I've gathered the biggest, burliest men around
and 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!
It's all for show.
That huge thing will just become an easy target.
No, not necessarily.
It's so conspicuous that it's bound to become a target, but…
The bearers wear heavy armor
and maintain a tight formation around the poles.
RAMPAGE! BATTLE MIKOSHI
They can't be taken down easily, even in close combat.
Even if one bearer falls, another one immediately takes his place.
Even if they reach the mikoshi…
This is bad. They're packing in tighter and tighter.
PROVINCIAL OFFICIAL
If they pack in that tightly, Sadamune's army will slip in behind them.
SADAMUNE'S ARMY HOSHINA PARTY
They could be cut off and wiped out.
Fubuki? Don't be reckless!
No need to worry. I'm going as a messenger to pass on my idea.
That's the danger of a court noble who knows nothing of war.
Tactics that defy a warrior's expectations can be
extremely dangerous if they happen to work.
Trample them to death! Cut them down!
I'll shoot them down too!
All for my world…
No, for the Emperor's world.
It's beyond me.
I could never govern those beasts
who wouldn't hesitate to take a Provincial Official's life.
Even if it's my command?
Our Kiyohara clan has always been a lower-ranked noble house.
We have neither the lineage nor the worthiness to become Provincial Officials.
Why did you appoint someone like me
as a Provincial Official in the first place?
Kiyohara, lineage is not what I value most.
It is resolve.
I value those with the resolve to change the age.
Even in the days of Kamakura, you must have wondered.
"Why do indolent court nobles
who fawn over the shogunate's warrior families
and cling to their privileges still hold power?"
"I could change the world if I were in their place."
I saw the passion, ambition, and resolve hidden in your eyes.
I recognized your worth even then.
You had noticed a mere minor court noble like me even back then?
Your house has no standing.
You have no achievements on the grand stage.
Yet you possess a resolve that reaches the heavens.
That is why I entrust Shinano to you.
Go, Kiyohara.
Rule Shinano with that resolve, for the world I shall create.
The Emperor commands you to go!
Yes, sir!
Emperor Godaigo was also a hero
possessed of unparalleled charisma and force of character.
As though imbued with the Emperor's own spirit,
many nobles took up unfamiliar weapons and risked their lives on the battlefield.
It was one of the most unusual characteristics of the era.
Mr. Hoshina, move your soldiers to the left.
Concentrate as many soldiers as you can from the right to the left.
All for the Emperor's reign!
We shall build his world here in Shinano!
THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI
Heave-ho!
Cry out, you fools.
Your voices are the bells that herald the new reign.
To build a righteous world, we must first cut away its impurities.
The Emperor's reign shall bloom upon that blood.
Emperor, behold!
That blood is the very proof of my loyalty.
I've concentrated the troops as you instructed, but…
Fire!
There are too many of them.
No matter how many we cut down,
it's as if they just keep crawling out from the depths of the earth.
Don't worry. Keep it up.
It should be about time.
What's going on? Hold it steady!
Damn it! Where are the replacement bearers?
What are you dawdling for? Get back into formation!
Not many can wield a sword with their left hand.
If we strike there, we can break the bearers' formation.
The left!
Concentrate your attacks from the left!
Follow me, Shinomiya! We're taking the enemy commander!
It's shaking! It's shaking! At this rate, I can't use my bow!
It's over.
In the end, it was just a court noble's little game.
Let's get back and collect our reward.
After all, we took down that Provincial Official.
Don't make it sound like it was all you!
Huh? Wasn't it?
What's wrong, brat?
Well…
The mountain behind Shinomiya's main army…
Just now, something…
A glint…
Arms?
The mountain?
My lord?
We need to ready Shinomiya's army to retreat!
At worst, they'll be ambushed from behind!
Huh? That's impossible.
SHINOMIYA'S MAIN ARMY
Behind the Shinomiya's army is nothing but endless mountains.
There's no way an army that large could get in there…
Besides, my lord, the enemy's main commanders should all be out by now.
