The Rise Of The Samurai Hound

For those of you who followed my previous work will know that this is my attempt to redo it as I felt it could be better in more way than one.

The Rise Of The Samurai Hound​

#1 Intorduction

In 1567, an alliance was both Oda Nobunaga and Azai Nagamasa claimed the lands of Mino as their own. Azai Nagamasa’s claim to the land was that it was part of his grandfathers territory which has subsequently been lost by his incompetent son. Nagamasa had done much to restore some of his clans’ prestige but this new prentender Nobunaga made it hard.

To go to war with the Oda clan would be disastrous. Although Nagamasa was young, charismatic and handsome he was no tactician. He could rally his own men to the cause with fervour but it was no match for superior tactics. Afterall, Nobunaga had defeated the powerful Imagawa Yoshimoto not so long ago. He was outnumbered ten to one and still came out victorious. Still, there would be honour in just letting Nobunaga having the land. If he just lay down then he could not face his grandfather in the afterlife.

***

Oda Nobunaga faced a similar problem. War with the Azai would not be easy. Nagamasa had an uncanny ability to turn people to his cause. Such ability cannot be ignored. Not only that, but war with the Azai would also bring in his other rivals the Asakura who also happened to be allies with the Azai.

Sure Nobunaga could beat them both if he really put his best mind to it, but the victory would be a hollow one as it would leave him very weak and the Tiger of Kai would be sure to use that weakness and stake his own claim on the capital.

But there was another way, a way that would leave both men thinking they had come out of this dispute the winner. Nobunaga would marry his sister Oichi to Nagamasa making the two brothers and brothers could not go to war. A man such as Nagamasa would be a valuable ally to Nobunaga and vice versa. By being bonded in blood an everlasting peace was guaranteed.

***

Although an alliance in name Azai Nagamasa knew that he was nothing but another vassal to Nobunaga. He did however; marry Oda Nobunaga's sister Oichi, much to the chagrin of Shibata Katsuie. The bond made the two men family and in Oda Nobunaga's eyes his loyalty had been all but assured.

Soon after Oichi bared a son to Azai Nagamasa. They called him Manpukumaru. Seeking an opportunity Nobunaga offered to have his nephew educated by the best teachers Japan could offer. He would learn the ways of war and art. A man of battle and culture Manpukumaru would be.

Nagamasa knew that this was nothing but Nobunaga asking for a guarantee of loyalty. Torn between his duty to honour and to his son he spent the next week of his life making what would be the most important decision of his life. In the end he decided war with Nobunaga would not be wise and afterall he had come to care deeply for his wife Oichi and his new son whom he wished to see grow up. Reluctantly his son was sent to live with his brother. This decision would either make his clan or break it. Only time would tell.

***

That same year, Ashikaga Yoshiaki had sought shelter with the Oda. Not by choice as he had approached the Asakura in Echizen, the Takeda in Wakasa and the Uesugi in Echigo. Of all three, the Asakura were most promising as they had a reasonable amount of strength and they were reasonably close to the capital. However, Yoshikage Asakura had to admit he was unable to help him. In the end he was left with Oda Nobunaga. Afterall, this beggar had no business being a chooser.

Nobunaga accepted Yoshiaki with open arms. Although we know he had his own motive, he made sure no one would see it as he went west to deal with Yoshiaki's would be assassins the Matsunaga and Miyoshi. The Matsunaga did not put up a fight allowing Matsunaga Hisahide to become the daimyo of Yamato. At the same time, the Miyoshi retreated to Settsu. Soon after Nobunaga marched to Kyoto and Yoshiaki was made fifteenth shogun with the Emperors approval. Things it seemed were going from good to better for both Nobunaga and Yoshiaki.



As before all feedback is welcome.

#2 Nagamasa’s Test​

At this point in time, it is obvious now to say that Nobunaga's ambition included ruling all of Japan. That isn't to say he was the only one with that ambition. He was a genius and shared many equals in Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, Hojo Ujiyasu and Otomo Sorin. Those four were just as smart as Nobunaga and some hisotrians will argue they were even smarter but they never held Kyoto. Only one man held Kyoto and he had the biggest advantage of them all. It doesn't matter how smart one is, if your lesser opponent has a big advantage over you then hard times will be had.

