"The Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven but I doubt if a cancellation would be forthcoming while Shogunate forces exercise their historic rights."

At once Ogama's expression was naked.

"Let you and I forget this polite back and forth and speak plainly: I'll concede a face-saving device on the Gates in return for Katsumata and all the rest--your men become the honor guard, your banners can be there and I agree with a lot you said, yes, much of it, but I do not concede my opposition to "historic rights" or to the Shogunate or Bakufu..." he stopped and, because he really wanted what was offered, he made another concession, "... to the present Shogunate and Bakufu, Yoshi-donno. Please excuse my bluntness, it would be good to be allies, I did not expect it would be possible or that I could agree to anything."

Yoshi nodded, hiding his glee. "I am happy we can agree and I tell you bluntly too we can agree to major changes, and little ones. For example," he added lightly, "if such a memorial arrived from the Emperor, it would be a forgery."

Now Ogama's smile was genuine and he felt he had achieved a perfect compromise. "Good.

And now Katsumata."

The attack on the shishi hideaway began a few hours before dawn. Surprise was perfect.

Katsumata, all subleaders, and others were inside. And Sumomo.

The first moment the two lookouts became aware of danger was when, just down the alley, muddy from the rain, one of the hovels burst into flames to muffled cries of alarm from the occupants and close neighbors. At once these men and women--all secret Bakufu plants--began to crowd the alley in pretended panic, the diversion helping to cover the stealthy approach of the attacking force.

As the sentries went to investigate, arrows came out of the night and cut them down. One of them howled an alarm before he died.

At once the main force swarmed out of the night to surround this whole section of slum dwellings.

Most of the men were Ogama's, at his request-- Yoshi had agreed saying that he would send a token forty, handpicked men, under Akeda.

In moments many of the assault group had lit torches. These partially illuminated the target hut, back and front, and a fusillade of arrows went into every opening and weak spot. Then, unexpectedly, the four Yoshi riflemen ran into position, two at the back of the huts and two in the front, and fired several volleys through the paper walls.

For an instant there was a stunned silence-- samurai, shishi, and all nearby slum dwellers equally shocked--the sound of rapid firing unheard of. Then the silence broke as everyone but the assault group scattered for cover, and screams and shouts came from the wounded within. A hut adjoining the first blaze caught fire and this fire spread rapidly next door and next door and next door until both sides of the far end of the alley became an inferno, trapping many a family inside.

The Ogama captain leading the raid paid no attention to that hazard which only threatened inhabitants but ordered the first attack wave in, disregarding Yoshi's advice to torch the hovels and let his riflemen pick off the shishi as they broke from cover. Four Ogama attackers fell under a vicious shishi sally from the front door and side windows. A general fight erupted both here and in the back alley as another furious foray was contained, men flailing, hampered by the confined space and mud and semi-darkness. Two men breached the cordon to be cut down by others waiting in ambush. Another volley into the hovel was followed by another attempted breakout by a frantic group of shishi, a helpless mission as another circle awaited them beyond and then another.

Smoke from the fires began to hinder attackers and the attacked.

An order from Akeda. His men with torches rushed close to the hovel and hurled them onto the roof or through the shojis, swiftly retreating to give a clear field to their comrades with rifles. More firing and more deaths as another cluster of shishi rushed out to join the shouting, screaming melee. The stench of smoke and offal and blood and fire and burning flesh and death began to fill the damp night. The rain turned to drizzle.

Well protected by personal guards, Ogama and Yoshi were watching from a command position away from the blaze and fighting. Both wore armor and swords and Yoshi had his rifle slung. Beside them were some Bakufu officials. In the raging confusion, they were surprised to see a shishi dart through the cordon and run up the alley, escaping into a side alley obscured from attacking Choshu samurai.

"Is that Katsumata?" Ogama called out, but his words were drowned as, without hesitation, Yoshi had aimed and fired and loaded and fired again. The man went down screaming, Ogama and everyone nearby recoiling at the suddenness, not expecting Yoshi to become personally involved. Taking his time, Yoshi aimed again at the man squirming helplessly in the dirt. The bullet shoved the body backwards. A final tortured howl and it became inert.

"That is not Katsumata," Yoshi said, disappointedly.

Ogama cursed, his night vision not good. He pulled his eyes off the body and looked at the rifle, loose in Yoshi's hands, repressing a shudder. "You use that well."

"It is easy to learn, Ogama-dono, too easy." With careful nonchalance, Yoshi put another shell into the breech, fairly sure that this would be the first rifle Ogama had seen. He had brought it and his riflemen deliberately to impress him, to keep him off balance, and make him more wary about trying any assassination attempts. "To kill like this is disgusting, cowardly, dishonorable."

"Yes, yes it is. May I see the gun please?"

"Of course." Yoshi put on the safety catch. "It's American--the very latest breech-loader. I take delivery of five thousand shortly." His smile was thin, remembering he had usurped Ogama's order. "My ancestor was wise to outlaw all guns--anyone can use one of these to kill, close up or from a distance, daimyo, merchant, robber, ronin, peasant, woman, child. My ancestor was very wise. A pity we cannot do the same but gai-jin have made it impossible."

The rifle felt strange to Ogama, heavier than a sword, oiled and deadly, and this added curiously to the excitement of the raid, the killing and screams and battle and knowing that spies had reported Katsumata was truly inside so, soon now, his hated enemy's head would be on display. All this filled him with an untoward sick sweet nausea.

Good to kill like that without danger to yourself, he told himself, his fingers caressing the barrel, but Yoshi is right again. In the wrong hands... all other hands would be wrong. Five thousand? Eeee, that would make him very difficult to fight. I only ordered two hundred and fifty--where is he getting the money, his lands are almost as debt-ridden as mine... ah yes, I forgot, bartering mining concessions. Clever. I will do the same. What is his secret plan? Does he have a "Crimson Sky" too? If Yoshi gets five thousand I must get ten. Tonight he brought forty men. Why forty? Was that to remind me I agreed to forty at each Gate? Forty riflemen could easily decimate my two hundred unless equally armed.

"You have more here?" he asked.

Yoshi decided to be open. "Not at the moment."

Thoughtfully Ogama handed the rifle back and turned his attention to the hovels.

The sounds of the battle were lessening, those of the fires increasing, more and more inhabitants trying to douse them in lines passing water buckets.

Roofs of the target hut and those each side were burning now. There was another desperate hand-to-hand combat as more shishi left the burning hovel, many already wounded. Yoshi said, "Katsumata's not amongst them."

"Perhaps he tried to break out from the back."

There, out of their sight, five shishi were already dead in the dirt together with eight Ogama samurai, and six wounded. Another battle between three shishi and ten Ogama samurai was drawing to its inevitable conclusion. A final shout of "sonno-joi" and the three men rushed to their deaths.