Chapter 4-Spiraling Violence
-IV-
"Spiraling Violence"
Tsunomure Castle (角牟礼城), Bungo Province, June 14, 1283
"Spiraling Violence"
Tsunomure Castle (角牟礼城), Bungo Province, June 14, 1283
The high walls of Tsunomure Castle stood as imposing as ever, taking in the sweltering afternoon sun as it cast long shadows down from the high cliff on which it sat. A few archers stood watch, ready to shoot anyone who dare approach. Already Arakhan had lost dozens of scouts trying to find a way to bring an army to this castle which based thousands of Japanese, including Otomo Chikatoki, one of the local governors in this region, and Houjou Masaaki, a relative of the dynasty of regents.
His second in command, Li Ting, approached him, guards flanking him. A Jurchen man with the characteristic braid, the scars and muscles on thishe man so honoured as a baghatur proved he was just as strong a fighter as any Mongol. He carried his trademark houchong on his back, the hand cannon still smelling faintly of sulphur [1].
"My lord, should we really be attacking this fortress? What significance does this castle have unlike all the others?"
"Our enemy expects we'll remain in the coastal plains and has used these highlands as their base. We must prove to them we can strike anywhere," Arakhan explained. "If what we have learned from prisoners is correct, then this castle guards the route to the volcano at the heart of this island, from which we might take and permanently subjugate this land [2]."
The Jurchen general looked confused by the explanation. He's terrifying in battle, yet lacks a sound strategic mind.
"As you wish, Lord Arakhan," he said with a sigh. "Now just when the hell can I storm this castle? It looks puny compared to Southern Song's castles and walls. Even if there is another castle on the mountain beyond, I wager with my strength and a few good warriors I could take it by the end of the day."
"Perhaps you could," a voice behind them said, his accent thick. "But is it really worth the men you'd lose?" Arakhan's heart lept when he heard the voice, and sure enough, he turned around and saw his desired siege expert Ismail was here. His turban, his round eyes, and his thick brown beard marked him as a foreigner far from home. Most of the men around him shared similar dress and appearance.
"Apologies for my late arrival. The Great Khan insisted myself and my men receive a great escort across the sea."
"Is this...?" Li Ting said, pointing at Ismail.
"One of the most important men in the world right now, Ismail of Persia. Without his Muslim trebuchets [3], we'd never have overcome the former Southern Song," Arakhan said, introducing the man. Ismail simply bowed in humility.
"Hmph, I would've taken them eventually," Li Ting boasted. "No matter, hurry up with the trebuchets so I might smash my way in."
"As a matter of fact, I am late in part for I wished to demonstrate the power of my trebuchets to this so-called impregnable Japanese fortress." Ismail said, his men stepping aside for a strange-looking wooden wagon towed by a team of oxen. It looked worn down and ragged, but it was unmistakenably the great siege weapons that won the war against Southern Song.
Li Ting grinned as a team of labourers surrounded it, unpacking it under the instructions of one of Ismail's foremen. As the sun sank further and further below the horizon, the wagon transformed itself into a series of beams and a great arm reaching into the sky. A great stone stood enclosed in the middle as a bulb, which Arakhan knew was some sort of weight that assisted in the throwing of stones.
As night felt, the labourers hefted a huge boulder into the bucket and started smearing it in tar, oil, and ropes. While Arakhan watched patiently, he noticed Li Ting leave for a while before returning with a jug of shaojiu, drinking heavily as he talked about past sieges with anyone who might listen.
"Now, shall we see how these Japanese fortifications compare to Southern Song?" Ismail said with glee.
"Finally! Let's watch it all crash down!" Li Ting shouted. He jumped up, offering his jug and cup to Ismail. "To you, exalted siegemaster!"
"Apologies, but my God forbids liquor," Ismail said, gently refusing Li Ting's offer. "Besides, I have a siege to command."
"It's so puny compared to many of Southern Song's fortresses. A single shot, and they'll surrender!" Li Ting proclaimed.
Arakhan felt a strange anticipation as a man handed Ismail a torch, and Ismail lit the projectile aflame. He started shouting commands to men in his own language, and the great boulder arced through the night sky as a blazing red moon. Then at once it vanished, followed by a low rumbling from its impact on the enemy fortress. A few embers burned in the distance, and from the bright moonlight, it seems a wall on the enemy's castle took a direct hit.
"How far was that!? That's gotta be at least 250 chi [4]!" Li Ting wondered breathlessly. Arakhan nodded, estimating that was the distance to the enemy castle. He took a deep breath, processing the impressive equipment Ismail brought to the battle. We've had many excellent siege engineers and even Muslim trebuchets on this campaign, but no doubt this man is the finest at siegecraft in all the world.
Just as they celebrated, the trebuchet creaked and groaned and fell in on itself. Ismail sighed, shaking his head as the engineers shouted in frustration.
"Apologies, Lord Arakhan, Lord Li, these mountain roads proved devastating for my machine. But no matter, I'll have a dozen more built!"
"Build one," Arakhan ordered. "But build your finest." He looked to the fortress, noticing the fire had gone out, yet a plume of smoke darkening the moon. "I feel this castle won't need more than that."
---
Funa-jima, Nagato Province, May 28, 1284
Takeda Tokitsuna cursed his terrible luck. Since he woke up, he faced one disaster after another. The Mongol fleet proved just as active as he feared and even after a great battering, still maintained their defensive lines that stretched nearly across the strait. Whoever commanded their ships was a brilliant at rallying his forces. He looked over his ships, noticing a few firing arrows into the distance despite his fleet being in reserve. Smoke rose in the distance, the product of Mongol gunpowder weapons.
At least I'm not as unlucky as Houjou Kanetoki. His poor luck led thousands to their deaths these past few hours, thousands of soldiers who'd otherwise have been driving the invaders from Japan. Kanetoki deserved to die those thousands of deaths instead.
"Orders, Lord Takeda?" his captain asked, but Takeda could only shake his head.
"Where are we now?" he asked.
"The Kanmon Straits, sir. Where else might we be?" The captain seemed incredulous, wondering why Takeda asked such an obvious question.
"Of course. Tell me about the Battle of Dan-no-Ura," Takeda said.
