The Initiate Brother Duology (51 page)

But the situation was not that simple for the men of Seh; this new governor was no lackey of the Emperor’s sent north to fulfill some political obligation. This was the Lord of the Shonto, a soldier of considerable fame, a man
who was respected for more than just his ancient name. A name that history had woven into the very fabric of Seh. It was this complexity of situation that Shonto knew he must exploit if he was to succeed in the north.

The procession came to a large lookout station, a stone platform high in the fortifications. Here the new governor stopped, much to the relief of those following him. Stools were brought from a guard house for the persons of rank and they seated themselves in a semicircle around Shonto.

“Lord Akima,” Shonto said, not waiting for anyone to catch his breath. “Tomorrow I will send members of my staff to outlying areas to begin inspections of our defenses. I am particularly interested in the border areas and our inner line of defense. Please detail senior officers from the garrison to accompany them. The details of this can be arranged with General Hojo.

“I will need to establish a primary base closer to the border and to the areas the barbarians have been threatening. This can be decided after I have assessed the present situation. Major Chancellor, I trust that if I leave the administration of Seh largely to you and your capable staff, you will not have cause for complaint?”

The Major Chancellor’s surprise was quite well contained. He was a man selected by the former governor of Seh who had purged the remains of the corrupt administration that had typified Seh for the last hundred years. Shonto expected much from this man. All reports indicated that he was competent and just: even Komawara spoke highly of him.

“Lord Governor, I will do all within my power to see that the government of Seh is run efficiently and justly, as a bearer of the name Shonto would prefer it. I am honored by your trust.”

Shonto nodded in return to the man’s deep bow. The men surrounding the new governor were, in nature, typical northerners and Shonto couldn’t help but like them despite their ill-concealed feelings of resentment toward him. They were a quiet, practical group showing little tendency toward extravagance. The hunting costume was their typical mode of dress and this was accepted at all but the most formal occasions: a marked contrast with the Imperial capital. The men who sat before Lord Shonto were tanned like men who worked the fields and they were not ashamed of it. From his other visits Shonto knew that a northern lord’s saddle would be of good leather, worn by constant use, and that this wear was a mark of pride not of poverty—the horse was what mattered and the horses of Seh were the best in the Empire.

“General Toshaki, if you would take General Hojo on a tour of the barracks, I would be free to pursue other matters.” Shonto rose to his feet suddenly and the others quickly followed suit. “I will request your presence when needed,” Shonto said, addressing the entire company. “Lord Akima, Lord Komawara, if you would accompany me.” Shonto turned and left the others scurrying to bow properly as he set off again along the wall. Guards preceding them discreetly cleared all nonmilitary and nonranking peoples off the walkway.

“Lord Akima,” Shonto said, slowing his pace somewhat, “It appears that Rhojo-ma has benefited from careful attention, but I am told that the outlying fortifications have not received the same care.”

The older man nodded, shaking his thick gray hair. “This is true, Lord Shonto. What allotments there have been for defense have largely been spent on the Governor’s Palace and those areas immediately surrounding it. The Hanama Governors were, as you know, interested in filling their own coffers and extending the interest of their families. The governors appointed since the Hanama have been less opportunistic personally but instead have enriched the Emperor. There has been little concern for the security of Seh.”

“An unfortunate situation and one over which I may have little control. The Son of Heaven demands his taxes. I understand you are of the opinion that the barbarians are no threat to your province?”

“Sire, the tribes are diminished, there is no doubt of this. There has been little rainfall in the desert these past years and it is said that the plague spread even across the sands. These raids…they are almost ineffectual. There have been virtually no losses from them. The barbarians have become timid, fearing to meet even our smallest armed parties. In this matter the Emperor has been poorly counseled, and I’m afraid, Lord Governor, that you will find your long journey futile. The barbarian threat exists only in the minds of a few Imperial Advisors whose knowledge of the situation is perhaps not as thorough as one would expect.”

