Episode 42
The God of the Sea in the East, the Mighty Ocean in the West, Chapter Two
En
Hekishou
There is some truth in what Atsuyu says.
I think so too.
He sounds totally different than what I heard about him.
Well, you can't really trust gossip.
But what do you mean by your "other self"?
Don't rush me, I'll get to it.
Youko...
Yes.
Atsuyu's father was a coward.
He oppressed people as Kyou-Ou ordered.
Eventually, Atsuyu overthrew his father...
...and decided to govern Gen Province himself.
If you consider Kyou-Ou to be damaging like a war or disaster...
...then you could say that Atsuyu saved the people from a catastrophe.
One should be able infer the state of the whole kingdom from seeing Rokusui.
Do you not agree?
A kingdom is big.
You can't expect a kingdom to be reformed overnight.
I've heard that his Majesty is often absent from cabinet meetings...
...and that the ministers have to track him down.
I'd like his Majesty to return autonomy and authority to the provincial lords.
Then he'd be free to fool around as much as he likes.
But that's not how a kingdom is supposed to be run.
If each of the lords began following their own policies...
...in such things as fl ood control, you might save the people upstream...
...at the expense of those downstream.
If his Majesty could entrust someone with the authority...
...then the representative would do all his work.
Taiho, you don't need to listen to that traitor.
What he just said is heresy.
Tentei established all things...
...including allowing a Kirin...
...the embodiment of the people's will, to choose the ruler.
And if he is to reject the order of the world...
...it is the same as rejecting its very existence.
It was the Kirin that chose Kyou-Ou, was it not?
You seem to have forgotten about that.
That is...
If Tentei really exists, I would like to see you bring Tentei to me.
I would like to make myself clear once and for all. Tentei does not exist.
If it does exist, then it is not necessary.
So, you're saying that...
...it's a mistake to let the Kirin select a ruler in the first place, right?
Taiho, are you absolutely confident that...
...the present king is what's best for the kingdom?
No, I'm not.
Taiho!
When I met Shouryuu, I knew he was the King.
Then...
I knew he was the king who would destroy En.
If you're asking me to create a higher authority than the king, I can't help you.
Although, if you wanted to remove all authority from the king...
...I might have helped you...
The people should be their own masters, don't you think?
Whatever power rules the people, it will oppress them.
I regret you couldn't see things my way.
Me too, Atsuyu.
Kankyuu, Sei Province
Baku Kouya, head of Military Affairs of Gen Province...
Gen Province, as expected...
How big are Gen's provincial armies?
It's just one army. But there's a large escort army with about 12,500 soldiers.
That could be troublesome.
It's a bluff.
They could barely form a small army, maybe about 7,500.
Including conscription, the total is about ten thousand, tops.
There's no way they have such a large escort army.
We still need solid proof that it's Gen Province.
However, if something should happen to the Taiho...
I request the mobilization of the Royal Army.
Where are you going, Your Majesty?
It looks like you guys don't need me here. I'll go take a nap.
Oh, by the way...
Scribe a royal ordinance for me. I dismiss all six ministers and the Sankou.
What the hell are you talking about?
I'm tired of looking at their faces.
Seishou, inform the Chousai and convene a conference tomorrow.
Are you serious?
I am the King, aren't I?
Then I will do whatever I want!
Your Majesty!
I'm just going out for a ride.
But Your Majesty...
...if I keep letting you disappear all the time...
...I will be demoted someday.
If that happens, I'll make sure you're taken care of.
Your Majesty!
Ganboku, Rokusui
Rokuta. You don't like the King?
If so, I can help you.
Would you be happy if the King were gone?
I don't hate Shouryuu.
I just don't like rulers and shoguns and feudal lords altogether, that's all.
They only bring suffering to people.
That's human nature.
People can't live without depending on others.
If I had to depend on someone, I'd want it to be someone powerful...
Kouya. Do you want a powerful leader too?
No, because I'm not a human.
I am a child of Youma. And Youma don't live with others.
Then why are you working for Atsuyu?
Good question.
I guess I am human, after all. Maybe that's why I wanted to join others...
...but I couldn't join them.
There were times when I thought that meeting you was just a dream.
You weren't scared of me or Rokuta at all.
I'd never met anyone who was so friendly or had even talked to me before.
Kid, come out.
He's scared. Lower your arm.
Come here. We mean no harm.
We won't hurt you or the Youma.
You don't like to be touched?
It's okay. I won't do anything you don't like.
There was a rumor that a beast had been roaming about with a Tenken, but...
...l'd never have imagined it was a little boy.
Kid, do you have a name? Where do you live?
Kouya...
Kouya, huh?
So you do understand what I'm saying.
You're a smart boy, aren't you?
I'm sorry Kouya. You don't like to be touched, do you?
What happened there? Are you hurt?
You have an infection... You have to get it treated.
Someone, bring some medicine.
And call a doctor, too.
Yes, sir!
