The Soviet scientist challenge

[Tuidjy]

If you have played Gekokujo at any length, you've probably met George, and may have noticed that he bears strange resemblance to a former US president.  He talks about his friend Arnold, has something to say about Obama castle, keeps going somewhere (or is it sometime) to check what your actions lead to.  Clearly, he is a time traveler with a goal.

If you have read some of the threads in this forum, you have have come to some fanfap about George's story.  It involves time travel, alien artifacts, a wrecked time line, and a Japanese Empire that is either too aggressive or too powerless to even approximate the timeline we know.  It seems that North Korean agents are trying to prevent the creation of the US, Dubya is trying to insure it, etc...

So, I'm introducing a new actor.  A Soviet scientist who was investigating the artifact, who also got thrown back in time, and who wants nothing but to save our timeline, and go back to a future where his family exists.  How does this translate into gameplay?

1) Your aim is to create a Tokugawa shogunate.  Lets ignore when, OK?  As long as Japan is united under the Tokugawa clan, mission accomplished.
2) You cannot become a lord. With North Korean operatives and possible Dubya mercenaries from the future, you fear high tech assassins, and are trying to keep a low profile.
3) You cannot lead anyone but companions. You're too paranoid to allow anyone you do not know very well to keep track of your doings and be around when you're asleep.
4) You cannot employ George, for obvious reasons.
5) By the time Tokugawa reigns supreme, you have to have 100 relation with both the clan and the great lord, so that you can do your best to make sure he doesn't stray from our history.

I'll start a character with the above rules as soon as I finish my current run (I'm around day 220, with everything East of Nara under my control)  It should not take too long to wrap it up.

Anyone wants to suggest other rules, or take the challenge as well?

 

[Seven of Spades]

Do not disable companion complains

 

[shaelor]

The "fanfap" should be about Enrique in my humble opionion. He says the craziest things. My favorite moment in the mod was when I was around the lands of Chosokabe and he tells me a tale only Enrique could come up with. I quickly promoted him and kept a healthy distance. Great work on him!

 

[Tuidjy]

Do not disable companion complains

Goes without saying.  It's a challenge, so I will play the game at full difficulty: normal damage, best A.I., unassisted blocking and couching, and, yes, companions will bicker and leave...

 

[Tuidjy]

I'm a bit bored rolling over castles and cities with my first Gekokujo character and his unstoppable host.  So, I think I'll start Иван Семёнов, or rather Iwan Semyonofu, as everyone calls him, after he introduced himself, unaware of being in Japan.  For now, I will not be posting fanwank, although that may change.  First let me see whether I can figure spoiled images.

================

So, here is Iwan's character sheet, as created.  His background is just what he made up once he arrived in Japan, got detained, and somehow managed to get released.  He never liked guns, and even managed to get through his military service without picking up even basic skills, but he must have been an archery enthusiast as an young pioneer.

Spoiler

After being released as a 'no more insane than usual' gaijin, he started working at the local dojo, in order to earn enough to get back to Korea and attempt using the artifact to go back.  Eventually he became good enough to participate in archery exhibitions and even mass training exercises... I guess that the dojo's master thought a Westerner may be good publicity.  A decent archer to begin with, Iwan eventually became good enough to impress people and earn prize money with his skills.

Spoiler

He actually managed to save enough to make to Korea, where he found the artifact.  He managed to return, if not to his time, at least to his future, but found, to his dismay, that the world was very different from what he knew, and that things had started to massively diverge from his timeline exactly while he had been in Japan.  He knew that he, himself, had probably not done enough to create such a disturbance, and concluded that someone else had been meddling with the past.  Unwilling to live in a world were everything was foreign to him, Iwan made it back to the artifact, and once again, found himself in 1568 Japan, but this time, better prepared for the time period.

Spoiler

Basically, I spent almost an hour in the arena, raising my skill levels and earning some money.  As game time does not advance in the arena, the period Iwan spent becoming somewhat of a medieval warrior can be simply written off as reset by his second and third time jumps.  And I have no idea why the last screenshot is lacking three skills.  I certainly did not edit it.

 

[Tuidjy]

Iwan felt he was skilled and well equipped enough to venture outside the safety of the dojo.  Uptime, he had brushed off his Japanese history, and thought that he knew where it started diverging from the one with which he was familiar.  He believed that it was better to die fighting for a hopeless cause, rather than allow his world to be destroyed.  So he swore to himself that he give his all for the installation of a Tokugawa Shogunate, and set out to gather people with whom he may work towards that end.  Fearless, he engaged a small group of deserters right ouside of Sakai, and was surprised at the ease with which he dispatched them.

Spoiler

His plan was to travel across Japan, checking every major city for mercenaries and adventurers that he may forge into a loyal and deadly fighting force.  As he traveled, he did not hesitate and engage bandits and deserters, and thanks to his fast horse and sturdy armor, managed to triumph again and again.

