him now, the opposing unit having been on open ground was force to retreat back, as the tree caught there arrows. Taken the opportunity, Shou forced himself to rush forward, hoping that the new threat distracted the men long enough to reach the thicket as well. Luck was once again with him, and he reunited with the unit captain. “That wasn’t a bad idea, but now what runner?” The captain asked. “We have the better cover now, for a long ranged fight. We can shoot out from around cover, the only way they could come at us is over the hills on the fare side of the thicket. It’s either that a walk into our arrows.” Shou explained pointing out the hills that would allow the enemy men to approach safely. “We ready for them, and ambush them as they enter. I want two people here with bow to put them off coming at us this way, while the rest of us prepare an ambush. If you see them coming this way call us.” Shou ordered.

Leading the captain and the rest of them men to the hill side of the thicket, he set them troops up ready to ambush the others. It wasn’t long before the attack came as he suspected, it was the only viable choice due to the terrain, and because of that it became a much easier threat to repel. The opposing force, didn’t know what hit them. Without ranged superiority and walking into a trap. “NOW” Shou screamed leaping down from a tree on to two of the opposing unit men, as other of the troops did the same. Bringing them to the ground and disarming them as quickly as could. “Knock them out, this training no need to hurt them more than needed.” Shou screamed out grabbing the pair of troops below him by the hair and slamming their heads into the ground. Eventually around him the sound of shouting and struggling ended. “We did it.” “Who on earth though, real arrows were a good idea for a training battle.” Shou cursed at the captain, clutching his shoulder that had been hit before. “Ah forget it, just getting us for the real battles right, and if you lot work together like today. The Takeda armies got nothing to fear.” Shou congratulated the men. Planning to make sure to bring armour more suited to that task if dragged out on these exercises in the future again.

(Ooc: I so need to come up with a name of this captain, I have a feeling he going to spq common for me.)

[Takeda Shingen]

Yamabara Shou: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - D

[Kuroshi Maki]

As I was part of a training I kinda sneaked in on, it seemed I was foolish as I picked the team that was losing it was now 20 of them against 10 of us. The one that was leading this group was gone and all of them felt lost and wanted to surrender. Nobody was daring to step up and try to claim the victory and it was kinda sad. I was standing in the back as we were covering from incoming arrows. Damn I hated those things. If I could I would kill all those bastards but arrows would block my way. What or who was going to lead this group of 10.

"Everybody stay calm if we panic we will demoralize our force. Of course its 20 against 10 and it seems a lost cause but, there have been stories of 300 men facing a far larger army and they were able to hold them at bay long enough to make the enemy not wanting to fight. "

I didn't really know where I was going with this story. I wasn't born a leader or ever really wanted to become one. All I want was to survive and if I had to become smarter and be able to do these kind of things so be it. It was a test and I would complete this test. So I order d them to come close to me but stay low. As all the 9 other men were close I would need to come up with a plan to make sure we could get out of this alive.

" We can not go head on, we would be picked of one by one, and I don't know about you guys but I wanna stay alive. I never had stronger reasons to life. Think of the wife you have at home or you're kid. Or whatever other reason you have to stay alive. "

First I tried to make sure they got there head back into this, of course I was also not sure on how to pull this off but if I could make them believe we could I knew they would give it a 100%. I wasn't somebody that would lead this men but there wasn't a choice anymore as I could see there spirit rise because of my words. I was still young and abit foolish but seeing these men look up to me now, it made me really wanna save them from this.

" Ok the first thing we need to do is make sure they don't see us coming, We should attack them from two sides. We make two teams and I will pick one of those teams to lead that small group. 5 of you men will go and flank them from the right and 4 will take the left. "

I would pick two men who were most experienced and appoint them leaders of those small groups and made sure they all held a bow and blade. I was to remain behind to give the enemy the idea of us still being here. It could cost me my life as I would be a decoy.

