Two Japanese Princes

Two Japanese Princes, a handful of years apart in age, set out together to build a glorious empire. The city of Kyoto is founded amidst a wealth of resources.



The citizens elect to build a monument to the celebrate the beauty and richness of the surrounding landscape. Given the local sheep and elephants, the people began to practice domestication of livestock. As our fearless warriors explore, they discover ancient ruins from which we learn of great culture. A policy of Tradition is adopted as a result of this, and our people learn to produce greater supplies of food to help the city grow. Before long, new children are born to our empire are Kyoto grows more populous.

More ruins are found and explored, revealing the mysteries of a military technique known as Archery. We learn to live alongside the sheep, and begin to practice setting snares that one day we might capture a mighty elephant.

As the years pass, the monument is completed and the strength of our culture grows. We begin to train workers who might one day care for the sheep in the hills. Another ancient ruin is discovered, which warns us of barbarian threats to the north, northwest, and southeast. While scouting the threat to the north, a mighty mountain is discovered and named "Mt Fuji". The people are pleased by the discovery. Finding the northern barbarians to be dug in too well for an assault, our troops move back towards the city to defend against encroaching barbarians from the southeast. These barbarians are defeated easily, but our warriors remain on hand so that they might defend the workers who will soon be in the field.



Our warriors, tired from battle, rest to regain their strength. Meanwhile back in Kyoto our scholars have developed a way of setting traps for the elephants and other animals. Having mastered this practice, they set to work developing tools that might be used to mine the marble close at hand.

Is this a story regarding your game, or a Succession Game? If its the latter, are you looking for players, or do you already have them. If it's a story, then I'll move it to "Civ 5 - Stories & Tales".

It's a succession game in a more narrative format that my brother and I will be playing, we just got off to a bit of a slow start He should be chiming in relatively soon. Sorry for the confusion!

Through the trials of battle, our people gained a sense of Honor, and feeling reinvigorated our Warriors headed north to see what lay beyond the hills. However, before they traveled far, word came to them that Barbarians were again moving in towards Kyoto from the South, and they turned back to defend their homes and people. In Kyoto, our people fired upon the Barbarians from the safety of the city, hoping their Warriors would return soon. Just as the first Workers were ready to head into the fields, our Warriors descended from the hills to the Northeast and faced the Barbarians on the plains East of Kyoto. The battle went well and our Warriors developed additional skills to improve their battle prowess in open terrain.

With the lands again safe, our Workers headed out to farm the nearby Corn, in hopes that the additional food would help Kyoto grow. Our people began to train a Scout, so that the lands could be explored while allowing our Warriors to garrison in Kyoto for defense. On the same day that our Scout was ready to start exploring, a Scout troop from foreign lands arrived at the edge of our growing city. They seemed to be as advanced as our people, unlike the crude Barbarians we had dealt with thus far. They spoke a language we had not heard before, which we shall call Chinese, and they brought a message from their people, "Leave us alone and we will do the same for you." It was not the nicest greeting, but perhaps lost something in the translation.

The Chinese Scout departed, our Workers finished building the new farms, and soon we were feasting on Corn, more than we could eat. So, our scholars decided that when they finished developing the tools necessary to make use of the nearby Granite, they needed to figure out how to store all this fine new grain. With all of their hard work, this happened shortly thereafter and they began to research stronger metals so that we may better defend our people.

Our Scout headed off to explore the lands to the North, meeting the people of Copenhagen and then Singapore. And our people trained another Warrior, which allowed our more experienced Warrior to head south to confront the Barbarian threat once and for all. With our city growing, the defense of our borders boosted, and our people still in awe of the monument that was built some time ago, our people began to build Great Pyramids so that the whole world might come to see our skill with stonework.

Reports from the warriors to the south indicate that the barbarian forces there are strong. Hearing this, Prince Noboru, the younger and more bloodthirsty of the brothers, sets out with the warriors in Kyoto to aid in eradicating the menace. He leaves his older brother to oversee the completion of the pyramids, and alert him if the workers should come under any threats. In the meantime, the scouts begin to travel westward as Chinese scouts are glimpsed just beyond the borders of Kyoto.


With two armies in the field to flank the barbarian encampment it falls easily, as do a group of barbarian warriors and barbarian archers. On the return trip to Kyoto, another encampment is discovered to the east, and with a brief delay to rest up, Noboru and his forces again flank the encampment and eliminate it. All of this fighting does well for the skill of the troops, and some of them learn to tend the wounds of their fallen comrades, greatly accelerating their recovery.