Spoiler

As luck would have it, he did not meet anyone whom he could trust in Sakai, Kyoto, Nara, Tsu and Kiyosu.  Undeterred, he kept heading East, destroying larger and larger groups of outlaws, and growing more and more formidable himself.  On the way, he actually rescued a kidnapped merchant's daughter, and briefly wondered whether he could convince her to stay in his employ permanently.  He decided against it, but still felt better knowing that she could be trusted to pull him out combat, should he be knocked unconscious.

Spoiler

In Hamamatsu, he found his first companion - a Chinese pirate named Shih.  She was somewhat of a sharpshooter, so he immediately replaced her worn musket with a better one he had found near a rebel monk's body.  As a matter of fact, he offered her quite a impressive set of gear as soon as she signed up, because he had been retaining the best of what he had retrieved from the outlaws.

Spoiler

Together, Iwan and Shih pressed forward, and soon found yet another companion - a stern and even somewhat cruel monk named Sessai.  Iwan felt he was falling into an efficient routine.  He pushed forward, stopping briefly in every city, and solving whatever problems he could handle - keeping an eye out of more companions while growing in power and reputation.

Spoiler

The evening of March 26th, 1568 found them on the road from Edo to Choshi, tracing a route that would eventually take them across every major city of Japan.  Thus concluded the first three days and a half of Iwan Semyonofu, second time visitor to 1568's Japan.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

It took Iwan 24 days to gather a dozen of warriors, counting himself, who he knew would get along without any friction.  He did not expect his party's composition to change until much later.

Spoiler

Everyone in Iwan's group was going to train with both ranged and melee weapons.  Teruyo, Yoshio, Youmu, Kojiro, Gonnosuke, Isosangemat and Mari would strive to become master archers.  Sessai, Francisco, and Manduhai would use muskets, because they would concentrate on more intellectual pursuits, becoming the Strategist, Medic and Tracker of the party.  Shih was the odd one out.  Despite being strong enough to use a bow, she would use a musket, so that no enemy would be safe, even at extreme range.  As for the choice between swords and polearms, Iwan left it to his recruits' personal preference. 

Spoiler

Companion	Level	Ranged	Melee	Primary Skills	Secondary Skills
Shih	11	musket	sword
Teruyo	10	bow	polearm
Yoshio	10	bow	sword
Youmu	9	bow	sword
Sessai	9	musket	polearm	Tactics, Engineering	Treat Wounds, First Aid
Fransisco	8	musket	polearm	Treat Wounds, First Aid	Surgery
Kojiro	7	bow	sword
Gonnosuke	6	bow	polearm
Isosangemat	6	bow	polearm
Manduhai	3	musket	sword	Spotting, Path-Finding	Treat Wounds, First Aid
Mari	1	bow	sword

Iwan's strategy for dealing with bandits and deserters was pretty simple.  He would line up his companions on top of a relatively small hill, making sure that a taller hill stood between them and the enemy.  Then he would dash ahead, and ride around the outlaws, peppering them with arrows.  He would try to kill and distract as many of them as possible, so that only a few would head towards his companions.  Those would be killed as soon as they crested the tall hill.  When Iwan ran out of arrows, or when a lucky shot would make him feel threatened, he would ride back to his line, and add his fire to his troops'.

Spoiler

When everything unfolded according to plan, the enemies were utterly crushed, earning Iwan's party a lot of renown and experience in the process.

Spoiler

The gear retrieved from their downed opponents was nothing out of the ordinary, but soon enough nearly everyone had Mogami retainer armor, and finely balanced weapons.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

On the 43rd day, Iwan felt that his warband was strong enough to take over the Ainu village of Niputai.  He expected that he and companions would be able to pick the Ezo warriors off as they tried to close.  Things did not go as well as planned.  A number of swordsmen made it to Iwan's firing line, and a bloody melee ensued.  Iwan ended up dispatching ten warriors with his staff, and at the end, only he and Teruyo were still standing.  Once the village was subdued, Iwan recruited the chieftain's niece to his squad, and entrusted her with recovering and distributing the spoils after each fight.  Impressed with Teruyo's performance during the battle, Iwan decided that all new recruits would be training with polearms.

Spoiler

It was not until the 59th day that Iwan felt that his party was able to assault Mii-dera.  He knew that many of the defenders would have muskets, and so wanted to provide European breastplates for as many of his companions as possible.  The fight itself was, surprisingly, much easier than the one over Niputai.  The monks made the tactical mistake of trying to trade long range fire with Iwan's companions and did not charge until they had lost most of their numbers.  Iwan's specialists all went down, but Shin and the archers repelled the charge, and then dispatched the monks who had stayed within the temple's walls.  Inside, Iwan met and recruited an young widow named Jukeine.  He entrusted her with supplementing his warband's provisions with foraged food.

