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I knew Arai was likely to return to his own town, Kumamoto, during the
summer.
I could not hope to fight on two fronts. We decided that now was a good
time to
send Kahei and Gemba to Arai to try to make peace of some kind for
however short a period. I was aware I had very little to bargain with:
our brief alliance against Iida, Shigeru's legacy, and the records of
the Tribe. On the other hand, I had enraged him by my earlier
disappearance and insulted him by my marriage, and for all I knew, his
anger against the Tribe might already have been tempered by expediency.
I had no illusions about peace with the Otori. I could not negotiate
with Shigeru's uncles and they would never abdicate in my favor. The
clan was already so divided that it was for all intents in a state of
civil war. If I attacked their main force, even if we were victorious,
they would simply fall back to Hagi, where they could easily hold us
off until winter itself defeated us. Despite the recovery of the
Maruyama domain, we did not have the resources for a long siege at such
a distance from our home base.
I'd escaped from the Otori army by using the outcasts, whom no one else
had dreamed of approaching, and now I began to wonder how I might take
them by surprise again. When I thought of the city, I saw it lying in
the cup of the bay, so defensible on its landward side, so open to the
sea. If I could not get to Hagi by land, might I not be able to go by
water?
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Troops that could be transported rapidly by sea: I knew of no warlord
who had such a force. Yet history tells us that hundreds of years ago a
huge army sailed from the mainland and would have been victorious had
the Eight Islands not been saved by a storm sent from heaven. My
thoughts kept turning to the boy who'd been my friend in Hagi, Terada
Fumio, who had fled with his family to the island of Oshima. Fumio had
taught me about ships and sailing, he had taught me to swim, and he had
hated Shigeru's uncles as much as I did. Could I turn him into an ally
now?
I did not speak openly of these ideas, but one night, after the others
had retired, Kaede--who watched me all the time and knew all my
moods--said, "You are thinking of attacking Hagi in some other way?"
"When I lived there I became friendly with the son of a family, the
Terada, who had been fishermen. The Otori lords raised the taxation of
their catch to such an extent that they took their boats and moved to
Oshima; it's an island off the northwest coast."
"They became pirates?"
"Their markets were closed to them; it was impossible to live by
fishing alone. I'm thinking of paying them a visit. If the Terada have
enough resources and they are willing to help me, it would be possible
to take Hagi by sea. But it must be done this year, and that means I
must go before the typhoons begin."
"Why do you have to go yourself?" Kaede asked. "Send a messenger."
"Fumio will trust me, but I don't think his family will talk to anyone
else. Now that the rams are over, Kahei and Gemba must go at once to
Inuyama. I'll go with a few men, Makoto, Jiro, maybe."
"Let me come with you," Kaede said.
I thought of the complexities of traveling with my wife, of bring-
ing one woman at least to accompany her, of finding suitable accommodation.
"No, stay here with Sugita. I don't want us both to be absent from the
domain at the same time. Amano must stay here too."
"I wish I were Makoto," she said. "I am jealous of him."
"He is jealous of you," I said lightly. "He thinks I spend far too much
time talking to you. A wife is for one thing, providing heirs.
Everything else a man should look for in his comrades."
I had been joking, but she took me seriously. "I should give you a
child." Her lips were pressed together and I saw her eyes moisten with
tears. "Sometimes I am afraid I will never conceive again. I wish our
child had not died."
"We will have other children," I said. "All girls, all as beautiful as
their mother." I took her in my arms. It was a warm, still night, but
her skin felt cold and she was shivering.
"Don't go," she said.
"I will only be away a week at most."
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The next day the Miyoshi brothers set out for Inuyama to plead my cause
with Arai, and I left with Makoto for the coast the day after. Kaede
was still upset and we parted with a slight coolness between us. It was
our first disagreement. She wanted to come with me; I could have let
her, but I did not. I did not know how long it would be or how much we
would both suffer before I saw her again.
Still, I rode out cheerfully enough with Makoto, Jiro, and three men.
We went in unmarked traveling clothes so we could move swiftly and
without formalities. I was happy to be leaving the castle town for a
while and happy, too, to be able to set aside the ruthless work I'd
undertaken to eradicate the Tribe. The plum rains had ended, the air
was clear, the sky deep blue. Along the road we saw signs everywhere
of the land's gradual return to prosperity. The rice fields were
brilliant green, the harvest would be brought in; this winter, at
least, no one would starve.
Makoto was silent and reserved in Kaede's presence, but when we were
alone together we talked as only the closest friends can. He had seen
me at my weakest and my most vulnerable, and I trusted him as I trusted
no one else. I opened my heart to him, and, apart from Kaede, only he
knew of my constant expectation of attack from the Tribe and my deep
dislike of what I had to do to eradicate them. The only thing that
pained him about me was the depth of my love for Kaede. He was jealous,
perhaps, though he tried to hide it; but, over and above that, he
thought there was something unnatural about it: It was not seemly for a
man to feel such passion for his wife. He did not speak of it, but I
read the disapproval in his expression.
He had taken Jiro under his wing with his usual unobtrusive [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]