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Post by Chimosa Hake on Apr 8, 2014 17:37:10 GMT -7
As Hake finished his battle plan, he looked around the room. Several of the elders were also bent over the map as they looked at Hake's strategies. It seemed do-able. While some of them had questions, most of them kept them to themselves. There was a sense of haste to it all and nobody wanted to waste time with unimportant questions. They knew Hake by now and they knew that he was capable and successful in what he did. Nobody made a question or a comment and Hake stepped back from the map. Together with the elders, he walked out of the council house and into the main square of the village, where people were frantically running back and forth. The first carts and refugees were heading out the south side of the village, fleeing to nearby villages where they would remain safe for a while.
From the south, the sound of hooves could be heard and one of the two scouts Hake had sent forward arrived in a gallop, almost falling off his horse as he tried to stop the beast on the square. It was panting and sweating and its eyes looked wild and frightened. Whatever the scout had to report was important. Hake, supported by Gentarou-San, approached the scout who immediately burst out with his report. "There's a column of riders coming from the north. They wear the same armor as the army behind them, about thirty of them. They'll be here in half an hour or so." The news took the elders back, who started to murmur amongst each other while passing glances towards the north.
"Were they part of the initial numbers counted? Could you tell how they were equipped?" The scout seemed confused for a moment, he wasn't professionally a scout, just a good rider. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure. I think they are part of the group, yes." Once Hake had his answers, he turned to the elders and gave them their commands. "Same plan. We will let them storm down main street and towards the square, once they are halted at the barricade we will determine their intent. Should it prove to be that they are here to kill and conquer, we will go with the same battle plan. Try your best to keep the horses alive. We might need them later."
Hake had someone shout for the lead carpenter and for the lead hunter, two men who would be important to their trap. He quickly explained the situation and gave them their orders. The carpenters would create a grate of sharpened wooden stakes that they could pull up in front of the horses, causing them to impale on the spikes, creating chaos at the front and halting the rest of the charging cavalry. The huntsman he informed to recruit the best archers in town, out of everyone, not just the ones willing to stay and defend. Whether they were men, women or children didn't matter. They would need everyone here.
The time before the cavalry arrived moved past quickly and the preparations went under hurry. Wooden spikes were cut and tied together in a grid. They were placed in front of the barricades, were Hake would await the enemy, and at the entrance of the town, were the carpenter and his men would be positioned. pointing inward, covered with sand. Both grids of spikes were mostly hidden from sight, just some wood sticking out of the sand, together with ropes lying around. Things you'd expect from a badly run village where nobody really cared.
Once the preparations were done, even in a hurry the spikes looked dangerous, Hake divided the volunteers and the draftees into teams. All of the women and children were positioned on the roofs with bows and slings and large objects they could throw. The hunters were split into two group, overlooking the main street near the middle. From there they could fire on the head and the tail of any force in the street. There were three large groups of volunteers spread out along the main road and a fourth group with Hake, behind the barricades, from where they could raise the spikes when needed. The last pincer group would close up behind the enemy and keep them from retreating with the spikes as well. The other two groups would charge in from the sides, as planned, with long handled weapons, keeping the riders at bay while the rooftop teams took care of everything. With everything in place, Hake paced back and forth in his position, waiting for the last few minutes to pass by. A shout from the edge of town informed him it was time.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Apr 8, 2014 0:10:59 GMT -7
With the enemy crashing into them, Hake had no choice but to jump into battle himself. While he didn't really do any jumping, Hake did step forward and thrust his hand forward. The sword hidden within his sleeve shot out towards the incoming bandits, the ones that managed to get through the initial arrow fire. His blade danced in the air in front of him as the young man slashed at the bandits, keeping them at bay and, if lucky enough, killing a few of them. As he fought them off the two melee teams on both sides, which had been at the gates the moment the enemy broke out started to flank the bandits.
