"As for you two ladies, since you're so worried, how about we check on Takeshi, and see what we can bring to the table tomorrow?" Gengyo proposed, motioning with his head for Jikouji to join as well.
"The cannon he's making, is it?" Jikouji asked, feeling even more nervous as he brought it up. That really was the only thing standing between them and another day like today. Perhaps tomorrow would be even worse. There would be more siege towers and ballistae, and they would really have no way of dealing with them.
Their only consolation lay at the gate. The ground was so battered and bruised, and filled with as many holes, and the fires still burned – though they would be gone by the morning – that it would be impossible to move the clumsy siege towers over them. It would likely take years for such damage to the land to recover.
"That sounds like a good plan to me, let's go, Akiko!" Rin grabbed her friend by the arm, and rushed off, leading her away, leaving Jikouji and Gengyo in the dust.
"Wrong way." Gengyo's statement brought her to a screeching halt as she looked at him accusingly.
"This is where the smith shop is? Isn't it?" The doubt was obvious in her voice. She had only been once or twice.
"Correct. But that is not where they're making it. They needed a bigger space than just there."
"Guh…" She trailed back, embarrassed. "Where is it then?" She asked, attempting to salvage her pride so that she might rush off again.
"If you'd like to follow, I can show you the way." Gengyo offered – though that had been the plan for all the rational minds present from the start.
"Nii-sannnn…" Rin complained, but could not offer up anything more than a drawn out whine.
"When she's like this you tend to forget that she's capable of beheading a horse with a single stroke." Jikouji pointed out quietly, as he strolled alongside Gengyo, his hands clasped behind his back, and his sheathed katana beating against his hip.
"Heard that!" She growled from behind.
"A horse? I wonder how many old men she could behead in a single stroke…" He mused, descending from the wall.
"I would prefer not to think about it." Came Jikouji's gruff response as he followed suit.
Through the streets they went, past many a wide-eyed villager, who had no doubt heard the commotion from the battle earlier. They were surprised – it seemed – that a mere five hundred men had lasted so long.
And past all that, isolated in a little corner of the fortress, there sat a large building, one of the few that were made of stone.
Even before they made their way inside, they could hear the clangs of hammer upon metal.
"Hoh… Working hard, eh?" Gengyo commented lightly to himself, as he stepped inside, and was assailed by an intense wave of heat. The barrel of the cannon looked to be almost finished.
It took the jabbing elbow of one of his fellow smiths to finally alert him to Gengyo's presence. "Ah! Miura-san! Sorry… I didn't see you."
"There is no problem here, Takeshi. I see you've made some remarkable progress. She's big, eh?"
The barrel itself was at least three times longer, and two times wider than the currently mounted ones on the wall. It was a large beast indeed. It could be said to be able to fire roughly three times further, but of course, things were never quite that simple.
"Yes sir! She's sturdy too. Much thicker on the inside than the others. She'll be able to handle quite the amount of gunpowder indeed, without even a crack." The smith explained enthusiastically, wiping some of the dirt from his cheeks, as some of his co-workers moved in to complete the task that he was working on, whilst he continued his conversation with Gengyo.
"These young ladies here are worried about our defence. Can you say anything that might reassure them?" Gengyo explained, motioning toward Akiko and Rin, who looked at him in irritation.
"We were just complaining about the men being sent from the walls so early…" Rin mumbled in dissatisfaction.
Having not been present on the walls this day, Takeshi had received all his information from outsiders, and all he knew was that the enemy had constructed some war machines of their own, and they were having quite the amount of trouble in dealing with them.
"Mm… W-well. I'd say you don't have much to worry about. We'll be done here in an hour or so, then we'll start getting her installed on some tracks on the eastern wall, and she'll be ready for commission by morning. You'll be able to turn her, and fire wherever you like. She'll go a good distance, a good distance indeed. You'll be able to cover almost the entire wall, I'd say. Nothing to worry about, I don't think."
"Right you are. Thanks for your time, Takeshi, we'll let you get back to work." Pleased with the offering Takeshi had given - and with the confirmation of the time of completion – Gengyo began once more toward the door. His confidence for tomorrow had only risen, and now he felt a rather strong urge to lie down.
"Why'd you have to go and say that to him, Nii-san? He's going to think me and Akiko are just complaining."
"Oh. I thought that's exactly what you were doing."
"Guh…" Rin puffed her cheeks out in indignation, and grabbed Akiko's hand, pulling her away. "Let's go find some food, Nii-san's intent on bullying us today." She announced lightly, before dragging her friend by the hand and hurrying off once more, as was her custom.
Watching them go, Jikouji heaved a sigh. "They've grown up in battle, and are now so used to it. Seeing them like that, the villagers must think we're not at war at all."
"It's better this way though, don't you think? We're all more relaxed about what we have to do, and we don't waste pointless energy worrying, so that when we get on the field, we're well rested and focused. It couldn't get any better, from my way of thinking."
"Aye… I suppose, though the men haven't had to do much themselves yet. It's all been about pushing pieces so far. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's a game you and this Matsudaira have been playing by yourselves." The old advisor stated plainly, with no irritation present in his voice. He was under no false pretence about his position in this battle.
"Perhaps that's the way it might seem for now. No one has made a big enough mistake for a significant amount of losses. But something will give, and soon, I expect. Our games won't be able to last for much longer. We'll be plunged into an all-out fight for our lives, I should expect, and that's where our metal will be truly be tested."
"And so that's what you're keeping the men so well rested for? So, when the times comes, their condition is perfect?"
"I would think so, aye. But whether it turns out that way or not, we'll soon see. We can only do all we can do. Anything more than that is beyond us, don't you think?" He smiled at his own phrasing, before patting the old man on the shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'm glad to have served with you, my friend. I will not be dying with any regrets."
The old fellow paused a moment, caught off guard, before he too broke out into a smile. "The feeling is mutual, even if you are ruthless bastard at times, it has been an enjoyable service. I have no doubt Nakatane will be proud of your performance, and will greet you with open arms when we meet him again."
"Even though I've married his precious daughter?" Gengyo asked with a smirk, trying to picture what his old master's face might have looked like, when he found out all that they had done together.
"Haha… I don't imagine you'll be getting off too easily for that. Well, he only has eternity to get his revenge. I wouldn't have thought it'd be too bad."
"Suddenly I have a reason not to die."
"There you go. Glad to be of service. Shall we go find the others, and have a few drinks ourselves, whilst we leave our good friends Morojo and Takeshi to do all the hard work?"
"Mm… Now that does sound like a good idea. Lead the way."
With a few hours of daylight left, and a whole night ahead of them, the Red Feather men took advantage of every minute they could to enjoy themselves to the fullest.
Meanwhile, in the Matsudaira camp, labour intensified. The only men who were allowed to rest were the injured, who could not have worked anyway, even if you were to thrust a spade into their hand. And so, for the second night in a row, they went without sleep, and produced yet more weapons to haunt Gengyo with.