The Hand of Death Ch. 08

Chapter VIII

"Tactical Dispositions"

"The Art of War"

~by Sun Tzu~

After the "War of the Wolf," as it came to be known, we returned to Shiro no Nokizaru and spent the rest of the year with Daimyo Daiki and his family while I trained with Grandfather. Shogun Li had been promoted to the Lordship of Toyama as a 'thank you' from Daiki for commanding such a successful attack and many of the mononofu from here had been sent to the now titled Kokujin Li, that is a Baron, in order to support his new post. Daiki had replaced those samurai with men from other villages under his control.

So there were a lot of new faces around the castle. Other than that things seemed to go on about the same as before. Ketsumempo had many questions for me. She had hoped to be included in the invasion at first and was very disappointed when she realized she wasn't going. I did my best to disillusion her without being too graphic.

The rest of the year passed by and we were closing in on the time when Grandfather and I

would have to move on to the next Daimyo. I prepared gifts for my friends and made sure to give them in private so it would be a more sincere goodbye. I had made kimono for the ladies. Akiko had given me a hug in return while Ketsumempo gave me a kiss on the cheek. I had located some scrolls while I was in Wajima and had saved them for Xai. He thanked me immensely.

Daiki is the one that surprised me the most. I had saved the daisho of the old samurai I killed near the end of the battle for him. The man had been the Wajima Kokujin's shugodai. A Kokujin is a lower level nobleman, like a Baron, while a shugodai represents a lord in his absence. When I presented it to Daiki, instead of refusing it, he just took it in both hands and looked at it for several moments.

"I am going to miss you, Hiro san."

"I am going to miss you as well, Daiki sama." He had an incredulous look on his face. "You still frighten me to death, but I will miss you."

"Ahhh, now I believe you." He smiled.

It was only a few days after that talk that Grandfather and I found ourselves moving on to

Daimyo Hiroki's land to the east. The trip to Fujibayashi Shiro took two days. We saw a small group of bandits but they seemed to find us unappetizing. They scattered as soon as they saw us. There was a small quake as well but it did little damage. Other than those two events the trip was perfect. I passed the time by making Sensei play dice with me.

The palace of the Fujibayashi family is on the beach of the Izu gulf. They are known as the merchants of our House and have many craftsmen in their family. I asked Sensei many questions about the Fujibayashi as we traveled. One of my favorites was,

"Why do we wish to visit this place?"

His answer changed every time I asked it. Ranging from, "Why not?" to "Because

your future depends on the secrets held in the cryptic vaults of the Fujibayashi." I tended not to believe this last answer because he said it like some kind of story teller.

"You learned much about Onmyoji from Xai, this will give you a different view of them. Also, you have met all of the other Daimyo. If we did not visit Fujibayashi, Hiroki would be insulted. Believe me." He looked at me. "He is not an enemy you can afford."

He finally got us to the gates of the town. They were open with a few samurai guarding them. The heimin were coming in for the evening after finishing their work in the rice fields that lay around the town's wall. Sensei walked up to the Gunso in charge of the gate.

"I am Sensei Nokizaru." He bowed and the Gunso quickly returned it.

"Yes, my Daimyo told me to expect you, Sensei sama."

He called a heimin over and had him take our new pony with our things. The heimin relieved me of the reins and quickly walked off with them.

The Gunso continued. "Do you wish to rest for a moment? We have tea to help refresh you from your journey."

"Domo arigato, Fujibayashi san." He addressed him as Fujibayashi because the man wore that crest over his heart. "But, no. It would be rude of us to keep our host waiting." The Gunso nodded; placed one of his men in charge of the gate, then escorted us to the castle. It was a nice castle, pretty red and gold lacquered wood with yellow tile roofs. It was standard for Giapan castles but certainly well done.

As we approached Sensei warned me about Hiroki's sense of humor. He said it could be very, crude. We were introduced in this castle in much the same way as we had been in Shiro no Nokizaru, except that when the Gunso finished, he left. Hiroki was of average height but stocky with wide shoulders. He was balding but kept a long ring of hair around the sides of his head and just like Daiki he wore the same long mustache.

"I see you two took your time getting here. What has it been Sensei san, two years since you left Goemon Toshi?"

He nodded to Hiroki. "Two and a half my lord. Domo arigato for remembering."