As Hake parried and blocked bandit attacks, his archers, given a moment due to their leader's valiant defense drew more arrows and started firing into the bandits from almost point blank range. As the soldiers and the remaining volunteers pushed towards him, Hake's troops formed a solid line just outside the gate, forcing the enemy through the literal choke point there. The smoke of the fire was making both seeing and breathing difficult for both sides as the wind pushed it towards the inside of the compound.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Apr 3, 2014 16:21:15 GMT -7
Hake's villager volunteers brought axes down on the wooden gate that protected the bandits inside while the bowmen covered the wall above them. Two of his men lay dead on the ground while the soldiers did their best to rally the few men they had. Hake sighed. If only the hunters had responded to the call... and the lumberjacks... and the villagers in general. But it seemed they rather submitted and died then lift a single finger to... Hake pushed away the thought as his anger was starting to cloud his thinking. "Don't open the gate, just weaken it and wait. Archers focus fire on the gate. When it opens, fire at will." Once his archers were ready, aiming for the gate, Hake ordered the gate opened.
"Push the gates open, just a moment. Fire through it. Make sure you can pull the gates close again. We don't want to get riddled with arrows." Hake had two people on the gate, to open and close it, two soldiers, on one each side of the gate, their shields up to protect the gate people and then four archers, ready to fire everything they had the moment the gate opened.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Apr 2, 2014 16:28:04 GMT -7
The moment the smoke started thickening and was blown towards the gate guards, blinding their vision and making them unable to breathe properly, Hake ordered his archers forward. "Take out the enemy archers on top of the gate first. Soldiers, volunteers, remain in front of the archers and protect them from anyone coming at them." Hake himself remained between the archers and the front row, moving along with them as the arrows started flying over his head towards the distracted guards.
As there would probably be more enemies coming towards them the moment the smoke was noticed, Hake made sure his men knew to prepare for them. "Eyes towards the top of the wall. Shoot anyone who comes in sight. Don't die." On the right of them, where the hay bales were burning, it looked like the wind was whipping up the fire even more. If they were lucky, the wooden wall surrounding the mill would catch fire as well, blocking off the enemies coming over the wall from their right.
If they reached the wall without casualties, Hake would order the men to bring it down as quick as possible, leaving the soldiers, each with a few volunteers and the bowmen to protect the workers and fight off anyone coming on the wall to stop them. With his little force at his command, Hake was sure that a lot of them would die before this was over. The enemy had been able to put 3 archer guards on each gate of the mill's wall. Who knew how many of them would remain inside still. Perhaps the smoke would get some of those inside as well, making their breach easier.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 31, 2014 18:27:21 GMT -7
Hake was glad to know the woman would take care of the money. Even if she decided to keep the money for herself, like most people would do, Hake knew the money went to the right place. Whether it paid the woman who saved his life or the family who provided him with the food and place to rest to recover didn't matter. He just hoped the woman was honest enough. He waited for a moment as Jina counted the money into her own purse, making sure she didn't miss anything. He smiled when she promised to put in a good word for him should he ever want to join the Date. It wasn't a bad deal, having a person on the inside who knew you enough to vouch for you.
"I will keep that in mind, Jina-san. I am ever in your debt. If you're ever near Shimotsuke and looking for help, you can always find me there. And, if you ever feel like fighting for someone besides the Date..." Hake smiled at the woman, leaving her to finish his sentence. While he didn't doubt her loyalty to the Date cause, you never knew how the future might turn out. With that, Hake bowed deeply to the woman that saved his life and brought him to this place, from where he could return home again.
"Zaj Djan." While his chinese was quite bastardized, he returned the greeting to Jina before turning away from her. Trudging through the snowy streets of the village, Hake went to look for a place to stay. First, some sake, to warm up and forget that he almost died in the middle of nowhere with nobody knowing any better. Second, arrange transportation homeward. Third, make sure everything was still fine in Shimotsuke after his extended absence there. Not that the people in Shimotsuke weren't able to take care of things on their own.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 31, 2014 3:13:52 GMT -7
As Gabriella stood up, so did Hake. "Of course, of course. It was a most interesting experience, Gabreela-san. I thank you for it." Hake returned the bow to the woman and let her leave. Drinking the last of the jug on his own, Hake pondered over the fight, letting it move on repeat through his mind. It had been a good one, evenly matched forces and, apparently, evenly matched strategists. He had only barely won at the end. The Totomi troops had been impressive.
