THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI
NORTHERN FRONT MOCHIZUKI'S MAIN ARMY
Father…
-Ayako… -Father…
To lose her father and the battle…
the pain in her heart must be unfathomable…
So sad!
The incredibly cool Lord Mochizuki has perished.
Mr. Mochizuki?
Yo! Chojumaru.
Father! I thought you were dead!
Your father is a phoenix, Ayako. And thank you for coming!
Oh, my gosh! I'm so glad you're all right!
Ah, it hurts…
Father! Too much! You're breaking my ribs!
SQUEEEZE - CRACK
Don't be so fragile.
Us Mochizukis get stronger with every cracked rib.
You should try it! Go on then!
-Like father, like daughter. -Like father, like daughter.
Hey, wait. Mr. Mochizuki.
Hmm?
You, Mr. Tokoiwa, and your army are unharmed?
Did you all just not fight? Did you just let the fort fall?
Yeah, that's right.
Holing up and fighting on the sly's just not my style.
They can have the fort, for all I care.
You've got to be kidding!
NORTH
If this place falls, things are going to get hectic.
At this rate, Ichikawa's army will make their way south,
and we'll be severely disadvantaged on the central and southern fronts!
SOUTH CENTER
Wait.
We are entirely in his debt.
KITAJO MANOR MAGISTRATE MUNEIE TOKOIWA
Our fort's defenses are weak,
and it cannot house a large army.
It wouldn't last two days against an opponent like Ichikawa.
If Lord Mochizuki hadn't breached their siege and let us escape,
not only would the fort have been completely annihilated,
but so too would all of our troops.
So you see, kid.
We are a much bigger threat to Ichikawa uninjured
and hiding out here in the mountains.
NORTH MIDDLE
We can attack him at any time from the rear
as he tries to make his way to the central front.
Specifically, when he goes to cross the river,
he'll essentially be a sitting duck.
I see.
So a coordinated pincer attack with Shinomiya's army on the opposite shore
could be just the devastating blow we need.
What a marvelous plan.
I'm assuming you've already made contact with Mr. Shinomiya then?
Shinomiya?
So you haven't made contact with him!
But that means Ichikawa's going to make it across the river, Father!
Which means Mr. Shinomiya is going to be the one to get pincer attacked!
All right! I'm sorry, okay?
We only just got out from the fort. I didn't have time to plan that far ahead!
-Father! -We'd better hurry
and let Mr. Shinomiya know.
Yes. Ichikawa's army will be on the move tomorrow morning.
Ayako. You stay here and help defend your father.
But…
Starting tomorrow,
I'm leaving messenger duty for the northern and central fronts to you too.
Now's your chance to fight alongside your father.
Be a good daughter, and do him proud.
Certainly!
He may be helplessly lacking in stature,
but that Young Lord of yours sure has the guts
to be a military commander.
Yes.
I'm finding myself more and more devoted by the day.
It's becoming quite the hassle.
CENTRAL FRONT SHINOMIYA'S MAIN ARMY
And so, Mr. Shinomiya,
could you please station some soldiers at the exit to the northern mountains?
-Do it. -Yes, my lord.
You need only spare a few.
Thank you, Mr. Messenger.
I'd love to hear more, but you should rest in Hoshina's camp.
He's grown so much in just one year.
I can't wait to see what the future holds.
CENTRAL FRONT HOSHINA'S MAIN ARMY
I can't eat any more…
Forward!
MOCHIZUKI ICHIKAWA
SHINOMIYA - NEZU PROVINCIAL OFFICIAL
MOCHIZUKI HOSHINA
Mochizuki hasn't changed at all.
He is careless in his actions,
but somehow, things always seem to work out for the better for him.
Now, with our newfound knowledge of what's going on in the north,
we shall hold a war council meeting.
Sure enough, what is most important for the central front now
is to defeat the provincial official.
I'd like to make it a quick and decisive battle,
but we are evenly matched with the provincial official's army,
and we do not have a trump card.
Is there any way out of this deadlock?
Mr. Nezu.
May I offer some advice from the perspective of a messenger?
Fubuki. What you were talking about yesterday.
We saw the fort in the south yesterday.
We believe the military forces sent to the fort were somewhat excessive.
Excessive?
The fort is structurally sound.
If we can predict the direction of their attack in advance,
we should be able to defend it with Mr. Unno's army and a few extra soldiers.
We would need a large number of scouts to pull it off,
but even an army at 80% capacity would be sufficient.