"Ha! Hardly a difficult feat, Sensei san. I try to remember things like you moving around,

unchaperoned." I noticed there were no women present in his court and that struck me as odd. "So this is the Hiro san I have heard so much about?" I bowed to him in recognition. "Everyone brags on how bright he is. Even cold hearted Daiki seems to have taken to him." I didn't know what to think of that. "Well, let me see if I can be the contrary one, as always. Hiro san, what is the most important thing you have learned in your travels?" I waited several moments before speaking.

"Do not tell anyone, anything. My lord."

He laughed at that. "Very good."

He soon excused us to our quarters to rest. He had set aside a large suite in the castle for us. The main room could be used as a dojo and we slept in two of the three adjacent rooms. I began to spend time sitting in the classes with the Onmyoji. There were many instructors for these classes and little time to make friends. I became acquainted with most of the other students but they were so much older than me that they weren't very interested in me. Also, I was only present for an hour each day because I had to keep up with my studies for Grandfather during the other hours. Most days I would spend an hour or two in Hiroki's court. He would make several trips to Goemon Toshi as well but he didn't stay gone as long as Daiki did.

He was an odd and frightening man. He hated women but he had a good sense of humor, but he was brutal when it came to doling out punishment. Heimin usually died. Samurai usually were allowed to commit seppuku. And eta usually got to be experiments for the Onmyoji. No one had ever told Hiroki about the concept of mercy.

Our friend Nokizaru Xai came to visit us a couple of times while we were in Fujibayashi Shiro. His first visit was very pleasant. He had some duties to perform for Hiroki so he stayed with us for three days. The second visit started out as just a personal visit, but that changed soon.

All three of us were in Hiroki's court one day. He had sent a Zei-Dansei to retrieve the headman of a village under his protection. The taxman would know the villagers so locating the man would be easier. Zei-Dansei, Fujibayashi Chinichiwa, was the tax collector Hiroki had placed over this territory. Hiroki had noticed that the taxes from this town were far less than they should have been. Chinichiwa claimed the headman had been unfaithful in turning over all of the taxes to his Daimyo. Hiroki wanted to talk to the man. We all assumed the man was as good as dead.

Chinichiwa walked into the hall that morning full of great pride. It had taken little time to capture the headman.

"We have the thief, my Daimyo." He practically beamed with pleasure.

Hiroki sat patiently on his dais. The guards dragged in the headman behind Chinichiwa.

They threw him down before Hiroki. The Daimyo watched as the man quickly moved into a bow

before him. I pitied the poor man. Hiroki liked me and I enjoyed his company but I would rather fall into Daiki's cruel hands than his any day.              

"Gozu san, how long have you worked my rice fields?"

"I have worked these fields all of my life, my Daimyo, th... thirty-five years." He was shaking badly.

"And what was the value of your harvest this year?" Hiroki asked.

"... Eigh, eighty-five Oban, my lord." An Oban is equal to ten gold pieces

"Then, why was it valued at 150 Oban just three months ago by one of my merchants?"

The man wouldn't look at Hiroki. "I do not know my lord."

Hiroki readjusted his position in the throne. "You face a very harsh punishment here, Gozu san. Are you sure you want your only defense to be, "you do not know?"

Now the man looked at him. "My Daimyo, I am no fool. I know full well what you would do to a thief. Why would I be stupid enough to steal from you?"

"Maybe you thought me a fool?"

"After the way you caught and tortured the head man's son for theft in Kanjin? No, my Daimyo. That was only a few short weeks ago. I am not so forgetful as that."

Hiroki thought for a moment. "How do you know the value of your crop, Gozu san?" The man looked at him like he had been caught off guard by the question.

"My lord, the tax collector Chinichiwa, told me."

Chinichiwa almost yelled. "That is a lie!"

Hiroki watched Gozu closely.

Finally Gozu gave in. "...I...I must have been mistaken, my lord."

"I dare say many people have been mistaken this day, Gozu san. Seize him!" To Chinichiwa's surprise, Hiroki was pointing at him. The samurai grabbed him and removed his daisho. "Take him below! I do not like people stealing from me! I do not like people lying to me! And I loathe when someone tries to use me!"