Hake paid for the two jugs from his winnings and stood up, feeling the world spin a little as he did. It was not the best feeling but it sure beat a pounding and stabbing headache. A little unsteady on his feet, Hake walked down the street, looking for a place to stay the night. Tomorrow would be a resting day and the day after, if nothing came up, Hake would be off again. His vacation was but those few short days, a luxury compared to most people. Hake smiled at nobody in particular, swaying a little from side to side as he moved down the street.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 29, 2014 16:36:33 GMT -7
(OOC: edited the name in my previous post)
Hake stood near the edge of the training field, watching the men practice their maneuvers and mounted combat. It was a normal training set this time, no special instructions. But it was always nice to see them practice. When you couldn't do something yourself, watching other people do it made it all the more impressive. Hake remained near the field for a time but it seemed the rider wasn't present today. With no real reason to stay longer, as they weren't go to train any difficult maneuvers or show off anything interesting. What had he said? A courier. He was probably busy with work.
Hake, having watched a few hours of the morning away, turned back from the training field and towards the town once more. With less time today for personal time, Hake walked back, slowly, towards the inn they were staying in. There would be more meetings, more horse traders trying to rip them off as best they could and more deals to be made. The rider would have to wait until later, possibly tomorrow.
On his way back home, Hake passed the shop where he had eaten the dango with the rider. Hesitating for a moment, Hake walked in the shop and ordered himself a dango on the go, holding the small cup with one hand while savoring the Dango from his other hand. As Hake set out again, equipped with his morning sweets, he could already feel the exhaustion of simply walking to the training field and back.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 28, 2014 17:50:43 GMT -7
Hake slowly walked away from the rider, stopping and turning to him, bowing deeply towards him. "Thank you for the company. It was most interesting." Hake smiled as he got up and then remembered he hadn't paid for the food yet. Walking back to the bench they had been sitting on, Hake took out the money for the food and the tea and left it on the wooden makeshift bench they had been sitting on.
It had been a good first day so far. He had learned quite a bit from the military training he had managed to watch and the rider, Yamabara-san, an interesting person. One he could use to learn more of the Takeda and their horses. Maybe he would be able to attend some more drills during his stay here. While they didn't have a lot of time in the Takeda lands, Hake was going to make sure he would have time enough for his interests.
While the business meeting in the afternoon went well, it took much longer than expected and Hake was unable to get any sort of notification out to Yamabara-san. The horse traders were a difficult bunch, overpricing from the start and claiming to be giving them good deals. The moment Hake saw the actual horses he knew, compared to Gokaze, these horses were nothing more than farm animals. A quick hint towards the other members of their party, Hake helped to direct the negotiations from behind the scenes, sort of speak, as he was in plain sight. By the time they finished their meeting, the sun had already set and the Shimotsuke trade envoy decided to stay in and prepare for another day of trading in the morning.
After waking up in the morning, Hake realized that he had no actual information on the rider, apart from his name, and that he had no idea where to find him. With nothing else for it, Hake took a light breakfast and dressed up to go out, heading straight for the training fields. If he was lucky, he would catch Yamabara-san with the troops again and he could learn something from them. If he wasn't lucky, nobody would be there and he'd have to wait there or wander around town for a bit. While he wasn't really worried about all the soldiers around due to the sword hidden up his sleeve, Hake constantly cast nervous glances around as he walked towards the training field.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 27, 2014 17:38:13 GMT -7
Hake turned to the man as he spoke. Great, an outsider who seemed to want to question his orders. Somehow, Hake felt offended by the man, simply for asking the question. Hake accounted his sharpness to the fact that his town was about to be attacked by an actual army. Not a bunch of bandits thinking them weak or a neighboring town bent on stealing their cattle and rice. No, an army bent on killing everyone here, most likely. "And your name was?" Hake's voice, while still carrying that melodious tone to it, also carried a sharp undertone with it. Hake nodded as the man gave him his name.
But, at the same time, the man had been the only one to question Hake's orders. Everybody else had just started working at his commands while this one hadn't. Perhaps he could be of use to Hake. "Follow me." Hake turned around and walked away, not checking to see if the man was following him. While it would have been more impressive if he had been able to walk with the speed of a normal, fit young man of his own age, Hake did manage the 'I don't care if you follow me' attitude quite well. He walked straight into the council house, where a map of the town and its surroundings lay outstretched on a table.
Hake turned and waited for the man to walk in as well. If he did, Hake would bend over the table with the map on it and put his finger down on the council house. "This is where we are." His finger moved in a circle around the open space outside of the council house. "This is the main square. We're barricading it now, a makeshift castle, if you will." Hake's finger moved across the map, following a long line that crossed the map and the square in the middle. "This is the main road through town, which the enemy will take to get to us." Hake's finger pointed to two separate spaces outside of town, on both sides of the main road, here little weeds had been drawn on the map. "These are rice paddies, stretching out left and right of the main road, forming a natural defense against enemies. Would you prefer to wade through rice fields or quickly march along a road while approaching an enemy town?" Without waiting for an answer, Hake's fingers moved back to the main road where it started to cut into town.
