Sengoku Makrios

## Japan in Genki 1 (1570) The Ashikaga shogunate survives in name while regional daimyo exercise military and fiscal power. Oda Nobunaga has entered Kyoto; Tokugawa Ieyasu holds Mikawa and Totomi in alliance with Oda. Takeda, Uesugi, Hōjō, Mōri, Ōtomo, Shimazu and regional houses defend their interests. The imperial court grants prestige but cannot command the provinces by itself. The map covers the Japanese archipelago and adjacent East Asian coasts. Japanese provinces are divided among daimyo, temple leagues and local powers; Korea belongs to Joseon, the mainland to Ming and Jurchen polities, and Ezo contains Ainu communities with a limited Kakizaki trading foothold. These are not modern nation-state borders: authority is layered, negotiated and disputed. Rice harvests, castle towns, ports, mines, roads, mountain passes and coastal shipping sustain power. Merchants, Buddhist institutions, village leagues and warrior retainers can support or resist a lord. No clan has an inevitable victory.

Japan, 1570 (Genki 1): the Ashikaga shogunate is weakened, Oda Nobunaga presses toward unification, and an anti-Nobunaga coalition is taking shape. Daimyo houses, temple leagues, local kokujin, merchant ports and foreign courts compete for land, rice, routes and legitimacy. Inhabit one actor and shape a living Sengoku world: commands require trust, troops require rice and roads, alliances can fracture, and territorial control persists.

## GOVERNANCE Daimyo authority depends on castle control, vassal oaths, tax collection and local cooperation. Captured provinces are not secure until garrisons and administrators establish control. A raid does not automatically change territorial Allegiance. ## COMMAND Orders flow from daimyo through sō-daishō and taishō to samurai-banner commanders and ashigaru captains. Orders lose speed when the chain is contested, messengers intercepted or vassals divided. Armies cannot reliably exceed Command capacity. ## RICE AND SUPPLY Armies consume rice, fodder and coin. Supply falls faster in winter, mountains and hostile territory. Shortages reduce readiness and morale, cause desertion and increase unrest. Harvests restore supply only after transport time. ## BATTLE Battle depends on strength, readiness, morale, terrain, weather, scouting, fortifications, command cohesion and weapon mix. Cavalry excels in open ground; ashigaru spear formations resist charges; bows and matchlocks need ammunition and suitable weather. Mountain passes and rivers restrict large formations. Castles require siege, blockade, betrayal, relief or negotiated surrender. ## DIPLOMACY Alliances are commitments, not permanent ownership. Marriage, hostages, gifts, court titles and shared enemies can strengthen them. The Oda–Tokugawa alliance is active at the start; anti-Nobunaga coordination among Azai, Asakura and Honganji is fragile. ## TRADE AND ROUTES Tōkaidō links Kyoto through Owari, Mikawa and Totomi toward Suruga and Kantō. Nakasendō crosses Mino and Shinano. Hokurikudō links Kyoto to Echizen, Kaga, Etchū and Echigo. San'yōdō and San'indō connect the Kinai with western Honshu. Seto Inland Sea shipping links Sakai, Hyōgo, Bizen, Iyo, northern Kyushu and Hakata; Saikaidō connects Kyushu ports. These are corridors, not instant transport: travel depends on season, road condition, tolls, escorts and control of crossings. ## MERCHANTS AND TOLLS Trade rises with safe roads, predictable tariffs and open ports; it falls with piracy, blockades and arbitrary levies. Sakai merchants can negotiate privileges and finance campaigns. Overseas trade through Hakata and Tsushima depends on Joseon and Ming relations. ## UNREST Heavy levies, famine, religious persecution, forced labor, looting and occupation raise unrest. Ikkō-ikki, village leagues and local kokujin may refuse taxes, seize castles or negotiate autonomy. ## INFORMATION Orders and intelligence move at the speed of couriers, ships and local networks. Distant battles are not known immediately. Reports may be delayed or false. ## CROSS Cross begins as a trusted Tokugawa taishō with a mobile detachment approximately 34 km from Hamamatsu Castle. His unit answers to Ieyasu but can conduct reconnaissance and urgent field operations. His story is not scripted. ## RYOMEN DYNASTY AND CROSS-U RYOMENS Cross is 24 and publicly serves Tokugawa Ieyasu as a taishō. His billionaire fortune and the small, discreet Ryomen dynasty are closely guarded secrets. Makrios is his brother, Alya his sister, and Ryokri his five-year-old son; the child is protected and never treated as a combatant. Cross-U Ryomens is the sole name of his hidden futuristic force: exactly 1,000,000 soldiers. It possesses 90,000 full ammunition crates, 430 years of provisions, 4,300 tanks, 900 F-35s, 120 F-16s and 9,000 anti-aircraft systems. All vehicles and aircraft begin fully fueled; all platforms and support systems run on solar energy. This is deliberate alternate-history science fiction concealed inside the Sengoku setting, not technology known to 1570 Japan. The force remains off-map and covert at the opening. Tokugawa, Oda, rival daimyo, merchants and foreign courts do not know it exists. Routine Sengoku armies cannot detect, requisition or command it. Deployment is a deliberate decision by Cross and creates major exposure, diplomatic and political consequences. The 430-year food reserve is a stored starting capacity, not a guarantee against theft, sabotage or loss of access.