" The right side will go inside the woods as they will be covered by the treeline and will be able to get next to the enemy unseen, the left will go by the river and will be unseen because of the bay being higher then them. When both teams are there make sure both will shoot a fire arrow up in the air to know both have made there destination. " I held a moment of silent so they could coop the information given and seen them nod " I will remain here to play as a decoy and let them fire upon me and keep there eye's fixed upon me. When both of the teams are there point those arrows at them and make them surrender if they don't fire and make sure you can go home. Good Luck brothers. "

As the men packed and went there ways I would make sure the enemy still thinks were here and grabbed a bow and shot a arrow, having it answered by multiple arrows shooting back. I just kept firing and keep getting arrows back. The two teams would move closer and closer as me and the enemy were firing upon each other. I wasn't a good marksman so my arrows would not kill anybody but that wasn't the point. But at one moment it stopped and I got worried what if they had spotted those two teams.

I didn't even think twice and rushed into the open only to be greeded by arrows pointing my direction, damn I was foolish I fell for there trap and they released there arrows I could duck behind a large rock but I did fell a strong pain in my leg as I saw those arrows fly by and it seemed two arrows were hitting there mark in my right leg. I wasn't able to be mobile now and that was a great disadvantage. But before they could get close I heard words for surrender. It seems the two teams made it and forced the enemy to lower there weapons and surrender. As the battle was over and the enemy was taken and locked up the men walked up to me and thanked me witch was something I never had happen before.

I would be taken care for by my wounds and was seen as a man with courage that of a tiger. I did learn from it I think i did have a heart after all, but I was still foolish, brave but foolish these arrows could have killed me just because I had to play a hero.

(ooc: Maki isn't really a leader type so he kinda played the sacrifice card, I hope that it works for this because Maki isn;t gonna be a leader type anyway.)

[Takeda Shingen]

Kuroshi Maki: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - D

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Amidst the rain, another volley of arrows rained down on Kenji's unit, dropping more of his would-be companions. When the shower cleared, he counted ten left, including himself. The unit captain had been incapacitated as well, leaving the group without a commander. What a predicament...

Or it would be if this were real combat.

The training camp had resumed just today. Under the joint direction of the governor and the Mogami lord, the last task was to participate in a mock battle with a fellow group of soldiers. Twenty on twenty in pitched battle on a small field. As things stood, this battle in particular was not going in the favor of Kenji's group. Without their appointed captain, the other nine men were in disarray and left without an idea of how to proceed. To them, this situation was very real, and could happen in true war, yet none of them were able to conceive of a plan of action.

It seemed that Kenji had to be the one to take initiative. Poking his head over the wall, the mercenary took a few moments to survey the 'battlefield.' Both sides had pre-erected fortifications, which amounted to a meager 'fort' - four wooden walls - and a pair of 'towers' meant for archers to take advantage of. The enemy unit had all eight of their archers within the covered towers, nocking arrows for their next barrage, while eight of the remaining twelve men had positioned themselves outside of the fort in defensive posture. Their captain hid away in the fort with the last two soldiers. Smart. Meanwhile, two bowmen remained on Kenji's side, mixed in with the two spears and five swords as they resided in their fort, unsure of what should come next.

Kenji noticed that the enemy was now taking aim, and he turned toward his comrades, barking an order. "North wall! Flatten yourselves against it!" Startled at first, they quickly complied and rushed for the wall, as did the merc, just in time to hear the twang of the arrows. The eight drizzled down on the center of the fort, managing to hit no one. This gave Kenji's group a reprieve, and he took another moment to ponder what comes next. His gaze fell on the two northern archer towers. He happened to have two bowmen still standing, and there was enough cover up there to defend against the archer barrages if they kept their head down after firing. That would be a start.

"You two, split off and climb the towers. Pick off the soldiers outside the enemy fort, and duck between shots. Have arrows nocked while the enemy is returning fire, rise when they shoot, and aim quickly. Call out your hits." Without a word of dissent, the two marksmen nodded and ran for the ladders. Kenji was left with the seven footsoldiers, with whom he had an idea. "Four of you will exit via the southwestern and southeastern towers; mind the distance to the ground. Split into two and circle around the far side of the enemy fort, using the rain for cover. Ascend their northwestern and northeastern towers, then lie in wait for one minute. At that time, drop down and rush the opposing towers. Ignore the captain and his two guards, focus exclusively on their archers." The men similarly nodded, moving to begin their assignments. That left Kenji with three soldiers under his command.