"The enemy will walk in here, thinking themselves superior to us. They are superior to us. But they underestimate us because we are but farmers and peasants in their minds." Hake moved his finger along the main road on the map until he reached the square. "Here, we will stop the enemy with the barricades. This will be the most dangerous fighting as the soldiers here will see us and be ready for us." His finger poked several houses along the main road as he moved away from the square. "Here, here, here and here and here we will position archers on the roofs, in hiding, to strike when the enemy has halted."
Once again he pointed along the road, this time to the alleys leading up to the main road. "There, there and there we will hide away forces to pincer the enemy from both sides, cutting him into several pieces. And confusing him. And kill him." With his hand, Hake chopped the imagined forces into pieces. "From there we push up to the town edge, each pincer attack waiting to push forward for the others to catch up with them." Hake's finger pointed to the main square and slide along the main road to the first pincer group, where he poked the map and then slid further along the road to the second one, where he poked once more and moved further up to the third one. "Questions or comments?" Hake spoke without any pride in his voice. However successful his strategy, people would still die because of it.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 27, 2014 17:18:20 GMT -7
While it was in no way reassuring to have someone tell you that even the people supposed to keep the peace were a danger to people, it was to be expected from a city occupied by a military force. The men figured they could do as they wanted whenever nobody was looking and from there things only got out of hand. People would need to be hurt before the higher ups would take notice and react. And by then it was already too late for some people. Hake shook his head. "I'll be sure to keep a look out and not be caught in back alleys alone. Thank you."
Hake had taken a mental note of some of the shops that had been mentioned, as well as a good place to eat. As they came closer to the gates of the city, Hake looked at Jina, who seemed to show a touch of negativity there. "Jina-san. You never know where life might take us. Maybe next time we meet, your dragon might have commanded you to attack down south and take all the unclaimed lands in Mutsu, Shimotsuke and Shimosa. In these times nothing is certain. But, yes, there is something you could still help me with. I'd like to pay the family for letting me stay there. I was hoping, perhaps, you could bring it to them on your next patrol?"
Hake reached inside of his coat and clothes and lifted out a small pouch, from which he started to count a small sum of money, not much but probably more than what he would have to pay if he had simply lived with the family for those five days they had been there. "It's the only thing I can do for them." He said as he held the money out to woman soldier of Date.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 27, 2014 17:10:20 GMT -7
Hake sipped the rest of his cup of sake. As he lifted the jug up to refill their cups he noticed he felt light headed and a little off balance. It brought a smile to his lips as he poured them both another cup of sake. It would be the last one for Hake for now. Gabriella's alternate strategy was quite a good one in fact, to ambush the enemy force. It would have provided them with the element of surprise that so often changed a battle around.
"Yes. I would have done the same. Prepare an ambush and have it spring with the enemy in the middle of it, possibly even cutting the enemy into three parts. One third already through the trap, one third not yet in the trap and a third right in the middle of it. And then split up my forces outward after taking care of the trapped third. Than half my troops would fight a third of your troops on two fronts while under fire from the archers."
Hake had set up the two jugs and her sake cup on the table in a sort of column, illustrating with her hands how her troops would move and how the sake enemy would react to those movements. He had squashed the middle jug with both hands and then had pushed outwards towards the cup on one side and the other jug on the other side. "Total victory." Hake smiled and downed her last cup of sake. At least the headache had been dampened enough now. But Hake knew that tomorrow would probably bring a different kind of headache.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 27, 2014 4:33:31 GMT -7
Hake sipped his tea and listened to Shou speak. It was pleasant to share time with the man, Hake had decided to think of Shou as a man, and to learn of his view on the world. She chuckled as Shou mentioned the horses pulling the carriage he used to travel in. "I know that. But they are far enough away and I'll be inside of a carriage. There's no need for panic then. But up close, where they can bite you. Or kick you. No thanks." Hake shook his head, causing his hair to wave left and right as he did. He smiled all the while before sipping some more of his tea.
