Dip 55: Hagakure Diplomacy Spring 1578 Results

[the_orange1]

Dip 55: Hagakure Diplomacy Spring 1578 Results

THOUGHT FOR THE PHASE:
“Covetousness, anger and foolishness are things to sort out well. When bad things happen in the world, if you look at them comparatively, they are not unrelated to these three things. Looking comparatively at the good things, you will see that they are not excluded from wisdom, humanity and bravery”
-----Tsunetomo, Yamamoto “Hagakure: Book of the Samurai”

GM COMMENTS:
Every dip game has a turn or two that prove absolutely decisive to the outcome of the game, turns which we remember at the end for transforming the balance of power. This turn is likely to be one of those – the two alliances have seemed fairly solid until now, but that had created a stalemate in central Japan with few ways out. I guess that’s what makes this turn’s treachery all the more evil (and fun to watch!!). The close-packed nature of the central provinces was used to good effect too, with the complete destruction of two crucial armies. The tide has most definitely turned and the map of Japan looks decidedly different this morning.

ORDERS:

SHIMAZU – Ruffhaus8 (green)
F-Wakasa Bay > Echizen (*bounce with UA-Hida*)
A-Tango > Tamba (ok)
A-Harima SUPPORTS A-Tango > Tamba (ok)
F-Inaba SUPPORTS F-S.Sea of Japan > Wakasa Bay (ok)
F-S.Sea of Japan > Wakasa Bay (*bounce with UF-Noto*)
F-Izumo > Hoki (ok)
A-Iwami > Izumo (ok)
F-Nagato > Suo Sea (ok)
F-Korea Strait > S.Sea of Japan (*bounce with SF-S.Sea of Japan*)
A-Higo > Bungo (ok)
F-Kanto Sea SUPPORTS Chosokabe F-Iga HOLD (ok)

HOJO – Defiant (dark purple)
A-Yamashiro > Omi (ok)
A-Ise SUPPORTS A-Yamashiro > Omi (ok)
A-Owari SUPPORTS A-Totomi > Mino (ok)
A-Totomi > Mino (ok)
A-Kai > S.Shinano (ok)
A-Sagami > Mushashi (ok)
F-Pacific > N.Pacific (ok)
F-Suruga Bay > Pacific (ok)
F-Totomi Sea SUPPORTS F-Suruga Bay > Pacific (ok)
F-Atsumi Bay SUPPORTS F-Totomi Sea (ok)

UESUGI – El Awrence (dark blue)
A-Tamba > Settsu (*bounce with CF-Settsu*)
A-Omi > Tamba (*bounce with SA-Tango, dislodged by HA-Yamashiro, DESTROYED*)
A-Echizen > Tango (ok)
A-Hida > Echizen (*bounce with SF-Wakasa Bay*)
A-Mino SUPPORTS A-Hida > Echizen (*support cut, dislodged by HA-Totomi, DESTROYED*)
F-Noto > Wakasa Bay (*bounce with SF-Wakasa Bay*)
F-Sea of Japan SUPPORTS F-Noto > Wakasa Bay (ok)
F-N.Sea of Japan SUPPORTS F-Sea of Japan (ok)
F-Toyama Bay > Noto (*bounce with UF-Noto*)
F-Sado > Toyama Bay (*bounce with UF-Toyama Bay*)

CHOSOKABE – MDR (light purple)
F-Osaka Bay > Inland Sea (ok)
F-Settsu HOLD (ok)
F-Kii SUPPORTS F-Iga HOLD (ok)
F-Iga SUPPORTS Shimazu F-Kanto Sea (ok)
F-Kii Strait SUPPORTS Shimazu F-Kanto Sea (ok)
F-Tosa Bay SUPPORTS Shimazu F-Kanto Sea (ok)

ODA – His Divine Shadow (red)
A-Yamato > Yamashiro (ok)

ASAKURA – Snowfire (yellow)
Eliminated 1576

MORI – Dr.Tzuri (light blue)
Eliminated 1574

TAKEDA – Midian (dark green)
Eliminated 1573

MAP:

http://www.geocities.com/the_orange1uk/Sengoku/hagakuresp1578.gif

DEADLINE:
No retreats, so straight onto Autumn moves – orders are due Friday 30 November at 1159GMT.

