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Chapter 48 - Chapter 47 – Storms of Retribution

The Crescent shone in the east like the morning sun, but storms gathered beyond the horizon.

Eugene stood atop the fortress walls, gazing eastward, the wind tugging at his cloak. The villages under his protection flourished: rice paddies green, children laughing, Spears drilling under the rising sun. Yet even as prosperity spread, his system pulsed with warnings.

[Threat Level]: High.Hojo mobilization detected: ~4,000 troops.Ishida reinforcements moving south: ~3,500 troops.Probability of coordinated attack: 67%.Recommendation: fortify borders, prepare rapid response units.]

He clenched his fists. The Wolf had not slept. Hojo was not idle. And the Crescent, for all its new roots, faced a storm unlike any it had weathered.

Council of War

Inside the fortress, Eugene gathered his retainers.

"Hiroshi, Masanori, Aiko," he began, voice steady. "Both Hojo and Ishida gather forces. Soon, they will test the Crescent's strength—not with whispers, not with spies, but with steel and fire."

Hiroshi slammed his gauntleted fist on the table. "Then let them come! We've bled before, we can bleed again!"

Masanori shook his head. "Numbers are not in our favor. Their combined force may outmatch ours 3:1. If they strike together…"

Eugene's eyes narrowed. "Then we must strike first. Delay is death. Hojo advances slowly; Ishida moves cautiously. If we can disrupt their coordination, we gain the advantage."

Aiko's gaze was sharp. "And if we fail?"

Eugene smiled faintly, a grim curve. "Then we adapt. But we will not wait to be crushed. The Crescent moves with purpose."

The Hojo Threat

Beyond the forests, Hojo Tadakuni marshaled his forces. Orange banners rippled like fire across the plains. Warriors drilled tirelessly; scouts returned with news of Crescent villages flourishing, harvests protected, Spears well-fed and disciplined.

"This boy-lord grows bold," Tadakuni muttered. "But boldness cannot withstand steel and strategy. We will strike in two days. I want his villages in flames before nightfall."

He turned to his generals. "Divide our forces. Two thousand here to probe the northern villages. The rest, hold in reserve to crush the Crescent when they respond."

The generals bowed. The plan was meticulous, the ambition clear: hit the Crescent before it solidifies, sow fear among the villagers, and make Eugene rue his audacity.

Ishida's Revenge

Far north, Ishida's camp sprawled across the valley, the air thick with smoke and tension.

"The Crescent spreads," his chief retainer reported. "Villages pledge loyalty, Spears grow, even samurai from other lords defect. If we do not strike soon…"

Ishida's eyes burned. "Then we strike. Hojo to the east, I to the north. Let the Crescent choke on our combined wrath. Gather the men. Bring siege engines, archers, cavalry. We will remind the boy what blood and fire mean."

The camp erupted in preparation. Yet even in their confidence, Ishida's spies reported the Crescent's villages thriving, the Spears disciplined, and Eugene's own tactics clever and unpredictable.

A cold smile crossed Ishida's face. "So he fights like a fox. Then I will hunt like a wolf."

The Warning

Inside the Crescent fortress, Eugene reviewed reports from his scouts.

Hojo northern advance: 2,000 troops approaching first village.Ishida southern reinforcements: 3,500 troops within 3 days march.Villages on the eastern road: partially fortified.

He tapped the system.

[Recommendation]: Reinforce border villages, pre-position reserves, prepare ambush points. Coordinate early warning signals.]

Eugene nodded to Hiroshi. "Take five hundred Spears. Move east. You will hold the villages closest to Hojo's advance. Use terrain to your advantage. Draw them in, slow their progress."

Hiroshi grinned. "Draw them in? I like the sound of that. They won't know what hit them."

Masanori frowned. "We risk being split. If Hojo and Ishida coordinate, the Crescent could be caught between two armies."

"Then we make them coordinate poorly," Eugene replied, voice calm. "We force mistakes, then strike decisively. Victory is never in brute force—it is in foresight and timing."

Preparing the Villages

Crescent Spears and peasants worked tirelessly. Trenches were dug, barricades erected, and warning beacons positioned along the roads. Archers took posts on hilltops. Villagers learned quickly to sound alarms, move livestock, and hide children.

Eugene walked among them, a quiet presence. Children ran to him with smiles, peasants bowed, and Spears straightened at his gaze. He handed one farmer a sack of seed.

"Plant wisely," he said. "Your fields are as much a shield as your walls."

The farmer blinked. "Your lordship… you care for our crops more than your own armor."

Eugene's eyes softened briefly. "A kingdom cannot stand on steel alone."

Hojo's Advance

Two days later, the northern ridge trembled with the march of Hojo's advance. Spears stationed in villages signaled with horns, fires, and mirrors.

Hiroshi led the Crescent forward, taking high ground and forcing the Hojo advance into narrow ravines. The enemy pressed, but Eugene's plan unfolded perfectly.

[System Assessment]:Hojo trapped in disadvantageous terrain.Probability of enemy morale collapse: 68%.

From the hills, archers rained arrows, targeting officers first. Cavalry charged into the flanks at opportune moments. Spears executed pincer maneuvers that threw Hojo's disciplined line into chaos.

By sundown, Hojo's northern detachment was scattered, forced to retreat with heavy losses. Crescent villages remained intact.

Ishida Moves

But as Hojo faltered, Ishida struck from the south. His forces descended like a storm, cutting communication lines, burning fields, and testing the Spears at frontier posts.

Eugene's scouts reported quickly. He convened a war council immediately.

"Divide to hold or concentrate to strike?" Masanori asked.

"Divide," Eugene said decisively. "We must protect the villages first. Spears are disciplined and mobile. I will take a rapid strike force to hit Ishida's supply line. Starve him before he reaches the Crescent heartlands."

Aiko's eyes gleamed. "And if we succeed, Hojo will crumble further when he sees we are not trapped."

Eugene's smile was faint but firm. "Precisely. Let them fight shadows while we control the light."

Ambush in the Woods

Eugene led a contingent of Spears into the forest, striking Ishida's supply wagons with speed and precision. Horses screamed, drivers were cut down, and food meant for the northern army was destroyed.

The ambush was surgical. Spears returned to villages before Ishida could mount a counterattack.

Reports reached Eugene immediately: Hojo forces, seeing Crescent banners at northern villages and rumors of Ishida's disrupted southern supply, hesitated in their advance. Morale faltered.

[System Log]: Enemy coordination disrupted. Advantage: Crescent +24% tactical superiority.]

Eugene allowed himself a moment to breathe. For the first time in weeks, he felt the subtle thrill of control—the Crescent not just surviving, but bending events to its will.

A Quiet Before the Storm

That evening, Eugene stood atop the fortress wall, watching the valley below. Smoke rose faintly from burned fields, soldiers repaired fences, and villagers tended livestock.

Aiko approached, her voice soft. "You've disrupted their advance, my lord. The Crescent grows stronger, but the storm is not yet past."

Eugene nodded. "I know. Hojo and Ishida will recover. They are patient, cunning, and ruthless. But so are we."

The wind carried the scent of pine and wet earth, mingling with distant smoke. The Spears stood silent, watching. Their lord, once a boy, now a strategist and ruler, scanned the horizon.

"The Crescent will not merely survive," he whispered. "It will rise. And when the storms come, we will endure… and cut a path through their fury."

Above him, the moon shone cold and silver. Below, the land was alive with whispers of loyalty, fear, and ambition. The first storms of retribution had come—and Eugene would meet them, blade in hand, heart steady.

The war for Japan had entered its next, deadly phase.

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