|
|
Greetings, welcome back again!
I am sure many of you already know why this series is
called "Falcon Men". No, it is not because the Satsuma warriors
have are hybrids of falcon and human. 
They are called so because their bravery and actions. This "wild"
characteristic of Satsuma residents is probably due to the poor land of Satsuma
which is mostly remnants of volcano debris - as a result people must resort to hunting.
The falcon men of Satsuma were actually not very well-controlled by the central
regime of Japan before and after Sengoku - they are hard to manage as you can
imagine.
Originally, the Shimazu war story was intended to entertain the
noble lords who have nothing to do when the annual Hojo clan meeting is
adjourned. But upon the request of the vast number of Shimazu fans in the
community, it will become another major feature of the series! 
You might find a heck lot of captions in the series - some of them in
Kangi (Chinese characters adapted by Japanese). Hopefully they only bring
you a more coherent understanding of the story but not confusion.
The main character of this story series is Shoni Sukemoto - one of the oldest generals in Shimazu. He has a slightly different personality than naughty Miyoshi Tadayoshi if you notice later. A samurai needs to undergo cruel trainings both physically and mentally.
Anyways, I will now pass the time to Shoni Sukemoto. 
Spring, 1530 A.D.
 |
| Hai! Wa da shi wa Shoni Sukemoto! *bow 90
degree*
Being the son of one of the original nobles of clan Shimazu, I grew up in an environment which demands me to become a samurai with good combat skills and honor. To be honest, I don't believe in "honor" this much because every advocator honor is usually more dishonorable than others. However, I know it is the only way to keep warriors from a complete disorder in this chaotic era... This year, I just had my ceremony of turning adulthood, and I will be able to join the famous army of Shimazu next spring. My father's army will be passed down to me. Being the successor of my glorious father, I shall not disappoint Lord Shimazu. At this moment, our clan has obtained the entire southern Kyushu as well as a stand in the west front of Chugoku. Shimazu has never been so great before. However, we still receive great threats from northern Kyushu - the Imagawa clan, who has the best samurai of the nation. The meeting of 1530 spring concludes that Shimazu will launch a full attack to Chikugo, the rich province of Imagawa. The province is well-defended by its river, so it is expected to be a tough fight! |
Summer, 1530 A.D.
 |
The soldiers are finally ready for the assault in summer. In order to deceive the generals of Imagawa, Lord Shimazu ordered a coordinated attack from Buzen to Chikuzen with only 60 men. This way, Imagawa needs to keep more than 60 men in Chikuzen, leaving the defense of Chikugo weaker. Lord Shimazu's strategy worked. Imagawa did not gather a specially large number of troops in Chikugo. But they are still a good match with the elites of Shimazu! |
||||||
 |
The enemy was primarily yari samurai. Although the enemy taisho was not experienced in commanding an army, the Imagawa samurai were famous for their skills in battle. Direct attack might not work... Lord Shimazu decided to charge himself over the bridge first, and try to lure some enemy away. The move was very risky, but seems to be the only way to march enough soldiers to the other side of the bridge. |
||||||
 |
The enemy went into the trap - they probably
thought Lord Shimazu was stupid enough to charge himself over first. So
who turns out to be the stupid?
Definitely not us. Lord Shimazu made to the back of the enemy, and attracted more attentions of the Imagawa soldiers. The Shimazu yari samurai has started to run across the bridge, and the enemy archers were in position to pour arrows on them! |
||||||
 |
The enemy taisho divided his men into two groups - 3
out of 4 units to defend the front (SA and 2 YS), while the taisho unit kept
trying to chase Lord Shimazu.
Must say his chance is low - but the presence of an enemy's free extra unit does post a threat of our flanking actions...! |
||||||
 |
The enemy taisho tried hard to climb up the slope,
but lord Shimazu had managed to charge the back of the enemy troops at front.
His few cavalry has very little chance to prevail under enemy's spears,
but at least giving the enemy some threats on the back...
Our soldiers kept flowing over the bridge, but they were not any numerically superior... Imagawa archer's supreme combat skills had greatly reduced the survival chance of Shimazu yari samurai. Lord Shimazu yelled for the help of archers! |
||||||
 |
The casualty kept increasing, and two out of three
units of Shimazu yari samurai had collapsed before the archers arrived.
Shimazu yari samurai was losing badly now - the only hope is the relatively fresh archers. Can they alter the situation? Luckily, the enemy taisho decided to just sit on the slope and watch - maybe his lack of experience told him the victory was already assured. Nonetheless, the fact is as soon as the reinforcement of Shimazu arrived, the Imagawa soldiers broke into chaos! The enemy lost their morale because Lord Shimazu attacked the back of the enemy, while the archers flanking the enemy from two sides instead of charging head-on. |
||||||
 |
What a shame for the enemy taisho - he fled without
any attempt to fight!