Spoiler

On the 69th day, Iwan finished reading the biography of Shotoku Taishi. He felt that he needed the insights within, if he were to add Kokawa-dera to the forts he already controlled.  The assault was harder than the previous ones, due to the numerous, and relatively well trainers gunners, but once again, Iwan's companions were up to the task, and secured the temple.  Amongst the surviving monks was a novice who had failed to progress for years.  Iwan thought that the young man could be trained into a fine trader, and added him to his warband.

Spoiler

At this point, Iwan had all the companions he intended to ever trust.  In seventy days, he had formed a group of 15 gifted men and women, who were able to work together without conflicts, and who had the potential to acquire all skills a small band of warriors would need.

Spoiler

Companion	Level	Ranged	Melee	Primary Skills	Secondary Skills
Shih	17	musket	sword
Teruyo	17	bow	polearm
Yoshio	17	bow	sword
Youmu	16	bow	sword
Sessai	15	musket	polearm	Tactics, Engineering	Treat Wounds, First Aid
Fransisco	15	musket	polearm	Treat Wounds, First Aid	Surgery
Kojiro	15	bow	sword
Isosangemat	15	bow	polearm
Gonnosuke	14	bow	polearm
Manduhai	14	musket	sword	Spotting, Path-Finding	Treat Wounds, First Aid
Mari	12	bow	sword
Chufsanma	10	musket	polearm	Looting
Jukeine	4	musket	polearm	Foraging
Genko	1	musket	polearm	Trade

But of course, the most dangerous asset of the warband was Iwan himself, who had become a fearsome mounted archer, able to distract armies by himself, and manipulate the battlefield in such a way that his companions could have an effect disproportionate to their numbers.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

On the 71st day, Iwan came across a small Ikko warband moping up the remains of lord Sakai's party.  Only a single Tokugawa soldier was still standing over his lord's prone body, and it looked as the Ikko general Shichira was about to add lord Sakai to his prisoner, which already included the great lord Oda.  Iwan thought that this was a great opportunity to be of assistance to the Tokugawa and their Oda allies.

Spoiler

Despite their significant numerical advantage, the Ikko Ikki all succumbed to the withering fire of Iwan and his companions.  A bullet felled Gonnosuke, but the remaining remaining Ikko musketeers were picked off one by one while their melee troops were ineffectually chasing Iwan and his mounted archers. 

Spoiler

After the fight, lord Sakai and lord Oda added their gratitude to the honor, renown, experience granted by the victory. 

Spoiler

Of course, what really mattered to Iwan was that he had furthered Tokugawa's cause.  He knew that this had been only a small advance toward his ultimate goal, but he felt confident that his warriors would be turning battles in Tokuwaga's favor again and again.  The clan only held a small area of Japan at that point, but Iwan hoped that with his help, that would change.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

Iwan spent the following few weeks roaming between Tsu and Kiyosu, intervening in every fight involving Tokugawa, Oda, Ikko, or Asakura, and making sure Tokugawa and their allies triumphed.  When he was helping peasants and caravans, they would gladly take his orders, and he would try to keep them out of harm's way.

Spoiler

He would trail peasants headed to the market from Uji, past the Asakura city and the Ikko fortress, and annihilate any lord trying to molest them.

Spoiler

In some of these fights, the lords would be leading over a hundred men, but with the proper tactics and positioning, the outcome would be always in Iwan's favor.

Spoiler

Once, even helped Lord Honda's 65 men defeat more than 300 Asakura and Ikko troops.  Only one Tokugawa samurai was standing after the second engagement, and in the aftermath, the Oda and Tokugawa forces had free rein of the area.

Spoiler

Unfortunately, neither Oda nor Tokugawa could capitalize on their temporary control of the fields around Tsu and Nagashima fortress.  They spent days besieging the fortifications, only to hurry East following reports of Takeda forces winning victories around Hamamatsu.  As far as Iwan was concerned, he had wasted a whole month to absolutely no purpose... except for maybe refining his tactics against lord led warbands.  At least his companions were becoming deadlier and deadlier.

Spoiler

Companion	Level	Ranged	Melee	Primary Skills	Secondary Skills
Shih	20	musket	sword
Teruyo	20	bow	polearm
Yoshio	20	bow	sword
Youmu	20	bow	sword
Isosangemat	19	bow	polearm
Kojiro	19	bow	sword
Sessai	18	musket	polearm	Tactics, Engineering	Treat Wounds, First Aid
Gonnosuke	18	bow	polearm
Fransisco	17	musket	polearm	Treat Wounds, First Aid	Surgery
Manduhai	17	musket	sword	Spotting, Path-Finding	Treat Wounds, First Aid
Mari	16	bow	sword
Chufsanma	14	musket	polearm	Looting
Jukeine	12	musket	polearm	Foraging
Genko	11	musket	polearm	Trade

 

[Tuidjy]

By the 105th day, Iwan accepted that he probably wouldn't achieve his goal just by supporting the Tokugawa in field battles.  He decided to take a more direct part in the hostilities, more specifically, to weaken the Ikko Ikki.  To this purpose, he chose a quarrelsome lord, and gave his peasants a scare.  Iwan accosted a group headed to market, and demanded what little they had.  He did not actually harm them in any way, but the very act resulted in worsened relations with the Ikko Ikki.