Shonto stopped at a major corner in the fortress and looked carefully along the two walls visible from that point. So, Shonto thought, in Seh the Emperor is not above criticism—how refreshing. “Do you not find the behavior of the barbarians strange—out of character for such renowned warriors?”

Lord Akima glanced at Komawara in obvious exasperation. “There are those who express this belief, Lord Governor, but I for one do not understand
it. These raids are referred to as ‘mysterious’ by a small number of people, but the barbarians have been raiding throughout Seh for as long as we have recorded our history—what, then, is strange about that? The tribes have been drastically reduced in size and the warriors who remain are few in number and little able to afford losses. That is the explanation of the ‘mystery,’ nothing more.”

“Huh. I appreciate your knowledge in this matter. Lord Komawara, do you share our companion’s opinions?”

Komawara betrayed his anger as he had in the Emperor’s garden, his face was flushed and his jaw tight, but his voice was controlled, even pleasant. “This is the common wisdom, Sire, and worth consideration but I believe there are reasons to look into the raids more closely, especially since it would cost so little to do so. Although it is often said that the tribes are reduced in number, it seems to me that it is merely a statement of hope. I can find no evidence for such a belief as no one ventures beyond our borders to make a proper assessment of the numbers of barbarians living in the wastes. The only thing we are certain of is a change in the behavior of the barbarians and though the explanation given by Lord Akima is perhaps true, it is only speculation and as such should not be given more weight than other explanations.”

He learns quickly, Shonto thought, the argument was well presented, though perhaps not appreciated by Lord Akima.

“Excuse me for saying so, Lord Governor,” Akima said, “but I have observed the barbarian tribes for many years and I cannot subscribe to this belief that the barbarians have suddenly begun to act in a mysterious manner. It can only appear sudden to one who has not been able to observe them over many decades. If it is not fear that causes the barbarians to run from the men of Seh, then perhaps Lord Komawara could tell me what it is?”

Shonto shifted his gaze to Komawara who shrugged and shook his head.

“I do not know, Lord Akima, that is what concerns me.”

“And there is the weakness of the argument,” the old aristocrat said with finality. “It explains nothing—if you will excuse me for saying so.”

Surprising Lord Akima by turning behind a guard station and descending a little known set of stairs, Shonto let a silence accompany them to the foot of the steps where he stopped and addressed both of his companions. “Long ago, in conversation with one of the Shonto, Hakata observed that most people preferred an ill considered answer to an intelligent question. I have
come to Seh to seek truths, and in this endeavor I am prepared to ask difficult questions and then to live without immediate answers if that is what is required. I hope all advisors to the Shonto are willing to do the same.”

A hand signal to his guards set them off down a narrow street, the three lords not far behind.

Let him not suggest again that age is synonymous with wisdom, Shonto thought. “I will meet Lord Taiki after midday. I thank you for arranging this, Lord Akima, it was most kind of you.”

“It is an honor to serve, even in such small capacities,” the older man said, a coolness in his voice.

“Do you still feel the Lord Taiki will not support an increase in armed effort?”

“I feel that Lord Taiki believes, as so many of us do, Sire, there is no real threat and increased military actions drain resources which could better be used elsewhere.”

The seed of the resentment, Shonto thought; in paying for their own defense the men of Seh pay for the defense of the Empire. And they are entirely right; this is not just.

“It is clear to the Shonto, if not to the Emperor’s counselors, that the cost of protecting Wa should be born by the Imperial Government. It is my intention to use what little influence I may have at court to see that this problem receives the attention it deserves. It is unfortunate that the situation at court is such that I cannot guarantee results. But I can tell you, Lord Akima, that the matter will receive more careful consideration than it has had in the past.”

“You are to be honored for recognizing the justness of our cause, Lord Governor, but I fear the Son of Heaven is more concerned with the health of his treasury than with the health of the people of Seh. Of course he has sent a warrior to govern us, but it is a case of the correct action in the wrong circumstance, if you will excuse a candid observation. I must say, Lord Shonto, that the Lords of Seh realize you have arrived with a significant force of your own, well armed and trained. You are the first governor in memory to have done so.”

