The reports from the Phoenix lands
in your last letter have disturbed me greatly. These rumors of
entire Shiba battalions being destroyed to a man and left to
rot on the battlefield simply cannot be true. Yet you are the
third member of your order that I have spoken to after a visit
to the Shrine of Lady Moon, and each tells the same tale: the
Phoenix are incensed by the constant harassment the Dragon forces
levy upon their borders. From their accounts, it would seem that
we are exacting a very heavy toll upon them indeed.
Except that I have investigated the
matter, and found no accounts of any such incursions. Our forces
have taken up defensive positions for the entire winter, and
are only now preparing to move once more. Furthermore, it is
our armies that have been harassed by Phoenix battalions somehow
forcing their way into our interior, decimating entire legions
with the power of Aikune and his Last Wish. And yet again, the
tales from your visit seem to indicate that Aikune has been busy
with his duties in the Phoenix lands for the past few months,
with precious little time to continue his genocidal war against
us.
I am among the most vocal opponents
of the Phoenix. Indeed, I am certain that an Empire without them
would be a far more glorious Empire than we have ever known.
Yet even I cannot deny that something is terribly wrong here.
It is as if we are being pitted against one another by some darker
force, some nefarious foe who benefits from our continued hostilities.
Perhaps this is the secret that Tamori Shaitung has been vexing
over so since Isawa Nakamuro's escape.
I can no longer allow this to continue.
I must see Lord Mirumoto Uso, and soon. If this madness is not
stopped, I fear neither clan will survive.
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