Spoiler

Once he was denounced as an enemy of theirs, it was easy for Iwan to get into a scrap with an nearby lord of the Ikko Ikki.  This worsened his relations with the movement even more.

Spoiler

After defeating General Shimotsuma, Iwan repeatedly stormed the Nagashima fortress.  Well, he tried storming it, but the defenders actually sallied instead of allowing 15 men to besiege them.  During both sallies, Iwan tried to act in the same way he did in field battles - he positioned his companions so that they could shoot at anyone approaching, then attracted the enemy' attention, attempting to lead some of them away from his companions.  Unfortunately for him, this did not work so well without a Dosanko horse under him, so in both fights, he ended up knocked unconscious, and his companions had to drag him away.

Spoiler

Nevertheless, after the two sallies, there were barely any defenders left alive in the fortress, and their enemies actually took notice.  Iwan was not all that happy about it, though, because it was the Oda who came to take advantage of the opportunity, not Tokugawa.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

On the 108th day, Takeda won a significant victory against Tokugawa, capturing multiple lords, and taking over Takatenjin castle.  It looked to Iwan as if he would do better weakening Takeda, rather than the Ikko Ikki.  He immediately headed East.  On the way, he came across a few Takeda peasants, gave them a good scare, and left laughing.  It was still enough to make him an outlaw as far as their masters were concerned.

Spoiler

Lord Yamagata's warband came barreling towards Iwan's party, but the battle did not go the way the Takeda lord expected it to.  He was taken down almost immediately, his cavalry never made it past Iwan's arrows, and the rest of his forces were too uncoordinated to withstand Iwan's companions withering fire.

Spoiler

Iwan rode through Takeda's territory, assisting their enemies.  Uesugi, Hojo, Tokugawa, and even Oda troops could be found raiding villages, and Takeda's attempts to chase them kept ending in disaster, as soon as Iwan intervened.  After the battles, he would camp near Takeda castles, allowing Sessai to study the fortifications.  In the mornings, Iwan's companions would draw the defenders out in a sallies, and inflict grievous casualties.  If the defenders did not sally, though, Iwan and his marksmen would snipe all but a few of the defenders before retreating, leaving the castle a temping target for Takeda's enemies.

Spoiler

In about a week, Iwan got decimating defenders down to an art.  He did not feel ready to take on Kofu yet, but he went by a number of Takeda castles, and reduced their garrisons to a dozen troops each.

Spoiler

By the 117th day, the Takeda clan was a shadow of its former self.  Hojo and Uesugi had conquered a significant portion of its lands.  Tokugawa had recovered Takatenjin castle, and taken over Sumpu castle.  Iwan would have wished more of the gains had been Tokugawa's but he was happy with the progress.  It did not matter that other clans were making temporary gains.  He felt that when the time came, he could turn the tables on Tokugawa's enemies, on by one.

Spoiler

 

[yu]

Epic story!

Very well told, and very instructive, I can't wait for the next episode!

Also, if I understand correctly, you agress peasants/caravan without looting them? Why is that? is the honor/companion relation smaller, or is it just roleplay?

 

[sikatjamban]

^
finally the combo breaker i've been waiting for

can you make a video of one of your battles? i think it's just me being a noob in combat tactics but those results are epic,
it's like leonidas and the spartans in a smaller scale

 

[Tuidjy]

Also, if I understand correctly, you agress peasants/caravan without looting them? Why is that? is the honor/companion relation smaller, or is it just roleplay?

When you go through with the robbery, you may incur the ire of a companion.  If you leave before actually engaging into hostilities, no one cares.  I actually have no idea whether any of my companions would even complain, as I have not tested it in Gekokujo.  But that is not the real reason, because I am pretty sure that such a hit would be a single time effect, as opposed to, for example, not resolving a companion dispute to someone's satisfaction.

It's roleplay: I just cannot see Iwan robbing peasants.  With my party composition, cash is really not much of a problem.  I have stopped actively looking for cash unless my reserves dip under the 70K that I need for a lordly steel breastplate. (Not that I have seen one in 130 days)  So going ahead with the robbery will just leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I never rob peasants, actually, nor do I raid villages and caravans, even when I do not roleplay.  Eventually, I will want their villages and cities as prosperous as possible, so I see no point in reducing that prosperity in the early game.  There are better ways to get money and experience... and of course, with these guys, nothing beats the experience of making 150 castle defenders sally over a bridge against 7 guns and 8 war bows.

But I really should post something... I've been harassing the Ikko Ikki, but no one wants to come and finish them off.

 

[Tuidjy]

Iwan felt that Takeda had been crippled for the moment, and headed Northwest, towards the remaining Ikko Ikki fortifications.  On the way there, he noticed Oda villages being raided by two small Ikko parties.  The lords in charge thought Iwan an easy target, and came after him, but were easily defeated.