At this time Nobunaga was in the centre of the land, he held the capital and endless opportunities. Things it seemed could not become better. That is until 1569 when he met a Jesuit by the name of Luis Frois. Luis Frois was a man who worked for the Society Of Jesus and he as well as all others who were part of the organization were known as Jesuits. His only goal was to spread Christianity by any means necessary, whether it be by word, trade or giving incentives to Christian daimyo to convince people to become Christian too.

It is worth noting at this time that Nobunaga hated the power that was held by the Buddhist temples over the people. On their word, huge droves of people would rebel against Nobunaga and there would be easy way to stop it.

In Luis Frois, Nobunaga saw a way to slowly take away some of the power of the Buddhists and an easy way to secure western made firearms and gunpowder which would give him a hefty advantage over any who would oppose him.

The best way to cut the influence of one religious group is to cause a riff between its leaders or another way is to allow another religion spill into the mix. If Luis Frois were to spread his word then he would gain followers as other Jesuits had already done in Kyushu. There were even rumours that even dome daimyo had converted so there must be some wisdom or benefit to it.

Luis Frois also saw opportunity in Nobunaga. Although, not a Christian himself Nobunaga was tolerant of Christianity and was happy for the Jesuits to start evangelising the local population. In the eyes of Luis Frois, Nobunaga was the key to saving the soul of the Japanese people. Therefore, a great friendship began.

Seeing opportunity Nobunaga agreed to let the Jesuits preach in his land. Not only would this slowly weaken the Buddhist temples but it would give open the markets of the Oda lands and bring in the one thing that was treasured more than gold itself. Western firearms. Although not as well made as Japanese firearms, they were more powerful due to the gunpowder formula used and this would give Nobunaga a big advantage over all of his enemies.

Eager to learn more about Christianity and to help slowly take away the power of Buddhists Nobunaga offered Luis Frois the young Manpukumaru as a student. A young boy in his care who could be raised a Christian would do wonders for relations with the Jesuits and a Japanese raised Christian from birth would be great for future negotiations. A man who could see the best of both cultures and meld the two to make a strong land and a strong dynasty. This ofcourse, was all under the condition that the young boy be educated in Nobunaga's own household under close supervision.

***

Unaware of these events Azai Nagamasa bided his time and prayed daily for the safety of his son. It is said that he told a Buddhist priest that he would do anything to ensure the safety of his son and the continuation of his clan. The priest told him that a heavy price would have to be paid for such a wish.

***

In 1570, Oda Nobunaga invited Asakura Yoshikage to Kyoto. The Asakura clan were allies (for many generations) of the Azai clan and the Ikko-Ikki. Such an alliance would cause numerous headaches for Nobunaga. But if a casus belli could be found then things would be much easier/

Asakura Yoshikage was not trustful of Nobunaga in the slightest and was warned by his advisors that he would be killed in a plot if he went. So the invitation was declined. Nobunaga was out of options and so he used the declined invitation to declare war. Now would be the time to see if Nagamasa would choose love or honour.

With war declared Nobunaga got his army ready. He also sent a request to Azai Nagamasa demanding he join him and fight the Asakura. Nagamasa was furious at this request. It is said that part of the reason he allied with the Oda was the promise that the Asakura would not be attacked. Now he was in a difficult position. Did he help the clan who had been allies with his descendants or did he help his new allies and protect his son. He knew neutrality would simply lead to him being attacked by the victor. His generals and advisers all advised him to stick by the Asakura clan. He was ready to attack the Oda when his wife Oichi begged him not to attack her brother who would kill her only son if he sided with the Asakura.

It was then; he remembered the promise he had made. He would do whatever it takes to protect his son. If breaking a generations long alliance was the price for his sons safety then that is what he must do. He had a duty to stand by his allies but he had an even greater duty to protect the son who would succeed him one day.

