The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

quickly--demonstrating the might of the Kingdom for all to see--was the way to subjugate the rebels. If not, deliberately dispatching the Imperial Army would be without meaning.
    As if to seek out his judgment on the matter, the eyes of the people assembled there all turned to Gyousou.
    "I'll entrust the matter to Eishou. Muster the Army of the Center and bring Bun Province under your control." At the same time, Gyousou fixed Ganchou and Haboku--who held a contrary opinion--with his gaze. "This is not to say that I am necessarily endorsing Eishou's strategy. The problem of time; the problem of Imperial dignity; the problem of bringing the rebels into line--these are of little consequence at this time."
    "Of little consequence?" Eishou responded with a flash of indignation.
    Gyousou nodded. "Not the most pressing of matters before us. The greatest problem we face is not the rebels but the people. More than the subjugation of the rebels, the people must be convinced that the Kingdom is capable of protecting them."
    Risai started in surprise. Judging from the way the others drew in their breath, they had the same reaction. The room fell into a kind of abashed silence.
    "Eishou, you will command the Army of the Center, including the Bun Provincial Guard, and pursue the rebels. A military victory is not necessary. Clean out the country palaces. After liberating the county seats, stay behind in Bun Province for a while. Lend support to the Provincial Guard and strengthen the defenses around the capital. There's no need to take unreasonable measures chasing down the rebels. More than that, under the rubric of showing an Imperial presence, make the people understand that the rebels themselves are not so fearsome. Calming the populace is the priority."
    "Understood!" Eishou answered, obviously impressed. And he wasn't the only one. All of Gyousou's subordinates had the utmost faith in his words. No matter how fierce the debates in the privy councils, Risai had come to understand since arriving here that when Gyousou delivered his verdict, a unanimity of opinion quickly distilled.
    Eishou mobilized the Army of the Center in short order and set off for Bun Province. It was about month before word arrived that he had liberated the county palaces and for the time being had pacified the surrounding countryside. And right on schedule came news that insurrections had broken out in other regions of Bun Province.
    In at least three places, along with a number of smaller skirmishes. Rather than being set alight by chance sparks cast off by the wind, these sudden uprisings bore the marks of organized resistance. Within another fortnight, the situation had mushroomed, and it became clear that the initial occupation of the county seats were all linked to a province-wide internal rebellion.
    Led by Sougen, the Zui Provincial Army of the Left was dispatched to Bun Province, joined by three regiments of the Palace Guard of the Right, commanded by Gyousou himself. The sporadic insurrections breaking out in the various locality joined forces, with the nexus of rebel activity gravitating to the vicinity of the county palace in Tetsui.
    Tetsui was a city that was deeply connected to Gyousou.

    Three of the six division leaders of the Imperial Army that Gyousou headed could boast of being undefeated in battle. The same could not be said of Gyousou's career as a general.
    The one defeat experienced by King Kyou's deeply loyal General of the Left was in Tetsui. Toward the end of King Kyou's rule, Tetsui could no longer bear the exploitation by the king, and had shut off all lines of credit. They would no longer levy the Imperial tax. The Provincial Guard charged in to lay down the law, but citizens from the surrounding areas flocked to the palace and continued the resistance.
    Gyousou and the Imperial Army were eventually ordered to the front in order to becalm the situation. When he arrived at Tetsui, Gyousou surrounded the city with the twelve-thousand, five-hundred soldiers of the Army of the Left, and ordered the entirety of the Provincial Guard to the rear.
    The officers accompanying him, beginning with Ganchou and Eishou, took issue with this strategy. If two divisions of the Provincial Guard couldn't liberate Tetsui, then what could a single division of the Imperial Army accomplish?
    "This is pointless!" Ganchou protested angrily.
    Eishou laughed through his nose. "Aren't you the humble one. Of course it isn't pointless. If we can't do this