"What should we do?"

"On my go, burst through the front and charge. Watch for arrow fire, and stick together."

With a group nod, they remained flat against the wall. By this time, their two archers had made it up the ladders and began shooting. Both called out 'kills' on their first shots, meaning six men remained outside. On the next attempt, only one claimed a kill, leaving five outside. His companion got nailed with an opposing arrow when trying to rise for his third shot. Bad timing, nothing more, nothing less. One archer left.

Kenji stilled his breathing, steeling himself for the peak of this skirmish. He counted the seconds in his head.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Fi--

"Hit!"

Kenji waved to the three men under him, then the group turned as one and rushed out the 'gate' of the 'fort'. Four enemy soldiers awaited them on the other end of the field, and the archers were just firing their next volley exclusively on the one archer remaining, none of the arrows making their mark. The four rushed hard, clearing the distance as fast as they could, adrenaline eagerly rocketing through their veins. Just a little further...

As Kenji's 'army' closed in on melee range, he loosed the first attack, his two bokken cleaving through the rain and simultaineously slamming into an opposing troop's head and ribs. He went down hard, Kenji turning to cross his weapons and block an overhead swing from a second man, whom was quickly taken down by two of his comrades. The remaining two enemies backed off toward the 'gate', and the archers finished taking aim. Kenji thought fast and dropped his weapons, lunging for the unconscious form of his victim and hauling him up to use as a meatshield. Two blunt arrows bounced off of his form, a couple more zipped by harmlessly, and the rest tried and failed to incapacitate Kenji's companions. A failed volley.

By this time, Kenji heard a battle cry coming from within the fort. The archers in both towers turned toward where he assumed their ladder was, and began to fall before the infiltration unit deployed earlier. They were no longer a threat. Two of Kenji's men rammed the gate and bashed it open, revealing a puzzled enemy captain and his two startled companions. Kenji dropped his shield, kicked both of his bokken back into his hands, and charged headlong at the three. He cleared the relatively short distance unhindered, save for the captain sending both of his aides ahead to stop the mercenary.

Holding nothing back, as if this were a real battle of blades and blood, Kenji flourished his twin bokken and dexterously struck aside the two soldiers' own wooden swords, leaving them open. He stepped in to thrust into one's chest, then took another step and swept an uppercut swing up into the second man's jaw. By all rights, they would be dead, both men slumping over to represent this fact. Kenji continued his advance on the last man standing: the enemy captain... Who dropped his weapon and raised his hands in defeat. A satisfying victory... Or as satisfying as it could be, considering the previous captain lost nine men before Kenji took over.

Still, it worked well enough.

[Chosokabe Nanami]

"Aye... oh boy..."

~* Nanami sat pinned down with the rest of her men behind cover as arrows constantly rained down upon them. Every now and then, the wood behind them would resonate with loud thuds, signifying that the enemy had let loose another volley. "I hate arrows..."

~* Half of their men had been defeated already, while the enemy group still had an astounding twenty men, not a single casualty had been taken by their side. Nanami cursed herself for allowing them to have such an advantage, even if this was a training exercise. No, the Chosokabe name did not allow her to have such a failure! She would not let this happen! Especially not to a group her father hired to test his pirates!

"Alright, boys. You ready to show these landlubbers what happens when you mess with pirates?"

~* The men cheered, and Nanami laid her cannons to the side. She took a stick, placing it to the dirt and began to draw in it while her men looked on to see what the girl had planned. "Now, while we're used to fighting from ships, we pirates can still kick ass on land. I'm gonna need four of you to go in each direction, sneaking around to either side of the enemy. Two of you will stay with me. Now, you boys will wait for my signal. I'm gonna start blasting away at them with my cannons, while you fire arrows from the sides. In the midst of their confusion, we'll charge like good old fashioned pirates and take 'em down!"

~* She beamed proudly while the men cheered, quietly shutting up once more arrows hit down on the wood. She grimaced in annoyance, and the men went on their merry way. She would wait, peeking out from behind the wood now and then to see when the men would get into position. Half an hour had passed, and several arrow volleys later, when she'd see her men on either side, waiting for her signal.

"Time to kick some booty."