I'm Atsuyu. Kouya, why don't you come with me to my house?
Can Rokuta come too?
Of course.
Atsuyu gave me and Rokuta a home.
I see.
To you, Atsuyu is a savior, huh?
Yes.
But I want to avoid war.
Why don't you run away then?
I can't do that.
Why not?
You don't like rulers, right?
Kouya, you were looking for Hourai before, right?
Actually, I was born in Hourai.
Is that so...
Don't you remember?
What kind of place was Hourai?
People always had wars.
To tell you the truth, I was left to die in mountains, too.
Were you?
Yeah.
Just like you were, I was abandoned in the woods.
I was on the verge of dying when she came for me from Mt. Hou.
Then I was told to choose a ruler.
I couldn't believe it.
I never wanted to have to do that.
That's why I ran away...
To a place where I didn't have to choose a ruler.
But once I went back, I realized that I had nothing to do and nowhere to go.
So I headed to the west.
And then I met Shouryuu.
Looking back now...
...I don't know if I ran away because I didn't want to choose a king...
...or if I went back to Hourai because the King was there.
All I know is that now I serve Shouryuu. I can't change that.
So if Atsuyu rises with his army, you will become my enemy.
I don't want to fight with either you or your master.
It's still not too late.
Please, stop Atsuyu.
I cannot do that.
Kouya...
Atsuyu knows...
He knows what the consequences are, and yet he still wants to do this.
I can't stop him.
There will be a war.
A lot of people will be involved and a lot of soldiers will die.
I know...
Kankyuu, Sei Province
The Gen Province Chief, In Hakutaku, reporting as ordered.
The Taiho, Enki, is currently staying in Gen Province.
And?
We request that you establish a rank superior to Your Majesty...
...and appoint the director of Gen, Lord Atsuyu, to serve in that post.
I see.
Atsuyu didn't want to usurp the throne, but to become superior to the King.
How bold can he be...
Tell Atsuyu that...
...I'm not generous enough to give someone what is rightfully mine.
If you return Enki, I'll be compassionate and let him take his own life.
However, if he persists in holding Enki hostage...
...I will capture him and execute him as a rebel.
I understand, Your Majesty.
Do you expect to return to Gen alive?
No, sir.
Did Atsuyu order you to come here?
I came here on my own will.
I did not think I would return to Gen.
I could not send someone young who has a future.
In cases like these, it is customary to behead the messenger...
...and send his head back to Gen Provincial Castle.
I have already dismissed my household, Your Majesty.
You're a brave fellow, aren't you?
Do you wish to work at the Royal Court?
I serve the director of Gen Province, sir.
And he serves me, doesn't he?
It was Lord Atsuyu who appointed me as chief.
But Atsuyu isn't a provincial lord.
He is the son of the provincial lord.
His father has retired. Now all the authority resides with Lord Atsuyu.
So this is a double usurper.
Provincial lords are appointed by the king.
And now he wants to take the throne, too?
Those of us in Gen Province have made up our minds, Your Majesty.
I see...
You may return to Gen.
You are allowing me to return?
If you change your mind, maybe you can advise Atsuyu to think this over.
I finally understand that it's pointless to say anything to you.
It's about time.
In any event, we have barely 12,500 men from the Royal Army.
We'll have to take them all to Gen Province.
I can't let you do that.
We need Rokuta's consent to mobilize the army of Sei Province.
But how can we do that when he's a captive?
I guess we can't.
Do you really understand what's going on?
Gen Province has a large escort army!
I know.
Dismiss the Provincial Lord of Kou...
...and appoint the director of Kou to be the Taishi.
I'll appoint the other six provincial lords to be the Six Ministers of the Royal Court.
Send messengers to them and summon them to Kankyuu.
Seishou.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I will appoint you as the General of the Royal Army's escort army.
Lead an army to Ganboku in Gen Province, and surround Ganboku Castle.
What can you do with an army of no more than 7,500?
You cannot capture a provincial castle so easily.
Calm down.
I want you to understand something first.
The lords of the eight provinces weren't appointed by me.
It's true that the provincial lords were appointed by the previous king, Kyou-Ou.
I can't leave Kankyuu unoccupied.
If we mobilize the Royal Army...
...someone will definitely use the opportunity to attack.
But...
Just listen.
Gen Province has Rokuta...
...so there's no reason for them to send an army to Kankyuu.
But we can't just sit here and wait.
The escort army of Gen Province has 12,500...
...and the Royal Army also has 12,500.
If we attack the provincial castle of Gen...
...they will take a defensive position, and the situation will drag on.
Anyone could see that, including the officers in Gen.
What will they do next?
They will ask neighboring provincial lords to attack Kankyuu.
Starting with Kou's provincial lord...
That's why we can't leave the city unoccupied.
The army remains in Kankyuu...
...and we'll spread the rumor about uprising in Gen and gather soldiers.
And what will we do about capturing Gen Province?
I'll leave it to Seishou.