With all of the barbarian activity, and warnings from the military advisors regarding the strength of China to the north, our scientists continue to devote thier studies towards more sophisticated metals. The citizens of Kyoto begin to feel a bit of wanderlust, and Liberty is discussed regularly in the streets.

The scouts in the west discover the two city states of Oslo and Florence. Further on they discover ruins from which they arm themselves with bows and arrows, and they discover and eliminate another barbarian encampment. The barbarians had captured some foreign workers, and they happily join the Japanese empire and travel back towards Kyoto under the guard of the scouts-turned-archers.



The pyramids are completed just before Noboru returns to Kyoto, and his homecoming is made all the more glorious by their splendor. Feeding on the desire for liberty and expansion rampant in the streets of Kyoto, he instructs the Kyoto council to begin assembling a party to strike out and found another city for the empire, and a lengthy discussion ensues regarding where the city should be established. Noboru, still high on his conquest of the barbarians, thinks the city should be built in the desert hills to the north, just past the river, where the fields of grain grow to the east in the floodplains, and there are multiple groups of sheep roaming the hills to the west. He thinks a strong step forward towards their neighbor China would put them in a good position should relations turn sour. The elders express differing opinions though, including a more conservative move of striking out northeast towards Copenhagen, and buying up lands to the west of Kyoto and between the Kyoto and the new city, with the eventual goal of closing off the southern tip of the continent for Japan. One of the eldest, who grew up by the sea, thinks that a city on the shore would broaden the prospects of the fledgling nation. Noboru decides it is probably best to defer to his brother, and retires from the council before the settlers are fully prepared or any real decision is reached.

As the discourse of expanding our realms plays out, Kyoto's work force continues to develop the surrounding lands and a new Archery troop enters training. After hearing out the multitude of views, Oda-san determines that there is wisdom in his brother Noboru's momentum, and he sends our settlers north, with a well-armed escort, to look for a suitable location in the hills. However, upon reaching their original destination, the settler's convoy receives word that Kyoto's scholars discovered a new metal, which as fate would have it, is abundant in the northern hills. Oda-san, advised that his Archers would soon be ready, makes a bold decision, and orders the new city be built even further north than planned. In a move that seems certain to provoke response from the Chinese, the new city of Osaka purchases all of the iron-rich land in the area and sets to work building barracks.

Osaka is a beautiful sight to the archers and workers returning from the west, and orders come from Kyoto for the archer to garrison there for defense. And in a show of strength in numbers, Kyoto's and Osaka's warriors are sent north to address the nearby barbarian encampment, which falls easily. This in turn wins our people favor with nearby Singapore, a friendship that may provide fruitful. With all of this travel our scholars learn to control rolling things to and fro, and begin to make notations, at first in stone, which we know so well. So successful are our people that they begin to experience a Golden Age. With all the talk of liberty, our scholars begin to explore the concepts of Philosophy, and with Iron mines built, our senior-ranking warriors upgrade their weaponry to better defend our strategic outpost at Osaka.

As the sun sets over the seas to the west, our people rejoice that they have made new friends, and have surprisingly managed to expand without in any way disturbing relations with the Chinese to the north. Our workers set forth to build a great highway between Kyoto and Osaka, and our younger warriors are sent to provide them protection. Content that Osaka is safe from threat, and defended by our more veteran archers, our swordsmen head north to explore the lands between China and Singapore.

While our swordsmen explore the continent battling barbarians, settlers strike out from Osaka and settle by the sea in a city they call Tokyo. Noboru believes that the empire would do well to continue its expansion, but is concerned that the people may become unhappy and the cities would fail to grow large and prosperous. He constructs a mighty building for an Oracle, who advises him to follow the ways of the Aristocracy which will allow him to build more wonders to please the people.



Noboru immediately begins constructing a beautiful hanging garden in Osaka, and organizes the citizens personally so that they can construct it as fast as possible. He does this at the expense of Osaka's growth, but he tells the people they can go back to gathering all the food they desire when the gardens are complete.

Our scientists develop better construction methods, allowing them to build more advanced structures like bridges. They then return their attention to the study of metals.

The citizens of Tokyo learn about the sea, and begin to construct a vessel called a Trireme to travel in waves. As Noboru predicted, the people begin to grumble about the growing population. With his gardens not yet completed, he commands that a great Colosseum be built in Kyoto to provide further distractions for the people.

Repeated harassment by the southern barbarians forces Noboru to send a group of swordsmen down to eliminate the latest encampment.