With his mind made up Nagamasa joined his forces with the Oda and moved to besiege Kanegasaki. Surprised to hear that Azai Nagamasa was taking part took the Asakura by surprise and caused low morale, thus resulting in a very quick battle. Without morale, the troops of the Asakura scattered in all directions and defeat was imminent. Their main castle of Ichijodani was burnt to the ground and the heads of the Asakura all committed seppuku.

Nagamasa was deeply troubled by his betrayal of a close ally but he had guaranteed the life of his son, the trust of his brother in law and he had made many friends among the Oda generals. The two most notable being Akechi Mitsuhide and Maeda Toshiie.

I have little to no idea whats going on, but awesome name.

I subscribed to the last version of this TL, and I shall subscribe to this version because of it's interesting concept.

Intersting so far.

tonsofun said:

He had made many friends among the Oda generals. The two most notable being Akechi Mitsuhide and Maeda Toshiie.

Click to expand...

Oh, I think I see where you are going.

EnigmaJones: I'm rather proud of the name. It will have a lot more significance in the futre of this tl.

FDW: Glad to have you back. This time I intend on making it neater, correcting grammar mistakes (looking back I've found plenty) and edit a few bits which seem a bit ASB in retrospect.

Remicas:Hopefully I can keep you guessing as this goes on and not make events a bit too obvious.

#3 The Ikko-Ikki

By 1571, Nobunaga had grown to his most powerful. The Shogun was his puppet. He had secured the submission of the Matsunaga. Azai Nagamasa had proven to be more loyal than he thought possible, not only had he joined the battle against he long-term allies the Asakura, but he had thrown himself to the frontline surpassing the performance of his own generals.

Nevertheless, not all was good. The Ikko-Ikki were still after Nobunaga's head. The two were always destined to come to battle. Nobunaga had always hated the power the Buddhist monks and priests possessed over the people. The II (I shall refer to the Ikko-Ikki as 'II' from now on) had resented Nobunaga's sudden rise to power and the way he had encouraged Nanban missionaries to spread their heathen religion to this land. The coming battles would become very bloody and would decide the outcome of the land.

Nobunaga had become friends with Luis Frois. They enjoyed many interesting conversations and the young Manpukumaru had already been baptized and given the baptismal name of John, named after John the Apostle, 12th disciple of Jesus and patron saint of Asia Minor. Luis Frois was very happy, as the young boy seemed eager to embrace Christianity and would prove to be an excellent missionary when he grew up. Evangelising the Japanese had proven very hard as most were as devoted to their Buddhist beliefs as he was to his Christian belifs.

The fight against the II had already started before the Asakura campaign. The II of Ise had already claimed the life of his brother Nobuoki in 1569. With the Asakura were gone he could fully concentrate on fighting the warrior monks. This would be no easy campaign as the II had warrior monks in Enryakuji, Honganji, Ise, Nagashima and Negoroji. They had a lot of support and were even backed by the Miyoshi clan who had previously withdrawn to Settsu.

After several battles, Nobunaga had shown his cruelty. No soldier would be spared and nor would any woman or child who crossed him. However, the next act at Enryakuji temple at Mt. Hiei would shock even his own generals and truly earn him the nickname "The Demon King".

#4 The Siege of Enryakuji Temple


Oda Nobunaga had won many skirmishes around Mt. Hiei and the Ikko-Ikki were forced to withdraw to Enryakuji temple where they hoped to hold out until reinforcements would rescue them. As they retreated Nobunaga ordered his men not to follow, but instead to make sure the temple was surrounded so no one could get in or out.

Nobunaga sat and watched from afar, as he watched his men take up their positions. He kept a straight face as they followed his every order. The men seemed nervous; they were already in shock from the cruelty their leader forced them to dish out. They kept watch hoping today would be kinder to the conscience.

“I see everything is in order. I trust there not a gap big enough to let even a small child get through?” Asked Nobunaga, turning to his trusted general, Maeda Toshiie

“The temple is totally surrounded my lord. There is no way in or out. The men await your orders.”

“The men are to wait and to enjoy some of the food we have. For now we will wait for the cannons to get here.”

“Yes my lord.”

With that, Toshiie left and went to tell the men in charge of supplies to dishing out. For now, the men would wait and Nobunaga didn’t want them to fight on an empty stomach. After all, they were on a mountain and waging war on a mountain was no morning stroll.