There's one man who comes to mind.
A cunning, meticulous commander known for mountain ambushes.
SHINOMIYA'S MAIN ARMY
An ambush from the mountain behind us?
There's no sign of anything.
What's your basis for that?
I have none, but please order a retreat at once!
We've beaten the Provincial Official and we're on the verge of victory.
We can't move the main army now.
In our land, where we revere the divine,
the idea of a man riding a mikoshi is absurd.
Only a god has the right to ride a mikoshi.
And in Shinano, there's only one.
We'll hear you out once Lord Shinomiya returns.
By then, it'll be too late. It's the instinct of a born runner.
Please, hurry!
E…
Enemy… Enemy…
Enemy?
Enemy attack!
What's happening?
Yasaburo!
Damn it!
I'll go after him! Shinomiya, get back to the main army!
Run for it!
Young Lord!
Kojiro! Genba!
Shokan…
Lord Tokiyuki.
SOUTH - CENTER - NORTH
The battle began on three fronts.
Within days, the northern and southern forces would be consolidated,
and both sides would converge on the center for the decisive battle.
After analyzing both armies' strength,
I predicted the decisive battle on the fourth day
and moved my troops through the mountains accordingly.
Then I learned of the Provincial Official's secret weapon
and worked it into my plan.
It was the perfect toy to draw everyone's attention on the battlefield.
While everyone's attention was focused on the mikoshi,
we swiftly closed in on Shinomiya's main camp and launched a surprise attack.
This is military strategy, Chojumaru.
Military strategy…
You may run around hunting down petty commanders
and save small villages.
But if you can't read the tide of a great war,
you'll never attain anything truly great.
You should've had Kusunoki teach you the art of war.
But what a shame. Good children, it's time to die!
Young Lord!
They're on foot. They can't catch us on horseback.
Right.
Impressive, Shokan.
Your plan worked perfectly.
Lord Sadamune.
I took the opportunity to break through their defensive line.
Now we'll wipe out Shinomiya's army in one sweep!
As you command!
A single move by one commander overturned the entire course of the battle.
This is war.
This is military strategy.
Damn it! While I was away from the main army…
No… Once an army has fallen apart, it can't be reformed.
Mr. Shinomiya!
I'm sorry.
If only I'd realized it sooner…
Don't be ridiculous.
If warriors have to rely on a child that much, we're no warriors at all.
Right now, I'm thinking about how to salvage this defeat.
Just like Hoshina, we can't simply abandon our land.
But if we stand our ground in this chaos, total annihilation is inevitable.
Mr. Mochizuki?
Sorry. He blew up our own men too, so please rescue them.
Yeah…
As one of the Three Great Generals of the Suwa Sect,
I have a message for the Shinomiya party.
Remember this. In this battle, fleeing is victory.
We'll serve as the rear guard and buy you time.
Take your clan and withdraw to Hoshina territory.
Suwa Myojin will surely rise. Live on and await that day.
Suwa Myojin…
How reassuring.
For that day, we'll endure any humiliation.
What a relief.
Words from one of the Three Great Generals carry a different kind of weight.
All right. We'll leave the enemy to Lord Mochizuki.
Prepare to withdraw!
Yeah!
Mr. Mochizuki, weren't you supposed to be in the north?
Why are you here?
After that, I went to tell Father about the battle in the center.
The moment he heard my report, he said, "How boring," and left right away.
"Boring"?
Yeah.
The enemy's movements here were too boring.
So I had a feeling there'd be an interesting twist,
and that worried me.
That's so random… but I'm glad he came.
This battle was never likely to be won.
Lord Yorishige still can't act openly, so it was unavoidable.
Both the Inukai and Tokoiwa clans had been told
to hide in the mountains if defeated.
Lord Yorishige had already prepared supplies and shelter for them.
This is merely a preliminary battle.
Lord Yorishige's objective is to keep casualties to a minimum
and strengthen the unity of the Suwa Sect.