GAME CONTACTS:

GM: The Orange One
email: the_orange1@hotmail.com
icq: 109943271

Shimazu: Ruffhaus
email: ruffhaus8@aol.com
icq: 63418710

Uesugi: El Awrence
email: hodad1984@mixmail.com
icq: 102139615

Oda: His Divine Shadow
email: zeon_archduchy@hotmail.com
icq: NONE

Hojo: Defiant
email: defiant@charter.net
icq: 46172786

Chosokabe: MDR
Email: mikedr@gte.net
Icq: NONE

[Dr. Nick]

Uesugi Itaisuke marched to the low hill. He knelt on the soft grass ceremonously. The sun was high and the pink and yellow flowers blossomed in the trees. As he looked into the sky, his face battered by countless battles in the Sengoku wars, he reflected on the past years. He smiled. As he drew his katana he smiled with satisfaction. He ran his finger down the edge and swept at the grass, its blades falling to the sides in the path of the mightier one, clean slit. Taking the gleaming steel, he lay it on the soft belly and with a mighty thrust and cut, and a weak jab, it was all over.

[His Divine Shadow]

Peasant trash. You call THAT a seppuku? Not even the forms were maintained properly! Your ancestors must have surely farted dust when you used the katana for the abdominal slit, and without a second even! All the world could burn incense for your spirit and your karma would still be stained.

I find it ultimately fitting. Taste ashes before you die, loathsome sore.

[Defiant]

Emperor Defiant came over the hill just in time to see his once old friend Useugi Itaisuke crumbling to the ground. He knew what he had done to this brave warrior and he wasn't proud. He also knew it was necessary in order for his clan to survive that the betrayal was necessary. As the Emperor was walking down the hill to his friend he remembers all the battles they fought together and as hard as he tried, could not hold back a tear for honorable Useugi Itaisuke.

As he approached the body of Useugi he knelt down and put one hand on Useugi's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I am sorry my old friend". Then he stood up and extracted his Katana that he received as a gift from Useugi when Defiant had become Emperor, and with that tear still rolling ever so slowly down his cheek, completed the Sappuku cermony. Defiant then bent over and picked up Useugi's Katana and with both swords drawn to the side look southward towards the last two holdings of the feeble Oda clan and with a loud roar heard through the mountains he got on his horse and his entire army following behind him, headed for Yamato, the home of Emperor Shadow.

[Dr. Nick]

In the trees, the wind spelled ominous words from the ghost of Uesugi Itaisuke:

"It shall be a cold day in hell before Hojo is Shogun of Japan"

[Defiant]

Wherever Emperor Defiant travels, cold and death are soon to follow and as for Hell, Hell is an old acquantaince of Emperor Defiants'.

[His Divine Shadow]

Your wife and mother-in-law do not qualify as cold and death, and Hell is what Shimazu is bringing to your doorstep. Best to recognize these small satori before your own end.

Speaking of "cold" and "death", what time do you want them back?

[Defiant]

You can keep cold and death, as for Hell(Shimazoo)(Ruffhaus), we are old acquaintences.
BTW, How is your wife and my kids

[His Divine Shadow]

About the same as always, my son.

[SnowFire]

Lord Oda: Pray tell what good Uesugi did wrong with his forms? Looks right to me, a double cut to the stomach and then fall on your sword. Lord Asakura at least will burn some incense for the fallen one. Not much, but hey, it's something.

By the way, have any of your silly fiefs bothered to send assassins to Korea to be killed by my blade yet? Just curious.

[Dr. Nick]

Need extension please...

Should have asked earlier, sorry.

[Defiant]

NMR! BY THE RULES NMR!

[Dr. Nick]

QUiet you! This knife in my back gives me some more time to change my dip perspective all over, doesn;t it?

[His Divine Shadow]

Originally posted by SnowFire
Lord Oda: Pray tell what good Uesugi did wrong with his forms? Looks right to me, a double cut to the stomach and then fall on your sword. Lord Asakura at least will burn some incense for the fallen one. Not much, but hey, it's something.

By the way, have any of your silly fiefs bothered to send assassins to Korea to be killed by my blade yet? Just curious.

Firstly, how dare one have the audacity to TOUCH the blade of one's own katana with their own sullied fingers. Tripe! Immediate dishonor to the blade, a meter-long killing sword which you do NOT, under any circumstance, use to slit open your own belly. A proper samurai, of high class and good manners, always carries a knife for such an occasion. The katana is used for the beheading, which is done at sunset if the option is available, after the two abdominal cuts have been made.

To make matters even more dishonorable, the recitation of the death poem was done without accord to the spirits or the meaning. Just gibberish, with no higher motive. Eta would seppuku with greater skill and learning.

As for sending assassins to the land of the Garlic Eaters to finish you off, I have dispatched none. However, your callous ignorance of the ritual of seppuku has prompted me to wonder if your demise by poison would prevent you from further dishonoring yourself. That would, after all, be truly tragic even in the face of permanent exile.

[SnowFire]

"Permenant" exile, hmm. I admit the prospect of Seppuku did occur to me (despite all claims of ignorance), but really, that's something you only do when defeated. The Shogun, whoever may become it, hasn't seen the last of me... sometimes working from the shadows can be just as effective as leading armies... and at least in my case, it's almost guarenteed to be at least as effective as my shot with the army route.