***

Azai Nagamasa was on his horse; he looked around and sensed the death which was to come. He was tense and looked to his friend Akechi Mitsuhide, who also on his horse looked more hopeful.

“Nagamasa, you seem tense. This is no time to ask your conscience questions.”

“I can already smell death, it seems the gods know of the blood which will stain this land before we do. While I can fight a battle as well as any man, I must confess that I find killing unarmed men to be a most dishonourable thing….

“I understand your worries Nagamasa, but you must remember that we do this for the greater good. Our land has been plagued by constant war for generations, men waging war for profit. Lord Nobunaga is going to put a stop to it, he is the only one who can unite the land and make it fair again. We fight this war because many daimyo wanted power all to themselves, we must put right the mess so that honourable families such as ours may bring peace to the land.”

“I know what you speak is correct, but I still find myself troubled by this. Killing unarmed men is dishonourable but I killed women and children too. I have seen others do unspeakable things to people while they begged for mercy. The only thing that keeps me sane in all this is my son. I hear he is gifted in scholarly things, hopefully he won’t see anything like this.”

“Keep strong Nagamasa, this will all soon be over.”

***

“My lord, the cannons are here and are setting up position now. But ammo is low and we will cause hardly any damage.”

Nobunaga looked at the man reporting to him and looked up to the sky while he contemplated his reply.

“That is not of any concern. The cannons will help lower their morale and make this siege just that little bit shorter. When the cannons are done, I want fire archers to fire everything they have into that place. To starve them out could take weeks, even months. To burn them out would be much quicker.”

“Yes my lord, I shall tell the cannons to fire and the archers to get ready.”

With that, the man left to carry out his orders. Nobunaga noticed that the sky itself was clear and the air had become still. Maybe the gods knew what would happen. These things did not concern him, for he only cared about one thing. Victory.

Twenty minutes later the cannons fired and their booms could be heard for miles. As the cannons impacted Nobunaga saw smoke and nothing else from the temple. He called one his retainers over.

“When the fire archers are done, I want everyone to wait. If anyone tries to flee then are they are to be called and I mean anyone. Whether they be man, woman or child, I want them all dead.”

The retainer ran off to give the orders. As the fire archers launched their arrows he can faintly hear the screams of the women and children inside. He did not flinch for he did not regret ordering their deaths. Nor did he enjoy it, to him it was just a necessity for fulfilling his ambition.

***

Azai Nagamasa had just received his orders and became even uneasier as he saw the flames and heard the screams.

“Now he asks me to kill women and children as they flee. This man tests me beyond reason. I will go speak with my brother now and try to convince him to let go those who flee.”

“I hope you know what you are doing, lord Nobunaga won’t be too pleased to hear you speak against him. If you displease him then he will most likely kill your son.”

“You may be right Mitsuhide, but I must go either way. I fear brother may just upset too many people when they hear of this.”

With that Nagamasa rode his horse as fast as he could towards Nobunaga in the hope of a little mercy being shown. As he saw Nobunaga he dismounted and spoke his piece.

“Brother , please I beg you not to kill the women and children who flee. There is no honour in such actions.”

Nobunaga looked at his brother-in-law as he stood before him.

“May I remind you Nagamasa that your son is in my care? If I feel you cannot be trusted you will find his head at your feet.”

“But this is not war, this is cold blooded murder.”

“I speak the truth Nagamasa, I have no time for those who stand in my way. Perhaps you should think of your son.”

Nagamasa paused to think of his son. The one who bought him untold happiness when he was born and the only time he told his wife how he truly felt.

“Look Nagamasa.”

Nobunaga pointed towards the burning temple.

“I do not do this for fun, I do this for progress. The land has been plagued by war too long. The land needs peace and I shall be the one who brings it. But it can only be achieved with fear, pure unadulterated fear. If the people fear me, then they will forever be loyal to me. The only way to make them fear me that much is to massacre those who control them. Now go brother, and cut down any who flee.”

Nagamasa remained silent and mounted his horse to return to his initial position. As he returned, he thought more about his son. That was, until he heard screams from women fleeing with their children. He remembered what Nobunaga said to him and he became torn between his heart and his conscience.