Easily eradicating the Barbarians, our people grow more pious, which seems to make them happier. The workers, who just finished building a route to Tokyo, begin a pasture to corral the nearby horses. Seemingly overnight, Noboru's Hanging Gardens are completed to the delight of our people, and life in the city returns to normal just as our scholars finish their study of metal working. One of our scholars, afield with Tokyo's workers, falls from an apple tree onto a grazing horse, which runs off with him holding on for dear life. Just like that, quite comically at first, our scholars begin trying to ride the horses that roam our countryside.




At Tokyo's eastern shores, our new Trireme sets out to explore the seas, and the people begin to construct a boat from which to gather fish. Before our people can afford to negotiate the purchase of a nearby fishing hole, fishermen set sail from Tokyo exploring south.



Seeing that our people are happier, Oda-san directs Osaka to prepare for a settlement expedition. The shadows of Mt. Fuji hide fertile lands, and in a short time, the fledgling town of Satsuma is founded there. Seeing abundant grains and livestock, Oda-san wants to lay claim to Mt. Fuji, believing its magnificence will help bring in more money through tourism.



Our people seem happy with the progress of our small nation, which, from what we hear in the field, is outpacing our Chinese neighbors. Our Trireme soon rounds the northern hook of our continent and can see that the Chinese have done little to grow their realms. Perhaps they would be better served by our stewardship, thinks Oda-san.

Noboru takes his brother's council to heart regarding China's lack of direction. He builds a barracks in Kyoto so that his troops can be better prepared for combat. While waiting for it to complete however, he decides to take a gamble.

Japan is doing well, but the people won't stay happy forever and paying for the maintenance troops, transit, and building is becoming difficult. Noboru knows that he would push things too far if he were to build up a large military and the requisite infrastructure without first stabilizing finances. He also feels that bringing China under the rule of Japan would be much easier if his own people were happy.

Instead of commanding his metalurgists to continue researching stronger metals, he turns thier attention to creating a currency that his empire can use for all its economic activities. He orders Osaka and Kyoto to build workshops, which can later speed their production of facilities such as markets to bolster the economy.

Seeing the eastern and western city states preoccupied with fighting among themselves, he gathers the full strength of Japan's troops and marches on Beijing. Wu Zeitan confronts him at the city gates, but her words are the only defense the city can muster, and it falls in a day. It falls so easily in fact, that the solders return home wondering if their combat pay will be enough to repair the soles of thier shoes from the march.





With the continent secured, and a new currency minted to bolster Japan's economy, Noboru further delays the development of advanced metals. What good are better swords when there is no-one to fight? Instead he turns his scientists towards the sea and commands them to find a way across.

Before departing for a brief holiday, he writes a letter to his brother in which he ponders a few things:

"Oda-san,

We need to keep our troops sharp while we find a way for them to cross the seas. Perhaps we can assist Oslo or Florence in thier dispute? Or maybe we should assist Copenhagen or Singapore? Maybe we should settle both disputes and gain some strategic allies! If our experience with Beijing is anything to go by, our military might should be sufficient to take one or two of these puny city states.

If we are to travel across the seas and lay claim to the lands we find there, we will need a strong economy so that we can support our troops and keep our people happy. You are wise in these things in ways that I am not. My focus is narrow, like the edge of a good sword. Perhaps it is not surprising that it so often follows one.

I defer to your wisdom,
-Noboru

PS: A great scientist has been born in our lands, please put him to good use!"

Although born in Kyoto, our Great Scientist sees the hillsides east of Osaka as an ideal location for an academy which can further fuel our scientific prowess. Oda-san orders Kyoto to begin construction of a great temple, names Angkor Wat, and purchases land to the southwest of Kyoto which can support its people's industrious efforts.

Meanwhile our Trireme travels far to the west and north around what is a virtually unsettled mirror of our empire. Along the way, greetings are sent from the city state of Ragusa. To the south, islands appear which should be visited. Seeing the merit to mastering the seas, Oda-san directs the research of Optics.



North of Tokyo, Copenhagen continues to station its armies uncomfortably close to our lands. Seeing that there are many resources in the area surrounding this perennial pest, Oda-san determines that Japan should come to the aid of Singapore in its dispute with Copenhagen.

Oda-san orders that a spearman be trained in Osaka to handle Copenhagen's horsemen, and he stations our free swordsmen at Copenhagen's borders to monitor their movements. Knowing that a battle will be soon unavoidable, Oda-san sends Tokyo's newly trained fishermen north through Copenhagen's waters while they are still safe for unarmed travel. Those fishermen are traveling the long route to the waters off of Beijing, which are home to many clams, in hopes of finding pearls. While further plans are made for taking Copenhagen, Kyoto completes Angkor Wat.



