Half Blind Bluff

“She tends to favor boldness.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” Yumi stepped out from Yuki’s sight to return to the main camp where all the celebration continued. Little did the soldiers know how soon they would be returning to war. In their mind the war had been won, but Yumi knew better. Aya’s ambitions didn’t end with the capture of the city. One thread remained to the piece of her revenge, but even that wouldn’t be enough. She had seen her eyes, the revenge was real, but also just an excuse. She craved something more and wouldn’t end until she claimed it.

For now, that was something that Yumi could use to her advantage. She had to use the woman.

Yuki nodded pleased to see Yumi with her confidence back. Though he stared longingly at the distant tent where Aya stayed. ‘Initial strength is easy enough against her, but you have to keep that resolve, Yumi. I can only beat that presence of hers when I’m too upset to focus on that overpowering aura. It’s not an easy thing…good luck!’

Chapter 539 – Half Blind Bluff

Passing through the cheering men, she avoided a few clingy hands that were too drunk to know better. How would they feel in the morning knowing that the campaign would continue? Most didn’t understand the full picture of what they were doing. They were just soldiers following orders and in their minds the capture of the city was the goal. News of the Lord’s escape had not been broadcast yet.

At the tent, Yumi steeled herself for what she faced with Aya. She knew it would be tense. Even if it was something that would likely be a good thing to do with the woman, her presence and command still presented a large hurdle to get over. She just had to hold herself together long enough.

With one last exhale, Yumi entered the tent, which remained singularly occupied. Their Lord and Commander stood looking over a regional map of Japan that roughly placed it within the modern day prefecture of Shizuoka though it did spill more northward into the mountains. The area that Lord Matsushina controlled was small even for comparison to the island of Japan.

As she suspected, the woman already plotted the next campaign. She couldn’t leave one thread behind. A cowardly man such as Komagata wouldn’t be able to out run her reach for long. Even retreating to his family estates in the north would be something that provided little protection. If anything, it probably worked out in Aya’s favor as it would be a good enough excuse to take the territory.

Without even looking, she greeted Yumi. “Completed your investigation?”

“I’ve been working on a strategy for taking the domain of Nakanoi.” This drop drew a reaction from Aya as she looked up from the map to Yumi. While her poker face remained intact, there was a hint of curiosity that Yumi could pick up having worked with her long enough. It was an element that the woman struggled to hide despite everything she did to keep a stoic exterior. Anything that piqued her interest would get a ranging intensity of expression. “I’m going to take Nakanoi and return with Komagata for you.”

This had her full attention now as she leaned back standing straight and subtly moving around the table. “This is unusual from you Yoshiko. You normally find the frontline a displeasure. And to tell me what you’re going to do…” Aya began to apply her famous aura on Yumi to watch how she folded under the pressure.

Swallowing roughly, she forced herself to step forward to Aya. ‘I knew this would be hard, but I’ve got to do this. Control, control the room, control the conversation…come on Yumi!’ Words only did so much to bolster her confidence, but still continued knowing that this was the plan. “I’m not letting all of the work I spent gathering Lord Nagahama and his assistant for you end there. The plan isn’t finished yet.”

“Moving behind my back.”

“You wanted results and this was the best solution.” Aya said nothing, but her body spoke plenty as she wanted Yumi to continue. The boldness had intrigued her like a new toy. “As you already knew would happen, Komagata fled rather than surrendering before you. I knew it would come to this as well and made plans to see to the next campaign. Lord Nagahama became critical to that plan once I understood the situation.

“I will bring his army back under your banner and rid you of the thorn of Nakanoi at the same time. This will allow you to put your attention fully to the west.”

“You see more than I thought.”

“I haven’t been sitting in that court doing nothing all these years.”

Aya stepped directly in front of Yumi, staring at her intently. Without the context, one might have mistaken it for a passionate stare. Though if one was to be fair, the look at Aya gave Yumi certainly unnerved her more than she expected as it did almost feel like the woman was trying to seduce her. It came off weirder than she imagined, but she knew that she had Aya. More than anything, she enjoyed someone that had the guts to stand up to her and be direct without bending. Yumi couldn’t see her own face that Aya watched, but she felt certain that she didn’t succeed perfectly for Aya’s needs. However, it was definitely enough to get the towering woman's attention.

“I’ll give you a battalion and your two acquisitions.”

“I don’t need men. I told you I'd be bringing his army back to you. I just need the two of them.”