"Hmm, hmm... Look at the time. I probably should be getting back. Business, you see. Maybe..." Hake let it trail as he took a moment to think. Why not? Nothing would be gained by not doing it anyway. "Maybe you could take me for a ride later? I always feel safer when I'm on top..." While it was obvious what Hake was talking about the implied innuendo and the wink she gave Shou might give the rider a different idea of what his newest acquaintance was talking about.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 27, 2014 1:37:05 GMT -7
Hake downed the cup of sake after their toast. Somehow, the world Gabriella had used sounded a little odd and Hake tried to speak it for himself. "Saude. Saudé?" Listening to himself say the word, Hake giggled softly and hid his mouth quickly behind his sleeved hand, trying to stop it. "Sorry, Gabreela-san. It just sounds funny. Saude." Hake could tell the sake was starting to make a fool out of him but he managed to suppress the thought. It mattered not. He had won the fight and, as the victor, he was entitled to some silliness.
When Gabriella explained her initial set up to Hake together with the gun shot, Hake's mind turned alert again and focused on what was being said. Clever tactic. Hake was impressed by the woman's quick grasp of the situation and reaction to it. Most men might have done something stupid, like attack head on or retreat from a easily defensible location like the alleys. But Gabriella had not.
"Well, it was really just a two way split and then I positioned one company somewhat exotically. It helps to surprise the enemy when they can't understand how your formation works." Hake shrugged and reached for his sake cup, without lifting it off the table. "I knew from the start the main road would be a death trap. You could have taken out a third of my force there before I would have even seen you. So I moved to the alleys, splitting up my force for a pincer. It was a gamble, as you could have had your entire force on one side and it would have crushed both sides of the pincer in turn, one before the other could reach it to support. But in the end it paid off, no?" Hake smiled and glanced at the pouch of money on the table.
"Now, in hindsight, knowing what you know, what would you have done differently after the initial spotting of the enemy troops?"
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 27, 2014 1:27:02 GMT -7
Hake took a dango ball from the wooden spike it was on and chewed thoroughly as she looked at Shou. It seemed there was something there, in the way he said 'Courier'. Hake hoped he hadn't been offended by anything he had said. But it mattered not as the conversation moved back to Shou's horse Gokaze. So the horse was indeed a male horse. That was good to know. Hake smiled at Shou's remark about checking it without insulting anyone.
"I see. So you travel a lot then, as a courier? Must be quite a life, moving between places all the time. Such adventure." Hake did his best to ignore the upcoming memory of almost freezing to death in the snow or the multiple bandit fights he had fought so far. His own life was far from boring when he looked it over. But it wasn't of any consequence to mention it to this half stranger still.
Hake looked at Shou for a moment, trying to determine if he was joking about Hake's fear for horses or not. With a shrug and a soft, melodious chuckle, Hake discarded the thought. "They're just so big. I mean, look at me. I'm afraid I'll break if they so much as snort too loud in my direction." Hake looked himself over as he pointed one half eaten dango stick in his own direction. "No, it might not be easy travel but I prefer a carriage for moving around." Perhaps Hake could get himself a chariot, like in the ancient days, with a comfortable chair on it. That would certainly cut down on travel costs and travel times.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 25, 2014 21:13:04 GMT -7
Hake listened to Gabriella's words as she learned a little more about her adversary. It seemed like the woman had her own set of problems, on top of being a foreigner and a woman in a man's world. Some people just didn't seem to catch a break. The sake cups were refilled after Gabriella emptied hers, Hake made sure that the cups stayed full. It was in both his own interest to do so and it seemed like Gabriella could use it. With a smile, Hake lifted her small cup and held it up for Gabriella to toast to it. "Here's to kind men who help us out. Kanpai!" He spoke softly, reminded of the old Gentarou-san who helped him out when he first arrived as a stranger in his town.
With a wave towards the waitress, Hake ordered another jug as she emptied the first one out in Gabriella's cup. "I'm always up for practice, although you'd have to give me enough warning. The message has to go all the way to Shimotsuke first and then I need to travel here so it might take a bit of time." Hake smiled before suddenly erupting in a bout of coughing so strong he had to lean on the table as he tried to gasp breaths between coughing. When it finally ended, Hake managed half a smile. "That one went down the wrong throat."