Besiege Gen's army with your 7,500 troops, no matter what.
What about their escort army?
They might have drafted citizens and gathered up refugees, but...
...it would still be 10,000 at most.
I'm not lying.
When I was hanging out in Ganboku I was asked to join the provincial army.
I cut some hay in front of them, and they made me a squad leader.
When did you...
Still, if we're going to attack a castle, it'll take more than one day.
If something should happen to the Taiho...
...it could also bring misfortune upon you, Your Majesty.
Then should I value Rokuta's life, and accept Atsuyu's request?
N-No, Your Majesty.
A Kirin chooses the ruler of a kingdom.
That's how this world works, doesn't it?
Whether fate chose me or the kingdom did...
If luck is with me, I should manage to pull through somehow.
Ganboku, Rokusui
It's going to rain...
Looks like it's too late for Rokusui river.
If you guys were doing this anyway, you should've done it sooner.
We wouldn't have a chance if we just attacked Kankyuu.
So I thought of you, Rokuta.
Are you mad?
No...
It seems like the Royal Army is on the move.
An army is coming here?
Yes, but only the Royal Army. It's about 7,500 men.
Can they win?
If you're asking me about the Royal Army, I won't let them win so easily.
If you're asking about us, I'll just say we'll do our best.
Why do you and Shouryuu want to have a war so badly?
Do you understand what the number 7,500 means?
It's not a number of things, it's a number of lives.
Each life has a family, a consciousness...
The number is made up of many living beings.
Taiho, are you aware of how many people die when the Rokusui floods?
If I could save 10,000 people tomorrow by sacrificing 1,000 people today...
...I will choose to do the latter.
You and Shouryuu say the same thing.
If only his Majesty would step aside for Lord Atsuyu...
Shouryuu would never give his throne away.
He wanted a kingdom.
I see. His Majesty desired the throne.
Aren't you the same?
I'm not interested in the throne.
So I did not go on a Shouzan when Kyou-Ou died.
The welfare of the people is all I care about.
I understand now.
His Majesty just wanted to sit on the throne.
That's not what I meant.
Kankyuu, Sei Province
We'll fight, so our families don't have to suffer anymore.
I'm fighting too!
The King will make this kingdom prosper and make our lives easy!
We want to go to Ganboku.
I can't believe it. We've suffered so much in war.
I'm going to Ganboku as well.
If we lose the King, the Kingdom will fall to ruin.
I want to do this for you.
My Dear...
What's the matter?
The Daishiba would like to talk to us.
Wait, who's the Daishiba?
Excuse me! It's me!
Please forgive me!
It's a message to the General from his Majesty!
First, on the way to Ganboku, gather people to build an...
...embankment along Rokusui river near Ganboku.
Is he trying to make amends for his laziness now?
Second, try not to let me take your head.
You don't want to lose your post as the general of the Royal Army.
What in the world is he thinking, joining the rebel's army?
Perhaps he's trying to do something from the inside...
His Majesty ordered us to besiege Ganboku, not to defeat them...
And now he's telling us this...
But what if he gets killed in the war?
I'm sure he's considered the risk.
You all must not forget...
This war may decide whether he lives or dies.
Taiho.
Do you not believe in the king you chose?
How can I?
He's really an idiot.
It pains me to hear you say it.
Why do you mock his Majesty?
When I was appointed to the post of ambassador...
...his Majesty apologized to me.
Why are you charging me with such an important task?
I am a mere judiciary official...
...and you're assigning me a post directly under you?
I'm more than grateful.
Don't thank me.
If the provincial lord was ever to plot a rebellion...
...it would definitely put you in jeopardy.
Asking you to serve in the provincial castle means...
...asking you to give up your life if something should happen.
But I don't have many reliable officials.
I wish I could spare you of this task...
...but I just couldn't find anyone for this job besides you.
Hearing you think so highly of me is good enough.
Even if something should happen, I have no regrets.
I gladly accept your assignment.
Forgive me.
Really? Our Shouryuu?
His Majesty is neither a fool nor irresponsible.
He thinks when he needs to. He takes action when he needs to.
He just does not always show all his sides.
But still...
Shouryuu is a king.
A king will always make people suffer.
It's the other way around.
The devastation of the kingdom brings suffering to the people.
The kingdom and the people need a king.
Ribi?
The Royal Army will arrive in Ganboku in a couple of days.
Ribi?
Please, return to the Royal Palace...
Ribi!
I was counting the sands of time without realizing.
In a false dream I became speechless.
I would stare into the fire...
...as I swore to be true forever.
Let my prayers be heard, I will overcome hardship...
...and keep my oath until the end of the world.
I'm already used to having blood-stained hands.
Such things no longer bother me.
The Twelve Kingdoms episode 43.
Episode 43
The God of the Sea in the East, the Mighty Ocean in the West, Chapter Three
The God of the Sea in the East, the Mighty Ocean in the West, Chapter Three.