A Time Traveller's Guide to Feudal Japan Chapter 202 - Innovations

With the coming of dawn, the labours of the night were revealed to have borne fruit, and the men from either side stood ready and waiting once more. Behind the rows of tents, Matsudaira's siege machines were completed, still hidden, waiting for the moment in which they would be revealed grandly.

A portion of his men were rather tired indeed, but a single sleepless night was not something that could disturb the mind of soldiers as experienced as they.

Already in the tunnels work was beginning once more, as shovels were plunged into the earth, and pickaxes were drawn out to deal with the more stubborn bits of stone that sprung up every now and then.

Even the feel of the air was different today. Both sides could feel a new tension. They had contracted the muscles of war, and were preparing to release everything that they had in store on their opponent.

A portion of Matsudaira's army would continue digging, limiting the men that he could use for a more pure offensive attack, but still the pressure created by such strategy could not be underestimated.

Gengyo was forced to focus all his men entirely on one side of the wall. There was some room for manoeuvrability, yet with his lack of numbers, his defence would be rather inflexible.

"Today will interesting, I should think." He spoke more to himself than his comrades, his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for Matsudaira to make the first move. "Is everything loaded and ready, Jikouji?" 

"I've checked each cannon and each rifle myself - we're ready to do battle, that's for sure. Still, they were busy late into the night. I worry about focusing all of our defence here. What if they go for the gate once more?"

"We have enough in place to deal with threats of that kind. Ah, look, it's starting." He pointed across the battlefield, towards the Matsudaira camp, where a series of new activities were beginning. The central tents were dismantled, and the crowd parted, revealing their hand.

"Hoh…" He commented lightly, as he heard an audible gasp from the men around him. "To accomplish all that in a single night - impressive, indeed." 

There stood three colossal siege towers that would without a doubt reach the top of their wall, and beside them were two equally massive ballista, loaded and drawn, with impressive stakes sharpened and ready, all ambling across the field supported by a huge set of wheels and drawn by horses.

"We're outranged." Gengyo realized instantly. The tension built up by those massive crossbow-like weapons was enough to send its stake hurtling a great distance across the battlefield.

His mind began to work quickly, as the horses began to bring the two ballistas forwards, slowly but surely. The siege towers were moving at an even more rapid rate, and their target was obvious: the gate bearing wall. Inside the towers was a veritable army of men, each armed to the teeth, and ready to unleash hell once they drew close enough.

Alongside the siege towers, half of the main Matsudaira army began marching towards the front as well, split into three columns, taking refuge behind the thick wood that was all but bullet proof.

He glanced around, as numerous responses filled his mind, but he could find no sight of Takeshi. No doubt he was still busy working on the task he had set him the previous day - had that weapon been completed, then all the threats in front of them would part like leaves in a soft breeze. Alas, his solutions required a little more flair.

"Boss! They're getting closer! What are your orders?" Rokkaku interrupted urgently. In his eyes, they should be struggling to move the cannons, else they wouldn't have a chance at destroying the siege towers.

THUD

The first of the ballista shots rocketed into the wall, cracking through the stone, and shaking the earth beneath their feet.

"Fire the cannons." He replied simply.

"But there are no targets in range!" Rokkaku protested.

"Fire." He repeated himself once more, and the fuses were lit, sending the cannon balls flying a great distance across the field, but still they were far from any of their intended targets.

A pile of cannon ammunition lay to one side of the cannons, and Gengyo struck out at a Takeshi cl.u.s.ter shot shell sending the comparatively smaller balls scattering across the walkway.

With the man not present to be consulted, Gengyo had to make a gamble. A single ball was lighter, and would be propelled further by the gunpowder, yet it was not made for such a barrel, and would likely be inaccurate.

"Load these, quickly now!" He ordered, and the men were soon fumbling, struggling to get their cannons loaded with the ill-suited ammunition.

THUD

Another ballista shot was fired, damaging the wall even further. There were now a series of cracks within the structure, and piles of stone fell to the ground. They could not take much more of this.

"FIRE!" Gengyo roared, ordering the cannon balls air borne. He focused on them intently. It was just as he predicted - their accuracy was dreadful, but they did indeed go far further than anything else they had available, and landed all but in line with one of the ballistae.

"Load and fire once more!" He called out, eyeing the siege towers that were closing the distance at a frightening pace.

It was more down to luck than anything else at this point. They only needed one shot out of five to strike their targets, but that was easier said than done when the cannonball could quite literally end up anywhere.

With the second volley, the gods seemed to be on their side, as one of the small shots arced through the air, and just barely glanced the bow of the drawn ballista, releasing the tension, and sending the stake hurtling off to the side, rendering the machine unusable.

THUD

Yet that second ballista was still in operation, and it was causing quite the amount of trouble indeed.

"Cannon team! Remain here, and continue to fire at will, everyone else, on me!" He drew his sword, and began to sprint along the wall heading towards the gate. He could not leave it any later, else they really would have no way of dealing with the siege towers.

His men hurtled along behind him, holding their rifles at the ready, forming up along that wall, waiting for the order to fire.

The Matsudaira men carried on confidently, feeling rather assured as they marched behind those towering shields. They were still keeping out of range of the rifles, taking their time to form up properly before closing that gap.

"Lend me that." He said quietly, taking a rifle from one of his men. He remembered the location of every one of the traps he'd had placed down, and by now, they were the only thing that stood between them and being completely overrun. 

It required the calmest and most patient of minds to line that shot. Too much fear, and one would fire too early, wasting the opportunity, too late and it would be similarly as ineffective.

Though he stood on the other side of the battlefield Matsudaira had planned this attack to perfection. The three siege towers spread out, with a column of men behind each other, and each attacked isolated parts of the wall, forcing the already small Red Feather army to spread their numbers even more thinly.

With a roar, they whipped the front horses, and began to charge. They did not move particularly quickly - though there were twenty horses per tower - but it was rather daunting none the less, like watching a giant take slow plods through a lake, making it look like a mere puddle of water.

The men around him were completely silent. They were well aware of what was buried, and though they were not the ones wielding the rifle, they were nervous nonetheless. If there was anyone who could land these decisive shots, it would be him, and still, anxiety wracked through them.

The sound of cannon fire on the eastwards wall rang out, followed by the thud of another hefty stake plunging into their wall. Things were becoming rather messy indeed. He did an excellent job of blocking out the rest of the world, only looking down his barrel, and waiting patiently. A tiger stalking his prey.

Slowly forward… Ever so slowly… Inside men with their swords drawn, and the outsiders with their rifles at the ready. Their faces were hard and determined, they anticipated their own victory. The closer the drew, the more certain it became. Step by simple step.

And then - unbeknownst to them - they stepped on something far more volatile than simple soil, and Gengyo wasted no time in pulling his trigger, sending a single shot ringing out, attracting the attention of every single man on that battlefield.

Time felt slowed, and they only realized their mistake moments too late, when they were powerless to do anything about it.

Chapter end