“Nagamasa, you must do this. For your sons life.”

“You’re right Mitsuhide.”

Nagamasa remained on his horse and thought once again about the birth of his son. He then dismounted and led his men to slaughter those who would flee. As he drew his sword he saw a woman with two children, presumably his own. She looked to him for mercy and once again, he thought of his son.

“I am sorry”

He sliced right across her body and she screamed as she fell to the ground. He then turned his sword towards her two children and as looked up he saw others fleeing and began it cut them down.

***

Nobunaga heard loud screams and realised people must be fleeing. His face remained emotionless. Just then a man reported that all who escaped were being cut down.

“Good boy Nagamasa, soon the land will be all mine.”

***

The next day, the result of the carnage was visible for all to see. The temple had been burnt to ash and the ground around it had been littered with the bodies of the dead. Men, women, children; Nobunaga was not a man to discriminate.

As Nagamasa looked around him, memories of the night before flooded his mind and he collapsed to the floor and consoled himself with thoughts of his son. He hoped that he would never see such horrors in his life.

Looks good to me aside from a few minor nitpicks of which I'll only pick one. John the Baptist wasn't one of Jesus's disciples, though John the Apostle was.

Thanks. A stupid mistake on my part. I should have noticed it earlier. Has now been corrected.

Also, I must add that I've got images of Samurai Warriors in my head when I read this

I must admit it was Samurai Warriors 2 that got me into this period of history. Although that was five years ago and I spent many many hours playing this.
I soon enough found out that historical accuracy was not something Koei had in mind though.
Even now when I write this I occasionally see the figures in their SW looks. So there may be a reference made now and again but nothing that would interfere with the actual history.

#5 Massacre At Nagashima​

Soon after the burning of Enryakuji temple at Mt.Hiei a ceasefire of some sorts was expected by all. A few towns had totally surrendered to the Oda but nothing much had changed. The Ikko-Ikki were still resisting to the last man and the common people stuck in the middle simply backed those were in their presence.

The Ikko-Ikki had also begun their own campaign of brutality. It was seen as the only way to counter the brutality of the Oda army. Soon the Ikko-Ikki began to forcibly recruit men into their armies. Those who refused to join were accused of siding with the Christian Nobunaga [1] and was killed.

In 1572, only the Ikko-Ikki resisted the Oda. However, in recent months they had become more confident. Nobunaga simply put it down to their stupid faith. But he was unaware that the Mori was secretly giving them supplies. Eager not to fight but to slow down the Oda, Mori Terumoto decided that supplies would be given. He had no desire to risk war. Not only did he have Nobunaga building up power but also the Shimazu on Kyushu were becoming a threat his own territory on Kyushu. War with one would mean the other declaring war simply out of opportunity. Terumoto had no desire to lose everything his father worked so hard for.

Nobunaga marched his armies south to wipe out the Ikko-Ikki of Nagashima.[2] For this he had the naval strength of Kuki Yoshitaka.[3] That naval strength would prove pivotal in this battle and in future battles too. The navy of Kuki Yoshitaka blockaded Nagashima and captured all the nearby forts. This run of bad luck forced them to seek shelter within their main fortifications. To date many historians put this down as one of the more stupid decisions made in this campaign. Because of their action, they became prisoners with their own walls and put themselves exactly where Nobunaga wanted them.

With the fortifications surrounded Nobunaga ordered one of his usual fire attacks with the usual order of total massacre. Any man, woman or child who tried to escape was to be put to the sword. It is estimated that over 30000 [4] died at that siege. This was an even bigger blood bath than what had happened at Mt.Hiei and would become even more infamous. Such actions sent shockwaves throughout the land. But overall nothing changed.

Now Nobunaga's territory and military clout had grown considerably. He had conducted a campaign of brutality but it was working for him. It seemed there was no one to oppose him. With no one else bothering him he moved to siege Honganji, which was being supplied by the Mori. It would be a tougher nut to crack.

While all this was happening, others in the land had noticed Nobunagas sudden rise to power with fear. All over Japan other daimyos were assembling their councils to find a way to put an end to the Demon King once and for all.

