Daily History Lessons III (Day 3, Late Morning)

[Iuchi Saksaha]

Saksaha picks up her sewing again and continues listening. These fine bureaucratic slicings and parings do not, perhaps, concern her as much as they should. Still, she can tell she ought to know all of those Capital Letter Names, and so takes care to commit them to memory as they come.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

Monkhbaatar simply listens in to the discussion. He had little to add and others were asking smarter questions than he would. But he does pay particular attention to the Hare when she speaks, smiling in her direction and making it clear he appreciates the lesson she's providing.

[Yuzuki]

Oh, she did like these Unicorn; asking all the right questions. Putting imperials on the defensive.

Rather than interject, however, she allowed the dicussion to flow around her.

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Huh. Okay," Baatar said, mulling this over. "Why didn't they train you for combat like the others, then? Is there something wrong with you?"

"Now that is a little mean to say, Moto-san, that there is something wrong with me just because I don't fight," the Hare smiled politely, but anyone with more tact than the Moto could tell she felt a little hurt by the remark. "You don't call the diplomats and scholars of your clan 'wrong', neh?"

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

With the insult stated and answered, Monkhbaatar speaks up on behalf of Tomoe. "That's true. Many more have the capacity for war than not Baatar. It's the gifted few that have the capacity for the knowledge and understanding that Tomoe-san has shown. With their words and understanding the Ide have saved countless lives, strengthening our clan through diplomacy and trade. And the Iuchi have kept our spirits safe and pure for generations. Most of them do so without being trained to fight, serving our clan well during the great ride."

He smiles at Tomoe, "And Tomoe-san has an important duty with research and investigating, without which the warriors of her family would be useless because they wouldn't know where, how or who to fight. Imagine if you were supposed to head into battle but there was nobody to tell you anything about your enemy. You would have no direction."

[Otomo Tenzo]

"Another good question, Iuchi-san: such is true of the Magistrates or the Legions. An Akodo assigned to the Legions is still an Akodo and of the Lion, a Shiba of the Emerald Magistrates is still a Shiba and of the Phoenix, and so on. Even the occasional monk or wave-man of great talent might be found among the ranks, but a family name they do not garner merely from their service. Such is because these organizations are not clans themselves but are of the Imperial administration, answerable to the Son of Heaven or the Chosen to carry out specific duties across the whole of the Empire, whereas clans not only have a duty but are administrators of specific lands for taxation and other matters on behalf of the Emperor. A group of Magistrates might in one season enforce the Emperor's laws in the lands of the Crane while doing so the next season in the Scorpion's; the Centipede or the Boar do not do the same for they have their assigned land to tend to," Tenzo explained, pausing for a moment to ensure that such was sinking in.

"While there are some from a Minor Clan that might come from a Great Clan - a chosen leader's family, nearby cousins, a few followers and retainers - again, they are small in number: it is usually wave-men willing to swear fealty in exchange for any number of things that fill out the ranks. For them, having any name at all is better than none, no? And whereas a Great Clan might have various duties assigned to them as was handed down in the Dawn and in the reign of the Shining Prince, the Minor Clan has one smaller and specific duty: were said duty to become superfluous, the Son of Heaven might dismiss them, perhaps to be absorbed into a Great Clan or into the Brotherhood of Shinsei depending. The granting of a new family name and clan is still, this one assures, a very prestigious and honorary affair: even if those of a new family no longer carry the name of a Kami, they still possess a name nonetheless, one signifying that they carry on distinct and very different duties than the Great Clan from which their founder might have once been," he emphasized.

"Such is the case that after a few generations there might be great difference between them: one would never, for instance, confuse a Tortoise with their far-distant cousins of the Agasha in the Dragon, and one can tell quickly that a Suzume is much unlike their distant Doji cousins," the Otomo offered further with a nod. "One other difference I failed to mention earlier is that, by decree of the Shining Prince centuries ago with the founding of the Fox, no Great Clan may make offensive war on a Minor Clan, for as they were created by the Emperor's decree so too are they under the Emperor's protection. There is much to learn all at once, Iuchi-san, but one hopes that the distinctions and differences are starting to become a little clearer and, in time, all will make sense on the tradition of clans."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"It is much to learn indeed. And complex system; But such is the way of politics I suppose. And you and Usagi-san have already taught much, arigato."