"We aren't far from there, my lord. That's the place--"
"The place the Minamoto defeated the Taira nearly 100 years ago. But WHY were the Taira defeated? Because they relied too much on the tide. But right now, the reason we are losing is because we are not relying enough on the tide."
"Excuse me, my lord?" the captain looked puzzled.
"Our commander Houjou Kanetoki knows the old stories well, and is slavishly copying Minamoto no Yoshitsune's strategy. But our enemy is not the Taira clan, but one far worse, and they have no intention of following the old stories."
"I-I see, my lord. What would you have us do?"
"Were I Kanetoki, I would use the tides to get around the invaders' fleet. We have many oared ships, poor fighting platforms as they are."
"But what about the fireship attack Kanetoki plans once the tide shifts?"
"I fear our enemies predict such a measure. We're fighting in an enclosed body of water against a foe with great expertise at that."
But how much does the enemy know of the tides here? He has occupied this place for two years now and knew we would try and take it back from him.
A sudden fear hit him--the enemy clearly knew the old tales of the Heike [5] as well. The way they deliberately kept themselves back was clearly preparation to receive their main attack."
"Signal the advance," Takeda said. "Once the tide shifts, we will break through. That's the only way we won't share in Kanetoki's fate. There will be sacrifices, but many will fight another day to liberate this land."
---
Funa-jima, Nagato Province, May 28, 1284
Funa-jima, Nagato Province, May 28, 1284
Ataghai smiled, his prediction having come true. The burning rafts had dashed against the abandoned Japanese ships he ordered cast into the middle of the strait, setting them alight.
"Truly, you're the most terrifying of your people at sea," an ethnic Han lieutenant commented. "You predicted wholly their strategy."
"A battle at sea is no different on land," Ataghai noted. "Even before the ship crews are within range to fire with arrows, there's only a limited number of actions each side might take. In our case, the enemy relied on a historical battle to decide their actions."
The enemy's vanguard arrived, careening right into Hong Dagu and Pak Gu's ships at full speed. From across the strait,
"Hopefully now he sees I'm correct," Ataghai commented. "But he'll be okay. The Japanese did not count on our thorough understanding of their strategy."
Bright lights flashed in the vicinity of the other ships, followed seconds later by distant cracks. No doubt each bomb tore apart the Japanese warriors and hopefully set their ships aflame.
Shouts went out on the deck as the main force of the enemy bore down on his own ships. The natural strategy, as I command less ships.
"Ready fire arrows, bombs, and rockets!" Ataghai shouted. "Signal ships to fan out and best intercept them! Our ships are superior, we will destroy them ship to ship!"
Ataghai drew his saber, approaching the deck of his ship where a large enemy ship looked likely to land alongside his soldiers armed with smoking fire lances. A few lay down to better fire their long conical huochong, strings of smoldering slowmatch in their hands. As swift fishing boats rowed into range, his crossbowmen made short work of their own archers with barely any damaged.
"Ignore their small ships!" Ataghai shouted. "They can scarely reach you! Target the warriors on their main ships!"
The helmsman managed to steer the ship just in time so that the Japanese warship failed to collide, inside pulling alongside.
"Forward! Capture their ship, kill all aboard!" Ataghai shouted, pointing his saber to the charging enemies. Loud cracks rang out from the gunpowder and firelances, smoke filling the air as shouts and warcries filled the air. Yet to Ataghai's surprise, the enemy soldiers climbed aboard his own ship.
"What the...drive them off! Drive them back into the sea!" Ataghai shouted, hacking a clean slash across an unarmored enemy's chest. A peasant? What shocking determination from such a lowly foe!
The enemy on the ship fell quickly, victim of the superior Chinese weaponry against their poor armor. Yet their determination struck Ataghai as worrying. He glanced at a corpse in a puddle of blood, crossbow bolts embedded in his throat, stomach, and thigh. The man wore only a simple leather breastplate and by how his spear snapped in two, no doubt wielded a poor quality weapon. Yet the blood on his spear and the body of a Chinese sailor beside him showed he managed to kill someone with it. Just how are these people so determined? It seems they no longer fear the noise of our guns and bombs.
All the fighting nearly drew Ataghai's attention away from the battle. It seemed to be proceeding well. The gunpowder blasts died down, yet smoke still enveloped the enemy's ship. A few of his men covered in blood and aiding the wounded began emerging from the lower deck, a sign the battle there was drawing to a close. Around him, others in his fleet were still clashing.
"What now, my lord?" a signaller asked. Ataghai looked out the sea, seeing yet another enemy fleet. They proceeded nearly single-file, ready to ram them. This could be disastrous if all act like that.
"Pull back to that island in the midst of the strait where we will await them. Move closer the opposite shore and aid Lord Hong's fleet."
"Yes sir!" the signaller shouted, relaying it to his men. The drumming shifted rhythm as fireworks burst above the ship, their silver sparkles visible even in the afternoon sun. Ataghai's ship moved away from the new formation, the captured Japanese galley in tow. As Ataghai's crossbowmen and archers reassembled on deck, firing at warriors on a Japanese ship engaged in fierce combat with one of his one, Ataghai's focus remained on the approaching fleet.
Ataghai noticed a small group of enemies breaking off from the remainder. Consisting of mostly smaller ships, they approached at high speed, firing arrows at Ataghai's ship. Yet they looked to be sheltering the larger ships of the enemy that kept on going past, fleeing the battle. A few orange-robed Buddhist monks prayed as more peasant warriors approached, waving their spears and long, curved blades.
"Our enemy flee the battlefield for they know their impending doom," Ataghai muttered. "Or perhaps it is because they know their impending doom they fight so furiously."
---
Near Minega Castle (峰ヶ城), Satsuma Province, September 29, 1284
Near Minega Castle (峰ヶ城), Satsuma Province, September 29, 1284
The smell of a sudden feast struck Shouni Kagesuke's nose, bringing him immediate curiosity. When supplies were so thin and the battle far from over, there should be no time at all for such waste of resources. Calling his bodyguards over, Kagesuke approached the corner of the camp where the scent was strongest.
There he saw to his utmost displeasure the atmosphere of a festival rather than a military camp that at any moment might be plunged into battle. Several pigs sat roasting on spits alongside innumerable sorts of fish. Great heaping cauldrons of rice and stews of noodles served as the centerpiece, and from the smell of the spice, not an insignificant amount had been used. The soldiers themselves talked loudly and boisterously, singing songs and laughing of past events, their spirits lifted by the spirit of sake.