A smile pulled over Aya’s face at the declaration. “Oh my dear, your confidence is going to burn you.”

Swallowing again, she knew that her poker face didn’t win any points with Aya. All that she had left was sheer aggressiveness to stick to the plan. “We shall see. I’ll have everything for you within three months.”

“I could conquer it in one.”

“As could I. But I’ll be conquering it with no army.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s your angle. Yes, three months is just the right amount of time. Very well, show me how much your confidence is worth.”

“I’ll gather what I need and leave immediately.” Yumi turned away and marched out the tent, hopefully leaving Aya with a continued good impression. It went how she wanted it to go, so she felt good about the results. But even still, that woman always proved a challenge to face down.

She searched around the camp not even knowing where Seiji and Nerine were placed. ‘Sorry Yuki, I took credit for your work, but this was the play that I needed to happen.’ It took longer than she expected, but the camp was large with all of the men they gathered. They would be pleased that they get to return, though that would not last for long she knew. Aya’s plans on the west were already in motion long before this war began.

Eventually, a lone tent on the edge revealed itself to her from a little direction. It made sense that as former enemies the men wouldn’t put them up somewhere good. If Aya learned of it, she would probably chew them out as Seiji became one of her generals. “Lord Nagahama, are you still awake?”

Swiftly with little sound there was someone at the tent flaps, she immediately guessed it to be Nerine even before she spoke. “Who brazenly comes to my Lord’s tent with no appointment?”

“Yoshiko Kaoin, a friend.” The tent suddenly opened with a very mature and proper Japanese woman standing before her, which normally wouldn’t have been weird, but she was so used to the European features of Nerine that this took her moment.

Inside the tent, she saw Seiji seated cross legged on a fine rug that covered the dirt and grass of their camp. An even stranger sight was the restrained and adult appearance of Seiji, she never would have recognized him without knowing before. It wasn’t even that he had a different body like everyone, he didn’t have the same sort of bearing that she remembered. “Is that really you?”

Seiji laughed a bit at Yumi's surprise. “I don’t look like the raging teenager that you used to know. Don’t worry about it, I’m not bothered. I’ve had an extra decade or more to refine. But don’t worry, I’m still a little hot blooded.”

She sat down in front of him as he affirmed his identity for her. “I guess things would change.”

“This sort of world requires you to become an adult sooner, especially now that I’m the head.”

“Yes, I heard about that.”

“So what is the hand of Lord Aya visiting my tent tonight?” After a few moments Nerine returned, giving him a signal before exiting the tent. “It’s all clear now.”

“I’ve made arrangements with Aya for us, Seiji. I’m going to need you and Nerine to follow me north after Komagata.”

“Aya already wants his head, huh?”

“Yes, though this is my plan, my move. I’ve convinced her to let me handle the whole thing on my own with only the two of you.”

He leaned in a little, becoming curious and concerned about what Yumi started to propose. “I had said I could get her some troops, but to fight a war with no men at all?”

“We’re not going to need an army.”

This made him even more curious as Yumi kept a confident look. Even though she partially bluffed her way through the negotiations with Aya, she did not stop her play for Seiji. “I’m guessing you asked for us because I’ll be able to get you the men and Nerine’s spy network will get you into Komagata.”

“You’re partially correct, but it’s much more than that.” Even with the plan being something that she only just put together from talking to Yuki, the longer that it survived in her head the more pieces came together. “More is happening than you know.”

“I know that Aya’s got some big ambitions. I’ve known her when she was a child, she was pretty unsettling and enjoyed toying with Yori. But it was pretty easy to see what she wanted a lot, though I don’t think until her family was killed did she really find the necessary motivation to make that happen.”

Nodding to Seiji, she took that information in. There was a lot that she could learn from the two of them about Aya. She had largely been a mystery to them on their side as she was an outsider that stepped into the political scene. ‘This could work out even better than I hoped. Having more on Aya will make confronting her in the future better…though one wrong move and she’ll kill me for what I’m planning…’

Yumi felt more sure that she picked the right path. The next time that she saw Yuki she would have to give him her thanks for the push. “For now we’ll be playing in her game, but the course is going to be harder than if we were just following behind her. We’re going to have to be ahead of her.”

“She’s always dozens of moves ahead of everyone. That’s not going to be easy, Yumi.”

“I know, but I have a plan.” She didn’t bother telling him that it was still coming together. “Komagata is the end goal, but not the first step. Before we go after him, we’re going to take the Nakanoi’s army as our own.”