Datasets:

PocketDoc

/

Dans-Prosemaxx-Cowriter-XL

like 1

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At about noon, the soldiers at the castle gate started to yell." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They're coming!\"\n\nThe gunners on the walls jostled one another, searching out targets. But the only enemy who was approaching was a solitary rider, and he was ambling up to the gate in a very nonchalant way. If he were an envoy, he would be arriving with an escort of mounted men. Filled with doubt, the defenders watched the man approach.\n\nAs he came closer, one of the commanders spoke to a soldier with a rifle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's got to be an enemy general. He doesn't look like an envoy, and he's being very audacious. Fire on him once.\"\n\nThe commander had meant for one man to fire a warning shot, but three or four men fired together.\n\nAs they fired, the man stopped, as if surprised. He then held up a war fan with a red sun on a gold background, waved it over his head, and shouted, \"Hey, soldiers! Wait a minute! Is Kinoshita Hideyoshi a man you want to shoot? Do it after I've talked to Lord Nagamasa.\" He ran as he yelled, until he was almost directly under the castle gate.\n\n\"Well, it's Kinoshita Hideyoshi of the Oda, all right. I wonder what he wants.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Asai general who peered down at him was skeptical about his reason for coming, but forgot about trying to shoot him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'voices' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi looked up at the castle gate. \"I would like you to convey a message to the citadel,\" he shouted again.\n\nWhat was going on? Voices that seemed to be deliberating noisily could be heard. Soon a derisive laugh mixed with the voices, and a general from the Asai stuck his head out over the parapet.\n\n\"Forget it. I suppose you're one more advocate coming as an envoy from Lord Nobunaga. You're just wasting your time once again. Go away!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi raised his voice. \"Silence! Where is the rule allowing a man with the status of a retainer to drive away his lord's guest without ever inquiring into his lord's intentions? This castle is as good as taken already, and I'm not so stupid as to take the time and trouble to come here playing the role of an envoy to hurry its destruction.\" His words were not exactly humble. \"I've come here as Lord Nobunaga's representative, to offer incense in front of Lord Nagamasa's mortuary tablet. If we've heard correctly, Lord Nagamasa is resolved to die and has had his own funeral conducted while he is yet alive. They were friends during this life, so shouldn't Lord Nobunaga be allowed to offer incense too? Isn't there still grace enough here for men to exchange that kind of courtesy and friendship? Is the resolution of Lord Nagamasa and his retainers nothing but an affectation? Is it a bluff or the false courage of a coward?\"\n\nThe face over the castle gate withdrew, perhaps out of embarrassment. No answer came for a little while, but finally the gate opened a little." }, { "from": "system", "value": "can you add this somewhere in your response:\n\"General Fujikake Mikawa has agreed to speak with you for a few moments,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"General Fujikake Mikawa has agreed to speak with you for a few moments,\" the man said as he beckoned Hideyoshi in. But then he added, \"Lord Nagamasa has refused to see you.\"\n\nHideyoshi nodded. \"That's only natural. I consider Lord Nagamasa to have already passed away, and I am not going to press the point.\"\n\nAs he spoke, he walked in without looking to the right or left. How could this man walk into the midst of the enemy so calmly?\n\nAs Hideyoshi walked up the long sloping path from the first gate to the central gate, he paid absolutely no attention to the man who was leading him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he approached the entrance to the citadel, Mikawa came out to meet him.\n\n\"It's been a long time,\" Hideyoshi said, as though it were nothing more than a normal greeting.\n\nThey had met once before, and Mikawa returned the greeting with a smile. \"Yes, it certainly has been a long time. Meeting you in these circumstances is quite unexpected, Lord Hideyoshi.\"\n\nThe men in the castle all had bloodshot eyes, but the face of the old general did not look hard-pressed at all.\n\n\"General Mikawa, I haven't seen you since Lady Oichi's wedding day, have I? It's been quite a long time.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That was a splendid day for both our clans.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's hard to tell what fate has in store. But when you look at the disturbances and cataclysms of the past, even this situation is not so unusual. Well, come inside. I can't give you much of a reception, but can I offer you at least a bowl of tea?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mikawa led him to a teahouse." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'outside' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking at the back of the old, white-haired general, it was clear that he had already transcended life and death.\n\nIt was a small, secluded teahouse, down a lane through the trees. Hideyoshi sat down and felt that he was in a different world entirely. In the quiet of the teahouse, both host and guest were temporarily cleansed of the bloodiness of the outside world.\n\nIt was the end of autumn. The leaves of the trees fluttered outside, but not a speck of dust settled on the polished wooden floor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I hear that Lord Nobunaga's retainers have recently taken up the art of tea.\" Making amiable conversation, Mikawa lifted the ladle toward the iron kettle.\n\nHideyoshi noted the man's decorum and hastily apologized. \"Lord Nobunaga and his retainers are well versed in tea, but I'm a dullard by nature and don't know the first thing about it. I only like the taste.\"\n\nMikawa put down the bowl and stirred the tea with the whisk. His graceful movements were almost feminine in nature." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The hands and body that had been hardened by armor did not seem cramped in the least." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In this room furnished with nothing more than a tea bowl and a simple kettle, the gaudiness of the old general's armor looked out of place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I've met a good man, Hideyoshi thought, and he drank in the man's character more than his tea. But how was he going to get Oichi out of the castle? Nobunaga's distress was his own. Since his plan had been employed so far, he felt responsible for solving this problem too.\n\nThe castle would probably fall on any day they wanted it to, but it would not do to bungle the job now and have to pick through the ashes for the gem. Furthermore, Nagamasa had let both parties know that he was determined to die, and that his wife was of the same mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's impossible hope was to win the battle and recover Oichi without harm.\n\n\"Please don't worry about formalities,\" Mikawa said, offering him the tea bowl from where he knelt in front of the hearth.\n\nSitting crossed-legged in the warrior style, Hideyoshi artlessly received the tea and drank it down in three gulps.\n\n\"Ah, that was good. I didn't think tea could taste this good. And I'm not trying to flatter you.\"\n\n\"How about another bowl?\"\n\n\"No, my thirst has been quenched. The thirst in my mouth, at least. But I don't know how to quench the thirst in my heart. General Mikawa, you seem to be someone I can talk to. Would you hear me out?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm a retainer of the Asai, and you're an envoy of the Oda. I'll listen to you from that standpoint.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd like you to arrange for me to meet with Lord Nagamasa.\"\n\n\"Such a thing was refused when you were at the castle gate. You were let in because you said that you had not come to meet Lord Nagamasa. Coming this far and then going back on your word is a dishonorable trick. I can't put myself in that position and allow you to meet him.\"\n\n\"No, no. I'm not talking about meeting the living Lord Nagamasa. As Nobunaga's representative, I would like to salute the soul of Lord Nagamasa.\"\n\n\"Stop playing with words. Even if I did convey your intentions to him, there's no reason to think that Lord Nagamasa would consent to see you. I had hoped to partake in the highest warrior etiquette by sharing a bowl of tea with you. If you have any sense of shame, leave now while you haven't dishonored yourself.\"\n\nDon't move. Refuse to go. Hideyoshi had resolved not to budge until he had achieved his goal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He sat there in silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mere words were clearly not going to be any kind of strategy against this seasoned old general." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, I'm going to take you back,\" Mikawa offered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi looked grimly in the other direction and said nothing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Meanwhile, his host had prepared a bowl of tea for himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After drinking it in a dignified manner, he put away the tea implements." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I know this is selfish, but let me stay here a while longer, please,\" Hideyoshi said, and did not make a move. His expression indicated that he probably could not have been moved with a lever.\n\n\"You can stay there as long as you like, but it won't do you any good.\"\n\n\"Not necessarily.\"\n\n\"There are no two ways about what I said just now. What are you going to do here?\"\n\n\"I'm listening to the sound of the water boiling in the kettle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The kettle?\" he laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And you said you didn't know anything about the Way of Tea!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I don't know the first thing about tea, but it is a pleasant sound, somehow. Maybe it's from hearing nothing but war cries and the whinnying of horses during this long campaign, but it's extremely pleasant. Let me sit here for a moment by myself and think things through.\"\n\n\"It won't make any difference what your meditations are. I'm certainly not going to let you meet Lord Nagamasa, or even step one foot closer to the keep,\" Mikawa said as he got up to leave.\n\nHideyoshi made no answer other than to say, \"This kettle really has a nice sound to it.\" He edged a little closer to the hearth and, lost in admiration, gazed intently at the iron kettle. What had suddenly caught his attention was the pattern raised on the antique surface of the iron. It was hard to say whether it was a man or a monkey, but the tiny creature, its arms and legs supported by the branches of a tree, was standing insolently between heaven and earth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It looks like me!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi thought, unable to suppress a spontaneous smile. He suddenly recalled the time he had left the mansion of Matsushita Kahei and roamed the mountains and forests with nothing to eat and nowhere to stay.\n\nHideyoshi did not know whether Mikawa was outside, peeping in on him, or had gone away in exasperation, but in any case, he was no longer in the teahouse.\n\nAh, this is interesting. This is really interesting, thought Hideyoshi. He looked as if he were talking to the kettle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alone, he shook his head. As he did so, he thought about his decision not to move, no matter what.\n\nSomewhere in the garden, Hideyoshi heard the guileless voices of two young children, trying hard not to burst out laughing. They were looking at him through the gaps in the fence around the teahouse.\n\n\"Look how much he looks like a monkey.\"\n\n\"Yes! He's just like one.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I wonder where he's come from.\"\n\n\"He must be the messenger from the Monkey God.\"\n\nHideyoshi turned his head and spotted the children hiding behind the fence.\n\nWhile Hideyoshi had been engrossed in the design on the kettle, the two children had been secretly observing him.\n\nHideyoshi was struck with jubilation. He was certain that these were two of Nagamasa's four children—the boy, Manju, and the girl his elder sister, Chacha." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He shot them a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hey! He's smiling!\"\n\n\"Mister Monkey smiled.\"\n\nThe two children immediately started whispering. Hideyoshi pretended to scowl at them. This had even more of an effect than smiling. Seeing that the monkey-faced stranger was so quick to join in their games, Manju and Chacha stuck out their tongues and made faces at him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi glared at them and the two children glared back, trying to see who could last the longest.\n\nHideyoshi burst out laughing, conceding defeat.\n\nManju and Chacha laughed excitedly. Scratching his head, Hideyoshi beckoned them with a wave to come over and play another game.\n\nThe two children were intrigued by his invitation, and stealthily pushed open the brushwood gate.\n\n\"Where did you come from, mister?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi came down from the veranda and began to tie the cords of his straw sandals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Half in fun, Manju tickled the back of Hideyoshi's neck with a stalk of pampas grass." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Enduring this mischief, Hideyoshi finished tying the cords." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But when he stood up to his full height, and they saw the look on his face, they lost heart and tried to run away.\n\nFor his part, Hideyoshi was taken by surprise. As soon as the boy began to run away, he caught him by the collar. At the same time, he tried to grab Chacha with his other hand, but she screamed at the top of her voice and ran off crying. Manju was so shocked at being caught that he did not let out a whimper. But, falling down, he looked up underneath Hideyoshi, and seeing the man's face and the entire sky upside down, he finally screamed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Fujikake Mikawa had left Hideyoshi alone in the teahouse and was walking along the garden path." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was the first to hear Chacha's cries as she fled and Manju's screams." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alarmed, he ran back to see what the matter was.\n\n\"What! You wretch!\" He let out a horrified shout, and his hand instinctively grasped the hilt of his sword.\n\nStanding astride Manju, Hideyoshi shouted in a commanding voice for the old man to stop. It was a difficult moment. Mikawa was about to strike Hideyoshi with his sword, but shrank back in fear when he saw what Hideyoshi was ready to do. For Hideyoshi's eyes and the sword he held in his hand both showed that he was ready to cut Manju's throat without the least hesitation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The skin of the self-possessed old general turned to gooseflesh, and his white hair stood on end.\n\n\"Y-you wretch! What are you going to do with the boy?\" Mikawa's voice was almost plaintive. He edged closer, his whole body shaking with regret and anger. When the retainers who had accompanied the general understood what was happening, they yelled for all they were worth, waving their hands, informing everyone of the situation immediately.\n\nThe guards from the central gate and the inner citadel had also heard Chacha's cries and now hurried toward the scene." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'don't' should appear 3 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Around this bizarre enemy who glared at them while holding his sword at Manju's throat, the samurai formed a steel circle of armor. They remained at a distance, frightened perhaps at what they saw in Hideyoshi's eyes. They had no idea what to do, other than raise an uproar.\n\n\"General Mikawa!\" Hideyoshi called out at one face among them. \"What is your answer? This method is a bit violent, but if I don't do this, I don't see any other way of not embarrassing my lord. If you don't give me an answer, I'm going to kill Master Manju!\" He looked around with big fiery eyes and went on, \"General Mikawa, have these warriors withdraw! Then we'll talk. Is it so difficult to see what to do? Your understanding is slow. It would be difficult, after all, to kill me and save the boy's life without causing him injury. It's exactly the same as Lord Nobunaga taking this castle and wanting to save Oichi. How could you save Master Manju's life? Even if you shot me with a musket, this blade would be likely to pierce his throat in that very moment.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For some time it was only his tongue that was enlivened, and it had been like a rushing stream. But now his eyes were moving as well as his tongue, and along with his eloquence, all of the extremities of his body were keenly and constantly attentive to the enemy on all sides.\n\nNo one was able to do a thing. Mikawa felt the immensity of his mistake, and seemed to be listening carefully to what Hideyoshi was saying. He had recovered from his temporary shock and returned to the calm he had displayed in the teahouse. Mikawa could move at last; he waved his hand at the men around Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'hideyoshi' must be used 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Move away from him. Leave this to me. Even if I have to take his place, the young lord must not be harmed. Each of you return to your posts.\" Then he turned to Hideyoshi and said, \"As you wished, the crowd has dispersed. Now, would you please hand over young Manju to me?\"\n\n\"Absolutely not!\" Hideyoshi shook his head forcefully, but then changed his tone of voice. \"I will return the young lord, but I want to return him to Lord Nagamasa in person. Will you please see about getting me an audience with Lord Nagamasa and Lady Oichi?\"\n\nNagamasa had been standing in the crowd that had dispersed a little before. When he heard Hideyoshi, he lost his self-control." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Overcome with his love for his son, he ran forward, screaming abuse at Hideyoshi.\n\n\"What kind of foul play is this, holding an innocent child's fate in your hands, just so you can talk! If you're really the Oda general Kinoshita Hideyoshi, you should be ashamed of such a sinister scheme. All right! If you'll hand Manju over to me, we'll talk.\"\n\n\"Oh! Lord Nagamasa, were you here?\" Hideyoshi said, politely bowing to Nagamasa despite the man's expression. But he still straddled Manju and held the point of his short sword to the boy's throat.\n\nFujikake Mikawa spoke from one side in a quavering voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Hideyoshi! Please release him! Isn't His Lordship's word sufficient? Put Master Manju into my hands.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi took no notice of what he was saying, and looked in the direction of Asai Nagamasa. Staring straight at Nagamasa's pale face and desperate eyes, he finally gave a deep sigh.\n\n\"Ah. So you too know what it is to love a blood relative? You actually understand compassion toward a loved one? I didn't think you understood that at all.\"\n\n\"Aren't you going to give him to me, you scum? Are you going to murder this young boy?\"\n\n\"I haven't the least intention of doing that. But you, who are a father, don't have any respect for family affections.\"\n\n\"Don't talk foolishness! Doesn't every parent love his child?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. Even the birds and beasts,\" Hideyoshi agreed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And if that's the case, I suppose you cannot ridicule as foolish the fact that Lord Nobunaga, because of his desire to save Oichi, cannot destroy this castle. And what about you? You're Oichi's husband, after all. Aren't you taking advantage of Lord Nobunaga's weakness by tying the lives of a mother and her children to the fate of your castle? That's exactly the same as the way I now hold down Lord Manju and press this sword to his throat so that I can talk with you. Before you declare my method to be cowardly, please consider whether your own strategy isn't just as cowardly and cruel.\"\n\nAs he spoke, Hideyoshi picked up Manju and held him in his arms. Seeing the relief spreading over Nagamasa's face, he abruptly stepped toward him, put Manju into his arms, and prostrated himself at his feet. \"I fervently beg forgiveness for this violent and rude act; from the very beginning, my heart was not in it. I took such a measure first of all to try to lessen the plight of Lord Nobunaga. But also I thought it regrettable that you, a samurai who has shown such admirable resolution to the end, might hereafter be spoken of as someone who lost control of himself in his final moments. Make no mistake; this was partly for your own sake, my lord. Please grant me the release of Oichi and her children.\"\n\nHe did not really feel as though he were appealing to the enemy commander. He faced the man's soul and completely divulged his true emotions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His palms were folded at his breast and he was kneeling respectfully in front of Nagamasa; it was obvious that this gesture arose from complete sincerity.\n\nNagamasa closed his eyes and listened silently. He folded his arms, his feet planted firmly. He looked just like a statue in full armor. Hideyoshi seemed to be mouthing a prayer to the soul of Nagamasa, who seemed to have become, as Hideyoshi had declared when he entered the castle, a living corpse.\n\nThe hearts of the two men—one intent on prayer, the other intent on dying—came into contact for just a moment." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate this exact phrase, preserving the quotation marks: \"Are you saying that Oichi and her children can go?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The barrier between enemies was lifted, and the complex emotions that Nagamasa felt toward Nobunaga suddenly fell away from his body like flaking whitewash.\n\n\"Mikawa, take Lord Hideyoshi somewhere and entertain him for a while. I would like time to make my farewells.\"\n\n\"Your farewells?\"\n\n\"I'm leaving this world and I want to tell my wife and children good-bye. I'm already anticipating death and have even had a funeral service for myself, but... can separation during life be worse than separation at the moment of death? I think Lord Nobunaga's envoy will agree that it is worse.\"\n\nShocked, Hideyoshi lifted up his face and looked at the man. \"Are you saying that Oichi and her children can go?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"To embrace my wife and children in the arms of death and let them perish with this castle was ignoble. I had resolved that my body was already dead, and yet my shallow prejudices and evil passions remained. What you've said has made me feel a sense of shame. I earnestly beg you to look after Oichi, who is still so young, and my children.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"With my life, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi bowed his head to the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In that instant he could imagine Nobunaga's happy face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well then, I'll meet with you later,\" Nagamasa said as he turned to leave, and he walked back toward the keep in long strides.\n\nMikawa led Hideyoshi to a guest room, this time as Nobunaga's formal envoy.\n\nRelief could be seen in Hideyoshi's eyes. Then he turned and spoke to Mikawa. \"I'm sorry, but would you wait a moment while I send a signal to the men outside the castle?\"\n\n\"A signal?\" Mikawa was suspicious, and not unreasonably so." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi, however, spoke as though his request were natural." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's right. I promised to do that when I came here at Lord Nobunaga's command. In case things did not go well, I was to set a fire as a signal of Lord Nagamasa's rejection, even at the cost of my life. Lord Nobunaga would then attack the castle at once. On the other hand, if everything went well and I was able to meet Lord Nagamasa, I was to raise a banner. In any case, we agreed that the troops would simply wait until a signal was given.\"\n\nMikawa looked surprised at the man's preparations. But what surprised him even more was the signal shell that Hideyoshi had hidden near the hearth in the teahouse.\n\nAfter raising the banner and returning to the guest room, Hideyoshi laughed and said, \"If I had seen that the situation was not going well, I had planned to run as fast as possible to the teahouse and kick the signal-fire shell into the hearth. That would have been some tea ceremony!\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was left on his own." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had been well over three hours since Mikawa had brought him to the guest room and asked him to wait for just a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He certainly is taking his time, Hideyoshi thought, bored." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The evening shadows were already darkening the fretwork ceiling of the empty room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was dark enough in the room for lamps to be lit, and when he looked outside he could see the setting sun of late fall turning the mountains around the castle a deep crimson." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The plate in front of him was empty. At last he heard the sound of footsteps. A tea master walked into the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As the castle is under siege, I'm afraid I have little to offer you, but His Lordship has asked me to prepare you an evening meal.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'mikawa' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tea master cheered the guest by lighting a couple of lamps.\n\n\"Well now, under the circumstances you don't have to worry about a meal for me. Rather than that, I'd like to talk with General Mikawa. I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you call him?\"\n\nMikawa appeared soon afterward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a little under four hours he had aged ten years; he seemed to have lost all vigor, and his eyelids showed the traces of tears. \"I'm sorry,\" he said, \"I've been terribly rude.\"\n\n\"This is really no time to be thinking about normal etiquette,\" Hideyoshi replied, \"but I am wondering what Lord Nagamasa is doing. Has he said his farewells to Oichi and the children? It's getting late.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're absolutely right. But what Lord Nagamasa said so bravely at first... well, now that he's telling his wife and children that they must leave him forever... I think you can imagine...\" The old general looked down and wiped his eyes with his fingers. \"Lady Oichi says that she does not want to leave her husband's side to return to her brother. She keeps pleading with him, so it's difficult to see when they'll be finished.\"\n\n\"Yes, well... \"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She's even pleaded with me. She said that when she was married, she resolved that this castle would be her grave. Even little Chacha seems to understand what is happening to her mother and father, and she's crying pitifully, asking why she has to leave her father and why he has to die. General Hideyoshi... forgive me, I'm being rude.\" He dabbed his eyes, cleared his throat, and broke down crying.\n\nHideyoshi sympathized with what Mikawa was going through and could understand only too well Nagamasa and Oichi's grief." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was more easily moved to tears than other men, and now they quickly streaked down his face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He sniffled repeatedly and looked up toward the ceiling. But he did not forget his mission and reprimanded himself—he must not be led astray by mere emotion. He wiped away his tears and pressed ahead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I promised to wait, but we can't wait forever. I would like to request that a time limit be put on their leave-taking. You might say until what hour, for example.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course. Well... I'll make this my own responsibility, but I'd like to ask you to wait until the Hour of the Boar. I can declare that mother and children will have left the castle by then.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi did not refuse. Yet there was no time for such leisure: Nobunaga was determined to take Odani before sunset. The entire army was waiting expectantly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although Hideyoshi had flown the banner signaling that the rescue attempt had been successful, too much time was passing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no way for Nobunaga or any of his generals to know what was going on inside the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "During this time, Hideyoshi could imagine their perplexity, the various opinions going around headquarters, the indecision and confusion on Nobunaga's face as he listened to the voices of doubt.\n\n\"No, that's not unreasonable,\" Hideyoshi agreed. \"So be it. Let them make their unhurried farewells until the Hour of the Boar.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Cheered by Hideyoshi's consent, Mikawa went back to the keep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By that time the colors of evening were already deepening." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Servants and the tea master served Hideyoshi delicacies and sake that would not ordinarily have been found inside a besieged castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the servants withdrew, Hideyoshi drank by himself. It seemed as though his entire body was soaking up the autumn from the thin-edged lacquer cup. It was a sake on which you could not get drunk—cold and slightly bitter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Well, I should drink this with gusto, too. How much difference is there between those going to their deaths and those left behind? I suppose you could say only an instant, when you take the long-term philosophical view, considering the flow of thousands of years." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He did his best to laugh out loud. But every time he drank, the sake chilled his heart. Somehow, he felt as if sobbing were pressing in on him in the oppressive silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oichi's sobs and sorrow; Nagamasa; the innocent faces of the children: he could imagine what was taking place in the keep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What would it be like if I were Asai Nagamasa? he asked himself. After thinking this way, his emotions took a sudden swing, and he remembered his last words to Nene:\n\n\"I am a samurai. I might die in some battle this time. If I am killed, you should marry again before you are thirty years old. After you reach thirty, your beauty is going to wane, and the possibility of a happy match is going to be dim. You are capable of discretion, and it is better for a human being to be prepared with discrimination in this life. So if you've passed thirty, choose a good path with your own sense of discrimination. I'm not going to order you to remarry. And again, if we have a child, plan a future for that child to be your mainstay, whether you're young or on in years. Don't give yourself up to the complaints of women. Think as a mother, and use your mother's discrimination in everything you do.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At some point Hideyoshi had fallen asleep. Which is not to say that he had lain down; he just sat there and looked as though he were practicing meditation. From time to time he nodded his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was good at sleeping." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had developed this ability during the unfavorable circumstances of his youth, and was so disciplined that he could nod off whenever he wanted to, regardless of time or place.\n\nHe awoke to the sound of a hand drum. The food trays and sake had been taken away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only the lamps still flickered with a white light. His lightheadedness had cleared away, and the fatigue had left his body. Hideyoshi realized that he must have slept for quite a while." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the same time he somehow felt a sense of cheer wrapping his entire being." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before he had gone to sleep, the atmosphere in the castle had been one of gloom and melancholy; but now it had changed with the sounds of the drum and laughing voices, and strangely, a genial warmth seemed to be floating in from somewhere.\n\nHe couldn't help feeling as though he had been bewitched. He was clearly awake, however, and everything was real." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could hear the sound of a hand drum, and someone was singing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sounds were coming from the keep and were far away and indistinct, but he was sure someone had burst out laughing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi suddenly wanted to be with people and went out onto the veranda." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could see a great number of lamps as well as people in the lord's residence on the other side of the wide central garden." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A light breeze carried the smell of sake, and when the wind blew in his direction, he could hear the samurai beating time and singing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The flowers are crimson,\n\nThe plums are scented.\n\nThe willows are green," }, { "from": "human", "value": "And a man's worth is decided by his heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Men among men,\n\nSamurai that we are;\n\nFlowers among flowers," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Samurai that we are.\n\nHuman life passes like this.\n\nWhat is it without some pleasure?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even if you'll never see tomorrow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No, especially if you'll never see tomorrow. This was Hideyoshi's cherished theory. He, who despised the dark and loved the light, had found something that was a blessing in this world." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Almost unconsciously he ambled in the direction of the gaiety, pulled along by the singing voices. Servants went running by in a hurry. They were carrying large trays piled high with food, and a barrel of sake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They hurried with the same kind of eagerness they would probably show in the battle for the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was certainly a gay party, and the vigor of life appeared on every face. It was enough to make Hideyoshi a little doubtful. \"Hey! Isn't that Lord Hideyoshi?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh, General Mikawa.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I wasn't able to find you in the guest room and was looking all over for you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mikawa had the blush of sake on his cheeks too, and he no longer looked so haggard.\n\n\"Why all this gaiety in the keep?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"Don't worry. As I promised you, it will end at the Hour of the Boar. It is said that since we must all die, the manner of our dying should be glorious. Lord Nagamasa and all his men are in high spirits, so he opened up all the sake vats in the castle and let it be known that there would be an Assembly of the Samurai. This way they're going to drink their farewells to each other before they leave this world.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about his farewell to his wife and children?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's been taken care of.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Through his intoxication, tears once again began to well up in Mikawa's eyes. An Assembly of the Samurai—this was a common affair in any clan, a time when the iron-clad divisions between classes and between lord and retainers were relaxed, and everyone enjoyed themselves with drunken song.\n\nThe assembly served a dual purpose: it was Nagamasa's farewell to his retainers, who were going to their deaths, and to his wife and children, who would live." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But it's going to be boring for me just to hide away until the Hour of the Boar,\" Hideyoshi said. \"With your permission, I'd like to attend the banquet.\"\n\n\"That's exactly why I was looking around for you. It's what His Lordship desires as well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What! Lord Nagamasa wants me to come?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'children' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He says that if he's entrusting his wife and children to the Oda clan, you must look after them from now on. Especially his young children.\"\n\n\"He shouldn't worry! And I'd like to tell him that in person. Would you take me to him?\"\n\nHideyoshi followed Mikawa into a large banqueting hall." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every eye in the room turned toward him. The smell of sake filled the air. Naturally, everyone was in full armor, and every man there had resolved to die." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were going to die together; like blossoms shaking in the wind, they were ready to fall all at once. But now, as they were having the best time they could, suddenly here was the enemy! Most of them glared at Hideyoshi with bloodshot eyes—eyes that would make most men cower." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Excuse me,\" Hideyoshi said to no one in particular. He entered, walking with small steps, and advanced right up to Nagamasa, in front of whom he prostrated himself.\n\n\"I have come, grateful that you've commanded that a cup should be extended even to me. Concerning the future of your son and three daughters, I will protect them even at the cost of my own life,\" Hideyoshi said in one breath." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had he paused or appeared to be in the least bit afraid, the samurai around him might have been driven to some unfortunate action through their inebriation and hatred.\n\n\"That is my request, General Hideyoshi.\" Nagamasa took a cup and passed it directly to him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi took the cup and drank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nagamasa seemed satisfied. Hideyoshi had not dared to mention the name of Oichi or Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nagamasa's beautiful young wife was sitting with her children off to the side, hidden by a silver folding screen. They huddled together like irises blooming at the edge of a pond. Hideyoshi looked at the flickering of the silver lantern from the corner of his eye, but did not look at them directly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He returned the cup respectfully to Nagamasa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For the time being, we should forget that we are enemies,\" Hideyoshi said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Having accepted this sake at your assembly, with your permission, I would like to perform a short dance.\"\n\n\"You want to dance?\" Nagamasa said, expressing the surprise of all the men present." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were a little overawed by this little man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oichi drew her children to her knee, just as a mother hen might protect her chicks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't be frightened. Mother is here,\" she whispered.\n\nHaving received Nagamasa's permission to dance, Hideyoshi got up and walked to the middle of the room. He was just about to begin when Manju cried out, \"It's him!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Manju and Chacha held fast to their mother's lap. They were looking at the man who earlier had been so frightening. Hideyoshi began to beat the time with his foot." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the same time, he slapped open a fan that showed a red circle on a golden field.\n\nHaving so much leisure,\n\nI gaze at the gourd at the gate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now and then, a gentle breeze\n\nUnexpectedly there, by chance here;\n\nUnexpectedly, by chance," }, { "from": "human", "value": "The gourd vine, how amusing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He sang in a loud voice, and danced as though he had not one other thing in his mind. But before his dance had ended, gunfire rang out from one section of the castle wall. Then came the sound of return fire from a shorter distance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It seemed that the forces both inside and outside the castle had started to fire on each other at the same moment.\n\n\"Damn it!\" Hideyoshi swore, throwing down his fan. It was not yet the Hour of the Boar." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The men outside the castle had known nothing about that, however." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi had given no second signal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thinking that they would not make an attack, he had felt more or less secure. But now it seemed that the generals at headquarters had lost patience and decided to press Nobunaga to take immediate action.\n\nDamn it! Hideyoshi's fan fell at the feet of the castle's commanding generals, who had all stood up together, and this brought their attention quite clearly to Hideyoshi, whom until now they had not thought of as an enemy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"An attack!\" shouted one man.\n\n\"The coward! He lied to us!\"\n\nThe crowd of samurai split into two." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The larger group dashed outside while the rest of the men surrounded Hideyoshi, ready to hack him to pieces with their swords." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Who ordered this? Don't strike him! That man is not to be killed!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nagamasa suddenly yelled at the top of his voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His men shouted back as though they were challenging him, \"But the enemy has started a general attack!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nagamasa ignored their complaints and called, \"Ogawa Denshiro, Nakajima Sakon!\"\n\nThe two men were his children's tutors. When they came forward and prostrated themselves, Nagamasa also called for Fujikake Mikawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The three of you are to protect my wife and children and guide Hideyoshi out of the castle. Go now!\" he commanded.\n\nThen he looked sternly at Hideyoshi and, calming himself as much as possible, said, \"All right, I'm entrusting them to you.\"\n\nHis wife and children threw themselves at his feet, but he shook them off and shouted, \"Farewell.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With that one word, Nagamasa grasped a halberd and ran off into the howling darkness.\n\nOne side of the castle was engulfed in mounting pillars of flame. Nagamasa instinctively shielded his face with one hand as he ran." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Splinters of burning wood, like wings of flame, grazed his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A thick black smoke was winding its way over the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The first and second Oda samurai to breach the castle walls had already called out their names. The flames had reached the mansion in the keep and were running up the gutters faster than the rain had ever gone down them. Nagamasa spied a corps of iron-helmeted men concealed in that area and suddenly lunged to the side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The enemy!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His close retainers and family members stood around him and struck at the invading troops. Above them were the flames, all around them was black smoke. The clanging armor rang out, spear against spear, sword against sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The ground was soon covered with the bodies of the dead and wounded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The larger part of the soldiers in the castle followed Nagamasa and fought as long as they could, each achieving a glorious death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Few of them were captured or surrendered. The fall of Odani Castle was nothing like the defeat of the Asakura in Echizen or of the shogun in Kyoto. So it could be said that Nobunaga's judgment in choosing Nagamasa as a brother-in-law had not been wrong." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The troubles of Hideyoshi, who had saved Oichi and her children from the flames, and those of Fujikake Mikawa, were not concerned with the battle. If the attacking troops had only waited another three hours, Hideyoshi and his charges could have been led out of the castle easily. But only minutes after they had left the keep, the inside of the castle was engulfed in flames and fighting soldiers, so that Hideyoshi was finding it very difficult just to protect the four children and get them out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fujikake Mikawa carried the youngest girl on his back, her elder sister, Hatsu, went on the back of Nakajima Sakon, and Manju was strapped on the back of his tutor, Ogawa Denshiro.\n\n\"Hop up onto my shoulders,\" Hideyoshi told Chacha, but the little girl refused to leave her mother's side. Oichi held the girl close as though she would not let her go." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi wrenched them apart and scolded them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It would not do for you to be hurt. I'm begging you, this is what Lord Nagamasa asked me to do.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was no time to treat them sympathetically, and even though his words were polite, his tone was frightening. Oichi put Chacha on his back.\n\n\"Is everybody ready? Stay by me. My lady, please give me your hand.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shouldering Chacha, Hideyoshi pulled Oichi by the hand and started out straight ahead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oichi stumbled along, barely able to keep from falling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon she pulled her hand free from Hideyoshi's grasp without saying a word. She followed as a mother would follow, half-crazed with distraction for the children who were in front of her and behind her in the midst of the fury.\n\nNobunaga was now watching the flames of Odani Castle, which were almost close enough to burn his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The mountains and valleys on all three sides were red, and the burning castle roared like a huge smelting furnace." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'flames' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the flames finally turned to smoking ashes and it was all over, Nobunaga could not hold back his tears over his sister's fate. The fool! he cursed Nagamasa.\n\nWhen all the temples and monasteries on Mount Hiei had been consigned to the flames along with the lives of every monk and layman on the mountain, Nobunaga had watched unmoved." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now those same eyes were filled with tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The slaughter on Mount Hiei could not be compared with the death of his sister.\n\nHuman beings possess both intellect and instinct, and they often contradict each other. Nobunaga, however, had great faith in his destruction of Mount Hiei—that by destroying one single mountain, countless lives would be promised happiness and prosperity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The death of Nagamasa held no such great significance. Nagamasa had fought with a narrow-minded sense of duty and honor, and thus Nobunaga had been forced to do the same. Nobunaga himself had asked Nagamasa to abandon his stunted sense of duty and to share his own larger vision." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly he had treated Nagamasa with a large degree of consideration and generosity to the very end." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'generals' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But that generosity had to have a limit. He would have been lenient with the man right up to this evening, but his generals would not permit it.\n\nEven though Takeda Shingen of Kai was dead, his generals and men were still in very good health, and his son's abilities were supposed to exceed his father's." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's enemies were only waiting for him to stumble." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It would be folly to wait passively in northern Omi for a long time after he had defeated Echizen with one blow. Listening to this sort of reasoning and argument from his generals, even Nobunaga had been unable to speak up for his sister. But then Hideyoshi had requested permission to be Nobunaga's envoy for just one day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And although he had sent a signal of good news while it was still light, evening came, and then night, and he had sent no further report whatsoever." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's generals were indignant.\n\n\"Do you think he was tricked by the enemy?\"\n\n\"He's probably been killed.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The enemy is planning some scheme while we're off guard.\"\n\nNobunaga resigned himself and finally gave the order for an all-out attack. But after making his decision, he wondered if he had not sacrificed Hideyoshi's life, and his regret was nearly unbearable." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly a young samurai wearing black-threaded armor ran up in such a hurry that he almost hit Nobunaga with his spear.\n\n\"My lord!\" he gasped.\n\n\"Kneel!\" a general ordered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Put your spear behind you!\"\n\nThe young samurai fell heavily to his knees under the stares of the retainers surrounding Nobunaga.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi has just returned. He was able to get out of the castle without mishap.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What! Hideyoshi is back?\" Nobunaga exclaimed. \"Alone?\" he asked hurriedly.\n\nThe young messenger added, \"He came with three men of the Asai clan, and with the Lady Oichi and her children.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga was trembling. \"Are you sure? Did you actually see them?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A group of us guarded them on the way back, right after they ran from the castle, which was collapsing in flames. They were exhausted, so we took them to a place of safety and gave them some water. Lord Hideyoshi commanded me to run ahead and make this report.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga said, \"You're Hideyoshi's retainer; what is your name?\"\n\n\"I'm his chief page, Horio Mosuke.\"\n\n\"Thank you for bearing such good news. Now go and take a rest.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you, my lord, but the battle is still raging.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With this, Mosuke quickly took his leave and dashed out toward the faraway clamor of warriors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Divine help...\" someone mumbled off to the side with a sigh." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was Katsuie. The other generals also congratulated Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is an unanticipated blessing. You must be very happy.\"\n\nA thread of emotion found its way wordlessly among them. These men were jealous of Hideyoshi's accomplishments, and were the very ones who had advocated abandoning him and hastening a general attack on the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, Nobunaga's joy was overflowing, and his excellent mood immediately caused a brighter spirit to spread through his headquarters. While the others were offering their congratulations, the shrewd Katsuie said privately to Nobunaga, \"Shall I greet him?\"\n\nReceiving Nobunaga's permission, he hurried off with a few retainers down the steep slope toward the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally, under the protection of Hideyoshi, the long-awaited Oichi climbed up to the headquarters on the plateau." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A small corps of soldiers went in front, carrying torches." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi panted along behind the men, still carrying Chacha on his back.\n\nThe first thing Nobunaga saw was the sweat on Hideyoshi's forehead, glistening in the light of the torches. Next came the old general, Fujikake Mikawa, and the two tutors, each carrying a child on his back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga gazed at the children silently. No emotion showed on his face at all. Then, from about twenty paces to the rear, Shibata Katsuie came up, a white hand holding the shoulder of his armor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The hand belonged to Oichi, who was now half-dazed.\n\n\"Lady Oichi,\" Katsuie said, \"your brother is right here.\" Katsuie quickly led her to Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Oichi had fully regained her senses, all she could do was weep. For an instant the woman's sobbing blotted out every other sound in the camp. It wrung the hearts of even the veteran generals who were present." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga, however, looked disgusted. This was the beloved sister he had worried about so much until just a few moments before. Why wasn't he greeting his sister with wild joy?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Had something ruined his mood? The generals were dismayed. The situation passed even Hideyoshi's understanding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's close retainers were constantly troubled by their lord's quick changes of mood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they saw the familiar expression on his face, not one of them could do anything but stand by silently; and in the midst of the silence, Nobunaga himself found it difficult to cheer up.\n\nThere were not very many of Nobunaga's retainers who could read his inner thoughts and disentangle him from his moody and introverted self. In fact, Hideyoshi and the absent Akechi Mitsuhide were about the only ones who had this ability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi watched the situation for a moment, and since no one seemed about to do anything, he said to Oichi, \"Now, now, my lady. Go to his side and greet him. It won't do just to stand here crying for joy. What's the matter? You're brother and sister, aren't you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oichi did not budge; she could not even look at her brother." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her mind was set on Nagamasa. To her, Nobunaga was nothing more than the enemy general who had killed her husband and had brought her here, a shamed captive in the enemy camp.\n\nNobunaga could tell exactly what was in his sister's heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So, along with his satisfaction at her safety, he felt an uncontrollable revulsion for this foolish woman who could not understand her brother's great love.\n\n\"Hideyoshi, let her be. Don't waste your breath.\" Nobunaga stood up abruptly from his camp stool." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He then lifted a section of the curtain surrounding his headquarters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Odani has fallen,\" he whispered, gazing at the flames. Both the battle cries and the fires burning the castle were dying down, and the waning moon cast a white light on the peaks and valleys as they waited for the dawn.\n\nJust then, an officer and his men ran up the hill, yelling victory cries." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they set down the heads of Asai Nagamasa and his retainers in front of Nobunaga, Oichi screamed, and the children clinging to her started to cry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga shouted, \"Stop that noise! Katsuie! Get the young ones out of here! I'm putting them in your care—both Oichi and the children. Hurry up and take them off someplace where no one will see them.\"\n\nThen he summoned Hideyoshi and told him, \"You will be in charge of the former Asai domain.\" He had decided to return to Gifu as soon as the castle had fallen." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oichi was helped away. Later she would marry Katsuie. But one of Nagamasa's three young daughters who had come down the fiery mountain that night held a fate even stranger than her mother's. The eldest, Chacha, was later to become Lady Yodogimi, Hideyoshi's mistress." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the beginning of the Third Month of the following year. Good news had come to Nene, which, of course, was a letter from her husband.\n\nWhile some of the walls of Nagahama Castle are still a bit rough, it's been so long that I can hardly wait to see the two of you." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Please tell Mother to start preparations to move here soon.\n\nWith such a short note, one could hardly have imagined what was going on, but actually a number of letters had been passing back and forth between husband and wife since the New Year. Hideyoshi had no leisure at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been campaigning in the mountains of northern Omi for many months, and having to fight battles here and there, even when he did have some small respite he was soon sent running off to some other place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi's services had been unsurpassed during the invasion of Odani. Nobunaga rewarded him by granting him his own castle for the first time, and a hundred eighty thousand bushels of the former Asai domain. Until then he had only been a general, but in one leap he joined the ranks of the provincial lords." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the same time, Nobunaga awarded him a new surname: Hashiba.\n\nHashiba Hideyoshi came into prominence that fall and now stood shoulder to shoulder with the other veteran Oda generals. He was not satisfied with his new castle at Odani, however; the castle was a defensive one, good for retreating into and withstanding a siege, but not a suitable base for an offensive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Three leagues to the south, on the shore of Lake Biwa, he found a better place to reside: a village by the name of Nagahama. Receiving Nobunaga's permission, he began construction immediately. By spring the white-walled keep, the sturdy walls, and the iron gates had been completed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hachisuka Hikoemon had been given the task of escorting Hideyoshi's wife and mother from Sunomata, and he arrived from Nagahama a few days after Nene had received Hideyoshi's letter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nene and her mother-in-law were carried in lacquer palanquins, and their escort consisted of one hundred attendants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's mother had asked Nene to pass through Gifu and to ask for an audience with Lord Nobunaga to thank him for the many favors he had bestowed upon them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nene felt this duty to be a heavy responsibility and considered it to be an ordeal. She was sure that if she went up to Gifu Castle and presented herself alone before Lord Nobunaga, she would be able to do nothing but sit and quake.\n\nNevertheless, the day came and, leaving her mother-in-law at the inn, she went alone to the castle, bringing gifts from Sunomata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the castle she seemed to forget all of her anxiety." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once there, she looked up to her lord for the first time and, contrary to her expectations, found that he was completely open-minded and affable." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You must have really exerted yourself, taking care of the castle for such a long time and looking after your mother-in-law. More than that, you must have been very lonely,\" Nobunaga said with such familiarity that she realized that her own family was in some way connected to Nobunaga's. She felt that she could be completely unreserved.\n\n\"I feel unworthy to be living peacefully at home while others are out on campaign. Heaven might punish me if I complained of loneliness.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga stopped her with a laugh. \"No, no. A woman's heart is a woman's heart, and you shouldn't have to conceal it. It's by thinking about the loneliness of caring for the household alone that you'll come to a deeper understanding of your husband's good points. Somebody wrote a poem about this; it goes something like, 'Off on a journey; the husband understands his wife's value at the snow-laden inn.' I can imagine that Hideyoshi too can hardly wait. Not only that, but the castle at Nagahama is new. Waiting alone during the campaign must have been difficult, but when you meet, you will be like newlyweds again.\"\n\nNene blushed all the way to her collar, and prostrated herself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She must have remembered being a new bride. Nobunaga guessed what she was thinking and smiled.\n\nFood and lacquered vermilion sake cups were brought in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Receiving her cup from Nobunaga, Nene sipped her sake gracefully." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Nene,\" he said, laughing. Finally able to look at him directly, she raised her eyes, wondering what he would say. Nobunaga spoke suddenly. \"Just one thing: don't be jealous.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, my lord,\" she answered without really thinking, but she blushed right away. She, too, had heard a rumor about Hideyoshi visiting Gifu Castle in the company of a beautiful woman.\n\n\"That's just Hideyoshi. He's not perfect. But then a tea bowl that is too perfect has no charm. Everyone has faults. When an ordinary person has vices, he becomes a source of trouble; but very few men have Hideyoshi's abilities. I've often wondered what kind of woman would choose a man like him. Now I know after meeting you today, that Hideyoshi must love you, too. Don't be jealous. Live in harmony.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How could Nobunaga have understood a woman's heart so well?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although a little frightening, he was a man both her husband and herself could rely upon, She didn't know whether to be pleased or embarrassed.\n\nShe returned to her lodgings in the castle town. But what she spoke about most of all to her anxiously waiting mother-in-law was not Nobunaga's admonition about jealousy." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Takeda Katsuyori had seen the coming of thirty springs. He was taller and broader than his father, Takeda Shingen, and it was said that he was a handsome man.\n\nIt was the third year after Shingen's death; the Fourth Month would be the end of the official period of mourning.\n\nShingen's final command, \"Hide your mourning for three years,\" had been followed to the letter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But every year on the anniversary of his death, the lamps of all the temples of Kai—and particularly those of the Eirin Temple—were lit for secret memorial services." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For three days Katsuyori had forsaken all military matters and stayed shut up in the Bishamon Temple, deep in meditation.\n\nOn the third day, Katsuyori had the doors of the temple opened to let out the smoke of the incense burned during Shingen's memorial service. As soon as Katsuyori had changed his clothes, Atobe Oinosuke requested an urgent, private audience.\n\n\"My lord,\" Oinosuke began, \"please read this letter immediately and give me an answer. A spoken one will do; I'll write the reply for you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori quickly opened the letter. \"Well, now... from Okazaki.\" It was clear that he had been expecting the letter for some time, and it was no ordinary expression that moved across his face as he read. For a moment he seemed unable to come to a decision." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The song of a bush warbler could be heard coming from amid the young greenery of approaching summer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori stared at the sky through the window. \"I understand. That's my answer.\"\n\nOinosuke looked up at his master. \"Will it be enough, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he asked, just to make sure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It will,\" Katsuyori replied. \"We shouldn't miss this heaven-sent opportunity. The messenger has to be a trustworthy man.\"\n\n\"This is an extremely important matter. You need have no worries about that.\" Not too long after Oinosuke had left the temple, the Office of State Affairs issued a call to arms." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soldiers could be seen moving throughout the night, and there was constant activity inside and outside the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When dawn broke, fourteen or fifteen thousand men, wet with the morning dew, were already silently waiting on the assembly ground outside the castle. And still more soldiers were coming. The conch shell proclaiming the departure of the troops rang out over the sleeping houses of Kofu several times before the sun rose.\n\nKatsuyori had slept only a little during the night, but now he was in full armor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He did not look like a man suffering from lack of sleep, and his extraordinary good health and his dreams of greatness shone forth from his body like the dew on the new leaves.\n\nHe had not been idle for even one day during the three years since his father's death. Mountains and swift rivers formed strong natural defenses around Kai, but he was not content with the province he had inherited. He had, after all, been given more courage and resourcefulness than his father." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuyori—unlike the offspring of many great samurai clans—could not be called an unworthy son." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead, it might be said that his pride, his sense of duty, and his military prowess were excessive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No matter how secret the clan had tried to keep it, news of Shingen's death had leaked out to the enemy provinces, and many had considered it too good an opportunity to miss. The Uesugi had made a sudden attack; the Hojo had also changed their attitude. And it was certain that if the opportunity were to arise, the Oda and the Tokugawa would make incursions from their own territories.\n\nKatsuyori, like the son of any great man, found himself in a difficult position." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Still he had never disgraced his father's name." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In almost every engagement he fought, he came away with the victory. For this reason, rumors had spread that Shingen's death was just a fabrication, because he seemed to appear whenever an opportunity presented itself.\n\n\"Generals Baba and Yamagata have requested an audience before the campaign begins,\" a retainer announced.\n\nThe army was on the point of leaving when this message was delivered to Katsuyori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both Baba Nobufusa and Yamagata Masakage had been senior retainers in Shingen's day." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'katsuyori' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori asked in return, \"Are they both ready to march?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord,\" the messenger replied.\n\nKatsuyori nodded at the man's reply. \"Show them in, then,\" he said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Moments later the two generals appeared before Katsuyori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He already knew what they were going to say to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As you can see,\" Baba began, \"we hurried to the castle without a moment's delay at the call to arms last night. But this is extraordinary; there was no war council, and we were wondering what the prospects of this campaign are. Our situation these days does not allow us the luxury of frivolous troop movements.\" Yamagata continued, \"Your late father, Lord Shingen, tasted the bitter cup of defeat too many times when he attacked the west. Mikawa is small, but its warriors are stouthearted men, and the Oda have had time to come up with a number of countermeasures by now. If we were to get in too deep, we might not be able to extricate ourselves.\"\n\nSpeaking in turn, the two men outlined their objections. These men were experienced veterans trained by the great Shingen himself, and they had no great regard for either Katsuyori's resourcefulness or his valor." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'we're'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, they saw them as a danger. Katsuyori had felt this for some time, and his character would not let him accept their conservative advice—that the best thing to do would be to guard the borders of Kai for several years.\n\n\"You know I wouldn't start out on a rash campaign. Ask Oinosuke for the details. But this time we are sure to take Okazaki Castle and Hamamatsu Castle. I'll show them how to accomplish a long-cherished dream. We must keep our strategy a secret. I don't plan on telling our men what we're doing until we're pressing in on the enemy.\"\n\nKatsuyori deftly avoided the remonstrances of his two generals, who both looked unhappy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The advice to ask Oinosuke did not sit well with them; they were not used to being spoken to in this way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Of the same mind, the two men exchanged glances and for a moment looked at each other in blank amazement. Troops were being moved without anyone having consulted them—Shingen's veteran generals—and decisions were being made with the likes of Atobe Oinosuke.\n\nBaba tried to speak to Katsuyori one more time. \"We will listen to everything Master Oinosuke has to say later on, but if you would first tell us just a word or two about this secret plan, old generals like us will be able to make a stand with our eyes on a place to die.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not saying anything else here,\" Katsuyori said, looking at the men around him. Then he added severely, \"I'm pleased that you're concerned, but I am not unaware of how important this present matter is. Moreover, I cannot now abandon the plan. Early this morning I swore an oath on the Mihata Tatenashi?\"\n\nWhen they heard the sacred names, the two generals prostrated themselves and said a silent prayer. The Mihata Tatenashi were sacred relics venerated for generations by the Takeda clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Mihata was the banner of the war god Hachiman, and the Tatenashi was the armor of the clan's founder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was an unbreakable rule of the Takeda clan that once an oath was sworn on these objects, it could not be broken.\n\nKatsuyori's declaration that he was acting under this sacred oath meant that there were no further grounds upon which the two generals could continue to raise objections. At that moment the conch signaled the troops to get into formation and prepare to march out, forcing the two generals to take their leave. But, still worried about the fate of the clan, they rode to see Oinosuke at his position in the ranks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oinosuke cleared the area and proudly informed them of the plan." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'before' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In Okazaki, which was now governed by Ieyasu's son, Nobuyasu, there was a man in charge of finances by the name of Oga Yashiro. Some time before, Oga had changed his allegiance to the Takeda clan and was now a trusted ally of Katsuyori.\n\nThe messenger who had come to Tsutsujigasaki two days before had carried a secret letter from Oga, which had informed them that the time was ripe. Nobunaga had been in the capital since the beginning of the year." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even before that, when Nobunaga had tried to destroy the warrior-monks of Nagashima, Ieyasu had sent no reinforcements, and the alliance between the two provinces had become somewhat strained.\n\nWhen the Takeda army attacked Mikawa with its legendary speed, Oga would find a means to throw Okazaki Castle into confusion, open the castle gates, and let the Kai forces in. Katsuyori would then kill Nobuyasu and take the Tokugawa family hostage. Hamamatsu Castle would be forced to surrender, and its garrison would join the Takeda army, leaving Ieyasu no other choice but to flee to Ise or Mino." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you think? Doesn't this sound like good news from heaven?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oinosuke spoke proudly, as though the entire scheme had been his own. The two generals had no desire to hear any more. Leaving Oinosuke, they returned to their own regiments, looking at each other in silence.\n\n\"Baba, it's said that a province may fall, but the mountains and rivers endure. Neither of us wants to live to see the mountains and rivers of a ruined province,\" Yamagata said with deep feeling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Baba nodded and said with a sad look in his eyes, \"The end of our lives is swiftly approaching. All that is left for us is to find a good place to die, to follow our former lord, and to atone for the crime of being unworthy counselors.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Baba's and Yamagata's reputations as Shingen's bravest generals had traveled far beyond the borders of Kai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were already gray when Shingen was alive, but after his death, their hair had quickly turned white.\n\nThe leaves on the mountains of Kai were a young and tender green, before the coming of that year's broiling summer, and the waters of the Fuefuki River babbled the song of eternal life. But how many soldiers wondered if they would ever see those mountains again?\n\nThe army was not what it had been when Shingen was alive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A plaintive note sounding the uncertainty of life was heard in the banners fluttering in the wind and in the sound of their marching feet. But the fifteen thousand troops beat the war drums, unfurled their banners, and marched across the border of Kai; and their majesty was reflected in the eyes of the people just as brilliantly as in Shingen's day.\n\nJust as the crimson of the setting sun is similar to the sun at dawn, no matter where one looked—whether at the colorful standard bearers and banners of each regiment, or at the massed armored cavalry that rode tightly around Katsuyori—there was no sign of decline. Katsuyori was supremely self-confident as he imagined the enemy castle at Okazaki already in his hands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With the gold inlay of his visor reflecting on his handsome cheeks, the future of this young general seemed brilliant. And in fact he had already achieved victories that had stirred up Kai's fighting spirit, even after the death of the great Shingen.\n\nSetting forth from Kai on the first day of the Fifth Month, they finally crossed Mount Hira from Totomi and entered into Mikawa proper, bivouacking in front of a river in the evening.\n\nFrom the opposite bank, two enemy samurai came swimming toward them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The guards quickly took them captive. The two men were Tokugawa samurai who had been chased out of their own province. They asked to be taken before Katsuyori.\n\n\"What? Why have they fled here?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori knew that it could only mean one thing: Oga's treachery had been discovered.\n\nKatsuyori's mighty army had already entered Mikawa. Should I attack or fall back? Katsuyori asked himself over and over again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was badly confused and discouraged." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'oga's' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His strategy had depended on Oga's treachery and the confusion he would cause inside Okazaki Castle. Oga's detection and arrest were a disastrous setback. But having come this far, it would not be very gallant to fall back without accomplishing anything. On the other hand, it wouldn't be right to advance carelessly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuyori's manly character was distressed in earnest." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'yoshida' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And it pricked his obstinate nature to recall that, when the army had left Kai, Baba and Yamagata had warned him not to do anything rash.\n\n\"Three thousand soldiers should start off toward Nagashino,\" he ordered. \"I myself will attack Yoshida Castle and sweep the entire area.\"\n\nKatsuyori struck camp before dawn and headed toward Yoshida." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lacking any confidence of success, he set fire to a few villages in a show of force." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He did not attack Yoshida Castle, possibly because Ieyasu and his son, Nobuyasu, had made a clean sweep of the traitors and had quickly moved troops as far as Hajikamigahara." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Quite different from Katsuyori's army, which now, unable either to advance or to retreat, could only move to preserve its dignity, the Tokugawa forces had massacred the rebels and dashed out with great impetus.\n\n\"Are we a dying province or a rising one?\" was their war cry. Their numbers might have been small, but their morale was completely different from that of Katsuyori's troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The vanguards of the two armies met in small clashes two or three times at Hajikamigahara." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the Kai forces were of no common order, either, and understanding that it would be difficult to match themselves to the enemy's martial spirit, they suddenly withdrew.\n\nThe cry went up, \"To Nagashino! To Nagashino!\" Making a quick reversal in their march, they showed the Tokugawa forces their backs and took off as though they had important business elsewhere.\n\nNagashino was an ancient battleground, and its castle was said to be impregnable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the earlier part of the century, it had been controlled by the Imagawa clan; later it had been claimed by the Takeda clan as part of Kai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But then, in the first year of Tensho, it had been taken by Ieyasu and was now commanded by Okudaira Sadamasa of the Tokugawa clan, with a garrison of five hundred men.\n\nBecause of its strategic value, Nagashino was the center of all kinds of plots, betrayals, and bloodlettings, even during peacetime.\n\nBy the evening of the eighth day of the Fifth Month, the Kai army had besieged the castle's tiny garrison of five hundred men.\n\nNagashino Castle stood at the confluence of the Taki and Ono rivers in the mountainous region of eastern Mikawa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Behind it to the northeast there was nothing but mountains." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Its moat, which drew its water from the fast-flowing streams of the two rivers, had a width that ranged from one hundred eighty to three hundred feet. The bank was ninety feet in height at its lowest point, and at its highest was a precipice of one hundred fifty feet. The depth of the water was no more than five or six feet, but the current was swift. And indeed, there were some frighteningly deep spots where water rose in sprays or twisted into seething rapids." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How ostentatious!\" said Nagashino Castle's commander as he surveyed the meticulous disposition of Katsuyori's troops from the watchtower." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From around the tenth, Ieyasu had begun to send messengers to Nobunaga several times a day, to report on the situation at Nagashino. Any emergency for the Tokugawa was considered an emergency for the Oda, and the atmosphere in Gifu Castle was already uncommonly tense.\n\nNobunaga responded positively but didn't seem to be making any sudden move to mobilize his troops. The war council lasted two days." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There's no hope for victory. Mobilizing the army would be useless,\" cautioned Mori Kawachi.\n\n\"No! That would be turning our backs on our duty!\" someone else argued.\n\nOthers, like Nobumori, took the middle path. \"As General Mori says, it's obvious that the chances of victory against Kai are slim, but if we put off mobilizing our troops, the Tokugawa may accuse us of bad faith, and if we're not careful, it's not impossible for them to change sides, make an accord with the Kai army, and turn against us. I think it best that we execute a passive deployment of the troops.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, from the midst of those attending the war council, a voice shouted out, \"No! No!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'castle' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was Hideyoshi, who had hurried from Nagahama, bringing the troops under his command.\n\n\"I suppose the castle at Nagashino does not seem very important at this point,\" he went on, \"but after it becomes a foothold for an invasion by Kai, the Tokugawa's defenses are going to be just like a broken dike, and if that happens, it's clear that the Tokugawa will not hold Kai for long. If we give that sort of advantage to Kai now, how will our own Gifu Castle have any security at all?\" He spoke loudly, and his voice rang with emotion. Those present could do nothing other than look at him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He continued, \"There is no military strategy I know of that advocates a passive deployment of troops once they are mobilized. Instead of that, shouldn't we march out immediately and confidently? Will the Oda fall? Will the Takeda win?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All the generals thought that Nobunaga would send six or seven thousand troops—no more than ten thousand—but on the following day he gave the order to make preparations for a huge army of thirty thousand men.\n\nAlthough Nobunaga had not said that he agreed with Hideyoshi during the council, he was showing it now by his actions. His decision was in earnest and he was going to lead his troops himself.\n\n\"We may be calling these men reinforcements,\" he said, \"but it is the fate of the Oda clan that hangs in the balance.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The army left Gifu on the thirteenth and reached Okazaki the next day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's army rested only one day. By the morning of the sixteenth day of that month, it had reached the front.\n\nHorses throughout the village began to neigh as the clouds of dawn became visible. Banners rustled in the breeze, and the conch sounded far and wide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The number of troops that started out from the castle town of Okazaki that morning was indeed enormous, and the people of the small province were awed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: number, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were both relieved by and envious of the number of troops and equipment mustered by the mighty province with which they were allied. When the thirty thousand Oda soldiers marched past with their various banners, insignia, and commanders' standards, the number of corps they were divided into was difficult to determine.\n\n\"Look at all the guns they have!\" the people along the roadside exclaimed with surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Tokugawa soldiers were unable to hide their envy: out of Nobunaga's thirty thousand soldiers, close to ten thousand were gunners." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They also pulled along huge cast-iron cannons. But what was strangest of all was that almost every foot soldier who was not carrying a gun shouldered instead a stake of the kind used to make a palisade, and a length of rope.\n\n\"What do you think the Oda are going to do with all those stakes?\" the onlookers wondered.\n\nThe Tokugawa army that had set off for the front lines that morning had numbered fewer than eight thousand men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And that was the bulk of the army. The only thing they did not fall short in was morale.\n\nTo the Oda, this was foreign territory—an area they were coming to as relief troops. But to the warriors of the Tokugawa clan, this was the land of their ancestors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a land the enemy was not to take a single step into, and from which there was absolutely no place to retreat." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even the foot soldiers were filled with the spirit of this belief from the time they started out, and they shared a certain tragic feeling. Comparing their equipment with that of the Oda army, they could see that they were sadly inferior; in fact, there was no comparison at all. But they did not feel inferior. When they had distanced themselves several leagues from the castle town, the Tokugawa forces quickened their pace. When they approached the village of Ushikubo, they changed their direction, hurrying away from the Oda troops and toward Shidaragahara like storm clouds." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mount Gokurakuji stood directly in front of the plain of Shidaragahara, and from its peak one could point to the Takeda positions at Tobigasu, Kiyoida, and Arumigahara." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga set up his headquarters on Mount Gokurakuji, while Ieyasu chose Mount Danjo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The thirty-eight thousand Tokugawa and Oda forces deployed on these two mountains had already finished their preparations for the coming battle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sky filled with clouds, but there was no hint of lightning or wind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On Mount Gokurakuji, the generals of both the Oda and Tokugawa clans gathered in a temple at the top of the mountain for a joint military conference." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the middle of the conference it was announced to Ieyasu that the scouts had just returned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Nobunaga heard this, he said, \"They've come at a good time. Bring them here, and we can all listen to their reports on the enemy's movements.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two scouts made their reports in a rather pompous way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The first began, \"Lord Katsuyori has made his headquarters to the west of Arumigahara. His retainers and cavalry are, indeed, quite hale. They seemed to number close to four thousand men, and appeared to be quite composed and self-possessed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The second went on, \"Obata Nobusada and his attack corps are overlooking the battlefield from a low hill a little to the south of Kiyoida. I could see that the main army of about three thousand men under Naito Shuri is encamped from Kiyoida to Asai. The left wing, which also numbers about three thousand, is under the standards of Yamagata Masakage and Oyamada Nobushige. Finally, the right wing is under Anayama Baisetsu and Baba Nobufusa. They look extremely impressive.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What about the troops laying siege to Nagashino Castle?\" Ieyasu asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"About two thousand troops have remained around the castle and are keeping it tightly in check. There also seems to be a surveillance corps on a hill to the west of the castle, and it's possible that about a thousand soldiers are concealed in the fortresses around Tobigasu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The reports of the two men were, for the most part, rather incomplete." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the generals of the units they mentioned were famous beyond measure for their ferocity and valor, and Baba and Obata were both strategists of immense reputation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the Oda and Tokugawa generals listened to the scouts' account of the enemies' positions, the vehemence of their will to fight, and their composure and self-confidence, the color drained from their faces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were silent, like men consumed by dread just before a battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly Sakai Tadatsugu spoke, in a voice so loud it surprised the men around him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The outcome is already clear. There is no need for further discussion. How is an enemy of such scant numbers going to be a match for our own huge army?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's enough conferring!\" Nobunaga agreed, and slapped his knee." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tadatsugu has spoken admirably. To the eyes of a coward, the crane that flies across the paddies looks like an enemy banner and makes him quake with fear,\" he laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I feel greatly relieved by the reports of these two men. Lord Ieyasu, we should celebrate!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Having been praised, Sakai Tadatsugu got a bit carried away and said, \"My own opinion is that the enemy's greatest weakness is at Tobigasu. If we took a roundabout route and struck at their weak point from the rear with some lightly armed soldiers, the morale of their entire army would be thrown into confusion, and our men—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tadatsugu!\" Nobunaga said sharply." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What good is such a ploy in this great battle? You're being presumptuous. I think everybody had better withdraw!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Using the reprimand as an excuse, Nobunaga adjourned the conference." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shamefaced, Tadatsugu left with the others." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When all had left, however, Nobunaga said to Ieyasu, \"Forgive me for rebuking that brave Tadatsugu so severely in front of all the others. I think his plan is excellent, but I was afraid that it might leak out to the enemy. Would you console him later?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, it was clearly an indiscretion on Tadatsugu's part to reveal our plans, even though he was among allies. It was a good lesson for him. And I learned something, too.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I rebuked him so severely that I doubt that even our own men will expect us to use the plan. Call Tadatsugu, and give him permission to make a surprise attack on Tobigasu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm sure it is his fondest wish to hear just that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ieyasu summoned Tadatsugu and related Nobunaga's wishes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tadatsugu needed no further urging to go into action." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Under extreme secrecy, he finished the preparations for his unit and then had a private audience with Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll be leaving at sunset, my lord,\" were Tadatsugu's only words." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga, too, said little." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nevertheless, he assigned five hundred of his gunners to Tadatsugu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The entire force comprised more than three thousand men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They left the encampment at nightfall, in the absolute darkness of the Fifth Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "About the time they got under way, stripes of white rain were cutting diagonally through the darkness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The downpour drenched them to the skin as they marched along in silence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before climbing Mount Matsu, the entire company hid in a temple compound at the foot of the mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The soldiers took off their armor, left their horses behind, and shouldered whatever equipment they would take with them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The slope was painfully steep and muddy from the torrential rain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every time the men took a step forward, they would slip back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanging on to the shafts of the spears and grasping the hands of their comrades above them, they scaled the three hundred fifty yards to the summit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A pale whiteness was beginning to appear in the night sky, announcing the coming dawn." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The clouds began to part, and the splendor of the morning sun pierced the thick sea of mist." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's clearing!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Luck from heaven!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Conditions are perfect!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the top of the mountain the men put on their armor and divided into two groups." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first would make a dawn raid on the enemy fortress on the mountain, and the other would attack Tobigasu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Takeda had underestimated the danger, and now their waking shouts broke out in confusion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fires set by Tadatsugu's forces sent black smoke rising from the mountain stronghold." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Takeda fled in a disorderly rout toward Tobigasu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But by then Tadatsugu's second division had already breached the castle walls." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The night before, after Tadatsugu's departure, Nobunaga's entire army had been given the order to advance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But this was not to be the outbreak of the battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The army defied the driving rain and moved on toward the neighborhood of Mount Chausu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From that time until dawn, the soldiers pounded the stakes they had carried into the ground, and bound them together with rope to create a palisade that looked like a meandering centipede." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As dawn was nearing, Nobunaga inspected the defenses on horseback." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The rain had stopped, and the construction of the palisade had been completed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga turned to the Tokugawa generals and yelled at them with a laugh, \"Wait and see! Today we're going to let the Kai army come close, and then we'll handle them like molting skylarks.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I wonder, each of them thought." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They imagined that he was just trying to reassure them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But what they could clearly see was that the soldiers from Gifu—the troops who had shouldered the stakes and ropes all the way from Okazaki—were now on the battlefield." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And the thirty thousand stakes had become a long, serpentine palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let the picked troops of Kai come on!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The construction itself, however, could not be used to attack the enemy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And to annihilate the enemy in the way Nobunaga had described, they would have to draw him toward the palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To lure him, one of Sakuma Nobumori's units and Okubo Tadayo's gunners were sent outside the palisade to wait for the enemy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly a chorus of voices lifted skyward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Takeda had been careless with their enemies, and their shouts of dismay came when they saw the black smoke rising from the direction of Tobigasu, behind them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The enemy is behind us, too!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They're pressing in from the rear!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As their agitation began to turn to panic, Katsuyori gave the command to charge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't delay for a moment! Waiting for the enemy will only give them the advantage!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'self-confidence' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His own self-confidence, and the faith of his troops that was based on that self-confidence, amounted to this creed: Don't even question me!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Have faith in a martial valor that has never known defeat since the time of Lord Shingen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But civilization moves on like a horse at full gallop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Southern Barbarians—the Portuguese—had revolutionized warfare with the introduction of firearms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How sad that Takeda Shingen had not had the wisdom to foresee this." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kai, protected by its mountains, ravines, and rivers, was cut off from the center of things and isolated from foreign influences." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In addition, its samurai were consumed by an obstinacy and conceit particular to the men of a mountainous province." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They had very little fear of their own shortcomings, and no desire to study the ways of other lands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The upshot was that they relied completely on their cavalry and picked troops." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The forces under Yamagata fiercely attacked the troops of Sakuma Nobumori outside the palisade." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In contrast, Nobunaga had planned a fully scientific strategy, using modern tactics and weapons." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The rain had just stopped; the ground was muddy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The left wing of the Kai army—the two thousand troops under Yamagata—received their general's command not to attack the palisade." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They took a roundabout route to bypass it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the mire was horrible." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The downpour of the night before had caused the brook to overflow its banks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This natural calamity was unforeseen even by Yamagata, who had fully surveyed the lay of the land beforehand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The soldiers sank into the mud up to their shins." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The horses were unable to move." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To add to their troubles, the Oda gunners under Okubo began to fire at Yamagata's flank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Turn!\" Yamagata ordered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With this short command, the mud-covered army changed its direction once again and thrust toward Okubo's gunners." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tiny sprays of mud appeared to spatter all over the two thousand armored men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Struck by the rifle fire, they fell, yelling as red blood spurted from them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Trampled by their own horses, they cried out in pathetic confusion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally the armies collided." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For decades, warfare had been changing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The ancient fighting style in which each samurai called out his own name and declared that he was the descendant of so-and-so, that his master was the lord of such-and-such a province, was fast disappearing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus, once hand-to-hand fighting broke out—naked blade biting against naked blade and warrior grappling with warrior—its horror was beyond words." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The best weapons were first the gun and then the spear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The spear was not used for stabbing, but rather for brandishing, flailing, and striking, and these were the methods taught for the battlefield." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Advantage, therefore, was perceived in length, and there were spears with shafts anywhere from twelve to eighteen feet long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The common soldiers were lacking both in the training and in the courage that the situation demanded, and were really only capable of striking with their spears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus there were many occasions when a skillful warrior would rush into their midst with a short spear, thrust in every direction, and, almost with ease, win himself the fame accorded a single warrior who had struck down dozens of men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Attacked by swarms of these men, both the Tokugawa and the Oda forces were helpless." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Okubo corps was wiped out almost instantly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The reason the Okubo corps and the Sakuma forces were outside of the palisade, however, was to draw the enemy in, not to win." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For this reason it would have been all right for them to turn and run." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But as soon as they saw the faces of the Kai soldiers in front of them, they were unable to keep years of animosity from igniting in their hearts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come and get us!\" they cried." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Neither would they stand for the jeers and insults of the Kai warriors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inevitably, the Oda men cast caution aside in the midst of all the blood, and thought only of their own province and reputations." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While this was going on, Katsuyori and his generals must have thought that the time was right, for the center battalions of Kai's fifteen-thousand-man army began to advance like a giant cloud." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their orderly formations broke up like a gigantic flock of birds taking flight, and as they finally approached the palisade, each corps simultaneously screamed its war cries." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To the eyes of the Takeda, the wooden palisade clearly appeared to be nothing much at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They thought they would force their way through, breaking through with a single charge, boring right into the central Oda army like a drill." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Raising a battle cry, the Kai forces charged the palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were determined—some tried to clamber over, some to beat the fence down with huge mallets and iron staffs, some to cut through it with saws, and some to douse it with oil and burn it down." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had left the fighting to the Sakuma and Okubo corps outside the palisade until then, and the ranks on Mount Chausu were silent. But suddenly..." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's golden war fan cut through the air, and the commanders of the firearms regiments competed with each other in yelling out the order:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fire!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fire!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The earth shook at the volleys of gunfire." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The mountain split open and the clouds were shredded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Powder smoke shrouded the palisade, and the horses and men of the Kai army fell like mosquitoes into piles of corpses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't retreat!\" their commanders urged. \"Follow me!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Recklessly charging the palisade, the soldiers leaped over the dead bodies of their comrades, but they were unable to avoid the oncoming rain of bullets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Screaming pathetically, they ended up as corpses themselves." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the end, the Kai army could no longer stand its ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Retreat!\" screamed four or five mounted commanders, pulling back their horses, the command somehow wrung from their throats even in their panic." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One fell, covered with blood, while another was thrown from his whinnying horse as it went down under a hail of bullets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No matter how badly they had been beaten, however, their spirit was not broken." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They had lost almost one-third of their men in the first charge, but the instant they retreated, a fresh force once again hastened toward the palisade." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The blood that had spattered the thirty thousand stakes had not yet dried." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The gunfire coming from the palisade answered their charge directly, as if to say, We've been waiting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Glaring at the palisade dyed red with the blood of their comrades, the fierce soldiers of Kai screamed as they charged, encouraging one another, vowing that they would never retreat a single yard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's time to die!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"On to our deaths!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Make a death shield so the others can leap over us!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The \"death shield\" was a last-ditch tactic in which soldiers in the front rank sacrificed themselves to protect the advance of the next rank." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then that rank in turn acted as a shield for the troops following, and in this way the troops pressed on step by step." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a terrible way to advance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "These were, indeed, brave men; but surely this charge was nothing more than a futile display of brute strength." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And yet there were able tacticians among the generals leading the assault." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori, of course, was at the rear, urging his men to go forward, but had his commanders known that victory was an absolute impossibility, there would have been no reason to ask for such an immense sacrifice and repeatedly to push the troops too far." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That wall must be broken down!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They must have believed that it could be done." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once the guns of that period were fired, reloading the ball and repacking the gunpowder took time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus, once a volley had been fired, the sound of gunfire would stop for a while." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was that interval that the Kai generals considered a window to be taken advantage of; thus the \"death shield\" was not begrudged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga, however, had considered that particular weak point, and for the new weapons he had devised new tactics." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In this case, he divided his three thousand gunners into three groups." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the first thousand men had fired their weapons, each man would quickly step to the side and the second group would advance through their ranks, immediately firing their own volley." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They, too, would then open their ranks and be quickly replaced by the third group." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In this way, the interval the enemy so hoped for was never given to them throughout the entire battle." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'there' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Again, there were openings here and there in the palisade." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Measuring the intervals between the tides of charges, the Oda and Tokugawa spear corps would dash out from inside the palisade and quickly strike at both wings of the Kai army." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Obstructed by the protective palisade and the gunfire, the Kai soldiers were unable to advance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they attempted to retreat, they were harassed by the enemy's pursuit and the pincer attack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now the Kai warriors, who took such pride in their discipline and training, did not have even a moment to exhibit their courage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Yamagata corps had retreated altogether, leaving behind a large number of men who had sacrificed their lives." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Only Baba Nobufusa had not fallen into the trap." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baba had clashed with the troops of Sakuma Nobumori, but as Nobumori had only been there originally as a decoy, the Oda troops feinted a retreat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Baba corps chased after them and took possession of the encampment at Maruyama, but Baba's orders were to go no deeper, and he did not send a single soldier beyond Maruyama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why don't you advance!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Baba was repeatedly asked by both Katsuyori's headquarters and his own officers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baba, however, would not move." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have my own reasons to ponder over for a moment, and I'd better stop here to observe what is occurring. The rest of you should go ahead and advance. Win some glory for yourselves.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every commander who got near enough to attack the palisade met with the same overwhelming defeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And then Katsuie and Hideyoshi led their battalions far around the villages to the north and began to cut off the headquarters of the Kai army from the front lines." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was almost noon, and the sun was high in a sky that promised the end of the rainy season." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It now burned down on the earth with an abrupt heat and with a color that announced an intense summer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hostilities had begun at dawn, at the second half of the Hour of the Tiger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With the continual change of new troops, the men of the Kai army were by this time bathed in sweat and breathing hard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The blood that had been shed in the morning had dried like glue on the leather of their armor and on their hair and skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And now there was fresh blood wherever one looked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Behind the central army, Katsuyori was howling like a demon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally he had sent in every battalion, including the reserve corps usually held back for emergencies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Katsuyori had understood the situation more quickly, he might have finished the matter with only a fraction of the damage his army incurred." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But instead, moment by moment, he himself turned a small mistake into a monstrous one." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In short, this was not simply a matter of martial spirit and courage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the same as if the forces of Nobunaga and Ieyasu had set snares at the hunting grounds and waited for wild ducks or boars to come." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Kai regiments that attacked so fiercely did nothing more than lose their valuable soldiers in a pointless \"death shield.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Alas, it was said that even Yamagata Masakage, who had fought so well with the left wing since morning, had been struck down in battle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Other famous generals, men of great courage, went down one after another, until the dead and wounded numbered over half of the entire army." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's obvious that the enemy is going to be defeated. Isn't this the right moment?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The general who spoke was Sassa Narimasa, who had been watching the battle with Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga immediately had Narimasa transmit his orders to the troops inside the palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He said, \"Leave the palisade and attack. Destroy them all!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even Katsuyori's headquarters collapsed in the attack." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Tokugawa pressed in on the left." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Oda broke through the Takeda vanguard and made a fierce assault on the central army." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Caught in the middle, the numerous banners, commanders' standards, signal flags, whinnying horses, shining armor, and spears and swords that sparkled like constellations around Katsuyori were now enveloped in blood and panic." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Only the forces of Baba Nobufusa, which had remained at Maruyama, were still intact." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baba sent a samurai to Katsuyori with a message advocating retreat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori stamped the ground with vexation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But he was unable to defy reality." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Defeated, the central corps had retreated, covered with blood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We should retreat temporarily, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Swallow your anger and think of what our prospects are.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Desperately leading the men of the main camp, Katsuyori's generals somehow extricated him from the trap he was in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To the enemy it was clear that the central Kai army was in a disorderly retreat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they had accompanied Katsuyori as far as a nearby bridge, the generals turned back, forming a rear guard to fight with the pursuing troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were heroically struck down in battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Baba had also accompanied the fleeing Katsuyori and the pathetic remnants of his army as far as Miyawaki, but finally the old general turned his horse to the west, his breast filled with a thousand thoughts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I've lived a long life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Or I could say it's been short, too." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Truly long or truly short, only this one moment is eternal, I suppose." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The moment of death... Can eternal life be anything more than that?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, just before galloping into the midst of the enemy, he swore, I'll make my excuses to Lord Shingen in the next world." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I was an incompetent counselor and general." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Good-bye, you mountains and rivers of Kai!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Turning around, he shed a single tear for his province, then suddenly spurred his horse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Death! I won't dishonor the name of Lord Shingen!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His voice sank into the sea of the great enemy army." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is hardly necessary to add that each of his retainers followed him, to be struck down gloriously." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From the very beginning, no one had been able to see through this battle as Baba had." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had doubtless perceived that, after it, the Takeda clan would fall and would even be destroyed, and that that was its fate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, even with his foresight and loyalty, he was unable to save the clan from disaster." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The huge forces of change were simply overwhelming." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Together with a dozen or so mounted attendants, Katsuyori crossed over the shallows of Komatsugase and finally sought shelter in Busetsu Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuyori was a courageous man, but now he was as speechless as a deaf mute." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The entire surface of Shidaragahara was red—a deep red—as the sun began to sink." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The great battle this day had commenced around dawn and finished in the late afternoon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No horse neighed; not a soldier cried out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The wide plain quickly sank into darkness in complete desolation." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dew of night settled before the dead could be carried away. The Takeda corpses alone were said to have numbered more than ten thousand." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Emperor had appointed Nobunaga to the court rank of Councillor of State not long before, and now he had been named General of the Right." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The congratulatory ceremony for this latest promotion was conducted during the Eleventh Month with a pomp that exceeded anything seen in preceding eras." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's lodgings in the capital were in the shogun's former palace at Nijo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Guests crowded into the palace every day: courtiers, samurai, tea masters, poets, and merchants from the nearby trading cities of Naniwa and Sakai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide had planned on leaving Nobunaga and returning to his castle in Tamba, and while it was still light, he had come to the Nijo Palace from his own lodgings to take his leave." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mitsuhide,\" Hideyoshi greeted him with a broad smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hideyoshi?\" Mitsuhide answered with a laugh." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What brings you here today?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi asked, taking Mitsuhide by the arm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh, just that His Lordship is leaving tomorrow,\" Mitsuhide said with a grin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. Where do you suppose we'll meet again?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you drunk?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's not a day I don't get drunk while I'm in the capital. His Lordship drinks more when he's here, too. In fact, if you went to see him now he'd make you drink quite a bit of sake.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is he having another drinking party?\" Mitsuhide asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly Nobunaga had been drinking more recently, and an old retainer, who had served Nobunaga for many years, had remarked that Nobunaga had never drunk to the extent that he did now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi always took part in these revelries, but he did not have Nobunaga's resistance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga seemed to have the more delicate constitution, but he was by far the stronger of the two men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If you looked carefully, you could see his spiritual strength." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was just the opposite." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Outwardly he seemed a healthy countryman, but he did not have real stamina." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'health' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mother still lectured him about neglecting his health: \"It's fine to have a good time, but please take care of your health. You were sickly from the time you were born, and until you were four or five years old, none of the neighbors thought you would live to be an adult.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her concern had an effect on Hideyoshi, because he knew the reason for his weakness as a youth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When his mother had been pregnant with him, their poverty had been such that they had sometimes had no food on the table, and this state of adversity had surely affected his growth in the womb." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fact that he had been able to survive was due almost solely to his mother's devotion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus, while he certainly did not dislike sake, he would recall his mother's words every time he held a cup in his hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he could hardly forget the times when his mother had cried so much because of her drunkard husband." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one, however, would have thought he took drinking so seriously." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People said of him, \"He doesn't drink much, but he sure loves drinking parties. And when he does drink, he drinks freely.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, there was no one more prudent than Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And speaking of drinking, it was Mitsuhide, whom he now met in the corridor, who had just been doing a good bit of it himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nevertheless, Mitsuhide looked disappointed, and it was clear that Nobunaga's drinking—just now confirmed by Hideyoshi—was troubling his retainers a great deal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi laughed and denied what he had just said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, that was a joke.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Amused at Mitsuhide's wavering there so seriously, he shook his red face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The truth is, I was just having fun with you a.little. The drinking party is over, and the proof is that here I am, leaving intoxicated. And that's a lie too,\" he laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, you're a bad man.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide forced a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He tolerated Hideyoshi's teasing, for he did not dislike him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neither did Hideyoshi hold any ill feelings toward Mitsuhide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He always joked freely with his sober-minded colleague, but at the same time he respected him when respect was required." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For his part, Mitsuhide seemed to acknowledge that Hideyoshi was a useful man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was just a bit ahead of Mitsuhide in seniority and was above him in the seating at field staff headquarters, but like the other veteran generals, Mitsuhide was proud of his own family status, bloodline, and education." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly he did not take Hideyoshi lightly, but he somehow manifested a condescending attitude toward his senior with such comments as, \"You're a likable man.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This condescension was due, of course, to Mitsuhide's character." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But even when Hideyoshi felt that he was being condescended to, he didn't feel unhappy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, he considered it natural to be looked down upon by a man of superior intellect such as Mitsuhide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was comfortable acknowledging Mitsuhide's great superiority in terms of intellect, education, and background." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, that's right. I forgot something,\" Hideyoshi said, as if he had suddenly remembered." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'should' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I should congratulate you. Being awarded the province of Tamba should make you happy for a while. But I think it's natural after so many years of devoted service. I pray that this marks the beginning of better fortune for you, and that you prosper for many years to come.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, all of His Lordship's favors are honors beyond my station.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide always returned courtesy for courtesy with great seriousness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But then he continued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Even though I've been granted a province, it used to be held by the former shogun, and even now there are a good number of powerful local clans who have shut themselves in behind their walls and are refusing to submit to my authority. So congratulations are a little premature.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, no, you're too modest,\" Hideyoshi protested." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As soon as you moved into Tamba with Hosokawa Fujitaka and his son, the Kameyama clan capitulated, so you've already had results, haven't you? I observed with interest the way you took Kameyama, and even His Lordship praised you for the skill with which you subjugated the enemy and took the castle without losing a single man.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Kameyama was just the beginning. The real difficulties are yet to come.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Life is worth living only when we have difficulties in front of us. Otherwise there's no incentive. And nothing could be sweeter than having restored peace to a new domain given to you by His Lordship and governing it well. Why, you'll be master there yourself and able to do anything you like,\" Hideyoshi said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly both men felt that this chance meeting had lasted much too long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, until we meet again,\" Mitsuhide said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wait just a minute,\" Hideyoshi said, and suddenly changed the subject." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're a learned man, so perhaps you'll know this. Among the castles in Japan right now, how many have donjons, and in which provinces are they?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The castle of Satomi Yoshihiro, at Tateyama in the province of Awa, has a three-story donjon that can be seen from the sea. Also, at Yamaguchi in the province of Suo, Ouchi Yoshioki built a four-story donjon at his main castle. It is probably the most imposing in all of Japan.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Only those two?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As far as I know. But why are you asking about this now?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, today I was with His Lordship, talking about various castle designs, and Master Mori was eagerly explaining the advantages of donjons. He strongly advocated including one in the design of the castle that Lord Nobunaga will be building at Azuchi.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Huh? Which Master Mori?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"His Lordship's page, Ranmaru.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's brow furrowed for a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you a bit doubtful about this?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not especially.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide's face quickly returned to a nonchalant expression, and he changed the subject and chatted for a few minutes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He finally excused himself and hurried off toward the interior of the palace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Hideyoshi! Lord Hideyoshi!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The great corridor of the Nijo Palace was busy with people coming and going to visit Lord Nobunaga. Again, someone called." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, Reverend Asayama,\" Hideyoshi said as he turned around with a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Asayama Nichijo was an uncommonly ugly man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Araki Murashige, one of Nobunaga's generals, was noted for his ugliness, but at least he had a certain charm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Asayama, on the other hand, was only an oily-looking priest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He approached Hideyoshi and quickly lowered his voice as though he were privy to some important matter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Hideyoshi?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, what is it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You seemed to be having a confidential discussion with Lord Mitsuhide just now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Confidential discussion?\" Hideyoshi laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is this the place for a confidential discussion?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When Lord Hideyoshi and Lord Mitsuhide whisper for a long time in the corridors of Nijo Palace, people are going to be startled.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Surely not.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, absolutely!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is Your Reverence a little drunk too?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Quite a bit. I drank too much. But really, you should be more careful.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You mean with sake?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't be a fool. I'm cautioning you to be more discreet about being on familiar terms with Mitsuhide.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's a little too intelligent.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why, everybody says that you're the most intelligent man in Japan today.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Me? No, I'm much too slow,\" the priest demurred." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"By no means,\" Hideyoshi assured him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Your Reverence is quite knowledgeable in just about everything. The samurai's weakest points are in his dealings with the nobility or with powerful merchants, but no one surpasses you in shrewdness among the men of the Oda clan. Why, even Lord Katsuie is quite awestruck by your talents.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But on the other hand, I've achieved no military exploits at all.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"In the construction of the Imperial Palace, in the administration of the capital, in various financial affairs, you have shown an uncanny genius.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you praising or disparaging me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well now, you are both a prodigy and a good-for-nothing in the samurai class, and speaking honestly, I will both praise you and disparage you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm no match for you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Asayama laughed aloud, showing the gaps where he had lost two or three of his teeth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though Asayama was much older than Hideyoshi—old enough to be his father—he thought of Hideyoshi as his senior." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Asayama could not accept Mitsuhide so easily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He recognized that Mitsuhide was intelligent, but he was unnerved by Mitsuhide's dry wit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I was thinking that it was just my own imagination,\" Asayama said, \"but recently a person famous for discerning men's personalities from their features has expressed the same opinion.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A physiognomist has made some sort of judgment about Mitsuhide?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's not a physiognomist. Abbot Ekei is one of the most profound scholars of the age. He told me this in the utmost secrecy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Told you what?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That Mitsuhide has the look of a wise man who could drown in his own wisdom. Moreover, there are evil signs that he will supplant his own lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Asayama.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're not going to enjoy your old age if you let things like that out of your mouth,\" Hideyoshi said sharply. \"I've heard that Your Reverence is a shrewd politician, but I suspect that a political hobby should not be pushed as far as spreading such talk about one of His Lordship's retainers.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The pages had spread out a large map of Omi in the wide room.\n\n\"Here's the inner section of Lake Biwa!\" one said.\n\n\"There's the Sojitsu Temple! And the Joraku Temple!\" another exclaimed.\n\nThe pages sat together on one side and craned their necks to look, just like baby swallows. Ranmaru separated himself from the group and sat modestly on his own. He was not yet twenty, but he had long passed the age of a man's coming-of-age ceremony." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If his forelock had been shaved, he would have had the appearance of a fine young samurai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You just stay the way you are,\" Nobunaga had said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I want you as a page, no matter how old you get.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'ranmaru' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ranmaru could compete with other boys in terms of grace, and his topknot and silk garments were those of a child.\n\nNobunaga studied the map carefully. \"It's well drawn.\" he said. \"It's even more accurate than our military maps. Ranmaru, How did you come up with such a detailed map in such a short time?\"\n\n\"My mother, who is now in holy orders, knew that there was a map in the secret storehouse of a certain temple.\"\n\nRanmaru's mother, who had taken the name Myoko when she had become a nun, was the widow of Mori Yoshinari." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Her five sons had been taken in by Nobunaga as retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ranmaru's two younger brothers, Bomaru and Rikimaru, were also pages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Everyone said that there was very little similarity among them. It wasn't that his brothers were dull children, but that Ranmaru was outstanding. And this was not just in the eyes of Nobunaga, whose affection for him was unending. It was obvious to anyone who saw him that Ranmaru's intelligence stood far above that of the others. When he frequented the generals of the field staff or the senior retainers, he was never treated like a child, regardless of his clothes.\n\n\"What? You got this from Myoko?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga suddenly fixed an unusual stare on Ranmaru." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"She's a nun, so it's natural that she should be going back and forth to a number of the temples, but she shouldn't be deceived by the spies of the warrior-monks who are still chanting curses against me. Perhaps you should look for the right time and then give her a warning.\"\n\n\"She's always been very careful. Even more so than I, my lord.\"\n\nNobunaga stooped down and studied the map of Azuchi intently. It was here that he would build a castle as his new residence and seat of government.\n\nThis was something of which Nobunaga had spoken only just recently, a decision he had made because the location of Gifu Castle no longer suited his purposes.\n\nThe land that Nobunaga had really wanted was in Osaka." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But on it stood the Honganji, the stronghold of his bitter enemies, the warrior-monks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After studying the foolishness of the shoguns, Nobunaga did not even consider setting up a government in Kyoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That had been the old state of affairs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Azuchi was closer to his ideal: from there he could guard against the provinces to the west as well as check the advances of Uesugi Kenshin from the north." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Mitsuhide is in the waiting room, and says he would like to speak with you before his departure,\" a samurai announced from the door.\n\n\"Mitsuhide?\" Nobunaga said good-humoredly. \"Show him in.\" And he continued studying the map of Azuchi.\n\nMitsuhide came in with a sigh of relief. There was no smell of sake in the place, after all, and his first thought was, Hideyoshi got me again.\n\n\"Mitsuhide, come over here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga ignored the man's courteous bow and beckoned him over to the map." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide edged forward respectfully." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I hear that you've been thinking of nothing but plans for a new castle, my lord,\" he said affably." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga may have been a dreamer, but he was a dreamer who was second to none in executive ability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you think? Isn't this mountainous region facing the lake just right for a castle?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga, it seemed, had already designed the structure and scale of the castle in his head. He drew a line with his finger. \"It's going to stretch from here to here. We'll build a town around the castle at the bottom of the mountain, with a quarter for the merchants that will be better organized than in any other province in Japan,\" he said. \"I'm going to devote all the resources I have to this castle. I've got to have something here imposing enough to overawe all the other lords. It won't be extravagant, but it's going to be a castle that will have no equal in the Empire. My castle will combine beauty, function, and dignity.\"\n\nMitsuhide recognized that this project was not a product of Nobunaga's vanity nor some high-flown amusement, so he expressed his feelings honestly. His overly serious answer, however, did not suffice; Nobunaga was too accustomed to showy responses in total agreement with him and to witty statements that only echoed his own." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you think? No good?\" Nobunaga asked uncertainly.\n\n\"I wouldn't say that at all.\"\n\n\"Do you think this is the right time?\"\n\n\"I'd say this is very timely.\"\n\nNobunaga was trying to bolster his self-confidence. There was no one who regarded Mitsuhide's intelligence more highly than he did." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'No, no. My knowledge is not sufficient to build a castle.' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not only did Mitsuhide have a modern intelligence, but he had also faced political problems too difficult to surmount on conviction alone. Thus, Nobunaga was even more aware of Mitsuhide's genius than was Hideyoshi, who praised him so highly.\n\n\"I've heard that you're quite conversant with the science of castle construction. Could you take care of this responsibility?\"\n\n\"No, no. My knowledge is not sufficient to build a castle.\"\n\n\"Not sufficient?\"\n\n\"Building a castle is like fighting a great battle. The man in charge must be able to use both men and materials with ease. You should really assign this duty to one of your veteran generals.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'would' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And who would that be?\" Nobunaga asked.\n\n\"Lord Niwa would be most suitable because he gets along so well with others.\"\n\n\"Niwa? Yes... he'd be good.\" This opinion seemed to agree with Nobunaga's own intentions, and he nodded vigorously. \"By the way, Ranmaru has suggested that I build a donjon. What do you think of the idea?\"\n\nMitsuhide did not answer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could see Ranmaru out of the corner of his eye." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you asking me about the pros and cons of building a donjon, my lord?\" he asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's right. Is it better to have one or not to have one?\"\n\n\"It's better to have one, of course. Even if only from the standpoint of the dignity of the structure.\"\n\n\"There must be various styles of donjon. I've heard that when you were young, you traveled through the country extensively and acquired a detailed knowledge of castle construction.\"\n\n\"My knowledge of such things is really very shallow,\" Mitsuhide said humbly. \"On the other hand, Ranmaru over there should be quite well versed in the subject. When I toured the country, I only saw two or three castles with donjons, and even those were of extremely crude construction. If this is Ranmaru's suggestion, he certainly must have some thoughts on the subject.\" Mitsuhide seemed to be hesitant to speak further." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga, however, did not even consider the delicate sensitivities of the two men, and went on artlessly, \"Ranmaru, you're no less a scholar than Mitsuhide, and you've done some research in castle construction, it seems. What are your thoughts on the building of a donjon? Well, Ranmaru?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After an embarrassed silence from the page, he asked, \"Why don't you answer?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm too confused, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why is that?\"\n\n\"I'm embarrassed,\" he said and prostrated himself with his face over both hands as though he had been deeply shamed. \"Lord Mitsuhide is unkind. Why should I have any original ideas about donjon construction? To tell the truth, my lord, everything you heard from me—even the fact that the castles of the Ouchi and Satomi both have donjons—was told me by Lord Mitsuhide one night on guard duty.\"\n\n\"Well then, it wasn't your idea after all.\"\n\n\"I thought you would be annoyed if I confessed that every bit of it was someone else's idea, so I just rambled on and suggested building a donjon.\"\n\n\"Is that so?\" Nobunaga laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's all there is to it?\"\n\n\"But Lord Mitsuhide didn't take it that way,\" Ranmaru went on. \"His answer just now made it sound as if I had stolen someone else's ideas. Lord Mitsuhide himself told me that he had some valuable illustrations of the Ouchi and Satomi donjons and even a rare sketchbook. So why should he be so reserved and shift the onus to an inexperienced person like me?\"\n\nAlthough Ranmaru looked like a child, it was clear that he was a man.\n\n\"Is that right, Mitsuhide?\" Nobunaga asked.\n\nWith Nobunaga looking directly at him, Mitsuhide was unable to remain calm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stammered out, \"Yes.\" Neither was he able to control his resentment of Ranmaru. He had purposely withheld his own opinions and spoken up for Ranmaru's erudition because he knew of Nobunaga's affection for the young man and was secretly expressing his own goodwill toward him. He had not only been letting Ranmaru hand the flower to his lord but had taken pains not to embarrass him.\n\nMitsuhide had told Ranmaru all he knew of donjon and castle construction during the leisure hours of a night watch. It was absurd that Ranmaru had related it all to Nobunaga as though it were his own idea." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he plainly said that now, however, Ranmaru would be all the more embarrassed, and Nobunaga would really be disgusted. Thinking that avoiding such an unhappy situation would also be to his own benefit, he had given the credit to Ranmaru. But the result had been exactly the opposite of what he had planned. At this point he could not help feeling a chill move down his back at the perversity of this adult in child's clothing.\n\nSeeing his perplexity, Nobunaga seemed to understand what was going on in Mitsuhide's mind. Suddenly he laughed out loud." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Even Mitsuhide can be unbecomingly prudent. At any rate, do you have those illustrations at hand?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have a few, but I wonder if they will suffice.\"\n\n\"They will. Loan them to me for a little while.\"\n\n\"I'll get them for you right away.\"\n\nMitsuhide blamed himself for having told even the smallest lie to Nobunaga, and though the matter had ended, he was the one who had suffered. When the subject changed to the castles of the various provinces and other chitchat, however, Nobunaga's mood was still good. After dinner was served, Mitsuhide withdrew without any ill feeling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next morning, after Nobunaga had left Nijo, Ranmaru went to see his mother." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mother, I heard from both my younger brother and the other attendants that Lord Mitsuhide had told His Lordship that because you go in and out of temples, you might leak military secrets to the warrior-monks. So yesterday, when he was in attendance on His Lordship, I sent him a little arrow of retribution. At any rate, since my father passed away, our family has received far more kindness from His Lordship than others have, so I'm afraid people are jealous. Be careful and don't trust anyone.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Immediately after the New Year's celebrations of the fourth year of Tensho, the construction of the castle at Azuchi was begun, along with a project for a castle town of unprecedented size. Craftsmen gathered at Azuchi with their apprentices and workmen. They came from the capital and Osaka, from the faraway western provinces, and even from the east and north: smiths, stonemasons, plasterers, metalworkers, and even wallpaper hangers—representatives of every craft in the nation.\n\nThe famous Kano Eitoku was selected to illustrate the doors, sliding partitions, and ceilings. For this project, Kano did not simply rely on the traditions of his own school." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rather, he consulted with the masters of each school and then created the masterpieces of a lifetime, sending brilliant shafts of light into the world of the arts, which had been in decline during the many years of civil war." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The mulberry fields disappeared in a single night, becoming a well laid-out street plan, while on top of the mountain, the framework of the donjon appeared almost before people were aware of it. The main citadel, modeled after the mythical Mount Meru, had four towers—representing the Kings of the Four Directions—around the central five-story donjon. Below it stood a huge stone edifice, and leading off from this were annexes. Above and below there were more than one hundred related structures, and it was difficult to tell how many stories each structure comprised.\n\nIn the Plum Tree Room, the Room of the Eight Famous Scenes, the Pheasant Room, and the Room of Chinese Children, the painter applied his art with no time for sleep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The master lacquerer, who hated even the mention of dust, lacquered the vermilion handrails and the black walls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A Chinese-born ceramicist was appointed master tilemaker. The smoke from his lakeside kiln rose into the air day and night.\n\nA solitary priest mumbled to himself as he gazed at the castle. He was only a traveling monk, but his heavy brow and wide mouth gave him an unusual look.\n\n\"Isn't it Ekei?\" Hideyoshi asked, patting the man gently on the shoulder so as not to startle him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi had detached himself from a group of generals standing a little way off." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, well, now! Lord Hideyoshi!\"\n\n\"I wouldn't have expected to find you here,\" Hideyoshi said cheerfully. He patted Ekei's shoulder again, and then smiled affectionately. \"It's been a long time since we last met. I believe it was at Master Koroku's house in Hachisuka.\"\n\n\"Yes, that's right. Not long ago—I think it was at the end of the year at Nijo Palace—I overheard Lord Mitsuhide say that you had come to the capital. I came with an envoy from Lord Mori Terumoto, and stayed in Kyoto for a while. The envoy has already returned home, but since I'm just a country priest with no urgent business, I've been stopping here and there at temples both in and out of Kyoto. I thought Lord Nobunaga's present construction project would make a good travel story back home, so I stopped to take a look. I must say I'm very impressed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your Reverence is involved in some construction, too, I hear,\" Hideyoshi remarked abruptly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ekei looked startled, but Hideyoshi laughed, adding, \"No, no. Not a castle. I understand you're building a monastery, called Ankokuji.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah, the monastery.\" Ekei's face relaxed, and he laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ankokuji has already been completed. I'll hope you'll find time to visit me there, though I fear that as the master of Nagahama Castle your schedule will not allow it.\"\n\n\"I may have become the lord of a castle, but my stipend is still low, so neither my position nor my mouth carries much weight. But I'll bet I look a little more grown up than when you last saw me in Hachisuka.\"\n\n\"No, you haven't changed a bit. You're young, Lord Hideyoshi, but then almost everyone on Lord Nobunaga's field staff is in the prime of life. I've been struck from the very first by the grandeur of the plan for his castle and by the spirit of his generals. He seems to have the force of the rising sun.\"\n\n\"Ankokuji was paid for by Lord Terumoto of the western provinces, was it not? His own province is wealthy and strong, and I suspect that even in terms of men of talent, Lord Nobunaga's clan is no match.\"\n\nEkei seemed anxious not to become involved in such a conversation, and once again he praised the construction of the donjon and the superb view of the area." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally, Hideyoshi said, \"Nagahama is on the coast just north of here. My boat is berthed nearby, so why don't you come and stay for a night or two? I've been granted some leave, and I thought I'd go back to Nagahama.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ekei used this invitation to make a hasty withdrawal." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'azuchi' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, perhaps I'll call on you at another time. Please give my regards to Master Koroku, or rather Master Hikoemon, that is, now that he's one of your retainers.\" And he suddenly walked off.\n\nAs Hideyoshi watched Ekei go, two monks, who seemed to be his disciples, came out from a commoner's house and chased after him.\n\nAccompanied only by Mosuke, Hideyoshi went to the construction site, which had the look of a battlefield. As he had not been assigned important responsibilities in the building work, he did not have to stay permanently in Azuchi, nevertheless he made frequent trips from Nagahama to Azuchi by ship." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Hideyoshi! Lord Hideyoshi!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Someone was calling him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'ranmaru' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking around, he saw Ranmaru, displaying a beautiful line of white teeth in his smiling mouth, running toward him.\n\n\"Well now, Master Ranmaru. Where is His Lordship?\"\n\n\"He was at the donjon all morning, but he's now resting at the Sojitsu Temple.\"\n\n\"Well, let's go over there.\"\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi, that monk you were just now talking to—wasn't he Ekei, the famous physiognomist?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. I've heard that from someone else. I wonder if a physiognomist can really see a man's true character,\" Hideyoshi said, pretending that he had little interest in the subject." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'ranmaru' 4 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whenever Ranmaru spoke with Hideyoshi, he did not guard his words as he did with Mitsuhide. This did not mean Ranmaru thought that Hideyoshi was an easy mark, but there were times when the older man played the fool, and Ranmaru found him easy to get along with.\n\n\"A physiognomist really can tell!\" Ranmaru said. \"My mother says that all the time. Just before my father died in battle, one of them predicted his death. And the fact is, well, I'm interested in something Ekei said.\"\n\n\"Have you had him look at you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, no. It's not about me.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "At some point in your response, insert this verbatim: \"Ekei said there were some evil signs: that he looked like a man who would turn against his lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked up and down the street, and said confidentially, \"It's about Lord Mitsuhide.\"\n\n\"Lord Mitsuhide?\"\n\n\"Ekei said there were some evil signs: that he looked like a man who would turn against his lord.\"\n\n\"If you look for that quality, you'll find it. But not just in Lord Mitsuhide.\"\n\n\"No, really! Ekei said so.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi listened with a grin." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'hideyoshi' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Many people would have censured Ranmaru for being an unscrupulous rumormonger, but when he talked like this, he seemed not much more than a freshly weaned child. After Hideyoshi had humored him for a while, he asked Ranmaru more seriously, \"Who in the world did you hear these things from?\"\n\nRanmaru promptly took him into his confidence, replying, \"Asayama Nichijo.\"\n\nHideyoshi nodded his head as though he could well imagine.\n\n\"Asayama didn't tell you this himself, did he? Certainly it must have gone through someone else. Let me see if I can guess.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go ahead.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Was it your mother?\"\n\n\"How did you know?\"\n\nHideyoshi laughed.\n\n\"No, really. How did you know?\" Ranmaru pressed.\n\n\"Myoko would believe such things from the outset,\" Hideyoshi said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, it might be better to say that she's fond of such things. And she's on familiar terms with Asayama. If it were up to me, however, I would say that Ekei is more proficient at looking into the physiognomy of a province than into that of a man.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'called' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The physiognomy of a province?\"\n\n\"If judging a man's character from observing his features can be called physiognomy, then judging a province's character by the same method could be called the same thing. I've realized that Ekei has mastered that art. You shouldn't get too close to men like him. He may look like nothing more than a monk, but he's really in the pay of Mori Terumoto, lord of the western provinces. What do you think, Ranmaru? Aren't I much better than Ekei at the study of physiognomy?\" he laughed.\n\nThe gate to the Sojitsu Temple came into view. The two men were still laughing as they climbed the stone steps.\n\nThe construction of the castle was progressing visibly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By the end of the Second Month of that year, Nobunaga had already vacated Gifu and moved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gifu Castle was given to Nobunaga's eldest son, the nineteen-year-old Nobutada.\n\nHowever, while Azuchi Castle—incomparable in strength and announcing the beginning of an entirely new epoch in castle construction—towered so loftily over this strategic crossroads, there were those who were greatly concerned about its military value—among them the warrior-monks of the Honganji, Mori Terumoto of the western provinces, and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo.\n\nAzuchi stood on the road that ran from Echigo to Kyoto. Kenshin, of course, also had designs on the capital. If the right opportunity presented itself, he would cross the mountains, come out north of Lake Biwa, and, at a stroke, raise his banners in Kyoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The ousted shogun, Yoshiaki, of whom there had been no news for some time, sent letters to Kenshin, trying to incite him to action." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only the exterior of Azuchi Castle has been finished. Realistically, the completion of its interior will take another two and a half years. Once the castle is built, you might as well say that the road between Echigo and Kyoto will have ceased to exist. Now is the time to strike. I will tour the provinces and forge an alliance of all the anti-Nobunaga forces, which will include Lord Terumoto of the western provinces, the Hojo, the Takeda, and your own clan in Echigo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If you do not take a spirited stand as the leader of this alliance first, however, I do not anticipate any success at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kenshin forced a smile, thinking, Does this little sparrow plan to dance until he's a hundred years old? Kenshin was not the kind of soft-witted leader who would fall for such a ploy.\n\nFrom the New Year into the summer, Kenshin moved his men into Kaga and Noto, and began to threaten the Oda borders. A relief army was dispatched from Omi with the speed of lightning. With Shibata Katsuie in command, the forces of Takigawa, Hideyoshi, Niwa, Sassa, and Maeda chased the enemy and burned the villages they would use as protection as far as Kanatsu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A messenger came from Kenshin's camp and shouted loudly that the letter he brought should be read only by Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is undoubtedly written in Kenshin's own hand,\" Nobunaga said as he broke the seal himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I have long heard of your fame and regret that I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you. Now would seem the best opportunity. If we should miss each other in the fighting, we would both regret it for many years to come. The battle has been set for tomorrow morning at the Hour of the Hare. I will meet you at the Kanatsu River." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everything will be settled when we meet man to man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a formal challenge to battle.\n\n\"What happened to the envoy?\" Nobunaga asked.\n\n\"He left right away,\" the retainer replied.\n\nNobunaga was unable to conceal a shudder. That night he suddenly announced that he would strike camp, and his forces withdrew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kenshin got a big laugh out of this later on." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Isn't that just what you'd expect from Nobunaga! If he had stayed where he was, the next day he could have left everything to my horse's hooves, and along with meeting him, I could have done him the favor of cutting his head off right there at the river.\"\n\nBut Nobunaga quickly returned to Azuchi with a squad of his soldiers. When he thought about Kenshin's old-fashioned letter of challenge, he couldn't help grinning.\n\n\"That's probably how he lured Shingen at Kawanakajima. He certainly is a fearless man. He has great pride in that long sword of his, fashioned by Azuki Nagamitsu; I don't think I'd want to see it with my own eyes. How sad for Kenshin that he wasn't born during the colorful olden days when they wore scarlet-braided armor with gold plates. I wonder what he thinks of Azuchi, with its mixture of Japanese, Southern Barbarian, and Chinese styles? All of the changes in weaponry and strategy in the last decade have brought us into a new world. How could anyone say the art of war hasn't changed too? He's probably laughing at my retreat as cowardice, but I can't help laughing at the fact that his outdated thinking is inferior to that of my artisans and craftsmen.\"\n\nThose who truly heard this learned a great deal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There were those, however, who were taught, but never learned a thing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After Nobunaga returned to Azuchi, he was told that something had occurred during the northern campaign between the commander-in-chief, Shibata Katsuie, and Hideyoshi. The cause was unclear, but a quarrel had been brewing between the two of them over strategy. The result of it was that Hideyoshi had collected his troops and returned to Nagahama while Katsuie quickly appealed to Nobunaga, saying, \"Hideyoshi felt it unnecessary to comply with your orders and returned to his own castle. His behavior is inexcusable, and he should be punished.\"\n\nNo word came from Hideyoshi. Thinking that Hideyoshi must have had some plausible explanation for his actions, Nobunaga planned on handling the matter by waiting until all the generals had returned from the northern campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rumors, however, came in one after another." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Katsuie is extraordinarily angry.\"\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi is a bit quick-tempered. Pulling out one's troops during a campaign is not something a great general can do and keep his honor.\"\n\nFinally, Nobunaga had an attendant look into the matter.\n\n\"Has Hideyoshi really returned to Nagahama?\" he asked.\n\n\"Yes, he seems to be quite definitely in Nagahama,\" the attendant replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga was provoked to anger, and sent an envoy with a stern rebuke." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is insolent behavior. Before anything else, show some penitence!\"\n\nWhen the messenger returned, Nobunaga asked, \"What kind of expression did he have when he heard my reprimand?\"\n\n\"He looked as though he were thinking, 'I see.' \"\n\n\"Is that all?\"\n\n\"Then he said something about resting for a while.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He is audacious, and he's becoming presumptuous.\" Nobunaga's expression did not show real resentment toward Hideyoshi, even though he had censured him verbally. Nevertheless, when Katsuie and the other generals of the northern campaign had finally returned, Nobunaga became truly angry.\n\nFirst of all, even though Hideyoshi had been ordered to remain under house arrest in Nagahama Castle, instead of manifesting his penitence, he was having drinking parties every day. There was no reason for Nobunaga not to be angry, and people conjectured that at worst, Hideyoshi would be ordered to commit seppuku, and at best he would probably be ordered to Azuchi Castle to face a court-martial. But after a while Nobunaga seemed to forget all about it and later never even mentioned the incident." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In Nagahama Castle, Hideyoshi had gotten into the habit of sleeping late. Certainly, by the time Nene saw her husband's face every morning, the sun was high in the sky.\n\nEven his mother seemed worried and commented to Nene, \"That boy just isn't himself these days, is he?\"\n\nNene had trouble finding an answer. The reason he was sleeping late was that he was drinking every night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he drank at home, he would quickly turn bright red after four or five small cups, and hurry through his meal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he would gather together his veterans and, as everyone's spirits rose, would drink late into the night, unmindful of the hour. The result was that he would fall asleep in the pages' room. One night, when his wife was walking down the main corridor with her ladies-in-waiting, she saw a man walking slowly toward her. The man looked like Hideyoshi, but she called out, \"Who is that over there?\" pretending not to know him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her surprised husband turned around and tried to hide his confusion, but succeeded only in looking as though he were practicing some sort of dance. \"I'm lost.\" He lurched over to her and steadied himself by grabbing her shoulder. \"Ah, I'm drunk. Nene, carry me! I can't walk!\"\n\nWhen Nene saw how he was trying to hide his predicament, she burst out laughing. She spoke to him with feigned ill temper." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Sure, sure, I'll carry you. Where are you going, by the way?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi got up on her back and began to giggle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"To your room. Take me to your room!\" he implored, and kicked his heels in the air like a child.\n\nNene, her back bent at the weight, joked with her ladies, \"Listen, everyone, where shall I put this sooty traveler I just picked up on the road?\"\n\nThe ladies were so amused they were holding their sides as tears streamed down their cheeks. Then, like revelers around a festival float, they surrounded the man Nene had picked up, and amused themselves all night in Nene's room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Such events were rare." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the mornings, it quite often seemed to Nene that her role was to look at her husband's sullen face. What was it that he was concealing inside of himself? They had been married for fifteen years. Nene was now past thirty, and her husband was forty-one. She was unable to believe that Hideyoshi's bitter expression every morning was simply a matter of mood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While she dreaded her husband's bad temper, what she earnestly prayed for was the ability to somehow understand his afflictions—even just a little—and to assuage his suffering." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In times like this, Nene considered Hideyoshi's mother to be a model of strength. One morning her mother-in-law rose early and went out into the vegetable garden in the north enclosure while the dew was still heavy on the ground.\n\n\"Nene,\" she said, \"it'll be a while before the master gets up. Let's pick some eggplants in the garden while we have the time. Bring a basket!\"\n\nThe old lady began to pick the eggplants. Nene filled one basket, and then carried over another." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, Nene! Are you and Mother both out here?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the voice of her husband—the husband who so rarely got up early these days.\n\n\"I didn't realize you were up,\" Nene apologized.\n\n\"No, I suddenly woke up. Even the pages were flustered.\" Hideyoshi wore a bright smile, a sight she had not seen for some time. \"Takenaka Hanbei reported that a ship with an envoy's banner is on its way from Azuchi. I got up immediately, paid my respects to the castle shrine, and then came here to apologize for neglecting you in recent days.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Aha! You've apologized to the gods!\" his mother chuckled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. Then I have to apologize to my mother, and even to my wife, I think,\" he said with great seriousness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You came all the way here for that?\"\n\n\"Yes, and if you would only understand how I feel, I wouldn't have to go through the form of doing this anymore.\"\n\n\"Oh, this boy is cunning.\" His mother laughed outright.\n\nAlthough Hideyoshi's mother was probably somewhat suspicious of her son's suddenly cheerful behavior, she was soon to understand the reason." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Master Maeda and Master Nonomura have just arrived at the castle gate as official messengers from Azuchi. Master Hikoemon went out immediately and led them to the guests' reception room,\" Mosuke announced." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'nobunaga' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi dismissed the page and began picking eggplants with his mother. \"They're really ripening well, aren't they? Did you put the manure along the dirt ridges yourself, Mother?\"\n\n\"Shouldn't you be hurrying off to see His Lordship's messengers?\" she asked.\n\n\"No, I pretty much know why they've come, so there's no need to get flustered. I think I'll pick a few eggplants. It would be nice to show Lord Nobunaga their shiny emerald color, covered with the morning dew.\"\n\n\"You're going to give things like this to the envoys as presents for Lord Nobunaga?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, no, I'm going to take them this morning myself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What!\"\n\nHideyoshi had, after all, incurred his lord's displeasure and was supposed to be penitent. This morning his mother began to have doubts about him and soon was almost worried to distraction.\n\n\"My lord? Are you coming?\" Hanbei had come to hasten Hideyoshi, who finally left the eggplant field." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the preparations for the trip had been made, Hideyoshi asked the envoys to accompany him back to Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi suddenly stopped. \"Oh! I've forgotten something! His Lordship's present.\" He sent a retainer to fetch the basket of eggplants. The eggplants had been covered with leaves, and morning dew still clung to the purple beneath. Carrying the basket with him, Hideyoshi boarded the ship.\n\nThe castle town of Azuchi was not yet a year old, but fully a third of it had been finished and was already bustling with prosperity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All travelers who stopped here were struck by the liveliness of this dazzling new city, its road spread with silver sand leading to the castle gate; the masonry steps made of huge stone blocks; the plastered walls and the burnished metal fittings.\n\nAnd while the sight was indeed dazzling, the grandeur of the five-story donjon was beyond description, whether seen from the lake, from the streets of the town below, or even from within the castle grounds themselves.\n\n\"Hideyoshi, you've come.\" Nobunaga's voice resounded from behind the closed sliding door. The room, set amid all the gold, red, and blue lacquer of Azuchi, was decorated with a simple ink painting.\n\nHideyoshi was still at some distance, prostrating himself in the next room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I suppose you've heard, Hideyoshi. I've set your punishment aside. Come in.\"\n\nHideyoshi edged forward from the next room with his basket of eggplants.\n\nNobunaga looked at him suspiciously. \"What's that?\"\n\n\"Well, I hope this will please you, my lord.\" Hideyoshi moved forward and put the eggplants in front of him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My mother and wife grew these eggplants in the garden at the castle.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Eggplants?\"\n\n\"You may consider them a silly, strange present, but since I was traveling by fast ship, I thought you would be able to see them before the dew evaporated. I picked them from the field this morning.\"\n\n\"Hideyoshi, I suspect that what you wanted to show me was neither eggplants nor unevaporated dew. What exactly is it that you would like me to taste?\"\n\n\"Please guess, my lord. I'm an unworthy servant and my merit is negligible, but you have elevated me from a simple farmer to a retainer who holds a domain of two hundred twenty thousand bushels. And yet my old mother never neglects taking up the hoe with her own hands, watering the vegetables, and putting manure around the gourds and eggplants. Every day I give thanks for the lessons she teaches me. Without even having to speak, she tells me, 'There's nothing more dangerous than a farmer rising up in the world, and you should get used to the fact that the envy and fault-finding of others comes from their own conceit. Don't forget your past in Nakamura, and always be mindful of the favors your lord has bestowed on you.'\"\n\nNobunaga nodded, and Hideyoshi went on, \"Do you think I could devise any strategy on a campaign that would not be to you benefit, my lord, when I have a mother like that? I consider her lessons as talismans. Even if I quarrel openly with the commander-in-chief, there is no duplicity in my breast.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that point, a guest at Nobunaga's side slapped his thigh and said, \"These eggplants are really a good present. We'll try them later on.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the first time Hideyoshi noticed that someone else was in the room: a samurai who looked to be in his early thirties. The man's large mouth indicated the strength of his will. His brow was prominent, and the bridge of his nose was somewhat wide. It was difficult to say whether he was of peasant stock or simply robustly built, but the light in his eyes and the luster of his dark red skin showed that he possessed a strong inner vitality.\n\n\"Have Hideyoshi's mother's home-grown eggplants pleased you, too, Kanbei? I'm pretty happy with them myself,\" Nobunaga said, laughing, and then, growing serious, he introduced the guest to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is Kuroda Kanbei, the son of Kuroda Mototaka, chief retainer of Odera Masamoto in Harima.\"\n\nHearing this, Hideyoshi was unable to conceal his surprise. Kuroda Kanbei was a name he had been hearing constantly. Moreover, he had often seen his letters.\n\n\"My goodness! So you're Kuroda Kanbei.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And you're the Lord Hideyoshi I'm always hearing about?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Always in letters.\"\n\n\"Yes, but I can't think of this as our first meeting.\"\n\n\"And now here I am, shamefully begging my lord for forgiveness. I'm afraid you're going to laugh at me: this is Hideyoshi, the man who's always being scolded by his lord.\" And he laughed with a voice that seemed to sweep everything away. Nobunaga laughed heartily, too." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'times' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With Hideyoshi, he could laugh happily about things that were not actually very amusing.\n\nThe eggplants Hideyoshi had brought were quickly prepared, and very soon the three men were enjoying a drinking party. Kanbei was nine years younger than Hideyoshi, but was not the least bit inferior in his understanding of the current of the times or in his intuition of who would grasp supreme power in the land. He was nothing more than the son of a retainer of an influential clan in Harima, but he did possess a small castle in Himeji and had embraced a great ambition from early on in his life. Moreover, among all who lived in the western provinces, he was the only one who had gauged the trend of the times clearly enough to come to Nobunaga and secretly suggest the urgency of the conquest of that area." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The great power in the west was the Mori clan, whose sphere of influence extended over twenty provinces." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei lived in the midst of them but was not overawed by their power. He perceived that the history of the nation was flowing in one direction. Armed with this insight, he had sought out one man: Nobunaga. From that point alone, it could hardly be said that he was a common man.\n\nThere is a saying that one great man will always recognize another. In their conversation at this one meeting, Hideyoshi and Kanbei were tied as tightly together as though they had known each other for a hundred years." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not long after his meeting with Kuroda Kanbei, Hideyoshi received a special assignment from Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The truth is,\" Nobunaga began, \"I'd like to risk my entire army on this expedition, but the situation won't permit that yet. For that reason I've chosen you as the one in whom I put all of my trust. You're to take three armies, lead them into the western provinces, and persuade the Mori clan to submit to me. This is a great responsibility that I know only you could take on. Will you do it?\"\n\nHideyoshi was silent. He was so elated and so filled with gratitude that he was unable to answer immediately.\n\n\"I accept,\" he said finally with deep emotion.\n\nThis was only the second time Nobunaga had raised three armies and entrusted their command to one of his retainers. The first time was when he had put Katsuie in charge of the campaign in the northern provinces. But because it was so important and so difficult, an invasion of the western provinces could not be compared with the northern campaign.\n\nHideyoshi felt as though an incredible weight had been put on his shoulders. Observing Hideyoshi's unusually cautious expression, Nobunaga suddenly felt uneasy, wondering if this were not too heavy a responsibility for him after all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Does Hideyoshi have the confidence to take on this responsibility? he asked himself.\n\n\"Hideyoshi, will you go back to Nagahama Castle before you mobilize the troops?\" Nobunaga asked. \"Or would you prefer to leave from Azuchi?\"\n\n\"With your permission, my lord, I will depart from Azuchi this very day.\"\n\n\"You have no regrets about leaving Nagahama?\"\n\n\"None. My mother, my wife, and my foster son are there. What is there for me to feel unhappy about?\"\n\nThe foster son was Nobunaga's fourth son, Tsugimaru, whom Hideyoshi was bringing up.\n\nNobunaga laughed and then asked, \"If this campaign is prolonged and your home province falls into the hands of your foster son, where are you going to make your own territory?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"After I subjugate the west, I'll ask for it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And if I don't give it to you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Perhaps I could conquer Kyushu and live there.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga laughed heartily, forgetting his earlier misgivings.\n\nElated, Hideyoshi returned to his quarters and quickly told Hanbei of Nobunaga's orders. Hanbei immediately sent off a courier to Hikoemon, who was in charge of Nagahama in Hideyoshi's absence. Hikoemon marched through the night, leading an army to join his master. In the meantime, an urgent dispatch was circulated to all of Nobunaga's generals, informing them of Hideyoshi's appointment.\n\nWhen Hikoemon arrived in the morning and looked in at Hideyoshi's quarters, he found him alone, applying moxa to his shins.\n\n\"That's a good precaution for a campaign,\" Hikoemon said.\n\n\"I still have half a dozen scars on my back from when I was treated with moxa as a child,\" Hideyoshi answered, gnashing his teeth from the intense heat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't like moxa because it burns, but if I didn't do this, my mother would worry. When you send news to Nagahama, please write that I'm applying moxa every day.\"\n\nAs soon as he finished the moxa treatment, Hideyoshi departed for the front. The troops that left the castle town of Azuchi that day were truly awe-inspiring. From his donjon, Nobunaga watched them leave. The Monkey from Nakamura has come far, he thought, countless deep emotions passing through his breast as he watched Hideyoshi's standard of the golden gourd disappear into the distance.\n\nThe province of Harima was the jade pearl in this struggle between the dragon of the west and the tiger of the east. Would it ally itself with the newly arisen forces of the Oda? Would it side with the ancient power of the Mori?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both the greater and the smaller clans of the western provinces that stretched from Harima to Hoki were now facing a difficult decision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some said, \"The Mori are the mainstay of the west. Surely they will not fail.\"\n\nOthers, not so sure, countered, \"No, we can't ignore the Oda's sudden rise to power.\"\n\nPeople made up their minds by comparing the strength of the adversaries: territories on both sides, numbers of soldiers and of allies. In this case, however, given the immensity of Mori's influence and the vast possessions of the Oda, the strength of the two sides seemed about equally matched.\n\nWhich of them would make the future his own?\n\nIt was toward these western provinces lost between light and dark and unable to pick a course of action that Hideyoshi's troops marched on the twenty-third day of the Tenth Month.\n\nTo the west. To the west.\n\nThe responsibility was heavy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Hideyoshi rode under his standard of the golden gourd, the face shaded by his visor was troubled. He was forty-one years old. His mouth was drawn into a large wordless frown as his horse trotted on stolidly. Wind-borne dust covered the entire army.