Yukarin gave a small bow, though she was slightly lost in thought.

[Moto Baatar]

"Huh. Okay," Baatar said, mulling this over. "Why didn't they train you for combat like the others, then? Is there something wrong with you?"

"Now that is a little mean to say, Moto-san, that there is something wrong with me just because I don't fight," the Hare smiled politely, but anyone with more tact than the Moto could tell she felt a little hurt by the remark. "You don't call the diplomats and scholars of your clan 'wrong', neh?"

"But ... you just said everyone in your clan is trained to fight, except you," Baatar objected. "There must be some reason?"

"And Tomoe-san has an important duty with research and investigating, without which the warriors of her family would be useless because they wouldn't know where, how or who to fight. Imagine if you were supposed to head into battle but there was nobody to tell you anything about your enemy. You would have no direction."

"Huh, all right, Shinjo-san," the young Moto said, persuaded by this argument. "So you mean Usagi-san has been trained to be a Hare Clan general? That does sound important."

[Usagi Tomoe]

"But ... you just said everyone in your clan is trained to fight, except you," Baatar objected. "There must be some reason?"

"Almost everyone. I'm one of the few diplomats we have, and we have very very few shugenja," she corrected. "My talents are more inclined towards knowledge and diplomacy."

Tomoe did give an appriciative smile to Monkhbataar for his support. Whether knowingly or not, Bataar was kind of being an excellent wingman in letting his Shinjo-cousin shine with his chivalry.

"Huh, all right, Shinjo-san," the young Moto said, persuaded by this argument. "So you mean Usagi-san has been trained to be a Hare Clan general? That does sound important."

"General...?" Tomoe mused a little. Sure, why not? She had read about all the major battles, as well as read the works of Sun Tao, Akodo himself, the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and other treatises on warfare, so she could probably manage to device a lot of clever tactics, she thought a little arrogantly.

"Not that we have enough samurai to field much of an army. For the enemies the Hare hunt, large armies are not the most practical either... and as Otomo-sama noted, as a Minor Clan, no Great Clan would wage war on us. Few minor clans even share borders, so for them to attack eachother is nearly impossible. Only those with a coast-line have that possibility," as she remembered when she thought about the Tortoise and the Mantis.

[Moto Baatar]

"Not that we have enough samurai to field much of an army. For the enemies the Hare hunt, large armies are not the most practical either... and as Otomo-sama noted, as a Minor Clan, no Great Clan would wage war on us. Few minor clans even share borders, so for them to attack eachother is nearly impossible. Only those with a coast-line have that possibility," as she remembered when she thought about the Tortoise and the Mantis.

"Otomo-san said the Hare hunt tsukai," Baatar remembered. "Are armies really not helpful against those? Otomo-san said Reichin fought a battle against them, is that not what really happened?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Such enemies have only twice in history appeared in such great numbers... usually they hide away in smaller numbers. An army is large and moves slowly, making it easy for smaller enemy numbers to slip away unseen."

Tomoe was patient as she always was when teaching, but dear Fortunes, these Moto were certainly tempting her to find that bottle of Blushing Winter Orchid sake she had brought.

[Moto Baatar]

"Such enemies have only twice in history appeared in such great numbers... usually they hide away in smaller numbers. An army is large and moves slowly, making it easy for smaller enemy numbers to slip away unseen."

"So you mean the witches escaped Reichin when he brought an army to fight them?" Baatar questioned. "That... seems like poor planning for your ancestor, huh?"

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki had gotten distracted by a butterfly again. It was a different one than the one before.

This one was not as pretty.

But then it flew away, and someone insulted a Hare. So she got pulled back into the conversation.

"I don't know much about the subject, but I think you're probably underestimating how devious they can be."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Tomoe raised an eyebrow. She was becoming more convinced by the day that it was a Moto tradition to drop the baby-boys on their heads.

At least Yuzuki spoke in agreement with her.

"As Yuzuki says, tsukai are dangerous and devious opponents, and there will always be new ones. Also," she cleared her throat, "it's not good manners to speak ill of a Clan's founder, Moto-san, or a Fortune. I understand you might not know much about the enemies the Hare are tasked to hunt, but that is no reason to say such things."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin raised her hand again as she looked at Tomoe.