"I have to ask, back to the spar, how did you set your men up first? And what was the gunshot for? That startled me quite a bit." Guns were not allowed in practices like these, due to the inability of guns to not wound or kill people when fired correctly. Hake remembered the shot and the chilling that had moved across his back thinking of the troops firing on their own with live ammo. But that had not been the case, which Hake had found out near the end.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 25, 2014 21:03:50 GMT -7
Hake was glad his host was so accommodating. He smiled at Shou as they walked away from the stables and in the general direction of the town. "That's good to hear. I'd love to talk more about it. You spend a lot of time on horseback then? Being a Takeda." Hake, like most of the inhabitants of remote areas, thought the Takeda as being born on horseback and never to leave it. Finding Shou walking next to him broke one of those silly childhood ideas, leaving a hint of sadness in Hake's mind.
"I haven't had anything to eat yet and it was a long trip to come here. Would you like to share a late breakfast, or early lunch, if you will, with me? I'm up for something... dango." Hake pondered his choice of food for a moment, tapping an absent finger on his cheek before coming up with the answer, making it sound as if it was a great discovery. "Would you like some green tea and dango, Yamada-san?" Hake offered sweetly, teasing her new acquaintance.
Hake walked to one of the side road food shops you could find in any village, offering all manner of foods, from Hake's dango sweets to noodles to crispy crickets or still wriggling fish and seafood, depending on the area you were in there might even be some local delicacies. Hake ordered for himself two portions of the sweet rice flour dumplings and a pot of green tea before sitting himself down on the long wooden crate that seconded as a bench in front of the shop. From here, they could talk while observing the comings and goings of the town. "So, horses. Gokaze is your first horse then? Or have you had different ones before him? Her? I don't even know. How rude of me to not have asked."
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 25, 2014 17:23:50 GMT -7
It was good for Hake to hear that they were almost there, even if only until the next time he could hear it. When finally the road seemed to end in a city on the horizon. Hake let out a deep breath and nodded, leaning on his staff. There seemed to be somewhat of a spring in his step with their goal finally physically in sight and he pushed on, pulling himself up on his stick with every step. "You've been lucky indeed. Usually soldiers aren't known for their manners." The remark about her husband confused Hake for a bit but he remained silent about it.
As they walked closer to the city, Hake turned once more to Jina, finding himself with more energy than before. "What can you tell me about the city? Any places I should avoid or somewhere I have to go first? Where should I go or who should I talk to in order to secure passage back home?" Hake hoped to gain some information from the woman before reaching the city as it would allow him to move with more purpose through the city once there. It would save a lot of time for Hake. He hoped he hadn't been written off as deceased by the village. Well, he hoped they hadn't sold his stuff yet, as that might create some problems upon returning.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 25, 2014 1:23:06 GMT -7
Hake listened to Gabriella's story as he poured himself some sake as well, emptying the small cup as was required. The sake brought a warmth to his body that seemed to sink down the middle of his chest to his stomach, where it spread out from there. It was a good feeling, as it also helped to take off some of the edges that Hake's illness brought to life. It was interesting to learn that Gabriella looked at the men under her command as people she should get to know, a point of view completely opposite to Hake's, who kept a distance from them so that when she would need to send them to their death in order to secure victory, it wouldn't hurt him so much.
When the conversation shifted to the local Daimyo, Hake was surprised to hear the man being so kind. All she had heard was that he was some sort of Demon who slaughtered enemies by the hundreds. He had single handedly killed two armies at the same time to take over control of the Totomi lands. It was nice to know the locals looked differently at their lord. "I don't really know where I learned it. I just happened upon it. I settled in a small farmer town near the Uesugi borders, an accident, really, and one day there was a bandit attack. Nobody knew what to do so people went with my idea. And we won. And I guess from there it just got more and more official every time I solved a problem for them." Hake half shrugged, brushing off his list of achievements away as if they meant nothing to him.
"I came across your notice only by sheer luck. The carriage that brought me here stopped outside of town, rather than in the center, so when I walked in I saw it. I didn't really think it through, just approaching a stranger like that. But it turned out quite well in the end." Hake smiled as he rested his head against his left hand, placing his thumb on the side of his jaw and his index and middle finger against the side of his forehead, pressing onto the temple there. The oncoming headache was starting to pain Hake to a point where it became visible on his face. "More Sake?" Hake said as he lifted the jug up to refill Gabriella's cup. He definitely needed more.