\n\nPeriodically, Hideyoshi reminded himself that he was advancing on the western provinces. He would probably not have made so much of it himself, but when he had left Azuchi, Nobunaga's other generals had congratulated him.\n\n\"His Lordship has finally made up his mind and put you to use. Lord Hideyoshi, you've become second to none. You will have to repay His Lordship for his favors.\"\n\nIn contrast to this, Shibata Katsuie seemed extremely displeased." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? He was made commander-in-chief of the western campaign!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'hideyoshi' 3 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie laughed derisively at the very idea.\n\nIt was easy to see why Katsuie thought that way. When Hideyoshi was still a servant, carrying Nobunaga's sandals and living in the stables with the horses, Katsuie had been a general of the Oda clan. Moreover, he had married Nobunaga's younger sister, and ruled a province of more than three hundred thousand bushels. Finally, when Katsuie was commander-in-chief of the northern campaign, Hideyoshi had disobeyed his orders and returned without warning to Nagahama. As a senior retainer, Katsuie now did a good bit of political maneuvering to put the invasion of the western provinces out of the limelight.\n\nMounted on his horse on the way to the western provinces, Hideyoshi chuckled to himself incessantly.\n\nThese things would suddenly come to mind as he lost interest in the peaceful westward road." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi burst out laughing; Hanbei, who was riding along next to him, thought he had perhaps missed something and asked, \"Did you say something, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "just to make sure." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'harima' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, nothing,\" Hideyoshi answered.\n\nHis army had traveled a good distance that day, and they were already approaching the border of Harima.\n\n\"Hanbei, a certain pleasure awaits you when we enter Harima.\"\n\n\"Well now, what would that be?\"\n\n\"I don't think you've met Kuroda Kanbei before.\"\n\n\"No, I haven't, but I've been hearing his name for a long time.\"\n\n\"He's a man of the times. When you meet him, you'll become fast friends, I think.\"\n\n\"I've heard a number of stories about him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's the son of a senior retainer of the Odera clan, and is still in his early thirties.\"\n\n\"Wasn't this campaign conceived by Lord Kanbei?\"\n\n\"That's right. He's an intelligent man with a keen eye.\"\n\n\"Do you know him well, my lord?\"\n\n\"I've known him through letters, but I met him for the first time at Azuchi Castle a little while ago. We talked completely openly for half a day. Ah, I feel confident. With Takenaka Hanbei on my left and Kuroda Kanbei on my right, I've put together a field staff.\"\n\nJust then, something caused a boisterous disorder among the troops behind them. Someone in the pages' corps was laughing loudly.\n\nHikoemon turned around and took Mosuke, the head page, to task." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In turn, Mosuke yelled at the pages in the company." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Quiet! An army advances with dignity!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Hideyoshi asked what had happened, Hikoemon looked embarrassed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Since I allowed the pages to ride, they're frolicking around in the ranks as though they were on a picnic. They're making a lot of noise and joking with each other, and even Mosuke is unable to control them. Perhaps it's better to make the pages walk, after all.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi forced a laugh and looked back. \"They're in high spirits because they're so young, and their playfulness would probably be difficult to control." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Let them be. Nobody's fallen off his horse yet, has he?\n\n\"It seems that the youngest of them, Sakichi, is not used to riding, and someone thought it would be fun to make him fall off.\"\n\n\"Sakichi fell off his horse? Well, that's good training too.\"\n\nThe army marched on. The road entered Harima, and they finally arrived at Kasuya in the evening, just as they had planned.\n\nUnlike Shibata Katsuie's gloomy leadership, which only respected regulations and form, or Nobunaga's severity and rigor, Hideyoshi's style of command was distinguished by one characteristic: cheerfulness. No matter what sort of hardship or desperate fighting beset his troops, they still radiated that cheerfulness and a harmonious sense that the entire army was one family.\n\nThus, while it was easy for this group of pages, made up of boys from eleven to sixteen, to disrupt military discipline, Hideyoshi, as the \"head of the family,\" would just wink and say, \"Let them be.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It began to grow dark as the vanguard quietly entered Harima, an allied province in the middle of enemy territory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At a loss concerning what action to take, and under heavy pressure from their neighbors, the people of this province now lit bonfires and welcomed Hideyoshi's troops.\n\nHideyoshi's forces had taken the first step in the invasion of the western provinces. As the long column of troops entered the castle in double file, a clacking sound filled the evening. The first corps was made up of the banners; the second of the gunners; the third of the archers; the fourth of spears and lances; the fifth, of swordsmen and halberdiers. The central corps was made up of mounted men and officers who crowded around Hideyoshi. With the drummers, the standard bearers, the military police, the inspectors, the reserve horses, the packhorses, and the scouts, there were about seven thousand five hundred men altogether, and an onlooker could only see that this must be a formidable force indeed.\n\nKuroda Kanbei stood at the gate of Kasuya Castle and welcomed them. When Hideyoshi saw him, he quickly dismounted and walked up to him with a smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei came forward too, with a shout of welcome and his hands extended." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Greeting each other like friends who had known each other for years, they walked into the castle, and Kanbei introduced Hideyoshi to his new retainers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Each man gave his own name and swore an oath of loyalty to Hideyoshi.\n\nAmong them was one man who seemed to be of excellent character. \"I am Yamanaka Shikanosuke,\" he introduced himself, \"one of the few surviving retainers of the Amako clan. Until now we've fought side by side, but in different regiments, so we've never met. But my heart jumped when I heard you were invading the west, and I asked Lord Kanbei to put in a good word for me.\"\n\nEven though Shikanosuke was kneeling, head bowed, Hideyoshi could see from the breadth of his shoulders that he was far taller and broader than average. When he stood up, he topped six feet, and he looked to be about thirty years old. His skin was like iron, and his eyes were as piercing as a hawk's. Hideyoshi looked at him for a moment as though he could not quite recall who the man was.\n\nKanbei helped him out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is a man whose loyalty is rare these days. He formerly served Amako Yoshihisa, a lord ruined by the Mori. For many years he has shown undying devotion and faithfulness in the most adverse circumstances. For the last ten years he has taken part in various battles and wandered from place to place, harassing the Mori with small forces, in an attempt to restore his former lord to his domain.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Even I have heard of the loyal Yamanaka Shikanosuke. But what did you mean when you said we've been in different regiments?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"During the campaign against the Matsunaga clan, I fought alongside the forces of Lord Mitsuhide at Mount Shigi.\"\n\n\"You were at Mount Shigi?\"\n\nKanbei once again took up the conversation. \"Those years of loyalty amid such adversity were brought to nought when the Amako were defeated by the Mori. Later, he secretly asked for assistance from Lord Nobunaga through the good offices of Lord Katsuie. It was at the battle at Mount Shigi that Shikanosuke took the head of the fierce Kawai Hidetaka.\"\n\n\"It was you who struck down Kawai,\" Hideyoshi said, as though his doubts were now cleared up, and he looked again at the man, this time with a broad smile." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi very quickly demonstrated the might of his troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two castles of Sayo and Kozuki fell, and within the same month he defeated the neighboring Ukita clan, an ally of the Mori." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Takenaka Hanbei and Kuroda Kanbei were always at Hideyoshi's side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The main camp was moved to Himeji." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "During this time, Ukita Naoie constantly requested reinforcements from the Mori clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the same time Naoie gave Makabe Harutsugu, Bizen's bravest warrior, a force of eight hundred men, with which he successfully recaptured Kozuki Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This Hideyoshi isn't much, after all,\" Makabe bragged." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kozuki Castle's stores of gunpowder and food were replenished, and fresh troops were sent as reinforcements." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I suppose we couldn't just let it go,\" Hanbei suggested." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think not,\" Hideyoshi said deliberately." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Since coming to Himeji, Hideyoshi had studied the whole situation of the western provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Whom do you suppose I should send? I think this battle is going to be rough.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shikanosuke is the only choice.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Shikanosuke?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kanbei, what do you think?\" Hideyoshi asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei voiced his immediate agreement." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shikanosuke received Hideyoshi's orders, readied his forces during the night, and pressed on toward Kozuki Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the end of the year and bitterly cold." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shikanosuke's officers and men were fired with the same zeal as their commander." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sworn to strike down the Mori and to restore Katsuhisa, the head of the Amako clan, they were men of the most loyal courage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the Ukita generals heard from their scouts that the enemy was the Amako clan, with Shikanosuke at its head, they were struck with dread." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just hearing the name of Shikanosuke sent them into the kind of terror a small bird might feel in front of a raging tiger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And there was no doubt that they feared the reports of Shikanosuke's advance far more than they would have feared a direct attack from Hideyoshi himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From that standpoint, Shikanosuke was the best man to send against Kozuki Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had, after all, with his singleminded loyalty and courage, wreaked havoc and inspired terror like an angry god." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even the bravest general of the Ukita clan, Makabe Harutsugu, abandoned Kozuki Castle without a fight, figuring he would simply lose too many soldiers if he stayed and opposed Shikanosuke." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "By the time Shikanosuke's men entered the castle and reported to Hideyoshi that its capture had been executed without bloodshed, Makabe had already asked for reinforcements." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Joining forces with an army led by his brother, to make a combined force of fifteen or sixteen hundred men, Makabe rode forward for a counterattack, stopping in a cloud of dust on a level plain a short distance from the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shikanosuke looked out from the watchtower." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It hasn't rained for over two weeks. Let's give them a fiery reception,\" he laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shikanosuke divided his soldiers into two groups." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Late that night they made a sortie from the castle, one group of soldiers lighting fires upwind from the enemy and setting the dry grasses ablaze." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Surrounded by the brushfires, the Ukita forces were completely routed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shikanosuke's second corps now went into action and moved in to annihilate them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one knew how many of the enemy perished in this massacre, but the enemy commander, Makabe Harutsugu, and his brother were both slain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I guess they'll be discouraged now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, they'll keep coming.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shikanosuke's forces marched back to Kozuki, raising a victory song." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, a messenger from the main camp in Himeji arrived with an order from Hideyoshi to abandon the castle and retreat to Himeji." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not unnaturally, a cry of outrage rang out in all the ranks, from Amako Katsuhisa, the head of the clan, on down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why should they abandon a castle they had fought so hard to take—and one in a strategically advantageous area?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nevertheless, if it's our commander-in-chief's order...\" said Shikanosuke, obliged to console both Lord Katsuhisa and his troops, and to return to Himeji." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On his return, he immediately consulted with Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If I may speak without reserve, every one of my officers and men were incredulous about your orders. I also share their feelings.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"To keep the matter secret, I didn't tell the messenger the reason for the retreat, but I'll tell you now. Kozuki Castle has been a fine bait to draw out the Ukita. If we abandon it, the Ukita are sure to reprovision it with supplies, weapons, and gunpowder. They'll probably even strengthen the garrison. And that's when we'll move!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi laughed. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he leaned forward on his camp stool and pointed his war fan in the direction of Bizen. \"No doubt, Ukita Naoie is anticipating that I will attack Kozuki Castle yet again. Only this time he will lead a large army himself, and we are going to outmaneuver him. Don't be angry, Shikanosuke.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The old year ended. The scouts' reports were exactly as expected: large amounts of supplies were already being transported by the Ukita to Kozuki Castle; the command of the castle had been given to Ukita Kagetoshi; and picked troops had been sent to man the castle walls.\n\nHideyoshi surrounded the castle and ordered Shikanosuke and his force of ten thousand men to hide in the vicinity of the Kumami River.\n\nMeanwhile, Ukita Naoie, who had planned a pincer attack on Hideyoshi's troops, acting in concert with the castle garrison, led his army from Bizen in person." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The bait was set." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Naoie attacked Hideyoshi, Shikanosuke struck like a whirlwind, cutting his army to pieces. Naoie was barely able to escape with his life. Having dealt with the Ukita, Shikanosuke rejoined Hideyoshi for a full-scale attack on the castle.\n\nHideyoshi attacked the castle with fire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So many were burned to death in the castle that the place became known to later generations as \"the Hell Valley of Kozuki.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This time I won't tell you to abandon the castle,\" Hideyoshi told Amako Katsuhisa. \"Guard it well.\"\n\nOnce Hideyoshi had finished mopping up Tajima and Harima, he made a triumphal return to Azuchi. He was there for less than a month before setting out again for the west in the Second Month.\n\nDuring this respite, the western provinces hastily prepared themselves for war." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ukita Naoie sent an urgent message to the Mori:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The situation is grave. This is not a matter involving only the province of Harima. At present, Amako Katsuhisa and Yamanaka Shikanosuke occupy Kozuki Castle, with the support of Hideyoshi. This matter will have serious repercussions that the Mori clan cannot afford to overlook." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What else can this be but a first step of the vengeful and vehement Amako—who were destroyed by the Mori clan—toward the restoration of their lost lands?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "You should not ignore this matter, but instead dispatch a large army quickly and annihilate them now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We, the Ukita, will take up the vanguard and repay you for your many past favors.\n\nMori Terumoto's most trusted generals were the sons of his grandfather, the great Mori Motonari. They were known as \"the Two Uncles of the Mori.\" Both had inherited their fair measure of Motonari's talents." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kobayakawa Takakage was a man of broad wisdom; Kikkawa Motoharu was a man of self-possession, virtue, and talent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While he was alive, Motonari had lectured his children in the following way: \"Generally, there's no one more likely to bring disaster to the world than a man who aspires to grasp the nation's government but lacks the ability to govern. When such a man takes advantage of the times and actually tries to seize the Empire, destruction will surely follow. You should reflect on your own status and remain in the western provinces. It will be sufficient if you are resolved not to fall behind others.\"\n\nMotonari's admonition was respected to that very day. Which is why the Mori lacked the ambition of the Oda, Uesugi, Takeda, or Tokugawa. So even though they sheltered the ex-shogun, Yoshiaki, communicated with the warrior-monks of the Honganji, and even made a secret alliance with Uesugi Kenshin, it was all for the protection of the western provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the face of Nobunaga's advances, the fortresses of the provinces under their control were used only as a first line of defense for their own domain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But now the west itself was under violent attack. One corner of that line of defense had already crumbled, demonstrating that even the western provinces were unable to remain outside the whirlwind of the times.\n\n\"The main army should be made up of the combined strength of Terumoto and Takakage, and they should attack Kozuki together. I will lead the soldiers of Inaba, Hoki, Izumo, and Iwami, uniting with the soldiers of Tamba and Tajima on the way and, with one stroke, advance on the capital, act in concert with the Honganji, and strike directly at Nobunaga's headquarters at Azuchi.\"\n\nThis bold strategy was advanced by Kikkawa Motoharu, but neither Mori Terumoto nor Kobayakawa Takakage would approve it, their argument being that the plan was too ambitious." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead, it was decided that they should attack Kozuki Castle first." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the Third Month, a Mori army of thirty-five thousand men marched north." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some time before, Hideyoshi had gone to Kakogawa Castle in Harima, but his army amounted to no more than seven thousand five hundred men. Even if he included his allies in Harima, his troops were no match for the Mori.\n\nHideyoshi maintained an outward calm, declaring that reinforcements would come if needed. His troops and allies, however, were shaken by the smallness of their numbers compared to the Mori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first sign of disaffection came quickly: Bessho Nagaharu, the lord of Miki Castle and Nobunaga's main ally in eastern Harima, defected to the enemy." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'hideyoshi' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bessho spread false rumors about Hideyoshi to excuse his betrayal, while at the same time he invited the Mori into his castle.\n\nAround that time, Hideyoshi received unexpected news: Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo was dead. It was common knowledge that Kenshin was a heavy drinker, and it was supposed that he might have collapsed from apoplexy. But there were some who put forward the theory that he had been assassinated." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That night, Hideyoshi stood on Mount Shosha, his gaze lost in the stars, reflecting on the extraordinary character and life of Uesugi Kenshin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Miki Castle had a number of branch castles at Ogo, Hataya, Noguchi, Shikata, and Kanki, and each had followed Miki's lead and unfurled the banner of rebellion. Their commanders derided Hideyoshi and his small army.\n\nAt this point, Kanbei suggested a new strategy to Hideyoshi.\n\n\"We may be obliged to crush these small castles one by one. But I think that taking Miki Castle by removing the surrounding small stones is the easiest strategy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi first took Noguchi Castle, forced Kanki and Takasago to surrender, and burned the neighboring villages one by one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had half-subjugated the Bessho clan when an urgent letter from Shikanosuke arrived from the beleaguered Kozuki Castle.\n\nA large Mori army has surrounded the castle. Our situation is desperate. Please send reinforcements. Kobayakawa's soldiers number over twenty thousand; Kikkawa is leading about sixteen thousand men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In addition, the army of Ukita Naoie has joined them with about fifteen thousand men, so the entire force cannot be less than fifty thousand troops." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In order to cut off communications between Kozuki and its allies, the enemy army is digging a long trench across the valley and putting up stockades and barriers. They also have about seven hundred warships sailing the seas of Harima and Settsu, and seem prepared to send reinforcements and supplies overland.\n\nThis report could not but put a halt to Hideyoshi's present course. This was, indeed, a grave problem." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And an urgent one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But it was not a complete surprise, because the mobilization of the Mori had been considered in his plans beforehand.\n\nWhenever Hideyoshi was troubled, his feelings were manifested in the shape of a large frown. Having predicted the present situation, he had already requested reinforcements from Nobunaga, but no word had yet come from the capital. He had no idea whether reinforcements had already been sent or whether none would be coming." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kozuki Castle, now held desperately by Amako Katsuhisa and Shikanosuke, was at the juncture of three provinces: Bizen, Harima, and Mimasaka." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though it was only a small castle near a mountain village, it occupied a very important strategic position.\n\nIf one ever wanted to enter the Sanin area, Kozuki was the barrier one would first have to control. It was natural that the Mori would give this serious consideration, and Hideyoshi was impressed with the enemy's astute grasp of the situation. But he did not have enough strength to divide his army in two." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga was not so small-minded as to be unable to delegate important tasks to the men under his command. But the general rule was that everything had to be in his own hands. His guiding principle was that if someone threatened his control, that person was not to be trusted at all. Hideyoshi had learned this lesson well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even though he had been given the responsibility of commander-in-chief of the campaign, he never took major decisions on his own." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus he would send inquiries by dispatch and always ask for Nobunaga's advice, even though it may have looked as though he were asking instructions from Azuchi for every single trifling matter. He sent trusted retainers as envoys to make detailed reports on the situation, so that Nobunaga could have a clear understanding of what was going on.\n\nHaving made up his mind in his usual fashion, Nobunaga immediately ordered preparations for his departure. The other generals, however, admonished him in chorus." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori, Takigawa, Hachiya, Mitsuhide—all were of the same opinion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Harima is a place of difficult peaks and pathways, a battlefield of mountains and hills. Shouldn't you first send reinforcements and then wait to see what the enemy does?\"\n\nAnother general continued the argument, \"And if His Lordship's campaign in the west drags on unexpectedly, the Honganji may cut us off from the rear and threaten our men from both land and sea.\"\n\nNobunaga was persuaded by their arguments and postponed his departure. But one must not overlook the emotions of the generals toward Hideyoshi each time a war council was called." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Without actually saying so, they seemed to be asking why Hideyoshi had been made commander-in-chief, implying that the responsibility was too much for him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'nobunaga'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And as these insinuations circulated, there was one more at the bottom of them all: if Nobunaga went himself, it would still be Hideyoshi who took all the credit.\n\nLeading reinforcements of about twenty thousand men, Nobumori, Takigawa, Niwa, and Mitsuhide left the capital and reached Harima at the beginning of the Fifth Month. Nobunaga later sent his son, Nobutada, to join them.\n\nIn the meantime, having increased his main army with the advance party of reinforcements led by Araki Murashige, Hideyoshi moved the entire force, now east of Kozuki Castle, to Mount Takakura." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Reviewing the position of Kozuki Castle from this vantage point, he could see that it would be extremely difficult to establish contact with the men trapped inside." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'there' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both the main stream and the tributaries of the Ichi River flowed around the mountain upon which the castle stood. Moreover, the castle was closed to both the northwest and southwest by the inaccessible crags of Mount Okami and Mount Taihei. There was simply no way open to approach it.\n\nThere was only a road, and it was blockaded by the Mori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beyond that, the enemy fortifications and banners appeared at every river, valley, and mountain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A castle with such natural defenses could be held, but the very nature of its position made it extremely difficult for reinforcements to reach it.\n\n\"There's nothing we can do,\" Hideyoshi lamented. It was as though he were confessing that, as a general, he had not the first idea for a strategy.\n\nFinally, when night fell, he ordered his men to make bonfires." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And to make them big." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon, huge flames could be seen from Mount Takakura to the neighborhood of Mount Mikazuki, rising over the peaks and valleys. During the day, innumerable banners and flags were hung between the trees on the high ground, which at least showed the enemy that Hideyoshi's army was present and also encouraged the tiny force inside the castle. This went on until the Fifth Month and the arrival of twenty thousand reinforcements under Nobumori, Niwa, Takigawa, and Mitsuhide.\n\nEveryone's spirits were raised, but the actual results did not justify such elation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The reason was that there were now too many illustrious generals present in one place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With all of them shoulder to shoulder with Hideyoshi, there was not one who wanted to be put into a subordinate position. Niwa and Nobumori were both Hideyoshi's seniors, while Mitsuhide and Takigawa were his equals in terms of popularity and intelligence.\n\nThey themselves engendered an atmosphere of doubt concerning who the commander-in-chief really was. Orders cannot come down even two roads, and now they were being issued by several generals." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The enemy was able to sniff out such internal difficulties. The Mori forces were awake enough to see through the inefficiency of the situation. One night the troops of Kobayakawa skirted the rear of Mount Takakura and made a surprise attack on the Oda camp.\n\nHideyoshi's men sustained a number of casualties." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Hideyoshi arrived in Kyoto, he went straight to Nijo Palace, his clothes still dusty from the road, his face covered with stubble.\n\n\"Hideyoshi?\" Nobunaga had to look twice at Hideyoshi just to make sure it was him. He certainly looked different from the man who had marched off at the head of his troops; his eyes had a hollow look, and a sparse, reddish beard surrounded his mouth like a scrubbing brush.\n\n\"Hideyoshi, why have you come here looking so pressed?\"\n\n\"I haven't had a moment to spare, my lord.\"\n\n\"If that's so, why are you here?\"\n\n\"I've come to ask for instructions.\"\n\n\"What a troublesome general you are! I made you commander-in-chief, didn't I? If you keep asking my opinion about everything, there'll be no time to put your tactics into action. Why are you so reserved on this particular occasion? Can't you act on your own?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your irritation is entirely reasonable, my lord, but your orders have to come through a single channel.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When I put the baton of command in your hand, I gave you authority in every situation. If you understand what I want, then your instructions are my instructions. What is there to be confused about?\"\n\n\"With all due respect, that's exactly the point I'm having some difficulty with. I don't want to let one single soldier die in vain.\"\n\n\"What are you trying to say?\"\n\n\"If the present situation persists, we cannot win.\"\n\n\"Why do you say that this is a lost battle?\"\n\n\"Unworthy as I am, now that I am in command, I do not intend to lead my men into a pitiful rout. But defeat is inevitable. In terms of fighting spirit, equipment, and geographical advantage, we're hardly a match for the Mori right now.\"\n\n\"The first thing to remember,\" Nobunaga countered, \"is that if the commander-in-chief anticipates defeat, there's no reason for him to win.\"\n\n\"But if we miscalculate, thinking that we can win, our defeat might be disastrous. If your troops are stained with one defeat in the west, the enemies who are waiting here and elsewhere, and, of course, the Honganji, will think that the lord of the Oda has stumbled, and that now is the time for his downfall. They'll beat their gongs and scream their incantations, and even the north and east will rise up against you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm aware of that.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"No, this is no time to move rashly. First I need to ascertain exactly the Mori clan's strength.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But shouldn't we take into consideration that the invasion of the western provinces, which is so important, might be fatal for the Oda clan?\"\n\n\"I have that in mind, of course.\"\n\n\"Then why didn't you come to the western provinces yourself, after I had made so many requests to you? Time is of the essence. If we miss this opportunity, we'll have no chance in the real battle. It's almost foolish to mention this, but I know you are the first general ever to perceive this opportunity, and I do not understand why you did nothing when I sent request after request to you. Even though I've tried to draw the enemy out, they're not so easily provoked. Now the Mori have raised a huge army and attacked Kozuki, using Miki Castle as a base. Is this not a heaven-sent opportunity? I would be happy to be a decoy to lure them out further. Then couldn't you, my lord, come in person, and finish this game with a single stroke?\"\n\nNobunaga was lost in thought. Because he was not the kind of man to be indecisive at a time like this, Hideyoshi understood that Nobunaga did not mean to grant his request.\n\nFinally Nobunaga said, \"No, this is no time to move rashly. First I need to ascertain exactly the Mori clan's strength.\" This time it was Hideyoshi who looked lost in thought. Nobunaga went on as if he were rebuking him, \"Haven't you become a little overawed at the Mori's strength, expecting defeat even before you've put up a reasonable fight?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't account it as loyalty to you, my lord, to fight a battle that I know will end in defeat.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are the forces of the western provinces that strong? Is their morale that high?\"\n\n\"It is. They're protecting the borders they've held since the time of Motonari, and are taking pains to strengthen the interior of their domain. Their wealth cannot be compared even with the Uesugi of Echigo or the Takeda of Kai.\"\n\n\"It's foolish to think that a wealthy province is always a strong one.\"\n\n\"Strength depends on the quality of wealth. If the Mori were extravagant and arrogant, they wouldn't be worth worrying about, and in fact their very wealth might be taken advantage of. But the two generals, Kikkawa and Kobayakawa, are of great aid to Terumoto, and they maintain the traditions of their former lord; their commanders and soldiers act virtuously, following the Way of the Samurai. The few soldiers we take alive are of an awe-inspiring mettle and burn with hostility. When I see all this, I can't help lamenting that this invasion is going to be so diff—\"\n\n\"Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi,\" Nobunaga interrupted with a look of displeasure. \"What about Miki Castle? Nobutada is headed there.\"\n\n\"I doubt that it will fall easily, even with your son's abilities.\"\n\n\"What kind of commander is Bessho Nagaharu, the governor of the castle?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He is a man of character.\"\n\n\"You're only praising the enemy, you know.\"\n\n\"The first rule of the military man is to know his enemy. I suppose it's not a good thing to praise both their commanders and their soldiers, but I've spoken frankly because I feel it's my duty to give you a correct evaluation.\"\n\n\"I suppose that's right.\" Nobunaga finally seemed to recognize the strength of the enemy, although he did so reluctantly. Nevertheless, the determination to win was still festering somewhere within him, and presently he said, \"I suppose that's so, but it's still another thing for our troops not to be spirited, Hideyoshi.\"\n\n\"Absolutely!\"\n\n\"The role of commander-in-chief is not an easy one. Takigawa, Nobumori, Niwa, and Mitsuhide are all senior generals. It's not that they don't follow your instructions, is it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You have excellent insight, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi hung his head, his battle-weary face turning red." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Perhaps it was too much of a responsibility for their junior, Hideyoshi.\"\n\nCertainly he could see through the subtle machinations of the senior retainers, and how they had prevented Nobunaga from riding into battle himself. Even if the large army of the Mori was nothing to be worried about, he had to caution himself to be wary of the danger from his own allies.\n\n\"This is what you must do, Hideyoshi. Abandon the castle at Kozuki temporarily. Join Nobutada's forces, proceed to Miki Castle, and bring down Bessho Nagaharu. Then watch what the enemy does for a while.\"\n\nThe primary cause of the troops' depression was the fact that the army had been split in two, one half to attack Miki Castle and the other to relieve Kozuki. This was the result of differing opinions in the Oda military conferences up to now. And the reason for the split was clear. The small Amako force, entrenched in Kozuki Castle, was depending on the Oda clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To abandon them for a quick strategic gain would make other western clans feel uneasy and lead them to wonder what kind of man Nobunaga was." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'unbearable' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Certainly the Oda would gain the reputation of being unreliable allies.\n\nThe man who had placed Amako Katsuhisa and Shikanosuke's troops in Kozuki Castle was Hideyoshi, and now misery, friendship, and an almost unbearable sympathy filled his heart. He knew that he was going to watch them die. Nevertheless, as soon as he received Nobunaga's new orders, he responded with an immediate \"Yes, my lord,\" and withdrew.\n\nRepressing his own feelings, he returned to the western provinces, deep in thought all the way. Avoid the difficult battle, and be victorious over that which is easy—this is the natural law of military strategy, he said to himself. It seems that taking this measure has little to do with good faith, but we have been fighting for a greater objective from the very beginning. So I'm going to have to bear the unbearable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Hideyoshi returned to his base on Mount Takakura, he called the other generals and informed them of Nobunaga's decision exactly as it had been told to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he immediately gave the order to strike camp and join Nobutada's army. With Niwa and Takigawa's forces left behind as a rear guard, Hideyoshi's and Araki Murashige's main army began the retreat.\n\n\"Has Shigenori returned yet?\" Hideyoshi asked a number of times before leaving Mount Takakura.\n\nTakenaka Hanbei, who knew exactly what was on Hideyoshi's mind, looked back toward Kozuki Castle as though he were reluctant to leave.\n\n\"He's not back yet?\" Hideyoshi asked again.\n\nShigenori was one of Hideyoshi's retainers. Two nights before, he had received Hideyoshi's instructions to go alone to Kozuki Castle as a messenger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now Hideyoshi was anxious and kept wondering to himself if his messenger had been able to slip through the enemy lines." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What would Shikanosuke do? Hideyoshi's message, carried by Shigenori, was to inform the men in the castle of the changing direction of the battle.\n\nCan you be determined to seek life in the midst of death, and strike out from the castle and join our forces? We will wait for you until tomorrow." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tomorrow had come, and they watched in anticipation, but the soldiers inside the castle did not move, nor did the Mori army surrounding the castle make the slightest change. Giving them up for lost, Hideyoshi and his men left Mount Takakura.\n\nThe men in Kozuki Castle were sunk in a pit of despair. To defend the castle was death; to leave the castle was death. Even the indomitable Shikanosuke was in a daze. He had no idea what to do.\n\n\"No one is at fault,\" Shikanosuke had told Shigenori. \"We can only hold a grudge against heaven.\"\n\nAfter discussing the matter with Amako Katsuhisa and the other retainers, Shikanosuke gave Shigenori his answer: \"In spite of Lord Hideyoshi's kind offer, it is inconceivable that this small, tired force could break out and join him. We must somehow search for another plan.\"\n\nWhen he had sent back the messenger, Shikanosuke secretly wrote a note addressed to the commander of the attacking forces, Mori Terumoto. It was a letter of surrender." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He also made separate requests for intervention to Kikkawa and Kobayakawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "These were, of course, to spare the life of his lord, Katsuhisa, and to plead for the lives of the seven hundred troops in the castle. But neither Kikkawa nor Kobayakawa would listen to Shikanosuke's repeated pleas. There was only one way they would be satisfied. \"Open the castle,\" they said, \"and present us with Katsuhisa's head.\"\n\nIt was an extravagance to look for mercy when forced to capitulate. Swallowing tears of grief, Shikanosuke prostrated himself before Katsuhisa. \"There is nothing more that your retainer can do. How pitiful that you have had the misfortune of having a worthless retainer like myself. It is inevitable, my lord, you must prepare yourself to die.\"\n\n\"No, Shikanosuke,\" Katsuhisa said, and turned away. \"That the situation has come to this pass is not because my men have poor abilities. But we cannot hold a grudge against Lord Nobunaga either. Rather, it is a great, great joy to me to have earned my retainers' devotion and to have served as the leader of a samurai clan. It was you who gave me the will to restore the name of our clan, and presented the opportunity to harass our sworn enemies. What regrets have I, even if we are defeated now? I think I have done everything I could do as a man. I can rest in peace now.\"\n\nAt dawn on the third day of the Seventh Month, Katsuhisa committed seppuku in a manly fashion. The grudge between the Mori and Amako clans had lasted for a full fifty six years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the greatest surprise was yet to come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yamanaka Shikanosuke, the man who had fought on against the Mori despite the worst hardships and pains, and who had just asked his lord to commit seppuku, chose not to follow him in death. Instead he surrendered and went to Kikkawa Motoharu's camp like a common foot soldier, ignominiously becoming a prisoner of war.\n\nThe human heart is unfathomable. Shikanosuke was criticized by both his enemies and his allies, who said of him that no matter how he cloaked himself in loyalty, when it got to the point of no return, he couldn't help showing his true colors.\n\nBut these same critics would hear something even more unexpected several days later, news that would leave them disgusted and incredulous. Yamanaka Shikanosuke had become a retainer of the Mori and had been given a castle in Suo in exchange for his future loyalty.\n\n\"What a shallow dog!\"\n\n\"This man is unfit to associate with samurai!\"\n\nThe name of Yamanaka Shikanosuke was soon worth nothing but contempt. For twenty years he had been considered—by both enemy and ally alike—a warrior of undying devotion and loyalty who had remained unbending through many difficulties. But now people felt ashamed that they had been taken in so badly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their hatred was in direct proportion to Shikanosuke's earlier fame.\n\nIn the hottest part of the Seventh Month, Shikanosuke—who appeared to be giving no ear at all to the taunts of the world—his family and his retainers were led to his new estate in Suo. They were escorted by several hundred Mori troops who were acting officially as guides but who were really nothing more than guards. Shikanosuke was like a captured tiger that could still turn violent at any time. Before he was caged and accustomed to being fed, his new allies did not feel truly comfortable with him. After a few days' march they came to the Abe River ferry at the foot of Mount Matsu.\n\nShikanosuke dismounted and sat down on a large rock facing the riverbank.\n\nAmano Kii of the Mori clan dismounted and approached him. He said, \"The women and children are poor walkers, so we'll let them cross the river first. Rest here for a little while.\"\n\nShikanosuke simply nodded. He had recently become quite reticent, not wanting to waste his words. Kii walked toward the ferry and yelled something to the men on the riverbank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There were only one or two boats." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shikanosuke's wife, son, and retainers piled into them one after another until the boats appeared to be filled with little mountains, and set off for the opposite shore.\n\nWatching the boat, Shikanosuke wiped the sweat from his face and asked his attendant to dip a cloth into the icy water of the river. His only other attendant had led his horse downstream to drink.\n\nGreen-winged insects buzzed around Shikanosuke. A pale moon floated in the late afternoon sky. Flowering bindweed crept along the ground.\n\n\"Shinza! Hikoemon! Now's your chance!\" Kii's eldest son, Motoaki, whispered to two men standing in the shade of a stand of trees where about ten horses were tethered. Shikanosuke did not notice them. The boat carrying his family was almost halfway across the river.\n\nThe river wind filled his breast, and the entire scene dazzled his tear-filled eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How pitiful, he lamented." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a husband and father, he was heartbroken to think of the fate of his vagabond family." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even the bravest warrior has feelings, and it was said that Shikanosuke was more sentimental than most men. His courage and chivalrous spirit burned in his eyes with more intensity than the hot summer sun. He had been abandoned by Nobunaga; he had severed his ties with Hideyoshi; he had delivered Kozuki Castle; and then he had presented the head of his lord to his enemies.\n\nAnd now he was still here, obstinately clinging to life. What were his hopes? What honor did he still have? The world's insults sounded like the chirping of the grasshoppers that surrounded him now. But as he listened while the cool breeze played on his breast, he did not care.\n\nOne sorrow\n\nHeaped upon another\n\nWill test my strength to its limits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was a poem he had written years before." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'greatest' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he said it in his heart. He remembered what he had sworn to the mother who had encouraged him when he was young, to his former lord and to heaven, and to the new moon in the empty sky before he went into battle: Give me every obstacle!\n\nSurmounting one after another, he had been able to overcome every obstacle until now. Shikanosuke considered this to be man's greatest pleasure and his own greatest satisfaction.\n\nA hundred obstacles are not in themselves a cause for grief. Advancing through life with this belief, Shikanosuke had tasted great joy in the midst of all his hardships. He had maintained this attitude even when Hideyoshi's messenger told him that Nobunaga had changed strategy. It was true that he had been temporarily discouraged, but he had begrudged no one. Neither had he grieved. Never, not even now, did he sink into despair and think, This is the end. Instead, he burned with hope." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I'm still alive, and I'm going to live as long as I continue to breathe!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had one great hope: to get close to his mortal enemy, Kikkawa Motoharu, and die stabbing him to death. After he had snatched away Kikkawa's life, he would rejoice to meet his former lords in the afterworld.\n\nEven though Shikanosuke had surrendered, Kikkawa was not foolish enough to meet him face to face, but politely gave him a castle and sent him on his way. Now Shikanosuke was unhappy, wondering when he might have his chance in the future.\n\nThe boat that carried his family and retainers docked on the opposite shore. For a moment his attention was taken by the sight of his family stepping out of the boat in the middle of a large crowd.\n\nWithout a sound, a naked blade leaped out from behind Shikanosuke and struck him on the shoulder. At the same time, another blade struck the rock he was sitting on, sending sparks flying in all directions. Even a man like Shikanosuke could be taken unawares. Although the blade had cut deep, Shikanosuke jumped up and grabbed the would-be assassin by the topknot.\n\n\"Coward!\" he shouted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had sustained a single sword wound, but his attacker had an accomplice. Seeing his companion in trouble, the second man ran at Shikanosuke, brandishing his sword and yelling, \"Prepare yourself to die! It's our lord's command!\"\n\n\"Bastard!\" Shikanosuke spat back in anger. He pushed the first attacker away into his companion, making the second man fall. Seeing his chance, Shikanosuke ran into the river, kicking up a huge spray of foam.\n\n\"Don't let him escape!\" a Mori officer shouted, breaking into a run. He flung his spear with all his might from the bank. It caught Shikanosuke in the back and knocked him face down into the river. The spear shaft stood straight up in the reddening water, like a harpoon stuck in a whale.\n\nThe two assassins waded into the river." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They dragged the wounded Shikanosuke out by the legs, pinned him down on the riverbank, and cut off his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Blood ran in rivulets through the small stones on the bank, while the waves of the Abe River almost appeared to be on fire as they rolled back and forth. At the same time, cries and bellowing came from farther up the bank.\n\n\"My lord!\"\n\n\"Lord Shikanosuke!\"\n\nShikanosuke's two attendants began to run toward him, but the Mori had planned for this as well. As soon as they yelled out, they were surrounded by a cage of steel and could go no farther. When they realized that their master had met his end, they fought with all the strength they had, until they followed Shikanosuke into death.\n\nA man's body cannot live forever. An unswerving loyalty and sense of duty, however, will live long in the annals of war. Warriors of later times would say that whenever they looked up and saw the new moon in an indigo-blue evening sky, they would think of Yamanaka Shikanosuke's indomitability and would be struck by feelings of reverence. In their hearts Shikanosuke would live forever." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shikanosuke's sword and the tea container \"Great Ocean\" were sent along with his head to Kikkawa Motoharu." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If we had not struck you down,\" Kikkawa said as he looked at the head, \"you would be holding my head in your hands one day. That is the Way of the Samurai. Having accomplished what you did, you should resign yourself to finding peace in the next world.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Hideyoshi's seven thousand five hundred men left Kozuki, it looked as though they would be advancing toward Tajima, but suddenly they turned toward Kakogawa in Harima and joined forces with Nobutada's thirty thousand troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was already the end of summer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Attacked by this large army, both the castles at Kanki and Shikata fell quickly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The only remaining castle was at Miki, the stronghold of the Bessho clan." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The battles the Oda fought as they pressed in on Miki Castle seemed to have gone rather easily, but the reduction of fortress after fortress on the first line of Mori defenses had been at the sacrifice of a large number of men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The combined forces of the Oda numbered thirty-eight thousand men, but it was clear that the enemy was going to put up considerable resistance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the reasons this campaign would require time was that, along with advances in weaponry, there had been a revolution in tactics." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Generally, the weapons of the western provinces' armies were more advanced than those of the Oda's enemies in Echizen or Kai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the first time the Oda forces had come into contact with such powerful gunpowder and cannon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For Hideyoshi, this was an enemy from whom he could learn many things." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei probably did the buying, but Hideyoshi himself was the first to abandon the old Chinese cannons and equip himself with a cannon made by the Southern Barbarians, which he placed on top of a reconnaissance tower." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the other Oda generals saw this, they too rushed to acquire the latest cannon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they heard of the fighting in the western provinces, a large number of arms merchants came up from Hirado and Hakata in Kyushu, dodging the Mori fleet at the risk of their lives while seeking the ports on the Harima coast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi helped these men by mediating with the other generals, whom he told to purchase the new weapons, regardless of cost." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The power of the new cannons was first tested on Kanki Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Oda built a small hill facing the point of attack, and erected a wooden reconnaissance tower upon it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A large cannon was then placed at the top of the tower and fired at the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The castle's earthen wall and gate were destroyed easily." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The real targets, however, were the towers and the inner citadel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the enemy also possessed artillery, as well as the newest small arms and gunpowder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The reconnaissance tower was pulverized or burned to the ground a number of times, only to be rebuilt and knocked flat again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During this hard fighting, Hideyoshi's engineers filled in the moat and pressed in beneath the stone wall, while the sappers excavated tunnels to undermine the walls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This work continued without interruption day and night, never allowing the soldiers in the castle a moment to undo the damage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Such a strategy eventually brought about the fall of the castles." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because victory over the small castles at Shikata and Kanki had required such efforts, it looked as if the attack on the main castle at Miki might be even more difficult." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was an elevated area called Mount Hirai, about half a league from Miki Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi set up his camp there and positioned eight thousand men in the surrounding area." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One day Nobutada visited Mount Hirai, and the two of them went out and observed the enemy's positions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To the south of the enemy were the mountains and hills connected to the mountain ranges of western Harima." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To the north ran the Miki River." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To the east were bamboo thickets, farmland, and scrub." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally, a number of strongholds on the neighboring hills encircled the castle walls on three sides." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "These in turn centered around the main citadel, the second citadel, and yet a third enclosure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It makes you wonder if it can be taken quickly, Hideyoshi,\" said Nobutada, gazing at the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I doubt seriously that it'll be taken easily. It's like a rotten tooth with a deep root.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A rotten tooth?\" Nobutada unintentionally broke into a smile at Hideyoshi's image." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobutada had been suffering from toothache for four or five days." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because of the swelling, his face was a little distorted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he held his cheek and couldn't help laughing at Hideyoshi's observation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The parallel of the unassailable Miki Castle and his rotten tooth was both amusing and painful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I see. Just like a rotten tooth. To pull it, you need patience.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It may be only one tooth, but it offends the body in its entirety. Bessho Nagaharu makes our men suffer. It's not enough to say that he's like a rotten tooth. But if we give in to our irritation and try to subjugate the castle thoughtlessly, not only could the gums be damaged but it could be fatal to the patient.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, what shall we do, then? What's your strategy?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This tooth's fate is clear. Let's just loosen the root naturally. What if we cut off the supply roads and then shake the tooth from time to time?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My father, Nobunaga, told me to withdraw to Gifu if the prospects were not good for a quick attack. You can take care of the delaying tactics and other arrangements; I'm returning to Gifu.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Set your mind at ease, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next day Nobutada withdrew from the battlefield in the company of the other generals." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi disposed his eight thousand soldiers around Miki Castle, placing a corps commander at each position and erecting wooden palisades." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He posted sentries and cut off all roads leading into the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Special emphasis was placed on the observation corps guarding the road to the south of the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If one followed the road about four leagues to the west, one would come out on the coast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Mori navy often sent large convoys of ships to this point, and from here it transported weapons and provisions to the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The Eighth Month is so refreshing,\" Hideyoshi said, gazing up at the evening moon. \"Ichimatsu! Hey, Ichimatsu!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pages came running out of the camp, each of them jockeying to arrive first." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ichimatsu was not among them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While the other pages took stances to outshine one another, Hideyoshi gave them their instructions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Prepare a mat at a spot on Mount Hirai with a commanding view. We're going to have a moon-viewing party tonight. Now don't fight among yourselves. This is a party, not a battle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Toranosuke.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My lord?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ask Hanbei to join me if he feels well enough for moon viewing.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Two of the pages quickly returned and announced that they had prepared the mat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They had chosen a place near the summit of Mount Hirai, a short climb from the camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A superb view, indeed,\" Hideyoshi commented." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he once again turned to the pages and said, \"Go ask Kanbei too. It would be a shame if he didn't see this moon.\" And he sent a page running to Kanbei's tent." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The moon-viewing platform had been set up under a huge pine tree. There was cold sake in a crane-necked flask, and food on a square cypress-wood tray. Although the setting was hardly luxurious, it was quite sufficient for a brief respite during a military campaign—especially with the shining moon overhead." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The three men sat on the mat in a line, with Hideyoshi in the center and Hanbei and Kanbei on either side.\n\nIt was the same moon that the three men gazed up at, but it evoked completely different thoughts in each of them. Hideyoshi thought about the fields of Nakamura; Hanbei remembered the magical moon over Mount Bodai; and only Kanbei thought about the days ahead." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'looked' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you cold, Hanbei?\" Kanbei asked his friend, and Hideyoshi, perhaps from sudden concern, also turned and looked at Hanbei.\n\n\"No, I'm fine.\" Hanbei shook his head; but just at that moment his face looked paler than the moon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This talented man has frail health, Hideyoshi sighed without cheer. He worried about Hanbei's health far more than Hanbei himself did.\n\nOnce Hanbei had vomited blood while riding at Nagahama, and he had often been ill during the northern campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they had started out this time, Hideyoshi had tried to stop his friend from coming, protesting that he was overstraining himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What are you talking about?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanbei had replied lightly, and joined him in the field anyway." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was reassuring to Hideyoshi to have Hanbei at his side. He was both a visible and an invisible strength—the relationship was one of lord and retainer, but in his heart Hideyoshi looked up to Hanbei as a teacher. Now, especially, he was faced with the difficult task of the western campaign, the war was dragging on, and many of his fellow generals were envious of him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was approaching the steepest climb of life, and his reliance on Hanbei was all the more critical." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Hanbei had already fallen ill twice since they had entered the western provinces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had been so worried that he had ordered Hanbei to see a doctor in Kyoto. Hanbei, however, had quickly returned.\n\n\"I've been ill since my birth, so I'm used to infirmity. Medical treatment would be useless in my case. A warrior's life is on the battlefield.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With that, he worked at staff headquarters as diligently as before, without the least sign of fatigue. His weak constitution, however, was a grim fact, and there was no way to beat the disease, regardless of how strong his spirit might be.\n\nHeavy rain had poured down on them when the army moved from Tajima." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Possibly because of the excesses of that trip, Hanbei had pleaded ill health and did not show his face to Hideyoshi for two days after they set up camp at Mount Hirai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was normal for Hanbei not to appear before Hideyoshi on days when he was very ill; he very likely did not want to give his lord cause for concern. But because Hanbei had looked fit during the past few days, Hideyoshi had thought they could sit together under the moon and talk as they had not been able to for a long time. But it was not just the light of the moon: as Hideyoshi had feared, there was something not quite right in Hanbei's complexion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he sensed Hideyoshi's and Kanbei's concern, Hanbei purposely steered the conversation in another direction.\n\n\"Kanbei, according to the news I received yesterday from a retainer in my home province, your son, Shojumaru, is quite healthy and has finally gotten used to his new surroundings.\"\n\n\"Because Shojumaru is in your home province, Hanbei, I have no worries. I hardly ever think about it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two of them spoke about Kanbei's son for a little while. Hideyoshi, who still had no children of his own, could not help feeling a little envious as he listened to this talk between fathers. Shojumaru was Kanbei's heir, but when Kanbei had realized what the future held, he had entrusted his son to Nobunaga as a pledge of good faith." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The young hostage had been put into of Hanbei's care, who had sent him to his castle in Fuwa and was raising him as though he were his own son." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus, with Hideyoshi as the linchpin of their relationship, Kanbei and Hanbei were also bound by ties of friendship." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And while they were rivals as generals, there was not the least bit of jealousy between them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The saying that \"two great men cannot stand side by side\" was hardly applicable in Hideyoshi's field headquarters.\n\nLooking at the moon, drinking sake, and talking about the great men of past and present, and the rise and fall of provinces and clans, it seemed that Hanbei managed to forget his illness.\n\nKanbei, however, returned to the subject." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Even if a man leads a great army in the morning, he doesn't know whether he'll be alive in the evening. But if you hold some great ambition—no matter how great a man you are—you must live a long time to bring it to fruition. There have been many glorious heroes and loyal retainers who left their names to eternity and whose lives were short, but what if they had lived a long time? It's only natural to feel regret about the shortness of life. The destruction that goes with pushing aside the old and striking at evil is not the only work of a great man. His work is not accomplished until he has rebuilt the nation.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi nodded vigorously. He then said to the silent Hanbei, \"That's why we must cherish our lives. I'd like you to take care of your health for those reasons, too, Hanbei.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I feel the same way,\" Kanbei added. \"Rather than push yourself to excess, why don't you retire to a temple in Kyoto, find a good doctor, and take care of yourself? I suggest this as a friend, and I think you could say that it would be an act of loyalty to give our lord peace of mind.\"\n\nHanbei listened, quite overcome by gratitude toward his two friends." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll do as you say, and go to Kyoto for a while. But right now we're laying our plans, so I'd like to leave after I see them completed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi nodded. Thus far he had based his strategy on Hanbei's suggestions, but he still had not seen it succeed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you worried about Akashi Kagechika?\" Hideyoshi asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Exactly,\" Hanbei said, nodding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If you'll give me five or six days before my convalescent leave, I'll go to Mount Hachiman and meet Akashi Kagechika. I'll try to persuade him to join our side. Do I have your permission?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course, it would be a great achievement. But what if something happens? You must see that the odds of running into trouble are about eight or nine out of ten. What then?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I will only die,\" Hanbei answered without blinking. From the way he spoke, it was clearly no braggart's bluff.\n\nAfter Miki Castle fell, Hideyoshi's next enemy would be Akashi Kagechika." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But for the time being, Hideyoshi was unable to take Miki Castle. He was not, however, obsessed with the siege. Miki Castle was only one part of the campaign to subdue the whole of the west." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So he had little choice but to accept Hanbei's plan to subvert Akashi.\n\n\"Will you go, then?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"I will.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi was still hesitating, despite Hanbei's spirited resolve. Assuming Hanbei did get past the many dangers on the road and met with Akashi, if the negotiations ended in disagreement, it could not be taken for granted that the enemy would let him return alive. Neither could Hideyoshi be sure that Hanbei would want to return empty-handed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was Hanbei's true motive to die?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whether he died from disease or was killed by the enemy, he could only die once.\n\nAt this point, Kanbei put forward another plan. He had several acquaintances among the retainers of Ukita Naoie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While Hanbei approached the Akashi clan, he himself could go to the senior retainers of the Ukita clan.\n\nWhen he heard this idea, Hideyoshi intuitively felt reassured. It might be possible to subvert the Ukita clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Since the invasion of the western provinces had begun, the Ukita had appeared to be somewhat lukewarm, waiting to see which side had the advantage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ukita Naoie had appealed to the Mori for help, but if he could be persuaded that the future was Nobunaga's... More than that, the Ukita's alliance with the Mori might prove worthless if they received no military support. It could spell the demise of the Ukita clan. The Ukita had learned this after the withdrawal of the Mori army once it had recaptured Kozuki Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If the Ukita come to an agreement with us, Akashi Kagechika will have no alternative but to come to terms too,\" Hideyoshi observed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And if Kagechika submitted to us, the Ukita would immediately sue for peace. To carry on both negotiations at the same time is an excellent idea.\"\n\nThe following day, Hanbei publicly requested leave owing to illness, and announced that he would be going to Kyoto for convalescence. Under this pretense, he left the camp at Mount Hirai, accompanied by only two or three attendants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After a few days, Kanbei also left the camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei first called on Kagechika's younger brother, Akashi Kanjiro. He was not a friend of Kanjiro's, but he had met him twice at the Nanzen Temple in Kyoto, where they had both practiced Zen meditation. Kanjiro was attracted to Zen." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'kagechika' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei reasoned that if he appealed to him from the standpoint of the Way, they would come to a quick understanding. Then he could go on to talk to his older brother, Kagechika.\n\nUntil they met him, both Akashi Kanjiro and his elder brother, Kagechika, had waited, wondering what kind of policy Hanbei would advocate and how eloquent he would be." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was, after all, both Hideyoshi's teacher and a renowned military tactician. But when they did speak to him, contrary to their expectations they found him to be a plainspoken man who seemed devoid of the least bit of showmanship or guile.\n\nHanbei's conviction and sincerity were so different from the stratagems usually employed during negotiations between samurai clans that the Akashi were convinced." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They cut their ties to the Ukita clan. Only when his mission was accomplished did Hanbei finally ask for a short period of leave. This time he truly did put aside his military responsibilities and go to Kyoto to convalesce." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi spoke with him upon his departure and asked him to visit Nobunaga. He was to inform Nobunaga that they had successfully persuaded Akashi Kagechika to join the Oda alliance.\n\nWhen he learned the news, Nobunaga was overjoyed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'first' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What? You took Mount Hachiman without losing a drop of blood? You did well!\" The Oda forces that had occupied the entirety of Harima had now entered Bizen for the first time. It was a first step of great significance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You look as though you've lost weight. Take good care to recuperate,\" Nobunaga said, sympathizing with Hanbei's ill health, and in appreciation for his meritorious deed, he rewarded him with twenty pieces of silver.\n\nTo Hideyoshi he wrote:\n\nYou have used uncommon wisdom in this situation." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'll hear the details when we meet in person, but for the present, here is a token of my gratitude.\n\nAnd he sent him one hundred gold pieces. When Nobunaga was happy, he was happy to excess. Taking his vermilion seal in hand, he appointed Hideyoshi military governor of Harima." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The long campaign at Mount Hirai, with the extended siege of Miki Castle, had reached a stalemate. But with the defection of the Akashi to their side, the Oda were gradually succeeding in their maneuvers. However, as might be expected of a clan of such distinction, the Ukita were not as easily influenced by negotiations, even though Kanbei used every bit of his acumen in dealing with them. Holding the provinces of Bizen and Mimasaka, the Ukita were caught between the Oda and the Mori." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus it was not an overstatement to say that the future of the western provinces depended entirely on their attitude.\n\nUkita Naoie followed the advice of four senior retainers: Osafune Kii, Togawa Higo, Oka Echizen, and Hanabusa Sukebei. Among them, Hanabusa had a slight connection with Kuroda Kanbei. And it was to Hanabusa that Kanbei first addressed himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei talked all night, discussing the present and future of the country." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He spoke of Nobunaga's aspirations and of Hideyoshi's character, and succeeded in winning over Hanabusa.\n\nHanabusa then persuaded Togawa Higo to join them, and having won over these two men, Kanbei was able to meet with Ukita Naoie.\n\nAfter hearing their arguments, Naoie said, \"We must consider the fact that a great national force is rising in the east. If we are attacked by Lord Nobunaga and Lord Hideyoshi, the entire Ukita clan will perish to defend the Mori. To save the lives of thousands of soldiers and benefit the nation, my own three sons would gladly meet their deaths as hostages in enemy territory. If I'm able to protect this domain and save thousands of lives, my prayers will be fulfilled.\"\n\nThese words from Naoie ended the discussion among his retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The conference was concluded, and a letter pledging the cooperation of the Ukita clan was given to Hikoemon, who delivered it to Mount Hirai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus, Hideyoshi won a victory to the rear of his army without expending a single arrow. The two provinces of Bizen and Mimasaka bloodlessly became allies of the Oda.\n\nHideyoshi naturally wanted to inform his lord of this happy event as quickly as he could, but a letter might be dangerous, he thought. This was a matter of the greatest secrecy: until the right opportunity presented itself, it would be necessary to conceal the alliance from the Mori clan." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'nobunaga' must be used 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He sent Kanbei to Kyoto to inform Nobunaga.\n\nKanbei immediately set off for the capital. When he arrived, he had an audience with Nobunaga.\n\nAs he listened to Kanbei's report, Nobunaga seemed to become extraordinarily displeased." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Previously, when Takenaka Hanbei had come to Nijo Palace and had reported on the submission of the Akashi, Nobunaga had been overjoyed and had praised him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This time, however, his reaction was completely different." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"On whose orders did you do this? If it was on Hideyoshi's, he is going to get a grilling! For him to enter into an agreement with the two provinces of Bizen and Mimasaka at all is the worst form of audacity. Go back and tell that to Hideyoshi!\" Then, as though this blunt rebuke were not enough, he continued, \"According to Hideyoshi's letter, he'll be coming to Azuchi in a few days with Ukita Naoie. You tell him that I won't see Naoie even if he does come. In fact, I won't even see Hideyoshi!\"\n\nHe was so angry that even Kanbei could not deal with him. Having come in vain, Kanbei returned to Harima nursing feelings of discontent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even though he felt ashamed to tell Hideyoshi exactly what had happened in view of all the hardships Hideyoshi had been through, he could hardly keep the matter secret." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Kanbei looked surreptitiously at Hideyoshi's face, he could see a forced smile appear on his haggard cheeks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, I understand,\" Hideyoshi said. \"He got angry because I made an unnecessary alliance on my own authority.\" He didn't seem to be as discouraged as Kanbei. \"I imagine Lord Nobunaga wanted us to destroy the Ukita so that he could divide their lands among his retainers.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, trying to console the downcast Kanbei, he said \"It's a real battle when things don't go as planned. The plans you thought through last night change in the morning, and the schemes you have in the morning change by the afternoon.\"\n\nKanbei, for his part, was suddenly aware that his life was in this man's hands. Deep in his heart, he felt that he would not even begrudge dying for Hideyoshi.\n\nHideyoshi had read Nobunaga's heart." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If he truly knew how to serve Nobunaga, he obviously understood his way of thinking." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"When you explain it that way, I can understand Lord Nobunaga's feelings. But he was so angry that you're not easily going to get a chance to talk frankly with him. He said that if Ukita Naoie comes to Azuchi, or even if you come to intercede for him, he won't give an audience to either one of you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, Kanbei now fully understood that the present confidence and status that Hideyoshi enjoyed had been won through twenty years of service with Nobunaga.\n\n\"Well then, does this mean that you went ahead with the alliance with the Ukita even though you knew it would be against Lord Nobunaga's will?\" Kanbei asked.\n\n\"Considering Lord Nobunaga's ambitions, there was no doubt he was going to be angry. When Takenaka Hanbei reported the submission of Akashi Kagechika, His Lordship was so happy that he rewarded both Hanbei and me excessively. Certainly he saw that the submission of the Akashi clan would ease the attack on the Ukita, and a successful attack would have allowed him to divide up the Ukita province and offer it as rewards. But now that I have made the Ukita submit to us, he cannot very well grab their lands, can he?\"\n\n\"When you explain it that way, I can understand Lord Nobunaga's feelings. But he was so angry that you're not easily going to get a chance to talk frankly with him. He said that if Ukita Naoie comes to Azuchi, or even if you come to intercede for him, he won't give an audience to either one of you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll have to call on him, regardless of how angry he is. There are ways of avoiding a row when a husband and wife are angry with each other, but it's not good to avoid the anger of one's lord. Nothing is going to make him feel better than my going to apologize, even if I get a beating or he yells at me while I lie prostrate at his feet, looking foolish.\"\n\nThe written pledge procured from Ukita Naoie was in Hideyoshi's hands, but Hideyoshi was only the commander of an expeditionary army. If the treaty did not meet with Nobunaga's approval, it would be worthless.\n\nMoreover, as a matter of formality, etiquette demanded that Ukita Naoie go to Azuchi, pay obeisance to Nobunaga, and ask his further orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the date they had prearranged, Hideyoshi accompanied Naoie to Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's anger, however, had not yet cooled off.\n\n\"I won't meet with them.\" This is all he would tell Hideyoshi through his attendant.\n\nHideyoshi was at a loss." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could only wait." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He went back to the guest room where Naoie was waiting and reported the outcome.\n\n\"His Lordship is not in such a good mood today. Would you wait for me awhile back at your lodgings?\"\n\n\"Is he indisposed?\" Naoie asked unhappily. In suing for peace, he had not been seeking Nobunaga's pity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could still count on a formidable army. What's the matter?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why this cold reception?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "These words never left his mouth, but he could not help indignantly thinking them.\n\nNaoie could not bear further humiliation. He was beginning to think that he should return to his home province and once again send out the salutations that were appropriate for enemy provinces.\n\n\"No, no,\" Hideyoshi told him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If there's a problem now, we can meet him later. For the time being, let's go to the castle town.\"\n\nHideyoshi had arranged for Naoie's lodgings in the Sojitsu Temple. The two hastily returned to the temple, where Naoie changed from his formal clothing and spoke to Hideyoshi.\n\n\"I'm going to leave Azuchi before nightfall and stay overnight in the capital. Then I think it would be better if I returned to Bizen.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now, why would you want to do that? At least why would you want to leave before we meet Lord Nobunaga again?\"\n\n\"I don't feel like meeting him any longer.\" For the first time, Naoie manifested his feelings in both his countenance and his words. \"And I think that Lord Nobunaga does not want to see me, either. Moreover, this is an enemy province with which I have no connection. It would probably be better for both of us if I left right away.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It will compromise my honor.\"\n\n\"I'll come and thank you properly for the way you've treated me on another day, Lord Hideyoshi. And I shall not forget your kindness.\"\n\n\"Please stay one more night. I can't bear to see the two clans that I have brought together for a peace conference suddenly become enemies again. Lord Nobunaga refused to grant us an audience today, and he has his reasons. Let's meet again this evening and I'll explain them to you. Right now I'm going back to my lodgings to change out of these clothes. Wait for me before eating dinner.\"\n\nThere was nothing Naoie could do but wait until evening." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi changed and returned to the temple." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They talked and laughed as they ate their evening meal, and as they finished, Hideyoshi remarked, \"Ah, that's right. I promised to tell you why Lord Nobunaga was so displeased with me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he started to talk as though he had just remembered the subject." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In his desire to hear Hideyoshi's explanation, Naoie had put off his departure. Now Hideyoshi had his undivided attention.\n\nWith artless candor, Hideyoshi explained why his own arbitrary settlement had offended Nobunaga. \"It's rude of me to say so, but both the provinces of Mimasaka and Bizen would sooner or later have become the possessions of the Oda clan. So to make a peace treaty now with you was not really necessary. But if Lord Nobunaga did not crush the Ukita clan, he would not be able to divide its territory among his generals as rewards for their meritorious deeds. In addition, it was unpardonable that I didn't even seek His Lordship's permission. This is why he's so angry.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He laughed as he spoke, but because there was not the slightest fabrication in what he said, the truth was manifested with a clear conscience even from behind his smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Naoie was overwhelmed. His face, flushed by sake, suddenly went pale as the blood drained from it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He did not doubt, however, that Nobunaga was thinking in this way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So he's in a bad mood,\" Hideyoshi went on." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He won't give me an audience and he won't meet you either. Once he's that resolved, he's not going to bend. I'm stumped, and I feel horrible for you. The pledge that you entrusted to me is still unauthorized, and as long as it doesn't receive His Lordship's vermilion seal, there's nothing I can do. I will return it to you, so you might as well sever your connections with us, renounce the treaty, and hurry back to Bizen tomorrow morning.\"\n\nWith that, Hideyoshi took out Naoie's pledge and handed it back to him. Naoie, however, quietly stared at the light flickering in the tall lamps and refused even to touch the document.\n\nHideyoshi remained silent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No,\" Naoie said, suddenly breaking the silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Courteously, he put his hands together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm going to entreat you to do everything you can once again. Please mediate with Lord Nobunaga for me.\"\n\nThis time his attitude was that of a man who had surrendered from the bottom of his heart. Until now he had appeared to surrender only because of the forcible arguments of Kuroda Kanbei.\n\n\"All right. If you have that much confidence in the Oda,\" Hideyoshi said, nodding vigorously, and he consented to undertake the matter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Naoie stayed at the Sojitsu Temple more than ten days waiting for the outcome." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi hurriedly sent off a messenger to Gifu, hoping that Nobutada could mollify Nobunaga somewhat." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Already having some business in the capital, Nobutada left for Kyoto soon thereafter.\n\nAccompanied by Naoie, Hideyoshi then had an audience with Nobutada. Finally, through the latter's intercession, Nobunaga relented. Later that day the vermilion seal was affixed to the pledge, and the Ukita clan completely severed its ties to the Mori and allied itself with the Oda.\n\nHardly seven days later, however, whether by coincidence or for reasons of military expediency, one of Nobunaga's generals, Araki Murashige, betrayed his lord and joined the enemy camp, raising the banner of rebellion right at the Oda's feet." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's a lie! It must be a lie!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga could not believe it at first. When the news of Murashige's revolt reached Nobunaga in Azuchi, his first reaction was denial. But the gravity of the situation was quickly confirmed when two of Murashige's senior retainers, Takayama Ukon of Takatsuki and Nakagawa Sebei of Ibaragi, cited moral obligations and followed Murashige in unfurling the banner of revolt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The look of dismay deepened on Nobunaga's brow. The strange thing was that he showed neither anger nor his usual hot temper at this unexpected turn of events. It would be a mistake to judge Nobunaga's character as one of fire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But it would also be an error, in observing his coolness, to classify him as water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When you thought of him as fire, he was water; when you thought of him as water, he was fire. Both the heat of flames and the chill of water coexisted in his body.\n\n\"Call Hideyoshi,\" Nobunaga suddenly ordered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Hideyoshi left for Harima early this morning,\" Takigawa replied nervously.\n\n\"He's already left?\"\n\n\"He probably hasn't gotten very far. With your permission, I'll take a horse and go fetch him back.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was rare for someone to seize the moment and rescue Nobunaga from his own impatience." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the retainers who were present turned to see who this someone might be, they discovered that it was Ranmaru, Nobunaga's page." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga granted his request and urged him to hurry.\n\nNoon came, and Ranmaru had not yet returned. In the meantime, reports from the scouts in the areas of Itami and Takatsuki Castle were arriving frequently." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The one report among them that made Nobunaga's blood run cold announced yet another new fact." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'castle' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just this morning at dawn, a large Mori fleet approached the Hyogo coast. Soldiers disembarked and entered Murashige's castle at Hanakuma.\"\n\nThe coastal highway through Hyogo that ran beneath Hanakuma Castle was the only route from Azuchi to Harima.\n\n\"Hideyoshi is not going to be able to get through.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the moment Nobunaga realized this, he also understood the danger of communications being cut between the expeditionary army and Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could almost feel the hands of the enemy at his throat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is Ranmaru back yet?\" Nobunaga asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, my lord.\"\n\nNobunaga was once again sunk in thought. The Hatano, the Bessho, and Araki Murashige had now suddenly revealed their links with the enemy—the Mori and the Honganji—and Nobunaga felt that he was being surrounded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moreover, when he looked to the east, he saw that the Hojo and Takeda had recently come to terms.