Mr. Yorishige had even calculated that far ahead…
A profound military strategy of a kind completely different from Shokan's.
And, Young Lord.
Your selfless devotion,
running day and night and risking your life for the Suwa Sect,
has deeply moved us all.
When the next great war comes,
we, the people of Shinano, pledge that we will spare no effort in supporting you.
Our final mission as the Elusive Warriors
was to carry word of the defeat on the Central Front to the Southern Front.
The moment they received the message,
Mr. Unno and Mr. Nezu rushed to the Central Front.
Thanks to the Three Great Generals' valiant stand,
the Shinomiya party was rescued from the brink of destruction,
and casualties were kept to a minimum.
With all hope of victory lost,
Mr. Tokoiwa in the north and Mr. Inukai in the south
fled into the mountains.
Kiyohara, the Provincial Official, escaped in the confusion.
We barely managed to hold back Shokan and Ogasawara's army,
but we lost a great deal of our land.
HOSHINA TERRITORY PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS TERRITORY
I don't like having to ask this, but I'll be in your care, Yasaburo.
HOSHINA TERRITORY
Yeah. We fell for the enemy's strategy and failed to finish off Kiyohara.
The responsibility for this lies with me.
The Hoshina party will provide for the Shinomiya party's needs
and perform rites for the fallen.
Leave everything to us.
I'm in your debt.
With Lord Shinomiya on our side, we have the strength of a hundred men!
Next time, we'll slaughter them!
Yeah…
They're always way more fired up than us…
MOSTLY THE GENTLE TYPE
We could even merge our two parties for the future.
That might not be a bad idea.
I heard that Suwa Myojin will surely rise.
If it means living to see that day… I'll do whatever it takes.
Labeled enemies of the Imperial Court and defeated in battle,
the Suwa Sect will lose all their lands if this continues.
They had no choice but to stake everything on a great upheaval.
That awareness and resolve gradually spread among them.
Chief Chamberlain, Mitsunori of Minamoto.
Imperial Councillor, Noritaka of Tachibana.
Provisional Middle Councillor, Kinhira of Fujiwara.
Those are all the promotions for this occasion.
It is a cruel thing
when even talent cannot advance you further because of your lineage.
It is painful when your path to advancement is blocked,
but it is just as sad that you cannot rise in rank without going to Kamakura.
Mr. Kiyohara, there's no use lamenting the advancement you'll never attain.
We have no choice but to accept that these are the times we live in.
Even so, I'll wait for the day when even those without noble lineage can rise.
SUWA GRAND SHRINE
Yoritsugu! Yoritsugu!
Where is he?
Yoritsugu!
It's hard to report a defeat.
More than anything, Lord Yorishige will be overjoyed that you're safe.
Look over there.
Lord Yorishige had a hut built over there
for times when you would be on the battlefield.
He allows no one inside, performs ablution,
and prays for your safe return.
Ablution…
To pour cold water over himself at this time of year…
He really cares that much about me…
Now, I truly understand.
My goal is the same as Mr. Yorishige's.
To restore the Hojo is to save the people of Shinano.
This isn't the time to mope.
I'm going to reclaim the throne alongside him.
I'm back, Mr. Yorishige.
Yorishige
is soaking in a hot spring.
He's soaking in a hot spring he unearthed with his holy power,
with sake and snacks.
We're risking our lives out there, and you're off having the time of your life?
You idiot Myojin!
Well, I was performing ablution until just a moment ago.
Pouring hot water over yourself just feels good!
-It's fine! -Hey!
There's no rule that says it has to be cold!
Maybe I really can't work with him after all.
Teach him a lesson!
Yeah.
In this battle, the Suwa side lost land, but gained stronger bonds.
Above all, Tokiyuki and Yorishige deepened their shared goal,
and the Suwa side united ahead of the coming great war…
Or so it seemed.
Let's go.
EPISODE 18 (YEAR 1335): THE BOY WHO BECAME A GOD