Read Online Tokyo Bay by Anthony Grey - Free Book Online

present unknown. So it would be most unwise to provoke them into giving us a demonstration. .
‘The power of the samurai’s sword has always been our surest weapon!’ declared another young nobleman who until then had stood silent at Lord Daizo’s side. ‘We should be the first to demonstrate that.’ He paused and stared hard at Tanaka, one hand on the hilts of his twin swords. His brooding features were recognizably heir to those of the older man at his side, and before speaking again he looked round challengingly at all the other members of the gathering. ‘I am sure most of us here agree that we should be ready to sacrifice our lives without hesitation. Then our enemies will know we are fearless in defence of our sacred territory.’
‘The sentiments of my son Yakamochi are those that should spring naturally from all your hearts,’ said Lord Daizo vehemently. ‘So I’m glad that someone of his courage will accompany the officials who are to make the first approach to the American ships.’
‘Why do you say that, my lord?’ enquired Tanaka, suddenly concerned.
‘Because if the American ships can be boarded by some subterfuge, a lightning strike could be made against their commander or his senior officers! That would convince the foreign barbarians of our fierce determination to resist them to the end!’
Before replying, Tanaka looked slowly round the circle of silent faces; in varying degrees all their expressions betrayed alarm and uncertainty and he noticed that many in the group avoided his eye. ‘Nobody doubts the courage of our fighting men - or their readiness to die gloriously. But if we provoke a skirmish at the outset and manage to kill just a few of our enemies, what will be the immediate result?’
‘They will realize their purpose is futile and withdraw!’ said Yakamochi fiercely. ‘They will leave us alone.’
Tanaka shook his head decisively. ‘No, they would almost certainly proceed to bombard us with their heavy guns from a safe distance, without any risk to themselves. They can cause enormous loss of life. They might also land a strong force to march into Yedo. And if they did, what would they find there?’
He waited but, because they were puzzled by the unexpected question, neither the officials nor the daimyo spoke.
‘They would discover first their own ignorance. Our spies from the Lew Chew islands have reported that the Americans think our Emperor himself resides in Yedo castle. And that is why they have come here - to deliver a letter of insulting demands to our sacred ruler. If they land and march on Yedo castle, they will find that it is the Shogun who resides here - but that he is very sick and close to death. They will also discover that our governing council is weak and undecided on how best to resist them.’
‘They will never reach Yedo!’ exclaimed Lord Daizo. ‘Fighting men are already being summoned from all the fiefdoms in the surrounding provinces. They are streaming in from the north, south, east and west. Eventually there will be one hundred thousand warriors defending these cliffs. . . . . . .‘
‘We have no understanding yet of the power of their ships or their weapons,’ replied Tanaka coolly. ‘And once they are ashore they will certainly see that our guns are few, small and ineffective - no match for their own superior weapons.’ He paused and gestured towards the canvas screens that snaked along the bluffs. ‘They will also find our whole coastal defence system is feeble. Once they realize that we conceal weakness and not strength behind those screens, they may be encouraged to return quickly with an even larger force and attempt to conquer our entire homeland - which the Dutch tell us has been done elsewhere. Above all we need to win time to prepare our defences . .
‘The warriors of Nippon are always ready to defend their sacred soil,’ proclaimed another robed daimyo standing close to Lord Daizo. ‘They are as ready now as they have ever