[1] – Nobunaga was never a Christian but he did take an interest and allowed Christianity to spread in his land. This gave others the opportunity to portray him a Christian.

[2] – This never happened until 1574 in otl. However, as there is no anti-Oda alliance, the Ikko-Ikki is all on their own.

[3] - Kuki Yoshitaka gave his allegiance to the Oda in 1569 and his navy helped out immensely during the Ikko-Ikki campaign and proved vital to the Oda during navy confrontations with the Mori.

[4] - In OTL it is estimated 20000 died here but in this timeline the Ikko-Ikki are on their own and are less well organized leading to more bloodshed.

#6 God’s Child

In 1571, Azai Manpukumaru was baptized by Luis Frois and given the baptismal name of John Azai. His father Nagamasa did not know this and Nobunaga decided it was best he not know. The following year young John turned five. It was on this day Luis Frois decided to give him his first bible.

“What is this book? Asked the young boy.

“This is the word of god. They will guide you on the path to salvation and away from the devil. Look after this book for it will be your best friend and will never betray you”. Answered Luis.

“Yes father. I will cherish this and never let it come to harm.

He opens the book and looks puzzled at what he sees.

“What are these drawings?”

“DRAWINGS! This is Latin. The language of god. Normally such blasphemy would not go unpunished but you are young and ignorant. I shall let it pass this one time. Now prey to God for forgiveness.”

John closes his hands and puts his hands together.


Luis Frois does the same and speaks aloud the following prayer in Latin.
“Dear Lord. Please forgive this young boy for his words. He does not know what he says. He is still a child and has much to learn. Please guide him on the path to righteousness and help steer him away from evil. He will find it hard to do your work in the devils own pit. Amen.”

Young John looked up. He didn’t understand a word.

“Do not worry my son. I shall teach you the language of god in time. But you are still young and have a long way to go. The path of righteousness is a hard one but you must never stray from it. For if you do, the devil will pull you in and you shall burn in hell for all eternity along with all the other heathens in this land. Now shall we begin our lesson? ”

The boy looked up. He was not totally sure of what was just said but he began to question everything he did understand. Why would god want him to rescue heathens? Why would he let an entire land be filled with heathens? So many questions but no answers. For now all he could do was listen to what he was told. Only then could he escape hell.

***

After two hours the lesson is interrupted by Oda Nobunaga.

“Signor Frois. I hope you are well today and I hope you aren’t confusing my nephew.”

“Do not worry my lord. The boy is a fast learner. He is very gifted. He has made more progress than I ever imagined. The lord has blessed him with great ability.”

He hated calling Nobunaga “lord” as he was after all a heathen. He was an arrogant fool indeed. Not only did he demand to be called “lord” at all times. He also insisted on referring to him as “signor” instead of his proper title of “father”. God did work in strange ways, as it seemed he wanted this heathen to bring light to this land. In return for letting him and his fellow Jesuits evangelise the people they had to convince the arms traders to sell to him and no other lord. That was a hard task as they were only after money. But he had written many letters to the mission in Macau and asked them to pass it all on to the pope himself. He was gods representative in this world and if he wished Nobunaga to rule then it would be.

“I am pleased my nephew makes such progress. He is a great destiny before him. Do you not think so?” Asked Nobunaga.

“Ofcourse. A boy this smart could do everything except the miracles performed by Jesus himself. God has great plans for this boy. Tell me how goes the campaign against those warrior monks? Luis asked wanting to change the subject.

“The Ikko-Ikki are fools. They would prefer to die than live in the new land. But I am happy to give them death if they so desire it.” Nobunaga replied completely without emotion. Luis Frois was taken aback at how a man could kill his own so easily. He was a heathen afterall. God did work in strange ways.

“You know my lord it is never too late to join our lord on the path of righteousness. You are already filling out his wishes. It doesn’t matter how much good you do in this world, if you refuse to acknowledge him and the son he sent to sacrifice for your sins then you will burn in hell for all eternity.”