A man drunkenly stumbled up to him, spilling his sake over the ground.
"My lord, join us! It's pr-prepared especially for you!"
Kagesuke's temper boiled over as he knew immediately who gave permission for this farce--Funahara Saburou...damn you!
"What is this nonsense! Who gave you permission to hold a feast like this?"
"I did," a man sitting in the corner of the room said. By his humble attirement, lack of armour, and unpleasantly smug face, Kagesuke knew at once it was Funahara. He rose from his meditative pose and folded his arms as if ready for a fight. "Did I need permission?"
"O-of course you did!" Kagesuke answered, incredulous at how bold this man acted. "What sort of leader gorges himself with his men before a battle!"
"I'm not gorging myself! Such would be an affront to the worshipful teachings found in the Lotus Sutra!" Funahara shouted, but Kagesuke tried remaining calm, knowing the man's conduct was in every way an affront to the Lotus Sutra.
"How many battles have been lost because the leader permits such loose discipline in his forces!" Kagesuke said, seeing a drunken warrior laying hands on a cooking maid with lust in his eyes.
"Loose discipline? Not all of my men have given into these unfortunate pleasures. Besides, their disgusting actions are simply skillful means of teaching the importance of not giving into gluttony and greed. Perhaps you would understand these matters if you heeded the Lotus Sutra."
"Your actions have cost us valuable supplies! And I shudder to think where you got so many of them!"
"Where we got them?" Funahara said with a shrug. "We just borrowed them from the villages around here. Lord Shimazu can complain all he wants, but the Dazaifu is nothing but ash and rubble now. He should be thanking us for coming to save him in his castle." Borrowed them...? This bastard!
Kagesuke grabbed Funahara's robes, but Funahara quickly threw him off with a quick jab, taking a fighting stance.
"Borrowed them!" Kagesuke thundered. "So your men looted the villages no differently than the invader! No, you aren't even that, because the invader is disciplined, you are mere bandits, the sort we are sworn to disperse!" He reached down to his sword, preparing to slay Funahara on the spot. The Dazaifu is still the law in these provinces, and my clan dominates it. He will die, and neither his clan nor the cursed Houjou can punish me.
"Are you sure you want to do that, Lord Shouni?" Funahara said with a shrug. "Houjou Kanetoki will be most displeased, and will write a terrible report to Lord Tokimune himself. Our victory has been assured by them. It would be a shame if your misdeeds cause me to only witness it in my next life." He took a seat on the ground in meditative position, muttering "Namu Myouhou Renge Kyou" over and over.
A hand grabbed his shoulder, and looking down Kagesuke saw the youth Utsunomiya Sadatsuna. Yet the scars on his face and body and his growing beard made him look unrecognisable to the boy leader he had been just three years prior."
"Leave him be, Lord Shouni," Utsunomiya said. "Our forces have retained discipline, and they alone will be enough to win."
"Just this sight alone will demoralise our men, Lord Utsunomiya. We must do something!"
But Utsunomiya shook his head.
"Trust me. The enemy has run low on supplies and advanced too far. They must be fearful of our numbers and will fall at our feet. Houjou Kanetoki assured us that. Did you not receive his letter?"
Kagesuke looked at the confidence in Utsunomiya's face, but simply shook his head. Everything about this situation felt ominous, as if they followed the path to destruction. Why must the Houjou clan set me on this path?
---
September 30, 1284, Near Minega Castle (峰ヶ城), Satsuma Province
September 30, 1284, Near Minega Castle (峰ヶ城), Satsuma Province
The warriors surrounded Burilgitei as he sat on his horse, looking more worried than ever. He advanced too far, too fast, and got them into such a disastrous situation. Over 20,000 enemies sat outside their camp, their campfires having filled the night, and probably thousands more able to reinforce them if they didn't act fast enough. His own reinforcements were much too far away. The Eastern Route Army had been too bloodied in battle, and the Southern Route Army was too large and ponderously slow, focused more on eradicating resistance.
"What a foolish move, besieging this castle," the general beside him on horseback, Liu Fuheng muttered. "We're too far away from reinforcements and the enemy numbers far more than I can believe!"
The other general on horseback, a fellow Mongol by the name of Cheligh-Temur shook his head.
"It couldn't be helped," he said. "The situation south of the Middle Country is desperate enough that we needed victories as quickly as possible."
"We could've dealt with that one fleet that slipped past Ataghai's watch!" Liu Fuheng said. "Then we'd have our victory and our allies would have all the supplies needed. Yet Burilgitei believes he is no different than his father and his great victories over Southern Song!"
"Quiet!" Burilgitei shouted. "Clashing with words against an ally is far worse than clashing with blades against an enemy."
He knew he needed to do something to inspire morale, wondering just what to say. Yet one word immediately formed within him. Subotai. What would my great-grandfather have said? The warriors would certainly trust him if he spoke as Subotai. His father Aju always told him to think that way when it came to war, so others might find inspiration. Yet Father also cautioned me to never think I am Subotai. I walk a narrow path.
He trotted forward on his horse into his camp, the other two generals in tow, noticing a few of his soldiers eating a quick meal of rice with leftover stew from the previous night. He noticed they ate too much and left them with little for the next day, but perhaps they knew how desperate the situation was. Still, all of them looked alert and ready for battle at a moment's notice.
Suddenly he remembered the words a scout told him the previous night--the enemy has looted the country and is holding a grand feast for the coming victory. The words lept into his head in sudden inspiration.
"To arms! Soldiers! To arms!" he shouted, increasing the pace on his horse. The soldiers noticed their leaders actions, standing up to pay attention to his speech. "To arms, for today we are about to write another chapter for the Great Khan's legacy! We will bring glory to all nations under heaven through our victory! Our enemy foolishly trusts in his victory, not knowing his gluttony and drunkenness brings not just dishonour, but destruction! Let us go to their camp and erase them from this world as the sun erases the morning dew! Glory to the Great Khan! Glory to the Great Yuan! Onward into battle with all the strength of our ancestors!"
To Burilgitei's surprise, the warriors cheered and immediately began following orders. Trumpets blew and fireworks lit the sky, signalling the beginning of the attack. A few riders
"Wait a minute here, just what are you doing?" Cheligh-Temur questioned, riding through the crowd. "You can't just tell the men to attack without my permission."
