Daily History Lessons VI (Day 7, Late Morning)

[Usagi Tomoe]

((As usual, you are free to assume you were there for the entire lesson!))

"Minna-sama," the Usagi spoke up. "I am Usagi Tomoe, historian of the Hare Clan. Today, I will tell of the Empire's first meeting and battle with a foreign opponent, so that the followers of Lady Shinjo may better understand how the Empire has changed in the time they were gone."

"In the year 442, the Empire engaged for the first time in battle with a foreign enemy, at the Battle of White Stag."

"Two years before this battle, a group of foreigners from a distant land came to the Empire by sea. Their pale ambassadors from a land called Merenae approached the Empire through the Mantis Clan, bearing an ancient banner of the Ki-Rin clan to earn good favour with the samurai of Rokugan. The banner was passed to Empress Yugozohime, who in her graciousness allowed the foreign ambassadors to stay in the Empire for two years to prove their worthiness in the eyes of her people. For up to this point in history, the only non-Rokugani the Empire knew of were the Yobanjin in the north - many were curious about the foreigners, after all."

"In the two years, the foreigners were allowed to conduct limited trade from the Golden Sun Bay, but what caught the most interest to the more tactically-inclined samurai was the foreigners' weapons: Firearms and cannons, capable of causing devastating destruction at a great range."

"However, at the end of the two years allowed, the Empress decreed that the hospitality of the Empire would not be further extended to the foreigners, and politely bid them to return home. The foreigners though were offended at the Empress' decision and refused to accept her edict. Their fleet departed at first, but returned soon enough to seek revenge to what they believed was a slight to their honor."

"The samurai defending the Golden Sun Bay fired a warning shot to signal to the foreigners to break the Empress' edict at their own risk, but their response was to open up cannon-fire on the Imperial City. The Lion Clan, led by Akodo Kurojin, had expected the foreigners to return and were ready to fight them to the death."

"The first volley of cannon-fire, sadly, was the most lethal of them all, causing the death of Empress Yugozohime, and Akodo Kurojin who tried to save her, as well as their honor guards. The command of the defending forces fell to Ikoma Genmuro after the death of the Lion Clan Champion, alongside the Crane Clan Champion Doji Kakumei."

"Leading the counterattack from atop of the cliffs of White Stag, Genmuro used the knowledge he had gathered in his two years of observing the foreigners. He directed the Empire's ships to block the bay's entrance, and sent waves of samurai to capture the gaijin vessels, as well as directing shugenja to send torrents of spells to disable the enemy vessels. Doji Kakumei called upon the strongest Asahina shugenja with him to obscure the bay in fog, reducing the efficiency of the enemy's firearms, and ordered the merchant fleet of the Crane to harry the Merenae-ships."

"Enraged at the death of their Empress, the defenders fought with courage and zeal. Whenever their ships would ram into the enemy's, bushi would overwhelm the foreigners on board and take control over the foreign vessel so they could send it ramming into another ship of the enemy fleet. And with Ikoma Genmuro being able to thwart every move made by the gaijin, the foreigners' fleet was shattered and defeated."

"The battle itself resulted in heavy damage to Otosan Uchi, and the Emperor, Hantei Muhaki, ordered that all gaijin were forbidden to enter the Empire. Firearms and cannons were outlawed and made strictly forbidden to use in the Empire."

"Had the Unicorn been with us then, it is likely to consider that the result of meeting with these foreigners could have gone differently, as the children of the Ki-Rin would have had more experience with foreign cultures... that might have prevented the loss of Hantei Yugozohime entirely."

[Matsu Yurio]

Panthera leo matsu militarus-minimus had not yet attended one of these lectures he had heard about. Perhaps today will be different.

He started all smiles and listening politely. By the end he was ready to cut gaijin in half.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin listened intently; She knew much about gaijin cultures... less so about those far overseas.

"These gaijin pursued the war no further then, and have not returned since?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Some records state that less than a handful of their ships escaped the blockade. These gaijin have not been seen again, according to any official reports," Tomoe explained to Yukarin.

And also taking note of the angry kitteh.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Hmmm... and has anything been done to address what would happen if they came back with more of these ships and gunpowder weapons? If I am to understand, the Mantis are at least partially responsible for keeping of the seas?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"The Mantis are indeed tasked with guarding the seas, and the new Emperor, Hantei Muhaki, allowed some of Otosan Uchi's defenders to found a new minor clan, the Tortoise Clan, who are tasked with the defense of the Golden Sun Bay against any assailants."

Tomoe mused. "But again, with the Unicorn returned, it leaves room for other possibilities if we were to have foreigners approach the Empire again."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"Mmm... I only ask because my Clan may know a lot about gaijin... but relatively nothing about the ones you talk about. Certainly the nomads of the Sands and the factions in and around the Jewel do not build ships, and have probably never seen the ocean either. So I fear we would bring little to the table in this case."