“Is that so?” Asked Nobunaga in a neutral tone. He always seemed to creep out luis Frois and others with that short statement. It was his answer to any words he perceived as a threat. He did not care for the kingdom of God. To him it was just another religion. But if more people adopted it then the Buddhist priests would have less power and there would no more Ikko-Ikki’s. He had no problem wiping them out. But it was a lot of hassle and it did leave entire areas unpopulated. That would be a problem in the time of peace. He then turned to little John and walked towards him. His face was right on top of his.

“Tell me Manpukumaru. What do you think of all that you have been taught by this man?”

The boy looked up. His uncle frightened him. He felt as if he was living with a demon. The title of Demon King had been made known to him. Yet despite the fear he did not move back and keep looking his uncle in the eyes. He could see right into his soul.
Nobunaga could see into his eyes too. He saw the fear and the curiosity. Yet he did not move back nor did he show the fear. That was a most admirable trait. His eyes betrayed his brave face. If the people of this land could do what this boy was doing now then he would be dead. He wanted to control the land with fear. As long as the people feared they did not resist him. Only this boy seemed to be able to resist that fear.

“Uncle. My name is John. Manpukumaru was my heathen name. If I wish to be accepted into the kingdom of heaven then I must adopt a Christian name. But to answer your question I am forever greatful to my father for teaching me this. If not for him then I would surely burn in hell uncle.”

That was another thing he hated yet admired. The way the boy always called him ‘uncle’ instead of ‘lord’. It was brave and disrespectful. If the boy gets the right education then he would make a fine ruler. Even finer than any in his family. Marrying his sister off to Azai Nagamasa was the one the best decisions he had made.

“I am glad to hear that nephew. Now if you don’t mind I have some important business to handle with the Shogun.”

Nobunaga walked out of the room and John breathed a sigh of relief.

Interesting, it really looks like you're diverging a bit more from the original version in making "John" a bit more reckless than "Antonio" was.

I'm planning on making John a bit more reckless and conscience driven. Looking back Antonio was too pious and wimpy for the son of a samurai.

Now time for another entry.


#7 A New Dawn

Nobunaga was on his way to see the Shogun. His ever-loyal bodyguard Mori Ranmaru [1] was close behind him. He did not know what would happen, but he was always prepared to defend his life and sacrifice it if need be. They walked into the room the Shogun was sat. He was surrounded by courtesans and drinking wine. Nobunaga walked up to him and shoved a letter under his face.

It was a letter of distress sent out to Takeda Shingen. Ashikaga Yoshiaki had sent it out in the hope of setting up a new ruler. One who would be nicer to him and give him the respect he felt he deserved.

He stood up and stared Nobunaga in the eyes. Nobunaga stared back without emotion and noticed the Shogun was starting to shake. As he was shaking he took steps backwards and started to sweat heavily. Nobunaga walked towards him and as he drew closer the Shogun drew his sword.

“You are the biggest threat to this land. You must die,” Declared the Shogun.

“Is that so?” Replied Nobunaga.

“If you continue this madness the land will never be the same. You wipe out entire towns, you massacre the brave warrior monks and worse of all you let the Nanban [2] preach their heathen religion into my land. For that you must die”

Nobunaga looked at him. Here was a man acting out of fear and selfishness. He would do whatever he felt necessary to keep his comfortable lifestyle. He was a terrible ruler and made many people unhappy. With him gone, the land would be better off. He looked down at the courtesans who were cowering away with fear.

“You stupid little man, you actually think you rule this land. I am the true ruler. You are here because of me and me alone. You should remember that you came to me for protection when no one else cared and you thank me by having me killed.”

Yoshiaki remained silent. His hands were shaking with fear. Nobunaga saw the sweat dripping from his forehead.

“You are just another stupid inbred nobleman. I can replace you with another who would be more than happy to lead a life of leisure while I do all the hard work. Idiots like you are as common as grass.”

As he finished talking the Shogun lunged towards him with his sword. Before anything could happen Mori Ranmaru cut him down. He fell instantly and covered the his face became stained with blood. Nobunaga looked on without emotion.

“He lived a fool and died a fool.”

Ranmaru looked to his Lord for instruction. He was told not to kill the Shogun but felt such action was necessary to protect his lord.