"I'll face my punishment in the afterlife," Burilgitei said. "Ready your forces, the enemy is coming here soon."
"Whoever feels like going with you can. Just like you, they'll all be shipped off to the deep north, where the flies will drain the blood from their frozen corpses."
Burilgitei ignored him, seeing a squadron of his cavalry mount up.
"Where to, my lord!?" the excited young captain asked.
Burilgitei paused for a moment, considering the situation. It would be easy to destroy the weakest enemy first. But if there are any among them who have not feasted, they will surely drive us off. Yet if we attack them first, our other enemy will still be weak for when Cheligh-Temur and Liu Fuheng inevitably join this fight.
"If my speech shook the heavens, any wise men among the enemy are listening. We'll target them first so they might focus on crushing their deadly enemy rather than defending their blissfully unaware comrades." He smiled at his plan--Subotai was watching, and no doubt he was watching with a grin on their face. "Now let us fight!"
---
Near Minega Castle (峰ヶ城), Satsuma Province, September 30, 1284
Kagesuke rode faster and faster, ignoring the painful crossbow bolt in his shoulder. In not even an hour, he turned from the luckiest man in the world to the greatest fool in the world. The smoke around him and wounded men he rode with told the story. The enemy dividing themselves to attack his camp with the wary sentinels he prepared should have been the greatest stroke of luck he might have, yet as he chased them, he realised just what he did. Now he was nothing but a fish on a hook, having taken the enemy's bait and fallen into their trap.Near Minega Castle (峰ヶ城), Satsuma Province, September 30, 1284
"We are still aiding Lord Utsunomiya, right, my lord?" a Shouni clan retainer said, his banner torn by arrows and bombs.
"If we even can still," Kagesuke said. "Urgh, damn it all!"
Somewhere in the area of heaviest fighting, Utsunomiya Sadatsuna was in a battle to his death. He wheeled his horse toward them, the retainers following. Through the pain, Kagesuke tried piecing together what was happening as his blade cut down an invader who was foolishly scouting his position on foot.
After they charged my men while we thought they were retreating, that idiot Funahara woke up his men to claim the glory. Some must have alerted the enemy's main camp, for his army couldn't aid mine, and now we are caught between them, totally disordered. All we can hope for is for Lord Takeda's forces to aid us, or find a weak point in their lines.
He rode through a forest clearing to rescue Utsunomiya, seeing a banner belonging to his clan fall to the ground. Their brave warriors were losing the battle, surrounded at all sides by the Mongols.
"Forward! Once Lord Utsunomiya is safe, we will retreat to the hills, join with Lord Takeda, and inflict ten thousand times the punishment they have dealt us!" But Kagesuke could hardly believe his own words. Even if fortune smiled upon him, surely the Houjou clan might interfere and ruin his efforts again. My castles, my lands, my retainers, my brothers, my nephews--how much more will the Houjou take from me by their foolish actions and even more foolish followers?
A bomb exploded at his horse's feet, but even as the steed reared back in shock, Kagesuke grabbed an arrow and shot it between the eyes of the enemy bomb-thrower. He fired arrows at random into the crowd, managing to strike many enemies as his riders charged, clearing a path through the enemy soldiers toward Utsunomiya's position. His breathing came deep as the arrow wound hurt more and more. He slashed with his sword, cutting down those who dare came near him.
His entire body seized up for a brief moment as another arrow shot through him, this one embedding itself in his thigh. Utsunomiya. I have to reach Utsunomiya or all will be lost. Kagesuke grabbed his sword and cut down an enemy wielding that strange burning lance the invaders used, but an enemy right behind him fired a point blank range and he dropped his sword, his ears deafened by noise and sight filling with smoke. Kagesuke clenched his teeth, ignoring every bit of pain in his body. It will all be over soon anyway.
The retainers around him fell one by one, struck by crossbow bolts from afar, taken out by the fire lances and their demonic sound and smell, or simply skewered by enemy warriors. His proud steed was among the victims, pierced by five Mongol spears as Kagesuke leaped off his horse, kicking the enemy with the head and crushing his face. He drew his dagger, parrying a strike from the enemy's sword before slitting his throat. Even with his wounds and only his dagger, Kagesuke still managed to fight several at a time. They are like wild animals, fighting over the privilege of taking my head.
A retainer beside him blew his shell trumpet, a blast suddenly cut short by the enemy but hopefully summoning aid. An enemy soldier struck him on the head with an axe, the blow splitting his helmet in two and ringing his head further, but fortunately, an allied retainer stabbed him with his blade. On foot and in great pain, Kagesuke advanced further into the melee.
Helplessness overcame him as he cut his way through enemies with only a dagger, his arms weaker and weaker as exhaustion and knowledge of his impending death took hold. Is it all so meaningless? Should I just end this now and die with dignity at my own hands instead of that of a common footsoldier who will take my head?
He noticed he trod upon a frayed banner of the Funahara clan, fallen from the back of one of their retainers. Kagesuke smirked, knowing he found his answer. I've lost no honour when a man like Funahara failed us all, thus I have none to regain. But in his heart Funahara didn't stand alone in his condemnation. And them--the damned Houjou clan! Kanetoki sits safely in his castle in Nagato while we die for his foolish educts. Tokimune sits safely in his throne in Kamakura while we die for his even more foolish edicts. I will not die for that clan whose misrule has let these invaders destroy Japan!
With his rejection of death, he charged forward, rushing into battle driven by pure spite. Damn the invaders! Damn the Houjou! He cut down several men before a chance strike of an enemy saber hacked off his ear, but that man suffered a knife to the throat. Kagesuke grabbed the dying man's blade, cutting another man down where he stood. His surviving retainers died around him, but he didn't care.
Especially not when he saw him. An enemy leader strode about the battlefield confidently, wildly gesturing with his sword. Kagesuke smirked, recognising him immediately from that enemy leader who on that triumphant day at Hakata ten long years ago, he felled with an arrow. We are too alike--men who seek true honour as we refuse to die at fate's command. The two locked eyes, and in that brief moment their stare that communicated endless hatred, venom, and pride, but above all--fear! The enemy general seemed positively terrified of Kagesuke, gesturing wildly to several crossbowmen around him to strike him down.