The guards removed Chinichiwa. He was screaming his innocence at the top of his lungs. We were all very quiet. Hiroki was very angry but he calmed himself a little to speak to the heimin.

"Go home, Gozu san."

"Domo arigato, my Daimyo. Domo arigato." It was all he could do not to run out of the hall. He kept bowing to Hiroki as he left. Hiroki sat and watched the room. Eventually his gaze rested upon the three of us.

"Xai san?" Xai stood and moved closer to Hiroki, bowing before him when he was close

enough. Hiroki returned his bow while Xai whispered,

"How may I be of service, my lord?"

"I want you to find out where my gold is. Who else knew about this, and what made him think he could get away with it?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Domo arigato, Xai san." Xai bowed again and left to get his things from our home. He did not look pleased.

Xai worked on the man for an hour. He found that Chinichiwa kept the money in a hidden spot in his home; guards were sent to recover it. Only Chinichiwa knew of this theft; he had been taking a little from all of the villages he collected taxes from for three years, but he had been taking even more recently to cover gambling debts. He had spent a great deal of money in various establishments around Fujibayashi Shiro. None of the proprietors knew of his theft. Hiroki sent for them to make arrangements to recoup his money. Most of the court was dismissed but Hiroki asked us to stay. I was hoping the merchants were very civil when they got here. Hiroki called me closer.

"How would you proceed with these men, Hiro?" He whispered.

I thought on that a moment. "Well, you like control and you like gold or at least what it

can get you. I would ask you, do you currently make any money from these merchants, Hiroki sama?" He shook his head. "Then I would recommend you go into business with them. This would allow you to see who owes them in the future and provide you with more money for your House."

"But gambling is illegal, Hiro san." He smiled.

"So is assassination, Hiroki sama." I smiled back.

He laughed at that and waved me back to my place next to Sensei. Grandfather leaned over when I sat down and whispered, "He seems to be of a better mood now."

"For the merchants' sake, I hope so."

Xai returned a little later, just before the merchants arrived. He was exhausted but in a tolerant mood. We spoke to him and managed to improve his attitude before long. The merchants finally arrived, apologizing for their tardiness. There were four of them. Two old men, one of middle age, about forty, and a young man in his early twenties.

Hiroki said to them, "Is your presence in such demand that even your Daimyo must wait?"

The middle aged one said, "That is my fault, Hiroki sama. When I heard your summons was in regards to Chinichiwa, I made sure we all went back to get our ledgers for you. I thought you would prefer accurate information as opposed to expedient information."

"And you are?"

"Mochi, my Daimyo. I own the Lucky Lizard near the end of town."

Hiroki nodded. "When I heard Chinichiwa stole from me in order to pay you gentlemen, I was inclined to kill you and take your property." You could see the fear go through all of them but even the young man was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. "However, a wise counselor of mine informed me that your businesses are quite lucrative. This is in no small part, I am sure, due to your abilities."

They nodded. "What is it you wish, my Lord?"

"How much has Chinichiwa paid you gentlemen and how much does he owe"

They quickly collected the sum of 300 silver over the last few years since he became the tax collector and his debt stood at 75 silver.

Hiroki went on to say, "My servant will pay you each the remainder of his debt. From this point on you will bring to me a tenth of your earnings each month along with those ledgers so I can review them. Does anyone have any complaints?" He smiled.

They all shook their heads no and expressed how pleased they were by this turn of events and they gave many thanks as Hiroki rose and left the room. A few days later Xai returned to his home because Daiki had sent for him. There was more work to be done. I missed him.

I never heard what happened to Chinichiwa. I probably didn't want to know. My studies

continued; Sensei kept testing me, and I would send regular letters to friends and Mother. The letters I received from Ketsumempo were my favorites. In all, life went on. When my twelfth New Years was a month away, Sensei spoke to me in his master's voice. "Hiro san." I recognized that tone; I had not heard it since Goemon Toshi.

"Yes, Sensei sama?"

"We are going home, to Goemon Toshi and you will celebrate the New Year with your mother. Once that is done you will officially begin your training as a ninja."

"How?"

"You will see. For now enjoy your time with your family and friends."

"Domo arigato, Grandfather."

We packed a week later, and Daimyo Hiroki actually saw us off through the gates of the Toshi.

"It was an honor to have you here Sensei Nokizaru san."

