Tyranny of Steel

Itami sighed heavily as she gazed upon the document in her hands. Her intelligence agents had reported that the rebels were amassing their forces. They planned to launch a strike against her homeland in an attempt to break the morale of her forces.

It was an act of desperation on the rebels' part. Having lost the Shimazu clan as their supporters, the Rebel leader now intended to seize what remained of Itami's family and hold them hostage in order to force her to surrender.

How did Itami come by this information? One of her first acts when she initially came to power in this world was to establish a corps of spies recruited from all walks of life to engage in espionage and sabotage against her enemies. Using many of the same4r tactics that the Shinobi utilized in her past life, Itami gave these men and women the same title.

No, they were not men and women who came from the ranks of peasants, clad themselves in black tights, and waged a secret war against the Samurai. That was a fictitious representation of the Shinobi. Who in actuality were nothing more than simple spies, albeit extremely effective at their craft.

In fact, anyone could be a Shinobi, even a samurai. Ninjitsu was not some fabled martial art, but rather the name given to spy craft. For whatever reason, in her past life, the media in both America and Japan had greatly warped the perception of what a Shinobi actually was. It went so far that schools of fake martial arts calling themselves "ninjitsu" appeared across America. Though they had nothing to do with the actual historical practice.

However, with the rise of an Imperial State, that Itami was in the process of reforming, she would need to create a modern intelligence agency. It was because of this that she had recently given the order to reform her so called "Shinobi Corps" into a dedicated and modern Intelligence Agency, whose headquarters were located in her capital.

Modelled after the Kenpeitai from her past life, her new form of intelligence took the same name, and would coordinate as an entity of the military. Serving as both military police and intelligence for both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. Obviously in this life, Itami did not wish to repeat the many crimes that the Kenpeitai were responsible for in her past life.

Unlike Berengar, Itami did not see the rules of war as mere suggestions. She was truly dedicated to conducting war in the most civil way possible. As she recognized what her people had done across Asia, and did not want to repeat it. She was determined to build an Empire, that did not oppress its colonies, but incorporated them into society as productive members. Or so was her dream.

The recent reports from her Kenpeitai showed she could not wait any longer to dispatch her forces. The fact of the matter was, she could not let her ancestral homelands fall. Luckily, enough time had passed that her newest weapons were not only approved for production, but five thousand of her soldiers were now equipped with them.

This Brigade, which she named the First Brigade, would be more than enough to defend her homeland from the rebel army, while the rest of her troops were spread across her domain, protecting it from a secondary invasion.

While Itami was considering how best to deploy her troops into the field, a young man approached her. This man wore a modern military uniform modeled after those worn by Imperial Japanese Soldiers during the Taisho Era of Itami's past life. He was a handsome young man, only a few years older than Itami. He had long black hair that was tied back into a ponytail and had a scar across his face that showed he was a battle-hardened veteran. The man spoke abruptly as he read from a letter that he had received.

"Your highness, the leader of the rebels, Mōri Nobuhisa, has issued a decree. He is willing to stand down, and recognize your rule on one condition..."

Itami averted her gaze from her map and glared at her subordinate. There was a murderous aura in her eyes as she heard the name Mōri Nobuhisa. He was a man who was a supporter of the Ashikaga shogunate, and was loosely related to the now defunct Imperial Family. He was quick to turn against Itami when she initially seized the position of Shogun and was responsible for the rebellion that followed her victory.

If he was suing for peace now after everything he had done, then there were only two possibilities that came to mind. Either he had realized she was building terrifying new weapons that would completely negate the numerical advantage that his forces possessed.

Or, he was confident that he would succeed in capturing Itami's family, and was giving his demands in advance, unaware that Itami was already aware of his plans. Obviously, if he had the means to achieve an overwhelming victory against Itami, then he would not come to the negotiating table. Thus, Itami forced herself to remain calm as she heard the condition. If she could end the rebellion peacefully, then she would take it.

"You may speak Shiba-kun."

The man named Shiba Kiyohiko cleared his throat before giving the Empress the demands of her most hated rival.

"He requests you marry his eldest son, Mōri Nobuyuri... If you choose to do so, he will end his rebellion and allow you to reign as empress until a time where the son between you and Nobuyuri comes of age."

Itami trembled with rage as she heard this demand. Was the man insane? She would never marry a man that was not of her choosing, especially not a young boy like Nobuyuri. She would feel dirty doing such a thing. Her hands shook as they rested on the hilt of her sword, causing it to rattle within the saya.

As the blade rattled in its scabbard, Itami broke out into mad laughter, like that of a woman who was about to go on a rampage. After she finally calmed town, a terrifying smile spread across her pink lips, as she muttered a single phrase under her breath.

"Two can play that game..."

By now Itami had redesigned the hilt and scabbard of her Katana to match those of a Type 94 Shin Gunto, which was the sword infamously wielded by Imperial Japanese Officers during the second world war. The blade of the Shin Gunto was actually modelled after the earlier tachi, rather than the Katana, but Itami's was different. Only the fittings of her blade resembled the Type 94 Shin Gunto. The blade itself was hand forged Katana using tamahagane steel. It had a defined Hamon, and a double bo-hi, making it have a very striking appearance.

In a response to the Daimyo's demands, Itami unsheathed her blade, and chopped the letter in half. She then glared fiercely at her advisor and gave him a decree.

"I had initially planned to defend my homeland with the new First Brigade. However, it appears that such a thing is no longer advisable. If that bastard wants to capture my family and use them as a bargaining chip, then I suppose I shall do the same. I wonder who will first succeed in the end?

Shiba-kun, your orders are to lead the remainder of my army to my family's territory and defend it until the last man. As for the First Brigade, I will lead them into the Mōri clan's territory and capture Mōri Nobuhisa's family myself! I would love to see the face of that old bastard when he realizes I used his own shameless tactic against him!"

Shiba Kiyohiko was terrified when he gazed upon the wrath in Itami's blood-red eyes. So much so that he even stuttered a little as he tried to respond in affirmation of his orders.

"Y...Yes Ma'am!"

With that said, Itami dismissed her general, and gazed at the map she had sprawled out on top of a large table. She quickly adjusted the pieces which represented her army, sending ten thousand man to the territory of the Itami Clan, while sending another 5,000 straight towards the home of the Mōri Clan. While the rebels attacked her home, she would attack that which belonged to the Rebel leader. She doubted the man would still dare to fight against her when she held his family captive.

This was how Itami intended to end the rebellion and solidify herself as the reigning empress of Japan. If she was victorious in these endeavors, then she could focus on the modernization of her army, and the future invasion of Hokkaido. The Ainu people would not stand a chance against her army once she marched into their lands.

It was a race against time to see who would succeed in capturing the other's family first. The Rebel leader Mōri Nobuhisa or the Self-Proclaimed Empress Itami Riyo. Only time would tell who would win in this battle of hostages.