Blood dripping from his arm as he grabbed his last unbroken arrow, Kagesuke drew his bow, taking a deep breath to steady his mind and arm. Arrows and bolts flew around him, but Kagesuke ignored it and aimed right for the flailing leader's head. The arrow loosed and soared for an eternity through the air before it pierced clean through the enemy leader's eyes, knocking him to the ground at once.
Kagesuke scarcely had time to celebrate his victory, for a retainer collapsed on top of him from his wounds, his helmeted head striking Kagesuke's skull. The world grew hazy and faint, and Kagesuke saw no more as he tried with no avail to form the words to a death poem. Father, brother, even for all I was held back, I still hope I did enough.
---
After the victories at Hakata, Dazaifu, and Tokuyama, Japan's defeat looked near. However, affairs on the mainland would pose a challlenge to Mongol operations in Japan. Through both their own initiative and the actions of Southern Song exiles, rulers began challenging the heavy handed actions of the Mongols and their leader Kublai Khan. For the Mongols, this was completely unacceptable--nations needed to be taught a lesson.
In summer 1282, the Southeast Asian kingdom of Champa imprisoned Yuan envoys and openly provided aid to Southern Song exiles. Only the victory at Tokuyama allowed for the Yuan to prepare a naval campaign. Even so, numbers were still light--100 ships and 5,000 men. Thanks to his tenacious attack, Mongol general Sogetu (famed for his victories over Southern Song) defeated a much greater Champa army on the beaches, his men became bogged down in the hills as Champa's king Indravarman V refused to surrender and waged guerilla warfare [6]. Indravarman called for aid from the Khmer Empire, Dai Viet, and even Singhasari on Java and began mustering an even greater force to evict the Mongols.
The year 1283 also saw the resumption of war against the Pagan Empire of Burma. The aggressive Burmese ruler Narathihapate refused tribute demands and attempted to reassert rule over the contested borderlands, while the Mongols simply wanted an additional invasion route into Champa. As before, the Mongols needed to divert few forces from Japan, for local garrisons in Yunnan, allied hill tribes, and even reinforcements from the Ilkhanate provided the bulk of the Yuan army.
The Khmer Empire also challenged Mongol hegemony when their king Jayavarman VIII imprisoned Yuan emissaries in 1283. Further, the Khmer refused to lend aid to Sogetu's army on the coast and backed Champa in their war with the Yuan. Unable to attack the Khmer by land due to the many other campaigns, Kublai Khan instead strengthened his alliance with the Thai states, particularly the increasingly dominant state of Sukhothai under its vigorous ruler Ram Khamhaeng. While Sogetu's forces launched occasional raids deep into Cambodia, it would be Sukhothai who did the bulk of the work in this war.
Bereft of good ships and needing victory in Southeast Asia, the only option for the Mongols was to subdue Dai Viet, where there had been a tenuous peace since 1260. Kublai Khan long envisioned restoring direct Chinese rule there and demanded Dai Viet supply him with taxes, tribute, and the right to march through to Champa. Such a request was denied, forcing the Mongols to spend much of 1284 amassing troops on the border under Kublai's son Toghon.
Yet the Mongol position in Japan was not threatened in 1283 due to the myriad issues facing the Japanese after the string of defeats in 1283. Although a confident leader, it took all his strength for regent Houjou Tokimune to balance the competing factions of miuchibito and gokenin vassals. He did so against the advice of his own clan, which led to fears his chief advisor, Adachi Yasumori was gaining too much power. After Houjou refused to dismiss Adachi after his son Morimune received ample criticism for the disaster at Tokuyama, all manner of plots were spurred into action. Even giving new positions to Taira Yoritsuna (平頼綱), Adachi's chief rival, could not quell all dissent.
The steady Mongol advance across Kyushu continued in 1283. Due to its heavy casualties, the Eastern Route Army of Hundun and Hong Dagu remained a reserve force that finished taking rear-line Japanese castles, kept the supply lines clear, and occasionally raided into Nagato Province across the strait. Their methods were exceptionally brutal, with looting, enslaving, and mass executions common. The soldiers themselves fell into indiscipline, being given over to heavy drinking in the taverns at Mouji or Hakata, their main bases.
As for the bulk of the Mongol force, Arakhan and Fan Wenhu's Southern Route Army was better behaved and disciplined. They methodically fought off raids from Utsunomiya Sadatsuna's forces and took numerous castles. Their focus was the northeastern coast of Kyushu to isolate Japanese forces from reinforcements. This area was held by a variety of local lords, all dominated by the Shouni clan or the Otomo clan.
To counter these Mongols, the Japanese assembled a force of 10,000 men under the nominal leadership of Houjou Sanemasa's son, the 14 year old Houjou Masaaki (北条政顕) and the actual leadership of the experienced Otomo Chikatoki (大友親時), son of Yoriyasu. Many of these warriors were bandits and other criminals (akutou) swayed by the Shogunate's promises to forgive past crimes.
The sons of the defeated leaders at Dazaifu first clashed inconclusively against elements of the Eastern Route Army that summer, accomplishing little but restricting them from raiding for the rest of 1283. The Southern Route Army's leader Arakhan devoted much effort into crushing this new force, eventually cornering many in the sturdy mountain fortress of Tsunomure Castle near the village of Kusu, owned by Mori Tomomichi (森朝通) [7].
After driving off Utsunomiya's relief force, Arakhan set about besieging the castle. Faced with difficulties from its location in the mountains and the vulnerability of his supply lines, Fan was well aware of the dangers the siege faced, particularly after an outbreak of disease killed thousands and let many enemies break through his siege lines, including Houjou Masaaki. He managed to convince Kublai Khan to send the famed siege expert Ismail and his engineers, all ethnic Persians from the Ilkhanate. Their counterweight trebuchets (known as "Muslim trebuchets" by the Chinese) had proved effective at breaking the great siege of Xiangyang during the war against Southern Song.
Against Tsunomure Castle, these weapons proved just as effective. The castle surrendered within a month of Ismail's arrival "Muslim trebuchets". Otomo Chikatoki committed suicide, as did Mori Tomomichi and nearly his entire clan. Arakhan was impressed enough by the rapid surrender that he took the few Japanese who survived the siege into his service, the first known Japanese turncoats.