Grandfather smiled. "It was an honor to be here, my lord."

"Now, go home." We bowed to each other and then started moving down the hill, me, the sensei, and our pony. The walk home took a little less than four days, and there was no trouble on the way. When Goemon Toshi bloomed in the distance I almost cried.

"It does look good, eh Hiro?"

"Yes." I smiled.

"Now, you must not tell anyone, even your mother, what you have studied. You understand?"

"Yes, Sensei sama."

We walked into town near nightfall. It was peaceful and lovely. Not much had changed. We passed the old shops I knew and saw a few that were new to us. Soon we entered Shiro Goemon, and Grandfather walked with me to my mother's house. She greeted me at the gate as I had written her when to expect us. I had brought many gifts for her and Father. I had even grabbed a few things for my old friends, Cho, Goruchi, and Himi. We moved my things from the pony to my room then Sensei said his goodbyes. I spent my New Year alone with my mother. I was old enough now that I could tell how much she missed my father. Though I did not know him well I wished I did. I could use some advice right now.

My mother gave me two new kimono for New Year's. One was a rich ruby red with the Shotoku crest embroidered all over it. The Shotoku crest sat in vivid black over the heart. The other was a black silk of the same style but with the Shotoku crest in red over the heart. Mother always liked to keep gifts simple. I gave her three bolts of the finest silk, a light red embroidered with the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, a rich forest green with embroidered lotus blossoms, and a simple Bandai blue bolt. I had been collecting these on my travels. They were exquisite and she didn't know what to say. I convinced her to accept them.

"But they must have been a gift. They are too fine for a young boy to have the means." I

wouldn't tell her I bought them with the Hokkaido Yoriki's money. That money pouch I kept was filled with coins adding up to about fifty silver.

"No. I did buy them and they are for you, Mother."

"But how?"

I shook my head. "I cannot say. Please accept them."

She was pleased. I had some of the money left, though no one could prove it. My old friend Anaido the merchant had taught me well. I had been exchanging the Hokkaido coins for more valuable money wherever we traveled. Now it was all a mix of different House coins. I had about a hundred coins in the little box I kept in the bottom of my trunk.

The next day I walked the streets looking for my friends. Goruchi I found working with

his father as an assistant to the Machi-bugyo's men. He would be a Komono someday. He seemed happy over the prospect.

"Hiro?" He ran to me. "Hiro! Err... my lord." He bowed and I returned it with a smile.

"Where can we talk in private, Chi san?"

"Come with me." He led me to the stables for the Police Chief's mounts. Once we were there, I handed him a bundle. "I cannot accept it. I deserve no gift."

"You are such a liar. I bought it for you. Here."

"No, my lord. Your good grace is more than I should have." He was insisting on the ceremony.

"Who taught you to talk like that?"

"My father. He says I must not shame him. He has a very good name in town."

I nodded. "That is good, now take the gift." He finally took it, wasting no time to unwrap it. Inside he found two new jitte, the weapons of a Komono.

"How did you know?"

"It was easy to guess. It's all you've ever talked about."

I realized that I felt much older than I was. We talked for a long time until his father came

looking for him. The man was apologetic about intruding but it was obvious Goruchi had work to do. We made plans to meet later that night at the Sochu tea-house. He had told me where to find Himi, who was working for Goemon Butsuya, a roofer we used to help. I went to the man's business and found Himi. He and I spoke for a long time. His boss didn't mind, he remembered me and now he knew who I really was. He was in no hurry to interrupt me. I gave Himi a new biwa, he had always liked the stringed instrument sold by the merchants. He was ecstatic.

"Domo arigato, Hiro sama! It is wonderful! Mother will be so pleased."

I smiled, remembering how much his mother always meant to him. "It was easy enough, Himi san."

When we finished he told me where to find Cho. He had been working for another merchant in town. I didn't know the man. He had shown up a year after I left. I found Cho sitting outside the Dumpling inn, where his master conducted business. He used Cho mostly for manual labor. I walked up to him.

"Are you Shotoku Cho?" He looked up and recognized me immediately.

"Yes, you worthless nobleman." He said with a smile. "Where have you been?"

"All over the Koga lands. And how have you fared while I was away?"

"I am making good money."

I nodded. "I brought you something."