With a casualness that approached an old man's leisurely stroll, the army made their way through the open doors of Matsudaira's fortress.
The defenders cheered as they came inside. Gengyo noted that they looked tired. They must have been glad of their arrival for the temporary relief that they offered.
"Worry not," he told them, "we will soon be sending these dogs back to where they came from."
They cheered even louder at that, banging the butts of their spears against the floor in an urgent chant. "MIURA! MIURA! MIURA!"
As he waded through the sea of cheering men dipping his head to the soldiers that reached out to him, he spotted Matsudaira. His Grand General stood stoically a distance away from everyone else with his arms folded and a stone look on his face. When their eyes met, that stoney look crumbled and he broke out into a smile.
When they were close enough, Gengyo reached out his hand as an offering and immediately Matsudaira clasped it in a firm handshake. "It is good to have you back, my Lord," Matsudaira said honestly.
"It's good to be back. Now I can focus on the enemy in front of me and take my time to enjoy their destruction. It is unpleasant fighting in a hurry. Regardless, you've done a miracle here, Matsudaira. Their army appears fearsome. To hold it for so long – only you could have been relied on to do that," Gengyo told him.
As the two of them talked, old friends reunited. Togashi and Sasaki reunited warmly with their brothers in Morohira and Rokkaku and Jikouji. Takeshi hovered shyly in the background and Akiko and Rin took charge of extending their greetings to him. The little smith blushed until he was as red as a cherry, unable to deal with the conversation of such beautiful women, but that smile on his face was most genuine. Despite his nervousness, he was glad to see them.
"If it were you, they'd be defeated by now," Matsudaira said humbly. "You've made them look less mighty than they once did with your display out there. I had forgotten what a Miura battle looked like, but you soon reminded me. You make it seem effortless. Just how deep do your plans extend? Their generals have been careful and patient up till now, but with that manoeuvre there, you've sure to have destroyed their calmness. That will go a long way for achieving our victory."
"You give me too much credit," Gengyo told him with a grin. He lowered his voice before he continued. "Shall I tell you the truth, oh general of mine? I had not thought beyond leaving the fortress. I simply knew that to be an appropriate course of action. The rest was merely reactionary. We've been using these rifles for so long, it's only natural that I would know their capabilities, isn't it?"
Matsudaira shook his head in awe. "If I could operate one day with that level of confidence, then I would have considered myself to have reached the peak of the martial mountain. It's even more impressive that it was instinct that led you towards such a decision. Your talent is unfathomable."
"Ah, now you're merely flattering me," Gengyo said with a cheery tut.
"Absolutely not," Matsudaira insisted. "Tell me – beyond what you put in the letters – just how did you manage to secure the Takeda lands so quickly? Was Kenshin's reputation not deserving of him? Are those Uesugi men that I see you've replenished our ranks with?"
"They are indeed. They did not need much encouragement to join us. They've no idea with a rifle, but their skill with a bow is not to be looked down on. It will keep them useful until they've had the time to enjoy our training… As for Kenshin, that man deserved his reputation and more still. What a terrifying man. We barely seized victory there. I dread to think what would have happened if even a single thing went wrong," Gengyo said honestly.
"You must share the stories with me over our cups tonight," Matsudaira said.
Gengyo chuckled at that. "If those Hojo men could hear us talking so leisurely, their rage would know no bounds."
"We have the time to," Matsudaira assured him. "With your reinforcements, they would be fools to attack without due preparation. Should they launch a minority attack on one of the other fortresses, then we had only need leave and hit them hard in the rear. An easy victory it'll be."
"Ah, I wonder if this news will excite you: we've some Takeda cavalry of our own in the works. It might take a month or so to see results from it, but I've been assured that some will be sent our way soon. That will give us an extra brush to be creative with in our plans. We will soon be able to tear our enemies to pieces," Gengyo said excitedly. Matsudaira's eyes lit up as he spoke.
"That is good news," he said with a similar level of excitement. "If we had a thousand of those ready to be used right now, we would be able to cause some havoc."
"Aye. My battle with Kenshin made me realize the weakness of only have a single adaptable unit," Gengyo told him.
Matsudaira shook his head. "I'm almost upset that I wasn't there to witness it. It seems to have had a great effect on you. You really must make sure to tell me every detail – how it was you managed to overwhelm such a man despite being so hard-pressed. Shall we go inside and share a drink?" He asked, pointing with a finger towards the barracks.
"As long as you can promise there's no rats or bird shit staining the floor in there," Gengyo joked.
Matsudaira smiled at that. "None at all. I made sure this fortress was brought up to standards long before the Hojo came. I apologise for having you stay in such a rundown facility last night, but I think you will find this one more to your liking. Takeshi has done wonders with it, Morojo as well. I'll give you a tour as soon as you wish for it."
"I look forward to it," Gengyo said, heading with Matsudaira towards his barracks.