Descending from the mountains, the Mongols attacked from both land and sea on October 30, 1283, cornering the remnants of this army at the port of Funai [8], led by Houjou Masaaki and Otomo Sadachika (大友貞親), son of Chikatoki and new head of the Otomo clan. The hastily improved defenses of the port were worthless against the combined, overwhelming assault from land and sea. Otomo committed suicide alongside many of his retainers. Masaaki suffered a far worse fate--captured in battle, he was tortured and dismembered at the order of Hong Dagu with his body fed to dogs. Thousands of Japanese in the port city were massacred at the hands of the Mongols.
These battles ended the threat to Kyushu, leaving the only threat a few thousand Japanese forces, a mix of local provincial bands and those from the Rokuhara Tandai under Utsunomiya Sadatsuna. His forces based themselves out of various castles in the southern interior of the island, keeping Mongol supply lines difficult. Often they were swelled by Buddhist monks, peasants, and even women, who fought a valiant resistance effort. Sadatsuna worked with advisors such as Shouni Kagesuke, achieving some degree of success by forcing a large degree of Mongol logistics to be carried out at sea.
These sea logistics were enabled by new ship construction. Hong Dagu's second son Hong Jung-gyeon (洪重慶) was given the post of supervising naval construction in Japan in 1283 and conscripted many peasants to build new shipping. Like his father and brother, he was reputedly cruel and ambitious and cleared forests with no concern for the people or workers. In Korea, Hong Dagu ordered new ships built for both shipping and warfare, provoking riots and another complaint from Korean king Chungnyeol. However, ship construction proceded more smoothly in Southern Song, where workers paid from the booty of the Japanese conquest built large ocean-going ships in addition to small, swift cargo and messenging ships.
As winter set in, the Japanese campaign continued to be going well. Castles were besieged, supplies seized from villages, and Japanese stragglers executed. By the start of 1284, local bandits and others disliked by the Kamakura Shogunate increasingly aided the Yuan army. This often came in exchange for protection of their family or village. They were not trusted--some covertly aided Japanese forces, others refused their obligations to the Mongols--but were an important factor in the nascent administration of conquered Japan.
Meanwhile, Mongol campaigns in Southeast Asia proceeded with mixed results. Against the Pagan Empire, the Mongols won a great siege at the border fortress of Ngasaunggyan, destroying the bulk of the Burmese forces arrayed against them. Several fortresses in procession surrendered as the Mongols made their way to the important northern city of Tagaung. Yet the Mongol force suffered greatly from the tropical heat, and although local hill tribes and Ilkhanate reinforcements made the bulk of their soldiers, they had limited ability to reinforce the army with the upcoming campaign against Vietnam as well as ongoing Kyushu campaign. Thus the Mongols evacuated Tagaung, letting Pagan ruler Narathihapate retake the city.
Against the Khmer however, the Yuan achieved great success thanks to Sukhothai's forces. Mongol raids striking across Champa territory kept the Khmer off balance while the armies of Sukhothai's king Ram Khamhaeng destroyed innumerable Khmer villages, accelerating the decline of the Khmer Empire. The Khmer once more became Mongol tributaries and Sukhothai greatly enlarged their territory. Thus, the way was paved for a renewed campaign against both Vietnam and Burma.
Inter-Mongol conflicts also caused issue. Borjigin princes (descendents of Genghis Khan's siblings) settled in Manchuria chafed at the demands and limitations Kublai Khan placed on them in order to support his wars in northeast Asia. Their leaders included the powerful princes Nayan and Qadaan, who extorted much from the central government and the Liaoyang Prefecture in exchange for aiding the campaigns against Karafuto and Japan. Even the powerful Hong clan was fearful of starting a direct conflict with them over their blatant embezzlement.
Worse, the continuing wars in Central Asia against Kublai Khan's first cousin once removed, Kaidu Khan of the Chaghatai Khanate, continued to draw resources and attention. Kaidu routinely raided Mongolia and the Tarim Basin in the 1280s, forcing Kublai Khan to devote much attention to this region. Backed by the Jochids of the White and Blue Hordes, Kaidu posed a dire threat to the western borders. Only the end of direct Jochid support of Kaidu (due to a renewed Jochid focus on Europe) offered any relief from Kaidu's attacks.
Further disaster occurred in 1284, as the Kamakura Shogunate assembled yet another army, stripping even more forces from the Tohoku region as they prepared to retake Kyushu. This decision was greatly protested by Andou Gorou's chief strategist and relative Andou Suemura (安藤季村), who believed the Andou-suigun too weak to face the threat from the north. True to Andou's warnings, Mongol forces with their Ainu allies crossed the Tsugaru Strait and sacked several towns and villages, even those near the Andou seat of Tosa. An Andou clan relief force was gravely outnumbered and destroyed by the Mongols along with a portion of the Andou-suigun.
It was known several Ainu villages in northern Honshu defected to the Mongols, reportedly for promises of religious freedom, revenge for slain kin, and free access to fishing and hunting territories. Believing his relative Gorou posed a great danger to the safety of the clan--Andou Suemura attempted to assassinate him, but failed. Narrowly escaping with his life, he was branded a traitor to the Shogunate and all his immediately male kin, barring his son Andou Suenaga (安藤季長) who joined his plot, faced execution.
Because of these circumstances, Suemura sought refuge in Ezo, where he claimed the headship of the Andou clan and its titles such as hi-no-moto shogun and Ezo kanrei. He attempted to raise an army of Ainu to capture Tosa, kill his brother, and resume the struggle against the Mongols, but these Ainu took a greater interest in attacking pro-Mongol Ainu villages. This ensured he was the first target of the Mongols, and Suemura moved from village to village, fleeing raids organised by the Mongols yet keeping his forces intact.
The army and navy prepared by the Japanese numbered around 15,000 men and several hundred ships. Unlike previous armies, the bulk of it consisted of highly motivated peasants and monks, driven by religious zeal and the atrocities of the Mongols both actual and alleged. Traveling musicians, monks, and preachers claimed the Yuan army as a demonic force of which only total resistance might defeat. The victory at Itsukushima was held up as an example of this divine providence, ensuring Takeda Tokitsuna received command of the army, although nominal leadership was held by the shugo of Nagato Province, Houjou Kanetoki (北条兼時 ).