UNNO'S ARMY + INUKAI'S ARMY 224 SOLDIERS
One, two, three, four, five…
BAD AT MATH
I see.
If we send the 50 remaining cavalrymen to the central front,
they should be quite the valuable asset.
Fubuki.
Could Mr. Nezu not send in his hawk to surveil the fort?
Of course! Then we won't need so many scouts.
If we leave 100 cavalrymen in the south, they can hold out for ten days.
A decisive battle of brief duration
also won't require as many reservists at the fort.
So, in exchange for sending Mr. Nezu south,
we could pull 200 troops from the south to converge on the central front.
That is always a possibility.
Shizuku.
What a brilliant idea.
Thanks to Mr. Nezu,
we now know pretty much all of the locations that need extra vigilance
on the central front.
You can leave any future fighting to just us now.
Your suggestion makes perfect sense.
I feel a little ashamed to be taking strategic advice from a child, but…
Shizuku.
It is advice coming from you. I know that Lord Yorishige trusts you deeply.
Very well.
ICHIKAWA - MOCHIZUKI SHINOMIYA + HOSHINA
The north will keep their army at bay with a pincer attack,
I will trade places with 200 men in the south,
and Hoshina's party will settle things here in the center.
There are well over 500 men.
Chojumaru.
As messenger, you must know many secret paths.
Let us make haste. I need you to guide my path southward.
Yes, sir.
Shizuku has a lot of influence over the chief vassals
due to her being a representative of Mr. Yorishige.
Only she could come up with such a bold idea
like shuffling the generals around.
TOKIYUKI
THE NEXT DAY SOUTHERN FRONT - FUKASHI FORT
I sent 200 cavalrymen in secret to the central front last night.
Mr. Nezu and I have also made all the necessary arrangements
to help defend the fort.
I have a hawk watching the front, but I can't keep him for long.
Please tell Hoshina to have the battle on the central front
-finished within three days. -Yes, sir!
Everyone, I bid you good luck.
The Young Lord is fascinating, Mr. Nezu.
Yes.
To think he enjoys the work of darting about all the time.
He's a fine lad, I'll give him that,
but should we really be going ahead with a child's strategy?
What are you getting at?
Defeating the provincial official's army may only be a numbers game,
but Sadamune is a battle-hardened master.
Just as we have our plan, he will surely have his own as well.
I want to go home.
Just how much have we been running around these past few days?
Don't say that, Genba. You've gotta stick with us.
There may come a time when we need your power.
He's right though. We are pushing ourselves.
The Young Lord may be going too far this time.
Mr. Unno. Didn't you say there were around 100 enemy troops
stationed to the north of the fort?
Yes. They have not moved since the outbreak of this war.
They're not there. There are no signs of the enemy there!
TOKIYUKI SADAMUNE
It's them.
When did they get here?
So, the little restless messenger, flitting about hither and thither,
was you all along.
Didn't I tell you
that if I saw you on the battlefield, I would kill you without hesitation?
If I capture you, torture you,
and make you confess every single detail relating to Suwa's instructions
and their involvement in the war,
not only will I win this war,
it will also give me just cause to put an end to that Yorishige!
Go, men! All 100 of you!
Show them no mercy, even if they are children!
With sword in hand, all are equal on the battlefield!
Sever a limb or two if you have to.
Just make sure you capture them in a state where they can still talk.
Brat! Kojiro! Abandon the horses!
They haven't fully closed in on us from the right.
We'll climb the hill, and make a run for it.
Right.
Ow! What is this?
-Why, you… -What is this?
Another smokescreen from the fox, huh?
I've already seen that your smokescreen has a limited range.
You'll be stepping out from the smoke just around…
There!
Got him!
We got him!
This is bad…
They caught us.
We're finished.
Huh?
Who was that?
Who was that, you ask?
Well, I'll just have to give you the answer.
Heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it.
For I am the guardian deity of all of Shinano,
and nothing slips past my watch.
I am the Shinano Mask!
At your service!
-Yorishige. -Yorishige.
Yorishige.
Allow me to explain!
The Shinano Mask is the avatar of Shinano itself
who appears whenever danger is afoot!
At times tempestuous, at times compassionate!
A higher supernatural being who envelops all of Shinano
in his unconditional love!
He is a legendary hero, a miracle, admired by all…
And standing beside him is the king of commentary, Mr. Moritaka!
