The Next Target

“Keitaro! Toko!” Musashi burst through the door.

The two siblings had gone “missing” for three days. Most were privy to their location, however, Musashi wasn’t, but they needed their training, so he scoured the palace, searching every room, interrogating each person he came across, until he finally found their hideout after a servant let it slip.

Keitaro and Toko had turned an unused room into their own little gamer lair with the demand that they were not to be disturbed while inside. Unfortunately, Musashi was now disturbing them.

“Figured you’d find us eventually…” Keitaro sighed, turning his attention back to his game.

“Of course! Do you know how far behind you two are on your training!?”

Just the word “training” made Toko flinch, but Keitaro blew it off. “Don’t worry, we’ve been doing plenty of training.” He said as he played his game.

“It looks like you’re playing video games!”

“No, no, wait, Musashi.” Tomoe was sitting in the darkness, wrapped up in a blanket and munching on some chips.

“Tomoe!? What are you doing here!?”

“I found them on day one.” She took a sip of soda as she intently watched Keitaro’s game.

“And you didn’t tell me!?”

“Well, I was going to, but…” She eyed her snacks. Keitaro and Toko had somehow converted her into a NEET. “Anyway, you need to listen to Keitaro. He’s got everything figured out.”

With a grumble, Musashi turned his attention to Keitaro’s game. “So what’s this ‘training’ you’ve been doing?”

Keitaro smirked. “I’m glad you asked…”

He hit reset, loading up the title screen of Hideyoshi’s Ambition, the game he had been playing. It was an old strategy game that takes place during the Imjin War, the Japanese invasions of Korea from 1592 to 1598. While unwieldy by modern standards, its complex gameplay and interwoven systems provided a deep and fairly accurate simulation of the conflict. While one could play as Korea or China and defend against the Japanese, the primary draw was from Japan’s campaign where the goal was to conquer East Asia and build the greatest empire the world had ever seen.

Keitaro was quite skilled at this game having conquered all of Korea and China on the hardest difficulty with the self-imposed challenge of not upgrading units. While he stopped playing it some time ago, he picked it up now for a specific reason…

“In this game, Korea is easy to take as long as you’re prepared. Bolster your navy, control the seas, secure your supply lines, and then strike deep and fast into Korea. However, the real challenge is China.” He zoomed out the map, showing the massive Ming Dynasty. “The reason why they’re so strong in this game is because they have ten times the manpower and are twenty times bigger. Unless you know exactly how to exploit their internal issues then you’ll find yourself unable to take more than a few coastal provinces.”

Musashi was unimpressed. “So what exactly does all this have to do with anything?”

“Think about it. China’s massive population and size are their greatest strengths, but those factors do not apply to our friends in Shanghai.”

“Keitaro… Are you planning on invading Shanghai next?” A flicker of worry crossed his face. “I think you may be underestimating them.”

“We need to fight Shanghai eventually, and it’s best to secure that front right now. The Coalition will erupt into war before long. Whoever emerges from that will be crazy powerful. With Shanghai under our belt, we’ll be stronger both defensively and offensively, ready to rival whoever emerges from the ashes of the Coalition.”

Musashi narrowed his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, Keitaro had proven himself tactically, and his points made sense, but the Chinese had to be approached with caution. “Keitaro, have you discussed this with Tokugawa or Yamashita?”

“I’m planning on calling a strategy meeting later today.” Keitaro got up and stretched. “Don’t worry, Musashi. I’m not planning on charging in blindly or something stupid, but…” He looked over his shoulder. “China has been called a sleeping dragon. Shanghai is most certainly not.”

***

As Keitaro had said, a strategy meeting had been called. Present were, of course, Keitaro and Toko as well as Tokugawa, Yamashita, and Okita.

Before talking about the future, however, it was imperative to establish their current position.

Tokugawa brought out his notes. “Our economy is doing well despite the strains of our wars. The extra funds from the Treaty of London have been an especially big help. Additionally, our integration of Seoul has been more successful than expected.”

Okita cut in, “That Korean defector, Kyoungjong Yang, has really helped us in smoothing things out.”

“It’s good to know the homefront’s doing well.” Keitaro looked at Yamashita. “How about our army?”

“As strong as ever. Our victory against Paris has bolstered morale and I have begun training and arming new divisions."

“Very good. Okita, have you been monitoring the Coalition?”

“Of course. A war is inevitable at this point. London and Berlin are breathing down each other’s necks. It’s hard to say who will join who, but New York will probably go with London and Rome will likely join Paris.“

“What about Moscow?”

“They could go either way. They’ve occupied Istanbul, but they’ll probably stay neutral, at least for now.”

“I see…” Keitaro leaned back in his chair, thinking hard. Sitting up straight, he gave his proposal, “The Coalition War is coming, and whoever comes out on top will be the predominant power in Kosma. However, the war will be brutal and costly. I think it’s best for us to sit this one out and instead secure our own position, and I think our best target is Shanghai.”

There were mixed reactions. Toko trusted her brother’s judgement, Yamashita looked excited, Tokugawa a bit disappointed, and Okita gave a sideways glance.

“Brilliant idea, sir.” Yamashita brought attention to the map of Kosma. “Conquering Shanghai while our rivals are distracted will not only boost our strength, but also secure our flank while taking down a future enemy.”

“It’s risky, though.” Tokugawa put his hand on his chin. “We don’t have a good handle on Shanghai.”

“I’ve actually sent a few agents into the city.” Okita leaned forward. “Since they’ve yet to fight a war, they’ve been free to build up their economy and army. However, the gains and experience we’ve gotten from our wars should still put us ahead.”

“Can you increase surveillance in the city?” Keitaro asked.

“Consider it done.” Okita bowed his head.

“I will draft invasion plans immediately, sir,” Yamashita said.

“Very good.” Keitaro nodded.

“Have you considered securing other allies?” Tokugawa asked, his voice faintly desperate.

“Yes, but I don’t want to get drawn into the Coalition War. I think it’s best we go alone for now.”

Tokugawa sighed, resigning to his lord’s wishes as Okita leaned back in his chair and Yamashita began sketching out lines on the map.

At this point, the war was inevitable. As Keitaro pressed on with confidence, he knew that Shanghai would be just another domino to topple.