They came to the narrow canal that quartered the island city of Rhojo-ma and mounted a high arching stone bridge. Stopping on its crest, Shonto stood looking along the canal and its bordering walkways. Several bridges could be seen in the distance arching delicately over the waterway like colorless
rainbows. The capital of Seh was a beautiful city, and though it had been built in the time of Seh’s great power it was well maintained and, one might even say, loved by its inhabitants. Shonto was particularly fond of the roofs covered in tile of celestial blue. Faded as they were, he was sure they were more beautiful then when new.

A hand signal to a Shonto guard sent him scurrying off along the canal bank. “We will return to the palace by sampan,” Shonto said, “we have walked enough for one day.”

Little was said on the ride to the Governor’s Palace, each occupied with his own thoughts. Shonto remembered Rhojo-ma from a previous visit and could see that the city itself was virtually unchanged—but for one thing. The throngs of people he remembered so clearly crowding the streets and waterways could no longer be seen. Rhojo-ma reminded him of a city on a day of spiritual rest—unnaturally quiet, avenues almost deserted or populated by such small numbers that the streets seemed broader than they really were. Announcing the hour of the crane, the ringing of a temple bell seemed to echo endlessly among the buildings as though searching everywhere for someone to appreciate its aural splendor.

Sadly, the healing Brothers came to Seh last, Shonto realized, and this is the result: the plague reaped its largest harvest here among the people of the north.

The sampan bearing the three lords rounded a curve in the canal and entered a gate in the high wall which surrounded the Imperial Governor’s residence.

The palace of the governor of Seh was situated on the southern side of the city on a low hill. A simplified Mori period style had been adopted for the buildings, and with their sweeping blue tile roofs and high stone walls they gave the impression of solidness combined with a simple beauty. Enclosed within the compound were the official buildings of the government of Seh, and among them the Palace of Justice was noticeable for its classical beauty. The Governor’s Palace itself was no larger than Shonto’s ancestral home, but for Seh, where ostentation was traditionally disfavored, the palace verged on the extravagant. Shonto’s staff found the surrounding gardens crude by the standards they were used to, and not just because the climate was harsher, but Lord Shonto found something about their lack of sophistication attractive and often walked in the governor’s private garden.

Disembarking from their boat, Shonto bid Komawara and Akima farewell
and retired to his own apartments. He planned to meet Lord Taiki Kiyorama later that day and wanted time to prepare himself mentally.

The province of Seh was dominated by three major Houses: the Taiki, the large Ranan family, and the very ancient House of Toshaki of which the Senior General of the provincial armies, Lord Toshaki Shinga was the head of a lesser branch. There were numerous Houses of the Second and Third Ranks, the Komawara among them, but it was the three major Houses that held sway in matters of import in the province and Shonto knew that it was among them that he must find allies.

Most of the minor Houses owed allegiance to one or other of the major families and followed their policies virtually without question. Only a few of the lesser Houses had managed to retain the degree of independence that the Komawara exhibited, and the Komawara’s situation was a prime example of the cost of this independence—without the support of a major House they became poorer each year.

Of the three important lords, the head of the Toshaki seemed to feel there would be an advantage to aligning himself with the present dynasty while Lord Ranan was widely known to despise the Yamaku and resent the governors sent by the Imperial family. This was not surprising; the Ranan had been favored by the Hanama and for a century had acted as the family’s right hand in the north, for which they had been richly rewarded.

Only the lord of the Taiki seemed unsure of his position. It was known that he had little love for the Ranan and little respect for the Toshaki. The rumors were that he believed the barbarian threat was imaginary, which would seem to place him with the majority of northerners. Despite this belief, he held the Emperor’s new governor in high regard, which is to say that he had respect for the Shonto, and this Shonto in particular. Shonto was not sure how Lord Taiki felt about the new dynasty, and it worried him somewhat. This was the man Shonto hoped to win to his side, and he realized that things in the north would be much more difficult without Taiki support.