Knowing that the impending battles with Copenhagen cannot blind him to our empire's other needs, Oda-san allows Kyoto to build a market to help our economy support the armies which will soon be needed. Osaka's spearman heads east, joining a small force near Copenhagen. With new optical lenses smoothed by our scholars, Oda-san begins to gaze at the stars, and asks his scholars to learn more about their movements.

Then, an opportunity is created with both of Copenhagen's archery units outside of the safety of their city's limits. Oda-san strikes, knowing that he cannot take the city yet, but hoping to eliminate Copenhagen's military. One of the archers falls quickly, as does a brigade of spearmen. The other archers, though gravely injured, unexpectedly escape the first wave of attacks and Copenhagen's horsemen are too far afield to be assaulted.



After the first wave of attacks, one of our swordsmen is slain in a combined attack by the remaining archers and the returning horsemen. However, as if by fate, a Great General is born in Tokyo. Oda-san, knowing of his brother's military prowess orders the general to await Noboru's orders when he takes the field. Meanwhile, the remainder of Copenhagen's army falls, leaving only the defenseless city for Noboru to take.



With our people happier than ever, and our treasury supporting our need for gold, Oda-san is grateful to hear that his brother will soon return from holiday. While he may be comfortable planning for war, he is certain that Noboru will be able to rally the troops, who are weary after losing some of their comrades on the field.

Noboru takes command of the assault on Copenhagen and calls for reinforcements. While awaiting the soldiers he sends word that Beijing's leaders should be deposed and names the new rulers, commanding them to immediately begin a courthouse to keep the people in line. When the reinforcements arrive, Noboru camps his swordsmen outside the gates while his archers and catapult rain hell fire down upon the city. He can hear the shreaks of the dying as pots of burning pitch explode behind the walls. The city falls quickly.


Thanks to the direction of Oda, Japan's scientists discover a way to navigate by the stars, and the assault troops from Copenhagen set out with a settler and begin a voyage east across the sea. Noboru, still high on the fall of Copenhagen, sets sail with them.


Back on the mainland, silk is discovered in the south, and the city of Kagoshima is settled nearby to gather it for the people. Workers link up Copenhagen to the growing trade network, and begin a road to Kagoshima. The growing trade network, in addition to some new markets, bolster the economy wonderfully and coin flows freely in the streets once more.

After some time at sea, Noboru and his general find land. The city state of Genoa lies on the southern tip of a peninsula, easily defended against land attacks from the north given sufficient troops in the field. To the north it is closely bordered by a country called Greece. Noboru wastes no time and decides that a quick attack on Genoa will secure purchase in this new land. Should his neighbor to the north prove troublesome, or perhaps even if not, a patient northern push from this position would be difficult to combat.



He begins the attack, confident that his general's prowess will be sufficient to finish the job. In order to fortify the position however, should things drag out or should troops be needed to move on Greece, he sends work back to the mainland to send strong swords and catapults. He also passes along a warning he has received that one of the rulers in these lands (after consulting with his advisors he is confident it is not Alexander of Greece) has a mighty army, many times stronger than that of Japan.


After dispatching the courier, he drifts off to sleep. In his dreams he has the vantage of an eagle, and he watches as incandescent blood drains into the sea like lava from a ruined and burning city. A steaming river of smoldering red spans the ocean, only to wash up at the docks of a distant city, and immediately set it ablaze.

Oda-san, following his brother's wise counsel, sends additional brigades east across the seas, but Genoa proves to be an easy city to claim. With the exception of roving barbarians north of Beijing, everything stays quiet on the mainland. Nonetheless, concerned about vulnerability to the west, Oda-san orders almost every city to begin training samurai.



The people of Tokyo celebrate their princes, thankful for the furs which were sent over from Genoa. Seeing that Alexander has surplus sugar, and knowing that Kyoto wants to sweeten its tea, Oda-san attempts to organize a trade deal. However, Alexander shows that he is a rude and lob-sided negotiator, "dishonorable" he calls our people, and then proceeds to demand an inordinate sum in exchange for his sugar, so no deal is ever reached.



Our scholars soon master the ways of engineering, allowing us to build stronger siege weapons. Lumber mills are then built to help with greater production needs for strong building materials. As our command of the physical world strengthens, the physical properties of objects in motion become the subject of much discussion in academic circles - How far? How high? What angle? Oda-san, loath to interrupt the "momentum," as the scholars call it, of this new line of research, waits to see what application may be made of it.