Spoiler

Soon afterward, the sizable army of the great Ikko Ikki leader, Kennyo came in sight.  After a brief hesitation, Iwan decided to engage it, because both Oda and Tokugawa had vulnerable castles nearby.  The fight was much more difficult than anything Iwan had dealt with so far.  He and his companions had no trouble splitting and annihilating the first wave of enemies, but they were running out of arrows faster than Kennyo was running out of men.  Twice Iwan was forced to retreat, but eventually, his party of fifteen triumphed over Kennyo's two hundred, and even captured the Ikko leader before he could flee the battlefield.

Spoiler

After the battle, Chufsanma managed to recover a significant amount of spoils, including a few suits of Hishinui and even Kozane armor.  Quite a few of Iwan's companions left the battle much better armored, including Fransisco who had been improving his strength for this eventuality.

Spoiler

To Iwan's dismay, a border dispute led lord Tokugawa to declare war on the Myioshi clan.  Iwan had just observed the thousand strong Myioshi host wrestling the Nagashima fortress from Oda control, and did not want to see Tokugawa fighting a war on three fronts.  He traveled through all Myioshi cities, seeking advice, until the guildmaster of Kyoto presented him with a plan to bring an end to the war with Tokugawa.  A few rather large bribes helped to convince the worst warmongers to accept a truce, which, in a stroke of luck, was signed right after Tokugawa snatched Nagashima from the Myioshi.  The Myioshi army moved back West to deal with a Chosokabe incursion, and Iwan was so happy about the development that he allowed Kennyo to be ransomed.

Spoiler

Iwan decided that it was time to eliminate the Ikko Ikki.  He started roaming between their fortifications, decimating their garrisons with his snipers, and preventing their lords from raising armies.  He even defeated the great leader Kennyo once again, before he could amass another formidable army.

Spoiler

Whenever Iwan and his companions felt that they were too exhausted to fight the Ikko Ikki, he would take them back to the Myioshi heartland, and spend some time hunting Kanai bandits.  These activities not only endeared him to the Myisohi lords and commoners, but also replenished his warchest quite nicely.  Of course, much of the money was quickly invested in quality weapons and armor.  By Day 137, Iwan's companions were turning into a match for any hatamoto, in both skills and equipment.

Spoiler

	Level	Str	Agi	Int	Chr	Ranged skill (weapon)	Melee skill (weapon)
Iwan	37	30	24	7	6	436 (masterwork war yumi)	310 (balanced practice kanebo)
Shih	23	28	12	7	8	389 (balanced Negoro teppo)	198 (balanced Masamune nodachi)
Teruyo	23	30	11	6	8	301 (strong war yumi)	200 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)
Yoshio	23	28	15	7	5	430 (strong war yumi)	428 (Masamune nodachi)
Youmu	22	30	12	6	6	373 (strong war yumi)	381 (Mino tachi)
Isosangemat	22	30	9	7	8	289 (war yumi)	204 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)
Kojiro	21	29	8	9	7	273 (war yumi)	201 (nodachi)
Gonnosuke	21	26	14	7	6	358 (war yumi)	380 (Masamune nagamaki)
Sessai	20	7	9	28	7	274 (balanced Negoro teppo)	119 (balanced bo)
Mari	20	27	11	9	5	302 (war yumi)	167 (masterwork katana)
Fransisco	19	9	7	28	7	241 (masterwork Kunitomo teppo)	122 (balanced kanemuchi)
Manduhai	19	7	9	29	6	269 (balanced Negoro teppo)	130 (practice nodachi)
Chufsanma	18	4	25	4	5	321 (balanced Negoro teppo)	150 (balanced kanemuchi)
Jukeine	16	4	23	5	4	300 (balanced Negoro teppo)	139 (balanced kanemuchi)
Genko	15	7	6	4	18	204 (balanced Negoro teppo)	107 (balanced kanemuchi)

Soon enough, Iwan's party dared tackling Kanazawa's garrison.  The defenders managed to cross the bridge at the city gates despite the deadly fire, but even when they closed in hand to hand, Iwan's companions did not allow them to spread out and bring their numbers to bear.  In the press on the bridge, each of Iwan's arrows found a mark, and after grievous loses, the remaining defenders decided to stay within the shelter of the city walls.

Spoiler

Iwan was actually surprised to discover that Kennyo and Tokuda had been leading the sally.  On the balance, their parties' presence probably weakened the sally, because the freshly recruited monks and villagers increased the congestion on the bridge without seriously threatening the heavily armored companions.

Spoiler

Eventually Iwan's repeated attacks wore down the defenders of the two remaining Ikko strongholds.  He did not want to draw attention to himself by conquering a city, so he rode away, hoping that Tokugawa forces would show up to establish control.

