"Are those august persons named? Yes or no?"
"Their names are contained but y--"
"Are the characters of their names the correct ones?"
"It would seem, sire the characters appear to be c--"
"Write an exact translation of what it says at once." The raw words were said softly but the violence ricocheted off the unadorned stone walls. "Exact! Make all future communications from them, or to them, equally exact.
EXACT! One mistake and your head will be on a rubbish dump. Get out! Misamoto, you did very well, please wait outside."
The two men fled, Misamoto cursing his ill luck and the day he had agreed to accompany Perry to Japan, believing the Bakufu would welcome him for his unique knowledge, would grant him a fortune-- the Official swearing to be revenged on Yoshi and this lying fisherman before the Council made good the sentence that he, a wise and correct official, could not avoid.
Yoshi broke the silence, his mind working frantically to formulate the next move in the never ending conflict. "We cannot possibly allow an armed visit to Kyoto! This proves what I have been saying all along: we must have English speakers, translators we can trust--who will tell us what their foul messages really say!"
"That is not necessary," Toyama grated, his heavy dewlaps shaking with fury. "This gai-jin impertinence is insulting beyond belief, tantamount to a declaration of war. Such impertinence must be answered in blood." A rustle went through the guards. "It is a declaration of war. Good. In three or four days I will lead the surprise attack on the Settlement and finish this nonsense once and for all."
"That would be baka. We dare not. Baka!"
Anjo repeated, more for the guards than anyone, easy for one to be a secret shishi admirer or sonno-joi adherent. "How many times must I say no attack yet, not even a surprise attack."
Toyama had flushed even more. "Yoshi-san," he said, "we could smash them and burn Yokohama, neh? We could, neh? I cannot bear the shame, it's too much!"
"You are right, of course we could destroy Yokohama, easily, but Anjo-dono is correct--we cannot get at their fleet. I suggest we continue as before," Yoshi said calmly, not feeling calm at all, "we supply them with watered soup and no fish: we offer them a meeting with the Council of Elders in thirty days, allowing ourselves to be negotiated down to eight days, delay that as long as we can."
"I will only meet those dogs on a battlefield."
Yoshi curbed his temper. "I'm sure you will do what the roju decides, but I propose you are represented by an imposter at this meeting: Misamoto."
"Eh?" They all stared at him.
"He'll be a perfect substitute."
Anjo said, "That stupid fisherman will never b--"
"Dressed in ceremonial clothes, taught to wear them, eight days is enough time. He looks like a samurai now though he does not act like one.
Fortunately he is not stupid and so frightened that he will do whatever we order, and most important, he will tell the truth which is in short supply." Yoshi saw Anjo redden. The others pretended not to notice.
"What then, Yoshi-san?"
"Next, we'll hold the meeting here in the castle."
"Out of the question!" Anjo said.
"Of course we first offer Kanagawa,"
Yoshi told him irritably, "then allow ourselves to agree to meet them here."
"Out of the question," Anjo said again to the agreement of the others.
"With the castle as bait we can delay again, perhaps even another month--their curiosity will consume them --and we only allow them into the outer area. Why not the castle? All the gai-jin leaders of their own free will within our grasp? We could take them hostage, their presence gives us a dozen chances to entwine them further."
They gaped at him, off balance. "Take them hostage?"
"A possibility, one of many," Yoshi said patiently, knowing he needed allies in the coming struggle. "We must use guile and silken threads and their own weakness against them, not war-- until we can equalize their fleets."
"Until then?" Adachi spluttered. The rotund little man was the richest of them all and his Toranaga blood line equal to Yoshi's.
"You really believe we have to deal with these dogs until we have fleets to match theirs?"
"Or enough big cannon to keep them off our shores. We only need a sack or two of gold and they will trample over themselves to sell us the means to blow them out of our water." Yoshi's brow darkened. "I heard a rumor that some Choshu emissaries are already trying to buy rifles from them."
"Those dogs!" Toyama spat with rage.
"Always Choshu. The sooner we put them down the better."
"And Satsuma," Anjo muttered to general agreement and looked at Yoshi. "And others!"
Yoshi pretended not to understand what his adversary implied. Never mind, he thought, the day is coming.
"We can deal with all enemies, one at a time--not together."
Toyama said gruffly, "I vote we order all friendly daimyos to increase taxes at once and arm. I begin tomorrow."
""Advise" is a better word," Adachi said carefully, and drained his teacup. Delicate flowers decorated the lacquered trays that had been set in front of all of them. He stifled a yawn, bored and anxious to go back to bed.
"Please go on with your plan, Yoshi-dono, until we know all the details, how can we vote on it?"
"The morning of the meeting Anjo-sama will unfortunately be taken ill, oh so sorry. As the whole roju is not present, we will be unable to make any binding decisions, but we will listen and try to reach a compromise. If we cannot compromise then we will, with suitable deference, agree to "submit their desires to the full Council as soon as possible"--and delay and delay to drive them mad so they make a mistake, not us."
"Why should they agree to another delay?"
Anjo asked, glad that he would not have to be nose to nose with gai-jin, distrusting Yoshi, and wondering where the trick was.
"The dogs have proved they would rather talk than fight, they are cowards," Yoshi was saying.
"Though they could easily dominate us, it is clear they don't have the stomach for it."
"What if they do not agree and this insolent Inger'ish ape makes good his threat and leaves for Kyoto? What then? We cannot allow that, under any circumstances!"
"I agree," Yoshi said with great finality and everyone tensed. "That means war--a war we must eventually lose."
Toyama said instantly, "Better to war as men than become slaves like the Chinese, Indians and all other barbarian tribes." The old man peered at Yoshi. "If they land you'll vote for war?"
"Instantly! Any attempt to land in force-- anywhere--will be prevented."