With his scholars studying this new concept of Physics, Oda-san begins to meet with the various heads of state from his neighboring city states. Late one night, staring up at the peaks of Mt. Fuji, which he yet plans to claim for Japan, a vision comes - The streets of Oslo are filled with people cheering and waving flags, Japanese flags. Our elders are unwrapping gifts from Florence, even as our armies approach their borders. Then in a flash, Florence is under Japanese rule, and yet our elders are showered with even more gifts, from Ragusa and Belgrade.

Oda-san awakes, and in the middle of the night sends word that those available on the mainland should begin preparations for storming Oslo. The iron rich hills in that region will only increase the "momentum" of our advance.

Meanwhile, with Beijing's courthouse complete, Oda-san instructs its people to prepare more fishermen to harvest the abundant pearls found just offshore. Despite preparations for war, Oda-san directs Osaka to begin construction of the Notre Dame, hoping that if he can keep his people happy enough, Genoa can soon be annexed and more fully controlled.

Riding on the strength of the yen, commerce flourishes and is soon adopted by our people. Sensing a positive movement in Kyoto, Oda-san suggests that the people there study more, pray harder, and begin building the Hagia Sophia. Within no time, our scholars master the concepts of physics and begin to develop strange powders capable of igniting and blasting rocks into sand.



Across the seas, our swordsman, who was sent swimming, makes contact with people from another empire, Egypt they call it, ruled by Ramesses the Second. Oda-san again tries to negotiate trade, but slander and unreasonable demands seem to prevail on this new continent. Oda-san consults with his advisors and learns that the Greek armies are close to par with ours, but the Egyptians are far behind.



In keeping with his nature, Alexander sends word that he seeks to work in secret against the Egyptians. In his heart, Oda-san knows that Greece will not remain an ally for long. But rather than letting Egypt grow strong while plotting the upset of Alexander, Oda-san accepts Alexander’s offer, yet declines to engage in outright war with the Egyptians. Ironically enough, as the Greek convoy departs, an Egyptian one arrives. It turns out that Ramesses wants to work in secret against Greece. Oda-san fights back laughter as he accepts this deal as well.

Soon Kyoto's study and prayer pay off; a great engineer is born in that city. He is immediately dispatched to Osaka to complete the Notre Dame, which is scheduled for completion later than the Hagia Sophia. This pays off well, and as Noboru is returning from his repose in the country, both wonders are completed!





Oda-san soon feasts with his brother in Kyoto. Confident that Noboru will take his counsel as it is intended, advice not law, over breads of rich grains, and braised lamb, he vocalizes his vision. "Let Egypt and Greece wear each other down," he advises, "but guard the open lands well. The Greek have a settlement convoy looking for any open space to squat. With many cities on our mainland building centers of entertainment, not training troops, small skirmishes such as one with Oslo may be a safer course in the short run. Only once Genoa is fully under Japanese rule, can a push north be timely made. With any luck, the tensions between Greece and Egypt will boil into outright war between the two before we make our next move. Better to let Greece become distracted to its east before our men roll in from its southern borders."



Finally, after a long dinner, Oda-san shows his brother a one last surprise. Knowing that it will bring a smile to his face, he points a hollow spear at some clay pots stacked upon rocks in the meadow below. Suddenly there is a great noise. BANG! Noboru's reflexes are swift and he stands hand to hilt looking for the source of this interruption. Noboru sees his brother laughing, the pottery in the meadow reduced to dust. "Here is our first musket," says Oda-san, "none know how to use it yet but us two. Build more and train many men. We may be amongst the few who know how to build these, a significant advantage, for now."

Noboru is startled to hear that the people of Kyoto are starving! It seems that a recent food shortage was threatening the city, but it is easily rectified by reallocating workers. Still, he knows that ultimately to grow strong and great, Japan must have ample food. To this end he order people to perform Civil Service, and the added labor improves the yield of the well irrigated fields.

He then meets in council with Oda to discuss the scientists' latest innovations. "Oda", he says, "clearly this device represents warfare in times to come. My samurai are strong however, stronger even than a man with this clumsy contraption would be. I will prove this to you when we storm the walls of Oslo. I see the merit here, the promise, but we must advance this thing and make it easier to use. Perhaps we could make a large version, capable of penetrating even mighty fortification walls. To this end I will invest in your scientists. I will see that they have ample resources and training. And I will find a way to finance this - leave it to me. But first, I will demonstrate to you that the true strength and temper of Japan lies in its steel."