A large portion of this force were Nichiren Buddhists. Nichiren himself maintained a fervant belief in the inevitable decline of Japan for rejecting the Lotus Sutra. He declared the Mongols, whose return in 1281 he deemed inevitable, should be of no concern to his followers, for the heavens will was being done. While the Kamakura Shogunate tried recruiting Nichiren to unify anti-Mongol resistance, he absolutely rejected this, maintaining this stance until his death in November 1282.
Although Nichiren in his final epistles exhorted his followers that Japan was doomed, a large number of Nichiren Buddhists felt inspired to fight the Mongols as a holy war. Throughout 1283 and early 1284, calls for this holy war spread. Nichiren's successors, the Six Senior Disciples (六老僧), did not join these calls out of fear of being exploited by the Shogunate, leaving only vague statements that only inflamed the believers even more.
This army of peasants, monks, and remaining warriors enjoyed initial successes--Mongol raiders in Nagato and Suou Provinces were quickly destroyed. From there they crossed the Kanmon Strait and laid siege to Mouji at the behest of Houjou Kanetoki, ignoring Takeda's advice to attack Mongol supply lines and reinforce the remaining Japanese forces in southern Kyushu. Besieging Mouji, they now both isolated and outnumbered the Eastern Route Army.
As Takeda feared, Ataghai's fleet sortied out on May 28, 1284 and blocked Japanese supply lines, forcing the Japanese to battle. The battle, called the Battle of Funa-jima after a nearby island where many ships crashed against [9], proved inconclusive. The indiscipline of the Eastern Route Army came to a head as its soldiers proved inept in the naval battle, but the inferior weapons and ships of the Japanese more than made up for it. Ramming tactics, gunpowder, and the superior Korean warships compared to the commandeered Japanese fishing and merchant vessels ensured the battle became utterly chaotic.
Only Takeda's leadership ensured a few thousand Japanese soldiers escaped. Kanetoki retreated to his base in Nagato Province, while Takeda set about attacking Yuan supply lines near Tsushima before landing in southern Kyushu to reinforce local Japanese forces. Throughout 1284, his 2,000 men proved a devilish force, completely denying the mountain passes to the Southern Route Army and slowing their advance.
Any attempt at following up this battle was prevented by the death of the shikken Houjou Tokimune, who perished from a sudden illness on June 20, 1284, supposedly from the shock of hearing of the defeat at Funa-jima. Whether he was poisoned or died of illness is unknown--many Houjou clan members did not live much past 30. He was succeeded by the 14 year old Houjou Sadatoki, a pawn of other prominent figures in the clan. Without the unifying force of Tokimune, internal dispute began to arise within the shogunate starting with the question of how the warriors who fought in the campaign, be they Houjou vassals or shogunate vassals, would be compensated.
Knowledge of this reached the Mongols quickly, and Kublai Khan dispatched another 10,000 men to Japan under Cheligh-Temur (徹里帖木児). Among his commanders were Liu Fuheng, his wounds healed and honour restored after his contributions against Southern Song, as well as the Burilgitei (卜憐吉歹), great-grandson of the legendary Mongol general Subotai. They conquered attacked southern Hizen Province, first destroying the lands ruled by the heirs of Nagasaki Kotarou (長崎小太郎) [10] before attacking the lands around the Ariake Sea in Higo Province. A third Mongol army had arrived on Kyushu.
Because of chaos in the Japanese ranks and the diverse composition of the army, the Japanese resistance forces dissolved into chaos. The Nichiren Buddhists demanded one of their own, a Kamakura samurai named Funahara Saburou (舩原三郎), lead their ranks, while other devout believers wanted Takeda Tokitsuna. The Kyushu samurai on the other hand desired Shouni Kagesuke or another local lord. The dispute was settled with a dispatch from Kamakura naming Houjou Kanetoki as leader, but Kanetoki, impressed by the Nichiren fanaticism, chose to stay in Nagato Province and appoint Funahara as leader instead.
There they joined forces with the remaining Japanese forces, led by Shouni Kagesuke and Utsunomiya Sadatsuna. It was the straggling remnants, perhaps 5,000 strong, of the previous Japanese forces, worn down on supplies and equipment, but still with high morale. Unfortunately, the army's composition was mixed between local Kyushu lords like Shouni and samurai from Kamakura under Funahara. The two commanders took a great distaste for each other, particularly as Funahara attempted to usurp command. His Kamakura forces looted supplies from the locals in a manner the Kyushu lords would never dare to do, adding to the tension.
Funahara was a Nichiren fanatic whose conduct was distasteful to Shouni and many of his Kyushu men. Further, he acted with notorious elitism. Both men were eager to continue resisting, but their dislike of each other made the effort haphazard, causing their advance to be slow and easily monitored by the Mongol armies. Their supply lines were constantly attacked, and they were unable to render timely aid to Shimazu Hisatsune (島津久経) and Minega Castle, a stronghold of the Shimazu clan that served as the base for the Japanese forces remaining in Kyushu [11].
At Minega Castle on September 1284, the Mongol siege line departed, striking the attacker's camp. Thanks to Burilgitei's tactics, the uncoordinated Japanese were defeated in detail. Funahara died in battle and his forces (mostly those from eastern Japan) routed, but Shouni's men performed somewhat better, with Shouni himself allegedly personally killing his old rival Liu Fuheng before himself being gravely injured and captured. Also captured was Utsunomiya Sadatsuna, whose wounds were so grave he failed to commit seppuku.
Minega Castle did not surrender, for they held out hope that Takeda Tokitsuna's forces might arrive, yet Takeda knew he could do nothing to lift the siege. Already late for the battle, he turned back and continued his resistance in the hills. However, supplies of food grew scant and the castle faced months of bombardment from the trebuchets and bombs of the Yuan forces. A plague in the Yuan camp killed thousands, but the Mongols simply flung the bodies of their dead (likely Southern Song soldiers) over the walls and spread the plague inside, claiming the life of Shimazu Hisatsune and dozens of others. In February 1285, Minega Castle surrendered, with much of the Shimazu Clan committing suicide.
Although dozens of castles on Kyushu remained in the hands of Japanese lords, the Kamakura Shogunate's ability to resist the Mongols on Kyushu had been completely broken. The need to secure Sadatoki's position within the Houjou clan and shogunate as a whole dominated Japanese concerns. Despite proclamations declaring there would be no surrender to the invaders, practical matters forced some compromise with the Mongols.