If he decided to join the battle - say just charge the back of lord Shimazu right after his heavy cavalry engaged with the enemy, then the outcome would be for sure altered... Imagawa's inexperienced general failed to keep such a defensible province with their elite samurai. I should take this as a good lesson, too. |
||||||
 |
However, the victory has also cost Shimazu heavily. More than 2/3
of Shimazu's yari samurai were dead...! The rich river province of Chikugo now belongs to Shimazu. With the natural barrier at hand, Shimazu can take a more aggressive attitude towards Imagawa now! |
Summer, 1530 A.D.
 |
In the previous battle, one of the elite bodyguards
of Lord Shimazu killed 7 enemy soldiers himself. He was honored enough to
be granted the title of a legendary swordsman!
This means that Shimazu can start to train no-dachi samurai. No-dachi samurai is the specialty of our clan, because the falcon men of Satsuma is just the type for it - straight forward, brave, and destructive! However, the financial situation might not allow us to do it in the near future. |
 |
A bad news from Chugoku!
Mori Motonari has invaded Nagato this season with an army of 240. Our soldiers had no chance to prevail - and they were ordered to retreat to Buzen. Our stand in Chugoku is lost! Looks like Mori has prepared to take advantage of Shimazu and Imagawa... We'd swore to revenge - but Lord Shimazu asked us to calm down, and concentrate our power on Imagawa first. A good leader must be able to suppress his personal feelings but to make a decision based on objective facts.
|
Winter, 1530 A.D.
 |
Two seasons later, after the first group of recruit
has arrived the front line, Lord Shimazu confidently launched the attack to Chikuzen.
Imagawa retreated to Hizen! Now only Hizen is left from Shimazu's dream of Kyushu unification. |
 |
Peasants revolted in Nagato against Mori!
Too bad they were not loyal enough to join the Shimazu force. Lord Shimazu did not lower the taxes this year, as we are expecting some major battles with Imagawa and we definitely need more income to make additional recruits. These peasants might form a good barrier between Mori and Shimazu for now - but we might need to destroy them ourselves sooner or later... |
Spring, 1531 A.D.
 |
Lord Shimazu Takahisa waited till the snow melts
next spring. During the winter time, the peasants of Chikuzen and Chikugo
are further accustomed to the rule of our clan.
The final battle of Kyushu comes! Also, I formally became a general of Shimazu this time. The smaller-scaled victory I obtained previously has made me slightly more experienced than my colleagues. Lord Shimazu asked me to take charge of Buzen, and prepare for the attack of Nagato. Now I am on my way! |
||||||
 |
Apparently Imagawa hasn't been able to send reinforcement to Hizen. Also, their general was again Katagiri Yasukatsu, who lost Chikugo to Shimazu last summer. But this time he did not stay at the back like a coward. Instead, he charged over without the support of his men - the Imagawa archers were still hidden in the forest! Blind bravery is one of the worst thing on the battlefield... |
||||||
 |
Lord Shimazu easily surrounded the enemy taisho with
yari samurai and ashigaru
At the same time, Shimazu archers were sent to the forest to keep the enemy archers busy! |
||||||
 |
Under the complete back-attack of Shimazu yari
samurai, the enemy taisho lost his will to fight within minutes.
But the fine archers of Imagawa put up a nasty fight with Shimazu archers. Our archers were definitely not as skillful as the enemy!... Lord Shimazu ordered his men to pursue as fast as they could, and attack the flank of the enemy archers when our men get in position! |
||||||
 |
Our archers were still losing badly - but the good news is the enemy taisho has been killed in the pursuit. Can our archers last till their comrades arrive from the flank? | ||||||
 |
They made it! Our archers fought bravely despite losing badly. The enemy archers broke into chaos as the Shimazu ashigaru approached their flank! | ||||||
 |
It was relatively another close victory of Shimazu,
against the elite samurai of Imagawa.
The remaining enemy soldiers retreated into the Nagasaki castle of Hizen. To prevent Imagawa's reinforcement from Totomi, we might need to take the castle as soon as possible... |
Autumn, 1531 A.D.
 |
In order to secure the port of Hizen as early as possible, Lord Shimazu assaulted the Nagasaki castle of Hizen two seasons later. The Imagawa soldiers had no chance to stop the flow of Shimazu's warriors, the fierce falcon men! |
||||||
 |
Lord Shimazu destroyed the fine archers of Imagawa.
Kyushu is now united under the rule of Shimazu! So what will be the next? Shigoku or Chugoku? Everybody voted for Mori (Chugoku), because they invaded us first! |
 |
| Three beautiful victories of Lord Shimazu Takahisa has not only
brought the entire Kyushu into the grasp of Shimazu, but also encouraged
Lord Shimazu's men to fight more effectively now! (R4)
The harvest was acceptable in the first year, but not in the second. Lord Shimazu decided to devote all budges into Satsuma recruits and a tea house in Hizen. On the east, Mori and Takeda seems to maintain a peaceful relationship while Imagawa has been invaded by Takeda from the east. Looks like Imagawa is going to be the clan that first gets swallowed by others. My men are now ready to attack Nagato, just waiting for the word of Lord Shimazu now! |
Shimazu 311
Imagawa 240