As the mainland force is readied on the borders of Oslo, Noboru gives the general clear orders on how to proceed. Oslo, while not well supported by troops, is a sturdy city with only two clear points of attack by land. To support the assault an aging Trireme is brought in from the southeast. With no siege equipment in the field, and a strong city wall, the attack on Oslo proves difficult. The Trireme serves as an excellent decoy, much less dangerous to the city than the samurai but drawing its fire none the less. Thanks to his elite samurai with training in the healing arts, and a timely maneuver to replace weary troops with fresh, the fall of Oslo ultimately costs only the Trireme.


Noboru waits only for his troops to be fresh, and then as in Oda's dream, they march on Florence. Florence, surrounded by samurai with a general in the field behind them, falls before they can even comprehend what is happening to them. "Noboru the Conqueror" becomes notorious among the city-states, and Copenhagen is so bold as to declare war against Japan from over the seas. When Noboru hears of this he only laughs, saying "When they feel my cold steel and their own warm blood on their throat, they will have only an instant to regret their arrogance."


While all of this is happening, as Oda foresaw, Greece declares war on Egypt. Noboru, wary of fighting at home and away, decides to allow Alexander's assault on Ramses without taking the opportunity to punish him. Our exploring caravel comes in contact with two more civilizations on the crouded eastern continent, America and England. America proves to be quite strong, and requests that we also declare war on Egypt. Seeing no obvious threat from such a war, and considering the might of the American armies, Noboru agrees. Our lone swordsman raids the egyptian coast and captures a worker in the fields just as the Egyptian captial falls to the Greeks.


Seeing all of the politics and confusion in the east, Noboru orders that Genoa come fully under Japanese rule. Only with true control of a city on the continent can reliable plans be made to affect changes there. England appears to be displeased with Japan's continued aggression against the city states, but Noboru is informed by his military advisors that only America is stronger than Japan so he worries little about this. The caravel reports seeing no foreign vessels in the deep water, and Noboru is confident that Japan is more advanced than the war-torn countires in the east. Egypt, all but wiped out now, pleas with Japan for peace, providing terms that are quite favorable to Japan and Noboru complies.


He again calls for a meeting with Oda, and after tea he puts forward his ideas on the future of Japan.
"The city states fear me. There is little that can be done for that now I think. Of those close to our borders, only Singapore is not our ally. Perhaps we should teach them how unwise of a position that is. I have also prepared settling parties, so that we can claim some of the remaining opem lands here before anyone from the east crosses the seas. I will leave it to you to decide where they should go.


Beyond this, I believe that I have doubled the effectiveness of our scientists, and continued production of schools and libraries will only further this aim. In order to fund all of this I have developed an institution I call a Bank. We must see to it that several are constructed, lest we deplete our treasury.

I believe that utter military dominance is the only way for us to gain ground in the east. As strong as we are, the Americans would prove to be too great of an opponent for us now. Supply lines would be difficult given the ocean crossing, and our army is simply not up to the challenge yet. I have faith, and sadness, that you will improve on these weapons you demonstrated and thereby provide us with the force of arms we need.


Ultimately we must control the seas, and we must bring superior weapons to bear on those in the east. While a war with Greece may still serve us well as a preparatory move, it is America that must be brought low."

As if waking from a week’s slumber, Oda takes inventory of the lands. Seeing that Noboru’s conquests have shored up the western land bridge, and given our people a place in the new land, Oda takes his brother’s counsel and focuses his attention within the borders. Kyoto is ordered to begin building a bank, and with Satsuma building a university, Tokyo is instructed to put the construction of a grand castle, Himeji Castle, ahead of completing its university. And settlers are sent forth to the north of the mainland to find a suitable location for a new city.



Almost as Nara is founded, Washington sends word from across the seas that our joint efforts to undermine Ramesses have run their course, and our pact is ended. Meanwhile, our scholars learn the secrets of Chemistry and yearn to study how this may be applied to enriching the soil so that food may be grown bigger and faster.

Oda hoped that with the troops resting, the economy booming and the empire growing, our people would be happy. But, alas, the people, hearing of new luxuries from far off lands, demand cotton and spices. Our people begin to grow unhappy, a condition Oda finds particularly worrisome. Seeing that the economy is outpacing productivity, Oda purchases a colosseum for the city of Kagoshima.



Knowing that this will be a temporary solution, Oda looks to see what other entertainment may be offered to the people. This seems to do the trick in the short term, but new construction projects must be completed with haste. When Kyoto finishes its bank, its people are directed to prepare a circus to entertain the masses. Meanwhile Oda asks the engineers in Osaka to construct a new palace, one which the people would be forbidden to enter, at least at first.

