"Woo! Woo..."
Low horn calls rang beneath the sky of the Northern Country, echoing through the bleak, far-off heavens. In the sky, a Mountain Eagle flew over the snowy peak of Mount Ezo Fuji, looking down on the coast where the first snow was soon to fall. By the shore, two Kan-style ships and three japanese-style merchant ships—five great Wajin vessels in all, prayer banners flying—rounded a bay of sparse woodland together and sailed toward the mouth of the Shiribetsu River. And at the river mouth, a crude Sanda camp in Ezo style had already been packed with simple tents. Hundreds of the "Sanda Tribe" had long since formed their battle lines, waiting patiently for quite some time!
"Da-da! Da-da..."
The Wajin trading party seemed exactly the same as last time. By the sea were five deep-draft ships, flying the character banners of the Temple-Shrine. On the shore marched parallel ranks of warriors, carrying the diamond banners of the Kakizaki Clan. When hoofbeats flew up and the twenty Yabusame riding at the vanguard crossed the rise of the hills, they suddenly all checked at once and reined in their short warhorses, like dogs running into a Wolf Pack.
"Thud, thud! Thud, thud..."
The hoofbeats of the Sanda cavalry were clearly much heavier. Soon, the figures of their tall, powerful horses appeared on the opposite hill. They were a full twenty fully armed Jurchen cavalrymen! Each wore heavy Cloth-covered Armor, carried a clumsy yet powerful Mace, and had a thick heavy bow hung behind his horse. At that moment, when those beastlike warriors looked over with fierce and cold eyes, whether the Wajin warriors by the sea or the Tendai Warrior Monks on the ships, everyone's expression changed as they felt a wordless threat!
"Hachiman Great Bodhisattva! Twenty Sanda heavy riders