Spoiler

By the 143rd day, quite a few clans looked as if they were on the verge of defeat.  Iwan was considering temporarily leaving the lands near Tokugawa, and simplifying the political situation by preventing the weakened clans from making a recovery.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

Emboldened by his success at Kanazawa, Iwan decided to weaken the garrison of Kofu.  Twice he besieged the city, and twice the defenders sallied.  The two fights were very much alike.  Iwan's companions would use a bridge as a choke point, and Iwan would hang back, sniping off anyone trying to ford the river.  Both times he was knocked unconscious by archers and gunners shooting around the melee on the bridge, and both times, his companions managed to mop up the remaining defenders.  Unfortunately, with Iwan out of action, they would withdraw instead of pressing with the assault.

Spoiler

After the second sally, most of Iwan's party was in pretty bad shape, so he decided to rest near Kofu, and maybe ambush lord Takeda if he dared venturing out.  His plans changed when he learned from a passing Tokugawa lord that lord Okudaira, the clan strategist, was nearby.  Iwan tracked Okudaira down, and engaged him in a conversation about the ongoing war.  At some point, Okudaira realized that Kofu was ripe for the taking, abandoned his previous plans, and besieged the city.

Spoiler

Iwan was not going to let the siege fail.  He kept himself busy chasing monk rebels near Kofu, waiting for Okudaira to finish his preparations.  As soon as the assault started, Iwan joined in, and, to his great surprise, found all Tokugawa lords and troops willing to follow his lead.  With such large forces at his disposal, Iwan had no trouble setting up a meat grinder for the melee troops, and personally picking off archers and gunners from cover.  Twice he had to stop and collect some arrows, but soon enough, the besiegers were in control of the outer walls.

Spoiler

The casualties amongst the Tokugawa troops had been rather light, easily offset by the dozens of rescued prisoners.  Iwan was hoping that Okudaira would lead his host towards the last Takeda castle.

Spoiler

Instead, on the 157th day, Iwan saw the Tokugawa move South, apparently so they could celebrate their victory with a feast.  Iwan spent a few days chasing any Takeda lord who tried to raise an army.  He had been so intent on the task that he was surprised to learn that the Takeda clan had been wiped out.  When he made inquiries, he realized that, once again, Oda had taken the opportunity Tokugawa had missed.  Still, Takeda was gone, and Tokugawa was growing stronger. 

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

Iwan decided to make sure that the Ikko Ikki didn't raid the Tokugawa lands while the lords were feasting in Hamamatsu.  He headed towards Kanazawa, and on the way assisted  Oda and Uesugi lords in destroying Ikko parties.  Of course, at this point, Iwan had no trouble taking on warbands with just his companions.  As a mater of fact, some fights with the Ikko resulted in mass routs as Iwan's companions were able to inflict terrifying casualties, quickly and at range.

Spoiler

On the 162nd day, Iwan's attempt to eradicate the Ikko Ikki was interrupted by lord Tokugawa declaring a war on his Eastern neighbor, Hojo, over a border accident.  On this occasion, the timing was actually very good.  The Ikko Ikki could not be a threat, as they had been weakened by Iwan and beset by the Oda and Uesugi.  All the Tokugawa lords had been gathered for a feast, and by the time Iwan found them, were already near the border, headed for one of the castle Hojo had recently taken from Takeda.  From the prisoners they were escorting, Iwan could tell that they had already crushed some sizable Hojo forces.

Spoiler

Iwan rode ahead of the Tokugawa army, and scouted the castle toward which they were headed.  It had barely a few dozen defenders, so Iwan rode further East, and besieged the city of Odawara.  When the defenders sallied, they had to do so over a narrow bridge.  They did not stand a chance.  Only two of Iwan's companions were wounded, and those by gunners firing from the opposite bank.  Iwan had to cross the river and take out those sheltering behind the walls, but at the end, the sally was completely ineffectual.

Spoiler

It took a few repeated assaults for Iwan to reduce the number of defenders to his satisfaction, but it was just a matter of time.  His warband was working like a well-oiled machine.  The archers and gunners on the walls would be quickly taken out by Iwan's master archers, any spearmen charge would have to cross a killing ground of Iwan's choosing, and no one in the towers would be safe from Twan and his musketeers.  When Osawara had barely a dozen defenders left, Iwan retreated, leaving the city for Tokugawa.

Spoiler

Iwan joined the Tokugawa host in the assault of Yoshiwara castle, leading them to victory with minimal losses.  Afterwards, lord Okudaira headed for the vulnerable Osawara, while Iwan decimated the defenders of Ashigara castle.  When Okudaira launched the assault, Iwan once again brought it to a swift conclusion.  Okudaira moved on to besiege Ashigara castle, and Iwan turned his attention to the defenders of Edo.  After the successful assault on castle, Iwan was hoping that the Tokugawa would continue their lightning conquest of Hojo, but the Tokugawa lords felt that attending lord Honda's feast in Kofu was more important.  They did not invite Iwan, but at least they all thanked him for his help in the campaign.

