Emperor's Armed Forces in the Warring States

Prologue (Part 4)

This marks the beginning of Part 4. About 5 years have passed since the end of Part 3, and it is 1562, about 20 years after the arrival of the Imperial forces.

This five-parter Prologue will be told from the perspective of the Kamisato family.

- Yamaga

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1

When you realize it, it's already too late, they say.

In the spring of 1562, Shoichi Kamisato was pondering about such things.

After all, about 20 years had passed since the arrival of the Imperial forces and the Tenbun Restoration. During this time, many high-ranking members of the Imperial Army had passed away.

Commanders like Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita and Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō were among those who had left this world, along with many other officers and soldiers of the Imperial forces (strictly speaking, in this world, Yamashita and Kondō had achieved the ranks of General and Admiral, respectively). Moreover, many had established solid families.

As for himself, he now had nine children, including adopted ones, and he was 44 years old. Furthermore, four grandchildren were born from his four children, including the adopted ones, and he had become a grandfather. Among them, his eldest daughter, Yoshiko, already gave him eight grandchildren, and he even felt that within the next ten years, he might be called a great-grandfather.

So, during these approximately 20 years, what had happened to Japan in this world?

Thanks to the Tenbun Restoration the Muromachi Shogunate had fallen, and Japan had started to walk the path of a centralized nation. The Emperor's authority was established, and Japan was on the path to becoming a constitutional monarchy, similar to the late 19th century in the original timeline (however, the actual drafting of a constitution hadn't been accomplished yet, and there were intense debates among the government officials regarding what kind of constitution to establish).

Furthermore, Japan's territory had greatly expanded. The Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and North America had become Japanese colonies and were undergoing further development (moreover, Japan's vassal state, the Ryukyu Kingdom, was developing Taiwan and the Amami Islands as part of its territory).

Regarding foreign relations, Japan had severed diplomatic ties with Ming China and the Joseon Dynasty (Korea). In practice, there was an ongoing state of conflict, but Japan had chosen to engage in naval non-regular warfare without attempting a land invasion. This strategy allowed Japan to secure maritime superiority.

Last year, after the passing of Emperor Go-Nara, the Ming Dynasty learned of the enthronement of Emperor Ōgimachi and sent an envoy to appoint the Emperor as the King of Japan and order him to suppress the pirates, but the Japanese government was furious and sent the envoy back. The envoy had shown an obvious display of the Chinese belief in superiority by saying, "It is arrogant of the Eastern Barbarians to refuse the Imperial Decree appointing them as the King of Japan and rejecting the order to suppress the pirates." However, the official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Takamoto Mōri, retorted that if that were the case, the Ming military should invade Japan, and they would retaliate in kind. After that, the envoy left in silence.

On the other hand, Japan had established an equal alliance with the Ottoman Empire, and they had signed treaties of alliance with Siam (Thailand), the Sultanate of Malacca, the Kingdom of Kandy, and other countries, where Japan held the upper hand. Furthermore, Japan had signed treaties of amity and commerce with various countries in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. Due to these relations, Japanese merchant ships were frequently traveling from the North Pacific to the Indian Ocean, bringing immense wealth and profits to Japan.