Late in the day, Oda summons Noboru to the future site of the Forbidden Palace for a conference. “I have built us a new city as you suggested,” he begins, “but your other settlement party remains. I would let them rest some more, lest we expand too quickly and upset our citizens. Ragusa has offered a reward for anyone who can help them with a nearby barbarian encampment. Your military prowess is great! You could likely take the encampment down with a single stick and solidify our friendship in the process. Also, look to the mountains in Beijing. I have asked that a structure be built there, to be named Machu Pichu. The people of Singapore have asked for this, and rather than war with them right now, I believe we will be better served to befriend them, and let them share their spices with our people. If we change course later, we will still reap a benefit from this endeavor. Lastly, we have a great scientist born to our people, and I believe they are ready for new policies to be put into effect. I leave this to your judgment, though suggest that a move towards a theocracy might help keep our people aligned with our mission. That move would begin by organizing our religious leadership.”

"Brother - Our people are weak and fickle. They say we live in a golden age, spurred on by organized religion.

They do not understand the complexity of our plans. They play their games of dice in the streets, they watch the fights in the colosseum, oblivious to the brutality of real combat. I am not oblivious. I know the feel of rending flesh beneath my blade. I know the warm slick feel of another's blood on the fine leather of my sword hilt, and the difficulty of freeing my blade from the bones of a fallen foe. I know, thanks to your research, the crack of the musket against my shoulder and the frantic pounding of my heart as I struggle to reload with the enemy's heavy horse charging towards me. This is truth, this is life. Everything else is simply a distraction. Our people's future lies in the direction of my blade, and my blade points unerringly onward.

I write this letter to you now from outside the walls of Thebes. Bloodies masses of Greek soldiers fertilize the fields around me. I have some minor wounds, but only on my front - my back is as pristine as it was on my name day. I have seen terror now in Alexander's eyes twice. The first time was when he pled for mercy at the gates of Athens. He had never known terror like that before. I laughed at him then, and told him that all the gold he could muster would not save his pride. His great city fell before our armies. Your mighty weapons of war laid waste to his horses and his walls. The second time he pleaded not for his city but for his life. He offered everything that he had, and I accepted only because watching him grovel gave me more pleasure than watching him die. To show him how pitiable his situation was I burned Alexandria, his namesake, to the ground. It was a waste of stone to begin with, and ringed entirely by the Americans (whose time will come soon enough.)








I have secured sugar and cotton to seduce the masses at home with the sweet warm comforts that we who walk the charred, blood-muddied soil of the enemy shall never truly understand. Your palace and your castle are finished, and the people marvel in their splendor. I have begun two of my own great works, but I believe dear brother, that we should continue on. We cannot spare the men to guard the cities that we take, but we can burn them as we march and clear the way for future generations to dwell in peace on foreign soil.

For now at least we are at peace. I have sent back the gold of the ransacked cities for you to use as you see fit. I dispatched the barbarians you spoke of. I hear word now from our lands that Ragusa has grievances with Singapore. If you want to test your blade I'm sure you will find ample opportunity there. I have set my sights on the Americans, but I need reinforcements from the mainland if I am to proceed. The Greeks and Egyptians have been reduced to dwelling in laughable hovels, and are only worth our attention if they get delusions of grandeur. The English may be worth keeing around to buffer us from American soldiers, but failing that they serve no purpose in the future that I see for our great nation.

Tell me brother what you think of my conquest, what you think of my plans. Can you keep our people distracted from the brutality of conquest while I secure foreign lands for our children? Will you join me here? Will you shrug off the warm furs of home and find warmth instead in the sprint towards inevitable death? I know you will support me as you can. I await your words, here outside Thebes, as I drink the fine wine of the fallen Greeks."

Noboru, sitting in council with his generals, decides that Heliopolis provides little value to the empire and stretches his troops too thin to defend his northern border. His soldiers set it ablaze and fall back to defend Sparta and Athens should England or America become bold and try to push south. Both countries show a great deal of troop movement along the borders, so such an attack may not be far off.



Meanwhile back on the mainland things are gathering momentum. The funds Noboru sent home from conquest are used to modernize all of the troops. The scientists discover the secrets of Dynamite, Acoustics, and Economics. A wealth of coal is unearthed, much of it outside the walls of Sparta and Athens, making Noboru all the more proud of his cunning expansion.



Two great buildings are completed in rapid succession, Chichen Itza and the Taj Mahal, launching Japan into a glorious golden age the likes of which have never been seen before. Even still, many cities clamor for gems and Noboru sends word of this to Oda in hopes that Oda may find some for the people.