At the same time, the Mongols, who desired the total subjugation of Japan, realised that would be impossible for the immediate time being. This was due to a string of disasters in Southeast Asia. Sogetu's forces in Champa, even after being reinforced by the Uyghur general Ariq Qaya with 100 ships and 10,000 men, still faced great difficulties from epidemic and Cham counterattacks [12].
In Burma, the Mongols reoccupied Tagaung during the dry season, but as they advanced further, were ambushed near the city of Hanlin in January 1285. Lacking the needed reinforcements and supplies, the Burmese managed to kill Mongol commander Sangudar and won a decisive victory, pushing the Mongols back to Ngasaunggyan where they negotiated peace.
Kublai Khan's attention was thus turned to Vietnam, where his son Toghon had been appointed to the head of the army meant to punish that nation. A victory over Vietnam was necessary for the stability of the Mongol Empire, and tens of thousands of soldiers were amassed on the border. Should he suffer defeat in Vietnam, it was likely chaos would engulf the Yuan Dynasty.
In March of 1285, a treaty was accepted that proved acceptable to both the Japanese and the Yuan. The shogunate officially ceded no land, but would not make war against the Yuan nor aid their enemies. Their armies--in practice just Takeda Tokitsuna's force--were withdrawn from Kyushu. They dispatched ten imperial princes of junior lines as hostages to Shangdu. Prisoners were exchanged on both sides.
It was a treaty that benefitted no one. Japanese Emperor Go-Uda was forced to abdicate by his enemies in the court in favour of the rival claimant Fushimi, causing a shakeup among courtiers. In the Shogun's court, the shogun Minamoto no Koreyasu was likewise forced to abdicate, no doubt in part due to Houjou Sadatoki's increasing rivalry with him. Several Houjou clan members resigned their post, most prominently Houjou Sadatoki's relative and vice-regent Naritoki (北条業時), permitting disfavoured branches of the Houjou clan to once more access power [13]. Meanwhile, covert Japanese aid still flowed into Kyushu, and in all legal codes, the institutions of Kyushu's government such as its provinces and the Dazaifu still existed. The question of settling inheritances and land redistribution among Kyushu's samurai stood at the forefront of the Kamakura Shogunate's affairs.
For the Mongols, they gained an absolutely ruined land that still required pacification. Bands of peasant rebels sworn to their local samurai still roamed the interior, and some from Takeda's unit remained behind as well. Dozens of castles remained unconquered, serving as bases for those lords who remained on the island. Control over Kyushu thus extended to only the coast and a select few mountain passes, and the continued slaughter of peasant rebels and burning of villages did little to change it. Indeed, it is believed that between 1281 and 1286, around 1/3 of Kyushu's population (several hundred thousand people) perished or fled from war, epidemic, and famine.
It was evident to all that the treaty existed only for mutual convenience. Once both parties resolved the immediate matters that demanded their attention, the fighting would resume. The only question was whether the theater of battle would be Kyushu or Kyoto.
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Author's notes
Author's notes
I'm quite fascinated by how in the 1281-1292 period, the Yuan Empire was essentially at war with the entirety of Asia (especially when you consider their nominal overlord of the Ilkhanate). This chapter, and part of a future one (maybe next, maybe one after) is inspired by that.
Once again, all characters are historic. Some personalities are invented, some are exaggerated based on OTL events, some are rather close to history (even if it's machine translated, check out Li Ting's biography, he wasn't even going to be in TTL but Chinese sources make him out to be such a badass I couldn't not put him in).
The next chapter will discuss the Kamakura Shogunate's response to this disaster, which includes quite a political shakeup. I should have one or two more chapters for this arc covering the first invasion and the stories around it. After that I might pause and post some maps and probably put this TL on hiatus to update my other one/work on some other projects. Thanks for reading!
[1] - Baghatur (拔都儿) was a honorific title in the Mongol Empire--Li Ting (李庭) obtained it OTL through repeatedly leading cavalry charges and rushing into the breach at sieges during the war with Southern Song, being severely wounded on several occasions. He was also among the earliest generals to innovate in firearms such as the huochong (火銃), or hand cannon.
[2] - Mount Aso, one of the largest volcanoes in the world and roughly in the center of Kyushu. Because of its position, the town of Aso at its base was long a regional trading center.
[3] - A literal translation of the term counterweight trebuchets were known as in medieval China thanks to being introduced by Ismail and other Persian engineers from the Ilkhanate
[4] - In the Yuan Dynasty, a chi (尺), or "Chinese foot", was about 31.2 cm, so this throw would be about 250 meters. Such a distance was not unheard of for Chinese counterweight trebuchet.
[5] - Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike) is a legendary epic of medieval Japan, but was not composed until the mid-14th century. However, antecedents date to the Kamakura era, and that is what is referred to here
[6] - By all accounts, Sogetu seems to have been a talented Mongol general, but was outshined by others in the conquest of Southern Song and his record in Southeast Asia is marred by his strategic failure and death.
[7] - Not to be confused with the more famous Mouri (毛利) clan. This Mori clan individual's geneology is obscure, as there are offshoots of the Fujiwara, Kiyohara, and Seiwa Genji known as the Mori clan and I am uncertain which one he belonged to. All that's known is he built the now-ruined Tsunomure Castle in the 1270s.
[8] - Funai (府内) is today part of Oita City, Oita Prefecture, but was the main port in this region
[9] - Funa-jima is today called Ganryuu-jima--it's most famous for hosting a duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirou. The famous Battle of Dan-no-ura at the end of the Genpei War occurred just north of here too
[10] - Nagasaki Kotarou was a samurai who held land in what is now the modern city of Nagasaki a few decades before the Mongol Invasion--his surname is likely related to what at the time was a small village that became the modern city.
[11] - Like almost all historic castles in Japan, this one lays in ruins in the modern town of Takae, near Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture. It was indeed an early Shimazu clan stronghold, alongside a castle upstream called Ikariyama (碇山).
[12] - Sogetu received possibly over 4 times as many reinforcements OTL. Incidentally, the Mongol general Ataghai mentioned in this and the previous chapter was involved in this campaign.
[13] - Properly rensho (連署), or "co-signatory". Essentially it was the regent's deputy, and another prominent post created by and for the Houjou clan.
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