~* Nanami jumped up from cover after the next volley, aiming her cannons and beginning to fire wildly. Cannonballs would soar at the enemy camp, crashing into the walls. The enemies ducked or jumped out of the way in a panic. At the same time, arrows would fly from either side as her men charged. Nanami placed her cannons on her back and drew her sword, charging forward with her two men as well. Soon, they were in the enemy camp, and having taken advantage of the confusion, would subdue each and every opponent without losing a single man. Several would charge at the pirate girl, but her superior speed made sure they never got a hit on her, and she would disarm them and point the blade to their throats. "Sorry, lad. You can't take me."

~* Soon, all the enemies were rounded up, surrendering to the Chosokabe pirates. Nanami was awfully proud of herself, deigning to report to Father the news of her success.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Chosokabe Nanami: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - C

[Oda Nobunaga]

Apologies for the tardiness.

Miyamoto Kenji: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - C

[Ikeda Keisuke]

"Damn it, what'll we do!? Half our forces was wiped out, and we're stuck here like sitting ducks!"

"This isn't good, and the arrows keep coming!"

"I don't wanna-"

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU! I CAN'T CONCENTRATE!"

The men immediately clamming up as Keisuke shouted at them, they would look at their leader in fright as they saw a look of deep concentration on his face, his brows furrowed. Above, the dull twang of arrows landing on the roof sheltering them would pour down like heavy rain, not letting up any time soon.

"Yeah... It just might work. Huddle round boys, I got me a plan."

Keisuke's unit company, comprised of his own men from the Date faction, had been taking part in a mock battle against an opposing unit company comprised of Lord Date's men, as per request of Lord Masamune himself. This mock-battle was not meant to test their experiences in fighting, but meant for them to work on their leadership skills and teamwork, and so far, Keisuke was not doing a stellar job. The remaining men left, himself included, pinned down from constant arrow fire, literally the only thing keeping them alive was the hut they managed to take shelter in.

"Here's what we're gonna do. Three of you will come with me, and we'll sneak through the forest to the left of this hut. Four of you will take the right side, and two of you will stay here, and fire arrows back, to keep the opposing unit occupied. We'll trap them in a pincer formation, and take them out. Keep your wits about you boys, this isn't gonna be a cakewalk, but if we manage it, Big Boss will be pretty pleased, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

Wasting not a single moment, the two soldiers that would remain back would get into formation, and on Keisuke's signal, would begin firing a rapid barrage of arrows, making it seem like the entire force was still there. Meanwhile, splitting up as instructed, three would go with Keisuke, while the other four went to the right. Moving quickly but quietly as possible, Keisuke would sneak up on the opposing force, and with the men completely occupied with firing back at what they thought was the remaining ten, on his signal, they would burst forth from the forest, on each side, and with an almighty swing of his hammer, would send three men flying into three other men, knocking them out instantly from the impact.

Keeping up the pressure, they would not allow the archers time to fire any arrows, taking them out as quickly as possible, Keisuke's hammer taking out a large chunk of their men, and soon the numbers had been reduced to just ten. With no chance given to aim and fire their arrows, reluctantly, the men placed their bows down, surrendering to Keisuke and his unit. Lord Masamune would be pleased to hear this.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Ikeda Keisuke: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - C

[Yoshiyuki Satsumaru]

Crimson eyes scanned the battlefield, a slight look of displeasure on Satsumaru's face. His armored frame stood tall, his arms firmly crossed as he surveyed the situation. Ten of his men remained compared to twenty of the enemy's own number. A heavy rain of arrows had "killed" ten of his men already. To Satsumaru, this was an embarrassment. Granted, it was only a mock battle, so outside factors had no play in the engagement, but he was a man who believed in the Art of War's text.

His men were clearly losing heart, expecting to be swept from the practice field in an embarrassing defeat. Satsumaru would not accept this. He had been hired by the daimyo to test his general's tactical prowess, and he would hardly let himself be simply brushed aside.

"Commander, we're pinned down. Half of our men have been dropped, and the enemy seems dug in," his subcommander related, more to himself and to try to press a response from Satsumaru than to actually tell the man what he already knew.