\n\nRanmaru whipped his horse through Otsu, and finally caught up with Hideyoshi near the Mii Temple. Hideyoshi was resting there, or rather, having come that far, he had heard about Araki Murashige's rebellion and sent Horio Mosuke and two or three others to verify the reports and find out the details." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ranmaru pulled up and said, \"His Lordship ordered me to come after you. He desires to talk with you again. Would you return to Azuchi as quickly as possible?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Leaving his men at the Mii Temple, he turned back toward Azuchi, accompanied only by Ranmaru. On the way back, Hideyoshi thought through what was likely to occur. Nobunaga would be furious at Murashige's rebellion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The first time Murashige had served Nobunaga was during the attack on Nijo Palace, when they had driven out the former shogun. Nobunaga was the kind of man who would show favor toward anyone who pleased him a little, and he showed recognition of Murashige's valor especially. Nobunaga had loved Murashige more than he had loved most men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Murashige had betrayed Nobunaga's trust." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi could imagine what Nobunaga's feelings must be.\n\nAs Hideyoshi hurried back to Azuchi, he blamed himself as well as Murashige. The man had been his second-in-command, and their personal relationship had been a close one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And yet he had not known that Murashige was up to this kind of foolishness.\n\n\"Ranmaru, have you heard anything?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"You mean about Lord Murashige's treachery?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What sort of dissatisfaction might have motivated him to rebel against Lord Nobunaga?\" They were a long way from Azuchi, and if they had sped all the way back, their horses would have become exhausted. As Hideyoshi trotted along, he looked back at Ranmaru, whose horse was coming a few paces behind at the same pace." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There were rumors about this sort of thing before,\" Ranmaru said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The story goes that one of Lord Murashige's retainers was selling army rice to the warrior-monks of the Honganji. There's a shortage of rice in Osaka. The land road has been cut for the most part, and the sea routes have been blockaded by our fleet, so there is not even the prospect of transporting provisions with the Mori's warships. The price of rice has gone way up, and if a man sells rice there, he can make an immense profit. That's just what Lord Murashige's retainer did, and when the affair was exposed, Lord Murashige took the initiative and unfurled the flag of rebellion, fearing that he would be questioned about this crime by Lord Nobunaga anyway.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That sounds like a seditious rumor spread by the enemy. Surely it's a baseless lie.\"\n\n\"I think it's a lie, too. From what I've seen, people are jealous of Lord Murashige's meritorious deeds. I think this disaster has been brought on by a certain person's slander.\"\n\n\"A certain person?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Mitsuhide. Once this rumor about Lord Murashige came out, Lord Mitsuhide had nothing good to say about him to His Lordship. I'm always at His Lordship's side, listening secretly, and sure enough, I'm one of the people who feels miserable about this incident.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ranmaru suddenly fell quiet. He seemed to realize that he had spoken a little too much, and regretted it. Ranmaru concealed his feelings about Mitsuhide as a young maiden might." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At such times, Hideyoshi never seemed to pay attention to the conversation at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, he appeared to be completely indifferent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I can already see Azuchi. Let's hurry!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as he pointed into the distance, Hideyoshi whipped his horse, completely disregarding his companion's concerns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The main entrance of the castle was bustling with the attendants of retainers who had heard about Murashige's rebellion and were coming to the castle, and with messengers pouring in from the nearby provinces. Hideyoshi and Ranmaru shoved their way through the throng and into the inner citadel, only to be told that Lord Nobunaga was in the middle of a conference. Ranmaru went in and spoke to Nobunaga and then quickly returned, telling Hideyoshi, \"He requested that you wait in the Bamboo Room.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He guided Hideyoshi to a three-story tower in the inner citadel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Bamboo Room was part of Nobunaga's living quarters. Hideyoshi sat down alone and gazed out at the lake. Soon Nobunaga appeared, shouted happily when he saw Hideyoshi, and sat down without formality." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi bowed politely and remained silent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The silence continued for some time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neither man wasted his words." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What have been your thoughts about this, Hideyoshi?\" These were Nobunaga's first words, and they indicated that a resolution had not emerged out of the various confused views given at the conference.\n\n\"Araki Murashige is an extremely honest man. He is, if I may say it, a fool who excels in martial valor. I just didn't think he was that much of a fool,\" Hideyoshi replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\" Nobunaga shook his head." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't think it was foolishness at all. He's nothing but scum. He had misgivings about my prospects and initiated contacts with the Mori, blinded by the thought of profit. This is the act of a moderately talented man. Murashige got lost in his own superficiality.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's really nothing but a fool. He received excessive favors and had nothing to be dissatisfied about,\" Hideyoshi said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A man who is going to rebel will do so, no matter how favorably he's treated.\" Nobunaga was being frank with his emotions. This was the first time Hideyoshi had ever heard him use the word \"scum\" to describe someone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As a rule, he would not have spoken that way from malice or anger; it was because he had not openly expressed his anger or hatred that nothing had been decided during the council. Had Hideyoshi been asked, however, even he would have been at a loss. Should they strike at Itami Castle?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Should they try to mollify Murashige and get him to abandon the idea of rebellion?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The problem was how to choose between these two alternatives." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It would not be very difficult to capture the one castle of Itami. But the invasion of the west had just started. If they took a false step in this minor affair, they would in all likelihood have to revise their plans." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why don't I go as an envoy and talk with Murashige?\" Hideyoshi suggested." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So you think it would be better not to use force here, either?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not if we don't have to,\" Hideyoshi replied.\n\n\"Mitsuhide and two or three others have advocated not using force. You're of the same opinion, but I think it would be better if someone else went as the envoy.\"\n\n\"No, I bear part of the responsibility for this. Murashige was my second-in-command and so was my own subordinate. If he were to do something foolish... \"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No!\" Nobunaga shook his head emphatically." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There would be nothing imposing about sending an envoy with whom he's too familiar. I'll send Matsui, Mitsuhide, and Mami. Rather than appease him, they'll simply verify the rumor.\"\n\n\"That should be fine,\" Hideyoshi agreed. He spoke these few words for the sake of both Murashige and Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's a common saying that the lie of a Buddhist priest is called expedient, and a revolt within a samurai clan is called strategy. You must not be pulled into fighting, for it would play into the Mori's hands.\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\n\"I'd like to wait for the results of the envoys' meeting, but I feel uneasy about the problems in Harima. I should probably take my leave soon.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Really?\" Nobunaga sounded a little reluctant to let him go. \"What about the road back? You probably won't be able to pass through Hyogo.\"\n\n\"Don't worry, there's also the sea route.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, whatever the outcome, I'll keep you informed. Don't be negligent about sending me news.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi finally took his leave." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'temple' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although he was exhausted, from Azuchi he crossed Lake Biwa to Otsu, spent that night in the Mii Temple, and the following day turned toward Kyoto. He sent two pages ahead with instructions to have a ship waiting at Sakai, while he and his retainers took the road to the Nanzen Temple. There he announced that they would stop for a short rest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was someone in the temple whom he very much wanted to see. That person, of course, was Takenaka Hanbei, who was convalescing in a hermitage on the temple grounds.\n\nThe monks were flustered by the sudden arrival of so exalted a guest, but Hideyoshi took one of them aside and requested that they omit the treatment they would ordinarily offer to a guest of his rank." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My retainers have all brought provisions, so don't be concerned about anything other than hot water for tea. And since I've only stopped to visit Takenaka Hanbei, you won't need to entertain me with either sake or tea. After I have my talk with Hanbei, I'd be grateful if you'd make a light meal.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally he asked, \"Has the patient improved since he arrived?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It seems he has made little progress, my lord,\" the priest answered dolefully." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He takes his medicine regularly?\"\n\n\"Both morning and night.\"\n\n\"And a doctor visits him regularly?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, a doctor comes from the capital, and Lord Nobunaga's personal physician visits him regularly.\"\n\n\"Is he up?\"\n\n\"No, he hasn't been up for the past three days.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where is he?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"In a hermitage away from the bustle.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Hideyoshi went out into the garden, an attendant who served Hanbei ran out to meet him. \"He's just changing so that he can see you, my lord,\" the boy said.\n\n\"He's not to get up,\" Hideyoshi scolded, and walked quickly toward the hermitage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Hanbei had heard that Hideyoshi was on his way, he had had his sickbed put away and ordered a servant to sweep the room clean, while he himself changed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, putting on some wooden clogs, he had stooped over the little stream that wound its way through the chrysanthemums at the bamboo gate, and washed his mouth and hands. He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder.\n\n\"Oh, I didn't know you were here.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'hideyoshi' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei quickly knelt on the ground. \"Over there, my lord,\" he said, inviting Hideyoshi into his room. Hideyoshi sat down happily on the mat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was nothing in the room but a Zen master's ink painting hanging on the wall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's clothing had been completely neutralized by the colors of Azuchi, but here in this simple hermitage, both his coat and his armor looked brilliant and imposing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bowing as he walked, Hanbei went around and up to the veranda, where he inserted a single white chrysanthemum into a flower container cut from a section of bamboo. He sat down meekly next to Hideyoshi and put the bamboo container in the alcove.\n\nHideyoshi understood: even though the sickbed had been put away, Hanbei was afraid that the smell of the medicine and the mustiness of the room would still be lingering, and instead of incense, had tried to freshen the air with the fragrance of this flower." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not bothered at all. Don't even think of it,\" Hideyoshi said considerately, and looked at his friend with concern. \"Hanbei, isn't it difficult for you to get up like this?\"\n\nHanbei withdrew to a short distance and once again bowed low." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even through his formality, however, his happiness at Hideyoshi's visit could be seen on his face. \"Please don't worry,\" he began. \"For the last few days it's been cold, so I've been careful to keep indoors, under quilts. But today it started to warm up, and I had just been thinking that I should get out of bed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It'll be winter in Kyoto soon enough, and they say it's particularly cold in the morning and at night. How about moving to a warmer place during the winter?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, no. I'm beginning to get better and better every day. I'll be well before winter comes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If you're really getting better, that's all the more reason why you shouldn't move out of the sickroom this winter. This time you should convalesce until you're completely cured. Your body is not just your own, you know.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You think more of me than I deserve.\" Hanbei's shoulders slumped, and he sat with downcast eyes. His hands slipped from his knees and—along with his tears—touched the floor as he bowed in obeisance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For a moment he was silent.\n\nAh, he has grown so thin, Hideyoshi thought, and sighed. The wrists of those hands that bowed at the mat were so emaciated, the flesh around his cheekbones so gaunt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was this wasting disease really incurable?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With these thoughts, Hideyoshi felt a pain in his chest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Who was it, after all, who had pulled this sick man out into the chaotic world against his will?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In how many battlefields had he been soaked by the rain and chilled by the wind? And who was it who, even in times of peace, had put him through the hardships of both domestic affairs and diplomatic relations without even thinking of a day of rest? Hanbei was a man whom he should have looked up to as a teacher, but he had treated him the same as any retainer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi felt that he was to blame for the seriousness of Hanbei's condition and finally, as he looked off to the side, his own tears fell heavily." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In front of him, the white chrysanthemum in the bamboo container turned whiter and more fragrant as it soaked up water.\n\nHanbei silently blamed himself for Hideyoshi's tears. It was an inexcusable act of disloyalty as a retainer and lack of resolve as a warrior to have caused his lord to lose heart when the latter's military responsibilities were so heavy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I thought you would be exhausted by this long campaign, so I picked this chrysanthemum from the garden,\" Hanbei said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi was silent, but his eyes were drawn to the flower. He seemed relieved that the subject of their conversation had changed.\n\n\"What a wonderful smell. I suppose that the chrysanthemums were blooming on Mount Hirai, but I didn't notice their smell or color. We probably trampled them with our bloodied sandals,\" he laughed, trying to cheer up the ailing Hanbei." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The compassion with which Hanbei attempted to sympathize with his lord was equaled by Hideyoshi's efforts to cheer his retainer.\n\n\"As I sit here now, I can really feel the difficulty of maintaining my life with body and mind acting clearly as one being,\" Hideyoshi said. \"The battlefield keeps me busy and makes me rough. Here I feel calm and happy. Somehow it seems that that contrast has become clear, and that I have become wonderfully resolved.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, people obviously value free time and a peaceful frame of mind, but there's no real benefit in becoming a so-called man of leisure; it's an empty life. You, my lord, do not have an instant of peace between one worry and the next. So I suspect that it's quite a marvelous medicine to have this sudden little moment of peace. As for me—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei was probably going to blame himself and apologize once again, so Hideyoshi suddenly interrupted him. \"By the way, have you heard the news about Araki Murashige's insurrection?\"\n\n\"Yes, last night someone came here with a detailed report.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanbei spoke without raising an eyebrow, as though it were of little importance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, I'd like to talk about it a little,\" Hideyoshi said, and moved forward a little on his knees. \"In Lord Nobunaga's council meeting at Azuchi, it was more or less decided to listen to Murashige's grievances and then do everything possible to calm him down and come to terms with him. But I wonder if that is really a good idea. And what should we do if Murashige rebels in earnest? I would like to hear your frank opinion. That's really another reason why I came here.\" Hideyoshi was asking for a strategy in order to cope with the situation, but Hanbei answered him briefly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think that's fine. It's a very clever measure.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, if an envoy is sent from Azuchi with a soothing message, is Itami Castle going to be pacified without incident?\"\n\n\"No, of course not.\" Hanbei shook his head." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"If that's true, then isn't it just wasted effort to send an envoy?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It will not. I think that now that Itami Castle has unfurled the banner of rebellion, it is definitely not going to roll it up again and submit to Azuchi.\"\n\n\"If that's true, then isn't it just wasted effort to send an envoy?\"\n\n\"It may seem so, but it will serve some purpose. You could say that to act first with humanity and show a retainer his mistake would let the world know of Lord Nobunaga's virtue. During that time, Lord Murashige will most likely be anguished and confused, and thus the arrow that is pulled back unjustifiably and without real conviction is going to weaken as the days go by.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you think our strategy should be in our attack on him, and what is your forecast for the western provinces?\"\n\n\"I think that neither the Mori nor the Honganji are likely to move precipitously. Murashige has already revolted, so they're more likely to let him get into a bloody fight of resistance. Then, if they see that our men in Harima and His Lordship's headquarters in Azuchi are weakening, they'll leap into the vacuum and attack from all sides.\"\n\n\"That's right, they'll take advantage of Murashige's stupidity. I don't know what kind of grievances he may have had, or what kind of bait they waved in front of him, but essentially he's being used as a shield for the Mori and the Honganji. Once that role as a shield is finished, there'll be nothing left for him but self-destruction. In terms of martial valor, he's far above others; but he's dull-witted. If there's any way of keeping him alive, I'd like to do it.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The very best strategy would be to keep him from getting killed. It would be good if we could keep a man like that alive and also keep him as an ally.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But if you think that an envoy from Azuchi would be useless, who could go that Murashige might submit to?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"First try sending Kanbei. If Kanbei speaks to him, he should be able to enlighten Murashige on the matter, or at least wake him up from his bad dream.\"\n\n\"What if he refuses to see Kanbei?\"\n\n\"Then the Oda can send their last envoy.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Their last envoy?\"\n\n\"You, my lord.\"\n\n\"Me?\" Hideyoshi was momentarily lost in thought." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, if it comes to that, it will be too late.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Teach him duty and enlighten him with friendship. If he doesn't accept what you say, you can do nothing more than strike at him firmly, citing the crime of revolt. If it does come to that, it would be foolish to attack Itami with a single stroke. Lord Murashige has not been emboldened by the strength of Itami Castle but rather by the cooperation of the two men he relies on like his right and left hands.\"\n\n\"You mean Nakagawa Sebei and Takayama Ukon?\"\n\n\"If you can get those two men away from him, he'll be like a body with no arms. And if you win either Ukon or Sebei over, getting them away from Murashige should not be that much of a problem.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanbei seemed to forget about his illness at some point and talked about this subject and that, until his sickly pallor almost disappeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How do I win over Ukon?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi asked him eagerly, and Hanbei did not disappoint him.\n\n\"Takayama Ukon is an enthusiastic follower of Christianity. If you give him conditions permitting the propagation of his faith, he'll leave Murashige without a doubt.\"\n\n\"Yes, that's clear,\" Hideyoshi said in admiration." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If he could get Ukon to convince Sebei, it would kill two birds with one stone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stopped his questions. Hanbei appeared to be tired, too. Hideyoshi got up to leave." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait just a moment,\" Hanbei requested." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He got up and went from the room, possibly toward the kitchen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi remembered that he was hungry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His attendants must have finished eating their lunches by this time. But before he even thought about returning to the temple's guest quarters and having some rice, a boy, who seemed to be Hanbei's attendant, brought in two trays, one bearing a sake container.\n\n\"What happened to Hanbei? Did he get tired after our long conversation?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, my lord. He went to the kitchen a little while ago and prepared the vegetables for your meal himself. He's cooking the rice right now, so he'll be in as soon as he's done.\"\n\n\"What? Hanbei's cooking for me?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi took a bite of taro—it was still hot—and the tears once again came to his eyes. The taste of the vegetable seemed to be not only on his tongue but filling his entire body. He felt that the taste was almost too good for someone like him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although Hanbei was a retainer, he had taught Hideyoshi all of the secret principles of ancient Chinese military lore." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The things that Hideyoshi had learned while sitting with him every day were not ordinary things: the governing of the people during times of peace and the necessity of self-discipline." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He shouldn't be doing that.\" Suddenly, Hideyoshi put down his cup and, leaving the page who had been serving him, went to the kitchen, where Hanbei was cooking rice.\n\nHideyoshi took him by the hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hanbei, this is too much. Won't you come sit and talk with me for a while instead?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He led Hanbei back to the room and made him take a cup of sake but because of his illness, Hanbei could do no more than touch it to his lips." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two of them then ate together. It had been a long time since lord and retainer had enjoyed the pleasure of a meal in each other's company.\n\n\"It's time to go. But I've been invigorated. Now I can go fight. Hanbei, please take good care of yourself.\"\n\nWhen Hideyoshi left the Nanzen Temple, the day had already begun to end, and the sky over the capital was turning crimson." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was quiet, without even the report of a single firearm—so quiet that one might doubt it was a battlefield, so quiet that the sound of a praying mantis sliding through the dry grass rustled in the ear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was mid-autumn in the western provinces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The maples had been turning red everywhere on the peaks for the last two or three days, and their redness burned in Hideyoshi's eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi was back at the camp at Mount Hirai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was seated across from Kanbei, underneath the pine on the hill from which they had viewed the moon some time before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Having talked over a number of things, they had come to an important conclusion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, you'll go for me, then?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll be happy to undertake this mission. Whether I succeed is up to heaven.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm counting on you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I will do my best, and leave the rest to providence. My going there is just the last chance. If I don't come back alive, you know what follows.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nothing but force.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They stood up. The high-pitched cry of the bulbul could be heard from across the valley to the west." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The red leaves in that direction were stunning." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two men silently descended the hill and walked toward the camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The specter of death—and imminent parting—filled the atmosphere of the peaceful afternoon and lay quietly in the thoughts of these two good friends." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Kanbei.\" Hideyoshi looked back as he went down the narrow, sloping path." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The possibility that his friend would not be coming back again struck him deeply, and he thought Kanbei might have some last things to say." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is there anything else?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Nothing for Himeji Castle?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have you got a message for your father?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just explain to him why I'm going on this mission.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Very well.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The air had become clear, and it was possible to see the enemy castle at Miki far in the distance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The road leading to the castle had been cut off since summer, so it was easy to imagine the hunger and thirst inside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, as might be expected of the garrison of Harima's most spirited general and bravest soldiers, it continued throughout the siege to manifest a martial spirit as biting as the autumn frost." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The besieged enemy had been driven to make sallies against the surrounding Oda troops." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi, however, gave his men strict orders not to give in to their provocations, and sharply cautioned them against impulsive action." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Again, minute care was taken to allow no news of the external situation to reach the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If the men inside the castle heard that Araki Murashige had revolted against Nobunaga, it would strengthen their morale." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After all, Murashige's revolt did not simply cause dismay in Azuchi; it threatened the whole western campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a matter of fact, as soon as Odera Masamoto, the lord of Gochaku Castle, became aware of Murashige's revolt, he made a clear declaration separating himself from Nobunaga and even went one night to the enemy's camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The western provinces should not just be given over into the hands of the invader,\" Odera told them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We should make the Mori clan our rallying point, reorganize our forces, and strike down these outsiders.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Odera Masamoto was Kanbei's father's lord and, therefore, Kanbei's as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei, therefore, was placed in a dilemma: on the one hand were Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, on the other were his father and his overlord." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Araki Murashige was a man known for his courage, but he was also one who bragged about it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sensitivity and a clear understanding of the times were far beyond him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was at the age described by Confucius as \"free from vacillation,\" that is, he was about forty, the age when a man should be mature, but it seemed that Murashige's character had not changed much from what it had been ten years before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lacking the qualities of thoughtfulness and refinement that he should naturally have possessed, even though he was the lord of a castle he had not advanced a single step from what he was formerly: a fearsome samurai warrior." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It could be said that in attaching him to Hideyoshi as second-in-command, Nobunaga had made up for Hideyoshi's deficiencies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige, however, did not think of himself in that way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was always very free with his advice, yet neither Hideyoshi nor Nobutada ever employed his ideas." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He found Hideyoshi annoying." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But his feckless thoughts aside, he never showed his antipathy when he met Hideyoshi face to face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From time to time he would expose his resentment and even laugh out loud before his own retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There are some men in this world you can't offend, no matter how angry you get, and to Murashige, Hideyoshi was one of them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the time of the attack on Kozuki Castle, Murashige had been on the front lines." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yet, when the time was right for the battle and Hideyoshi had given him the order to attack, he had sat there with folded arms and would not budge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why didn't you go out and fight?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi had reprimanded him later." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't participate in a battle I'm not interested in,\" Murashige had replied without flinching." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Since Hideyoshi had laughed good-naturedly at the time, Murashige had forced a smile too." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The matter was closed, but the rumors that passed among the generals in camp were extremely uncomplimentary." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide censured Murashige's conduct heavily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige held in contempt generals like Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka, who had the scent of cultured men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He liked to characterize such men as effeminate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This judgment was based on his abhorrence of the poetry parties and tea ceremonies they held in camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The only thing that did impress Murashige was that Hideyoshi appeared not to have made a report of his behavior to either Nobunaga or Nobutada." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige looked down on Hideyoshi as a warrior who was more soft-hearted than he, and yet he figured Hideyoshi a hard man to handle precisely because of this." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At any rate, the people who really understood his attitude while he was in the field were his enemies, the Mori." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To them it appeared that Murashige held some grievances, and that if they could talk to him, there was a good possibility they could get him to change sides." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fact that the secret messengers from both the Mori and the Honganji were able to avoid detection and repeatedly slip in and out of his camp, and even Itami Castle, would indicate that they were not unwelcomed guests." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The enemy had already been encouraged by Murashige, and his actions had been a wordless invitation to them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When a man without real substance or resourcefulness begins to play at being clever, he is playing with fire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His advisers cautioned their lord any number of times that such a plot could never succeed, but Murashige turned a deaf ear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't talk foolishness! Especially when the Mori clan has sent me a written pledge.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Having such absolute faith in a written pledge, he very quickly and clearly demonstrated his spirit of rebellion toward Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How highly could a written pledge from the Mori—who had been enemies until yesterday—be regarded in these chaotic times, when men tossed aside a pledge between lord and retainer like a pair of worn-out sandals?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige neither thought that far ahead nor felt such a large contradiction to be a contradiction at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He's a fool—an honest man with whom it isn't worth getting angry,\" Hideyoshi had said to Nobunaga to calm him down, and it was probably the best thing he could have said at the time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga, however, could not look at the situation lightly, and cautioned, \"But he's a strong man.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Added to this were the important questions of how the revolt would affect the other generals under his command and what its psychological influence might be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For these reasons, Nobunaga had tried everything, including sending Akechi Mitsuhide to pacify Murashige." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the end, however, Murashige responded with all the more suspicion, and in the meanwhile strengthened his preparations for war, saying, \"I've already demonstrated my hostility, so if I were to fall for Nobunaga's sweet words and respond to Azuchi's summons, I have no doubt that I would be murdered or thrown into prison.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga was outraged. Finally, the decision to fight Murashige was announced, and on the ninth day of the Eleventh Month, Nobunaga himself led a force as far as Yamazaki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The army of Azuchi was divided into three parts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first army, composed of the forces of Takigawa Kazumasu, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Niwa Nagahide, surrounded Ibaragi Castle; the second, made up of the forces under Fuwa, Maeda, Sassa, and Kanamori, besieged Takatsuki Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's headquarters was at Mount Amano." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And, while his resplendent line-up was unfolding itself, he still had a faint hope of subjugating the rebellious army without bloodshed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That hope was tied to Hideyoshi, who had now returned to Harima and from whom a message had just arrived." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have one more idea,\" Hideyoshi had written." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Behind his words was Hideyoshi's friendship for the man as well as his feeling that Murashige's valor was too valuable to waste, and he appealed earnestly to Nobunaga to wait just a little longer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's right-hand man, Kuroda Kanbei, had suddenly left the camp at Mount Hirai one night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The following day, Kanbei hurried to Gochaku Castle, where he met with Odera Masamoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There is a rumor that you are supporting Lord Murashige's revolt, and that this castle has turned its back on the Oda clan.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He spoke simply and directly, and first appealed to the man heart-to-heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A thin smile floated to Masamoto's lips as he listened." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In terms of years, Kanbei was the age of his own son; and even in status, he was nothing more than the son of a senior retainer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus, his answer was, not surprisingly, extremely arrogant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kanbei, you appear to be serious, but think for a moment. Since this clan became Nobunaga's ally, what have we gotten in return? Nothing.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't think it's just a problem of profit and loss anymore.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then, what is it?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'loyalty' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's a matter of loyalty. You are the head of a well-known clan, and have been an ally of the Oda in Harima. Suddenly to join Araki Murashige's revolt and betray your former allies would be a blow to the ideal of loyalty.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What are you saying?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Masamoto asked. He treated Kanbei as an inexperienced negotiator, and the more fervent Kanbei became, the more coolly Masamoto behaved toward him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My reliance on Nobunaga was never a matter of loyalty,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You and your father seem to think that the future of this country is in Nobunaga's hands; and when he took the capital, it was expedient to collude with him. At least that's the way the situation was presented to me, and even I was persuaded. But the truth is that there are many dangers facing Nobunaga from now on. Think of it as looking at a large ship out at sea. From the shore it looks safe; you think that if you boarded it, you would have no fear of sailing through turbulent seas. But then you actually get on board and tie your own fate to that of the ship. Now that you've put yourself into its keeping, instead of peace of mind, you find yourself without confidence. Every time you're battered by the waves, you feel uneasy and have doubts about the boat's endurance. This is human nature.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei unconsciously slapped his knee." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And once you've gotten on board, you can't disembark halfway through the trip.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why not? If you see that the boat's not going to make it through the crush of the waves, there may be no other way to save your life than to abandon ship and swim for shore before the ship wrecks. Sometimes you have to close your eyes to your feelings.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's shameful thinking, my lord. When the weather clears and the boat that seemed so much in danger raises its sails and finally arrives in port, it is exactly the man who shuddered during a gale, doubted the boat he'd entrusted himself to, betrayed his fellow travelers, and jumped overboard in confusion into the sea, who will be seen as a laughable fool.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm no match for you when it comes to words,\" Masamoto laughed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The truth is that you're eloquent beyond eloquence. First you said that when Nobunaga turned his hand to the west, he would quickly sweep over it. But the forces sent with Hideyoshi number a mere five or six thousand. And even though Lord Nobutada and other generals have frequently come to his aid, there's uneasiness in the capital, and it appears as though the army may not be here for very long. Then I am simply used as Hideyoshi's vanguard and am requisitioned for soldiers, horses, and provisions, but it will amount to nothing more than positioning me as a barrier between the Oda and their enemies. Consider the Oda clan's prospects judging simply by the way Araki Murashige—who was promoted to such a responsible post by Nobunaga—completely turned around the situation in the capital when he allied himself with the Mori clan! The reason I left the Oda clan with Murashige should be clear.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What I've been listening to is a truly wretched plan. I suspect you're going to regret it soon.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're still young. You're strong in battle, but not in worldly affairs.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lord, I'm begging you to change your mind.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's not going to happen. I've made it clear to my retainers that I've made a promise to Murashige and taken a stand to ally myself with the Mori.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But if you considered your decision once more... \"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Before you say any more, talk to Araki Murashige. If he rethinks his defection, I will too.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Adult and child. The difference between the two was not just sophistry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It might be said that even a man like Kanbei, who was considered unique in the west for his talents and progressive ideas, could not have held his own against an opponent like Odera Masamoto, regardless of right or wrong." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Masamoto spoke once more to emphasize his point." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"At any rate, take this with you and go to Itami. Then bring me an answer quickly. When I've heard Lord Murashige's thoughts, I'll give you a definite answer.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Masamoto wrote a note to Araki Murashige." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei put it in his kimono and hurried off to Itami." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The situation was pressing, and his own actions could have great consequences." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he approached Itami Castle, he saw that the soldiers were digging trenches and building a palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seemingly oblivious of the fact that he was quickly surrounded by a ring of spears, he said, as if he had nothing to fear, \"I'm Kuroda Kanbei from Himeji Castle. I'm an ally neither of Lord Nobunaga nor of Lord Murashige. I've come alone for an urgent private talk with Lord Murashige.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he pushed his way through." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He passed through several fortified gates, finally entered the castle, and quickly met Murashige." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His first impression upon looking at Murashige's face was that the man was not as strong-willed as he had expected." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige's countenance was not very impressive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei perceived his opponent's lack of spirit and self-confidence and wondered why he had chosen to fight Nobunaga, who was considered the most outstanding man of his generation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, it's been a long time!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige said desultorily. It sounded almost like flattery." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei guessed that for a fierce general like Murashige to treat him in this way meant that he was still somewhat unsure of himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei responded with small talk, smiling fixedly at Murashige." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For his part, Murashige was unable to conceal his innate honesty, and looked extraordinarily embarrassed under Kanbei's gaze." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige felt his face turn red." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is your business?\" he asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've heard rumors.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"About my raising an army?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You've gotten yourself into a mess.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is everyone saying?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Some are saying good things, some bad.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I suppose opinions are divided. But people should wait until the fighting's over to decide who was right and who was wrong. A man's reputation is never settled until after his death.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have you considered what will happen after you die?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If that's so, then I'm sure you know that the consequences of your decision are irrevocable.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why is that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The bad name you'll get from turning against a lord from whom you've received so many favors won't die out for generations.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige fell silent. The throbbing of his temples showed that he was full of emotion, but he did not have the eloquence for a refutation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The sake is ready,\" a retainer announced." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige looked relieved. He stood up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kanbei, come inside. It has been a long time, everything else aside. Let's have a drink together,\" he suggested." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige showed himself a generous host." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A banquet had been prepared in the main citadel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two men naturally avoided any argument as they drank sake, and Murashige's expression relaxed considerably." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At some point, however, Kanbei broached the subject again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How about it, Murashige? Why don't you stop this thing before it goes too far?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Before what goes too far?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This petty show of strength.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My resolution in this grave concern has nothing to do with a show of strength.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That may be true, but the world is calling it treachery. How do you feel about that?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come on, have some more sake.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not going to deceive myself. You've gone to a lot of trouble for me today, but your sake tastes just a little bitter.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You were sent here by Hideyoshi.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course. Even Lord Hideyoshi is extraordinarily worried about you. Not only that, but he defends you absolutely, regardless of what other people say about you. He calls you 'a valuable man' and 'a stalwart warrior.' He says that we should not make a mistake, and I can tell you that he'll never forget your friendship.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige sobered up a little and, in some measure, spoke from his heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In fact, I received two or three letters from Hideyoshi admonishing me, and I'm moved by his friendship. But Akechi Mitsuhide and other Oda retainers came one after another as Lord Nobunaga's envoys and I rebuffed them all. Certainly I can't comply with Hideyoshi's request now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't think that's true. If you'll leave the matter to Lord Hideyoshi, he'll surely be able to manage some way of mediating with Lord Nobunaga.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't think so,\" Murashige said sullenly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They're saying that when Mitsuhide and Nobumori heard that I had rebelled, they clapped their hands and rejoiced. Mitsuhide came here to appease me. He soothed me with pretty words, but who knows what kind of report he made when he returned to Nobunaga. If I opened my castle and returned to kneel before Nobunaga, in the end he'd only order his men to grab me by the scruff of the neck and cut off my head. None of my retainers is of a mind to return to Nobunaga. They're at the point where they feel that fighting to the end would be best, so this is not just my own opinion. When you go back to Harima, please tell Hideyoshi not to think badly of me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It seemed that Kanbei was not going to be able to persuade Murashige easily." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After a few more cups of sake, he took out Odera Masamoto's letter and handed it to Murashige." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei had already looked over the gist of the contents." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was simple, but it censured Murashige's behavior earnestly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige moved closer to the lamp and opened it, but just as he finished reading it, he excused himself and left the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he went out, a group of soldiers crowded into the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They surrounded Kanbei, forming a wall of armor and spears around him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Get up!\" they shouted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei put down his cup and looked at the agitated faces around him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What happens if I do?\" he asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Murashige's orders are to escort you to the castle jail,\" answered one of the soldiers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Jail?\" he blurted out, and he wanted to laugh out loud." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the moment he thought it was all over for him, and he saw how funny he must look for having fallen into Murashige's trap." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stood up, a smile on his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's go, then. There's nothing I can do but go meekly, if this is Lord Murashige's show of courtesy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warriors escorted Kanbei down the main corridor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The noisy clatter of their armor blended with their footsteps." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They went down any number of dark corridors and stairways." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei was made to walk in places that were so dark he could have been blindfolded, and he wondered if he might not be killed at any time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was more or less prepared for such an event, but it did not seem to be forthcoming." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At any rate, the lightless place he walked along seemed to be a complicated passageway weaving through the bowels of the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After a while, a heavy sliding door clattered open." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Inside!\" he was ordered, and after taking about ten paces forward, he found himself in the middle of a cell." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The door slammed shut behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This time, Kanbei did laugh out loud into the darkness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he turned to the wall and spoke with self-scorn, almost as though he were reciting a poem." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I myself have fallen into Murashige's trap. Well, well... public morals certainly have become complicated, haven't they?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He guessed that he was beneath an armory." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As far as he could tell by feeling with the soles of his feet, the floor was made of thick, knotted planks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei walked along calmly, following the four walls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was able to judge that the area of the cell was about thirty square meters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No, the way I see it is that Murashige is the man to be pitied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What does he think he's going to accomplish by imprisoning me?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He sat down cross-legged in what was evidently the center of the cell." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His buttocks were cold, but there seemed to be nothing to sit on in the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He suddenly realized that he hadn't had to give up his short sword, and thought, That's something to be thankful for." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If I just have this one weapon... at any time I could..." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He silently told himself that even if his buttocks were numbed, his spirit would not be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Zen meditation that he had practiced so hard in his youth would now perhaps be of use." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Such things came to mind as time went by." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'm glad I came, was his next thought." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Hideyoshi had come himself, this small disaster would have been replaced by a great one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'm grateful that it has turned out this way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soon a thin stripe of light shone in his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei calmly looked toward the light." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A window had been opened." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A man's face appeared on the other side of the lattice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was Araki Murashige." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is it cold in there, Kanbei?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige asked. Kanbei looked in his direction and finally answered him with total calm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I'm still warm from the sake, but it might get uncomfortable around midnight. If Lord Hideyoshi hears that Kuroda Kanbei has frozen to death, he'll probably arrive before dawn and expose your head on the gate in the frost. Murashige, you're a man with decent brains. What do you plan to accomplish by keeping me here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige was at a loss for words." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was also aware that he was being shamed by his own actions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Eventually, however, he laughed scornfully." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Stop your grumbling, Kanbei. You're saying that I have no brains, but aren't you the one who witlessly fell into this trap?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Abusive language is not going to help you. Can't you talk logically?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige said nothing, and Kanbei went on, \"You're prone to admonishing me as some sort of strategist or demon of tactics, but I concern myself with fundamental policies, not petty tricks. I have never considered plotting against a friend and making a merit of it. I was simply thinking of you, and of Lord Hideyoshi's distress. That's why I came here alone. Can't you understand? What about Lord Hideyoshi's friendship? What about your loyalty?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige did not know how to answer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He fell silent for a while, but finally pulled together a rebuttal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You talk about friendship and moral principles, but these are words that only have luster during times of peace. It's different now. The country is at war with itself, and the world is in chaos. If you don't plot, you're plotted against; if you don't inflict injury, someone will inflict injury on you. This is a world so grim that you may have to kill or be killed in the time it takes you to pick up your chopsticks. Yesterday's ally is today's enemy, and if a man is your enemy—even if he is your friend—there's nothing you can do but throw him in prison. It's all tactics. One could say that it's out of compassion that I haven't killed you yet.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I see. Now I understand your view of the world, your everyday thoughts on warfare, and the extent of your morality. You have the pitiful blindness of the times, and I don't feel like talking things over with you anymore. Go ahead, destroy yourself!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What? You're saying I'm blind?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. No, even though it's come to this, I can't seem to abandon the last little bit of friendship I have for you. I have one more thing I'll teach you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What? Does the Oda clan have some secret strategy?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's not a matter of advantages and disadvantages. You're a pitiful individual. Although you're famous for your courage, you're ignorant of how to live in this chaotic country. Not only that, but you have no desire to save the world from this chaos. You're inhuman, lower than a townsman or a farmer. How can you call yourself a samurai?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What! You're saying I'm not human?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. You're a beast.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What did you say?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go ahead! Get as angry as you can. It's all directed against yourself. Listen, Murashige. If men lose morality and loyalty, the world becomes nothing but a world of beasts. We fight and fight again, and the hellfire of human rivalry is never exhausted. If you consider only battle, intrigue, and power, and forget morality and human-heartedness, you won't stop at being an enemy of Lord Nobunaga. You'll be an enemy of all humankind and a plague to the entire earth. As far as I'm concerned, if you're that kind of person, I'd be glad to twist off your head.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Speaking his mind and then sinking into silence, Kanbei could hear a clamor going on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Outside the prison window, Murashige was surrounded by his retainers and personal attendants, and they were all yelling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Cut him down!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, we can't kill him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's insufferable.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Calm yourselves!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It appeared that Murashige was caught between those who wanted to pull Kanbei out and butcher him on the spot and those who declared that killing him would have adverse results." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And he seemed unable to come to a decision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the end, however, they concluded that even if they were going to kill him, there was no particular hurry to do so." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After that they seemed to settle down, and the footsteps of Murashige and the rest could be heard clattering off into the distance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From observing this event, Kanbei quickly understood the mood of the entire castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although the banner of revolt had been clearly unfurled, even now there were those who indignantly wanted to fight the Oda and others who advocated cooperating with their former allies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Under the same roof, they feuded on almost every single point, and the situation could be read easily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murashige, who was caught up in this dispute, had driven away Nobunaga's envoys and increased his military preparations." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he had thrown Kanbei into prison." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It appears that he's come to his doom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ah, how sad, Kanbei thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Without regretting his own fate, he lamented Murashige's ignorance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After the voices had drifted away, the peephole was closed again, but Kanbei was suddenly aware of a slip of paper that had fallen through." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He picked it up, but could not read it that night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was so dark in the cell he could hardly see his own fingers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The next day, however, when the faint light of morning filtered in, he remembered the paper right away and read it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a letter from Odera Masamoto in Harima, addressed to Araki Murashige." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This same bothersome character we talked about has come here, admonishing me to change my mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I deceived him into trying to ascertain your mind first, so he'll probably arrive at your castle at the same time this letter arrives." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He is a man of broad resources, so he'll be a burden as long as he's alive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he gets to Itami Castle, I suggest that you take the opportunity and not let him loose in the world again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei was shocked. When he looked at the date on the letter, he saw that it was indeed the same day that he himself had offered his remonstration to Masamoto and left Gochaku Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well then, he must have sent this letter right afterward,\" he muttered to himself in amazement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was struck by the realization that there are a large number of clever people in the world." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And yet the world had called him—he who had taken such pains to abstain from shallow thinking and petty schemes—a tactician." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's interesting, isn't it? Being in the world.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking up at the ceiling, he spoke without being aware of it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sound of his voice echoed as though he were in a cave." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How interesting to be in the world." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'there' 8 time(s) throughout your message" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As one might expect, there were lies and there were truths, there was form and there was void, there was anger and there was joy, there was faith and there was confusion." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was being in the world. But for a few weeks at least, Kanbei would be far away from the world." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The attacking forces disposed around Itami, Takatsuki, and Ibaragi castles were ready to strike at any time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, the order to attack had not yet come from Nobunaga's headquarters on Mount Amano." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the various camps, the days passed so quietly that the soldiers' patience was beginning to wear thin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Still no word?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had already asked this question twice that day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What he was having difficulty waiting for, however, was just the opposite of the source of the soldiers' impatience." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At this point, the Oda clan's position was extraordinarily and dangerously complex—not in regard to the western or eastern provinces, but right around the capital." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If at all possible, Nobunaga did not want to fight a war here, at this time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And as the days passed, he worried over this policy of avoiding action in his home area at all costs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whenever he was anxious, Hideyoshi occupied his thoughts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wanted him constantly at his side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not long before, a report had come from this general upon whom he relied so much, telling him that Kanbei had stated his case to his former master, Odera Masamoto, and then had gone immediately to Itami Castle, where he intended to persuade Murashige to negotiate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei was even prepared to die on this mission, Hideyoshi had said, and he asked Nobunaga to wait." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This shows a lot of self-confidence,\" Nobunaga said, \"and Hideyoshi's not apt to be negligent.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But even though Nobunaga in this way persuaded himself to be patient, the atmosphere at his field headquarters was becoming charged with his generals' extreme annoyance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Whenever Hideyoshi made some trivial mistake, their resentment would erupt as though it had been smoldering under the ashes for a long time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't understand why Hideyoshi sent the man! Who is this Kanbei, anyway? If you look into his background, he turns out to be a retainer of Odera Masamoto. And his father is a senior retainer of Masamoto too. For his part, Masamoto is conspiring with Araki Murashige in communicating with the Mori and betraying us. He's acting in concert with Murashige while he has raised the banner of rebellion in the western provinces. How could Hideyoshi have chosen Kanbei for such an important mission?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was criticized for his lack of foresight, and some even went so far as to suspect him of negotiating with the Mori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The reports that began to come in all contained the same information: far from submitting to Kanbei's argument, Odera Masamoto had spoken out against Lord Nobunaga all the more." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had spread stories about the weakness of the Oda forces in the area." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moreover, his communications with the Mori had become more and more frequent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga had to admit that this was true." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kanbei's action was nothing but a deception. While we wait for good news from such an unreliable man, the enemy strengthens his connections and perfects his defenses, so that in the end our forces will achieve nothing, regardless of how fierce our attack is.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that point, news finally came from Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was, however, not good." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei had still not returned, and there was no clear information." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Moreover, the letter sounded hopeless." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga clicked his tongue." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly he tossed aside the satchel that had contained the letter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's too late!\" Finally provoked, Nobunaga suddenly roared out angrily, \"Secretary! Write this immediately and address it to Hideyoshi. Tell him he's to come here without a moment's delay.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he looked at Sakuma Nobumori and said, \"I've heard that Takenaka Hanbei has confined himself in the Nanzen Temple in Kyoto to convalesce. Is he still there?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I believe he is.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's response to Nobumori's reply was as quick as an echo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well then, go there and tell this to Hanbei: Kuroda Kanbei's son, Shojumaru, was sent to his castle by Hideyoshi some time ago as a hostage—he is to be beheaded immediately, and his head sent to his father in Itami.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobumori bowed. Everyone around Nobunaga momentarily crouched in fear of his sudden anger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not a voice was heard, and for a moment, Nobumori did not get up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's mood was capable of changing from one moment to the next, and his anger exploded without much difficulty." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The patience he had exhibited until now was not part of his true nature." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That had been strictly a matter of reasoning, into which he had had to put much effort." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Therefore, when he did throw off the self-control that he so disliked and raised his voice, his earlobes began to redden, and his face suddenly took on a ferocious appearance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My lord, please wait a moment.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is it, Kazumasu? Are you admonishing me?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It would be presumptuous for someone like me to admonish you, my lord, but why have you so suddenly given an order to kill Kuroda Kanbei's son? Shouldn't you deliberate on this a bit longer?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't need to deliberate any more to see Kanbei's treason. He pretended to talk to Odera Masamoto, and then deceived me again into thinking that he was negotiating with Araki Murashige. That I've refrained from taking action for the last ten days is entirely because of that damned Kanbei's schemes. Hideyoshi reported that to me just now. Hideyoshi's had enough of being made a fool of by Kanbei.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But what if you summoned Lord Hideyoshi to give you a full report of the situation, and talked with him about punishing Kanbei's son?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I can't make a peacetime decision at a time like this. And I'm not ordering Hideyoshi here to listen to his opinion. I'm asking him to explain how he fomented this disaster. Hurry up and take the message, Nobumori.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord. I'll convey this to Hanbei, as you wish.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's mood was gradually becoming darker." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He turned to the scribe and asked, \"Did you write my summons to Hideyoshi, secretary?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Would you like to read it, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The letter was shown to Nobunaga and then immediately passed to the chief messenger, who was ordered to take it to Harima." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But before the messenger was able to leave, a retainer announced, \"Lord Hideyoshi has just now arrived.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? Hideyoshi?\" Nobunaga's expression remained the same, but for an instant it seemed that his anger had softened." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon Hideyoshi's voice could be heard, and it rang out as cheerfully as usual." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as Nobunaga heard Hideyoshi, he had to make an effort to maintain his angry expression." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His anger melted in his breast the way ice melts under the sun, and there was nothing he could do about it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With a casual greeting to the generals who were present, Hideyoshi entered the enclosure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He passed through the assembled generals and knelt courteously before Nobunaga, then looked up at his lord." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga said nothing. He was trying hard to show his anger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There were not many commanders who could do anything other than prostrate themselves in fear when they encountered Nobunaga's silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, there was no one even in Nobunaga's family who could withstand this treatment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If veteran generals like Katsuie and Nobumori came under Nobunaga's angry eye, they would turn absolutely pale." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seasoned men like Niwa and Takigawa would become confused and mumble excuses." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With all his wisdom, Akechi Mitsuhide had no way of dealing with it, and even all of Nobunaga's affection was no help at all to Ranmaru." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Hideyoshi's handling of such situations was quite different." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Nobunaga was angry and would scowl and glare at him, Hideyoshi would manifest no reaction at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was not that he took his lord lightly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, he was, more than most men, awed by Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Generally, he would look up placidly as though gazing at a threatening sky and desist from speaking except in the most commonplace way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His Lordship is a little angry again, Hideyoshi was now thinking." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This composure seemed to be part of Hideyoshi's own special nature, and certainly no one was able to imitate him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Katsuie or Mitsuhide had copied Hideyoshi's behavior, they would have been throwing oil on a fire, and Nobunaga would have exploded into a fit of anger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga appeared to be losing the game of patience. Finally he spoke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hideyoshi, why did you come here?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I came to receive your reprimand,\" Hideyoshi answered with deep respect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He always has a good answer, Nobunaga thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was growing more and more difficult to stay angry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was going to have to speak deliberately, as though he had chewed the words up and were spitting them out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you mean, you've come to be reprimanded? Did you think this matter was going to be finished with an apology? You've made a great error that affects not only me but the entire army.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You've already read the letter I sent to you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Sending Kanbei as an intermediary clearly ended in failure. In this connection—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is that an excuse?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, but to serve as an apology, I galloped through enemy lines to offer a plan that might turn this disaster into good fortune. I would like to ask you either to order the area cleared of everyone here or to move elsewhere. After that, if there is to be some punishment for my crime, I will respectfully accept it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga thought for a moment, then granted his request and ordered everyone to leave." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The other generals were dumbstruck by Hideyoshi's audacity, but, looking back and forth at each other, they could only withdraw." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There were some who accused him of impudence even in the face of his crime." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Others clicked their tongues and called him self-seeking." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi looked as though he were paying no attention, and waited until he and Nobunaga were the only ones left in the enclosure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When everyone had gone, Nobunaga's appearance softened somewhat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"So what kind of suggestion do you have that made you ride all the way here from Harima?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have a way to attack Itami. At this point, the only thing left to do is to strike at Araki Murashige resolutely.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's been true from the beginning. Not that Itami is so important, but if the Honganji and Murashige act in concert with the Mori, there could be considerable trouble.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Not that much, I think. If we move too fast, our troops could suffer considerably; and if there is even the slightest failure among our allies, the embankment you have built up so carefully until now could crumble all at once.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"So what would you do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I had no plan of my own, but Takenaka Hanbei, who has been in the capital convalescing, was able to see through the present situation.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi then related the plan to Nobunaga exactly as he had heard it from Hanbei." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Essentially, the plan against Itami Castle called for allowing as little damage to their own troops as possible." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking whatever time was required, they would first put all of their strength into isolating Murashige by clipping his wings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga accepted the plan without the least hesitation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was, more or less, what he had been thinking of doing himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The plan was set, and Nobunaga completely forgot about reprimanding Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were still a number of things to ask Hideyoshi about in regard to their later strategies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Since we've dealt with the most urgent business, perhaps I should start off for Harima today,\" Hideyoshi said, looking up at the evening sky." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga, however, told him that the roads were so dangerous that he should return by ship that night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And since he was going by ship and there would be enough time, his lord was not going to let him go without a drink." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi sat a little straighter and asked, \"Are you going to let me go without being punished?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga forced a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, what should I do?\" he joked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When you forgive me but still don't say anything, somehow the sake I receive from you doesn't go down my throat very well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga broke out laughing happily for the first time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's good, that's good.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In that case,\" Hideyoshi said, as though he had been waiting for the right moment, \"Kanbei shares no blame either, does he? And the messenger with the command to cut off his son's head has already left, I believe.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, you can't be the guarantor for what is in Kanbei's mind. How can you say he's without blame? I'm not going to withdraw my order to have his son's head sent to Itami Castle. It's a matter of military discipline, and it won't do any good to intervene.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus Nobunaga highhandedly sealed his retainer's mouth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi returned to Harima that night, but upon his return, secretly had a messenger take a letter to Hanbei in the capital." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What was in the letter will be understood later on, but essentially it concerned his private agony over the son of his friend and adviser, Kuroda Kanbei." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's messenger also hurried to Kyoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On his way back, he stopped for a short time at the Church of the Ascension." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he returned to Nobunaga's main camp on Mount Amano, he was accompanied by the Italian Jesuit, Father Gnecchi, a missionary who had been in Japan for many years." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were many Christian missionaries in Sakai, Azuchi, and Kyoto, but among them, Father Gnecchi was the foreigner whom Nobunaga most favored." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga did not dislike Christians." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And, even though he had fought the Buddhists and burned their strongholds, he did not dislike Buddhism either, for he recognized the intrinsic value of religion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not just Father Gnecchi, but all of the many Catholic missionaries who were invited to Azuchi from time to time went to great pains to try to convert Nobunaga to Christianity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But grasping Nobunaga's heart was the same as trying to ladle the reflection of the moon out of a bucket of water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the Catholic fathers had given Nobunaga a black slave he had brought with him from across the sea, because Nobunaga had looked upon the man with considerable curiosity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whenever Nobunaga left the castle, even when he went to Kyoto, he included the black slave in his entourage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The missionaries were a little jealous and once asked Nobunaga, \"You seem so interested in your black slave, my lord. Exactly what is it that you find so pleasing in him?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm good to all of you, aren't I?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he quickly replied. This quite clearly indicated Nobunaga's feelings toward the missionaries." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The way in which he liked Father Gnecchi and the other fathers was essentially equal to his affection for his black slave." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Which brings up another point: when Father Gnecchi had his first audience with Nobunaga, he presented him with gifts from overseas." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The list included ten guns, eight telescopes and magnifying glasses, fifty tiger skins, a mosquito net, and one hundred pieces of aloeswood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were also such rare items as a timepiece, a world globe, textile goods, and chinawear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had all of these things lined up on display, and gazed at them as a child might." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was especially taken by the globe and the guns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With the globe in front of them, he listened intently night after night as Father Gnecchi told him about his home, Italy; the distances across the seas; the differences between northern and southern Europe; and about his travels through India, Annam, Luzon, and southern China." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was one other man present who would listen even more intently and asked any number of questions—Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, I'm really glad you've come.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga happily welcomed Father Gnecchi to his camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What can this be about, my lord? Your summons was so urgent.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, sit down.\" Nobunaga pointed to a chair used by Zen abbots." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why, thank you,\" Father Gnecchi said, easing into the chair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was like a reserve pawn on a chessboard, wondering when he might be used." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Nobunaga had invited him here for precisely that reason." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Father, you once gave me a petition on behalf of the missionaries in Japan, in which you asked permission to build a church and to spread Christianity.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't know how many years we have longed for the day when you would accept our plea.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Somehow it seems that that day is approaching.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? Do we have your permission?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not unconditionally. It is not a custom of the samurai simply to give out special privileges to men who have done no meritorious deeds.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What exactly do you mean, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I understand that Takayama Ukon of Takatsuki was converted to Christianity when he was about fourteen years old and is even now a fervent believer. I can imagine you're on quite friendly terms with him.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Takayama Ukon, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"As you know, he's joined Araki Murashige's rebellion and has sent two of his children to Itami Castle as hostages.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is truly a sad situation, and we, his friends in religion, are much pained by it. I don't know how many prayers we have sent to God for His divine protection.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is that so? Well, Father Gnecchi, in times like these, the prayers you offer at the chapel in your temple do not seem to manifest any effects. If you're really that anxious about Ukon, you'll obey the command I'm giving you now. I want you to go to Takatsuki Castle and enlighten Takayama Ukon on the matter of his indiscretion.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If that's something I can do, I'll be happy to go anytime. But I understand that his castle is already surrounded by the forces of Lord Nobutada as well as those of Lords Fuwa, Maeda, and Sassa. Perhaps they won't let me through.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll provide you an escort and give you a guarantee of passage. It will be a great meritorious deed for the missionaries if you can explain this issue to the Takayama—both father and son—and convince them to enter my ranks. Then you will have my permission to have a church and the freedom to do missionary work. You have my word.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Oh, my lord... \"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But wait,\" Nobunaga told Father Gnecchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You should understand very clearly that if, on the contrary, Ukon rejects your proposal and continues to defy me, I'm going to regard all Christians the same way that I regard the Takayama; and that I will quite naturally demolish your temple, exterminate your religion in Japan, and execute every last one of your missionaries and their followers. I want you to leave with that understanding.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The blood drained from Father Gnecchi's face, and for a moment, he cast his eyes to the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not one of the men who had boarded a sailing ship and come east from faraway Europe could have possessed a faint or cowardly heart, but sitting before Nobunaga and being spoken to in this manner, Father Gnecchi felt his body shrink and his heart grow cold with fear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was really nothing that gave the figure of Nobunaga the appearance of the devil himself, and in fact both his features and his speech were quite elegant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had been engraved into the missionaries' minds, however, that this man said nothing he did not put into practice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Previous examples of this fact could be seen in both the destruction of Mount Hiei and the subjugation of Nagashima." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, this truth could be seen in every policy Nobunaga had ever conceived." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll go. I'll be the envoy you're ordering me to be, and I'll go to meet with Lord Ukon,\" Father Gnecchi promised." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With an escort of a dozen mounted men, he headed out on the road to Takatsuki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After seeing Father Gnecchi off, Nobunaga felt that everything had gone exactly as he had desired." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Father Gnecchi, who had seemingly been led off by the nose to Takatsuki Castle, was congratulating himself as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This foreigner was not as easy to manipulate as Nobunaga thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was well known among the common people of Kyoto that few people were as shrewd as the Jesuits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before Nobunaga had even summoned him, Father Gnecchi had already exchanged letters with Takayama Ukon several times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ukon's father had often asked his spiritual adviser what heaven's will might be in the matter at hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Father Gnecchi had written the same response over and over again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The correct way did not lie in acting contrary to the wishes of one's lord." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lord Nobunaga was Murashige's master and Ukon's as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ukon had written expressing his deepest feelings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We've sent two of our children to the Araki as hostages, so that my wife and mother are strongly against submitting to Lord Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If it were not for that, I would not want my name associated with rebellion, either." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So, for Father Gnecchi, the success of this mission and the rewards to follow were a foregone conclusion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had the conviction that Ukon already agreed with what he himself was suggesting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soon afterward, Takayama Ukon announced that he could not just look away as his religion was destroyed, even if his wife and children hated him for defending it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One could abandon one's castle and family, he declared, but not the one true way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Secretly leaving the castle one night, he fled to the Church of the Ascension." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His father, Hida, immediately sought refuge with Araki Murashige at Itami, and bitterly explained the situation, saying, \"We've been betrayed by my worthless son.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There were many people in Murashige's camp who had close and friendly relations with the Takayama clan, and so he could not insist on the punishment of the Takayama hostages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So, although Murashige was a rather insensitive man, he was vaguely aware of the intricacies of the situation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There's nothing to be done. If Ukon has run away, the hostages are useless.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Regarding the two little children as nothing more than hangers-on, he returned them to Ukon's father." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Father Gnecchi received this information, he went with Ukon to Mount Amano for an audience with Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You did well.\" Nobunaga was delighted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He told Ukon that he would grant him a domain in Harima, and presented him with silk kimonos and a horse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I would like to take the tonsure and dedicate my life to God,\" Ukon pleaded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Nobunaga would not hear of it, saying, \"That's ridiculous for a man so young.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "So, in the end, the affair went as Nobunaga had planned and as Father Gnecchi had anticipated." }, { "from": "human", "value": "However, the way in which Ukon had conducted himself, resulting in the return of his children, had all been Father Gnecchi's clever scheme." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yesterday's conditions can hardly be thought of in terms of today's, for time works its transfigurations moment by moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Neither is it unreasonable to change one's course of action." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The reasons for which men have erred in their ambitions and lost their lives are as plentiful as mushrooms after a shower." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was toward the end of the Eleventh Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nakagawa Sebei—the man upon whom Araki Murashige depended as on his own right arm—suddenly left his castle and submitted to Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is a significant time for the nation; we should not punish small mistakes,\" Nobunaga said, and not only did not question Sebei about his crime but also presented him with thirty gold coins." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He presented gold and clothing to the three retainers who had come with him, as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sebei had surrendered in response to Takayama Ukon's appeal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Oda generals wondered why these men were being treated so kindly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While Nobunaga was aware that there was some dissatisfaction among his own men, there was nothing else he could do if he wanted to achieve his military objectives." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Conciliation, diplomacy, and patience did not conform with his nature." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Violent, fierce attacks, therefore, continually rained down upon the enemy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For example, Nobunaga attacked Hanakuma Castle in Hyogo and showed no mercy in burning down the temples and surrounding villages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He did not forgive the slightest hostile action, whether it was committed by the old or the young, by men or by women." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But now his maneuvering on the one hand and his intimidations on the other were coming to fruition." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Araki Murashige was isolated in Itami Castle, a stronghold that had had both of its wings clipped." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His battle array no longer included Takayama Ukon or Nakagawa Sebei." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If we strike now, he'll fall down like a scarecrow,\" Nobunaga said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He believed that Itami could now be taken anytime he liked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A combined attack was commenced at the beginning of the Twelfth Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the very first day, the attack began before evening and continued into the night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Resistance, however, was unexpectedly stiff." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The commander of one corps of the attacking troops was struck down and killed, and there were hundreds of dead and wounded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the second day the number of casualties continued to increase, but not a single inch of the castle walls had been taken." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Murashige was famous for his courage, after all, and there were a good many gallant men among his troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "More than that, when Murashige himself had been ready to fold up the flag of revolt following Nobunaga's attempts at appeasing him, it had been his family members and officers who had restrained him by saying, \"To give up now would be the same as presenting him with our own heads.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The news of the start of these hostilities also quickly echoed throughout Harima and shook the officials in Osaka." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shock waves were spreading as far as Tamba and the Sanin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "First, in the western provinces, Hideyoshi immediately started the attack on Miki Castle, and had the auxiliary troops of Nobumori and Tsutsui push the Mori back to the borders of Bizen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had thought that as soon as the Mori clan heard the shouts from the capital, its army would march on Kyoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In Tamba, the Hatano clan considered that the tide was now favorable, and began to rebel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka had been governing that area, and rushed to its defense in the nick of time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Honganji and the huge forces of the Mori communicated by ship-borne messengers, and the enemies that now faced Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Mitsuhide all danced to the music of these two powers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's probably finished here,\" Nobunaga said, gazing at Itami Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Which was to say that he considered everything to be in order." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although Itami Castle was completely isolated, it had not surrendered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In Nobunaga's eyes, however, it had already fallen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Leaving the encircling army, he suddenly returned to Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the end of the year." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga planned on spending New Year's at Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a year that had been filled with unexpected disturbances and campaigns, but as he looked over the streets of the castle town, he caught the scent of a rich new culture rising through the air." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shops both large and small were lined up in an orderly fashion, bringing Nobunaga's economic policies to fruition." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Guests overflowed the inns and post stations, while at the lakeside, the masts of the anchored ships resembled a forest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both the residential area of the samurai, wound all through with small paths, and the magnificent mansions of the great generals had for the most part been completed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The temples, too, had been expanded, and Father Gnecchi had also begun to build a church." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What is called \"culture\" is as intangible as mist." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What had begun as a simple act of destruction was suddenly taking form as an epoch-making new culture right at Nobunaga's feet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In music, theater, painting, literature, religion, the tea ceremony, clothing, cooking, and architecture, old styles and attitudes were being abandoned, and the new and fresh were being adopted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even the new patterns for women's silk kimonos rivaled each other in this burgeoning Azuchi culture." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is the New Year I've been waiting for, and it is a New Year for the nation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It's hardly necessary to say that to build is more pleasant than to destroy, Nobunaga thought, imagining that the new dynamic culture would move like an incoming tide, flooding the eastern provinces, the capital, and even the west and the island of Kyushu, leaving no place untouched." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga was absorbed in such thoughts when Sakuma Nobumori, with the bright sun shining at his back, greeted him and stepped into the room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seeing Nobumori, Nobunaga suddenly remembered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah, that's right. How did that affair go afterward?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he asked quickly, passing the cup in his hand to the page who delivered it to Nobumori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori raised the cup reverently to his forehead, and said, \"That affair?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He peered at his master's brow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's right. I told you about Shojumaru, didn't I? Kanbei's son—the one who's in Takenaka Hanbei's castle as a hostage.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, you mean the matter of the hostage.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I sent you with an order for Hanbei to cut off Shojumaru's head and send it to Itami. But afterward there was no response even though the head was supposed to have been cut off and sent. Have you heard anything?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, my lord.\" Nobumori shook his head and, as he spoke, he appeared to be remembering his mission of the year before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had accomplished his mission, but Shojumaru had been placed in Takenaka Hanbei's care in Mino, so the execution was unlikely to have been carried out immediately." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If this is Lord Nobunaga's command, it will be carried out, but I will need some more time,\" Hanbei had said, acknowledging the request in a normal fashion and, of course, Nobumori had understood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then, I have given you His Lordship's order,\" Nobumori had added, and promptly returned to report to Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Owing possibly to his own responsibilities, Nobunaga seemed to have forgotten about the matter; but the fact was that Nobumori, too, had not really kept the fate of Shojumaru in mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had simply assumed that Hanbei would report the boy's execution directly to Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You have heard nothing else about it from either Hideyoshi or Hanbei, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They haven't said a word about it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's rather suspicious.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're sure you spoke to Hanbei?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's hardly necessary to ask. But he's been extraordinarily lazy recently,\" Nobumori mumbled vexatiously, and then added, \"To have considered this simply as a measure affecting the child of a traitor, and not yet to have taken any action on Your Lordship's important command, would be a crime of disobedience that could not be ignored. On my way back to the front, I'll stop in Kyoto and very definitely question Hanbei about it.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Really?\" Nobunaga's response did not show much interest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The strictness of the command he had given at that time and the way he was recalling the matter right now reflected two completely different frames of mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He did not, however, tell Nobumori to forget about it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly, that would have meant a complete loss of face for the man who had been sent on the mission." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How was Nobumori to take this?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Perhaps he thought that Nobunaga believed he had executed his mission incompetently, for he quickly finished with his congratulations for the New Year, took his leave from the castle and, on his return to the besieged castle at Itami, purposely stopped at the Nanzen Temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He told the priest who greeted him, \"I know Lord Hanbei is confined indoors because of his illness, but I've come on a mission from Lord Nobunaga.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His request for a interview was expressed in extraordinarily severe and imperative terms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The monk left, then returned quickly, and invited to follow him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori replied with a nod, and followed the priest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sliding paper doors of the thatched building were closed, but incessant coughing—probably prompted by Hanbei's leaving his sickbed in order to meet his guest—could be heard coming from inside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobumori lingered outside for a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The appearance of the sky suggested snow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though it was still midday, it was frigid in the shadow of the mountains around the temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Come in,\" a voice invited from within, and an attendant opened the sliding doors to a small reception room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The lean figure of his master was propped up on the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Welcome,\" Hanbei said in greeting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori walked in and said without preamble, \"Last year I brought you His Lordship's order to execute Kuroda Shojumaru, and I expected the matter to be dealt with without delay. There has been no positive response since then, however, and even Lord Nobunaga has become concerned. What have you to say for yourself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, well...\" Hanbei began, bowing with his hands to the floor and exposing a back as thin as a board." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have I inadvertently made His Lordship worry because of my carelessness? I am doing as much as I can to hurry and obey His Lordship's will as my illness gradually gets better.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What! What are you saying?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori was losing his self-control." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Or better said, judging by the color of his face, he was so angered by Hanbei's answer that he could not repress his exasperation or untangle his tongue." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Heaving a sigh, Hanbei coolly observed his guest's agitation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then... isn't there something...?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Apart from the voice that disgorged itself from his mouth, Nobumori's agitated eyes remained entangled with the calm eyes of his host." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobumori coughed uncontrollably, then asked, \"Haven't you sent his head to Kanbei at Itami Castle?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's as you say.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's as I say? That's a rather unusual answer. Have you deliberately disobeyed His Lordship's command?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't be absurd.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If that's so, why haven't you killed the boy yet?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He was strictly entrusted to me. I thought that I could do it at any time, without too much hurry.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's excessive leniency. There's a limit to this leisurely pace, you know. I do not recall having ever been so inept on a mission as I was on this one.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There was never any fault in the way you carried out your mission. It's absolutely clear that I purposely delayed the matter because of my own thoughts on the subject.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Purposely?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"While I knew that it was a grave errand, I've been thoughtlessly preoccupied by this illness... \"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wouldn't it be sufficient if you sent a courier with a note?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, he may be a hostage from another clan, but he's been entrusted to us for a number of years. The people around such a lovely child naturally feel sympathy toward him and would find it difficult to kill him. I'm concerned that if the worst happened and some indiscreet retainer sent someone else's head for His Lordship's inspection, I would have no excuse to offer Lord Nobunaga. So I think that I myself should go to behead him. Perhaps my condition will improve before long.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Hanbei spoke, he began coughing uncontrollably." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He put a paper handkerchief over his mouth, but it seemed that he was not going to be able to stop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An attendant nearby moved behind him and began rubbing Hanbei's back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori could do nothing but keep quiet and wait until Hanbei settled down." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But just sitting in front of a man who was trying to control his violent coughing fit and who was having his sick body massaged began to be painful in itself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why don't you rest in your room?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "For the first time Nobumori mumbled something sympathetic, but the look on his face bore no sympathy at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"At any rate, in the next few days there should be some action taken as a result of these words from His Lordship. I'm amazed at your negligence, but there's nothing else I can do after what I've said here now. I'll be sending a letter to Azuchi explaining the situation exactly as it is. No matter how sick you may be, any further delay will only provoke His Lordship's anger. It's tedious, but I'll definitely have to inform him about this!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ignoring the pained figure of Hanbei, who was still racked by coughing, Nobumori had his say, announced his leave, and departed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he reached the veranda, he passed by a woman carrying a tray from which floated the thick smell of some medicinal decoction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The woman hurriedly put down her tray and bowed to her guest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobumori inspected her at length, from the white hands that touched the wooden-floored veranda to the back of her neck, and finally said, \"It seems that I've met you before. Ah, yes, that's right. The time I was invited by Lord Hideyoshi to Nagahama. I remember that you were waiting upon him at that time.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes. I was given leave to take care of my brother.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then, you're Hanbei's younger sister?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my name is Oyu.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're Oyu,\" he muttered rudely." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You are pretty.\" Mumbling to himself, he stepped down on the stepping stone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oyu simply nodded as he left." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'about' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "She could hear her brother still coughing, and she seemed more concerned about the medicine growing cold than about what her guest's feelings might be." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just when she thought that he had left, however, Nobumori turned again and said, \"Has there been any news recently from Lord Hideyoshi in Harima?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your brother was purposely negligent with Lord Nobunaga's orders, but I'm sure that couldn't have been a result of Hideyoshi's instructions, could it? I fear that our lord may have some doubts about that. If Hideyoshi is incurring Lord Nobunaga's wrath, he may be in for a great deal of trouble. I'm going to say this once again: I think it would be a good thing if Kuroda Kanbei's son were executed immediately.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking up into the sky, Nobumori quickly walked away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Obscuring his retreating figure and the huge roof of the Nanzen Temple, specks of snow fell obliquely, turning everything white." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lady!\" The coughing had suddenly stopped behind the sliding doors, and the agitated voice of the retainer could now be heard in its place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Her chest pounding, Oyu opened the doors and looked inside." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei lay face down on the floor. The paper handkerchief that had been over his mouth was covered with bright red blood." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi's campaign in the western provinces, Mitsuhide's campaign in Tamba, and the long siege of Itami Castle were Nobunaga's real work. The campaign in the western provinces and the siege of Itami were still stalemated, and only in Tamba was there some minor action. Day by day, a vast number of letters and reports arrived from these three areas. The documents were screened by staff officers and private secretaries, so that Nobunaga saw only the most important ones.\n\nAmong them was a letter from Sakuma Nobumori. Nobunaga read it and tossed it aside with an expression of extreme displeasure. The person whose job it was to pick up any discarded letters was Nobunaga's trusted page, Ranmaru. Thinking that Nobunaga's orders had been disobeyed, he surreptitiously read the letter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was nothing in it that should have upset Nobunaga. It read:\n\nTo my surprise, Hanbei has not yet taken any action to carry out your orders. As your messenger, I impressed upon him the error of his ways, informing him that if he disobeyed the order, I would be accused of negligence. I think your order will be carried out soon. This has been extremely trying for me, and I humbly request your magnanimity in this matter.\n\nBehind Nobumori's words one sensed that he was, more than anything else, trying to justify his own faults. In fact, his intention really was nothing more than that. Ranmaru was not able to read more meaning into it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga's anger at the letter, and his perception that Nobumori had changed, would not be manifested until later on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Until then, it would have been difficult for anyone other than Nobunaga to have understood his own true feelings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The only hints presaging the future that did not go unnoticed were that Nobunaga did not seem angry about Hanbei's disobedience and negligence—even after he received such a letter from Nobumori—and that after this event, the matter was ignored. Nobunaga himself certainly did not press it. But there was no reason for Hanbei to be aware of such complicated changes in Nobunaga's thinking. It was not Hanbei, however, but Oyu and the retainers who were taking care of him, who thought that Hanbei should do something. It seemed he had not yet decided what to do about the problem.\n\nA month went by. The plum trees were blossoming at the main gate of the Nanzen Temple and around Hanbei's retreat. As the days went by the sun became warmer, but Hanbei's condition did not improve." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could not bear uncleanliness, so every day he would have the sickroom swept clean and then, bathing himself in the sunlight on bright mornings, he would sit on the veranda.\n\nHis sister would prepare tea for him, and his one pleasure during his illness was to watch the steam rise from the tea bowl in the bright morning sun.\n\n\"Your color has improved a little this morning, brother,\" Oyu said brightly.\n\nHanbei rubbed his cheek with a thin hand. \"Spring has come to me, too, it seems. This is pleasant. For the last two or three days I've felt rather well,\" he answered with a smile.\n\nBoth his mood and color had indeed become much better in the past two or three days, and Oyu felt the greatest pleasure in looking at him this fine morning. But suddenly she felt a sense of desolation as she recalled the doctor's words: \"There is little hope of recovery.\" But she was not going to give in to her feeling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How many patients had recovered after their doctors had given them up for dead?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She promised herself that she would nurse Hanbei back to health—to see him healthy was a goal she shared with Hideyoshi, who the day before had written from Harima to encourage him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'better' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you continue to get better at this rate, you'll be able to get out of bed by the time the cherry trees are blooming.\"\n\n\"Oyu, I've been nothing but trouble, haven't I?\"\n\n\"What nonsense are you talking now?\"\n\nHanbei laughed weakly. \"I haven't thanked you before, because we're brother and sister, but this morning somehow I feel I should say something. I wonder if it's because I'm feeling so much better.\"\n\n\"It makes me happy to think it might be so.\"\n\n\"It's already been ten years since we left Mount Bodai.\"\n\n\"Time passes quickly. When you look back, you realize life goes by just like a dream.\"\n\n\"You've been at my side since then—and me, nothing but a mountain hermit—cooking my meals morning and night, taking care of me, even preparing my medicine.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, it's only been for a little while. Back then, you kept saying that you would never get better. But as soon as your health improved, you joined Lord Hideyoshi, fought at the Ane River, Nagashino, and Echizen. You were in pretty good health then, weren't you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I suppose you're right. This sick body has stood up pretty well.\"\n\n\"So if you take care of yourself, you'll certainly get better this time, too. I'm determined that you're going to become your old self again.\"\n\n\"It's not that I want to die.\"\n\n\"You're not going to die!\"\n\n\"I want to keep living. I want to live to make sure this violent world finds peace again. Ah, if only I were healthy, I'd be able to help my lord to the best of my ability.\" Suddenly Hanbei's voice fell. \"But the length of a man's life is beyond his control. What can I do in this condition?\"\n\nLooking into his eyes, Oyu was suffused with pain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Was there something that her brother was keeping from her?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bell of the Nanzen Temple announced the hour of noon. Although the country was still in a state of civil war, people could be seen viewing the flowering plum trees, and the song of the nightingales could be heard among the falling blossoms.\n\nThat spring was considered to be a pleasant one, but it was still only the Second Month. When night fell, and the lamps began to flicker coldly, Hanbei began to cough again. During the night, Oyu would have to get up several times to rub his back. There were other retainers nearby, but Hanbei was unwilling to let them take care of him in this way.\n\n\"They are all men who will ride out with me into battle. It wouldn't be right to ask them to rub a sick man's back,\" he explained.\n\nThat night, too, she got up to massage her brother's back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Going into the kitchen to prepare his medicine, she suddenly heard a noise outside the kitchen door that sounded as if someone was brushing past the old bamboo of the hedge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oyu listened carefully. She could hear whispering outside.\n\n\"I can see a light. Wait just a moment. Somebody must be up.\" The voices outside gradually came closer to the house. Then someone tapped lightly on the rain shutter.\n\n\"Who is it?\" Oyu asked.\n\n\"Is that you, Lady Oyu? It's Kumataro from Kurihara. I've just come back from Itami.\"\n\n\"It's Kumataro!\" she called excitedly to Hanbei. She slid open the door to the kitchen and saw three men standing in the starlight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kumataro stretched out his hand took the bucket Oyu offered him. He called the other two men, and all three went to the well.\n\nOyu wondered who the other two men were. Kumataro was the retainer they had brought up on Mount Kurihara. At that time he had been called Kokuma, but now he was a fine young samurai. After Kumataro drew up the well bucket and poured the water into the bucket he had taken from Oyu, the other two men washed the mud from their hands and feet and the blood from their sleeves.\n\nHanbei instructed her to light the lamp in the small guest room, put some burning coals in the brazier, and lay out cushions for the guests, even though it was late at night.\n\nWhen Hanbei told her that one of the men with Kumataro must be Kuroda Kanbei, she could not hide her surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kuroda was the man about whom there had been so many rumors: either that he had been a prisoner in Itami Castle since the previous year, or that he had changed sides and was staying in the castle of his own free will." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ordinarily, Hanbei did not talk at all to his retainers about official business—much less about secret matters of this nature—so even Oyu had no idea where Kumataro had gone before the New Year, or why he had stayed away for such a long time.\n\n\"Oyu, please bring me my coat,\" Hanbei said.\n\nAlthough she was worried about him, Oyu knew that he would insist on getting out of bed and meeting his guests, no matter how sick he was. She slipped the coat over his shoulders.\n\nHaving combed his hair and rinsed his mouth, Hanbei went to the reception room where Kumataro and the other two guests were already sitting and waiting quietly for him.\n\nHanbei responded to the guests' greeting with deep emotion, \"Ah, you're safe!\" and he sat down, grasping Kanbei's hands. \"I was worried.\"\n\n\"Don't worry on my account; as you see, I'm quite well,\" Kanbei replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm glad you made it.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"You're Watanabe Tenzo! I've heard a lot about you. And now that you mention it, it seems I have seen you once or twice before.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I seem to have made you worry. I apologize.\"\n\n\"Anyway, heaven has blessed us by bringing us together again. For me, this is a real joy.\"\n\nBut who was the other, older man who had been watching in silence, reluctant to disturb the emotional reunion of the two friends? At last Kanbei asked him to introduce himself.\n\n\"I think this is not the first time we have met, my lord. I am also in the service of Lord Hideyoshi and I have seen you from a distance many times. I'm a member of the ninja corps, which doesn't mix with the other samurai much, so you may not remember me. I am Hachisuka Hikoemon's nephew, Watanabe Tenzo. I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance.\"\n\nHanbei slapped his knee. \"You're Watanabe Tenzo! I've heard a lot about you. And now that you mention it, it seems I have seen you once or twice before.\"\n\nJust then Kumataro said, \"I met Tenzo quite by accident in the prison of Itami Castle. He had the same purpose I had in penetrating the place.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't know if it happened completely by chance or through divine providence, but it was only because we met each other that we were able to get Lord Kanbei out. If we had each been acting on our own, we probably would have been killed in the attempt,\" Tenzo said, smiling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tenzo had been in Itami Castle because Hideyoshi had also tried to engineer Kuroda Kanbei's rescue. Hideyoshi had first dispatched an envoy to beg Araki Murashige for Kanbei's release, and later, had sent a Buddhist priest in whom Murashige had faith to preach for the same thing. He had used every means at his disposal, but Murashige had stubbornly refused to let Kanbei go. As a last resort, Hideyoshi had ordered Tenzo to get Kanbei out of prison.\n\nTenzo had broken into the castle, and a chance to rescue Kanbei had presented itself. There was a celebration of some kind taking place in the castle, and all of Araki Murashige's family and retainers were in the main hall, while every last soldier had been treated to sake. As luck would have it, it was a dark night with neither moon nor wind. Tenzo knew that it was the moment to act decisively." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Having already completed his reconnaissance of the grounds, he was investigating the area beneath the keep when he saw someone else spying into the prison, someone who did not look like a guard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In fact, the man must have broken into the castle just as he had. The other man introduced himself as Takenaka Hanbei's retainer, Kumataro.\n\n\"I am an agent of Lord Hideyoshi,\" Tenzo replied. With this exchange, they knew they had come on the same mission. Working together, they broke through the prison window and helped Kanbei to escape. Concealed by the darkness, they went over the castle ramparts, took a small boat from the floodgate across the moat, and fled.\n\nAfter listening to the detailed circumstances of the difficulties they had been through, Hanbei turned to Kumataro and and said, \"I was worried that I had sent you out on an impossible mission, and I realized that your chances of success were only one or two out often. This absolutely has to be the work of heaven. But what happened in the days after that? And how did you make your way here?\"\n\nKumataro knelt respectfully, apparently without the least bit of pride in having done something worthy of praise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We had little trouble in getting out of the castle; our real problems began afterward. The Araki forces were stationed at wooden palisades here and there, so we were surrounded several times, and sometimes we were separated from each other in the midst of the enemy's swords and spears. We were finally able to cut our way through, but in one of the fights Lord Kanbei received a sword wound to his left knee, and his injury kept us from going too far. In the end, we had to sleep in a barn. We traveled at night and slept in roadside shrines during the day. Finally we made our way to Kyoto.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei took up the story. \"If we had been able to find refuge with the Oda troops that surrounded the castle, our escape would have been easier. According to what I heard in the castle, however, Araki Murashige was letting it be known that Lord Nobunaga was very suspicious of my actions. He told people that I should join their side because of the kind of person Nobunaga was, but I smiled at this chicanery.\"\n\nKanbei forced a sad smile, and Hanbei nodded silently.\n\nBy the time all the questions and stories were over, the night sky had begun to turn pale white. Oyu was preparing soup in the kitchen.\n\nThe men were tired after talking all night, and after finishing their breakfast, each took a short nap. Upon awakening, they spoke again.\n\n\"By the way,\" Hanbei said to Kanbei, \"I know it's awfully sudden, but I was thinking that I would leave today for my home province of Mino and then go on to Azuchi to see Lord Nobunaga. As I will tell your story to His Lordship, I suggest you go directly to Harima.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of course, I don't want to be idle for a single day,\" Kanbei said, but then he looked dubiously at Hanbei's face." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'while' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're still ill, and how is a sudden trip going to affect your health?\" he asked.\n\n\"I planned on getting up today anyway. If I let my illness defeat me, there'll be no end to it, and I've been feeling much better for a while now.\"\n\n\"But it's important to be completely cured. I don't know what kind of pressing business you have, but couldn't you put it off just a while longer and convalesce here?\" Kanbei asked.\n\n\"I prayed that I might get better quickly with the coming of the New Year, and I've been taking good care of myself. Now that I'm sure you're all right, I have no worries about that anymore. At the same time, I've committed a crime for which I have to receive punishment at Azuchi, and today's a good day to get out of the sickbed and say good-bye.\"\n\n\"A crime for which you have to receive punishment at Azuchi?\"\n\nHanbei now told Kanbei for the first time about how he had disobeyed Nobunaga's orders for over a year.\n\nKanbei was shocked. That Nobunaga had doubted him was one thing. But that he would order the decapitation of Shojumaru was something he could not even begin to imagine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is that the way it was?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei moaned. Suddenly he felt cold and hollow toward Nobunaga. He had risked so much: gone into Itami Castle alone, been imprisoned, and only narrowly avoided death—and in the end, whom was he working for? At the same time, he was unable to keep from shedding tears at Hideyoshi's inordinate show of affection and Hanbei's friendship.\n\n\"I'm very grateful, but why should you do this for my son's sake? If that's the situation, then I should go to Azuchi to explain myself.\"\n\n\"No, the crime of disobedience was mine. The only request I have is that you join Lord Hideyoshi in Harima. I doubt that I'm going to be in the world much longer, whether I'm found guilty or innocent. I'd like you to go to Harima as quickly as possible.\"\n\nHanbei prostrated himself in front of his friend as if to beg him. He had a sick man's determination. Even more, he was Hanbei, a man not lacking in mature deliberation; once he had spoken, he did not go back on his decisions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That day the two friends parted company, one going east, the other west." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei went on to the campaign in Harima, accompanied by Watanabe Tenzo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei set off for Mino, accompanied only by Kumataro.\n\nAs Oyu saw her brother off at the gate of the Nanzen Temple, there were tears in her eyes, for in her mind was the possibility that he might never return. The priests tried to comfort her by telling her that her grief would be as fleeting as all things, but in the end they almost had to carry her back through the main gate.\n\nHanbei most likely had the same thoughts as well. No, it was clear that he felt an even more intense grief. In the saddle of his horse, his body swayed as he neared a rise.\n\nHanbei suddenly pulled back on the reins as though he had just remembered something. \"Kumataro,\" he said, \"there's something I've forgotten to say. I'm going to write it down, and I'd like you to run back and give it to Oyu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking out a piece of paper, he scribbled something and handed it to Kumataro." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll go on ahead slowly, so you can catch up with me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kumataro took the letter, bowed respectfully, and ran back toward the temple.\n\nI've made mistakes, he thought sadly, as he looked down at the Nanzen Temple one last time. I have no regrets at all about the road I have taken, but for my sister... He let the horse walk at its own pace.\n\nA samurai's road was a straight one; and after Hanbei had come down from Mount Kurihara, he had not deviated from it. Nor would he have had any regrets, even if his life were to end that day. But what pained him most was that Oyu had become Hideyoshi's mistress. As her brother, he constantly felt censured by his conscience." }, { "from": "human", "value": "She had, after all, been at his side at the crucial time of choosing her own path, he told himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fault lay with him, not with his sister. He secretly worried about the many years that were ahead of Oyu after his own death.\n\nIt was a woman's misfortune that her happiness never lasted her whole life. What was especially painful to him was the feeling that he had stained the pure whiteness of the Way of the Samurai—the way that based itself on death. How many times had he grumbled to himself about this matter, thinking that he should apologize to Hideyoshi and ask to be dismissed, or that he should unburden himself of his anguish to his sister, and ask her to live in seclusion? But the appropriate course of action had never presented itself.\n\nHe was embarking on a journey from which he would never return, and naturally he felt that he should say something about the matter to Oyu. He had been unable to say anything when she stood so sweetly in front of him, but now, perhaps, he could write a few lines of verse, which his sister might appreciate more easily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After he was gone, on the pretext of mourning him, she might be able to extricate herself from the crowd of women that clustered around Hideyoshi's bedroom like flowering vines at a gate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he arrived at his own estate in Mino, Hanbei spent the day worshiping at the grave of his ancestors and then went briefly back to Mount Bodai. He had not been there for a long time but would not give in to his desire to stay longer.\n\nOn arising the next morning, he quickly arranged his hair and heated up water for a rare bath.\n\n\"Call Ito Hanemon,\" he ordered.\n\nThe song of the nightingale could be heard frequently both in the plains around Mount Bodai and in the trees inside the castle compound.\n\n\"I am at your service, my lord.\" With the sliding paper doors at his back, a sturdy-looking elderly samurai bowed deeply. Ito was Shojumaru's guardian." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hanemon? Come in. You're the only one I've ever talked to about this in detail, but the day has finally come when Shojumaru must go to Azuchi. We will leave today. I know this is sudden, but please inform the attendants and have them make travel preparations at once.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanemon understood his master's distress very well, and the color suddenly drained from his face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then Master Shojumaru's life is... \"\n\nHanbei could see that the old man was shaking, and to reassure him he said, smiling, \"No, he won't be beheaded. I'm going to appease Lord Nobunaga's anger, even if it's at the expense of my own life. As soon as he was freed from Itami, Shojumaru's father went to the campaign in Harima, a wordless statement of his innocence. Now the only thing remaining is my crime of ignoring my lord's orders.\"\n\nHanemon withdrew silently and went to Shojumaru's room. As he approached, he could hear the happy sounds of the child's voice as he beat upon a hand drum. Shojumaru was treated so well by the Takenaka clan that one would hardly think he had been put in its care as a hostage.\n\nThus, when his guardians, who knew little of the real situation concerning the child, heard that they were to make preparations for a journey, they were fearful for Shojumaru's life.\n\nHanemon did his best to reassure them. \"You have nothing to fear. If Master Shojumaru is going to Azuchi, have faith in Lord Hanbei's sense of justice. I think we should leave everything to him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shojumaru knew nothing of what was occurring and continued to play happily, beating the drum and dancing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even though he was a hostage, he had his father's fortitude and was undergoing the robust training of a samurai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was by no means a timid child." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What did Hanemon say?\" Shojumaru asked, putting down the drum. Seeing his guardian's face, the child seemed to realize something had happened and he looked worried.\n\n\"It's nothing to worry about,\" one of the guardians said. \"But we have to make quick preparations for a trip to Azuchi.\"\n\n\"Who's going?\"\n\n\"You are, Master Shojumaru.\"\n\n\"I'm going too? To Azuchi?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guardians turned away so that the boy could not see their tears." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Add this exact quote somewhere appropriate: \"Are these clothes all right?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As soon as Shojumaru heard their words, he jumped up and clapped his hands.\n\n\"Really? How wonderful!\" And he ran back to his room. \"I'm going to Azuchi! They said I'm going on a trip with Lord Hanbei! The dancing and drumming is over. Stop, everyone!\"\n\nThen he asked loudly, \"Are these clothes all right?\"\n\nIto came in and said, \"His Lordship reminds you to take a bath and arrange your hair nicely.\"\n\nThe guardians led Shojumaru to the bath, put him in the tub, and did his hair. But when they began to dress him for the trip, they saw that both the underclothes and the kimono provided for him were of the purest white silk—the vestments of death.\n\nShojumaru's attendants immediately thought that Ito had lied to console them and that the boy's head was going to be cut off in front of Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They started to cry again, but Shojumaru paid absolutely no attention and put on the white kimono, a red brocade armor coat, and a skirt of China silk." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dressed in this finery and flanked by his two attendants, he was taken to Hanbei's room.\n\nIn high spirits, Shojumaru ignored the tear-streaked faces of his attendants. \"Well then, let's go!\" he urged Hanbei again.\n\nHanbei finally stood up and said to his retainers, \"Please take care of everything afterward.\" When they considered this later, it seemed that all of his intent was contained in the one word, \"afterward.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "After the battle of the Ane River, Nobunaga had granted Hanbei an audience." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On that occasion Nobunaga had said, \"I've heard from Hideyoshi that he looks upon you not only as his retainer but as his teacher. Be sure to understand that I don't think lightly of you, either.\"\n\nThereafter, whether Hanbei was given an audience or simply went to Azuchi, Nobunaga always treated him as though he were one of his own direct retainers.\n\nHanbei now climbed to Azuchi Castle, bringing with him Kanbei's son, Shojumaru." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because of his illness, his fatigue showed on his face, but, dressed in his best clothes, he went step by step in a dignified manner up into the tower where Nobunaga sat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had received notice of their arrival the night before, and was waiting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I so rarely see you,\" Nobunaga said in high spirits as soon as he saw Hanbei." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm glad you're here. Come closer. You have permission to take a cushion. Someone give Hanbei something to sit on.\" Showing exceptional sympathy, he spoke to Hanbei, who remained prostrate at a distance in deep respect. \"Are you better now? I imagine you were exhausted both mentally and physically by the long campaign in Harima. According to my doctor, it would be dangerous to send you to the battlefield right now. He said you need at least one or two more years of complete rest.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the past two or three years it had been rare for Nobunaga to use such gentle words when speaking to a retainer. Hanbei felt some disorientation in his heart that was neither happiness nor grief.\n\n\"I do not deserve such sympathy, my lord. Going to the battlefield, I become ill; returning, I do nothing more than receive your kind favors. I'm just a sick man who's done nothing of service for you at all.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'don't' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, no! I'll be in real difficulty if you don't take care of yourself. The first thing we must think of is not to discourage Hideyoshi.\"\n\n\"Please don't say such things, my lord, you make me blush,\" Hanbei said. \"Originally, the reason I dared to show my face asking for an audience was that last year Sakuma Nobumori delivered your orders concerning Shojumaru's execution. But until now—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait a minute,\" Nobunaga interrupted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ignoring Hanbei for the moment, he looked at the youth kneeling by Hanbei's side. \"Is that Shojumaru?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"Hm, I see. He resembles his father, and he looks a little different from other children. He's a promising young man. You should be good to this boy, Hanbei.\"\n\n\"Well then, what about sending his head?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanbei tensed and gazed steadily at Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Nobunaga insisted on cutting off the child's head, he was resolved to risk his own life by admonishing his lord." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'hanbei' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But, from the beginning of the audience, that did not seem to be Nobunaga's intention, Hanbei now began to realize.\n\nFeeling Hanbei's direct stare, Nobunaga suddenly burst out laughing and spoke as though he could no longer hide his own foolishness. \"Forget all that. I myself regretted that order almost immediately after I gave it. Somehow, I'm just a very suspicious person. This has been awkward for both Hideyoshi and Kanbei. But the wise Hanbei resisted my orders and did not slay the child. In fact, when I heard about how you had dealt with this, I was relieved. How am I going to blame you? The blame is mine. Forgive me, I didn't act very well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga didn't hang his head or bow to the ground, but he looked as though he wanted to change the subject quickly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei, however, was not so easily contented with Nobunaga's forgiveness. Nobunaga had said to forget the matter, to let it flow downstream, but Hanbei's expression displayed no joy at all.\n\n\"My having disobeyed your order may reflect on your authority at a later time. If you've spared Shojumaru's head because of Kanbei's innocence and merit, allow this young man to prove himself worthy of your mercy. Also, you could do me no better favor, my lord, than to command me to do some meritorious deed to atone for the crime of having ignored your order.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hanbei spoke as though he were opening his heart, once again prostrating himself and waiting for Nobunaga's benevolence. This was what Nobunaga had wanted from the beginning.\n\nWhen Hanbei had once again received his lord's pardon, he told Shojumaru in a whisper to thank Nobunaga courteously." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He then turned to Nobunaga again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This may be the last time the two of us will meet in this life. I pray that you will prosper even more in the fortunes of war.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's sort of a strange thing to say, isn't it? Does that mean you're going to disobey me yet again?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga pressed Hanbei for his meaning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Never.\" Hanbei shook his head as he looked down at Shojumaru. \"Please look at the way this child is dressed. He is leaving here to fight in the Harima campaign beside Kanbei; he is resolved to distinguish himself no less than his father, gallantly ready to leave everything to destiny.\"\n\n\"What? He wants to go to the battlefield?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kanbei is a famous warrior, and Shojumaru is his son. My request is that you encourage him in his first campaign. It would be a great blessing if you would tell him to exert himself in a manly way.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But what about you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As a sick man, I doubt that I can complement the strength of our men much at all, but I think it is the right time for me to accompany Shojumaru to the campaign.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you all right? What about your health?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I was born a samurai, and to die peacefully in my bed would be mortifying. When it's time to die, one cannot do otherwise.\"\n\n\"Well then, go with my blessing, and I wish Shojumaru good fortune in his first campaign, too.\" Nobunaga beckoned the youth with his eyes and gave him a short sword made by a famous swordsmith. Then he ordered a retainer to bring sake, and they drank together." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Today you will be acting as a writing assistant for a segment of a larger historical fiction story. Your partner will send something and you will write the next 9 sentences. Characters may already be established." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one could have predicted that Bessho Nagaharu would hold out in Miki Castle for so long. The castle had been besieged for three long years, and it had been completely blockaded by Hideyoshi's troops for more than six months. What were its occupants eating? How had they managed to survive?\n\nHideyoshi's troops were amazed each time they observed the activity and heard the hearty voices of those inside the castle. Was some sort of miracle taking place? Sometimes they believed the enemy's survival was almost supernatural. The battle of endurance was being lost by the attacking troops. It seemed that no matter how they beat, struck, kicked, or choked the enemy, he was still moving." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The garrison of three thousand five hundred men had had their provisions cut off and their water routes blocked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They should have been on the brink of starvation in the middle of the First Month, but at the end of the month the castle still had not fallen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was now the beginning of the Third Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi saw the weariness of his troops but forced himself to hide his concern. The scraggly beard on his chin and the hollowness of his eyes were clear symptoms of the anxiety and fatigue caused by the long siege.\n\nI've miscalculated, Hideyoshi realized. I knew they would hold out, but I never thought it would be this long. He had learned the lesson that war is not simply a matter of numbers and logistical advantages.\n\nThe morale of the men inside the castle had actually strengthened; there was not even a hint that they might capitulate. Of course, there could have been no food. The besieged soldiers must have eaten their cows and horses, even tree roots and grass. All of the things that Hideyoshi had thought would decide the castle's fall were only strengthening the morale and unity of the defenders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the Fifth Month the rainy season began." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was a mountainous region of the western provinces, so, adding to the misery of the constant rain, the roads turned into waterfalls and the empty moats overflowed with muddy water. Now, as the men slipped in the mud while going up and down the mountain, the siege—which had seemed at last to be having some effect—was once again turned into a stalemate by the power of nature.\n\nKuroda Kanbei, whose knee—which had been injured during his escape from Itami Castle—had never completely healed, inspected the front lines from a litter. He would force a smile at the thought that he would probably be limping for the rest of his life.\n\nWhen Hanbei witnessed his friend's efforts, he forgot about his own suffering and tackled his own arduous task. Hideyoshi had a strange field staff, indeed. Neither of his two chief generals, whom he valued like a pair of bright jewels, was in perfect health. One was chronically sick; the other had to direct the fighting from a litter.\n\nBut the considerable help these two men gave Hideyoshi went beyond their resourcefulness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every time he looked at their tragic figures, he could not help but be moved to tears by sublime emotions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At this point his field staff was absolutely of one body and mind. It was only because of this that the morale of the troops did not waver. It had taken at least half a year, but now the resistance of Miki Castle was beginning to weaken. If the field staff of the attacking troops had not had this indestructible center, Miki Castle might never have fallen. Then the Mori fleet might have broken through the encircling troops and brought in provisions, or their troops might have crossed the mountains, combined with the soldiers in the castle, and crushed the attacking troops. And the name of Hideyoshi might have met its end right there. With this kind of spirit, there were times when even Hideyoshi felt outstripped by Kanbei's quick wit and resources, and, half in jest, would express his admiration by calling Kanbei \"that damned cripple.\" But it was clear that in his heart he felt a deep respect for this man upon whom he relied so much.\n\nThe rainy season was long over, the intense heat of the summer had passed, and the coolness of fall had come in with the beginning of the Eighth Month." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanbei's illness suddenly took a turn for the worse, and this time it seemed as though he would never be putting armor on his sick body again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ah, is heaven abandoning me, too, at last?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi lamented. Hanbei is too young and talented to die." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Can't fate give him more time?\n\nHe had shut himself in the hut where Hanbei lay, sitting with his sick friend day and night, but that evening, when he was called to other important affairs, Hanbei's condition appeared to worsen hourly. The enemy fortresses at Takano and Mount Hachiman were wrapped in the evening mist. As night approached gunfire echoed through the mountains.\n\nIt must be that damned cripple again! Hideyoshi thought. He shouldn't go that far inside enemy lines.\n\nHideyoshi worried about Kanbei, who had pressed in on the enemy but had not yet returned. Hurried footsteps approached and stopped at his side. When he looked around, someone was tearfully prostrating himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shojumaru?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After Shojumaru had joined the camp at Mount Hirai, he had gone into battle on several occasions. In a short time he had been transformed into a stouthearted adult. About one week before this, when Hanbei's condition had seemed to be deteriorating quickly, Hideyoshi had ordered Shojumaru to watch Hanbei.\n\n\"I'm sure the patient would be more pleased with you at his bedside than someone else. I would like to be there taking care of him myself, but I'm afraid that if he worried about troubling me, his condition would worsen.\"\n\nFor Shojumaru, Hanbei was both teacher and surrogate father. Now he waited upon Hanbei day and night without taking off his own armor, putting all his energy into preparing the man's medicine and caring for his needs. This was the Shojumaru who had come running in and had tearfully prostrated himself on the ground. Intuitively, Hideyoshi felt as though he had been struck in the chest.\n\n\"Why are you crying, Shojumaru?\" he scolded him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please forgive me,\" Shojumaru said, wiping his eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Hanbei is almost too weak to speak; he may not last until midnight. If you can take time from the battle, could you come for a moment?\"\n\n\"He's on the verge of dying?\"\n\n\"I–I'm afraid so.\"\n\n\"Is that what the doctor says?\"\n\n\"Yes. Lord Hanbei strictly ordered me not to tell you or anyone else in camp of his condition, but the doctor and Lord Hanbei's retainers said that his departure from this world is imminent and that it would be better if I told you.\"\n\nHideyoshi was already resigned. \"Shojumaru, would you stay here for a short while in my place? I suspect your father will be withdrawing from the battlefield at Takano soon.\"\n\n\"My father's fighting at Takano?\"\n\n\"He's directing everything from his litter as usual.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then, could I go to Takano, lead the fighting in my father's place, and tell him to go to Lord Hanbei's bedside?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You've spoken well! Go, if you have that kind of courage.\"\n\n\"As long as Lord Hanbei is still breathing, my father will want to be with him. He won't say it, but I'm sure that Lord Hanbei wants to see my father, too.\" Shojumaru spoke gallantly and, grasping a spear that looked much too big for him, dashed off toward the foothills.\n\nHideyoshi walked off in the opposite direction, gradually lengthening his stride. Lamplight spilled from one of the huts. It was the one Takenaka Hanbei slept in, and just at that moment the moon began to shine faintly over the roof. The doctor Hideyoshi had sent was at the bedside, as were Hanbei's retainers. The hut was hardly more than a wooden fence, but white coverlets had been piled on the rush mats, and in one corner stood a folding screen.\n\n\"Hanbei, can you hear me? It's me, Hideyoshi. How do you feel?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He sat quietly at his friend's side, looking at his face on the pillow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Perhaps because of the darkness, Hanbei's face was as luminescent as a jewel. One could not help shedding tears, wondering that a man could become so thin. It was a heartrending sight for Hideyoshi; just looking at the man was painful.\n\n\"Doctor, how is he?\"\n\nThe doctor could say nothing. His silent answer meant that it was only a matter of time, but Hideyoshi really wanted to hear that there might be some hope.\n\nThe sick man moved his hand slightly. He seemed to have heard Hideyoshi's voice, and, barely opening his eyes, he tried to say something to one of his attendants, who replied, \"His Lordship has been kind enough to come visit you... to be at your bedside... \"\n\nHanbei nodded but seemed to be fretful about something." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He appeared to be ordering the man to help him up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you think?\" an attendant inquired, looking at the doctor. The doctor was hardly able to answer. Hideyoshi understood what Hanbei wanted.\n\n\"What? You want to sit up? Why not stay in bed?\" he said, soothing him as though he were calming a child. Hanbei shook his head slightly and once again chided his attendants. He was unable to speak in a loud voice, but his desire could plainly be seen in his hollow eyes. They gently raised the upper half of the sick man's plank-thin body, but when they tried to help him sit up, Hanbei pushed them away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He bit his lip and gradually got out of bed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This act clearly require a huge effort on the part of a sick man who by now could hardly breathe.\n\nTransfixed by what they were witnessing, Hideyoshi, the doctor, and Hanbei's retainers could only hold their breath and watch. Finally, when he had crawled a few paces from his bedding, Hanbei knelt properly on the reed matting. With the sharp points of his shoulders, his thin knees, and his sallow hands, Hanbei looked almost like a young girl. He closed his mouth tightly and appeared to be controlling his breath. Finally he bowed so low that it seemed he might break.\n\n\"My farewell to you is approaching this evening. Once again I must show my gratitude for the many years of your great benevolence.\" Then he paused for a moment. \"Whether the leaves fall or bloom, live or die, when you reflect deeply on the matter, it would appear that the colors of autumn and spring fill the entire universe. I have felt that the world is an interesting place. My lord, I have been tied by karma to you and have received your kind treatment. When I look back, my only regret at parting is that I have been of no service to you at all.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was only a thread of his voice left, but it smoothly left his lips." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Everyone present adjusted his posture and sat quietly at this solemn miracle. Hideyoshi, especially, straightened his back, hung his head, and, with both hands on his lap, listened as though he could not bear to miss a single word. The lamp ready to go out will flare up brightly just before it dies. Hanbei's life now was like that, for one sublime moment. He continued to speak, desperately struggling to leave Hideyoshi his last words.\n\n\"All the events... all the events and changes the world will go through hereafter... I sympathize with truly. Japan is presently on the verge of a great change. I would like to see what will happen to the nation. This is what is in my heart, but my allotted span of life will not allow me to have my wish.\" His words gradually became more and more clear, and he appeared to be speaking with the last strength left to him. His body naturally gasped for air momentarily, but he controlled the heaving of his shoulders and held his breath to continue speaking.\n\n\"But... my lord... do you, yourself, not think that you were chosen to be born in a time like this? Looking carefully at you, I cannot see in you the ambition to become the ruler of the nation.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Here he paused for a moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Until now, this had been a strong point and part of your character. It's rude of me to bring it up, but when you were Lord Nobunaga's sandal bearer, you put your whole heart into the duties of a sandal bearer; and when you had the status of a samurai, you put all of your capacities into carrying out the duties of a samurai. Never once did you have the wild fancy of looking up and trying to launch yourself higher. What I fear most now is that—true to this mentality—you will complete your duties in the western provinces, or totally satisfy your commission from Lord Nobunaga, or again, that you will simply subdue Miki Castle, and that except for the close attention you pay to these things, you will not think about current events or of ways of distinguishing yourself.\"\n\nIt was so quiet that it seemed as if no one else were in the room. Hideyoshi was listening so intently that it looked as if he could not lift his head or move.\n\n\"But... the great capacity that a man needs to gain control over this kind of age is given by heaven. Rival warlords fight for hegemony, each of them bragging that no one but he will be able to bring a new dawn to the chaotic world and save the people from their distress. But Kenshin, who was such an excellent man, has gone on to his death; Shingen of Kai has passed away; the great Motonari of the western provinces left the world having advised his descendants to protect their inheritance by knowing their own capacities; and beyond that, both the Asai and the Asakura brought destruction upon themselves. Who is going to bring this problem to a conclusion? Who has the force of will to be able to create the culture of the next era and be accepted by the people? Such men are fewer than the fingers on one hand.\"\n\nHideyoshi suddenly lifted his head, and a beam of light seemed to come directly at him from Hanbei's sunken eyes. Hanbei was close to death, and even Hideyoshi could not be sure of his own life span, but for a moment their eyes wrestled in silence.\n\n\"I know that in your heart you are probably confused by the things I am saying, because you now serve Lord Nobunaga. I can understand your feelings. But Providence has clearly set him on the stage to perform a difficult mission. Neither you nor Lord Ieyasu has the kind of spirit that is required to break through the present situation, nor the faith to rise above all the many difficulties that have presented themselves until now. Who, other than Lord Nobunaga, would have been capable of leading the country thus far through the chaos of the age? But that is still not to say that the world has been renewed by his actions. Just by subjugating the western provinces, attacking Kyushu, and pacifying Shikoku, the nation will not necessarily be pacified, the four classes of people will not live in peace and harmony, a new culture will not be established, nor will the cornerstone of prosperity for succeeding generations be laid.\"\n\nHanbei seemed to have reflected on these things deeply, drawing insights from the wisdom of the ancient Chinese classics. He had compared the transitions of modern times with historical events and had analyzed the complex undercurrents of the present situation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During the years he had served on Hideyoshi's field staff, his mind had been forming a general view of Japan's development." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His conclusions he kept secret. Was Hideyoshi not \"the next man\"? Even among his retainers, who were close to him day and night, and who saw him fighting periodically with his wife, rejoicing over some trivial matter, looking dispirited, and talking foolishly—or who compared him in terms of appearance with the lords of other clans and did not find him superior at all—there did not seem to be one out of ten who considered their lord to have superior natural talents. But Hanbei did not regret having served at this man's side or having spent half his life for his sake, rather, he rejoiced greatly that heaven had bound him to such a lord, and he felt that life had been absolutely worth living right up to the point of his death.\n\nIf this lord carries out the role that I believe he will, and accomplishes the great task of the future, Hanbei thought, my life will not have been in vain. My own ideals will most likely be carried out in the world in some form with his spirit and future. People may say that I died young, but I will have died well.\n\n\"Beyond that,\" he said, \"there is really nothing more to say. Please, my lord, take good care of yourself. Believe that you yourself are irreplaceable, and strive even harder after I am gone.\" As Hanbei finished speaking, his chest crumpled like a piece of rotten wood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no longer any strength in the thin hands that should have supported him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His face fell flat against the floor; a pool of blood spread over the matting like the blooming of a red peony.\n\nHideyoshi jumped forward and held Hanbei's head, and the blood that was now gushing out stained his lap and chest.\n\n\"Hanbei! Hanbei! Are you leaving me alone? Are you going off by yourself? What am I going to do on the battlefield without you from now on?\" he cried, weeping copiously, without regard for either his appearance or his reputation.\n\nHanbei's white face now lay limply, his head resting on Hideyoshi's lap. \"No, from now on you won't have to worry about anything.\"\n\nThose who are born in the morning, die before the evening; and those who are born in the evening are dead before the dawn. Such facts do not necessarily bespeak the Buddhist view of impermanence, so one might wonder why it was specifically Hanbei's death that sent Hideyoshi into the depths of despair. He was, after all, on a battlefield, where every day men fell like autumn leaves from the branches." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the extent of his grief was such that even the people who were grieving with him were dumbfounded, and when he finally came to himself—like a child after a tantrum—he softly lifted Hanbei's cold body from his lap and, unaided, placed it on top of the white bedding, whispering to it as though Hanbei were still alive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Even if you had lived two or three times the normal life span, you had such great—almost unbearable—ideas that your hopes might still have been only half fulfilled. You did not want to die. If it had been me, I wouldn't have wanted to die either. Right, Hanbei? How many things you must have regretted leaving undone. Ah, when your kind of genius is born into this world, and less than a hundredth of your thoughts are brought to fruition, it's natural that you wouldn't want to die.\"\n\nHow much love he had for the man! Over and over he complained to Hanbei's corpse. He did not fold his hands and recite a prayer, but his pleas to the dead man were endless.\n\nKanbei, who had been informed of Hanbei's condition by his son, had just arrived.\n\n\"Am I too late?\" Kanbei asked anxiously, limping in as fast as he could. There was Hideyoshi, sitting with red eyes at the bedside, and there lay the cold, lifeless body of Hanbei. Kanbei sat down with a heavy groan, as though both his body and his spirit had been crushed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei and Hideyoshi sat quietly, without speaking, looking at Hanbei's body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The room was as dark as a cave, but no lamp was lit. The white bedding beneath the corpse looked like snow at the bottom of a ravine.\n\n\"Kanbei,\" Hideyoshi finally said, sounding as though grief were pouring from his entire body, \"it's pitiful. I had thought it would be difficult, but... \"\n\nKanbei could not say much in response. He seemed to be in a daze, too. \"Ah, I just don't understand it. He was fine six months ago. And now this.\" After a pause, he continued as though he had suddenly come to himself. \"Well, come on. Are all of you just going to sit here crying? Someone light a lamp. We should clean his body, sweep the room, and lay him out in state. Everything must be done for a proper battlefield funeral.\"\n\nWhile Kanbei gave orders, Hideyoshi disappeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the flickering light of the lamps, as people began to work stiffly, someone discovered a letter that Hanbei had left beneath his pillow." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was addressed to Kanbei, and had been written two days before.\n\nThey buried Hanbei on Mount Hirai, the autumn wind blowing sadly through the mourning flags.\n\nKanbei showed Hanbei's last letter to Hideyoshi. It contained nothing about himself; he had written about Hideyoshi, and about the plans he had had in mind for future operations. In part it read:\n\nEven if my body should die and turn to white bones beneath the earth, if my lord will not forget my sincerity and will recall me in his heart even accidentally, my soul will breathe into my lord's present existence and never fail to serve him even from the grave.\n\nConsidering his service to have been insufficient but not begrudging his early death, Hanbei had waited for that death in the full belief that he would serve his lord even after he had become nothing but whitened bones. Now, when Hideyoshi considered Hanbei's inmost feelings, he could not help but cry. No matter how hard he tried to control his tears, he could not stop them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei finally spoke sternly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My lord, I don't think you should go on grieving like this. Please read the rest of the letter, and think carefully. Lord Hanbei has written down a plan to take Miki Castle.\"\n\nKanbei had always been completely devoted to Hideyoshi, but in the present situation, his voice was showing a little impatience at Hideyoshi's unreserved demonstration of the emotional side of his character.\n\nIn his letter Hanbei had predicted that Miki Castle would fall within one hundred days. But he also cautioned that a victory should not be accomplished simply by making a frontal attack and injuring their own soldiers, and he had written down a final plan:\n\nIn Miki Castle there is no man with more discrimination than General Goto Motokuni. In my own view, he is not the kind of soldier who does not understand the country's situation and demonstrates his toughness by going blindly into a battle. Before this campaign, I sat and talked with him a number of times at Himeji Castle, so you might say there is a slight friendship between us. I have written a letter to him, urging him to explain the advantages and disadvantages of the present situation to his lord, Bessho Nagaharu. If Lord Nagaharu understands everything that Goto says, he should be enlightened enough to surrender the castle and sue for peace." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But to put this plan into operation, it is essential to gauge the right psychological moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The best time of all, I think, would be late fall, when the earth is covered with dead leaves, the moon is solitary and cold in the sky, and in their hearts, the soldiers yearn for their fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers, and have feelings of nostalgia in spite of themselves. The soldiers in the castle are already pressed by starvation, and when they feel that winter is coming, they're sure to realize that death is near and to feel all the more full of self-pity and misery. To make a strong attack at that time will do nothing more than give them a good place to die and provide them with traveling companions for their climb over the mountain of death. But if you were to postpone the attack for a while at this point and, after giving them the chance to think coolly, send a letter explaining the matter to Lord Nagaharu and his retainers, I have no doubt that you will see a conclusion within the year.\n\nKanbei saw that Hideyoshi had doubts about whether Hanbei's plan could succeed, and now he added a point of his own.\n\n\"The fact is that Hanbei spoke about this plan two or three times when he was alive, but it was put off because the time was still not ripe. If I may have my lord's permission, I will go at any time as an envoy and meet Goto in Miki Castle.\"\n\n\"No, wait,\" Hideyoshi said, shaking his head. \"Wasn't it just last spring that we used this same plan, approaching one of the generals in the castle through the connections of Asano Yahei's relatives? There was no answer. We found out later that when our man advised Bessho Nagaharu to capitulate, the generals and soldiers got angry and cut him to pieces. The plan that Hanbei has left us sounds a little like that one, doesn't it? In fact, it's the same thing, I believe. If it's handled badly, we'll only let them know our weakness, and nothing will be gained.\"\n\n\"No, I think that is why Hanbei emphasized the importance of judging the correct moment. And I suspect that that moment is now.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You think it's the right time?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I believe it absolutely.\" Just then, they heard voices outside the enclosure. Along with the voices of the generals and soldiers they were accustomed to, they could also hear a woman's voice. It was that of Hanbei's sister, Oyu. As soon as she had been informed that her brother was in a critical condition, she had left Kyoto, accompanied by only a few attendants. With the thought of seeing his face just once more while he was still in this world, she had rushed anxiously to Mount Hirai, but as she came closer to the front lines, the road had become more difficult. In the end, she was too late.\n\nTo Hideyoshi, the woman now bowing before him had completely changed. He gazed at her traveling outfit and emaciated face and then, as he started to speak, Kanbei and the pages deliberately went outside to leave them alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Oyu could only shed tears at first, and for a long time could not look up at Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Throughout his absence during the long campaign she had longed to see him, but now that she was in front of him, she could hardly go to his side.\n\n\"You have heard that Hanbei is dead?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"You must be resigned to it. There was nothing we could do.\"\n\nOyu's heart collapsed like melting snow, and her body was convulsed with sobs.\n\n\"Stop crying; this is unbecoming.\" Hideyoshi lost his composure, hardly knowing what to do. Even though there was no one else present, the attendants were immediately outside the enclosure, and he felt constrained by the thought of what they might hear.\n\n\"Let's go to Hanbei's grave together,\" Hideyoshi said, and he led Oyu along the mountain path behind the camp to the top of a small hill." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A chilly late-autumn wind moaned through the branches of a solitary pine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beneath it was a mound of fresh earth, upon which a single stone had been placed as a grave marker." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'grave' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In former times, during leisure hours in the long siege, a reed mat had been placed at the foot of this pine, and Kanbei, Hanbei, and Hideyoshi had sat together, talking over the past and present while looking at the moon.\n\nOyu parted the bushes, looking for some flowers to put on the grave. Then she faced the mound of earth and bowed beside Hideyoshi. Her tears no longer fell. Here at the top of the mountain, the grasses and trees of late autumn demonstrated that such a condition was a natural principle of the universe. Autumn passes into winter, winter passes into spring—in nature there is neither grief nor tears.\n\n\"My lord, I have a request, and I'd like to ask it in front of my brother's grave.\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"Perhaps you understand... in your heart.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I do understand.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I would like you to let me go. If you'll grant me that, I know my brother will be relieved, even under the earth.\"\n\n\"Hanbei died saying that his spirit would serve me even from the grave. How can I turn my back on something that he worried about when he was alive? You should do as your heart tells you.\"\n\n\"Thank you. With your permission, I will do my best to honor his dying wish.\"\n\n\"Where will you go?\"\n\n\"To a temple in some remote village.\" Once again she shed tears." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'hideyoshi' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Granted a dismissal by Hideyoshi, Oyu received a lock of her brother's hair and his clothes. It was inappropriate for a woman to be in a military camp for a long time, and the next day Oyu went immediately to Hideyoshi and told him she had made her travel preparations.\n\n\"I'm here to say good-bye. Please, please take care of yourself,\" she told him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Won't you stay two or three more days in camp?\" Hideyoshi asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the next few days Oyu stayed alone in an isolated hut, praying for her brother's soul. The days passed without any word from Hideyoshi. Frost had descended on the mountains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Each time the early-winter rains came down, the leaves fell from the trees." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, on the first night that the moon appeared clearly, a page came to Oyu and said, \"His Lordship would like to see you. He has asked that you make preparations to leave this evening and that you go up now to Lord Hanbei's grave on the mountain.\"\n\nOyu had few preparations to make for the trip. She set off for her brother's grave with Kumataro and two other attendants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The trees had lost their leaves and the grass had withered, and the mountain had a desolate appearance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The ground looked white in the moonlight, as if there had been a frost.\n\nOne of the half-dozen retainers in attendance on Hideyoshi announced Oyu's arrival.\n\n\"Thank you for coming, Oyu,\" Hideyoshi began gently." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've been so busy with military matters since we last met that I haven't been able to visit you. It's become so cold lately, you must be lonely.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have resigned myself to spending the rest of my life in an isolated village, so I won't be lonely.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I hope that you'll pray for Hanbei's soul. Wherever you choose to live, I suspect we'll meet again.\" He turned to Hanbei's grave under the pine tree. \"Oyu, I have something prepared for you over there. I doubt that I'll ever be able to hear the lovely sound of your koto again, after tonight. A long time ago, you were with Hanbei at the siege of the castle at Choteiken in Mino. You played the koto and softened the hearts of soldiers who had become like demons, and they finally surrendered. If you would play now, it would be an offering to Hanbei's soul, I think, as well as becoming a remembrance for me. Also, if the notes were carried by the wind to the castle, they might shock the enemy soldiers into thinking of their own humanity and make them aware that their deaths now would be meaningless. That would be a great achievement, and even Hanbei would rejoice.\"\n\nHe led her over to the pine tree, where a koto had been placed on top of a reed mat." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'don't' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Having resisted a siege of three years with all their courage and integrity, the warriors of the western provinces, who looked down on other men as being frivolous and vain, were now reduced to shadows of their former selves.\n\n\"I don't care if I die fighting today or tomorrow, I just don't want to die of starvation,\" one of the defenders said.\n\nThey had fallen into such an extremity that dying in battle was their last remaining hope. The defenders still looked like men, but they were now reduced to sucking the bones of their own dead horses and eating field mice, tree bark, and roots, and they anticipated having to boil the tatami mats and eating the clay on the walls in the coming winter. As they consoled each other, sunken eye to sunken eye, they still had enough spirit to be able to plan on getting through the winter as best as they could. Indeed, even in small skirmishes, when the enemy drew near, they could suddenly forget their hunger and fatigue and go out to fight.\n\nFor more than half a month, however, the attacking troops had not approached the castle, and this neglect was more bitter to the defending troops than any desperate death. When the sun went down, the entire castle was sunk into a darkness so deep it might just as well have fallen to the bottom of a swamp. Not one lamp was lit. All of the fish oil and rapeseed oil had been consumed as food. Many of the small shrikes and sparrows that had flocked morning and night to the trees in the grounds had been caught and eaten, and recently the ones that remained had stopped coming to the castle, knowing, perhaps, what would be in store for them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The men had eaten so many crows that now they were rarely even able to catch one. In the midst of the darkness, the eyes of the sentries would quicken at the sound of something like a weasel scampering by. Instinctively, their gastric juices would begin to flow, and they would look at each other and grimace. \"My stomach feels like it's being wrung out like a damp cloth.