The courtesans ran out of the room screaming and Nobunaga began to laugh. The Shogun was dead. Treason had just been committed. Now he was free to run the land as he wished. He knew just what to do to bring prosperity.

“This was not my intention. However, the great Tiger of Kai will soon be attacking me and I have no time to worry about this too much. Have no fear young Ranmaru, I will simply take charge myself. It will be easier without these noblemen in my way.”

[1] Mori Ranmaru was a loyal bodyguard of Oda Nobunaga. In OTL he perished protecting him at Honnoji.

[2] Nanban was the Japanese word for westerners back then. Literally means southern barbarian as they came from the south.

Interesting update…

Hopefully it becomes more interesting with each update.


#8 Well Laid Plans

In 1572, John Azai had been sent on the road of Christianity. He planned for the boy to be as one with the Nanban. To think like them, act like them and want to be them. So far, his plan was succeeding. The overall plan was to create a man who was both Japanese and Nanban at the same time. Such a man would prove useful in future negotiations and may even become his heir if his own sons were too much of a disappointment.

This however had to be kept secret until the time was right. If his father found out it would cause numerous problems. Young Nagamasa was very brave and skilled in battle. He was also very charismatic and had a knack of rallying troops in all circumstances. Such a man was as big a threat to his power base as Takeda Shingen. With him on his side, he had made better progress than he imagined. Holding his son hostage was a genius move and secured his loyalty. Nevertheless, if anything were to happen to his son then everything would be destroyed.

To keep his Christianisation a secret. He made sure only a select few knew what was happening to him. He also kept his father busy by ordering he go to the frontline of all his battles. His latest order was to lead a siege on the Ikko-Ikki at Ishiyama Honganji. [1] Such a siege would take a lot of resources and a lot of time. Perfect to keep the man busy.

The orders were to surround the fortress and stop any supplies coming in. He also ordered Kuki Yoshitaka to blockade from the sea. His plan was to slowly starve them out while his other retainers went about defeating those who were sympathetic to the Ikko-Ikki. Luckily, there were not many of them. Most daimyo in the region had already submitted and those who didn’t would soon feel the wrath of the Demon King. That is if they hadn’t already. After that, he would only face three threats. The Mori to the west, the Takeda of Kai and the Uesugi of Echigo.

During this time he had signed an alliance with Chosokabe Motochika of Shikoku who had agreed to make similar reforms to Nobunaga and to provide troops and supplies in all of the Oda’s future battles. To show he was to be trusted, Nobunaga sent Hashiba Hideyoshi and Kuroda Kanbei to assist the Chosokabe in unifying Shikoku.

[1] – In OTL the siege of Ishiyama Honganji took place in 1576 and took ten years.

#9 Disciple Of The West

Francisco Otomo [1] was a powerful lord of Kyushu. His powerful was similar to that of the Shimazu. He was one of the first daimyo to convert to Christianity and unlike the select few, who welcomed the Portuguese and the Jesuit missionaries, he truly believed in god and he believed that Jesus Christ died for his sins.

He had noticed the progress of a daimyo known as Oda Nobunaga who was backed by the Portuguese and even had a Jesuit at his side advising him. His handling of the Ikko-Ikki was to be feared but his genius could not be denied. As suggested by the Jesuits, he made attempts to sign an alliance with the Oda.

Seeing the progress of the Oda made him realize that adopting western weapons and tatics in battle was essential to survive and conquer in this violent age. He had built many contacts among the Portuguese and had managed to import a fair amount of western arms to equip his army with. He even promised absolute safety to all foreigners while they were there. [2]

While his army reformed, he pondered amongst himself whom he should attack first in order to unite Kyushu. Should he attack the Shimazu to the south or go east and attack the Ryuzoji?

[1] – Francisco Otomo was better known as Otomo Sorin. Francisco was the name given to him by the Jesuits and he will be referred to as such in this tl.

[2] – This was also done by Omura Sumitada in 1570. An act which impressed the Portuguese greatly.

It's shaping up into a fine timeline apart from a few typos and grammatical mistakes. I can't wait to see what Azai John gets into.