"Thus, the expert in battle moves his enemy and is not moved by him," the red-eyed ronin muttered with a wry grin.

"I beg your pardon, commander, but what in the scary, decrepit hell are you talking about?" the subcommander blurted out, visibly annoyed through his panic.

Raising his war fan, Satsumaru gestured to his remaining men.

From side to side, he swept his fan, ordering, "Myself and three others will feint at the enemy, falling back and using the trees as cover as soon as they unleash the first volley. We will then continue to fall back through cover. Three men will use that display as a distraction to move on the left and hold, while you take the remaining two and move to the right. You will both hold until I signal you."

Not waiting for a response or confirmation, Satsumaru moved forward and divided the men per his orders. As soon as they were prepared, he led his unit forward in a loud display. To the unfamiliar general, this seemed like a desparate blitz from a commander with no patience or options remaining. However, a greater plan was at work. As soon as the arrows touched the sky, Satsumaru's unit hid behind trees and waited for the hail to pass. Once it did, they ran away, giving a very convincing show of fleeing.

As he suspected, the overconfident general ordered his twenty men to give chase and crush them. Once they had crossed the intial location of Satsumaru's force, the long-haired commander gave a whistle and waved his war fan. Three men on either side flanked the daimyo's general, "cutting down" the general himself, his subcommander, and five other men. With another flash of his war fan, he and his distraction force reversed direction and met the incoming attackers with their weapons. If it had been a real battle, it would've been a bloodbath.

A mere two of Satsumaru's men fell, yet the entirety of the twenty men led by his opponent were defeated. As requested, the strategist not only displayed his own prowess, but showed the daimyo where his own men were lacking. Yet, despite this victory, he regarded the loss of twelve men as a defeat. Victory should be overwhelming, not self-destructive...

[Oda Nobunaga]

Yoshiyuki Satsumaru: +3 Wis

Proficiency: Leadership - C

[Chimosa Hake]

Somehow, his victory over the bandits had drawn the attention of one of the many small time daimyos in Shimotsuke and an invitation had been extended towards the man who had defeated the bandits to visit the castle of the daimyo and enjoy the splendor. More at the advice of the elders than out of any desire to go, Hake had accepted the invitation. The trip had been horrid, a trial for Chimosa Hake and his frail body. The pillows had done nothing to ease the bumping of the wagon on the road. At least the wagon had been nice.

The invitation had quickly turned into a challenge as one of the Daimyo's retainers had found some reason to be offended by Hake. Now here they were in the middle of a mock town, barely ten buildings, in a mock battle of 40 men. Hake had not had a good start. A sudden fit of coughing had caused him to collapse. A matter of seconds later, they had been showered with arrows from the other team and half of Hake's unit had gone down. Well, they had been hit and had grudgingly laid down on the ground. Even now 'the dead' where complaining about Hake being the reason they would lose the battle and lose face at the same time.

Holed up in a house, Hake had was trying to visualize what he remembered of the village after having seen it while riding to it. They were in one of the far houses, the enemy somewhere on the other side. Most of his archers were dead so he'd have no cover from those. The ten men remaining were looking at him or looking out for the enemy. The buildings were set up in an odd fashion for a village, most likely designed by some retainer who had never set foot outside of the castle. But it worked in his favor. Hake looked up at the men surrounding him and used one of them to pull himself on his feet.

"We're a touch outnumbered but I've got an idea." He pointed at the two remaining archers of his troop. "Gather the bows from outside, please." As the two archers gathered up the bows and arrows from 'the dead', who handed them their stuff, Hake looked over the eight remaining troops. "One of you will taunt them and pull back. We'll let them pass four of us, who will clash into their flanks as they pass. The rest of you will be on the rooftops with the bows. Who are the two best fighters here? Who is the fastest runner and who are the three worst archers?"

Hake looked around as hands went up, some quickly, the proud runner and the two best fighters, others slowly, the three worst archers. Some of the men chuckled at the sight and got a few friendly punches in return. Hake moved down to the ground, balancing himself with one hand while the other drew his plan. "Just outside, there's three houses towards the enemy. The last one from here will be occupied by the archers on the roof. In between the last one and the middle one we will keep the two fighters and the two non-archers." Hake passed a glance to the bad archers to see their reaction to his naming. At the same time he looked at their faces to make sure people knew what he was talking about.