Spoiler

In a few days, Iwan and his companions had eliminated nearly two thousand garrison troops.  They had all greatly benefited from the experience, and their effectiveness was further enhanced by the quality weapons they found in Osawara's stores.

Spoiler

	Level	Str	Agi	Int	Chr	Ranged skill (weapon)	Melee skill (weapon)	Armor values
Iwan	40	30	25	9	9	477 (masterwork war yumi)	320 (balanced kanemuchi)	54-77-41
Teruyo	27	30	15	6	8	328 (masterwork war yumi)	241 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)	54-75-39
Yoshio	27	30	17	7	5	437 (masterwork war yumi)	428 (Masamune nodachi)	54-75-39
Youmu	26	30	16	6	6	399 (strong war yumi)	382 (Mino tachi)	54-75-39
Isosangemat	26	30	13	7	8	316 (strong war yumi)	226 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)	54-75-39
Shih	25	30	12	7	8	404 (balanced Negoro teppo)	233 (balanced Masamune nodachi)	54-75-39
Kojiro	25	30	11	9	7	308 (strong war yumi)	211 (nodachi)	54-75-39
Gonnosuke	24	29	14	7	6	381 (strong war yumi)	381 (Masamune nagamaki)	54-75-39
Mari	24	30	12	9	5	321 (strong war yumi)	202 (masterwork katana)	54-64-39
Sessai	22	7	9	30	7	291 (balanced Negoro teppo)	133 (balanced bo)	43-45-35
Manduhai	22	9	9	30	6	287 (balanced Negoro teppo)	155 (practice nodachi)	45-47-37
Fransisco	21	9	7	30	7	260 (balanced Negoro teppo)	137 (balanced kanemuchi)	52-54-32
Chufsanma	21	4	28	4	5	380 (balanced Negoro teppo)	165 (balanced kanemuchi)	51-38-32
Jukeine	20	4	27	5	4	368 (balanced Negoro teppo)	160 (balanced kanemuchi)	51-37-36
Genko	19	7	6	4	22	234 (balanced Negoro teppo)	129 (balanced kanemuchi)	46-48-36

By the 171st day, the Tokugawa campaign against Hojo had ended, but in 9 days, the clan had added one city, two castles, and five villages to its holdings. The weakened Hojo clan was unlikely to recover any of the territory.  Iwan's only concern was that the Uesugi and Samoti clans might to take advantage of the opportunity, and quickly split the remaining Hojo lands among themselves.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

As usual, Iwan had been worrying about the wrong thing.  The Tokugawa lords enjoyed their feast and resumed battling Hojo quickly enough, but disaster came from an expected direction.  On the 175rd day, some villagers from Mikawa stole rice from an Owari village, and a few days later, Oda declared war on Tokugawa.  Soon afterwards, Tokugawa's truces with Miyoshi and Asakura expired, and hostilities resumed.  As a result, the Tokugawa clan faced six enemies at once, four to the West and two to the East.

Spoiler

With Okudaira's army campaigning against Hojo in the Eastr, Iwan headed to the West, hoping to at least delay any territorial gains by Tokuwa's enemies.  His managed to save a number of villages and caravans from raiding parties, and even destroyed a few warbands that were besieging vulnerable castles.  His task was made somewhat easier by the fact that Tokugawa's enemies were fighting each other: Miyoshi took over two Asakura castles, and Oda finally managed to conquer the last Ikko fortifications.  When the Oda lords ended their campaign, and headed home, the faster groups got ahead of the slower ones, so Iwan was able to engage them one by one, eventually even taking on lord Oda's warband.

Spoiler

No matter how strong Iwan's party was for its size, it could not stand up to all of Tokugawa's enemies in the West, especially after all the fighting against Oda.  When lord Matsunaga showed up at the head of a huge Miyoshi host, Iwan had to stand back and watch them take over Nagashima fortress.  Fortunately, quite a few Tokugawa lords showed up soon afterward, and Iwan assisted them in a number of engagements, helping them win quicker and with fewer casualties.  In a matter of days, Okudaira and his followers secured the area around Tsu and Kiyosu.  They were well aware of the fact that they owed a large part of their success to Iwan.

Spoiler

Iwan spent the next few days picking off the defenders of Oda's nearby castles, and was happy to see Tokugawa's lords besieging them at one after the other.  Unfortunately, enough time had passed for Hojo's lords to raise new armies, and start raiding villages on Tokugawa's East border.  Iwan did not want Tokugawa distracted, so he rode hard to Edo, where he found the campaigning Hojo lords.  There were five of them, but luckily for Iwan, they had not had the time to train too many troops.  Iwan knew he had nothing to win by waiting, so he decided to draw them into open terrain and engage.

