Shogun - Clavell James - Страница 147

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"Ikomo Tadeo, First Officer, vassal of Lord Ishido," the youth replied. "Thank you. I would be honored to accept you as my second."

His death was quick, painless, and honorable.

The heads were collected. Later Jozen shrieked into life again. His frantic hands tried helplessly to remake his belly.

They left him to the dogs that had come up from the village.

At the Hour of the Horse, eleven o'clock in the morning, ten days after the death of Jozen and all his men, a convoy of three galleys rounded the headland at Anjiro. They were crammed with troops. Toranaga came ashore. Beside him was Buntaro.

"First I wish to see an attack exercise, Yabu-san, with the original five hundred," Toranaga said. "At once."

"Could it be tomorrow? That would give me time to prepare," Yabu said affably, but inwardly he was furious at the suddenness of Toranaga's arrival and incensed with his spies for not forewarning him. He had had barely enough time to hurry to the shore with a guard of honor. "You must be tired-" "I'm not tired, thank you," Toranaga said, intentionally brusque. "I don't need 'defenders' or an elaborate setting or screams or pretended deaths. You forget, old friend, I've acted in enough Noh plays and staged enough to be able to use my imagination. I'm not a ronin-peasant! Please order it mounted at once."

They were on the beach beside the wharf. Toranaga was surrounded by elite guards, and more were pouring off the moored galley. Another thousand heavily armed samurai were crammed into the two galleys that waited just offshore. It was a warm day, the sky cloudless, with a light surf and heat haze on the horizon.

"Igurashi, see to it!" Yabu bottled his rage. Since the first message he had sent concerning Jozen's arrival eleven days ago, there had been the merest trickle of noncommittal reports from "Yedo from his own espionage network, and nothing but sporadic and infuriatingly inconclusive replies from Toranaga to his ever more urgent signals: "Your message received and under serious study."

"Shocked by your news about my son. Please wait for further instructions." Then, four days ago: "Those responsible for Jozen's death will be punished. They are to remain at their posts but to continue under arrest until I can consult with Lord Ishido." And yesterday, the bombshell: "Today I received the new Council of Regents' formal invitation to the Osaka Flower-Viewing Ceremony. When do you plan to leave? Advise immediately."

"Surely that doesn't mean Toranaga's actually going?" Yabu had asked, baffled.

"He's forcing you to commit yourself," Igurashi had replied. "Whatever you say traps you."

"I agree," Omi had said.

"Why aren't we getting news from Yedo? What's happened to our spies?"

"It's almost as though Toranaga's put a blanket over the whole Kwanto," Omi had told him. "Perhaps he knows who your spies are!"

"Today's the tenth day, Sire," Igurashi had reminded Yabu. "Everything's ready for your departure to Osaka. Do you want to leave or not?"

Now, here on the beach, Yabu blessed his guardian kami who had persuaded him to accept Omi's advice to stay until the last possible day, three days hence.

"About your final message, Toranaga-sama, the one that arrived yesterday," he said. "You're surely not going to Osaka?"

"Are you?"

"I acknowledge you as leader. Of course, I've been waiting for your decision."

"My decision is easy, Yabu-sama. But yours is hard. If you go, the Regents will certainly chop you for destroying Jozen and his men. And Ishido is really very angry - and rightly so. Neh?"

"I didn't do it, Lord Toranaga. Jozen's destruction - however merited - was against my orders."

"It was just as well Naga-san did it, neh? Otherwise you'd certainly have had to do it yourself. I'll discuss Naga-san later, but come along, we'll talk as we walk up to the training ground. No need to waste time." Toranaga set off at his brisk pace, his guards following closely. "Yes, you really are in a dilemma, old friend. If you go, you lose your head, you lose Izu, and of course your whole Kasigi family goes to the execution ground. If you stay, the Council will order the same thing." He looked across at him. "Perhaps you should do what you suggested I do the last time I was in Anjiro. I'll be happy to be your second. Perhaps your head will ease Ishido's ill humor when I meet him. "

"My head's of no value to Ishido."

"I don't agree."

Buntaro intercepted them. "Excuse me, Sire. Where do you want the men billeted?"

"On the plateau. Make your permanent camp there. Two hundred guards will stay with me at the fortress. When you've made the arrangements join me. I'll want you to see the training exercise." Buntaro hurried off.

"Permanent camp? You're staying here?" Yabu asked.

"No, only my men. If the attack's as good as I hear, we'll be forming nine assault battalions of five hundred samurai each."

"What?"

"Yes. I've brought another thousand selected samurai for you now. You'll provide the other thousand."

"But there aren't enough guns and the train-"

"So sorry, you're wrong. I've brought a thousand muskets and plenty of powder and shot. The rest will arrive within a week with another thousand men."

"We'll have nine assault battalions?"

"Yes. They'll be one regiment. Buntaro will command."

"Perhaps it would be better if I did that. He'll be-"

"Oh, but you forget the Council meets in a few days. How can you command a regiment if you're going to Osaka? Haven't you prepared to leave?"

Yabu stopped. "We're allies. We agreed you're the leader and we pissed on the bargain. I've kept it, and I'm keeping it. Now I ask, what's your plan? Do we war or don't we?"

"No one's declared war on me. Yet."

Yabu craved to unsheath the Yoshitomo blade and splash Toranaga's blood on the dirt, once and for all, whatever the cost. He could feel the breath of the Toranaga guards all around him but he was beyond caring now. "Isn't the Council your death knell too? You said that yourself. Once they've met, you have to obey. Neh?"

"Of course." Toranaga waved his guards back, leaning easily on his sword, his stocky legs wide and firm.

"Then what's your decision? What do you propose?"

"First to see an attack."

"Then?"

"Then to go hunting."

"Are you going to Osaka?"

"Of course."

"When?"

"When it pleases me."

"You mean, not when it pleases Ishido."

"I mean when it pleases me."

"We'll be isolated," Yabu said. "We can't fight all Japan, even with an assault regiment, and we can't possibly train it in ten days."

"Yes."

"Then what's the plan?"

"What exactly happened with Jozen and Naga-san?"

Yabu told it truly, omitting only the fact that Naga had been manipulated by Omi.

"And my barbarian? How's the Anjin-san behaving?"

"Good. Very good." Yabu told him about the attempted seppuku on the first night, and how he had neatly bent the Anjin-san to their mutual advantage.

"That was clever," Toranaga said slowly. "I'd never have guessed he'd try seppuku. Interesting."

"It was fortunate I told Omi to be ready."

"Yes."

Impatiently Yabu waited for more but Toranaga remained silent.

"This news I sent about Lord Ito becoming a Regent," Yabu said at last. "Did you know about it before I sent word?"

Toranaga did not answer for a moment. "I'd heard rumors. Lord Ito's a perfect choice for Ishido. The poor fool's always enjoyed being shafted while he has his nose up another man's anus. They'll make good bedfellows."

"His vote will destroy you, even so."

"Providing there's a Council."

"Ah, then you do have a plan?"

"I always have a plan - or plans - didn't you know? But you, what's your plan, Ally? If you want to leave, leave. If you want to stay, stay. Choose!" He walked on.

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