Our religious organizations continue to grow, and Oda thinks it wise to adopt a Theocracy, which causes the masses to rejoice with unbridalled glee. Noboru has never seen his army so strong, his people so happy, nor his income so high in all of his years. Pushing aside for the moment his concerns about the northern front, he arranges a vacation in Beijing and leaves control of the government in Oda's capable hands.

Late in the sleepless night, Oda has a vision: Seeing himself in a sea of hostility, he rested his men. He ordered that more riflemen be trained, as he learned to harness the power of Dynamite. Then suddenly Washington invaded, even as Oda's reinforcements were reaching the shores. Washington's weaponry was inferior, but his numbers immense. There were some losses on both sides, and Oda began to worry about the outcome. Then blackness. It was as if an error in processing this possibility caused Oda's dream to crash into awakeness. The light from the Windows showed a new Vista, but one clouded by this vision.

With this, Oda asks Noboru to press on, and returns to his sanctuary to meditate and regain clarity. On his return, Oda finds the people of Japan happier than ever before, riding high on the momentum of a Golden Age. He could not be happier that his vision was a mere nightmare, and is proud to see the quality of his brother's leadership. Within no time our scholars learn the secrets of Military Science.



The time passes quickly, and peacefully. New weapons are developed, and escorted across the seas. Workers develop the lands and new structurese rise like steam from the tea. Our scholars learn to harness Steam Power just as Oda receives word that Noboru is returning from Beijing. Oda leaves the next course of study for Noboru's wise direction.

In order to be more prepared for a war on foreign soil, Noboru annexes Athens and Sparta. He also begins to position a fleet in the narrow sea between the two continents in order to control the primary supply lines.



Our military advisers say that our military is the strongest in the world, although much of it is on the home continent so it is difficult to guess how our foreign force would fare against the Americans.



The golden age draws to an end, and the abundant wealth enjoyed by the Japanese begins to dry up. More cautious financial planning will be required to keep the state running smoothly. The people are still riding the wave though, and are as happy as ever.

Oda decides to travel to Genoa to evaluate events on the front. Soon after arriving, he finds the Courthouses of Athens and Sparta are complete. Oda, knowing the importance of local militia, purchases a barracks for Athens and sets Sparta to the task of building one. Seeing that the army in the Eastlands is strong, Oda returns to the mainland to consult with our empire's scholars, who have recently learned the secrets of Biology.



With this discovery, and with increased control of the seas, Oda wishes he had heeded Noboru's calls to take Singapore, which is situated near a wealth of oil. For now, Singapore is contained, and can easily be overtaken if its resources prove necessary.. or convenient. Ragusa, at least, would not mind.



Oda considers Noboru's larger vision, and asks the scholars to work on improving our military's ground weapons. With enough gold in the treasury to upgrade our more experienced soldiers, Oda believes a quick advantage against Washington's, progressively less threatening, armies may be finally within reach.

With almost more troops in the Eastlands than the lands can bunker, Oda begins to station additional troops outside of Kyoto, knowing that a push for Washington city, would leave only the English capital and Kyoto still standing.



"... We must mind the home front if we are to win by force," Oda continues to dictate to his scribe, "but with some patience, and a strike at our enemy's iron supply lines, followed by a push through his rag-tag army, the fall of Washington's namesake is within our reach." The scribes finish and prepare the package.

"Give him this letter, and tell him..." Oda orders his courier, "tell him that his mastery of the armies in the Eastlands will prove to be the lasting imprint of our empire, the sages have forseen it and told it to me."

Noboru grows impatient with the slow preparations for war and decides that his army is strong enough to march. He hires an artist to capture the scenes of valor and glory as his army strikes deep into the heart of enemy territory.

After a brief council with his generals he decides that the best course of action is to attack and raze Nottingham first to alleviate the threat of an English attack while the troops are away. This also grants a wider front to pressure Washington's forces, and allows for a quick thrust northeast burning everything in his path.

The artist captures the events in beautiful detail, and Noboru sends a compilation back to his brother Oda.












At the end of the collection of paintings, Noboru attached a brief note:

"I was hoping to capture Chicago as well before I sent you this letter, but alas I need a few more days I think. Regardless, I wanted you to come here personally to bring down the walls of Washington. We have marched far, and all of the opposition we have met fell quickly before our fearsome soldiers. I set fire to city after city, and left a trail of destruction behind me such as this continent has never seen. Once we capture this mighty city, we can turn west and set our sights on England. I have left some troops and a cunning general there as well, although the bulk of our strength surrounds these eastern cities.

Beware the city states in your travels! I believe that my continued conquests have finally turned them against us.

As a last note brother, I believe that we are on the verge of another golden age. It is a truly glorious time for our people."