Spoiler

Hojo had a lot of cavalry in the field, and Iwan's first task was to attract their attention to keep them from swarming his companions.  He managed to pick off quite a few mounted enemies while his companions were taking care of the infantry, but eventually his horse got caught in a thicket, and he was knocked unconscious.  His companions managed to drag him away and get him on back on his saddle, barely keeping ahead of Hojo's continuing assault.  Iwan and his companions had to retreat once more, but not before running out of a ammunition, paying with a few wounded for nearly one hundred enemy deaths.  Once they replenished their quivers and horns, it was just a matter of time to mop up the remaining Hojo forces.

Spoiler

After defeating Hojo's mobile forces, Iwan turned his attention to their two remaining castles and decimated their defenders.

Spoiler

By the 197th day, Iwan had managed to secure Tokugawa's East border, while Okudaira and the lords following him had managed to capture a number of Oda castles in the West.  Miyoshi had also gained some territory, both from Tokugawa and Asakura.  Despite his stated desire to make peace with most of his enemies, lord Tokugawa was still engaged in five wars.

Spoiler

 

[Tuidjy]

On the 199th day, Iwan was chasing small Oda detachments near Tokugawa's Western border, when he learned that lord Uesugi had been provoked by a Mikawa samurai.  Three days later, Uesugi declared war.  In addition, due to a series of pacts and alliances, Shimazu, Ryuzoji and Satomi joined the hostilities against Tokugawa.  Fortunately, Uesugi was still conquering the last Hojo holdings, so that Iwan had time to ride East before Tokugawa lost any land.  Immediately after lord Uesugi dispatched the last Hojo warband, Iwan attacked him, defeating him and one of his lords, and freeing a number of prisoners.

Spoiler

The Hojo clan was history, but lord Tokugawa was still at war with eight separate clans.  Some of them were too far to matter, but still, there were enemies on every side.

Spoiler

Iwan's first task was to destroy Satomi's ability to threaten Tokugawa.  He decimated every garrison, and attacked the lords who ventured outside the fortifications.  The mountainous terrain around Choshi allowed Iwan's companions to defeat much bigger warbands with no need for strategical retreats.

Spoiler

Iwan spent the next few weeks riding along lord Tokugawa's border, assisting his subjects against his numerous enemies, and disrupting the sieges of his holdings.  When there was no immediate danger to Tokugawa's interests, Iwan would besiege an enemy stronghold and reduce the number of its defenders to single digits.  He and his companions were getting very good at exploiting choke points and setting up killing fields.  They often withdrew only because he did not want to actually conquer the stronghold.

Spoiler

At this point, Iwan's companions were perfectly capable of stopping most sallies cold.  One of Iwan's favorite strategies was to  trick the enemy into crowding at gates and bridges, and to let his companions pour arrows and bullets into the massed soldiers.

Spoiler

All this fighting was turning Iwan and his companions into unequaled marksmen and fighters.  Not only could they make it very hard for the enemy to close the distance, most of them were just as deadly in hand to hand.

Spoiler

	Level	Str	Agi	Int	Chr	Ranged skill (weapon)	Melee skill (weapon)	Armor values
Iwan	42	30	27	9	9	523 (masterwork war yumi)	337 (balanced practice kanabo)	54-81-44
Yoshio	30	30	20	7	5	449 (masterwork war yumi)	429 (Masamune nodachi)	54-77-41
Teruyo	30	30	18	6	8	368 (masterwork war yumi)	263 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)	54-77-41
Youmu	29	30	19	6	6	422 (strong war yumi)	384 (Mino tachi)	54-77-41
Isosangemat	29	30	16	7	8	356 (strong war yumi)	258 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)	54-75-39
Kojiro	29	30	15	9	7	348 (strong war yumi)	252 (chipped Masamune nodachi)	54-75-39
Gonnosuke	29	30	18	7	6	412 (strong war yumi)	383 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)	54-75-39
Mari	28	30	16	9	5	365 (strong war yumi)	234 (nodachi)	53-74-39
Shih	28	30	15	7	8	419 (balanced Negoro teppo)	262 (balanced Masamune nodachi)	54-77-41
Sessai	25	10	9	30	7	310 (balanced Negoro teppo)	150 (balanced kanemuchi)	45-64-35
Manduhai	25	12	9	30	6	308 (balanced Negoro teppo)	177 (Yamato nodachi)	46-64-37
Fransisco	25	11	9	30	7	288 (balanced Negoro teppo)	165 (balanced Masamune nagamaki)	52-64-37
Chufsanma	25	6	30	4	5	446 (balanced Negoro teppo)	185 (balanced kanemuchi)	51-52-39
Jukeine	24	5	30	5	4	437 (balanced Negoro teppo)	178 (balanced kanemuchi)	51-52-39
Genko	23	7	6	4	26	270 (balanced Negoro teppo)	149 (balanced kanemuchi)	51-50-42

By the 218th day, Tokugawa was gaining territory on all fronts.  Satomi had sued for peace, Uesugi, Oda and Assakura were in disarray.  Only Miyoshi's strength was undiminished, but they had too many enemies to the West, and seldom bothered Tokugawa. Iwan hadn't even found it necessary to engage them.

Spoiler