"You mentioned joining the Totomi because of someone else. Who was this person that you followed them into something as major as this? He must have been quite handsome, no?" Hake chuckled, trying to hide the pain in his head behind his melodious laughter before emptying another cup of sake.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 25, 2014 1:09:40 GMT -7
Hake smiled apologetically. Horses were indeed not for him, at least not from up close. At a distance, however, controlled by strategy and command flags or drums, horses were an invaluable asset. A cavalry charge could make or break an entire army if placed properly. And at the moment, the force Hake served in right now, didn't have any professional soldiers at all, let alone professionally trained cavalry. Breathing a little easier as they moved further away from the horses, Hake seemed to calm down again. "It's a shame, really. But horses are important to everyone so I was hoping to get some experience with them, even as remotely as the experience I got just now." Hake smiled.
When Shou started talking about taking care of horses, Hake's mind tried to form some equations for the food requirements and the costs that would go into those requirements. A cavalry unit would require double or triple the amount of grain a footsoldier did because of the horse that needed feeding as well. "While they might cost more, they also cut down other costs. If you deliver a message on foot, you need to pay for three days of food, water and lodging. If you go on horse you need to pay for food and water for one day for both man and horse, most likely saving you time and money." Hake refrained from mentioning horses in any way military, not wanting to put Shou on a mental path that would lead him to think Hake was only interested in horses from a military point of view.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 24, 2014 17:28:13 GMT -7
Hake was glad for the stop, his panting having reached a dangerous level. He was feeling light headed from the lack of proper oxygen he was getting and he leaned against a tree, using it for support, as he caught his breath. When the oncoming faint seemed to subside, Hake sat himself down on a fallen tree, after brushing the snow off of it. The moment he sat down he could feel the tree soaking the back of his cloak, robe and underlying clothes. He was particularly glad for the small fire, even though the wind and the general coldness of the area lowered its effectiveness.
"I'm sure that those are two good reasons not to get any ideas in a man's head. Have you needed them very often? Outside of actual fights, I mean." Hake smiled as he rubbed his hands together before hiding them deep within his opposing sleeves again. At least in there they were protected from the initial cold. When it seemed Hake had recovered mostly from the wait, they headed out again, trudging further through the snow.
On the road, Hake found himself a somewhat straight piece of old wood that now doubled as his walking stick. It was about the same length as him and it helped quite a bit in keeping up a somewhat faster pace. Although the hand that was holding the staff was freezing, the rest of Hake's body seemed warmer from the exercise. The panting of his breath quickly returned but Hake, already used to it always being there, simply moved further along the road, walking next to Jina. His talking became less and he grew quiet since talking only used up energy Hake didn't have to spare.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 24, 2014 17:19:10 GMT -7
Hake watched the rider, who seemed more male by the minute, run up to the horse and bring it over to Hake, introducing the horse as Gokaze. Hake, impressed by the horse's size from up close, stood back a little, afraid. He smiled at the horse and at Shou but remained at a distance. When Shou joked about the horse being gentle most of the time, Hake took an involuntary step backwards, making sure the horse wouldn't be able to get him without having to step forward.
Hake was glad when they left for the stables but it only lasted a moment until he noticed that the horse was walking after them. "Yamada-san. Your horse is following us." Hake took small, quick steps in order to get next to Shou, all the while sending glances over his shoulder towards the horse. "I don't think he likes me much." Hake said, coughing softly as he tried to ignore the horse behind him.
When the smell of horses hit Hake's nose, he stopped. Without thinking, Hake brought his hand in front of his mouth, covering half of his face with the large sleeve of his outfit. While it did nothing to really block the smell, it gave Hake the idea of it. "This is quite... the odor." Hake coughed again, this time in the sleeve covering his face already. Finding himself trapped between the incredible smell of horses and Gokaze behind him, eyeing him with those mean eyes of his, Hake was at a loss. He passed a pleading glance towards Shou, hoping he would understand that Hake wasn't in his element here and save him the embarrassment of having to ask if they could leave.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 24, 2014 6:28:37 GMT -7
Hake pocketed the pouch of money somewhere deep within one of his sleeves as he motioned for Gabriella to lead the way to the nearest Sake place. As the local, Gabriella would be better suited to determine the best place quality and price wise. "I'm sure we both thought we were going to win." Hake smiled as she followed after the woman. It was difficult to see the town as a normal village town now, after having dissected it with a strategic point of view. The soldiers had gathered themselves up as best they could and were marching towards the barracks, Hake presumed.