"One of you will stay with me in between the first houses, here, and take on the frontal charge. This is where the runner will stop and turn to fight. Once five or six men have passed, the two groups of fighters, here and here, will pincer the enemy, cutting them in two. The archers will focus purely on the back end of the enemy. Drive them away from the pincer attack. Shoot close to the their middle first and then outward towards the end." Hake stopped again to regard his ten soldiers. It seemed they understood his plan. "That should do it."

A few minutes later, the runner headed out towards the enemy, moving slowly as he scouted around every corner. The archer were lying down on the rooftop of the house, ready to get up and fire. The two fighter teams disappeared each in their alley and the last soldier stood next to Hake at the end of the road, just outside of their makeshift HQ. Unarmed, Hake stood behind the soldier as he tried to keep himself from swaying too much, already his breathing was ragged and he hadn't even started exerting himself yet.

The attack came but a moment after the runner passed the corner. The sound of stomping feet rounded the corner and the faster ones of the enemy army came in sight. Two at first then three and five and eight and ten and then they were all in the alley. As soon as five enemies had passed the pincer, the four warriors ran out of their respective alleys, clashing into the side of the enemy, killing several enemies and cutting their forces in two. The archers seemed to sprout up out of nowhere and rained death on the surprised forces.

The insulted retainer went down under the first arrow barrage, a good choice of whoever had killed him. The four fighters in the middle turned towards the main host, one of them turning to help dispatch the six they had cut off. With two on six, the enemy seemed rather smug as they advanced further. When the fourth man from the pincer cut two down from behind and clashed with a third, the smug looks disappeared as they found themselves outmatched in skill. The remaining enemies were cut down quickly and the fighter, runner and non-archer turned towards the enemy, reinforcing their friends. Hake halted the non-archer before he could run off too far.

Hake could see one of his troops had fallen in the pincer and two, combined with the four archers from above, where hard pressed on keeping the remaining enemies at bay. With the sudden burst of the other two reinforcing the wall, the enemy was pushed back. The last three enemies attempted to retreat as a fourth turned and fired an arrow straight for Hake. The non-archer Hake had appointed to himself jumped in between him and the arrow and took it right in the chest as two arrows hit the archer who had fired it. The remaining three troops were hunted down by an overzealous force of seven troops already cheering their victory on.

All in all, everything ended well. The Daimyo was glad to see even women could win a fight if they set their minds to it. He ordered his retainer to be satisfied with the results of the mock battle and allowed Hake to leave his castle after they had shared some tea. Not one to offend, Hake had accepted and had willed himself through the dreadful company of the man. How on earth did a man like him get to be a Daimyo?

Later during the day as preparations were made for Hake's departure,he was approached by the twenty men he had commanded. The ten who had died in the first archer barrage and had complained about Hake being a nuisance and a bother approached the wagon he had been lent for the way back. "We would like to apologize for our behavior." The other ten men behind them were poking and prodding their friends while laughter was building up within them. Hake extended a hand and one of the more courteous men helped him get off the wagon. Without much pomp or scene he grabbed the man's head in his hands and kissed him soundly on the cheek. The laughter stuck in the men's throats as Hake grabbed the next closest one and kissed him on the cheek as well.

"I'm sorry you died because of me." He spoke with a soft, velvet voice before smiling at them. The man who had sacrificed himself for Hake pushed his friends aside as he moved to the front. With a dark red blush on his face he looked at Hake. With the same absence of pomp and scene, Hake leaned forward and kissed the man on the lips, gently, and retreated quickly. The nine remaining men in the back looked a touch jealous as Hake turned back to the wagon. Behind his back, the two kissed, 'dead' men held the cheek he had kissed. His savior wasn't sure what to do. Without too much trouble, Hake managed to climb aboard the wagon once more. Under loud hooting, shoving and shoulder slapping, the twenty troops stepped back from the wagon as they congratulated their fellow soldiers on such 'a heroic death for such a beauty'. Under general laughter from the men, the soldiers went back to their own barracks as the wagon sat itself in motion.