No matter which way you look at it, that's just Yorishige Suwa!
The man's got "fishy business" down to an art!
I am not! I am the Suwa Mask!
Now you've just called yourself Suwa! Get your facts straight!
Since you remain unconvinced,
we'll just have to let the facts speak for themselves.
In these turbulent times,
if you want proof beyond all reasonable doubt,
you have to catch the culprit in the act.
Will you try, Sadamune?
Fall back!
Lord Sadamune!
We are evenly matched, and we have the low ground.
Our position is not favorable.
Retreat! Retreat!
They gave up. Just like that.
I knew it. They're retreating east.
Just as I expected, Sadamune.
Sending 100 cavalrymen here was killing two birds with one stone.
The primary objective for Sadamune's 100 cavalrymen
was to provide backup to the central front.
He saw that the southern front was at a standstill,
and since he had no immediate use for them,
he sent 100 of his cavalrymen to the center.
He used the same strategy as us.
And his second objective. Well, that would be you.
You're the shrine attendant of Suwa Grand Shrine,
running about the battlefield on a secret mission.
If he can capture you and make you divulge everything,
that will give him the perfect excuse to come after me.
He dispatched those 100 cavalrymen not just to support the central front,
but also as a net to capture you.
Such a future suddenly came to me, and I came running as fast as I could,
but things are going to become far too dangerous going forward.
You've done enough, Lord Tokiyuki.
Let the others handle messenger duty for now. We're going home.
Going home?
The farther I stray from Suwa,
and the more people drawn into this battle,
the less accurate my prophecies become.
Now that Sadamune has realized your strategic worth,
continuing messenger duty is too dangerous.
No.
I think you should go home too.
You've worked yourself to the bone, Young Lord.
What he said. You're exhausted,
and that's why you didn't spot their ambush.
No. I don't want to go home. Not now.
Lord Tokiyuki.
Do you have any idea of the men who make up the small reinforcements
of the Three Great Generals?
Every one of them believes the day will come
when Suwa Myojin will rise to champion the desperately suffering people
of Shinano.
Each and every one of them is willing to put their life on the line
for this war.
But there is no need for you to do the same.
Your health is vital to the shogunate revival.
There is no need for you to be taking such risks right now. Leave it for--
Don't you get it?
I want to be useful for you!
You bear the weight of destiny on your shoulders,
but all I've been doing is taking and taking
without ever giving anything back.
When I look out and see all our allies united in their faith in you,
I feel like I'm finally giving back to you,
and it makes me happy.
And even then, do we still have to return?
It should be me saying that.
Mr. Yorishige?
All right!
If you feel that deeply about it, you can continue on with your duties.
But absolutely no fighting. I forbid it!
Focus on getting the message out,
and only watch over the battle from the rear.
I will!
Good grief.
Please take 100 of Suwa Grand Shrine's finest cavalrymen
and head straight for the central front.
With this, the battle is now completely even.
If you get the slightest sense of danger, remember that you can always flee.
Thank you, Mr. Yorishige. I'll be back.
And there he goes.
To bear witness to how much you grow day by day…
To receive such high praise…
It is I who have been taking and taking without giving anything back.
-Attack! -Attack!
CENTRAL FRONT THE DECISIVE BATTLE
What of Ichikawa in the north?
We can pin him in place for the entire day.
-Look out for the big, bad man! -Since the Mochizuki army is doing a dirty
cleverly striking Ichikawa from the rear.
-Who is this? -I see. That is reassuring.
And now, I must be off. I'm off to join my father in battle.
Excellent. Now we can focus all our efforts on the central front.
Mr. Messenger reports that Hoshina is also dominating.
Let's settle this once and for all today.
Nice. They're pushing back nicely.
Yeah. I had a quick look around,
and both Hoshina's army and Shinomiya's army
are in great fighting spirits.
With a battle this chaotic,
not even Sadamune's 100 cavalrymen can tip the scale.
We can win this war.
What is that?
What?
What on earth is that?
A mikoshi?
I'll flatten you all into the ground, you lawless scum!
Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
Heave-ho!
Lord Hoshina! We must retreat and re-establish ourselves--
You bastards!
I've gathered the biggest, burliest men around,
paying them to carry my mikoshi and serve as my bodyguards.
And I shall shoot them all from right here,
in the safety of my own little box.
This is my very own battle mikoshi plan!
Hyaaah!
Let's go!
EPISODE 17 (YEAR 1335) THE UNYIELDING