"Gabreela-san, how did you get in this type of job? And out here of all places? It isn't easy for women to get to a position such as yours. Any tips?" Hake smiled and winked at the woman as he did his best to catch up with Gabriella. He looked around the town, trying to take in the sights of something that was but moments ago a battlefield in Hake's mind. It was difficult indeed. As they got to the tavern, Hake ordered them a jug of sake as they sat down.
While Hake was quite used to it, it was different here and the stares he got from the people around seemed more those of people not enjoying the company of strangers rather than men oogling a pretty woman while they thought she couldn't see it. Hake shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat before settling down, glad that the walk had been only so short. Sitting was good and Hake made an effort not to show too much of his labored breaths.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 23, 2014 17:07:52 GMT -7
China. Interesting. That wasn't too far off for a foreigner, considering some of the westerners came from much further away. They trudged through the snow as the woman spoke. Hake kept himself wrapped up in his clothes to combat most of the cold. Almost as soon as they started walking, Hake's breath became labored and his speed was quite slow from the start. What would have probably been only an hour, two at most, for normal, healthy people traveling took Hake and Jina several hours to reach.
"That is indeed an impressive tale. It's good to see women getting somewhere in life. You don't see that everyday." Zhuo Jina. A name Hake would do his best to remember. They reached a road in the snow, although Hake wouldn't have been able to tell there was one had other people not threaded it before. The snow was all muddy and brown as they set on it, following the tracks before them. "So how is army life for you? I can imagine it can be difficult sometimes for a woman. You don't have any problems with the men?"
The sun moved across the sky as they talked and walked. While Hake's breath had been labored from the start of their journey, it seemed that only now was he getting to the end of his stamina. Some of his steps missed and he stumbled more often than before, requiring Jina's aid to move further ahead. "Perhaps we could take a moment to rest. I need to sit down for a bit." Hake panted, his hands on his knees, keeping his balance as he tried to catch his breath.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 23, 2014 4:11:55 GMT -7
"It's indeed a beautiful day. If it is alright with you, would you mind showing me the stables. I'm not much of a horse person but I can appreciate them as much as the next person. Also, I couldn't help but notice your horse. Perhaps you could introduce me, Yamabara-San?" Hake smiled brightly as he motioned towards the horse that was being led away by one of the soldiers and that the rider had been using for the exercise."The sake will be there whether we go now or if we go later today. I have yet to see a sake bottle with legs." Hake's soft chuckle had a melodious ring to it as he hid it behind one of his large sleeves.
Without waiting for Shou's reaction, Hake stepped forward and slid one arm through Shou's, waiting for the man to head towards the stables and the horses. "Shall we go?" A beautiful day indeed. And it was about to get even better. If Hake could inspect the actual Takeda horses from up close in their stables, he wouldn't have any problems at all with the negotiation to make sure the horses they bought would be actual Takeda horses and not just regular horses. Everyone had regular horses.
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Post by Chimosa Hake on Mar 23, 2014 3:55:35 GMT -7
Hake smiled as the men started picking up their comrades. There were a lot of bruises to be taken care off, even an unconscious soldier or two, but all in all, the practice had been very interesting. The Totomi militia was impressive indeed. They had fought for every square inch of the town they were protecting, even in a mock setting such as this one. Hake was impressed. As a proper strategist, Hake did not mingle with the soldiers after the fight, leaving them to their own victories and defeats and their celebration thereof.
The enemy strategist approached and Hake smiled softly at her, bowing towards her as she congratulated him. Or so Hake thought at least. Her choice of speech was very much slang and Hake had trouble putting it right in his head. He bowed and lifted his sleeved hands up, bringing them together in the middle as he bowed to the woman. "Thank you, Gabreela-San. Your instructions were very interesting. I learned a lot from you." Hake's sentence ended with a pouch of money fumbling through his hands and hitting the ground. He knelt down to retrieve it before looking at the woman.
"Perhaps you'd like to share some Sake together? We could go over the strategies we played?" Hake offered. While most people would be tired now and ready to rest, Hake was getting more into now that the analytical breakdown of the fight could be discussed. "I do have some extra cash I could treat you with." Hake smiled as he suggestively weighed the pouch of money in his hand.
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