\"\n\nThe moon that evening was beautiful, but the soldiers only wished it could be eaten. The dead leaves fell in profusion on the roofs of the fortress and around the castle gate. A soldier munched greedily on them.\n\n\"Taste good? someone asked.\n\n\"Better than straw,\" he answered, and picked up another one. Suddenly looking queasy, he coughed several times and vomited the leaves he had just eaten.\n\n\"General Goto!\" someone suddenly announced, and everyone stood to attention." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Goto Motokuni, chief retainer of the Bessho clan, walked toward the soldiers from the darkened keep.\n\n\"Anything to report?\" Goto asked.\n\n\"Nothing, sir.\"\n\n\"Really?\" Goto showed them an arrow. \"Sometime this evening, this arrow was shot into the castle by the enemy. A letter was tied to it, asking me to meet with one of Lord Hideyoshi's generals, Kuroda Kanbei, here tonight.\"\n\n\"Kanbei is coming here tonight! A man who betrayed his lord for the Oda. He's not fit to be a samurai. When he shows up, we'll torture him to death.\"\n\n\"He's Lord Hideyoshi's envoy, and it would not be right to kill someone whose arrival has been announced beforehand. It's an agreement among warriors that one does not kill messengers.\"\n\n\"That would be all right even for an enemy general if it were someone else. But with Kanbei, I feel like I wouldn't be content even eating the meat off his bones.\"\n\n\"Don't let the enemy see what's in your heart. Laugh when you greet him.\"\n\nJust as Goto gazed out into the darkness, he and the men seemed to hear the intermittent sounds of a distant koto. At that moment Miki Castle became enveloped in a strange hush." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a night the color of India ink, it seemed as though no one could even breathe while the falling leaves swirled and danced formlessly in an uncanny sky.\n\n\"A koto?\" one of the soldiers said, looking up into the void.\n\nThey listened almost in ecstasy to the nostalgic sound. The men in the watchtower, in the guardroom, and in every section of the fortress were caught by the same thoughts. Through storms of arrows, gunfire, and war cries—from dawn until dusk, and from dusk again until dawn—the men who had been in this castle for three years cut off from the outside world had steadfastly dug themselves in, without yielding or withdrawing. Now the sound of the koto suddenly called up various thoughts in their minds.\n\nMy ancestral home,\n\nWill you wait\n\nFor a man who knows not\n\nIf tonight will be\n\nHis last?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was the death poem that Kikuchi Taketoki, Emperor Godaigo's loyal general, had sent to his wife when he was surrounded by a rebel army." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the men considered their own situations, there were some who unconsciously recited the poem to themselves." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Surely there were soldiers, far away from their homes, who thought of their mothers, children, and brothers and sisters of whom they had had no news." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even the soldiers who had nothing to go back to did not have hearts made of stone, and were swayed by the feelings evoked by the koto." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'quickly' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one could stop his tears.\n\nIn his heart, Goto felt just the same as his men, but when he saw the expressions on the faces of the soldiers around him, he quickly pulled himself together. He spoke to his men with intentional cheer. \"What? Sounds of the koto are coming from the enemy camp? What fools! Why would they have a koto? That shows how soft the enemy warriors really are. They've probably gotten tired of the long campaign, have grabbed some singing girl from a village, and are trying to amuse themselves. For minds to be so disheveled is unpardonable. The steel and rock-hard souls of true warriors are not so weak!\"\n\nAs he spoke, each man awoke from his reverie.\n\n\"Instead of listening to such foolery, let each man guard his own post. These castles are just like a dike that holds back a flood of dirty water. The dike is meandering and long, but if one little bit of it crumbles, the entire structure will collapse. Each of you should stand, and linked breast to breast, not move even if you die. As for Miki Castle, if it were said that someone abandoned his post and the entire castle collapsed as a result, his ancestors would weep from beneath the earth and his descendants would bear the shame of the province and be nothing more than laughing-stocks.\"\n\nGoto was urging his men on like this when he saw two or three soldiers running up to the castle. They quickly informed him that the enemy general whose visit had been announced earlier had come as far as the palisade at the bottom of the slope.\n\nKanbei arrived, carried in a litter. The litter was a light structure made of wood, straw, and bamboo. There was no roof, and the sides were low." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had learned to brandish his long sword from the litter when he fought with the enemy in battle. But tonight he had come as an envoy of peace.\n\nOver a light yellow robe, Kanbei wore armor threaded with pale green, and a coat of silver embroidery on a white background. Luckily he was a small man, about five feet tall and lighter than average, so the men who carried him were not uncomfortable, and he himself did not feel cramped.\n\nFootsteps could soon be heard inside the palisade gate. A number of soldiers from the castle had run back down the slope.\n\n\"Envoy, you may pass through!\" they announced. At the same time Kanbei heard this stern shout, the palisade gate before him opened. In the darkness he thought that he could see a hundred or more soldiers jostling together. Each time the wave of men pitched and rolled, the glint of their spears pierced his eyes.\n\n\"I'm sorry to trouble you,\" Kanbei said to the man who had shouted at him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I am lame, so I'll be coming through in a litter. Please excuse my lack of manners.\" With this apology, he turned and spoke to his son, Shojumaru, the only attendant who had accompanied him, and ordered, \"Walk in front of me.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.\" Edging around his father's litter, Shojumaru walked straight through the enemies' spears.\n\nThe four soldiers shouldering the litter followed through the palisade gate behind Shojumaru. When they saw how composed the thirteen-year-old boy and the lame warrior looked as they walked into their camp, the bloodthirsty and ravenous soldiers could hardly feel any anger, even though they were looking at the enemy. They could now understand that the enemy was fighting this battle with a determination and perseverance equal to their own and so could sympathize with the envoys as warriors. Strangely, they even felt a sort of compassion for them.\n\nAfter passing through the palisade and the castle gate, Kanbei and his son quickly came to the main entrance, where Goto and his picked troops were waiting with solemn indifference.\n\nI can see how this castle has been defended by these men, Kanbei thought as he approached the gate. The castle won't fall even though there's no food. They'll hold out, no matter what the cost." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could see that the courage of the men had not waned in the least, and he felt the weight of his own responsibility even more. This feeling immediately became transformed into a deep concern for the grave situation that Hideyoshi now faced. Kanbei silently renewed his pledge in his own heart. Somehow, he thought, this mission I've been entrusted with has got to succeed.\n\nGoto and his men were surprised by the envoy's demeanor. Here was the general of the attacking troops, but, instead of looking at them with arrogance, he had come accompanied by only a charming young man. Not only that, but when this Kanbei greeted Goto, he hurriedly had his litter lowered to the ground and, standing on his legs, greeted him with a smile.\n\n\"General Goto, I am Kuroda Kanbei, and I am here as Lord Hideyoshi's envoy. I'm certainly obliged that everyone has come out to meet me.\"\n\nKanbei was completely unaffected. As an envoy from the enemy, he had made an exceptionally favorable impression. This was probably because he had approached them from his heart, disregarding concern for victory or defeat, and had acted with the custom and understanding that both he and his enemy were samurai." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate this exact phrase, preserving the quotation marks: \"Perhaps the castle will not hold out much longer.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This, however, was not reason enough for the enemy to accept the point of his mission: to persuade them to capitulate. Kanbei talked with Goto in a room in the lightless castle for an hour or so and then rose from his seat, saying, \"Well then, I'll wait for your answer.\"\n\n\"I'll give you one after conferring with Lord Nagaharu and the other generals,\" Goto said, also standing up. Thus the pattern of the interview that night indicated that the negotiations were to be successful beyond Kanbei's and Hideyoshi's expectations—but five days passed, then seven, then ten, and still there was no sign of an answer from the castle. The Twelfth Month came and went, and the opposing armies greeted the third New Year of the siege. In Hideyoshi's camp, the men at least had some rice cakes to eat and a little sake to drink, but they could hardly forget that the men in the castle, although they were the enemy, had nothing to eat and were barely holding on to their fragile lives. From the time of Kanbei's mission at the end of the Eleventh Month, Miki Castle had truly sunk into desolation and silence. It was understood that the soldiers lacked even bullets to shoot at the attackers. Hideyoshi, however, still refrained from an all-out offensive, saying, \"Perhaps the castle will not hold out much longer.\"\n\nIf, then, the siege was simply an endurance contest, Hideyoshi's present position was hardly difficult or unfavorable. But the fact was that neither the camp at Mount Hirai nor Hideyoshi's position were matters of his own private battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was essentially striking against one link in the enemy alliance made up of those who opposed Nobunaga's supremacy; and he was nothing more than one of the limbs of Nobunaga's body that was trying to break open a hole to break through the encircling chain of his enemies. Little by little, therefore, Nobunaga had started to wonder about the lack of action in the protracted western campaign.\n\nAnd Hideyoshi's enemies on Nobunaga's field staff were wondering about his choice of commander, saying that Hideyoshi's responsibilities had been too heavy for him from the start.\n\nHis rivals cited as proof their feelings that, either Hideyoshi was wasting military expenses in a bid for popularity among the local people, or he was not very strict about the prohibition of sake in camp because he was afraid of the soldiers' antipathy. But whatever his rivals wished to question, it was easy to see that, one by one, all the trifling matters that were not worth reaching Nobunaga's ears were heard in Azuchi and were considered material for slander. But Hideyoshi never paid much attention to the talk. Certainly he was a human being and had normal feelings like everyone else, and it wasn't that he didn't notice such things; he simply didn't worry about them.\n\n\"Trivial matters are nothing but that,\" he said. \"Whenever they're investigated, they'll be cleared up.\" The only thing that did make him unhappy was the thought that with every passing day, the anti-Nobunaga coalition was getting stronger: the powerful Mori clan was building up its defenses, making plans with the Honganji, calling on the faraway Takeda and Hojo in the east, and inciting the clans of the Japan Sea coast. How strong these forces really were could be understood by observing the fact that Araki Murashige's castle in Itami, which the central army was presently besieging, had still not fallen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What Murashige was depending on, and what the Bessho clan was stubbornly holding on to, was not only their own strength and their own castle walls." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soon the Mori army will come to our aid!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga will be defeated soon!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was it. Generally, the worst state of affairs was not in the enemy Nobunaga faced directly but in the enemy waiting in the shadows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two ancient forces of the Honganji and the Mori were quite correctly Nobunaga's enemies, but it was Araki Murashige at Itami and Bessho Nagaharu, at Miki Castle, who were grappling directly with Nobunaga's ambition.\n\nThat evening Hideyoshi suddenly decided to have a bonfire lit, and was warding off the night cold, when he turned to see the carefree young pages drawing up close to the fire. They were half naked even in the cold of the First Month, and were making a noise over something that seemed to be amusing them.\n\n\"Sakichi! Shojumaru! What in the world are you two in an uproar about?\" Hideyoshi asked, almost envious of their lightheartedness.\n\n\"Nothing at all,\" answered Shojumaru, who had recently become a page, and he hurriedly dressed and adjusted his armor.\n\n\"My lord,\" Ishida Sakichi interjected. \"Shojumaru's embarrassed to talk to you about it because it's disgusting. But I'm going to speak up, because if we don't tell you, you might get suspicious.\"\n\n\"All right. What is this disgusting thing?\"\n\n\"We've been picking lice off each other.\"\n\n\"Lice?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes. At first someone found one crawling on my collar, then Toranosuke found one on Sengoku's sleeve. Finally, everybody was saying that everyone else was infested, and in the middle of it all, when we came here to warm ourselves by the fire, we found lice crawling all over everyone's armor. Now they've started to itch, so we're going to massacre the entire enemy army. We're going to purge our underwear just like the burning of Mount Hiei!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is that so?\" Hideyoshi laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I guess the lice are also worn out from being besieged in this long campaign.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But our situation is different from that of Miki Castle. The lice have plenty of provisions, so if we don't burn them out, they'll never give up.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's enough. I'm beginning to itch, too.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'shojumaru' - 4 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You haven't taken a bath for over ten days, have you, my lord? I'm sure the 'enemy' must be holding out all over you in swarms!\"\n\n\"That's enough, Sakichi!\" To the delight of the pages, Hideyoshi rushed over and shook his body at them as further proof that the lice were not swarming over them alone. They laughed and danced around.\n\nJust then a soldier peeked in from outside the camp enclosure at the happy, laughing voices and the billowing warm smoke.\n\n\"Is Shojumaru here?\"\n\n\"Yes, I'm here,\" Shojumaru said. The soldier was one of his father's retainers.\n\n\"If you're not busy with some errand, your father would like to see you.\"\n\nShojumaru asked for Hideyoshi's permission. Since this request was not ordinarily made, Hideyoshi looked surprised, but quickly gave his assent. Shojumaru ran off, accompanied by his father's retainer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fires were burning at all of the small encampments, and every one of the units was in a cheerful mood. They had already run out of rice cakes and sake, but some of the New Year's spirit remained. This evening marked the fifteenth day of the First Month. Shojumaru's father was not in camp. Despite the cold, he was sitting on a camp stool that had been placed at the crest of a hill far from the makeshift barracks.\n\nThere was no shelter from the wind, and it stung the flesh and almost froze the blood. But Kanbei stared out intently into the dark expanse, as though he were a wooden statue of a warrior.\n\n\"Father, it's me.\"\n\nKanbei moved slightly as Shojumaru stepped to his side and knelt.\n\n\"Did you receive your lord's permission to come?\"\n\n\"Yes, and I came right over.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then, sit on my camp stool for just a little.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, sir.\"\n\n\"Look at Miki Castle. The stars are not out, and there's not a single lamp lit in the castle, so you probably can't see a thing. But the castle will appear dimly out of that void as your eyes get accustomed to the darkness.\"\n\n\"Is that what you wanted me for, sir?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Kanbei said, as he yielded the camp stool to his son. \"For the last two or three days I've been watching the castle, and somehow I get the feeling that there is movement going on inside. We haven't seen a bit of smoke for half a year, but some is rising now, and perhaps that's evidence that the grove that envelops the castle—and the only thing that screens it from the outside—is being cut down and used for firewood. If you listen very carefully late at night, it seems that you can hear voices, but it's difficult to say whether they are crying or laughing. Whichever it is, the fact is that something unusual has happened inside the castle over the New Year.\"\n\n\"Do you really think so?\"\n\n\"There's nothing that has actually appeared in form, and if I made a mistake and talked about it carelessly, it might cause our men to become tense for no reason. That could be a serious mistake on my part and create an unguarded moment the enemy could take advantage of. No, it's simply that I sat here on this camp stool looking at the castle last night and the night before, feeling that something was going on. Not just looking with my eyes but with my mind's eye.\"\n\n\"This is a difficult watch.\"\n\n\"Yes, it is difficult, but you could also say that it's easy. All you have to do is calm your mind and get rid of delusion. That's why I can't call any of the other soldiers. I want you to sit here instead of me for just a little while.\"\n\n\"I understand.\"\n\n\"Don't doze off. You're right in the middle of a chilly wind, but once you get used to it, you'll get sleepy.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll be all right.\"\n\n\"One other thing. Inform the other generals as soon as you get even a glimpse of something like fire in the castle. And if you see soldiers leaving the castle from any point, light the fuse of the signal flare and then run to His Lordship.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir.\"\n\nShojumaru nodded as he looked calmly at the flare that had been planted in the ground in front of him. It was a natural battlefield situation, but his father did not once ask him if the task was difficult or painful, nor did he ever try to soothe the boy. Shojumaru understood quite well, however, that his father was always teaching him the common sense of military science, according to the event or time. He could feel an inward warmth, even in his father's gravity, and considered himself to be extremely lucky.\n\nKanbei picked up his staff and limped off toward the barracks. But instead of entering the camp, he seemed to be continuing on alone down the mountain, and his attendants asked nervously where he was going.\n\n\"To the foothills,\" Kanbei answered simply, and even though he was supporting himself with the staff, he began to hop down the mountain path almost with a lightness in his step. The men who had been accompanying him, Mori Tahei and Kuriyama Zensuke, bounded down the mountain after him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lord!\" Mori called. \"Please wait!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei stood, holding his staff for a moment, and looked back toward them. \"It's you two?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm surprised how fast you're going,\" Mori said, panting. \"With that injured leg, I'm afraid you'll get hurt.\"\n\n\"I've gotten used to the limp,\" Kanbei laughed. \"I'll only fall down if I think about it when I walk. Recently I've been able to get around fairly naturally. But I don't want to show off.\"\n\n\"Could you do that in the middle of a battle?\"\n\n\"I think the litter is best on the battlefield. Even in close fighting, I'm free to hold the sword with both hands or to grab the spear from the enemy and even to thrust it back at him. The only thing I can't do as I am is to run back and forth. When I'm up on top of the litter and see the surging enemy troops, I'm filled with an irresistible feeling. I feel like the enemy's going to retreat just at the sound of my voice.\"\n\n\"Ah, but it's dangerous now. There's still snow in the shaded areas of the steep cliff roads around here, and you're liable to slip in the wash from the melting snow.\"\n\n\"There's a mountain stream right below here, isn't there?\"\n\n\"Shall I carry you across?\" Mori offered his back.\n\nKanbei was carried piggyback across the stream." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Where were they going?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two retainers still had no idea. A few hours before, they had seen a warrior come down from the palisade at the foot of the mountain and hand Kanbei something that looked like a letter, and soon thereafter, they had been called abruptly to accompany Kanbei to the foothills, but they had heard nothing more.\n\nWhen they had walked a good distance, Kuriyama broached the subject. \"My lord, did the commander at the post in the foothills invite you this evening?\"\n\n\"What? Did you think we'd been called out for a meal?\" Kanbei chuckled. \"How long do you think the New Year lasts? Even Lord Hideyoshi's tea ceremonies are over.\"\n\n\"Well then, where are we going?\"\n\n\"To the palisade at the Miki River.\"\n\n\"The palisade near the river? That's a dangerous place!\"\n\n\"Of course it's dangerous. But the enemy considers it dangerous, too. It's right where the two camps meet.\"\n\n\"Well, shouldn't we bring more men?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, no. The enemy isn't bringing a big crowd either. I think there will be only one attendant and a child.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A child?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Right.\"\n\n\"I don't understand.\"\n\n\"Well, just come along quietly. It's not that I can't tell you, but it's better to keep it a secret for the time being. After the castle falls, I will inform Lord Hideyoshi about it, too, I think.\"\n\n\"The castle is going to fall?\"\n\n\"What are we going to do if it doesn't? First of all, the castle is probably going to fall in the next two or three days. It might even happen tomorrow.\"\n\n\"Tomorrow!\" The two retainers stared at Kanbei. His face shone dimly white with the shimmering of the clear water. The dry reeds rustled in the shallows. Mori and Kuriyama stopped in fear. They could see a figure standing among the reeds on the far bank.\n\n\"Who is it?\" Their next surprise was different from their first." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The man appeared to be an important enemy general, but his only attendant was carrying a young child on his back. There was no indication the three of them had come with a hostile intent. They simply seemed to be waiting quietly for Kanbei's party to approach.\n\n\"Wait here,\" Kanbei ordered.\n\nObeying their lord's orders, the two retainers watched him closely as he walked away.\n\nAs Kanbei approached, the enemy standing in the reeds also stepped forward a pace or two. As soon as they could see each other clearly, they exchanged greetings as though they were old friends. If a secret meeting between enemies in such a place had been witnessed by others, a conspiracy would have been suspected immediately; but the two seemed completely indifferent to such concerns.\n\n\"The child whom I shamelessly requested you to aid is on the back of that man over there. When the castle falls and I meet my end tomorrow on the battlefield, I hope you won't laugh at the passion of a father's love. He's still so innocent and naïve.\" This was the enemy general, the commander of Miki Castle, Goto Motokuni. He and Kanbei spoke now on familiar terms, for it had only been in the late fall of the previous year that Kanbei had gone to the castle as Hideyoshi's envoy, counseling capitulation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that time they had spoken on very friendly terms.\n\n\"You brought him along, after all? I want to meet him. Have him brought here.\"\n\nAs Kanbei beckoned gently, Goto's retainer stepped out hesitantly from behind his master, loosened the cords that had strapped the child to his back, and let him down.\n\n\"How old is he?\"\n\n\"Just seven.\" The retainer must have been waiting upon the child as a guardian for some time; he answered Kanbei while wiping tears from his eyes, bowed once, and retreated again.\n\n\"His name?\" Kanbei asked, and this time the boy's father answered.\n\n\"He's called Iwanosuke. His mother has already passed away and his father will too, soon. Lord Kanbei, I entreat you to look after the child's future.\"\n\n\"Don't worry. I am also a father. I understand your feelings very well, and will absolutely see to it that he is brought up under my own hand. After he becomes an adult, the Goto family name will not die out.\"\n\n\"Then I can die tomorrow morning with no regrets.\" Goto knelt down and held his son to the breast of his armor. \"Listen well to what your father is saying now. You're already seven years old. The child of a samurai never cries. Your coming-of-age ceremony is still far away, and you're at an age when you would like to have your mother's love and be at your father's side. But now the world is full of battles like this one. We can't help it that you're being separated from me, and it's natural that I should die with my lord. But you are not really so unfortunate. You've been lucky enough to be with me until this evening, and you should give great thanks to the gods of heaven and earth for that good luck. All right? So from tonight on, you'll be by the side of that man right there, Kuroda Kanbei. He'll be your master and the parent who brings you up, so serve him well. Do you understand?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As his father patted his head and spoke to him, Iwanosuke silently nodded again and again while tears rolled down his cheeks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Miki Castle's hours were now numbered. The several thousand people in the castle had quite naturally sworn to perish with their lord and were resolved to die bravely. Goto's will was adamantine, and he did not waver in the least now. But he did have a young son and could not bear to see an innocent child die. Iwanosuke was still much too young to carry the weight of having been born a samurai.\n\nIn the days preceding this meeting, Goto had sent a letter to Kanbei, whom—although an enemy—he viewed as a reliable man. Goto had opened his heart to Kanbei, asking him to bring up his son.\n\nAs he lectured his little son, he knew this was the end, and was unable to check an unguarded tear. Finally he stood up and strongly ordered him off in Kanbei's direction, almost as if he were thrusting the pitiful thing away.\n\n\"Iwanosuke, you too should request Lord Kanbei's favor.\"\n\n\"Put your mind completely at ease,\" Kanbei reassured the man as he took the child's hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He ordered one of his retainers to take the child back to camp.\n\nNow, for the first time that evening, Kanbei's retainers understood their master's intentions. Mori hoisted Iwanosuke onto his back and set off with Kuriyama at his side.\n\n\"Well then,\" Kanbei said.\n\n\"Yes, this is good-bye,\" replied Goto.\n\nAs they spoke, it was difficult to part. Kanbei did his best to harden his heart and leave quickly, but even though he thought it would be the kindest thing to do, he hesitated.\n\nFinally Goto said with a smile. \"Lord Kanbei, when I meet you on the battlefield tomorrow, if we're both pinned down by our personal feelings and the edge is taken off our spears, we'll be disgraced to the end of time. If the worst should happen, I'm prepared to take your head. Don't you be remiss either!\" He blurted out his words like a parting shot, then immediately turned and walked off in the direction of the castle.\n\nKanbei quickly returned to Mount Hirai, went before Hideyoshi, and showed him Goto's son." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Bring him up well,\" Hideyoshi said. \"It will be an act of charity. He looks like a fine boy, doesn't he?\" Hideyoshi loved children, and he looked at Iwanosuke's face fondly and patted his head.\n\nPerhaps Iwanosuke did not yet understand; he was only seven. Being in a strange camp with strange man, he simply stared goggle-eyed at everything around him. Many years later he would become famous as a warrior of the Kuroda clan. But right now he was a solitary child, almost like a mountain monkey that had fallen out of its tree.\n\nFinally the day came: it was announced that Miki Castle had fallen. It was the seventeenth day of the First Month of the eighth year of Tensho. Nagaharu, his younger brother Tomoyuki, and his senior retainers disemboweled themselves, the castle was opened, and Uno Uemon delivered a letter of surrender to Hideyoshi.\n\nWe resisted for two years and did everything we could as warriors." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The only thing I would not be able to bear is the death of several thousand brave and loyal warriors and the members of my family." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I plead for my retainers and hope that you will show them mercy.\n\nHideyoshi agreed to this manly request and accepted the surrender of Miki Castle." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'hideyoshi' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although Hideyoshi and Nobunaga were stationed far apart, Hideyoshi considered it one of his military responsibilities to send news regularly to Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In this way Nobunaga was given a bird's-eye view of the situation in the west, and thus he felt at ease with the strategy being used in the campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After seeing Hideyoshi off to the western provinces, Nobunaga greeted the New Year in Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the tenth year of Tensho." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That New Year was even busier than the previous one, and the celebrations did not go off without mishap." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The following incident is recorded in The Chronicles of Nobunaga:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the neighboring lords, relatives, and others came to Azuchi to pay their respects to His Lordship for the New Year, the crush was such that a wall collapsed and many were killed by the falling stones." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The confusion was stupendous." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Charge each guest who comes for New Year's calls on the first day one hundred mon, no matter who he is,\" Nobunaga ordered on New Year's Eve." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A 'calling tax' is not much to ask of a visitor in return for the divine privilege of having an audience with me to express his New Year's wishes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But that was not all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In recompense for the 'calling tax,' Nobunaga also gave permission to have parts of the castle grounds that were usually closed to the public opened up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The inns of Azuchi had already been booked long before by eager sightseers—lords, merchants, scholars, doctors, artists, craftsmen, and samurai of every rank—who waited impatiently for the opportunity to see the Sokenji Temple, to pass through the Outer Gate and approach the Third Gate, and from there to go through the residential apartments and enter the garden of white sand, there to express their greetings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The New Year's sightseers walked through the castle, looking at room after room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They admired the sliding doors illustrated by Kano Eitoku, stared wide-eyed at the tatami mats with their borders of Korean brocade, and gazed in awe at the polished, gilded walls." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guards shepherded the crowd out through the stable gate, where, unexpectedly, its way was barred by Nobunaga and several attendants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't forget your contribution! One hundred mon each!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga shouted. He took the money with his own hands and tossed it over his shoulder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A mountain of coins quickly piled up behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soldiers stuffed the money into bags, and it was then given to officials and distributed among the poor of Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus Nobunaga fondly imagined that there was not one hungry face in Azuchi that New Year's." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Nobunaga spoke to the official in charge of collecting the tax, who at first had worried about Nobunaga getting involved with such plebeian actions, the official now had to admit, \"It was truly a fine idea, my lord. The people who came to visit the castle will have a story to tell for the rest of their lives, and the poor who received the 'contributions' will spread the news. Everybody is saying that those coins are not just ordinary coins, but money that was touched by the hand of Lord Nobunaga himself, and as such, it would be a travesty to waste it. They said they would keep it as capital. Why, even the officials are pleased. I think this kind of good work would be a good precedent for next New Year's and for the years following.\"\n\nTo the official's surprise, Nobunaga coldly shook his head and said, \"I'm not going to do it again. It would be a fault for the man who runs the government to let the poor get used to charity.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Half of the First Month had passed. After the New Year's decorations had been taken down from the doors of people's homes, the citizens of Azuchi realized that something was going on—so many ships were being loaded at the port and were sailing every day.\n\nThe ships, without exception, were sailing from the southern part of the lake northward. And thousands of bales of rice, carried along the land routes in meandering processions of horses and carts, were also going up the coast toward the north.\n\nAs always, the streets of Azuchi were filled with the traffic of travelers and the goings and comings of the various lords. Not a day went by that a messenger was not seen galloping down the road, or that an envoy from another province didn't pass by.\n\n\"Aren't you coming?\" Nobunaga called out happily to Nakagawa Sebei.\n\n\"Where to, my lord?\"\n\n\"Hawking!\"\n\n\"That's my favorite sport! May I accompany you, my lord?\"\n\n\"Sansuke, you come too.\"\n\nIt was on a morning in early spring that Nobunaga set out from Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His attendants had been picked the night before, but Nakagawa Sebei—who had just come to the castle—had now been invited, and Ikeda Shonyu's son, Sansuke, was added to the group as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had a liking for riding, sumo wrestling, hawking, and the tea ceremony, but the chase was certainly one of his favorite pastimes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The beaters and archers would be exhausted by the end of the day. Such interests might be called pastimes, but Nobunaga did nothing halfheartedly. With sumo wrestling, for example, when a basho was arranged at Azuchi, he would gather well over fifteen hundred wrestlers from Omi, Kyoto, Naniwa, and other faraway provinces. In the end, the various lords would gather to watch in large crowds, and Nobunaga would rarely grow tired of the sight even as the hour grew late. Instead, he would pick men from among his own retainers and order them to go up into the ring for match after match.\n\nThis First Month's hawking trip to the Echi River, however, was extremely simple. It was nothing more than an outing, and the hawks were never released. After a short rest, Nobunaga ordered the party to return to Azuchi.\n\nAs the party entered the town of Azuchi, Nobunaga reined in his horse and turned toward a foreign-looking building in the middle of a stand of trees. The sound of a violin was coming from a window. He suddenly dismounted and went in through the door with a few of his attendants.\n\nTwo or three Jesuits came down hurriedly to greet him, but Nobunaga was already striding into the house." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your Lordship!\" the fathers exclaimed in surprise." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was the school that had been built next to the Church of the Ascension. Nobunaga had been one of the benefactors of the school, but everything from the timber to the furnishings had been contributed by provincial lords who had been converted to Christianity.\n\n\"I'd like to see how you conduct classes,\" Nobunaga announced. \"I assume the children are all here.\"\n\nHearing what Nobunaga wanted, the fathers were nearly in ecstasy, and told each other what an honor the visit was. Ignoring their chatter, Nobunaga climbed rapidly up the stairs.\n\nNearly in panic, one of the priests ran ahead to the classroom and informed the students of the unforeseen inspection by a noble visitor.\n\nThe sound of the violin stopped suddenly, and the whispering was silenced. Nobunaga stood at the rostrum for a moment and looked over the room, thinking what an odd sort of school it was. The seats and desks in the classroom were all of foreign design, and a textbook had been placed on each desk. As might be expected, the pupils were the sons of provincial lords and retainers. They bowed solemnly to Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The children were between ten and fifteen years of age." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All of them came from noble families, and the entire scene, imbued with the exoticism of European culture, was like a flower garden that no Japanese temple school in Azuchi could rival.\n\nBut the question of which kind of school—Christian or Buddhist—offered the best form of education had already been answered in Nobunaga's mind, it seemed, and so he had neither admiration nor wonder for what was in front of him. Taking a student's textbook from a nearby desk, he thumbed through the pages silently but quickly returned it to its owner.\n\n\"Who was playing the violin just now?\" he asked.\n\nRepeating Nobunaga's question, one of the fathers queried the students again.\n\nNobunaga quickly understood: the teachers had not been in the room until now, and the students had plainly taken advantage of their absence to play musical instruments, gossip, and frolic happily.\n\n\"It was Jerome,\" the priest said.\n\nThe students all looked at one boy who sat among them. Nobunaga followed the direction of their stares, and his eyes rested on a youth of fourteen or fifteen.\n\n\"Yes. There he is. It was Jerome.\" When the father pointed at him, the youth turned bright red and looked down. Nobunaga was not sure whether he knew the child or not." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Who is this Jerome? Whose son is he?\" he asked again." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Weave this into your narrative: \"Stand up, Jerome. Answer His Lordship.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The priest spoke to the boy sternly. \"Stand up, Jerome. Answer His Lordship.\"\n\nJerome stood and bowed to Nobunaga.\n\n\"I'm the one who was playing the violin just now, my lord.\" His words were distinct, and there was no servility in his eyes; one could see that he was the offspring of samurai family.\n\nNobunaga looked rigidly into the child's eyes, but the child did not look away.\n\n\"What was that you were playing? It must have been a tune from Southern Barbarian music.\"\n\n\"Yes, it was. It was a Psalm of David.\" The child seemed elated. He spoke with such facility that it was as though he had been waiting for the day when he could answer such a question.\n\n\"Who taught it to you?\"\n\n\"I learned it from Father Valignani.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah, Valignani.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you know him, my lord?\" Jerome asked.\n\n\"Yes, I've met him,\" Nobunaga replied. \"Where is he now?\"\n\n\"He was in Japan at New Year's, but he may already have left Nagasaki and returned to India via Macao. According to a letter from my cousin, his ship was to set sail on the twentieth.\"\n\n\"Your cousin?\"\n\n\"His name is Ito Anzio.\"\n\n\"I've never heard the name 'Anzio.' Doesn't he have a Japanese name?\"\n\n\"He's Ito Yoshimasu's nephew. His name is Yoshikata.\"\n\n\"Oh, is that who he is? A relative of Ito Yoshimasu, the lord of Obi Castle. And what about you?\"\n\n\"I'm Yoshimasu's son.\"\n\nNobunaga was strangely amused. As he looked at this impertinent, charming youth educated in the flower garden of Christian culture, he could only envision the reckless and bewhiskered figure of the boy's father, Ito Yoshimasu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The castle towns along the coastline of Kyushu in western Japan were ruled by lords like Otomo, Omura, Arima, and Ito." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Recently they were becoming heavily influenced by European culture.\n\nWhatever was brought in from Europe—firearms, gunpowder, telescopes, medicines and medical equipment, leather, dyed and woven goods, and everyday utensils—Nobunaga accepted with gratitude. He was especially enthusiastic about—and even desirous of—innovations connected with medicine, astronomy, and military science. However, there were two things that his digestion absolutely rejected: Christianity and Christian education. But if these two things had not been allowed to the missionaries, they would not have come with their weapons, medicines, and other wonders.\n\nNobunaga was aware of the importance of fostering different cultures and had given permission for the establishment of a church and school in Azuchi. But now that the shoots he had let grow were beginning to bud, he worried about the future of these students. He realized that if the situation was recklessly ignored for a long time, it would lead to trouble.\n\nNobunaga left the class and was led by the priests to a well-appointed waiting room. There he rested on a colorful, glittering chair reserved for noble visitors. The fathers then brought out the tea and tobacco from their own country, which they valued so highly, and offered them to their guest, but Nobunaga did not touch a thing.\n\n\"The son of Ito Yoshimasu just now told me that Valignani was sailing from Japan this month. Has he already left?\" he asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One of the fathers answered, \"Father Valignani is accompanying a mission from Japan.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A mission?\" Nobunaga looked suspicious. Kyushu was not yet under his control, so friendship and commerce between Europe and the provincial lords of that island concerned him more than a little.\n\n\"Father Valignani believes that if the children of influential Japanese do not see the civilization of Europe at least once, true commerce and diplomatic relations will never really begin. He communicated with the various kings of Europe and His Holiness the Pope and persuaded them to invite a mission from Japan. The oldest person among those chosen for the mission is sixteen years old.\"\n\nHe then listed the boys' names.\n\nAlmost all of them were sons of the great clans in Kyushu.\n\n\"That's quite courageous of them.\" Nobunaga actually rejoiced that a mission of young men, whose oldest member was only sixteen, had journeyed to faraway Europe. Inwardly, he thought that it would have been good to meet with them and, as a parting gift, talk a little about his own spirit and faith.\n\nWhy would the kings of Europe and someone like Valignani so enthusiastically want the children of provincial lords to visit Europe? Nobunaga understood their intentions, but he also saw through their ulterior motives.\n\n\"When he departed from Kyoto for this mission, Valignani expressed his regrets... about you, sire.\"\n\n\"Regrets?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That he was returning to Europe without having baptized you.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is that so? He said that?\" Nobunaga laughed. He stood up from the chair and turned around to his attendant. The man had a hawk perched on his fist. \"We've tarried too long. Let's go.\"\n\nAlmost as soon as the words left his mouth, he was descending the stairs in great strides. He quickly called for his horse outside the door. Ito Jerome—the student who had been playing the violin—and all of the others were lined up in the school playground to see him off." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The castle at Nirasaki, the new capital of Kai, had been completed up to the kitchens and the quarters of the ladies-in-waiting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Regardless of the fact that it had been the twenty-fourth day of the Twelfth Month and at the very end of the year, Takeda Katsuyori had moved from Kofu, the old provincial capital for generations of his ancestors, to this new capital." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The grandeur and beauty of the move itself was still the talk of the farmers along the roadside, even now during New Year's.\n\nBeginning with the palanquins for Katsuyori and his wife and for the many ladies who waited upon them, and continuing with those for his aunt and her daughter, the lacquered litters for the various nobles and ladies must have numbered into the hundreds.\n\nIn the midst of this endless procession of sights—the samurai and retainers, the personal attendants, the officials with their gold and silver saddles, the mother-of-pearl inlay, the sparkle of gold lacquer, the open umbrellas, the archers with their bows and quivers, the forest of red-shafted spears—what caught everyone's eye above everything else were the banners of the Takeda. Thirteen Chinese characters sparkled in gold on a bright red cloth next to another banner. Two lines of gold characters were displayed on the long banner of deep blue:\n\nSwift as the wind\n\nQuiet as a forest\n\nArdent as fire\n\nStill as a mountain\n\nEveryone knew that the calligraphy for this poem had been executed by Kaisen, the head priest of the Erin Temple.\n\n\"Ah, how sad that the very soul of that banner is leaving the castle at Tsutsujigasaki and moving on today.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone in the old capital seemed sad." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every time the banner with Sun Tzu's words and the one with the thirteen Chinese characters had been unfurled and taken into battle, the brave soldiers had returned with them. At those times, they and the townspeople had shouted themselves hoarse with deeply felt cries of shared victory. Such events had occurred in Shingen's time, and now everyone missed those days.\n\nAnd although the banner emblazoned with Sun Tzu's words was the same physically, the people could not help feeling that it was somehow different from the one they had looked upon in former times.\n\nBut when the people of Kai watched the enormous treasure and the stores of munitions being moved to the new capital, along with the palanquins and golden saddles of the entire clan, and the meandering procession of ox-drawn carts stretching for many leagues, they were reassured that theirs was still a strong province. The same feelings of pride that had been with them since the days of Shingen still lingered in the soldiers and even in the general population.\n\nNot long after Katsuyori moved to the castle in the new capital, the red and white plum blossoms in the garden were in bloom. Katsuyori and his uncle, Takeda Shoyoken—indifferent to the songs of the bush warblers—walked through the orchard.\n\n\"He didn't even come to the New Year's celebrations. He said he was sick. Hasn't he sent some news to you, Uncle?\" Katsuyori asked.\n\nHe was talking about his cousin, Anayama Baisetsu, who was the governor of Ejiri Castle. Located on the border with Suruga, it was considered by the Takeda to be an important strategic area to the south." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For over half a year now, Baisetsu had not come to wait upon Katsuyori, always sending the excuse that he was ill, and Katsuyori was worried." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I think he's probably really sick. Baisetsu's a priest and an honest man; I don't think he would pretend to be ill.\"\n\nShoyoken was an exceptionally good-natured man, so this answer did not put Katsuyori's mind at ease.\n\nShoyoken fell silent.\n\nNor did Katsuyori say anything more, and the two of them walked on silently.\n\nBetween the keep and the inner citadel was a narrow ravine filled with different kinds of trees. A bush warbler dropped almost as if it had fallen, fluttered its wings, and flew away in surprise. At the same time a voice came suddenly from a row of plum trees.\n\n\"Are you there, my lord? I have important news.\"\n\nThe retainer's face had lost its color.\n\n\"Pull yourself together. A samurai should speak with self-control about important matters,\" Shoyoken scolded him. Shoyoken was not just disciplining the young man but was also trying to calm his nephew." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Quite unlike his ordinary resolute self, Katsuyori had turned pale in surprise.\n\n\"This is not some small matter. It's really important, my lord,\" Genshiro replied as he prostrated himself. \"Kiso Yoshimasa of Fukushima has committed treason!\"\n\n\"Kiso?\" Shoyoken's voice expressed a shock that was half doubt, half refusal. As for Katsuyori, he had probably already guessed this would happen. He was just biting his lip and looking down at the retainer prostrated in front of him.\n\nThe beating in Shoyoken's breast was not going to be calmed easily, and his lack of composure was echoed in his shaking voice. \"The letter! Let's see the letter!\"\n\n\"The messenger told me to tell Lord Katsuyori that the matter was so urgent there was not a moment to spare,\" the retainer said, \"and that we are to wait for a letter from the next messenger.\"\n\nAs he walked away in great strides, Katsuyori stepped right past the still prostrate retainer and yelled back to Shoyoken. \"It won't be necessary to see Goro's letter. There have been plenty of suspicious signs from Yoshimasa and Baisetsu in recent years. I know it's a lot of trouble, Uncle, but I'm going to need you to lead an army again. I'll be going too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before two hours had passed, the sound of a great drum rang out from the tower of the new castle, and the call of the conch shell floated through the castle town, proclaiming mobilization." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The plum blossoms were almost white as this peaceful spring evening came to a close in the mountain province." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The army set out before the end of the day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hastened by the setting sun, five thousand men started out on the Fukushima Road, and by nightfall almost ten thousand troops had left Nirasaki.\n\n\"Well, this is just fine! He's made his revolt quite clear to us. If it hadn't happened, the day for me to strike down the ungrateful traitor might never have come. This time we'll have to purge Fukushima of everyone with divided loyalties.\"\n\nGiving vent to the resentment that was so hard to control, Katsuyori mumbled to himself as his horse took him along the road. But the voices of indignation that traveled with him—the voices of resentment over Kiso's betrayal—were few.\n\nKatsuyori was as confident as always. When he had cut off his relations with the Hojo, he had abandoned an ally without even looking back at the strength of the clan that had been such a great support to him.\n\nAt the suggestion of those around him, Katsuyori had returned Nobunaga's son—who had been a hostage with the Takeda for many years—to Azuchi; but there was still plenty of contempt left in his heart for the lord of the Oda clan, and even more for Tokugawa Ieyasu in Hamamatsu. He had displayed this aggressive attitude since the battle of Nagashino.\n\nThere was nothing wrong with the strength of his spirit. He was extremely positive. Certainly, strength of spirit is a substance that should fill the jar of the heart to the brim." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And during this period of warring provinces, the samurai class as a whole could be said to have possessed that kind of spirit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But in the situation in which Katsuyori found himself, there was an absolute need for unerring adherence to a composed strength that, at a glance, might be taken for weakness. A reckless show of strength would not intimidate an opponent. On the contrary, it only encouraged him. For a number of years, Katsuyori's manliness and courage had been looked down upon for this reason by both Nobunaga and Ieyasu.\n\nAnd not only by these men, his enemies. Even in his own province of Kai there were voices expressing the wish that Shingen were still alive.\n\nShingen had insisted on a strong military administration of the province. And because he had given both his retainers and the people of Kai the feeling that they would be absolutely secure as long as he was there, they depended on him completely.\n\nEven during Katsuyori's reign, military service, tax collection, and all other phases of the administration were conducted according to Shingen's laws. But something was missing.\n\nKatsuyori did not understand what that something was; regrettably, he did not even notice that something was missing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But what he lacked was a reliance on harmony and the ability to inspire confidence in his administration." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus it was Shingen's powerful government, now lacking in these two qualities, that began to cause conflict within the clan.\n\nIn Shingen's time, there was a general article of faith shared by the upper and lower classes, one of which they were very proud: no enemy had ever been permitted to take even one step inside the boundaries of Kai.\n\nBut misgivings seemed to be springing up everywhere now. It is hardly necessary to mention that it was obvious to everyone that a line had been drawn with the great defeat of Nagashino. That disaster had not been simply a matter of the failure of the Kai army's equipment and strategy. It had resulted from the shortcomings of Katsuyori's character; and those around him—even the general population, who looked to him as their mainstay—felt a horrible disappointment. Katsuyori, they realized, was not Shingen.\n\nAlthough Kiso Yoshimasa was Shingen's son-in-law, he was plotting to betray Katsuyori and did not believe that he could survive. He was beginning to tally up Kai's prospects for the future. Through an intermediary in Mino, he had secretly been in touch with Nobunaga for already two years now.\n\nThe Kai army split up into a number of lines and marched to Fukushima." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the soldiers marched they were confident, and they could often be heard to say, \"We'll crush Kiso's forces right under our feet.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But as the days passed, the news relayed to headquarters did not make Takeda Katsuyori smile in satisfaction. On the contrary, the reports were all disturbing.\n\n\"Kiso is being stubborn.\"\n\n\"The terrain is hilly, and they have good defenses, so it will take a number of days for our vanguard to approach it.\"\n\nEvery time Katsuyori heard these kinds of things, he bit his lip and muttered, \"If I went there myself.\n\nIt was part of his character to become angry and exasperated when a war situation was going badly.\n\nThe month passed, and it was now the fourth day of the Second Month.\n\nHorribly distressing news came to Katsuyori: Nobunaga had suddenly given the order for the Oda troops to mobilize in Azuchi, and he himself had already left Omi.\n\nAnother spy brought more bad news:\n\n\"The forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu have left Suruga; Hojo Ujimasa's troops have left the Kanto; and Kanamori Hida has left his castle. All of them are marching toward Kai, and it's said that Nobunaga and Nobutada have split their troops into two and are about to invade. When I climbed a high mountain and looked out, I could see columns of smoke in every direction.\"\n\nKatsuyori felt as if he had been hurled to the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Nobunaga! Ieyasu! And even Hojo Ujimasa?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "According to these secret reports, his own situation was about the same as that of a mouse in a trap.\n\nDusk was approaching. New reports came in that Shoyoken's troops had deserted during the previous night.\n\n\"That can't be true!\" Katsuyori said. But it was a fact that such a thing had occurred during the night, and the urgent messages that came in one after another brought proof that could not be denied.\n\n\"Shoyoken! Isn't he my uncle, and an elder of the clan? What's the idea of leaving the battlefield and running away without permission? And all those others. It only sullies my mouth to speak about such disloyalty and ingratitude.\"\n\nRailing against heaven and against humankind, Katsuyori should instead have felt such rancor against himself. Ordinarily he was not so weak-minded. But even a man with tremendous courage could not have helped being frightened by such a turn of events.\n\n\"It can't be helped. You must give the order to strike camp.\"\n\nSo advised by Oyamada Nobushige and the others, Katsuyori suddenly retreated. How desolate he must have felt!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although the twenty thousand soldiers he had counted on at the time of his departure had not engaged in a single battle, the retainers and men returning to Nirasaki with him now numbered no more than four thousand.\n\nPerhaps trying to find an outlet for feelings he hardly knew how to deal with, he ordered the monk Kaisen to come to the castle. His bad luck seemed to be increasing, for even after he returned to Nirasaki, he received one depressing report after another. The worst, perhaps, was the news that his kinsman Anayama Baisetsu had deserted him and, as if that weren't enough, had not only given up his castle at Ejiri to the enemy but had been engaged to guide Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was now said to be in the vanguard of the troops invading Kai.\n\nSo his own brother-in-law had openly betrayed him and was even trying to destroy him. With this knowledge, he was now forced to reflect a little on himself in the midst of his agony. Where have I gone wrong? he asked himself. While on the one hand he had made his indomitable spirit more and more unyielding and had ordered more defenses everywhere, when he received Kaisen at his new castle he displayed a willingness to engage in self-examination that was, for him, quite a gentle attitude. The change was probably too late.\n\n\"It has been just ten years since my father passed away, and eight years have gone by since the battle of Nagashino. Why have the generals of Kai so suddenly lost fidelity to their principles?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuyori asked the priest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kaisen, however, sat facing him in silence, and Katsuyori continued, \"Ten years ago, our generals weren't like this. Each of them had a sense of shame and was careful of his own reputation. When my father was still in this world, men rarely betrayed their lord, much less left their own clan.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"Venerable teacher, you may think it's too late because things have already come to this pass, but if my way of administering the government has been remiss, please show me how. If my command of military discipline has not been correct, give me some strict way of enforcement. I'm anxious to correct myself. I have heard that you were taught a great deal by my father, who was your friend in the Way. Could you not teach some good strategies to his unworthy son as well? Please don't be stingy with what you have to teach. Consider me as Shingen's son. Please tell me, without reserve, what I've done wrong and how I can correct myself by doing things this way or that. Well then, let me say it. Have I offended the people after my father passed away by suddenly raising the tariffs at river crossings and barriers in order to strengthen the province's defenses?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kaisen sat silently with his eyes closed. In comparison with the priest, who seemed like cold ashes, Katsuyori talked on like a wildfire.\n\n\"But even the men who were poised and ready to strike down the traitors have all scattered without having engaged in a single battle or waited for their lord's command. Is this behavior worthy of the Takeda clan and its generals—who would not even allow the great Uesugi Kenshin to take one step into Kai. How can there be such deterioration of discipline? How degraded can they be? Many of the generals under my father, like Baba, Yamagata, Oyamada, and Amakasu either are old or have passed away. The ones that remain are completely different people: they're either the children of those generals or warriors who were not directly connected with my father.\"\n\nKaisen still said nothing. The monk had been more intimate with Shingen than had anyone else, and he must have been over seventy years old. From beneath his snowlike brow, he had observed Shingen's heir very carefully.\n\n\"Venerable teacher, you may think it's too late because things have already come to this pass, but if my way of administering the government has been remiss, please show me how. If my command of military discipline has not been correct, give me some strict way of enforcement. I'm anxious to correct myself. I have heard that you were taught a great deal by my father, who was your friend in the Way. Could you not teach some good strategies to his unworthy son as well? Please don't be stingy with what you have to teach. Consider me as Shingen's son. Please tell me, without reserve, what I've done wrong and how I can correct myself by doing things this way or that. Well then, let me say it. Have I offended the people after my father passed away by suddenly raising the tariffs at river crossings and barriers in order to strengthen the province's defenses?\"\n\n\"No,\" Kaisen said, shaking his head.\n\nKatsuyori became even more agitated.\n\n\"Then there must have been some failing in rewards and punishments.\"\n\n\"None at all.\" The old man shook his snowy brow once again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuyori prostrated himself and was on the verge of tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In front of Kaisen, the fierce warlord who had so much self-esteem could only cry in agony.\n\n\"Don't cry, Katsuyori,\" Kaisen finally said. \"You are certainly not unworthy, and neither are you an unworthy son. Your only error has been lack of awareness. It is a cruel age that has made you stand face to face with Oda Nobunaga. You are not his enemy, after all. The mountains of Kai are far away from the center, and Nobunaga has the advantage of geography, but that is not a great cause of your problem, either. Although Nobunaga has fought battle after battle and has administered the government, in his heart he has never forgotten the Emperor. The construction of the Imperial Palace is just a single instance of all the things he has done.\"\n\nKaisen and Shingen had had a deep understanding of the heart, and Shingen's reverence for the old abbot had been extraordinarily deep. But Kaisen had also believed strongly in Shingen—he was a dragon among men; a mythical fiery horse from the heavens. But while he praised Shingen so highly, he never compared him with his son, Katsuyori, or considered the latter to be unworthy by contrast.\n\nOn the contrary, he viewed Katsuyori with sympathy. If someone criticized Katsuyori's mistakes, Kaisen always responded that it was unreasonable to expect more; his father had simply been too great a man. Kaisen did, perhaps, feel one small dissatisfaction: certainly if Shingen had lived on until now, his influence would not have been restricted to the province of Kai; he would have put his great ability and genius to work on something of greater significance. And now Kaisen regretted that Shingen had not survived. The man who had perceived something of greater significance was Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was he who had broadened the provincial role of the samurai to one of national importance. And it was Nobunaga who had even showed himself to be a model retainer. Kaisen's expectations for Katsuyori, who did not have the character of his father, had absolutely disappeared. The abbot clearly perceived that the long civil war was over.\n\nSo, to help Katsuyori force the troops of the Oda to kneel to him, or to plan some safe solution was impossible. The Takeda clan had been founded centuries before, and Shingen's name had shone too brightly in the sky: Katsuyori was not going to beg for capitulation at Nobunaga's feet.\n\nTakeda Katsuyori had a strong will and knew a sense of shame. Among the common people of the province, there were voices saying that the government had declined since the time of Shingen, and the levying of heavy taxes was perceived as a major cause of the complaints. But Kaisen knew that Katsuyori had not levied taxes for his own luxury or pride. Every tax had been directed toward military expenditure. In the last few years, military tactics and technology had been progressing in rapid strides in the capital and even in the neighboring provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Katsuyori could not afford to spend as much money on new weapons as his rivals." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "DIRECTIVE: Incorporate \"This is, perhaps, the last time I will see you.\" in response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please take care of yourself,\" Kaisen told Katsuyori as he prepared to leave.\n\n\"Are you going back to the temple already?\" There were still many questions Katsuyori wanted to ask, but he knew that the answers to whatever he asked would be the same. He pressed his palms to the floor in reverence. \"This is, perhaps, the last time I will see you.\"\n\nKaisen put his hands, draped with a string of prayer beads, to the floor and left without another word." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's spend this spring in the Kai mountains,\" Nobunaga said as he rode out of Azuchi at the head of his army. \"We can view the cherry blossoms, pick flowers, and then sightsee around Mount Fuji on the coast on our way back.\"\n\nThe success of the expedition against Kai seemed assured this time, and the army's departure was almost leisurely. By the tenth day of the Second Month, the army had reached Shinano and had completed the disposition of men at the entrances to Ina, Kiso, and Hida. The Hojo clan would enter from the east, while the Tokugawa would attack from Suruga.\n\nIn comparison with the battles of the Ane River and Nagashino, Nobunaga was invading Kai as serenely as he might have gone out to pick vegetables from a garden. In the middle of the enemy province were forces that were no longer considered to be enemies at all. Both Naegi Kyubei of Naegi Castle and Kiso Yoshimasa of Fukushima were men who were eagerly waiting for Nobunaga's arrival, not Katsuyori's; and the troops that marched from Gifu into Iwamura did so without encountering any resistance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The various fortresses of the Takeda had been abandoned to the wind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When night turned to dawn, both Matsuo Castle and the castle at Iida were nothing but empty shells.\n\n\"We have advanced to Ina and found barely an enemy soldier to defend it.\"\n\nThat was the report Nobunaga received at the entrance to Kiso. There the soldiers also joked among themselves that their advance was almost too easy to be satisfying. What had made the Takeda so fragile? The cause was complicated, but the answer could be put into simple terms. This time the Takeda would not be able to preserve Kai.\n\nEveryone associated with the Takeda clan was convinced of its inevitable defeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some, perhaps, had even been disposed to look forward to this day. Traditionally, however, samurai—of no matter what clan—did not display an unseemly attitude at such times, even when they knew defeat was inevitable.\n\n\"We're going to let them know that we are here,\" said Nishina Nobumori, commander of Takato Castle and Katsuyori's younger brother.\n\nNobunaga's son Nobutada, whose forces had poured into the region, estimated that his prospects were generally good. After writing a letter, he summoned a strong archer and had the man shoot the message into the castle. It was, of course, an invitation to surrender.\n\nAn answer from the castle came quickly. \"I have read over your letter...\" From the opening line to the ending, the letter had been written in an extremely stately style." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'castle' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The men in this castle will one day compensate Lord Katsuyori's favors with their lives, and not one of them is likely to be a coward. You should have your men attack immediately. We will show you the tempered prowess and valor that has been ours since the time of Lord Shingen.\n\nNobumori had answered with a resolution that almost scented the ink.\n\nNobunaga had made his son a general, even though he was still quite young. \"Well, if that's the way they want it,\" Nobutada said, ordering the assault.\n\nThe attacking forces were divided into two divisions, and they assaulted the castle simultaneously from the mountain at the rear and from the area leading to the front gate. It was a battle worthy of the name." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The one thousand defending soldiers expected to die. As might be imagined, the valor of the Kai warriors had not yet declined. From the beginning of the Second Month to the beginning of the Third, the stone walls of Takato Castle were drenched with the blood of both the attacking and the defending armies. After breaking through the first palisades, which stood fifty yards from the moat, the attacking troops filled the moat with stones, shrubs, trees, and earth. Then they crossed over very quickly to the base of the stone walls.\n\n\"Come on!\" shouted the men from the clay bulwarks and roofed mud walls as they threw spears, timbers, and rocks and poured hot oil onto the men below. The attacking soldiers that had scrambled up the stone wall went tumbling down under the rocks, timbers and sprays of oil. But no matter how far they fell, they were even more gallant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even if they tumbled to the earth, as long as they were conscious, they would jump to their feet and start to climb again.\n\nThe soldiers who came up behind these men shouted in admiration for their comrades' resolute courage, and clambered up the walls behind them. They were not going to be outdone. As they climbed and fell, climbed once again, and grasped the stone walls, it seemed that nothing could stand before their fury. But the defenders of the castle were not the least bit inferior in their own united, desperate effort. Those who accepted the challenge, who could be glimpsed above the clay bulwarks and the roofed dirt walls, gave the illusion that the castle was filled only with the sturdy warriors of Kai. But if the attacking forces had been able to see the activity inside, they would have known that the entire castle was involved in a pathetic but wholehearted struggle. While the castle was being besieged, the many people inside—the old and young, and even pregnant women—each worked desperately along with the soldiers to help in the defense." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The young women carried arrows, while the old men swept away the burnt refuse from the guns. They tended the wounded and worked at cooking the soldiers' meals. No one had given them any commands, but they worked in perfect order and without a single word of complaint.\n\n\"The castle will fall if we throw everything we've got at them.\" Thus spoke Kawajiri, one of the generals of the attacking troops, who had gone to see Nobutada.\n\n\"We've had too many dead and wounded,\" Nobutada said; he had been reflecting on the matter himself. \"Do you have any good ideas?\"\n\n\"It seems to me that the strength of the soldiers in the castle is dependent on their belief that Katsuyori is still in his new capital. With that in mind, we might withdraw from this field of action for the time being and attack Kofu and Nirasaki instead. That, however, would require a complete change in strategy. It would be better, perhaps, to convince the defenders of the castle that Nirasaki has fallen and that Katsuyori is dead.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobutada nodded his agreement. On the morning of the first day of the Third Month, another message was tied to an arrow and shot into the castle.\n\nUpon reading it, Nobumori laughed. \"This letter is such a transparent deception that a child might have written it. It shows how disheartened the enemy has become with the siege.\"\n\nThe message read as follows:\n\nOn the twenty-eighth day of the last month, Kai fell and Lord Katsuyori committed suicide. The other members of the clan either committed suicide with him or were taken prisoner. It is meaningless for this castle to continue to demonstrate its martial valor, for it is nothing more than a single fortress in a conquered domain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "You should surrender the castle immediately and put your efforts into the relief of the province." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oda Nobutada\n\n\"How sweet. Do they really think a transparent little trick like this is the art of war?\" That night, Nobumori held a drinking party and showed the letter to his retainers. \"If this moves anyone here, he can leave the castle without hesitation before dawn.\"\n\nThey beat the drum, intoned chants from Noh plays, and passed the evening happily. That night, the wives of all the generals were also called and offered a round of sake. Everyone quickly realized what Nobumori's intentions were. On the following morning, just as everyone had expected, he picked up a large halberd to use as a staff, fastened a straw sandal to his swollen left foot—injured in the battle for the castle—and hobbled over to the castle gate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He summoned the defenders to assemble, climbed up inside the roofed gate tower, and surveyed his forces. He had less than a thousand soldiers, excluding the very young, old men, and the women, but there was not one fewer than the night before. He bowed his head for a while, as if in silent prayer. In fact, he was praying to the soul of his father, Shingen: Look! We still have such men in Kai. Finally he looked up. He could see his entire army from where he was.\n\nHe did not have his brother's full face and broad features." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he had contented himself for a long time with the simplicity of country life, he knew nothing of extravagant food or luxury. He had been endowed with looks like those of a young hawk brought up on the whistling winds that blew over the mountains and plains of Kai. At the age of thirty-three, he resembled his father, Shingen: thick hair, bushy brows, and a wide mouth.\n\n\"Well, I thought it was going to rain today, but it's cleared up nicely. With the cherry blossoms on the distant mountains, the season is giving us a beautiful day to die. We're certainly not going to throw away our reputations, hoping for the promise of material reward. As you have seen, I was wounded in the fighting two days ago. Because my mobility is so limited, I'm going to watch each of you fight your last battle as I wait here calmly for the enemy. Then I can finish it up by fighting to my heart's content. So go out! Force your way through the gates at both the front and the rear, and bravely show them how the mountain cherry blossoms fall!\"\n\nThe responding shouts of the fierce warriors, proclaiming that they would do exactly as he commanded, were like a whirlwind. All of them looked up at the figure of their lord atop the entrance gate, and for a while the same proclamation was heard over and over: \"This is our farewell.\"\n\nIt was not a question of living or dying. It was a desperate rush toward death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The front and rear gates of the castle were defiantly pushed wide open by the men inside, and a thousand warriors rushed out, war cries rising from their throats.\n\nThe besieging troops were routed. For a moment the confusion was such that even Nobutada's headquarters were threatened.\n\n\"Fall back! Regroup!\" The commander of the castle forces watched for the proper moment, and called for a retreat into the castle.\n\n\"Fall back! Fall back!\"\n\nThe men turned back toward the castle, each warrior displaying to Nobumori, who was still seated up in the roofed castle gate, the heads he had taken.\n\n\"I will come in and drink, then go out again,\" one of the warriors shouted. And so it went on." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Resting for a moment at either the front or the back gate, then dashing back out and cutting through the enemy—the men repeated this pattern of violent attack and retreat six times until four hundred thirty-seven heads had been taken. As the day came to a close, the numbers of the defenders were reduced conspicuously, and those who remained were covered with wounds. Almost no one was uninjured. Flames shot up with a roar from the burning trees around the castle. The enemy had already been flowing into the fortress from every direction. Nobumori unblinkingly watched the final moments of each of his warriors from the top of the gate.\n\n\"My lord! My lord! Where are you?\" a retainer called out as he ran around at the bottom of the gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm up here,\" Nobumori called, letting his retainer know he was alive and well." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My final hour is near. Let me see where you are.\" And he looked down from his seat. The retainer looked up through the smoke at the figure of his master.\n\n\"Nearly all the men have been killed. Have you made preparations for suicide, my lord?\" he asked, panting for breath.\n\n\"Come up here to assist me.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\" The man staggered around to the stairway inside the gate, but he never made it up to the balcony. Thick flames lapped at the entrance to the stairway." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobumori pushed in the shutters of another window and peered down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The only soldiers he could see beneath him belonged to the enemy. Then he saw one person fighting hard in the middle of a huge crowd of enemy soldiers. Amazingly, it was a woman, the wife of one of his retainers, and she was brandishing a halberd.\n\nEven though Nobumori was about to die, he struggled to accept the unexpected emotion in which he was suddenly enveloped.\n\nThat woman is so shy she usually can't even speak in front of men, much less hold a halberd up to them, he thought. But now he was pressed by something he had to do, and he shouted out to the enemy from the narrow window by which he stood.\n\n\"All you men fighting for Nobunaga and Nobutada! Listen to the voice of the Void. Nobunaga is taking pride right now in his one moment of triumph, but every cherry blossom falls and every ruler's castle will burn. I'm going to show you something now that won't fall or burn for all eternity. I, Shingen's fifth son, Nobumori, am going to show you!\"\n\nWhen the Oda soldiers were finally able to climb up, they found a corpse with its stomach cut open in the pattern of a cross." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the head was no longer there." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, an instant later, the spring night sky was enveloped by red and black pillars of flame and smoke." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The confusion at Nirasaki Castle in the new capital was as great as if people were proclaiming the end of the world.\n\n\"Takato Castle has fallen and everyone, including your brother, has been killed.\"\n\nAs he listened to his retainer, Katsuyori seemed completely unmoved. Still, his expression showed that he clearly perceived that his own strength was no longer sufficient. The next report came in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The soldiers of Oda Nobutada have already broken into Kai from Suwa, and our men are being killed without mercy, whether they fight or surrender. Their severed heads are exposed on the roadside, and the enemy is flowing in this direction like a tide.\"\n\nAnother urgent message arrived. \"Shingen's kinsman, the blind priest Ryuho, was captured and butchered by the enemy.\"\n\nThis time Katsuyori raised his eyes and spoke abusively of the enemy.\n\n\"The Oda forces have no compassion. What fault could they find in a blind priest? How could he even have had the power to resist?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But now he was able to think more deeply about his own death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He bit steadily on his lip and repressed the waves roiling at the bottom of his heart. If I give vent to my anger like this, he thought, they may think I've become distracted, and even the retainers around me will feel disgraced. There were many people who saw nothing more than Katsuyori's manly exterior and who considered him bold and even coarse. But the truth was that he was very deliberate in his actions toward his retainers. In addition, he was extremely strict in adhering to his own principles—to his honor as a lord and to self-reflection." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had continued in his father's tradition and had been taught the principles of Zen by Kaisen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But although he had had the same teacher and had studied Zen, he was unable to bring it to life as Shingen had done." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How could Takato Castle have fallen?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "I was sure it could hold out for another two weeks to a month, Katsuyori thought, which showed that the situation had resulted less from a miscalculation of defensive strategy than from a lack of human maturity." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'garden' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, however, regardless of what his natural temperament might be, he had to meet this new tide of fortune.\n\nThe sliding partitions had been taken from the wide conference room and even from the outlying rooms of the main citadel; and now the entire clan lived together as though they were refugees from a great cataclysm that continued day and night. Naturally, curtains were set up even in the garden, shields were set up side by side, and soldiers went without sleep, holding large paper lanterns and policing the area at night. Messengers with reports of the situation were taken hourly directly from the entrance through the central gate to the garden, so that Katsuyori listened to the dispatches in person. Everything that had just been part of the construction the year before—the scent of new wood, the gold and silver inlay, the beauty of the furniture and utensils—now seemed only to be in the way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Accompanied by a maid and binding up the train of her kimono, a lady-in-waiting with a message from Katsuyori's wife stepped out of the confusion of the garden and into the dark hall, and bravely looked through the crowd of men." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'young' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that time, the room was full of generals, both young and old, all noisily expressing their opinions about what to do next.\n\nThe woman finally came before Katsuyori and appealed to him with the message from his wife. \"The women are all standing around crying in confusion, and won't stop no matter how we console them. Your wife has said that our last moment comes only once, and she thinks that perhaps the women would be a little more easily resolved if they could be here with the samurai. If she has your permission, she will move here immediately. What are my lord's wishes?\"\n\n\"That's fine,\" Katsuyori answered quickly. \"Bring my wife here and the young ones too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that moment his fifteen-year-old heir, Taro Nobukatsu, came forward and tried to dissuade him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'their' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Father, that wouldn't be very good, would it?\"\n\nKatsuyori turned to his son, less with displeasure than with a nervous preoccupation. \"Why?\"\n\n\"Well, if the women come here, they'll just get in the way. And if the men see them crying, even the bravest samurai may become disheartened.\" Taro was still a boy, but he insisted on giving his opinion. He continued to argue that Kai had been their ancestral land since the time of Shinra Saburo, and it should be their land to the very end, even if they have to fight and die." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To abandon Nirasaki and flee, as one general had just recommended, would bring the greatest shame to the Takeda clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A general argued the opposite position: \"Nevertheless, the enemy is on all four sides, and Kofu is situated in a basin. Once the enemy invades, it will be like water rushing into a lake. Wouldn't it be better to escape to Agatsuma in Joshu? If you got to the Mikuni mountain range, there would be any number of provinces where you might find asylum. Once you called together your allies, you could certainly reestablish yourself.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nagasaka Chokan agreed, and Katsuyori's mind was inclined in that direction." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He set his eyes on Taro and was silent for a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He then turned toward the lady-in-waiting and said, \"We will go.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'third' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Taro's advice was thus refused by his father. Taro turned away silently and hung his head. The remaining question was whether to flee to Agatsuma or to entrench themselves in the area of Mount Iwadono. But whichever route they chose, abandoning their new capital and fleeing was the unavoidable fate to which both Katsuyori and his generals were resigned.\n\nIt was the third day of the Third Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If it had been any other year, Katsuyori and his retinue would have been enjoying the Doll Festival in the inner citadel. But on this bright day, the entire clan was driven from behind by black smoke as they abandoned Nirasaki. Katsuyori, of course, also left the castle, as did every samurai that served him. But as he turned and looked at his entire force, his expression was one of amazement.\n\n\"Is this all?\" he asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At some point, senior retainers and even kinsmen had disappeared. He was told that they had taken advantage of the confusion during the darkness of dawn, and had fled each to his own castle with his retainers.\n\n\"Taro?\"\n\n\"I'm here, Father.\" Taro drew his horse up to the solitary figure of his father. With all the retainers, the common samurai, and the foot soldiers combined—there were less than a thousand men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were large numbers, however, of lacquered palanquins and litters for his wife and her court ladies, and the pathetic figures of veiled women, both walking and on horseback, filled the road.\n\n\"Oh! It's burning!\"\n\n\"The flames are so high!\"\n\nThe crowd of women could hardly stand to leave, and when they had traveled only about a league from Nirasaki, they turned to look even as they walked. Flames and black smoke rose high in the morning sky as the castle at the new capital burned." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They had set the fires at dawn.\n\n\"I don't want to live a long life,\" said one of the women. \"What kind of future would I see? Is this the end of Lord Shingen's clan?\" The nun who was Katsuyori's aunt, the charming young girl who was Shingen's granddaughter, the wives of the clan members and their servant ladies—all of them were drowning in their tears, holding each other as they cried, or calling out the names of children. Golden hairpins and other ornaments were left on the road, and no one even bothered to pick them up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Cosmetics and jewelry were smeared with mud, but no one gazed at them with regret.\n\n\"Hurry up! Why are you crying? This is what it is to be born a human being. You're going to shame yourselves in front of the farmers!\" Katsuyori rode in among the slow-moving palanquins and litters, urging them on, to escape farther and farther to the east.\n\nHoping to reach Oyamada Nobushige's castle, they looked at the old castle in Kofu as they passed by but could only walk on toward the mountains. As they walked on, the carriers who shouldered the palanquins gradually disappeared, the menials who carried the baggage and litters ran off one after another, and their number was reduced by half and then by half again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By the time they had entered the mountains near Katsunuma, their entire force numbered only two hundred men, and less than twenty of those were mounted, counting Katsuyori and his son." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Katsuyori and his followers had struggled along as far as the mountain village of Komagai, they found that the one man they had been relying upon had suddenly had a change of heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Take refuge somewhere else!\" Obstructing the summit path to Sasago, Oyamada Nobushige prevented Katsuyori's party from passing through. Katsuyori, his son, and the entire group were at a complete loss. There was nothing they could do but change their direction, and they now fled toward Tago, a village at the foot of Mount Temmoku. Spring was in full bloom, but the mountains and fields, as far as the eye could see, held neither comfort nor hope." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So now the small group that remained put all their trust in Katsuyori, as they might in a staff or a pillar." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori himself was at his wits' end. Huddling together in Tago, his followers waited in a daze, swept over by the mountain wind." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The combined forces of the Oda and the Tokugawa entered Kai like raging waves. Led by Anayama, Ieyasu's army marched from Minobu to Ichikawaguchi. Oda Nobutada attacked upper Suwa and burned the Suwa Myojin Shrine and a number of Buddhist temples. The common people's homes along the road he burned to ashes as he hunted for surviving enemy soldiers and pushed on—day and night—toward Nirasaki and Kofu. Finally, the end came." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'katsuyori's' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the morning of the eleventh day of the Third Month.\n\nOne of Katsuyori's personal attendants had gone to the village the night before and returned after reconnoitering the enemy positions. That morning he gave the report to his lord as he gasped for breath.\n\n\"The vanguard of the Oda forces has entered the nearby villages and seems to have learned from the villagers that you and your family are here, my lord. It appears that the Oda have surrounded the area and cut off all the roads, finally starting their last push in this direction.\"\n\nTheir group now numbered only ninety-one—the forty-one remaining samurai with Katsuyori and his son, and Katsuyori's wife and her ladies-in-waiting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the preceding days they had ensconced themselves in a place called Hirayashiki and had even erected a sort of palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But when they heard the report, every one of them knew that the time had come, and they hurried to prepare themselves for death. Among them, Katsuyori's wife sat as though she were still in the mansion of the inner citadel. Her face was like a white flower as she looked off in a daze. The women who surrounded her had broken into tears.\n\n\"If it was going to come to this, it would have been better to stay in the new castle at Nirasaki. How pitiful. Is this how the wife of the lord of the Takeda should look?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Left to themselves, the women cried miserably and lamented to each other without end." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori went to his wife and pressed her to leave. \"I've just ordered my attendant to bring you a horse. Even if we could stay here for a long time, our regrets would never end, and now the enemy is closing in on the foothills. I've heard that we're close to Sagami, so you should go there as quickly as possible. Cross the mountains and go back to the Hojo clan.\" His wife's eyes were filled with tears, but she made no move to leave. Rather, she looked as though she resented her husband's words.\n\n\"Tsuchiya! Tsuchiya Uemon!\" Katsuyori called, summoning a retainer." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🔍 Find a place to insert: \"Get my wife on the back of a horse.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Get my wife on the back of a horse.\"\n\nThe attendant strode up to Katsuyori's wife, but she suddenly turned to her husband and said, \"It is said that a true samurai will not have two masters. In the same way, once a woman has taken a husband, she should not go back to live with her family again. Though it may seem to be compassionate of you to send me back to Odawara by myself, just those words feel so unsympathetic... I'm not moving from this place. I'll be at your side until the very end. Then, perhaps, you will let me go with you to the hereafter.\" Just at that moment, two retainers rushed up with the information that the enemy was closing in.\n\n\"They've reached the temple in the foothills.\"\n\nKatsuyori's wife strictly scolded her attendants for their sudden wailing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There is no time to do anything but grieve. Come here and help with the preparations.\"\n\nThis woman was not yet twenty years old, yet she did not lose her sense of propriety even as death pressed in. She was as serene as a pool of water, and Katsuyori himself felt reproved by her composure.\n\nHer attendants went off but returned shortly with an unglazed cup and a sake flask, and set them down in front of Katsuyori and his son. It appeared that his wife had thought far enough ahead to prepare even for this moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Silently she offered her husband the cup." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori held it in his hand, took a sip, and passed it to his son. He then shared it with his wife.\n\n\"My lord, a cup for the Tsuchiya brothers,\" his wife said. \"Tsuchiya, you must say farewell while we are all still in this world.\"\n\nTsuchiya Sozo, Katsuyori's personal attendant, and his two younger brothers had truly been devoted to their lord." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sozo was twenty-six years old, the next oldest was twenty-one, and the youngest brother was only eighteen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Together they had protected their ill-fated lord with fidelity all along the way, from the fall of the new capital to their last stand on Mount Temmoku." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"With this, I can leave without regrets.\" Emptying the cup he had received, Sozo turned and smiled at his younger brothers. Then he turned to Katsuyori and his wife. \"Your misfortune this time is due entirely to the defection of your kinsmen. It must be fearful and unsettling for both you, my lord, and your wife to go through this without knowing what was in people's hearts. But the world is not filled only with people like those who betrayed you. Here at your final moment, at least, everyone with you is of one heart and one body. You can now believe in both man and the world, and walk through the portals of death with grace and an easy mind.\" Sozo stood straight up and walked over to his wife, who was with her ladies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly there was the heartrending shriek of a child, and Katsuyori yelled out frantically, \"Sozo! What have you done?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sozo had stabbed his own four-year-old son to death right before his wife's eyes, and now she was sobbing. Without even putting away his bloody sword, Sozo prostrated himself toward Katsuyori from a distance.\n\n\"As proof of what I have just declared to you, I have sent my own son ahead on the road of death. Certainly he would have been an encumbrance otherwise. My lord, I am going to accompany you; and whether I be first or last, it will take only an instant.\"\n\nHow sad to see the flowers\n\nI knew would fall" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Departing before me," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not one to remain\n\nUntil the end of spring.\n\nCovering her face with her sleeves, Katsuyori's wife chanted these lines and cried pathetically. One of her ladies-in-waiting choked back her tears and continued:\n\nWhen they bloomed," }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their numbers were beyond measure;" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But with the end of spring\n\nThey fell without one blossom left behind.\n\nAs her voice trailed off, a number of women unsheathed their daggers and cut through their own breasts or stabbed their own throats, the flowing blood soaking their black hair. Suddenly the hum of an arrow sounded close by, and soon arrows were thudding into the ground all around them. The echo of guns could be heard in the distance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They've come!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Prepare yourself, my lord!\" The warriors stood up together. Katsuyori looked at his son, ascertaining Taro's resolution.\n\n\"Are you ready?\" Taro bowed and stood up. \"I am ready to die right here at your side,\" he answered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is good-bye, then.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As father and son seemed ready to dash into the enemy, Katsuyori's wife shouted to her husband from behind, \"I will depart before you.\"\n\nKatsuyori stood stock-still and fixed his eyes on his wife. Holding a short sword, his wife looked up and closed her eyes. Her face was as pure and white as the moon rising over the edge of the mountain. She calmly intoned a verse from the Lotus Sutra, which she had loved to recite in former times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Tsuchiya! Tsuchiya!\" Katsuyori called out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My lord?\"\n\n\"Assist her.\"\n\nBut Katsuyori's wife did not wait for the man's blade, and pressed her own dagger straight into her mouth as she recited the sutra.\n\nThe instant the figure of his wife fell forward, one of her attendants began to encourage those left behind. \"Her Ladyship departed ahead of us. None of us should be late in accompanying her on the road of death.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With these words, she bared her throat to her own dagger and fell." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's time.\" Crying and calling to each other, the fifty remaining women were soon scattered like flowers in a garden blown by a winter storm. They lay either sideways or face down, or stabbed themselves while embracing one another. In the midst of this pathetic scene, one could hear the crying of infants not yet weaned or too small to leave their mothers' laps.\n\nSozo desperately put four women and the infants on horseback and lashed them to the saddles.\n\n\"It will not be counted as disloyalty if you do not die here. If you can get away with your lives, bring up your children and see that they hold memorial services for their pitiful former master's clan.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus reprimanding those mothers who were crying so loudly with their children, Sozo ruthlessly beat the three horses he had set them on with the shaft of his spear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The horses galloped away as the mothers and their children sobbed and wailed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sozo then turned to his younger brothers. \"Well, then, let's go.\" By that time they could see the faces of the Oda soldiers coming up the mountain. Katsuyori and his son were surrounded by the enemy. As Sozo ran to their side to assist them, he saw one of his lord's retainers running in the opposite direction in flight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You traitor!\" Sozo shouted, chasing after the man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where are you going?\" And he stabbed the man in the back. Then, wiping the blood from his sword, he ran straight into the midst of the enemy.\n\n\"Give me another bow! Sozo, give me another bow!\" Katsuyori had broken the string of his bow twice already, and now took hold of a new one." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sozo stood close to his lord's side, shielding him as well as he could." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Katsuyori had loosed all his arrows, he threw down the bow and picked up a halberd, and then brandished a long sword. By this time the enemy was right in front of him, and a battle of naked cutting blades would last no more than a moment.\n\n\"This is the end!\"\n\n\"Lord Katsuyori! Lord Taro! I'm going to precede you!\"\n\nCalling back and forth to one another, the remaining Takeda men were struck down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuyori's armor was stained in red.\n\n\"Taro!\" He called for his son, but his vision was blurred by his own blood. All the men around him looked like the enemy.\n\n\"My lord! I'm still here! Sozo is still at your side!\"\n\n\"Sozo, quickly... I'm going to commit seppuku.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Leaning on the man's shoulder, Katsuyori retreated about a hundred paces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He knelt, but having received so many spear and arrow wounds, he could not use his hands at all. The more he hurried, the less his hands were able to function.\n\n\"Forgive me!\" Unable to watch any more, Sozo quickly acted as second and cut off his lord's head. As Katsuyori fell forward, Sozo snatched up his head and held it, wailing in grief.\n\nHanding Katsuyori's head to his eighteen-year-old brother, Sozo told him to take it and flee." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But in tears, the younger man declared that he would die with his brother no matter what.\n\n\"Fool! Go now!\" Sozo thrust him away, but it was too late. The enemy soldiers were now like an iron ring around them. Covered with wounds from numberless swords and spears, the Tsuchiya brothers died gloriously.\n\nThe middle brother had stayed with Katsuyori's son from beginning to end." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The young lord and retainer were also struck down and killed at the same time." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Taro was regarded as a beautiful youth, and even the writer of The Chronicles of Nobunaga, who showed no sympathy in describing the death of the Takeda clan, praised his wholehearted and beautiful death.\n\nAs he was but fifteen and from an illustrious family, Taro's face was quite refined and his skin was as white as snow. He had excelled others in manliness, had been reluctant to stain the family name, and had kept this spirit right up to the death of his father. There was no one who felt that his actions could be matched.\n\nThe entire affair was finished by the Hour of the Serpent. It was thus that the Takeda clan met its end." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Oda soldiers who had attacked Kiso and Ina assembled at Suwa, eventually filling the city." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's quarters were located at the Hoyo Temple, which had now become the headquarters for the entire campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the twenty-ninth day of the month, the distribution of awards for the entire army was posted at the temple gate, and on the next day Nobunaga met with all his generals and held a congratulatory banquet in honor of their victories." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It seems that you've done some heavy drinking today, Lord Mitsuhide. Quite rare for you, I think,\" Takigawa Kazumasu said to his neighbor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm drunk, but what am I going to do?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide looked completely inebriated, a condition he was never in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His face, which Nobunaga liked to compare to a kumquat, was bright red all the way up to his slightly receding hairline." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How about another cup?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Pressing Kazumasu for more, Mitsuhide continued to talk in an excessively cheerful manner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We don't often experience happy occasions like the one today, even if we live a long time. Look at that. We've gotten results from all our years of taking pains—not just on the other side of these walls or even just in all of Suwa—but now both Kai and Shinano are buried in the flags and banners of our allies. The desire we've cherished for so many years is being realized right before our eyes.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His voice, as usual, was not very loud, but his words were heard quite distinctly by every person there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All those who had been talking noisily had fallen silent and were looking back and forth between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga was staring fixedly at Mitsuhide's bald head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There are times when the eye that is too perceptive discovers an unfortunate state of affairs that would have been better left unnoticed; this creates unnecessary disasters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had been perceiving Mitsuhide in just such a fashion for two days now." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide had been doing his best to affect a bright and loquacious manner that did not fit him at all, and in Nobunaga's view there was absolutely no good reason for him to be doing that." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a reason, however, for Nobunaga's view, which was quite clearly that at the distribution of awards he had intentionally excluded Mitsuhide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To be left out of the distribution of awards should cause a warrior an acute feeling of desolation, and his shame at being a man without merit was worse than the actual rebuff itself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide had not been displaying that sense of dejection at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the contrary, he mixed with the other generals, talking happily and exhibiting a smiling face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was not honest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide was a man who would never really open himself up, and there was not much that was lovable in him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why couldn't he grumble just once?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The more Nobunaga stared at him, the more severe his look became." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His drunken state probably intensified his feeling, but his reaction had been unconscious." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was absent, but if Nobunaga had been looking at him instead of Mitsuhide, there would have been no danger of such emotions being provoked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even when he looked at Ieyasu, he did not become so ill-tempered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But when his eyes lighted upon Mitsuhide's balding head, they underwent a sudden change." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had not always been like this, and he could not have said for certain when the change had occurred." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But it was not a matter of a sudden change at a particular time or on a specific occasion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Indeed, if one searched for such a time, one came upon the period when—out of an excess of gratitude—Nobunaga had presented Mitsuhide with Sakamoto Castle, awarded him the castle at Kameyama, arranged his daughter's wedding, and finally endowed him with a province of five hundred thousand bushels." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was extremely kind treatment, but it was soon after that that Nobunaga's perception of Mitsuhide had begun to change." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And there was one clear cause: the fact that in Mitsuhide's bearing and character there was no trace of a willingness to change." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Nobunaga looked at the clear luster on the hairline of that \"kumquat head\" that never made a mistake—ever—Nobunaga's emotions turned their attention toward what he perceived as the stink of Mitsuhide's character." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Perverse, almost scorched feelings would arise within him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So it was not simply Nobunaga aiming his ill-tempered eye at someone, but rather Mitsuhide himself instigating the situation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One could see that Nobunaga's perversity manifested itself in his words and expression to the same extent that Mitsuhide's wise reasoning power shone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To be fair, it would be like judging whether the right or left hand claps first." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At any rate, Mitsuhide was presently chatting with Takigawa Kazumasu, and the eyes that were staring fixedly at him were clearly in no laughing mood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide noticed—perhaps something startled him unconsciously—for Nobunaga suddenly got up from his seat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, Kumquat Head!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'himself' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide restrained himself and prostrated himself at Nobunaga's feet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could feel the cold ribs of a fan lightly strike the nape of his neck two or three times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord?\" Mitsuhide's color, his drunkenness, and even the shine on his forehead suddenly faded and changed to the color of clay." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Leave the room.\" Nobunaga's fan left the nape of his neck, but the fan that pointed to the corridor looked just like a sword." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't know what I've done, but if I've been an affront to you, my lord, and the company, I'm not sure where I should go. Please be fully critical of whatever it is that I've done wrong. I don't mind if you rebuke me right here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even as he humbly apologized, he remained prostrate, slipped his body around, and somehow crawled out onto the broad veranda." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga followed him. Wondering what could be the matter, the men filling the room quickly sobered up and suddenly felt their mouths become dry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hearing a thudding noise echo from the wooden-floored veranda, even the generals who had looked away from the pitiful figure of Mitsuhide now turned their eyes back outside the room with a start." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga had thrown his fan behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The generals could see that Nobunaga had Mitsuhide by the scruff of the neck." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Each time the poor man struggled to lift his head to say something, Nobunaga would jerk it down and strike it against the balustrade of the veranda." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What was that you said? What did you say just now? Something about the results we've gotten after all our pains, and what a truly happy day it is, as we see the army of the Oda clan filling Kai? You were saying something like that, weren't you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's... that's correct.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fool! When did you take pains? What kind of meritorious deeds did you accomplish in the invasion of Kai?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Even though I was drunk, I shouldn't have said such arrogant words.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's exactly right. You have no reason to be arrogant. You were careless with what you were hiding in your mind. You thought that I was distracted by the drinking and listening to someone else, and that you could finally complain.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'heaven' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Heaven forbid! Let the gods of heaven and earth be my witnesses! Why, I've received so many favors from you... you raised me up from a man who wore rags and a single sword... \"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shut up.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please let me go.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Most certainly!\" Nobunaga thrust him away. \"Ranmaru! Water!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he called out in a loud voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ranmaru filled a vessel with water and brought it to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Nobunaga took the water, his eyes appeared to be on fire." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His shoulders heaved with every breath." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide, however, had at some point gotten away from his master's feet and was now seven or eight feet down the corridor, adjusting his collar and smoothing his hair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was prostrating himself so low that his chest was touching the wooden floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The figure of Mitsuhide trying to look unruffled even now was hardly going to be seen in a favorable light, and Nobunaga's foot was starting for the man again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Ranmaru had not actually restrained him by the sleeve, the floor of the veranda would most likely have rung out again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ranmaru did not directly touch on the event right before his eyes, but said only, \"Please go back to your seat, my lord. Lord Nobutada, Lord Nobusumi, Lord Niwa, and all the generals are waiting.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga went tamely back to the crowded room, but he did not sit down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stood and looked around." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Forgive me. I suppose I've been a bit of a killjoy. Each of you eat and drink to your heart's content.\" With these words he walked hastily off and shut himself up in his private quarters." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'guest' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A flock of swallows was chirping under the eaves of the block of storehouses. Even though the sun was setting, the adults still appeared to be bringing food to the little ones in the nest.\n\n\"It could be the subject of a painting, don't you think?\" In a room of a building situated some distance from the large garden, Saito Toshimitsu, a senior Akechi retainer, was entertaining a guest. The guest was the painter Yusho, who was not a native of Suwa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He must have been about fifty years old, and his robust physique gave no hint that he might be a painter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He spoke very little. Twilight settled on the white walls of the line of beanpaste warehouses.\n\n\"You must forgive me for suddenly calling on you in wartime like this, and talking on about nothing but the tedious affairs of a man no longer involved with the world. I'm sure you have many campaign responsibilities.\" Yusho seemed to be announcing his leave and began to rise from the cushion.\n\n\"No, please.\" Saito Toshimitsu was a very composed man, and without even moving, he detained his guest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Since you've come all the way here, it would not be polite to let you leave before you had talked to Lord Mitsuhide. If, after you leave, I tell my lord that Yusho had visited during his absence, he'll scold me and ask me why I didn't keep you here.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'yusho' × 3" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And he intentionally started off on a new subject, doing his best to keep the unexpected caller entertained. At that time, Yusho was keeping a house in Kyoto, but he was originally from Omi in Mitsuhide's province. Not only that, but at one time, Yusho had received a warrior's stipend from the Saito clan in Mino. At that same time Toshimitsu—long before he had become a retainer of the Akechi clan—was serving the Saito clan.\n\nAfter living as a ronin, Yusho had become an artist, citing the fall of Gifu as the reason for his course of action." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toshimitsu, however, had abandoned his former allegiance to the Saito." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The discord that grew between Toshimitsu and his former masters was displayed even in front of Nobunaga, and disputes had been carried on almost as if they were asking for judgment. But now everyone had forgotten the stories that had excited society so much at that time, and those who looked upon his pure white sidelocks considered him to be a retainer the Akechi clan could not do without. Everyone respected his character and his position as an elder.\n\nThe allotment of lodgings had not been sufficient within Nobunaga's main camp at the Hoyo Temple, so some of the generals were quartered in various houses in Suwa.\n\nThe Akechi were bivouacked in the ancient buildings of a beanpaste wholesaler, and both the soldiers and their officers were relaxing after many days of hard fighting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A youth who appeared to be the son of the master of the house came up and spoke to Toshimitsu.\n\n\"Won't you come and take a bath, Your Honor? All the samurai and even the foot soldiers have finished their evening meal.\"\n\n\"No, I'll wait until His Lordship comes back.\"\n\n\"His Lordship is rather late tonight, isn't he?\"\n\n\"There's been a victory banquet today at the main camp. My lord very rarely touches sake, but perhaps he drank a little and is getting a bit tipsy with all the toasts.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"May I serve you your evening meal?\"\n\n\"No, no, I'll wait for my meal as well, until I see that he's come back. I do feel sorry for the guest I've detained, though. Why don't you show him to the bath?\"\n\n\"Would that be the traveling artist who's been here all afternoon?\"\n\n\"That's right. The man who's crouched over there by himself looking at the tree peonies in the garden. He looks a little bored. Why don't you call him over?\"\n\nThe youth withdrew, and then looked around at the back of the building." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In front of the dark, luxuriantly blooming tree peonies, Yusho was sitting holding his knees, staring vacantly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A little while later, when Toshimitsu came through the gate, both the youth and Yusho were already gone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshimitsu was apprehensive. He thought that Mitsuhide was far too late in returning. Even though he was well aware that a victory banquet would last well into the night.\n\nLeading out through the ancient thatch-roofed gate, the path quickly joined the lakeside road. The last heat of the day still glimmered in the western sky over Lake Suwa. Toshimitsu looked down the road for some time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sure enough, he finally saw his lord coming toward him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'attendants' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Horses, spearmen, and attendants all followed in one group. But the concern on Toshimitsu's brow did not diminish as they came closer. Something was not as it should be. Nothing in Mitsuhide's appearance suggested that he was returning from a victory banquet. His lord should have been riding home in brilliant array, swaying gallantly on horseback, drunk along with his attendants on today's gift of sake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Mitsuhide was walking along, looking crestfallen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A retainer was leading his horse, which loped along cheerlessly, while the attendants walked silently behind in exactly the same manner.\n\n\"I came out here to meet you. You must be tired.\" When Toshimitsu bowed before him, Mitsuhide looked as though he had been taken by surprise.\n\n\"Toshimitsu? I've been inconsiderate. You were good enough to worry about my coming home late. Forgive me. I drank a little too much today, so I intentionally walked home by the lake trying to sober up. Don't be worried by my color. I feel a lot better now.\"\n\nToshimitsu could see that his master had met with some unhappy experience." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been Mitsuhide's close attendant for many years, so such a thing was unlikely to escape his notice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He did not, however, presume to ask about the matter. The old retainer was quick to look after his master's needs, hoping to cheer him up.\n\n\"How about a bowl of tea, and then a bath?\"\n\nToshimitsu's reputation was enough to strike fear in the enemy on the battlefield, but as he helped Mitsuhide out of his clothes, Mitsuhide could only think of him as a solicitous old relative.\n\n\"A bath? Yes. A bath might be very refreshing at a time like this.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he followed Toshimitsu to the bathhouse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For a while Toshimitsu listened to the sound of Mitsuhide splashing in the hot water in the bath." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'toshimitsu' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Shall I scrub your back, my lord?\" Toshimitsu called in.\n\n\"Send in the page,\" Mitsuhide replied. \"I don't feel right about having you put your old body to work.\"\n\n\"Not at all.\"\n\nToshimitsu entered the bathroom, scooped up some hot water in a small wooden bucket, and went around behind his master." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly he had never done this before, but at that moment he only wanted to raise his master's unusually low spirits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is it proper to have a general scrub the dirt from one's back?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide asked. He was modest to the very end. He always exhibited reserve even with his retainers, and it was questionable whether this was one of his good or bad points. Toshimitsu's own opinion was that it was not particularly good.\n\n\"Now, now. When this old warrior fights under your honored banner, he's Saito Toshimitsu of the Akechi clan. But Toshimitsu himself is not an Akechi. That being so, it will be a good memory for me, while I'm alive and serving you, to have washed the dirt off your skin just once.\"\n\nToshimitsu had bound up his sleeves and began to wash his master's back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As his back was being scrubbed, Mitsuhide bowed his head contentedly in silence. He reflected deeply on Toshimitsu's concern for him, and then on the relationship between himself and Nobunaga.\n\nAh, I've been wrong, he thought. Deep in his own heart, Mitsuhide blamed himself. What was it that was displeasing Mitsuhide and making him so unhappy?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly Nobunaga was a good master, but was his own loyalty equal to that of the old retainer who was now scrubbing his back?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How shameful. It was just as though Toshimitsu were washing his heart with the hot water he poured down his back.\n\nWhen he left the bath, Mitsuhide had changed both in appearance and in the tone of his voice. His mind had become completely refreshed, and Toshimitsu felt the same way.\n\n\"It was good to take a bath, just as you said. I guess it was fatigue as well as the sake.\"\n\n\"Do you feel better?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"I was worried because of the extraordinary unease on your face. That was the worst of all. Well, let me tell you that while you were gone we had a guest, and he's been waiting for your return.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm all right now, Toshimitsu. Don't worry.\"\n\n\"I was worried because of the extraordinary unease on your face. That was the worst of all. Well, let me tell you that while you were gone we had a guest, and he's been waiting for your return.\"\n\n\"A guest? At these battlefield quarters?\"\n\n\"Yusho was just traveling through Kai, and he said that before going elsewhere he wanted to stop and see you, and ask how you are.\"\n\n\"Where is he?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I had him stay in my room.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Really? Well, let's go over there.\"\n\n\"He'll probably feel shamed if the lord actually walks over to see the guest. I'll bring him to you in a little while.\"\n\n\"No, no. Our guest is a man of taste. It won't be necessary to be overly formal.\"\n\nAn elegant dinner had been prepared for Mitsuhide in the hall of the main house, but he sat in Toshimitsu's room and ate a simple meal with his guest.\n\nHis face became even brighter after talking with Yusho for a while." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He asked about the painting styles of the Southern and Northern Sung dynasties in China, discussed the artistic tastes of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and the merits of the Tosa school of painting, and talked about everything from the Kano style to the influence of Dutch painting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Throughout the conversation, it was clear that Mitsuhide's education had not been shallow.\n\n\"I've thought that when I grow old, I might return to more tranquil pursuits and my youthful studies, and even try to paint. Perhaps, before then, you could draw me an illustrated copybook.\"\n\n\"Of course, my lord.\"\n\nYusho had emulated the style of the ancient Chinese artist, Liang K'ai. He had recently developed his own school independent of the Kano or Tosa traditions and finally had become established in the art world." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Nobunaga had asked him to illustrate the sliding partitions at Azuchi, he had pretended to be sick and had refused. He had, after all, been a retainer of the Saito clan, which had been destroyed by Nobunaga. One could understand how Yusho might have felt too proud to decorate Nobunaga's living quarters with his own brush.\n\nThe phrase \"soft on the outside, strong on the inside\" might very well have applied to Yusho's character. Yusho was unable to trust the logic that Mitsuhide lived by." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If Mitsuhide were to slip, even once, he would burst the dam holding his emotions in check and slide toward a fatal course.\n\nMitsuhide slept happily that night. Perhaps it was due to the bath. Or to the unexpected and pleasing guest.\n\nThe soldiers had gotten up before the sun, fed the horses, put on their armor, prepared their provisions, and were now waiting for their lord's appearance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That morning they were to assemble at the Hoyo Temple, depart from Suwa, and head out for Kofu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They would then pass down the coast road and make a triumphal return to Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You should prepare yourself quickly, my lord,\" Toshimitsu said to Mitsuhide.\n\n\"Toshimitsu, I slept well last night!\"\n\n\"I'm glad to hear that.\"\n\n\"When Yusho leaves, you should give him my very best wishes and some money for the road.\"\n\n\"But you know, when I got up this morning and looked in on him, I discovered he had already gone. He got up and went out with the soldiers before the sun came up.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His is an enviable life, Mitsuhide said to himself as he looked at the morning sky.\n\nSaito Toshimitsu unfolded a scroll. \"He left this behind. I thought it might be something he had forgotten, but when I looked at it closely, I saw that the ink hadn't yet dried, and then I remembered that you had requested him to make an illustrated copybook. I think he stayed up until dawn working on it.\"\n\n\"What? He didn't sleep?\"\n\nMitsuhide cast his eye over the scroll." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The paper was all the more white in the morning sun, and on it a single branch of tree peonies had been freshly painted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An inscription in a corner of the painting read: Tranquillity, this is nobility.\n\nTranquillity, this is nobility, Mitsuhide recited silently as he rolled out the scroll, now coming upon the illustration of a large turnip. Next to the turnip was written, Having a visitor is a taste.\n\nThe turnip had been drawn in India ink without even a trace of effort; and if you looked at it closely, you could smell the fragrance of the earth. This turnip served as the root for a single leaf, and it seemed to be bursting with life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Its wild nature appeared to be laughing at Mitsuhide's rationalism with a marvelous artlessness and lack of concern." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He continued unfolding the scroll, but there was nothing else. The greater part of it was nothing but blank paper.\n\n\"It looks like it took him all night to do these two illustrations.\"\n\nToshimitsu was also impressed by the scroll, and bent over it in appreciation with Mitsuhide.\n\nMitsuhide was hesitant to look at it any longer, and asked Toshimitsu to roll it up." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that point, the sound of the conch shell was heard in the distant sky. It was a call from the headquarters at the Hoyo Temple, signaling the troops throughout the town to get ready. Heard in the arena of the bloody war, the conch shell was a thing of indescribable dread, booming out sorrowful reverberations. But heard on a morning like this its sound was mild and almost quietly comforting.\n\nMitsuhide was soon on horseback himself. His brow this morning, much like the mountains of Kai, was completely unclouded and without even a hint of shade." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two samurai galloped through the wicket gates of Okayama, their horses raising a cloud of dust as they hurried toward the castle. No one paid much attention to the riders. When they reached the gates, they announced that they carried an urgent dispatch from Lord Nobunaga in Kai.\n\nHideyoshi was in the citadel when a retainer came in to announce the arrival of the messengers.\n\n\"Have them wait in the Heron Room,\" he ordered.\n\nThis room was reserved for conversations of the most secret nature. Almost as soon as the two messengers had entered, Hideyoshi came in and sat down. One of the men took the letter from the folds of his kimono and laid it respectfully in front of Hideyoshi. It was wrapped in two or three sheets of oiled paper. Hideyoshi removed the outer wrapping and cut through the envelope.\n\n\"Ah, it's been a long time since I've looked at His Lordship's handwriting,\" he said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before opening the letter, he held it reverently to his forehead: it was, after all, written by his lord's own hand." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'letter' should appear 3 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he finished reading, Hideyoshi placed the letter into his kimono and asked, \"Did our troops in Kai achieve brilliant victories?\"\n\n\"His Lordship's army was an irresistible force. About the time we left Kai, Lord Nobutada's army had already reached Suwa.\"\n\n\"That's just what you'd expect of Lord Nobunaga. He must have gone out into battle himself. Was he in good spirits?\"\n\n\"I heard from one of the men on the campaign that going through the mountains was just like a spring flower-viewing outing. It seems that Lord Nobunaga will return by the coast road and view Mount Fuji on the way.\"\n\nThe messengers withdrew. Hideyoshi remained where he was, gazing at the painting of the white herons on the sliding doors. Yellow pigment had been applied to the eyes of the birds, and they looked as if they were staring back at him.\n\nIt will have to be Kanbei, Hideyoshi said to himself. He's the only one I can send. He summoned a page and said, \"Kuroda Kanbei should be in the outer citadel. Have him and Hachisuka Hikoemon come here.\"\n\nHideyoshi took the letter out and read it once more. It was not really a letter, but the pledge he had requested from Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi could have easily mobilized sixty thousand soldiers right here in Okayama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "However, he had not crossed the border into the enemy province of Bitchu, which he had to conquer first if he was to defeat the Mori clan. There remained one obstacle in Hideyoshi's path into Bitchu that he was determined to remove—bloodlessly, if he could. This obstacle was the main castle of the seven fortresses that formed the enemy line of defense on the borders of the province: Takamatsu Castle.\n\nKanbei and Hikoemon came into the small room, and Hideyoshi immediately felt more at ease.\n\n\"His Lordship's pledge has just arrived,\" Hideyoshi began. \"I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to go through more hardships. I'd like you to go to Takamatsu Castle.\"\n\n\"Would you mind if I read the pledge?\" Kanbei asked.\n\nKanbei read it with the same respect he would have shown had he been addressing Nobunaga in person.\n\nThe pledge was addressed to the commander of Takamatsu Castle, Shimizu Muneharu. Nobunaga promised that if Muneharu capitulated, he would be rewarded with a domain consisting of the provinces of Bitchu and Bingo. He had taken an oath before the gods, Nobunaga continued, and nothing could induce him to go back on his word." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'd like you and Hikoemon to go to Takamatsu Castle as soon as possible,\" he told Kanbei." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I doubt there will be any problems when you meet General Muneharu and talk to him, but if there are, I don't imagine he'll remain unmoved after he sees this seal.\"\n\nHideyoshi looked optimistic, but the two other men were unable to share his confidence. Did he really believe that Shimizu Muneharu would betray his masters, the Mori, just because of this pledge, or did Hideyoshi have something else in mind?" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'okayama' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The journey from Okayama to Takamatsu Castle took less than a day, and the messengers arrived all the quicker because they were on horseback. Passing through their own front lines, they looked up in the direction of the Kibi Mountains at the red setting sun.\n\nFrom this point on, whoever they encountered would be the enemy. This was not the spring they had left behind in Okayama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fields and villages were deserted.\n\nA rider galloped from the front line to the palisade around Takamatsu Castle and waited for instructions. Finally, Kanbei and Hikoemon were ushered in through the palisade and led to the castle gate. Takamatsu was a typical example of a castle built on a plain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There were rice paddies and fields on either side of the road leading up to the main gate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The embankments and the outer stone walls stood in the middle of paddies. With each step up the stone stairs, the battlements and sharp, pointed walls of the main citadel loomed ever closer overhead.\n\nOnce inside the main citadel, it was clear to the envoys that this was the strongest of the seven fortresses on the border. The area inside the castle was broad, and although more than two thousand soldiers were stationed here, it was quiet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because of Muneharu's decision to fight, the castle was accommodating an additional three thousand civilian refugees." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muneharu had decided to make his stand against the billowing waves of the eastern army in this one castle.\n\nKanbei and Hikoemon were shown into an empty room. Without his staff Kanbei limped inside with difficulty.\n\n\"Lord Muneharu will be here momentarily,\" the page said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He seemed to be less than twenty years old, and as he withdrew, his behavior was no different from what it would have been in peacetime." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The general came in, sat down unpretentiously, and said, \"I am Shimizu Muneharu. I understand that you are envoys from Lord Hideyoshi. Welcome.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He seemed to be about fifty, unassuming and plainly dressed. He had no retainers on either side of him, only a page of eleven or twelve kneeling behind him. The man was so lacking in ostentation that if it hadn't been for his sword and the one page, he would have looked like a village headman.\n\nKanbei, for his part, was extremely courteous with this unassuming general." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kuroda Kanbei.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the two men introduced themselves, Muneharu bowed affably. The envoys rejoiced, thinking that they would have no trouble in winning him over.\n\n\"Hikoemon,\" Kanbei said, \"would you please tell General Muneharu the purport of His Lordship's message?\" Although it would have been more proper for the senior of the two envoys to make the opening remarks, Kanbei thought that the older and mellower Hikoemon would more efficaciously present the merits of their case." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Allow me to explain our mission, General." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lord Hideyoshi has ordered us to talk to you frankly, and I can do nothing less than that. Lord Hideyoshi would like to avoid a pointless battle if it is at all possible. I think you fully understand how things are going in the west. In terms of numbers, we can easily raise one hundred fifty thousand men, while the Mori have only forty-five thousand men, perhaps fifty at the very most." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In addition, the Mori's allies—the Uesugi of Echigo, the Takeda of Kai, the warrior-monks of Mount Hiei and the Honganji, and the shogun—have all crumbled." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'pledge'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What kind of moral justice can the Mori claim today by fighting and turning the west into scorched earth?\n\n\"On the other hand,\" Hikoemon went on, \"Lord Nobunaga has won the favor of the Emperor and the love and respect of the people. The nation is finally emerging from the darkness of civil war and is greeting a new dawn. Lord Hideyoshi is pained by the thought that you and the many fine men who serve you will die. He wonders if there is not some means to avoid that sacrifice and asks you to reconsider one last time.\"\n\nTaking out Nobunaga's pledge and a letter from Hideyoshi, Kanbei spoke next. \"I will not talk of advantages and disadvantages. Instead, I would like to show you something that demonstrates the intentions of both Lord Hideyoshi and Lord Nobunaga. They both value good warriors. This, therefore, is a signed pledge promising you the provinces of Bitchu and Bingo.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Muneharu bowed respectfully to the document but did not pick it up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He said to Kanbei, \"These are quite truly excessive words and this is a document granting me an unmerited reward. I have no idea what to say or what the proper etiquette might be. The stipend that I have received from the Mori clan is no more than seven thousand bushels, and surely I am nothing more than a country samurai approaching old age.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muneharu said nothing about an agreement. Then there was silence. The two envoys sat in suspense. No matter what they said to him, he would only repeat, warmly and with great respect, \"This is more than fair.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neither all of Hikoemon's experience nor Kanbei's genius seemed to be of any use against this man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As envoys, however, they were determined to break through the wall, and they made their last effort." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Find a natural way to mention that We have really said all that we can say," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We have really said all that we can say,\" Kanbei said, \"but if you have any particular desires or conditions you would like to add, we will be happy to listen to them and transmit them to Their Lordships. Please speak frankly.\"\n\n\"You're asking me to be frank?\" Muneharu asked, almost as though he were talking to himself. He then looked at the two men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, I wonder if you will listen. My hope is that, having reached the end of my life, I do not stray from the right path. That is my first principle. The Mori clan is neither better nor worse than your master in terms of loyalty to the Emperor. Unworthy as I am, I am a retainer of the Mori clan, and even though I've spent an idle life, I've received a stipend from the Mori for many years. My entire clan has received favors from them, and now, during these times of change, I have been ordered to guard the border. Even if I were aiming to make some small profit, and I accepted Lord Hideyoshi's kind offer and became the lord of two provinces, I would not be as happy as I am now. If I turned my back on my lord's clan, what kind of face would I be able to show to the world? At the very least, I would appear to be a complete hypocrite to my family and retainers, and I myself would be breaking every precept I have taught them all along.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He laughed. \"So, while I appreciate the kindness you've shown, please ask Lord Hideyoshi to forget about all this.\"\n\nShaking his head as though he were deeply sorry, Kanbei spoke quickly and distinctly. \"I'm not going to be able to persuade you. Hikoemon, we should go.\"\n\nHikoemon was unhappy that they had failed, but he had feared from the first that that might happen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both of them had predicted that Muneharu could not be bribed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The road will be dangerous during the night. Why don't you stay in the castle tonight, and then leave early tomorrow morning?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Muneharu insisted. It was not simply formality on his part, and the envoys knew he was a truly warm human being." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was their enemy, but he was an honest man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, Lord Hideyoshi will be waiting anxiously for your reply,\" Hikoemon said.\n\nThe envoys asked only for torches and then set out on their way. Concerned that something might happen to them, Muneharu sent three of his retainers to take them as far as the front lines.\n\nKanbei and Hikoemon had ridden all the way to and from Takamatsu Castle without breaking their journey for rest or sleep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as they arrived in Okayama, they went straight to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their report was short and factual: \"General Muneharu refuses to capitulate. His resolve is firm, so another attempt at negotiation would be futile.\"\n\nHideyoshi did not appear to be surprised. He told the two men to come back after they had rested. Later that day, Hideyoshi summoned the envoys and several of his generals for a conference." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Referring to a map of the area, Kanbei reviewed the position of the defensive line of seven fortresses. Hideyoshi looked up from the map and stretched out as though he were tired. Earlier he had received news of Nobunaga's victory in Kai. Comparing the ease of his lord's successes with his own difficulties, Hideyoshi hoped that his prospects would improve from then on. He had at once addressed a letter to Nobunaga, to express his congratulations and explain the prospects for his own campaign, and to inform him that he had dropped the idea of trying to persuade Shimizu Muneharu to surrender." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continuing from this story fragment where characters are established. Write 2 sentences sentences in Eiji Yoshikawa's style. Genres: historical fiction. Elements: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Around the middle of the Third Month, the twenty thousand troops who had been standing by at Himeji entered Okayama, and the Ukita clan sent another ten thousand men. Thus, with a combined force of thirty thousand, Hideyoshi cautiously advanced into Bitchu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After marching only one league, he stopped and waited for reconnaissance reports; after another two leagues, he halted to reconnoiter again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every soldier had heard the reports of the brilliant victories in Kai, so many found this prudent advance frustrating. Some hastily declared that Takamatsu Castle and the other smaller fortresses could be captured in a single swift advance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they understood actual battlefield conditions and the enemy's positions, however, they had to admit that winning a quick victory would be difficult." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi made his first camp on Mount Ryuo, a high plateau well to the north of Takamatsu Castle. From there he could look directly into the castle itself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At a glance he could see the lay of the land and appreciate the interdependence of the fortresses and main castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could also survey troop movements from the Mori clan's headquarters and be forewarned if they sent reinforcements.\n\nHideyoshi began the campaign by taking the small border fortresses one by one, until only Takamatsu remained." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Concerned about this negative turn of events, Muneharu sent repeated messages to his overlords, the Mori, begging for reinforcements." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One after another, couriers departed with ever more desperate appeals, but conditions did not permit the Mori to counterattack. And it would take them several weeks before they could assemble an army of forty thousand men and march to Takamatsu Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The only thing the Mori could do was encourage Muneharu to hold on and assure him that reinforcements were on their way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then all communications between the castle and its allies were cut.\n\nOn the twenty-seventh day of the Fourth Month, Hideyoshi laid siege to Takamatsu Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the fifteen thousand men at his headquarters on Mount Ryuo did not move." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi positioned five thousand men on the high ground at Hirayama and the ten thousand men of the Ukita clan on Mount Hachiman." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's generals positioned themselves at the rear of the Ukita contingent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It looked like the first arrangement of counters on a go board, and the positioning of his own retainers to the rear of the Ukita, who until recently had been allies of the Mori, was a matter of prudence.\n\nThere were skirmishes between the vanguards of the two armies from the first day of the siege." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kuroda Kanbei, who had just returned from inspecting the front lines, went to see Hideyoshi and described the first day's bloody engagement.\n\n\"During this morning's battle,\" Kanbei began, \"Lord Ukita's warriors suffered more than five hundred casualties, while the enemy lost no more than a hundred men. Eighty of the enemy were killed, and twenty others were taken prisoner, but only because they were seriously wounded.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It was to be expected,\" Hideyoshi said. \"This castle will not fall without bloodshed. But it seems that the Ukita fought well.\"\n\nThe loyalty of the Ukita vanguard had indeed been tested." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With the Fifth Month the weather turned sunny and dry. The Ukita, who had suffered heavy casualties in the initial fighting, dug a trench across the front of the castle walls for five nights under cover of darkness. Once the trench was completed, they launched an attack on the castle.\n\nWhen the defenders saw that the Ukita had advanced as far as the castle gate and outer walls, they hurled insults at them. It was easy to imagine the anger they felt toward these men who had once been their allies but who were now fighting as Hideyoshi's vanguard. As soon as they saw their opportunity, the defenders threw open the main gate and charged out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Attack these maggots!\" they shouted." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Kill them all!\"\n\nSamurai to samurai, soldier to soldier, they grappled and struck at each other. Heads were taken and raised, and they fought with a ferocity rarely seen even on a battlefield.\n\n\"Fall back! Fall back!\" the Ukita general suddenly shouted in the middle of clouds of dust and smoke.\n\nGlaring at the retreating Ukita, the defenders were carried away with the desire to crush them underfoot." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They started to pursue them with cries of \"Strike them down!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "and \"All the way to their banners!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Too late, the mounted commander of the castle vanguard spotted the Ukita trench ahead. Seeing the trap, he tried to stop his men, but they stumbled forward, unable to see the danger. A volley of gunfire and thick gunpowder smoke instantly rose from the trench. The attackers staggered and fell.\n\n\"It's a trap! Don't fall into the enemy's trap! Lie down! Lie down!\" the commander shouted. \"Let them fire! Wait for them to reload, then jump on them!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With fearful war cries, several men sacrificed themselves; they leaped up to draw enemy fire and were bathed in bullets." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Judging the interval before the next round, others ran toward the trench and jumped in, filling the earth with fighting and blood.\n\nThat night it began to rain. The banners and the curtained enclosures of Mount Ryuo were drenched. Hideyoshi took cover in a hut and watched the melancholy clouds of the rainy season. He did not look very cheerful.\n\nHe looked around and called to a retainer, \"Toranosuke, is that the sound of rain or someone's footsteps? Go see what it is.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toranosuke went out but quickly returned and reported, \"Lord Kanbei has just now returned from the battlefield. On the way back, one of the men carrying his litter slipped on the steep path, and Lord Kanbei took a hard fall. Lord Kanbei just laughed as though he were amused.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why was Kanbei out at the front lines in this rain? As usual, Hideyoshi was impressed with Kanbei's untiring spirit.\n\nToranosuke withdrew to the next room and put firewood on the hearth. With the rain, the mosquitoes had begun to hatch, and they were especially troublesome that evening. The fire heated up the already muggy atmosphere, but at least it also smoked out the mosquitoes.\n\n\"It's smoky in here,\" Kanbei said, coughing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He limped past the pages and entered Hideyoshi's room unannounced." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He and Hideyoshi were soon talking happily. Their voices almost seemed to compete with each other.\n\n\"I think it's going to be difficult,\" Hideyoshi said.\n\nHideyoshi and Kanbei fell silent for a moment and listened to the dreary sound of the early summer rain pouring off the eaves of the makeshift hut.\n\n\"It's just a question of time,\" Kanbei began. \"A second all-out offensive would be a gamble. On the other hand, we could resign ourselves to a long campaign and besiege the castle at our leisure, but there are great dangers in that, too. The forty thousand troops from the Mori's home province might arrive and attack us from the rear, and then we would be caught between them and the men in Takamatsu Castle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's why I'm so depressed this rainy season. Don't you have any good ideas, Kanbei?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I've been walking around the front lines for the last two days, looking carefully at the position of the enemy castle and the surrounding geographical features. At this point I have only one plan on which we could stake everything.\"\n\n\"Takamatsu's fall is not just a question of taking a single enemy castle,\" Hideyoshi said. \"If it falls, Yoshida Castle will soon be ours. But if we stumble here, that one defeat will cost us five years of work. We need a plan, Kanbei. I've asked the people in the next room to withdraw so you can speak without reserve. I want to know what you're thinking.\"\n\n\"It's rude of me to say so, but I suspect you have a plan too, my lord.\"\n\n\"I won't deny it.\"\n\n\"May I ask what yours is first?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's both write our ideas down,\" Hideyoshi suggested, bringing out paper, brush, and ink." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'castle' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they had finished writing, the two men exchanged sheets of paper. Hideyoshi had written one word, \"water,\" and Kanbei had written two: \"water attack.\"\n\nLaughing out loud, the two men crumpled the sheets of paper and put them in their sleeves.\n\n\"Man's wisdom obviously doesn't exceed certain limits,\" Hideyoshi said.\n\n\"That's true,\" Kanbei agreed. \"Takamatsu Castle stands on a plain conveniently surrounded by mountains. Not only that, but the Ashimori and seven other rivers run through the plain. It should not be difficult to divert the water of these rivers and flood the castle. It's a bold plan that most generals would not even think of. I can't help but admire how quickly you grasped the situation, my lord. But why do you hesitate to put it into action?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, since ancient times, there have been plenty of examples of successful attacks on castles using fire, but almost none with water.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Add this exact quote somewhere appropriate: \"Yes, but they didn't actually have to put the plan into operation because the Chinese withdrew. If this plan is carried out, I'll be using a strategy that has no precedent. So I'm going to have to order some officials who have detailed knowledge of geography to determine what will be necessary in terms of time, expenses, and men for the engineering work.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think I've seen it mentioned in the military chronicles of the Later Han Dynasty and the period of the Three Kingdoms. In one of the chronicles I read something about our own country during the reign of Emperor Tenchi. When the Chinese invaded, our soldiers built dikes to store water. When the Chinese attacked, the Japanese soldiers were going to cut through the dikes and wash them all away.\"\n\n\"Yes, but they didn't actually have to put the plan into operation because the Chinese withdrew. If this plan is carried out, I'll be using a strategy that has no precedent. So I'm going to have to order some officials who have detailed knowledge of geography to determine what will be necessary in terms of time, expenses, and men for the engineering work.\"\n\nWhat Hideyoshi wanted was not just a rough estimate, but concrete figures and a flawless plan.\n\n\"Absolutely. One of my retainers is very clever with such things, and if you order him to come here now, I think he'll have a clear answer for you right away. In fact, the strategy I had in mind is based on this man's ideas.\"\n\n\"Who is he?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"Yoshida Rokuro,\" Kanbei replied." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, call him right away.\" Then Hideyoshi added, \"I also have someone at hand who is conversant with construction and land conditions. What would you think about calling him here at the same time and having him talk with Rokuro?\"\n\n\"That would be good. Who is he?\"\n\n\"He's not one of my retainers but a samurai from Bitchu. He's called Senbara Kyuemon. He's here in camp right now, and I have him working exclusively on making charts of the area.\"\n\nHideyoshi clapped his hands to summon a page, but all of his personal attendants and pages had withdrawn to some distance, and the sound of his clapping did not reach them. The din of the rain compounded the problem. Hideyoshi got up and stepped into the next room himself, and yelled out in a voice that would have been more proper on a battlefield, \"Hey! Isn't anybody here?\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once the decision had been taken to proceed with the water attack, the main camp on Mount Ryuo was found to be inconvenient." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the seventh day of the Fifth Month, Hideyoshi moved to Mount Ishii, which had been chosen because it overlooked Takamatsu Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the following day Hideyoshi said, \"Let's start to measure the distances.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi, accompanied by half-a-dozen generals, rode to the west of Takamatsu Castle, to Monzen, on the banks of the Ashimori River." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All the while he kept an eye on the castle to his right." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Wiping the sweat from his face, Hideyoshi summoned Kyuemon. \"What's the distance from the ridge of Mount Ishii to Monzen?\" he asked.\n\n\"Under a league, my lord,\" Kyuemon answered.\n\n\"Lend me your map.\"\n\nTaking the map from Kyuemon, Hideyoshi compared the construction of the proposed dike to the lay of the land. There were mountains on three sides, creating a natural baylike formation, extending in the west from Kibi to the mountainous area of the upper reaches of the Ashimori River; in the north from Mount Ryuo to the mountains along the border of Okayama; in the east to the edge of Mount Ishii and Kawazugahana." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Takamatsu Castle was situated right in the middle of this open plain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In Hideyoshi's eyes the fields, rice paddies, riding grounds, and villages on this flat plain were already submerged. The way he saw it, the mountainous banks on three sides could be viewed as a winding line of capes and beaches and Takamatsu Castle itself as a solitary man-made island.\n\nHideyoshi gave the map back to Kyuemon, reassured about the feasibility of the project, and once again mounted his horse. \"Let's go!\" he called out to his attendants, then said to Rokuro and Kyuemon, \"I'm going to ride from here to Mount Ishii. Take the measurements for the dike by following the hoofmarks of my horse.\"\n\nHideyoshi turned his horse due east and galloped off, riding straight from Monzen to Harakozai, and then describing an arc from there to Mount Ishii. Kyuemon and Rokuro chased behind him, leaving a trail of powdered rice meal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After them followed laborers who drove in stakes to mark the line of the dike." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the line that had been drawn became an embankment and the waters of the seven rivers were diverted to flow inside it, the entire area would become a huge lake shaped like a half-open lotus leaf. When the men looked carefully at the lay of the land that formed the border between Bizen and Bitchu, they realized that it must have been part of the sea in the distant past. The battle had commenced. It was not to be a battle of blood, but a war waged against the earth.\n\nThe length of the dike was to be one league; its width was to be thirty feet at the top and sixty feet at the base. The problem was its height, which had to be proportional to the height of the walls of Takamatsu Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In fact, the primary factor assuring the success of the water attack was the fact that the castle's outer stone walls were only twelve feet high. Thus the height of the dike of twenty-four feet was figured from a base of twelve feet. It was calculated that if the water level rose to that height, it would not only submerge the castle's outer stone walls but also flood the castle itself under six feet of water.\n\nIt is only rarely, however, that a project is completed ahead of schedule. And the problem that so troubled Kanbei was one of human resources. For the most part, he would have to rely on the local farmers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The population of the neighboring villages, however, was rather sparse, because Muneharu had taken more than five hundred farming families into the castle before the siege, and many others had fled to the mountains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The farmers who had taken refuge in the castle were ready to live or die with their lord." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were good, simple folk who had served Muneharu for years." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Many of those who remained in the villages were people of bad character, or opportunists who were willing to work on a battlefield.\n\nHideyoshi could count on the cooperation of Ukita Naoie, and Kanbei was able to muster several thousand men from Okayama. But what troubled him was not getting this number of men together; his problem was how to use those human resources with the greatest efficiency.\n\nOn a tour of inspection, he called over Rokuro and asked for a progress report.\n\n\"I'm sorry to say that we may not meet His Lordship's schedule,\" Rokuro replied sadly.\n\nEven the mathematical brain of this man could not figure out how to extract hard work from the mixed group of laborers and ruffians." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For this reason a series of guardhouses had been set up every ninety yards along the dike, and soldiers were stationed at each of these surveillance points to encourage the laborers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because the soldiers were simply there as passive observers, however, the thousands of men who swung their mattocks and shouldered dirt like ants were hardly spurred on at all.\n\nMoreover, the timetable that Hideyoshi had imposed was extremely tight. Urgent messages reached him night and day. The forty thousand troops of the Mori had split into three armies under Kikkawa, Kobayakawa, and Terumoto, and they were getting closer to the provincial border by the hour.\n\nKanbei watched the laborers. Exhausted by working all hours of the day and night, some hardly moved at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They had only two weeks to complete the project.\n\nTwo days. Three days. Five days passed.\n\nKanbei thought, Progress is so slow that we won't be able to complete the dike in fifty or even in a hundred days, much less in two weeks.\n\nRokuro and Kyuemon were going without sleep, supervising the workers. But no matter what they did, the men were disgruntled and insolent. To make matters worse, some laborers intentionally sabotaged the schedule by persuading even the comparatively submissive workers to hinder the project with deliberate slowness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei was unable to watch passively. He finally began to visit the construction site himself, staff in hand. Standing on a hill of fresh earth at a section of the dike that had finally been completed, he looked down, with eyes aflame, at the thousands of workers. When he discovered someone showing the least bit of sloth, he would dash up to the laborer with a speed hardly befitting a cripple, and beat him with his staff.\n\n\"Get to work! Why are you being lazy?\"\n\nThe laborers would tremble and work frantically, but only while Kanbei was watching them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The crippled demon warrior is looking!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kanbei finally made a report to Hideyoshi: \"It's going to be impossible to finish on time. Just to make sure we are prepared, I'd like to request that you decide on some strategy beforehand in case the Mori reinforcements arrive while the construction is only half done. By the gods, it's more difficult getting these laborers to work than it is getting troops to maneuver.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Unc­harac­teris­tically nervous, Hideyoshi counted silently on his fingers. He was being informed hourly of the approach of a large Mori army, and he received the dispatches just as he might watch the clouds of an evening squall approach the mountains.\n\n\"Don't be discouraged, Kanbei. We still have another seven days.\"\n\n\"The construction is less than a third finished. How are we going to complete the dike in the few days we have left?\"\n\n\"We can do it.\" This was the first time Hideyoshi had contradicted Kanbei so strongly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We can finish it. But it won't be done if we only get the strength of three thousand men from our three thousand workers. Now if one man works like three or even five men, our three thousand workers will have the strength of ten thousand. If the samurai supervising them act in the same way, one man will be able to muster the spirit of ten men, and we should be able to accomplish anything we want. Kanbei, I'm coming to the construction site myself.\"\n\nThe following morning, a yellow-robed messenger ran around the construction site, ordering the laborers to stop their work and gather around a banner set up on the dike.\n\nThe workers from the night shift who were on their way home, and the men just now coming on, all followed their bosses. When the three thousand workers were assembled, it was difficult to differentiate the color of the earth from the color of the men themselves.\n\nPrompted partly by uneasiness, the wave of blackened men moved forward. They had not lost their false show of courage, however, and continued to joke and banter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly the crowd became hushed as Hideyoshi moved toward the stool set up next to the banner." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His pages and retainers were to his right and left, and stood back solemnly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The demon warrior, Kuroda Kanbei, who was the target of their daily malice, stood off to the side, resting on his staff." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He addressed them from the top of the dike.\n\n\"Today it is Lord Hideyoshi's wish that you tell him your thoughts. As you all know, the time allotted for building the dike is more than halfway through, but the construction is going slowly. Lord Hideyoshi says that one of the reasons for this is that you have not been making a real effort. He has commanded you to gather here so that you can frankly explain why you are dissatisfied or unhappy, and what it is that you want.\"\n\nKanbei stopped for a moment and looked at the laborers. Here and there, men were whispering.\n\n\"The bosses of the various groups must understand the feelings of their men well. Don't miss this opportunity to tell His Lordship exactly what you want. Five or six men should come up here as representatives and speak out about your dissatisfactions and desires. If they are legitimate, they will be addressed.\"\n\nWith that, a tall man, stripped to the waist and with an insubordinate expression, came forward." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking as if he were trying to gain favor with the herd of men, he climbed aggressively to the top of the dike." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they saw this, three or four more laborers swaggered up after him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are these the only representatives?\" Kanbei asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they approached Hideyoshi's camp stool, each of them knelt down on the earth.\n\n\"It's not necessary to kneel,\" Kanbei told them. \"Today His Lordship has cordially asked you to explain your discontent. You've come up here before him representing all of the laborers, so speak your minds freely. Whether or not we finish this construction on time depends on you. We want you to tell us the reasons for the resentment and dissatisfaction you have hidden inside yourselves until now. Let's start with the man who came up here first, on the right. Speak up now.\" Kanbei's tone was conciliatory.\n\nWhen Kanbei urged them to speak a second time, one of the five men representing the laborers spoke up.\n\n\"Well then, I'll take you at your word and speak, but don't get mad, all right? For one thing... well, all right... please listen to this... \"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Speak.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, you're paying us one sho of rice and a hundred mon for every sandbag we haul, and the fact is that all of us—a couple of thousand poor folks—are real happy to be employed. But, well, we all think—and me, too—you might go back on your word because we're all just laborers, anyway.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well now,\" Kanbei said, \"why should a man with Lord Hideyoshi's reputation go back on his word? Every time you carry a sandbag, you receive a branded strip of bamboo that you can exchange for pay in the evening, don't you?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'Isn't one sho of rice and a hundred mon a living far better than what you usually earn?' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, Your Honor, we get the bamboo strips, but we only get paid one sho of brown rice and a hundred mon even if we've carried ten or twenty sacks in one day. The rest is military stubs and rice tickets to cash in later.\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"So it troubles us, Your Honor. What we've earned would be fine in either rice or money, but without the real thing, a poor day-laborer like me can't feed his wife and children.\"\n\n\"Isn't one sho of rice and a hundred mon a living far better than what you usually earn?\"\n\n\"You shouldn't joke, Your Honor. We're not horses or cows, and if we worked like this all year, we'd be done for. But, well, we've agreed to it, following His Lordship's orders, and we've been working day and night. Now, we can do unreasonable work if we get our wants filled along the way, and thinking that afterward we can drink sake, pay back our debts, and buy some new clothes for the wife. But if we get paid in promises, we just can't continue putting our hearts into the work.\"\n\n\"Well, you're pretty hard to understand. Lord Hideyoshi's army has made it a principle to rule benevolently and has done nothing despotic at all so far. What, really, do you have to complain about?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The five laborers laughed coldly. One of them said, \"Your Honor, we're not complaining. Just pay us what we've earned. We can't fill our stomachs with waste paper and rice tickets. And, more important than that, who is going to give us real money for that waste paper on the day Lord Hideyoshi loses?\"\n\n\"If that's what it is, you have nothing to worry about!\"\n\n\"Ah, but wait. You say that you're going to win, and you and all these generals have staked your lives on this gamble, but I wouldn't put a half share on a bet like that. Hey, everybody! Isn't that right?\"\n\nAs he waved his arms from the top of the dike, asking for the thousands of workers' agreement, a shout arose instantaneously in response, and a wave of human heads undulated back and forth as far as the eye could see.\n\n\"Is that your only complaint?\" Kanbei asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yeah. That's what we'd like to settle first,\" the man replied, looking to the crowd for support but not showing the least bit of fear.\n\n\"Absolutely not!\" Kanbei spoke in his true voice for the first time. That instant, he threw down his staff, unsheathed his sword, and sliced the man in two. Turning quickly to another who had started to run away, he cut him down too. At the same time, Rokuro and Kyuemon—who were standing behind Kanbei—wielded their swords and finished off the other three men in a shower of gushing blood.\n\nIn this way Kanbei, Kyuemon, and Rokuro divided up their work and cut down five men in the instant it takes lightning to strike." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Struck by the speed and unexpectedness of the action, the laborers were as hushed as grass in a graveyard. The dissatisfied voices had been hushed in an instant. The faces that had been so impudent up until then—the defiant looks—were gone. Nothing was left but countless faces the color of earth, cowering in fear.\n\nStanding over the five corpses, the three samurai glared ominously at the laborers, their blood-soaked swords still in their hands.\n\nKanbei finally shouted with all his ferocity, \"These five men who represented you—we called them up here, listened to what they had to say, and gave them a very clear answer. Someone else may have something to say, too, however.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He paused, waiting for someone to speak up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Surely there's someone down there who wants to come up. Who's next? If there's anyone who thinks he wants to say something for everyone, now's the time to speak up!\"\n\nKanbei was quiet for a moment, giving the men time to reflect on the matter. Among those numberless heads, there were very clearly men whose expressions were changing from fear to regret. Kanbei wiped the blood off his sword and returned it to its scabbard. Softening his expression, he lectured the laborers in a dignified manner.\n\n\"I see that no one is going to come up after these five men, so I imagine that means your intentions are different from theirs. If I'm right, then I'm going to have my say. Are there any objections?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The several thousand laborers answered in the voices of men who had been saved from death. Not one of them had an objection. Nobody had any intention of complaining. The men who had spoken were clearly the ringleaders who had instigated the slowdowns. The rest were going to follow orders and work. Would Hideyoshi forgive them?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The three thousand men were speaking noisily back and forth, some in whispers, some yelling, so that one could hardly understand who was saying what." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The feeling of the entire crowd, however, was united.\n\n\"Quiet now!\" Kanbei waved his hand to control them. \"All right. This is the way I think it should be. I'm not going to say anything complicated, but essentially it would be best if you all worked happily and quickly with your wives and children under His Lordship's administration. If you're indolent or greedy, you will only delay the arrival of the day you are looking forward to. The expeditionary army sent by Lord Nobunaga will not be defeated by the Mori. No matter how large a province the Mori control, it is a province that is doomed to fall. This is not because the Mori are weak, but because of the great movement of the times. Do you understand?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" the laborers replied.\n\n\"Well then, are you going to work?\"\n\n\"We're going to work. We're really going to work!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"All right!\" Kanbei nodded strongly and turned toward Hideyoshi. \"My lord, you can hear how the workers have spoken, so won't you be generous with them this time?\" He almost seemed to be pleading for the crowd.\n\nHideyoshi stood up. He gave a command to Kanbei and the two officials who were kneeling before him. Almost immediately, foot soldiers walked over, shouldering what appeared to be heavy money bags—a mountain of straw money bags.\n\nFacing the laborers, who were caught up in their fears and regrets, Kanbei said, \"You're really not to blame. All of you are in a pitiful situation. You've been led astray by two or three bad elements. That is what Lord Hideyoshi has declared; and so that you'll work with no other thoughts in mind, he has commanded that we give you a bonus to urge you on a little. Receive, express your thanks, and get quickly back to work.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the command was given to the foot soldiers, every straw bag there was broken open and the mountain of coins poured out, almost covering the top of the dike." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Grab however much you can and go. But only one fistful for each man.\"\n\nHe said this quite clearly, but the laborers still hesitated to make a move forward. They whispered among themselves and looked back and forth at each other, but the mountain of coins stayed right where it was.\n\n\"The fastest man will be the winner! Don't complain after it's all gone. Each man should take a fistful, so the men born with big hands can account themselves lucky, and the men with little hands shouldn't let anything slip between their fingers. Don't get excited and fail. Then go back to work.\"\n\nThe laborers no longer had any doubts. They could see that Kanbei meant what he said with his smiling face and jocular words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The laborers in the front of the crowd rushed up to the mountain of coins." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They wavered a little, as though frightened by the sight of so much money, but as soon as the first man had grabbed a fistful and retreated, a chorus of happy voices suddenly arose." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'their' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It sounded almost like a victory song.\n\nAlmost immediately such confusion took over that coins, men, and clods of earth were hardly distinguishable. No man, however, tried to cheat—somewhere along the line they had all thrown off their craftiness and dissatisfaction. Holding on to their handfuls of coins, they seemed to have been transformed, and each man ran off to his own work station.\n\nThe echoes of hoes and spades being used with real force filled the air. With spirited yells, men dumped earth, inserted poles through the straw carrying-baskets, and shouldered sandbags away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Real spirit was being mustered for the first time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sweat the men were now wringing out of themselves increasingly gladdened and refreshed them, and they began to shout with enthusiasm among themselves." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Who says we can't finish this dike in five days? Hey, everybody—remember the big flood?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. This is nothing like trying to keep the flood waters out.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's do it! Let's give it all we've got!\"\n\n\"I'm not going to give up!\"\n\nIn just half a day, more work was accomplished than in the previous five.\n\nThe overseers' whips and Kanbei's staff were no longer needed. Bonfires were lit at night, the dust from the earth darkened the day, and finally the work was almost finished.\n\nAs the landlocked dike neared completion, the related work of diverting the seven rivers around Takamatsu Castle also advanced." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nearly twenty thousand men had been put to work on that project. Damming up and drawing off the waters of the Ashimori and Naruya rivers were the construction projects considered to be the most difficult.\n\nThe official in charge of damming the Ashimori often complained to Hideyoshi, \"The level of water is rising every day with the heavy rains in the mountains. There just doesn't seem to be any way of damming it.\"\n\nKanbei had gone to inspect the site with Rokuro the day before, and he understood the extreme difficulty of the situation.\n\n\"The current is so strong that even when we pushed in boulders that took twenty or thirty men to move, they were washed away immediately.\"\n\nWhen even Kanbei could only bring back excuses, Hideyoshi went to the river himself to see the actual situation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But when he stood there and looked at the power of the rushing current, his own human knowledge was overwhelmed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Rokuro came up and offered a suggestion: \"If we cut down trees at the upper reaches of the river and push them in with the foliage still attached, it may slow the current a little.\"\n\nThis plan was put into operation, and for half a day, more than a thousand workers felled trees and tossed them whole into the river. But this, too, failed to slow the current.\n\nRokuro's next suggestion was to sink thirty large boats loaded with huge boulders at the site of the proposed dam.\n\nPulling the huge boats up against the current, however, proved to be impossible, so wooden planks were set out on the land, oil was poured over them, and, with great effort, the boats were pulled overland and sunk with their loads of boulders at the mouth of the river.\n\nIn the meantime the great dike, stretching an entire league, had been completed, and the rushing current of the Ashimori was transformed into foam and spray and diverted toward the plain around Takamatsu Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At about the same time, the waters of the other six rivers were channeled into the area." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Only the channeling of the Naruya River had proved too difficult for the workers to complete on time." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'twenty-first' 2 time(s) throughout your message" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fourteen days had passed since the seventh day of the Fifth Month, the day the work began. It had been completed in two weeks.\n\nOn the twenty-first day of the Fifth Month, the forty thousand Mori troops under Kikkawa and Kobayakawa arrived at the border—one day after the surroundings of Takamatsu Castle had been transformed into a muddy lake.\n\nOn the morning of the twenty-first, Hideyoshi stood with his generals at the headquarters on Mount Ishii and looked over his handiwork.\n\nWhether one thought of it a grand spectacle or a wretched one, the swollen waters—aided by the rain during the night—had left Takamatsu Castle standing completely isolated in the middle of a lake. The outer stone walls, the forest, the drawbridge, the roofs of the houses, the villages, the fields, the rice paddies, and the roads were all submerged, and the level was rising hourly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where's the Ashimori?\"\n\nIn response to Hideyoshi's question, Kanbei pointed to a stand of pines that could dimly be seen in the west.\n\n\"As you can see, there's an opening in the dike of about four hundred fifty yards in that area, and we're running the dammed-up waters of the Ashimori through that break.\"\n\nHideyoshi followed the line of the faraway mountains from west to south. Beneath the sky directly to the south, he could see Mount Hizashi on the border. With the dawn, the countless banners of the Mori's vanguard had appeared on the mountain." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'yards' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They're the enemy, but you can't help but sympathize with what Kikkawa and Kobayakawa must have felt this morning when they arrived and saw the lake. They must have stamped on the ground in vexation,\" Kanbei said.\n\nJust at that moment, the son of the official in charge of the work at the Naruya River site prostrated himself in front of Hideyoshi. He was crying.\n\n\"What's the matter?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"This morning,\" the young man replied, \"my father declared that he was guilty of inexcusable negligence. He wrote you this letter of apology and committed seppuku\"\n\nThe official had been in charge of the difficult project of cutting five hundred yards through a mountain. Ninety yards remained that morning, thus he had not met his deadline." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking responsibility for the failure, the man had taken his own life." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'began' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi gazed down at the man's son, whose hands, feet, and hair were still covered with mud. He gently beckoned him to his side.\n\n\"You are not to commit seppuku yourself. Pray for your father's soul by your action on the battlefield. All right?\" And he lightly patted the youth's back.\n\nThe young man cried openly. The rain began to fall. Stripes of white rain began to pour into the muddy lake from the thick clouds that were quietly descending." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word count directive: Use 'guards' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was now the night of the twenty-second day of the Fifth Month, the evening after the arrival of the Mori troops at the border.\n\nIn the dark, two men swam like strange fish across the muddy lake and crawled up onto the dike. They triggered an array of clappers and bells that had been attached to a rope stretched along the water's edge, tied to the dwarf bamboo and brushwood, and made to look just like the brambles of a wild rose.\n\nA bonfire burned brightly at each guardhouse along the dike. The guards came running quickly and captured one man, while the other was able to make good his escape.\n\n\"It doesn't make any difference whether he's one of the soldiers from the castle or on an errand from the Mori. Lord Hideyoshi should question this man carefully.\"\n\nThe commander of the guards sent the captive to Mount Ishii.\n\n\"Who is this man?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi asked as he went out to the veranda." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Retainers held lamps at either side of him, and he stared down at the enemy soldier, who was kneeling beneath the rain-covered eaves. The man knelt proudly, both arms bound with rope.\n\n\"This man's no soldier from the castle. I'll bet he's a messenger from the Mori. Wasn't he carrying anything?\" he asked the retainer in charge of the prisoner.\n\nIn his preliminary investigation, the retainer had found in the man's clothing a sake bottle containing a letter, which he now placed before Hideyoshi.\n\n\"Hm... it seems to be a reply from Muneharu, addressed to Kikkawa and Kobayakawa. Bring the lamp a little closer.\"\n\nThe Mori reinforcements had been discouraged when they saw the lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. They had rushed to the castle, but had no idea how to aid it now that it was surrounded by water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They advised Muneharu to surrender to Hideyoshi and save the thousands of lives inside the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The letter that Hideyoshi now held in his hand was Muneharu's response to that suggestion.\n\nYou have thought sympathetically of those of us here, and your words are filled with benevolence. But Takamatsu Castle is now the pivot of the western provinces, and its fall would surely signal the demise of the Mori clan. We have all received favors from the Mori clan since the time of Lord Motonari, and there is not one person here who would extend his life even by a day by selling the victory song to the enemy. We are firmly prepared for a siege, and are resolved to die with the castle.\n\nIn his letter, Muneharu was actually encouraging the reinforcements. The captured Mori messenger answered Hideyoshi's questions with unexpected frankness. Since Muneharu's letter had already been read by the enemy, he seemed resigned to the fact that it would be futile to hide anything." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Hideyoshi did not make a complete investigation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a matter of not humiliating a samurai. What was useless was simply appraised as such, and Hideyoshi turned his thoughts in another direction.\n\n\"I think that's enough. Untie this warrior's bonds and turn him loose.\"\n\n\"Turn him loose?\"\n\n\"He swam across that muddy lake, and he looks cold. Feed him and send him off with a pass so he won't be arrested again on the way.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\nThe retainer untied the messenger. The man had naturally been resolved to die, and was now confused." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He bowed silently toward Hideyoshi and started to get up." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'there' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I trust Lord Kikkawa is in good health,\" Hideyoshi said. \"Please send him my warmest greetings.\"\n\nThe Mori messenger knelt down in the proper fashion. Feeling the depth of Hideyoshi's kindness, he bowed with the deepest respect.\n\n\"Also, I think there is a monk by the name of Ekei on Lord Terumoto's field staff. Ekei of Ankokuji.\"\n\n\"There is, my lord.\"\n\n\"I haven't seen him for a long time. Please send him my regards as well.\"\n\nAs soon as the messenger had gone, Hideyoshi turned and asked a retainer, \"Do you have the letter I gave you earlier?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Quite securely, my lord.\"\n\n\"It contains a secret message of great importance. Take it directly to Lord Nobunaga.\"\n\n\"I shall deliver it to him without fail.\"\n\n\"Undoubtedly, that Mori retainer left on his errand with no less resolution than your own. But he was captured, and a letter containing the intentions of both Muneharu and Kikkawa fell into my hands. Be extremely careful.\"\n\nHideyoshi sat facing the lamp. The letter he had entrusted to the messenger to take to Azuchi requested Nobunaga to lead an army into the west.\n\nThe fate of the solitary Takamatsu Castle was like that of a fish already in the net. The combined armies of Mori Terumoto, Kobayakawa Takakage, and Kikkawa Motoharu had come." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The hour was now!" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The conquest of the west could be completed with a single blow. Hideyoshi wanted to show this grand spectacle to Nobunaga, and he believed his lord's personal attendance would guarantee a momentous victory." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The castle town of Azuchi had become the bustling center of a new culture. Lively, colorfully dressed citizens thronged its streets, and above, the brilliant golds and blues of the castle donjon looked as though they had been embroidered with the green of the new spring leaves.\n\nConditions could not have been more different from those in the west. In the Fifth Month, while Hideyoshi and his men had been toiling day and night in the mud to accomplish their attack on Takamatsu Castle, the streets of Azuchi were hung with decorations, and the town was so animated that it looked as though its citizens were celebrating the New Year and the Midsummer Festival at the same time.\n\nNobunaga was preparing to welcome a guest of some importance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But who, people wondered, could be that important?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The man who arrived at Azuchi on the fifteenth day of the Fifth Month was none other than Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa.\n\nLess than one month before, Nobunaga had made his triumphal return from Kai through Ieyasu's province of Mikawa, so he might have been doing nothing more than returning the courtesy. But the visit was clearly in Ieyasu's interest; it was an era of sweeping change, and no time to neglect the future. Thus, though it was rare for Ieyasu to make formal visits to other provinces, he was coming to Azuchi, attended by a brilliant retinue of retainers.\n\nThe best lodgings in the town were set aside for him, and Akechi Mitsuhide was given responsibility for his reception." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In addition, Nobunaga had ordered his son Nobutada, who was about to leave for the western provinces, to help with the preparations for an extravagant three-day banquet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some wondered aloud why Nobunaga was giving such a lavish welcome to Ieyasu, who was eight years his junior and the lord of a province that until recently had been small and weak." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Others countered that there was nothing strange about it at all. The alliance between the Oda and the Tokugawa had endured for more than twenty years without suspicion, broken agreements, or fighting, which was a miracle in those days of betrayals and feudal power struggles.\n\nA third group were of the opinion that the reason for the event was not something as trivial as repaying Ieyasu for his hospitality. They argued that in the future the lord of the Oda was going to accomplish great things. The west was a springboard to Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu, and from there to the rich lands of the Southern Seas." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Nobunaga was to succeed in their conquest, he would have to entrust the north of Japan to an ally he could trust." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For some time now, Nobunaga had planned to go to the western provinces himself to establish his own rule, just as he had done in Kai." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even now he was in the middle of busy preparations to leave for the front. Nevertheless, he put aside that important work to welcome Ieyasu.\n\nQuite naturally, Ieyasu was given the best of what Azuchi could provide in terms of lodgings, furniture, and utensils, sake and food. But what Nobunaga wanted to give Ieyasu most of all were things that could be found in the humble tenements of the people and around the hearths of country folk—his friendship and trust.\n\nIt was these two things that had ensured the survival of their alliance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And, for his part, Ieyasu had proved himself a reliable ally time and time again. Ieyasu knew very well that his own interests were strongly tied to those of Nobunaga, despite the latter's occasional selfishness and willfulness. So even if he had drunk from a very bitter cup at times, he supported Nobunaga and had sworn to follow him to the very end.\n\nIf a disinterested third party were to look at the twenty-year alliance between the two men and to judge who had gained and who had lost, he would most likely have to say that both men had benefited. Without Ieyasu's friendship when he was young and beginning to set the direction of his life, Nobunaga would not have been in Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And if Ieyasu had never received Nobunaga's assistance, the weak and small province of Mikawa very likely would not have been able to withstand the pressures from its neighbors." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'himself' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Aside from having bonds of friendship and self-interest, the two men had characters that were clearly complementary. Nobunaga had ambitions—and the will to realize them—the likes of which a prudent man like Ieyasu could not even imagine. Ieyasu, Nobunaga was the first to admit, had virtues that he himself lacked: patience, modesty, and frugality. Nor did Ieyasu seem to be ambitious for himself. He looked after the interests of his own province but never gave his ally cause for concern." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He always stood his ground against their common enemies, a silent fortress at Nobunaga's rear.\n\nIn other words, Mikawa was an ideal ally, and Ieyasu a reliable friend. In looking back over the hardships and dangers they had faced over the past twenty years, Nobunaga was moved to call Ieyasu his \"good old comrade,\" and praised him as the man who had done the most to make Azuchi a reality.\n\nDuring the feast, Ieyasu expressed his heartfelt gratitude for Nobunaga's treatment, but periodically he felt that someone was missing, and finally he asked Nobunaga, \"Wasn't Lord Mitsuhide in charge of the banquet? What's happened to him? I haven't seen him at all today, and I didn't see him at the Noh performance yesterday.\"\n\n\"Ah, Mitsuhide,\" Nobunaga answered." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'answer' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He returned to Sakamoto Castle. He had to leave so quickly that he had no time to pay his respects.\" Nobunaga's answer was delivered in a voice that was refreshing and clear, and he showed no particular emotion as he spoke.\n\nBut Ieyasu was a little concerned. There were disturbing rumors spreading in the town. Nobunaga's brief and untroubled answer, however, seemed to belie the rumors, and Ieyasu let the matter drop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nevertheless, that night Ieyasu returned to his lodgings and listened to the stories that his retainers had heard about Mitsuhide's departure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he could see that the situation was complicated enough not to be ignored." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Listening to the different versions of the story, he pieced together what seemed to be the reason behind Mitsuhide's sudden departure.\n\nIt had happened on the day of Ieyasu's arrival. Without previous notice, Nobunaga had made an official inspection of the kitchens. It was the rainy season; Azuchi was hot and muggy. The smell of raw fish and preserved vegetables offended the senses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not only that, but the foodstuffs that had been collected in great quantities from Sakai and Kyoto had been unpacked and piled up in terrible disarray." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Flies swarmed over the food and on Nobunaga's face.\n\n\"This place stinks!\" he growled angrily. Then, as he walked into the preparation room he continued, speaking to no one in particular, \"What is this? All this dirt! All this waste! Are you going to cook for our honored guest in this stinking place? Are you going to serve him rotten fish? Throw all this stuff away!\"\n\nNobunaga's anger was completely unexpected, and the kitchen officials flung themselves at his feet. It was a pitiful scene." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide had done his best to purchase the finest ingredients and to have exquisite dishes prepared, going almost without sleep for several days, supervising his retainers and the kitchen workers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he could hardly believe his ears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He ran out in surprise and prostrated himself before his lord, explaining that the offensive smell was most certainly not caused by rotten fish." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't give me any excuses!\" Nobunaga interrupted. \"Throw everything away! Get something else for tonight's banquet!\"\n\nTurning a deaf ear, Nobunaga walked away.\n\nMitsuhide sat silently for a while, almost as though he had lost the power to move his legs. At that point a messenger arrived and handed him a letter ordering him to collect his forces and leave immediately for the western provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Akechi retainers carried the many delicacies they had prepared for Ieyasu through the back gate and dumped them into the moat, exactly as they might have thrown out trash or a dead dog or cat." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Silently, suppressing their tears, they poured their feelings into the black waters." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continuing from this story fragment where characters are established. Write 2 sentences sentences in Eiji Yoshikawa's style. Genres: historical fiction. Elements: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At night the frogs croaked loudly outside Mitsuhide's lodgings. What are you brooding over?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "the frogs seemed to ask. Were they crying in sympathy for him, or laughing at his stupidity?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It depended on how one listened to them.\n\nMitsuhide had ordered that no one be let in, and now he sat alone in a large, empty room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Though it was only the beginning of summer, a cooling, delicate breeze blew silently into the gloom." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide was terribly pale." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It seemed that the hair of his sidelocks stood straight up each time the candle flickered. His anguish could be seen in the disarray of his hair and in the dreadful color of his face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finally he slowly raised what Nobunaga had dubbed his \"kumquat head\" and looked out into the darkened garden. In the distance he saw a great number of lamps shining between the trees." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the first night of the banquet in the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Should I go like this, just as I was ordered? Mitsuhide asked himself. Or would it be better to go and pay my respects at the castle once before leaving?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide had always been confused by such things." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His ordinarily clear head was so tired at that point that he had to think hard in order not to make a mistake.\n\nHaving made this question into such a great issue, no matter how he long he considered the matter, he was at a complete loss about what to do." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Most of the pain of confronting his difficulties welled up in an unconscious sigh of grief and he wondered: Are there other men in this world so difficult to understand?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he wondered. What can a person do to suit my lord's temperament? He's so hard to please." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If he had been able to put aside the absolute nature of the lord-and-retainer relationship and speak honestly, he would have criticized Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide had been endowed with critical faculties far beyond the common man's, and it was only because Nobunaga was his lord that he was cautious and, in fact, afraid of his own criticism.\n\n\"Tsumaki! Tsumaki!\" Mitsuhide called, suddenly looking at the sliding doors on either side of him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Dengo? Dengo, are you there?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the man who finally opened the door and bowed in front of him was neither Dengo nor Tsumaki. It was one of his personal attendants, Yomoda Masataka." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Both men are busy with the disposal of the material we were going to use for the banquet and with the sudden preparations for our departure.\"\n\n\"Come with me to the castle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The castle? You're going to the castle?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I think it's proper to pay my respects to Lord Nobunaga once before we depart. Make the preparations.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide quickly got up to dress himself. He seemed to be spurring himself on before his resolution faded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Masataka looked flustered. \"This evening when I asked what you wanted to do, I thought you might want to go up to the castle, for just that reason. But we had no time, with His Lordship's sudden command. And you said then that we would leave without paying our respects to either Lord Nobunaga or Lord Ieyasu. Now, all the attendants and servants are engaged in cleaning up. May I ask you to wait for a little while?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, no. I don't need many attendants. You'll be enough. Bring my horse.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide went out toward the entrance. There was not one retainer in the rooms he passed on his way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Only two or three pages followed behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But once he stepped outside, he could see small groups of retainers with their heads together, talking in the shadows of the trees and in the stables. Quite naturally, all the Akechi retainers were concerned about suddenly being dismissed as officials of the banquet and being ordered on the very same day to set out for the west." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Back and forth they expressed their resentment, their eyes filled with tears of grief." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their antagonism and anger toward Nobunaga, which had been intensifying since the Kai campaign, like oil poured on firewood, had been ignited by this latest incident.\n\nAt the camp in Suwa during the Kai campaign, Mitsuhide had already met with an unbearable public humiliation, an event that had not been hidden from his retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why had Nobunaga been tormenting their master so much recently?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But today's shock was by far the worst, because the incident would be known to all the guests: Lord Ieyasu and his retainers, the nobility from Kyoto, and Mitsuhide's fellow Oda generals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To have suffered an insult here was the same as having one's shame exposed to the entire nation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Such public humiliation was unbearable to anyone born a samurai.\n\n\"Your horse, my lord,\" Masataka said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The retainers had still not noticed the attendant leading Mitsuhide's horse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Distracted by the events of the day, they still stood in small groups, discussing the matter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just as Mitsuhide was about to leave, someone dismounted in front of the gate. It was a messenger from Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Mitsuhide, are you leaving?\" the man inquired." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not yet. I thought I would go to the castle once more, pay my respects to His Lordship and Lord Ieyasu, and leave.\"\n\n\"Lord Nobunaga was worried that you might consider doing that, and sent me here so that you wouldn't have to go to the castle in the middle of your haste to depart.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? Yet another message?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide said. He immediately went back inside, sat down, and listened respectfully to his lord's wishes.\n\nThe order for you to be dismissed from today's function and take your leave still stands as before, but there are further instructions concerning your departure as the vanguard to the western provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Akechi forces are to march from Tajima into Inaba." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "You may enter Mori Terumoto's provinces at will. Do not be careless, and do not allow time to pass." }, { "from": "human", "value": "You should return to Tamba at once, prepare your troops, and protect Hideyoshi's flank along the Sanin Road." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I myself will soon head westward as a rear guard. Do not waste time and possibly cause us to miss this strategic opportunity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide prostrated himself and responded that he would follow the instructions to the letter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, perhaps feeling that he had shown too much servility, he sat up, looked directly at the messenger, and said, \"Please speak to His Lordship as you see fit.\"\n\nMitsuhide walked to the entrance to see the man off." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With each step, his senses were set on edge by the wind that wafted through the almost empty building." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Until a few years ago, when I was given leave to return home, he always wanted me to see him once before I left, even if it was the middle of the night. How many times had Nobunaga said, Come by for a bowl of tea, or If you're leaving in the morning, come by before dawn." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why has he come to despise me like this?" }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'don't' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He's even sent a messenger so he won't have to see me in person.\n\nDon't even think. Don't even consider it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The more he made an effort not to, the more he grumbled and the more his heart was flooded by a silent monologue." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The words were like bubbles rising up through fetid water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Does anyone see these flowers? They're useless too!\"\n\nMitsuhide reached out for the large vase in the alcove and shook the flowers that had been beautifully arranged." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he carried the vase to the veranda, the water spilled noisily onto the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's get out of here! It's time to leave! Are you ready?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he shouted to his retainers. Mitsuhide raised the vase over his head, aimed at a wide stepping stone, and threw it with all his might." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It exploded amid a spray of water with a comforting sound, and water flew back onto Mitsuhide's face and chest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide turned his soaked face up toward the empty sky and laughed out loud. He laughed completely alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was late at night, and as the fog settled in, the air became hot and humid." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His retainers had finished packing and stood in ranks in front of the gate. The horses neighed under the low rain clouds in the sky." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Has rain gear been prepared?\" a retainer asked, looking inside the gate again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's not a bit of starlight tonight, and if it starts to rain, the roads are going to become difficult. We'd better prepare a few extra torches,\" another yelled." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every samurai's face was as gloomy as the night sky. Eyes were filled with anger, tears, bitterness, or sullen discontent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Very soon, Mitsuhide's voice could be heard as he rode away from the entrance with a group of mounted men.\n\n\"Sakamoto is almost within view,\" he said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We should arrive there soon, even if it does rain.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hearing the unusually cheerful voice of their lord, his retainers felt surprise more than anything else." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Earlier that evening, Mitsuhide had complained of a slight fever and had taken medicine, and now his attendants were anxious about the possibility of rain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had responded to their concern in a voice purposefully loud enough for the men standing both inside and outside the gate to hear.\n\nWhen Mitsuhide was announced, fire was passed from torch to torch until the number of lights seemed almost to multiply infinitely." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, with flames held aloft, the retainers walked out one after another, following the vanguard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After they had traveled about half a league, rain began to fall, the drops splashing the flames of the torches." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It seems the guests in the castle still haven't gone to bed. Perhaps they're going to stay up all night.\"\n\nMitsuhide did not notice the rain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he turned in his saddle and looked back toward the lake, the huge donjon of Azuchi Castle seemed to soar into a sky that was as black as ink." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He imagined that the golden dolphins that adorned the roof sparkled brighter on this rainy night, glaring out into the darkness. Reflected in the lake, the sea of lights in the many-storied building seemed to shiver with cold." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That morning the shore of Lake Biwa was once again lost in the mist, perhaps because the sky had not yet settled from the early summer rains. With the lapping waves and the mist that was indistinguishable from rain, the world appeared to be pure white.\n\nThe road was extraordinarily muddy, and the horses were spattered all the way up to their ears. Silently defying the previous night's rain and the condition of the road, the entire army tramped desolately toward Sakamoto. To the right was the lakeshore, to the left, Mount Hiei. As the wind blew down the mountain, it stiffened the straw raincoats the men were wearing and made them look like bristling hedgehogs.\n\n\"Ah, look over there, my lord. Lord Mitsuharu has come to greet you,\" Masataka said to Mitsuhide.\n\nThe castle on the lakeshore—Sakamoto Castle—was directly ahead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide nodded slightly, as though he had already noticed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although Sakamoto was almost close enough to Azuchi for him to be able to turn around and see it, Mitsuhide looked as if he had walked a thousand leagues." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he stood in front of the castle commanded by his cousin, Akechi Mitsuharu, he felt exactly as though he had escaped from the tiger's den.\n\nHis attendants, however, were far more worried about Mitsuhide's periodic coughing than they were about what might have been on his mind, and they expressed their concern.\n\n\"You've been traveling all night in the rain with this cold, and you must be exhausted. Once you've gone inside the castle, you should waste no time in getting yourself warm and going to bed.\"\n\n\"Yes, I probably should.\"\n\nMitsuhide was truly a gentle lord. He listened intently to his retainers' advice and understood their anxiety. When they arrived at the pine grove in front of the gate, Dengo took the reins of Mitsuhide's horse and stood next to the saddle, ready to help his master dismount.\n\nOn the bridge across the moat, a line of Mitsuharu's retainers had drawn up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the retainers opened an umbrella and offered it deferentially. Masataka took the umbrella and held it over Mitsuhide's head.\n\nMitsuhide walked across the bridge. Looking down through the railing, he could see white water birds swimming around the pilings like scattered flowers over the blue-green water.\n\nMitsuharu, who had come out to welcome his cousin, now stepped out a few paces from the line of soldiers and bowed respectfully.\n\n\"We've been waiting for you since dawn,\" he said, leading Mitsuhide through the entrance. The ten or so principal retainers attached to Mitsuhide washed their muddy hands and feet, stacked their wet straw raincoats in a pile, and went into the citadel.\n\nThe other retainers stayed outside the moat, washing the horses and taking care of the baggage, while waiting to be told where their lodgings would be." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The neighing of horses and the din of human voices could be heard far off in the distance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide had changed out of his traveling clothes." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: mount, frequency: 3" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He felt so relaxed in Mitsuharu's quarters that they could have been his own. He had a view of the lake and Mount Hiei from every room. The inner citadel was situated in an area that had once had the most picturesque scenery, but no one could appreciate that scenery now. Since Nobunaga had given the command for Mount Hiei to be destroyed by fire, the monasteries and temples had become mounds of ashes. The village houses at the foot of the mountain had only recently begun to be rebuilt.\n\nThe ruins of the castle at Mount Usa, where Mori Ranmaru's father had met his end, were also close by, as was the battlefield where the soldiers of the Asai and Asakura clans had grappled with the Oda, only to have their corpses piled high. When one thought about these ruins and past battles, one realized that the beauty of the scenery echoed with the wailing of ghosts. Mitsuhide sat listening to the sound of the early summer rains and remembering." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Meanwhile, Mitsuharu was in a small tearoom, watching the fire in the hearth and listening to the genial sound of the water boiling in a teakettle made by the master caster Yojiro." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that moment he was completely immersed in the art of tea.\n\nFrom the time of Mitsuharu's adolescence, he and Mitsuhide had been brought up as brothers, sharing the suffering of the battlefield and the happiness of home life. And, rather than becoming estranged, as brothers tend to do after they grow up, their relationship continued to be a close one.\n\nTheir characters, however, would never be the same. So on this morning the two men quickly went to separate quarters in the castle, each assuming the lifestyle that his own heart dictated.\n\nWell, I imagine he's already changed his clothes, Mitsuharu said to himself. He stood up from his place before the teakettle. Crossing the wet veranda, he went over the bridged corridor into the suite of rooms assigned to his cousin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could hear Mitsuhide's close attendants in another room, but Mitsuhide was alone, sitting bolt upright and staring out over the lake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd like to offer you some tea,\" Mitsuharu said.\n\nMitsuhide turned toward his cousin and murmured, \"Tea...\" as though he were waking from a dream.\n\n\"A piece I had ordered from Yojiro in Kyoto has recently been delivered. It doesn't have the elegant patterns of an Ashiya kettle, but it has a rustic charm that pleases the eye. They say that new teakettles are no good, but as you'd expect of Yojiro, the water that comes from his kettles tastes just as good as the water that comes from the old ones. I had intended to serve you tea with it the next time you were here, and when I was informed this morning that you were suddenly returning from Azuchi, I immediately lit a fire in the hearth.\"\n\n\"That was kind of you, Mitsuharu, but I don't want any tea.\"\n\n\"Well, what about after your bath?\"\n\n\"You won't need to prepare a bath either. Please just let me sleep a little. That's all I want.\"\n\nMitsuharu had heard a great many stories recently, so he was not completely blind to Mitsuhide's thoughts. Nevertheless, he did have some particular doubts about why his cousin had returned to Sakamoto so suddenly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was hardly a secret that Mitsuhide had been given the responsibility of organizing the banquet Nobunaga was holding to welcome Ieyasu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Why had Mitsuhide been so suddenly dismissed just before the banquet?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ieyasu was certainly in Azuchi. Nevertheless, Mitsuhide's post had been given to someone else, and Mitsuhide himself had been ordered to leave.\n\nMitsuharu had not yet heard any details, but from the time he had been told of the events in Azuchi to the moment he saw Mitsuhide's face, he had come to understand that something had happened to upset Lord Nobunaga. Mitsuharu secretly grieved for his cousin.\n\nAnd just as Mitsuharu had feared, ever since he had welcomed him at the castle that morning, Mitsuhide's appearance had not been encouraging. Seeing a grave shadow on his cousin's brow, however, was not such a surprise for Mitsuharu. He believed that there was no one who understood Mitsuhide's character as well as he did, because of their shared past.\n\n\"Yes, that makes sense. You spent the entire night coming from Azuchi on horseback. We're now in our fifties, and can't treat our bodies the way we could when we were young. Well, you should sleep for a while. Everything is prepared.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuharu did not force the issue or try to oppose his cousin's will." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide got up and went inside the mosquito netting while the morning light still played across its threads." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Amano Genemon, Fujita Dengo, and Yomoda Masataka were waiting for Mitsuharu as he left Mitsuhide's room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The three men bowed.\n\n\"Excuse me, my lord,\" Dengo said. \"We're very sorry to disturb you, but we wondered if we might have a word with you. It's a matter of some importance.\" Dengo was not speaking in his ordinary tone of voice.\n\nMitsuharu himself responded as though he had been expecting them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why don't we all go to the teahouse? Lord Mitsuhide has gone to sleep, and I was just thinking it would be a shame to waste the fire under the kettle.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If we go to the teahouse, we won't have to keep people at a distance. That's an excellent idea.\"\n\n\"Let me show you the way.\"\n\n\"I'm afraid the three of us are provincials, so we don't understand much about tea, and we certainly weren't prepared to receive such an honor from you today.\"\n\n\"Don't think of it that way. I understand a little of what you are worried about, and for that reason alone the teahouse should be a good place to talk.\"\n\nThey sat down in the thin light coming through the translucent paper doors of the small teahouse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The water in the kettle had been boiling for some time, and now it bubbled with an even more congenial sound than before. Mitsuharu had shown his martial spirit on the battlefield many times, but here, in front of the hearth, he seemed to be a completely different person.\n\n\"Well, let's not bother with tea. What's on your minds?\"\n\nThus encouraged, the three men looked resolutely back and forth at each other. Finally Dengo, the man among them who seemed to have the most courage, said, \"Lord Mitsuharu, this is mortifying... I can hardly bring myself to speak of it...\" He raised his right sleeve to hide his tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The other two didn't cry, but they could not hide their swollen eyelids.\n\n\"Has something happened?\" Mitsuharu was completely calm, and the three men quickly recovered. It was as though they had expected to be confronting fire but were seeing only water. Mitsuharu noticed their swollen eyes, but he himself was unmoved.\n\n\"The fact is,\" Mitsuharu continued, \"I, too, am worried that this unexpected return means that Lord Nobunaga has been somehow offended. Why was Lord Mitsuhide dismissed from his duties at the banquet?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The first to answer was Dengo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Mitsuhide is our master, but we are not blind to crime and our reasoning is not prejudiced, so we are not just going to rattle on with resentment about Lord Nobunaga without cause. We took great care to try to understand Lord Nobunaga's motives this time, both in terms of the circumstances of Lord Mitsuhide's dismissal, and why he was blamed. The case is exceedingly strange.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dengo's throat was so dry that he could not go on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yomoda Masataka came to his rescue and continued the story." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We even tried to find relief by speculating there was some political motive, but no matter how we look at it, there is nothing we can really put together. The overall plan should have been clear in Lord Nobunaga's mind for some time now. So why would he dismiss the man to whom he had given the responsibility of organizing the banquet and grant the honor to someone else on the very day of the banquet? It almost seems to be a display of disunity intentionally put on for his guest, Lord Ieyasu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genemon went on, \"When I look at the situation as my companions have already described it, I can only think of one reason for it, which is really no reason at all. For the last several years Lord Nobunaga's persistent enmity has caused him to view with hostility everything that Lord Mitsuhide does. His dislike has finally become frank and undisguised, and things have come to this point.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The three men stopped talking." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a mountain of incidents they would have yet liked to describe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "For example, at the camp in Suwa during the invasion of Kai, Nobunaga had pushed Mitsuhide's face down on the wooden floor of the corridor, calling him \"Kumquat Head,\" and ordering him to leave." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus he had been insulted in front of everyone, and there had been numerous times that he had been embarrassed in the same way at Azuchi. These incidents, each of which would take forever to recount, demonstrated Nobunaga's hostility toward Mitsuhide and had become the subject of gossip among the retainers of other clans. Mitsuharu was of the same flesh and blood as Mitsuhide, and because of his close kinship, he was naturally aware that those events that occurred.\n\nMitsuharu had listened to everything without the least change of expression. \"Well then, Lord Mitsuhide was dismissed for no particular reason? I'm relieved to hear that. Other clans have earned Lord Nobunaga's favor or disfavor, depending on his mood.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The expressions on the three men's faces suddenly changed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The muscles around Dengo's lips twitched, and he abruptly drew up closer to Mitsuharu." }, { "from": "system", "value": "DIRECTIVE: Incorporate \"Do I have to repeat myself? The blame is not with Lord Mitsuhide, so if this has happened because Lord Nobunaga was out of sorts, Lord Mitsuhide should be able to repair the unhappy situation when Lord Nobunaga is in a better mood.\" in response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What do you mean, you're relieved?\"\n\n\"Do I have to repeat myself? The blame is not with Lord Mitsuhide, so if this has happened because Lord Nobunaga was out of sorts, Lord Mitsuhide should be able to repair the unhappy situation when Lord Nobunaga is in a better mood.\"\n\nDengo was speaking more and more excitedly. \"Aren't you viewing Lord Mitsuhide as an entertainer who has to ingratiate himself for the sake of his lord's mood? Is this the way one should think of Lord Akechi Mitsuhide? Don't you think he's been humiliated, insulted, and pressed to the brink of self-destruction?\"\n\n\"Dengo, the veins in your temples are getting a little swollen. Calm down.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I haven't been able to sleep for two nights. I can't just remain calm like you, my lord. My master and his retainers have been scorched in a boiling pot of injustice, ridicule, insults, and every kind of vexation.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's why I've asked you to calm yourself and try to get some sleep for two or three nights.\"\n\n\"That's absurd!\" Dengo exclaimed. \"It's said of samurai that the shame of once being covered with mud is difficult to wipe away. How many times have my lord and his retainers endured such shame on account of this vicious lord in Azuchi? And yesterday it wasn't just a matter of Lord Mitsuhide's role in the banquet being taken away. The order that came right after that made the entire Akechi clan look like dogs chasing wild boar or deer. Perhaps you've heard that we are to mobilize immediately for a departure to the west. We're supposed to attack the Mori's provinces in the Sanin to protect Lord Hideyoshi's flank. How can we go to the battlefield feeling the way we do? This situation is another example of the scheming of that vicious dog of a lord!\"\n\n\"Restrain yourself! Whom are you referring to as a vicious dog?\"\n\n\"Lord Nobunaga, the same man who constantly calls our lord 'Kumquat Head' in front of others. Look at men like Hayashi Sado, or Sakuma Nobumori and his son. For years they helped make Nobunaga as great as he is today. Then, almost immediately after they were rewarded with status and a castle, they were arrested for some trivial crime and either condemned to death or driven into exile. The final act of that vicious lord is always to chase someone away.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Silence! You are not to speak so disrespectfully of Lord Nobunaga! Get out! Now!\"\n\nAs Mitsuharu finally became angry and reprimanded the man, something could be faintly heard in the garden. It was difficult to tell whether it was a man approaching, or only the falling of autumn leaves.\n\nExtreme care was taken day and night against the possibility of espionage, even in places where the enemy's presence was highly improbable. Thus even in the teahouse garden, there were samurai standing guard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now one of the guards had come up to the teahouse and was bowing in front of the door. After handing a letter to Mitsuharu, he drew back a little and waited as motionless as a stone.\n\nSoon Mitsuharu's voice could be heard from inside. \"This will require an answer, and I will write one later. Have the monk wait.\"\n\nThe guard bowed politely toward the entrance and walked back to his post." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His straw sandals made almost no sound on the path in the manner of someone slinking away.\n\nFor a while, Mitsuharu and the other three men sat in complete silence, enveloped in an excruciatingly icy atmosphere. From time to time, a ripe plum fell to the ground with a sound like a wooden hammer striking the earth. That sound was the only thing that relieved the silence. Suddenly a bright ray of sunlight struck the paper panels of the sliding door." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, we should take our leave. You have some urgent business to attend to,\" Masataka said, taking the opportunity to withdraw, but Mitsuharu, who had unrolled the letter and read it in front of the three men, now rolled the letter up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why don't you stay awhile?\" he asked, smiling.\n\n\"No, we'll take our leave. We don't want to intrude any further.\"\n\nAfter the three men had shut the sliding door tightly behind them, their footsteps disappeared in the direction of the bridged corridor, and they sounded as if they were walking across thin ice.\n\nA few moments later Mitsuharu left as well. He called into the samurai quarters as he walked down the corridor." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The days passed. Mitsuhide spent the time in Sakamoto Castle, doing nothing. He had already received Nobunaga's command to depart for the western provinces, and should have returned as quickly as possible to his own castle to mobilize his retainers. Mitsuharu would have liked to tell him that spending such a long time in idleness was not going to be good for his reputation in Azuchi. When he thought about Mitsuhide's feelings, however, he was unable to speak out. The discontent that Dengo and Masataka had expressed so bitterly would naturally be in Mitsuhide's heart as well.\n\nIf that was so, Mitsuharu thought, a few days of peace and quiet would be the best preparation for the forthcoming campaign." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuharu had complete faith in his cousin's intelligence and common sense. Wondering how Mitsuhide was passing the time, Mitsuharu visited his room. Mitsuhide was painting, copying from an open book.\n\n\"Well, what are you doing?\" Mitsuharu stood at his side and watched, pleased at Mitsuhide's composure and happy that they could share something.\n\n\"Mitsuharu? Don't look. I still can't paint in front of others.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide put down the brush and displayed a bashfulness not often seen in men over fifty. He was so embarrassed that he hid the sketches he had discarded.\n\n\"Am I disturbing you?\" Mitsuharu laughed. \"Who painted the book you're using as a model?\"\n\n\"It's one of Yusho's.\"\n\n\"Yusho? What's that fellow doing these days? We don't hear anything at all about him around here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He unexpectedly visited my camp one evening in Kai. He left the following morning before dawn.\"\n\n\"He's a strange fellow.\"\n\n\"No, I don't think he can be summed up simply as strange. He's a loyal man, and his heart is as upright as bamboo. He may have given up being a samurai, but he still seems like a warrior to me.\"\n\n\"I've heard he was a retainer of Saito Tatsuoki. Are you praising him because he remains faithful to his former lord even today?\"\n\n\"During the construction of Azuchi, he was the only one who refused to participate, even though he was invited to do so by Lord Nobunaga himself. He won't bend for either fame or power. It seems that he had more self-respect than to paint for the enemy of his former lord.\"\n\nJust then, one of Mitsuharu's retainers came in and knelt behind them, and the two men stopped talking." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuharu turned and asked the man what his business was." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The samurai looked embarrassed. In his hand was a letter and what seemed to be a petition written on thick paper. As he spoke, he was obviously worried about Mitsuharu's reaction. \"Another messenger from the Abbot of Yokawa has come to the castle gate, and he pressed me to deliver this letter once more to the lord of the castle. I refused, but he said he had come on orders and would not go away. What should I do?\"\n\n\"What? Again?\" Mitsuharu lightly clicked his tongue. \"I sent a letter to the Abbot of Yokawa some time ago, carefully explaining to him that I could not possibly agree to the contents of his petition, so that it was useless for him to ask. Still he persisted, sending me letters two or three times after that. He's certainly headstrong. Just refuse to take it and sent him off.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With that, the messenger hurried off with the petition still in his hand. He looked as though he himself had been reprimanded.\n\nAs soon as the man had left, Mitsuhide spoke to his cousin.\n\n\"Would that be the Abbot of Yokawa from Mount Hiei?\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"Years ago, I was ordered to take part in the burning of Mount Hiei. We then made war not only on the warrior-monks, but also on the holy men, and on women and children—without distinction—cutting them down and tossing their bodies into the flames. We so utterly destroyed that mountain that trees could not have been expected to thrive there again, much less men. And now it seems that the priests who survived the massacre have gone back and are trying to make the place live again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right. From what I've heard, the mountaintop is just as desolate and ruined as it was before, but men of profound learning are calling together the scattered remnants of the believers and using every means possible to restore the mountain.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That will be difficult while Lord Nobunaga is alive.\"\n\n\"And they're well aware of that. They've turned a great deal of their energy toward the Court, trying to get an edict from the Emperor to persuade Lord Nobunaga, but the prospects are dim, so recently they've looked for support from the common people. They're roaming every province, seeking contributions, knocking on every door, and I've heard that they're even constructing temporary shrines on the sites of the old temples.\"\n\n\"Well then, the errand of the messenger who was sent to you two or three times by the Abbot of Yokawa had something to do with that petition?\"\n\n\"No.\" Mitsuharu quickly shifted his eyes and gazed peacefully into Mitsuhide's face. \"The fact is that I thought it was something I needn't trouble you with, so I turned him down myself. Since you're asking me about it now, however, perhaps I should go over it with you. The Abbot of Yokawa knew that you would be staying here, and he wanted to have an audience with you at least once.\"\n\n\"The abbot said that he wanted to meet me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, and he also requested in his petition to have the respected name of Lord Mitsuhide on the subscription list for the restoration of Mount Hiei. I told him that both requests were absolutely out of the question.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And even though you told him it was out of the question, and refused and then refused again, he still sent messengers to the castle three or four more times? Mitsuharu, I would be apprehensive about signing my name to the subscription list out of deference to Lord Nobunaga, but I wonder if I need to hesitate just to meet him.\"\n\n\"I think it's totally unnecessary for you to meet him,\" Mitsuharu said. \"What purpose today would there be for you—who acted as a general at the destruction of Mount Hiei—to meet with a priest who survived that destruction?\"\n\n\"He was an enemy at that time,\" Mitsuhide replied. \"But now Mount Hiei has been made completely impotent, and the people there have prostrated themselves and pledged their allegiance to Azuchi.\"\n\n\"Certainly, in form. But how are the fellow priests and relatives of those who were massacred, and the monks whose ancient temples and monasteries were burned, going to forget the resentment that has lived in their hearts for so many years? The dead must have numbered ten thousand, and the buildings had been there since the time of Saint Dengyo.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide let out a long sigh." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There was no way I could avoid Nobunaga's orders, and I too became one of those insane arsonists on Mount Hiei that year. I stabbed to death both the warrior-monks and numberless unfortunate monks and laymen, young and old. When I think of that today, my breast is tortured just as though it were the burning mountain itself.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'better' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But you've always said that we should take the broad view, and it doesn't sound as though you're doing that now. You destroy one to save many. If we burn one mountain but make the Buddhist Law shine brightly on another five mountains and a hundred peaks, then I think that the killings we samurai commit cannot be called murders.\"\n\n\"Of course that's right. But out of sympathy, I can't restrain a tear for Mount Hiei. Mitsuharu! In public I must hold back, but as an ordinary man I feel that there could be no harm in saying a prayer for the mountain, could there? I'm going to go to the mountain incognito tomorrow. I'll come back right after meeting the abbot.\"\n\nThat night, Mitsuharu stayed awake worrying even after he had gone to bed. Why was Mitsuhide so taken by the idea of going to Mount Hiei? Should he, Mitsuharu, try to stop him, or would it be better to let him do what he wanted? Considering the position Mitsuhide was in now, it would be better for him to have no connection whatsoever with the restoration of Mount Hiei." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And it would not be advisable for him to meet with the abbot, either." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'going' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This much Mitsuharu could think through clearly, but why had Mitsuhide looked displeased at his arbitrary rejection of the abbot's messenger and his refusal of the petition? Fundamentally, he did not seem very happy with Mitsuharu's handling of the situation.\n\nWhat sort of plan was Mitsuhide conceiving, with Mount Hiei as its center? Obviously Mitsuhide's visit would provide good material for slanderous assertions that he was plotting against Nobunaga. And it was certainly a waste of time, just before his departure for a campaign in the western provinces.\n\n\"I'm going to stop him. I'm going to stop him no matter what he says.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Having made this decision, Mitsuharu finally closed his eyes. In a head-on confrontation he would most likely receive an unpleasant tongue-lashing from Mitsuhide or make him very angry, but he was going to do his best to stop his cousin. So resolved, he went to sleep.\n\nThe next morning he got up earlier than usual, but as he was washing, he heard the rhythm of running feet hurrying down the main corridor to the entranceway. Mitsuharu called out and stopped one of the samurai.\n\n\"Who's leaving?\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Today you will be acting as a writing assistant for a segment of a larger historical fiction story. Your partner will send something and you will write the next 9 sentences. Characters may already be established." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It looks like the rainy season is ending here too.\"\n\nThe morning mist in the pine grove beyond the castle still had not cleared, and it made the surrounding area look almost like a scene at the bottom of the sea. The two mounted men hurried through the grove at a light gait. A large bird flew over them, flapping its wings majestically.\n\n\"The weather is fine, isn't it, Genemon?\"\n\n\"If it stays like this, the mountain will be clear.\"\n\n\"I haven't felt this good in a long time,\" Mitsuhide said.\n\n\"That fact alone makes this trip worthwhile.\"\n\n\"I want to meet the Abbot of Yokawa more than anything else. That's my only business here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I daresay he will be surprised to see you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"People would have been suspicious if I had invited him to Sakamoto Castle. I have to meet him in private. Make the arrangements, Genemon.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"People are more likely to see you at the foot of the mountain than on the mountain itself. It would be highly unpleasant if word got around to the villagers that Lord Mitsuhide was out on an excursion. You should wear your hood down over your face, at least as far as Hiyoshi.\"\n\nMitsuhide pulled his hood down, until only his mouth was visible.\n\n\"Your clothes are plain, and your saddle is just that of a common warrior's. No one will be likely to think that you are Lord Akechi Mitsuhide.\"\n\n\"If you treat me with that much courtesy, people will be suspicious immediately.\"\n\n\"I hadn't thought of that,\" Genemon said with a laugh. \"I'll be a little more careful from now on, but don't blame me for being rude.\"\n\nAt the foot of Mount Hiei, rebuilding had been going on for two or three years, and the streets of Sakamoto were slowly taking on their former appearance. As the two riders passed through the village and turned off on the path going up to the Enryaku Temple, the morning sun finally began to sparkle on the waters of the lake.\n\n\"What shall we do with the horses once we dismount on the way up?\" Genemon asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"A new shrine has been built on the site of the old one. There must be farmhouses nearby. If not, it should be all right to leave them with a workman at the shrine itself.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lone rider was whipping his horse to catch up with them.\n\n\"Isn't that someone calling us from behind?\" Genemon asked with some concern.\n\n\"If there's someone chasing us, I'm sure it's Mitsuharu. Yesterday he looked as though he wanted to stop me from making this trip.\"\n\n\"He possesses a gentility and sincerity you rarely see in men these days. He's almost too gentle to be a samurai.\"\n\n\"It is Mitsuharu, just as I thought.\"\n\n\"He certainly seems determined to stop you, my lord.\"\n\n\"Well, I won't turn back, no matter what he says. Maybe he's not going to try to stop me. If he wanted to do that, he'd have grabbed my horse's bridle at the castle gate. Look, he's dressed for a mountain excursion, too.\"\n\nIn the end, Mitsuharu had rethought his position before starting out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He felt that it would be best not to oppose Mitsuhide, but rather to come along with him for the day to make sure he made no mistakes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he brought up his horse alongside of his cousin, he smiled brightly. \"You're too fast for me, my lord. I was taken by surprise this morning, and not a little shaken up. I didn't think you would leave at such an early hour.\"\n\n\"I didn't think you were planning to come with me. You wouldn't have had to chase us like that if we'd made arrangements last night.\"\n\n\"I was negligent. Even if you are traveling in disguise, I thought that you would be accompanied by at least ten mounted men carrying along a picnic, and that you would be traveling at a more leisurely pace.\"\n\n\"I would have liked that if this had been a normal excursion,\" Mitsuhide said. \"But the only purpose of today's trip is to pray for those who went through hellfire years ago and to hold at least one memorial service for their bones. I hadn't thought about carrying up fine sake and delicacies.\"\n\n\"I may have said something that offended you yesterday, but I'm just prudent by nature. It was really nothing more than my not wanting you to do something that might be taken the wrong way in Azuchi. Given the way you're dressed, and that your intention is to say a mass for the dead, I'm sure Lord Nobunaga couldn't blame you even if he were to hear about it. The fact is that even though I reside in a castle close to Sakamoto, I haven't made one trip to the mountain. So I thought that today would be a good opportunity to visit the place. Well, lead on, Genemon.\"\n\nSpurring his horse, Mitsuharu rode up next to Mitsuhide and began to make conversation as though he were afraid Mitsuhide might become bored. He discussed the plants and flowers they saw along the roadside, explained the habits of the different birds as he distinguished them by their calls, and generally carried on with the solicitude of a kind woman trying to cheer up a sick person." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide could not reject such a display of true feelings, but Mitsuharu talked almost exclusively about nature, while Mitsuhide's mind was immersed in human concerns whether he was asleep or awake or even holding a brush over a painting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He lived in human society, in the midst of contending demons and within the flames of wrath and malice. Even though the song of the cuckoo filled the mountain air, the hot blood that had risen to his temples during his retreat from Azuchi had not yet been calmed.\n\nAs Mitsuhide climbed Mount Hiei, his heart was not at peace even for a moment. How desolate the place looked, when contrasted with its former prosperity. Following the Gongen River up toward the Eastern Pagoda, the party saw no signs of human life. Only the birdsong hadn't changed. The mountain had been famous as a sanctuary for rare birds since ancient times.\n\n\"I don't see a single monk,\" Mitsuhide said as he stood in front of a ruined temple. He appeared to be surprised at Nobunaga's thoroughness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Isn't there a single living soul on this mountain? Let's try the main temple.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked more than a little disappointed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Perhaps he had thought he would see the latent power of the warrior-monks come back to life on the mountain, in spite of Nobunaga's supremacy.\n\nBut when they finally arrived at the former location of the main temple and lecture hall, nothing remained but mounds of ashes. Only in the area of the monastery had a number of huts been erected. The scent of incense drifted from that direction, so Genemon went to investigate. He found four or five mountain hermits, sitting around a pot of rice gruel that was cooking over a fire.\n\n\"They say the Abbot of Yokawa isn't here,\" Genemon said.\n\n\"If the abbot is not there, is there not perhaps a scholar or elder from former times?\"\n\nGenemon inquired a second time, but his answer was not encouraging. \"It seems there's no such person on the mountain. They're not allowed to come here without the permission of either Azuchi or the governor of Kyoto. Moreover, even now the law does not recognize any permanent residences on the mountain other than for a limited number of monks.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The law is the law,\" Mitsuhide said, \"but religious zeal is not like a fire that can be doused with water and disappear forever. Come to think of it, the elders probably thought that we're warriors from Azuchi, and they probably hid. The abbot and the elders who survived are probably somewhere on the mountain right now. Genemon, explain to those men that they should have no such worries, and ask them once again.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Genemon started to walk off, Mitsuharu said to Mitsuhide, \"I'll go. They are not likely to tell us anything, with Genemon's stern way of asking questions.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While he was waiting for Mitsuharu, however, Mitsuhide unexpectedly encountered someone he hadn't planned on meeting at all.\n\nThe man was dressed in a greenish brown hood and a monk's robe of the same color and wore white leggings and straw sandals. He was over seventy years of age, but his lips were a youthful red. His eyebrows were pure white, and he looked like a crane dressed in a monk's robe. He was accompanied by two servants and a child.\n\n\"Lord Mitsuhide? Well, well, I never thought I'd meet you here, my lord. I heard that you were in Azuchi. What brings you to this deserted mountain today?\"\n\nHe hardly spoke like an old man; his voice was exceptionally resonant, and his lips formed a constant, untroubled smile.\n\nOn the contrary, it was Mitsuhide who appeared to be confused. Distracted by the sharp eyes beneath the old man's clear brow, his response was hesitant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's Doctor Manase, isn't it? I've been staying at Sakamoto Castle for a few days, and I thought a little walk through the mountains might cheer me up from the gloom of the rainy season.\"\n\n\"There's no better medicine for the body or the mind than an occasional cleansing of the ch'i by walking through the hills and getting in touch with nature. At a a glance, I'd say you've been tired for some time. Are you returning to your home province on sick leave?\" the doctor asked, narrowing his eyes to the size of needles. For some reason Mitsuhide found it impossible to deceive a man who had eyes like that. Manase had been practicing medicine at the time Yoshiaki's father, Yoshiteru, was shogun. The two men had not met for quite a while, but Mitsuhide had sat in the company of the great doctor a number of times at Azuchi Castle. Nobunaga had often invited Manase to be his guest at tea ceremonies, and whenever he was sick, he would call him immediately. He had more confidence in this man than in his own physicians.\n\nBy nature, however, Manase did not enjoy being employed by the powerful and, as he lived in Kyoto, traveling to Azuchi was a chore, despite his robust health." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that point Mitsuharu returned without having gone to the hut, as Genemon had quickly run to call him back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We've bumped into someone, and it's an awkward situation,\" Genemon whispered to him as they walked back. But when Mitsuharu saw that it was Manase, he happily joined the conversation, indicating clearly that he had long been on friendly terms with the doctor.\n\n\"What a treat! It's Doctor Manase. You always look healthier than a man in his prime. Did you climb up from Kyoto today? Off on a mountain excursion?\"\n\nManase enjoyed conversation and was happy to run into friends on the mountain.\n\n\"I climb Mount Hiei every year in the spring or early summer and again in the fall. But you know, there must be a lot of herbs that we haven't discovered yet right here.\"\n\nAs Manase talked, he did not seem to be paying particular attention to Mitsuhide, though he had been casting his doctor's eye over the man from time to time. Eventually he turned the subject to Mitsuhide's health.\n\n\"I've heard from Lord Mitsuharu that you'll soon be leaving to take part in the campaign in the west. Be sure to take good care of your health. When a man passes fifty, it's difficult to deny his age, no matter how strong he may be.\"\n\nThere was a concern in his advice that went beyond the words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is that so?\" Mitsuhide smiled and responded to Manase's advice as though they were discussing someone else's health." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Recently I've felt as though I've had a bit of a cold, but I've got a strong constitution and haven't really considered myself to be ill.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, I wouldn't be so sure. It's all very fine when a sick man is conscious of his own illness and takes the proper precautions. But when a man is overconfident, as you are, he can fall quite gravely into error.\"\n\n\"Well then, do you think I am suffering from some chronic condition?\"\n\n\"I can see, just by looking at your complexion and listening to your voice, that you're not in your usual state of health. Rather than saying that you are suffering from a chronic disease, I would suggest that your internal organs may have become fatigued, and that the subtle energies associated with them are out of balance.\"\n\n\"If you're just saying I'm fatigued, I'll certainly agree to that. From taking part in various battles over the past few years and from serving my lord, I've pushed my body beyond its limits time and again.\"\n\n\"Speaking about something like this to someone as knowledgeable as you is probably like teaching the Dharma to the Buddha, but you really should take care of your health. The five internal organs—the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—are manifested in the five aspirations, the five energies, and the five sounds. For example, if the liver is ill, you'll have copious tears; if the heart is injured, you'll be beset by fears, no matter how brave you are ordinarily; if the spleen is distressed, you'll be easily angered; if the lungs are not functioning properly, you'll go through mental agony and not have the psychological strength to understand why. And if your kidneys are weak, you'll have strong swings of mood.\"\n\nManase gazed steadily at Mitsuhide's complexion. For his part, Mitsuhide was confident of his own health and did not intend to listen to what Manase was going to say. He did his best to conceal what he felt behind a forced smile but was beginning to feel ill-humored and uneasy. Finally, his patience worn thin, he appeared to be waiting for an opportunity to get away from the old man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Manase, however, was not going to stop what he had to say halfway through." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Understanding exactly what the look in Mitsuhide's eyes meant, he continued to lecture him.\n\n\"What I noticed from the moment I met you was the color of your skin. You seem to be either very afraid or worried about something. You repress the anger in your eyes, but I can see that they are filled not only with the anger of a man but also with the tears of a woman. Haven't you recently felt a chill at night that goes all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes? What about a ringing in your ears? Or dried-up saliva and a taste in your mouth as though you've been chewing thorns? Do you have any of those symptoms?\"\n\n\"There have been nights when I could not sleep, but last night I slept fine. Well, I certainly appreciate your concern, doctor, and during the campaign I'll take extra care about medicine and food.\" Taking this opportunity, Mitsuhide signaled to Genemon and Mitsuharu that it was time to go." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That day the Akechi retainer Shinshi Sakuzaemon belatedly left Azuchi for Sakamoto Castle, accompanied by a small party of men. His lord, Mitsuhide, had left in such haste that Shinshi had stayed behind to take care of unfinished business.\n\nAs soon as he had taken off his travel clothes, several men crowded around him in his room and questioned him.\n\n\"What was the situation like afterward?\"\n\n\"What kind of rumors spread around Azuchi after His Lordship left?\"\n\nShinshi spoke, gritting his teeth. \"It's only been eight days since His Lordship left Azuchi, but for the men who receive their stipends from the Akechi clan, it's been like sitting on a bed of nails for three years. Every servant and commoner in Azuchi has walked by the empty banquet hall and yelled insults. 'Is this Lord Mitsuhide's empty mansion? No wonder it smells like rotten fish. With this kind of bad luck and disgrace, the light shining on that Kumquat Head is going to fade right away.'\"\n\n\"No one criticized Lord Nobunaga's actions as unreasonable or unfair?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'there' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There must be some retainers who understand. What are they saying?\"\n\n\"During the days after His Lordship's departure, the banquet was being held for Lord Ieyasu, so Azuchi Castle was involved in that and nothing else. Perhaps Lord Ieyasu thought it strange that the official in charge of the banquet had suddenly been changed, and I've heard that he asked Lord Nobunaga why Lord Mitsuhide had suddenly disappeared. Lord Nobunaga only replied nonchalantly that he had had him return to his home province.\"\n\nEveryone who heard this report bit his lip. Shinshi went on to tell them that most of the senior Oda retainers seemed to think that Mitsuhide's adversity was their good luck. Furthermore, it was possible that Nobunaga was considering moving the Akechi clan to some out-of-the-way place. That was nothing more than a rumor, but there is rarely smoke without fire. Ranmaru, Nobunaga's favorite page, was the son of Mori Yoshinari, the Oda retainer who had died in battle years before at Sakamoto. For this reason Ranmaru secretly coveted Sakamoto Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was even a rumor that he had already received a tacit promise from Nobunaga." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'mitsuhide' (3x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And there was more. Many were of the view that the order for Mitsuhide to advance toward the Sanin Road had more than likely been calculated so that when he occupied the area, he would be made its governor on the spot. Sakamoto Castle, so close to Azuchi, would then be presented to Mori Ranmaru.\n\nAs proof, Shinshi cited the military command given to Mitsuhide by Nobunaga on the nineteenth day of the month, and then he turned away in a fury. He need not have explained. The order had angered Mitsuhide and every one of his retainers. It read as follows:\n\nIn order for you to act as rear guard in Bitchu, you should set out from your own province in the next few days and thereby precede me to the battlefield." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There you should wait for Hideyoshi's instructions." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'akechi' must appear 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This letter, circulated to all the generals and retainers of the Oda clan, was clearly written under Nobunaga's direction, so when it was brought to the warriors of the Akechi clan, their anger moved them to tears of rage. It had been customary to consider the Akechi clan superior to the Ikeda and the Hori, and as on the same level as Hideyoshi's Hashiba and the Shibata. Nevertheless, their lord's name had been recorded beneath those commanders' names in addition to his being put under Hideyoshi's command.\n\nA lack of respect for one's rank was the greatest insult to a samurai. The shame of the banquet incident had been compounded in a military order. The men were outraged once again. By that time it was twilight, and the setting sun played over the walls. No one spoke, but tears stained the men's cheeks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just then, the footsteps of several samurai could be heard in the corridor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Guessing that their lord was now returning, the men all scrambled out to meet him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only Shinshi, still in his travel clothes, held back waiting to be summoned. Mitsuhide, who had just returned from Mount Hiei, did not call Shinshi until after he had taken a bath and eaten.\n\nNo one was with him at that time but Mitsuharu, and Shinshi delivered a report that he had not given to the other retainers, which was that Nobunaga had made his decision and was preparing to set out from Azuchi on the twenty-ninth of the month. He would spend one night in Kyoto and then immediately go west.\n\nMitsuhide listened attentively. His eyes reflected his clear and observant intellect. He nodded at Shinshi's every word.\n\n\"How many will be accompanying him?\" he asked.\n\n\"He will be accompanied by a few retainers and thirty or forty pages.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What! He'll be going to Kyoto with so small an entourage?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuharu had remained quietly in the background, but now that Mitsuhide, too, had sunk into silence, he dismissed Shinshi.\n\nAfter Shinshi left, Mitsuharu and Mitsuhide were alone. Mitsuhide looked as though he wanted to open his heart to his cousin, but in the end, Mitsuharu did not give him the chance. Instead, Mitsuharu spoke of loyalty to Nobunaga and urged Mitsuhide to hasten to the western provinces so as not to offend his lord.\n\nThe upright character his cousin displayed was characterized by a strong and loving quality upon which Mitsuhide had relied for the last forty years, and he had faith in him now as the most dependable man in his clan. Therefore, even though Mitsuharu's attitude was not in tune with Mitsuhide's own innermost feelings, he was unable to be angry with him or try to pressure him.\n\nAfter some moments of utter silence Mitsuhide suddenly said, \"Let's send an advance party tonight to my retainers at Kameyama and have them prepare for the campaign as quickly as possible. Would you arrange that, Mitsuharu?\"\n\nMitsuharu stood up happily." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That night, a small party of men hurried toward Kameyama Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At about the fourth watch, Mitsuhide suddenly sat up. Had he been dreaming? Or had he been considering something and had decided against it? A little while later he pulled the coverlet over himself again, buried his face in the pillow, and tried to get back to sleep.\n\nWas it mist or rain? The sound of the waves in the lake, or the wind blowing down Mount Hiei? The wind from the mountain did not stop playing through the eaves of the mansion all night. Although it did not find its way inside, the candle at Mitsuhide's pillow flickered as though it were being shaken by an evil spirit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide turned over. Although it was the season of short nights, to him it seemed that the morning was long in coming." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finally, just as his breathing had become deep and even, once again he suddenly pushed away his covers and sat up with a start.\n\n\"Is anyone there?\" he called toward the pages' quarters.\n\nSliding doors were opened far away. The page on night watch silently entered and prostrated himself.\n\n\"Tell Matabei to come right away,\" Mitsuhide ordered.\n\nEveryone in the samurai quarters was asleep, but as several of Mitsuhide's retainers had left for Kameyama the previous evening, those who had stayed behind were tense, not knowing when their lord, Mitsuhide, might himself depart. Each man had gone to bed that evening with his traveling clothes next to his pillow.\n\n\"Did you summon me, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yomoda Matabei had quickly appeared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was a robust young man who had caught Mitsuhide's eye. Mitsuhide motioned him closer and whispered an order to him.\n\nUpon receiving secret orders from Mitsuhide, the young man's face registered strong emotion.\n\n\"I'll go at once!\" he answered, responding to his lord's trust with his entire being.\n\n\"You'll be recognized as an Akechi samurai, so go quickly—before dawn breaks. Have your wits about you, and don't blunder.\"\n\nAfter Matabei had withdrawn, there was still some time before it would begin to grow light and it was only now that Mitsuhide was able to sleep soundly. Contrary to his usual practice, he did not leave his room until broad daylight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Many of his retainers had guessed that the departure for Kameyama would take place that day and had expected an early announcement to that effect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were quite surprised when they discovered that their lord was sleeping so uncommonly late.\n\nAt about noon, Mitsuhide's relaxed voice could be heard in the hall.\n\n\"I spent the entire day walking around the mountain yesterday and slept better last night than I have for a long time. Maybe that's why I feel so good today. I seem to have completely recovered from my cold.\"\n\nA look of congratulations that might as well have reflected on their own improved health circulated among his retainers. Soon after that Mitsuhide issued a command to his attendants.\n\n\"This evening in the second half of the Hour of the Rooster, we will depart Sakamoto, cross the Shirakawa River, pass through northern Kyoto, and return to Kameyama. Make sure that all of the preparations are complete.\"\n\nMore than three thousand warriors were to accompany him to Kameyama. Evening was approaching, Mitsuhide dressed in his traveling clothes and then went to find Mitsuharu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Since I will be going to the western provinces, I have no idea when I will be back. This evening I'd like to sit down and eat dinner with you and your family.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And so they were once again altogether as a family circle until Mitsuhide departed.\n\nThe eldest person at the banquet was Mitsuhide's eccentric uncle, Chokansai, a man who had taken holy orders. Sixty-six years old that year and free from any illness, he was given to telling jokes. He sat next to Mitsuharu's seven-year-old son, teasing him good-naturedly.\n\nBut the sociable old man was the only one who smiled from beginning to end. Ignorant of the hidden reefs now threatening the Akechi clan, he simply entrusted his remaining years to the ship that passed over the spring sea, and looked as peaceful as ever.\n\n\"It's so lively here, I feel as though I've returned home again. Old man, give this cup to Mitsutada.\"\n\nMitsuhide had already drunk two or three cups and now passed the cup on to Chokansai, who in turn handed it to Mitsutada." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsutada was the commander of Hachijo Castle and so had just arrived today." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was the youngest of the three cousins.\n\nMitsutada drank the sake and, moving over in front of Mitsuhide, returned the cup to him. Mitsuharu's wife held the sake bottle and poured, and just at that moment Mitsuhide's hand began to tremble in alarm. Ordinarily he was not the kind of man to be surprised by a sound, but now, as a warrior started to beat a drum in front of the castle, the color seemed to recede slightly from his face.\n\nChokansai turned to Mitsuhide and said, \"It will soon be the Hour of the Rooster, so that must be the drum summoning your troops to the assembly ground.\"\n\nMitsuhide's mood seemed to sink even more. \"I know,\" he said in what sounded like a bitter tone of voice, and he drained the last cup.\n\nHe was mounted within the hour." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Beneath a sky of pale stars, three thousand men carrying torches left the lakeside castle in a meandering line and disappeared into the foothills of Shimeigatake. It was the evening of the twenty-sixth.\n\nFrom the top of the castle Mitsuharu watched them go. He would form a regiment made up only of retainers from Sakamoto, and go on to join the main army at Kameyama later.\n\nThe army under Mitsuhide walked on without stopping. It was exactly midnight when the men looked from just south of Shimeigatake and saw the sleeping city of Kyoto.\n\nTo cross the Shirakawa River, they would descend the ridge of Mount Uriyu and come out on the road south of the Ichijo Temple. They had been climbing steadily, but from that point on the path would be all downhill." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Take a rest!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsutada passed Mitsuhide's command on to the troops.\n\nMitsuhide dismounted as well and rested for a short while. If it had been daytime, he would have been able to look out over the various streets of the capital. But now the contours of the city were sunk in darkness, and only the distinctive features of the temple roofs and pagodas and the large river could be distinguished.\n\n\"Hasn't Yomoda Matabei overtaken us?\"\n\n\"I haven't seen him since last night. Did you send him off on some mission, my lord?\"\n\n\"That's right.\"\n\n\"Where did he go?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You'll know soon enough. If he comes back, send him to me. Even if we're en route.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\nIn the second he fell silent, Mitsuhide's eyes were again looking eagerly out over the black roofs of the capital. Perhaps because the night mist would keep thickening and then thinning out, or because his eyes were becoming used to the night, he was gradually able to distinguish the buildings in the capital. The white walls of the Nijo Palace were brighter than anything else.\n\nNaturally, Mitsuhide's gaze was captured by this one white point. It was there that Nobunaga's son, Nobutada, was staying. There also was Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had left Azuchi some days before and gone to the capital.\n\nLord Ieyasu has probably left the capital already, Mitsuhide thought." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally he quickly stood up, making all his generals jump." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's go. My horse.\"\n\nThe dismay of his subordinates was like a wave that rippled out from the fitful actions of his isolated mind. For the last few days he had periodically secluded himself from his retainers, and he had behaved more like an orphan than like the leader of a samurai clan.\n\nAlthough the soldiers who followed Mitsuhide had difficulty finding their way in the dark—surrounding him and yelling warnings back and forth—they gradually descended and approached the outskirts of the capital.\n\nWhen the line of three thousand men and horses arrived at the Kamo River and paused momentarily, the soldiers all turned and looked to the rear, and Mitsuhide did the same: having observed the red waves on the river, they knew that the morning sun was rising over the ridges behind them.\n\nThe officer in charge of the army's provisions came up to Mitsutada and asked him about breakfast. \"Shall we make the morning's preparations here or go on to Nishijin?\"\n\nMitsutada was going to ask Mitsuhide what his intentions were, but at that moment Yomoda Masataka had pulled his horse alongside of Mitsuhide's, and the two men seemed to be gazing steadily at the Shirakawa, which they had crossed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsutada held back for a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Masataka, is that Matabei?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I believe it is.\"\n\nMitsuhide and Masataka were watching a horseman hurriedly approaching through the morning mist.\n\n\"Matabei.\" While Mitsuhide waited right where he was for the man he had been expecting, he turned and spoke to the commanders around him. \"Go ahead and cross the river. I'll follow you momentarily.\"\n\nThe advance guard had already waded across the shallows of the Kamo to the far bank. As the other commanders left Mitsuhide's side, their horses kicked up a white foam in the middle of the clear water. One by one they crossed the stream.\n\nMitsutada took this opportunity to ask, \"Where shall we have our meal? Would it be convenient to have it at Nishijin?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Everyone's stomach must be empty, but we shouldn't stop in the city limits. Let's go as far as Kitano,\" Mitsuhide replied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At a distance of about twenty yards, the approaching Yomoda Matabei dismounted and wound his horse's reins around a piling in the riverbed.\n\n\"Mitsutada and Masataka, the two of you cross the river as well, and wait for me on the other side. I'll follow soon.\"\n\nAfter these last two men had gone some distance, Mitsuhide turned in the direction of Matabei for the first time and beckoned him over with a look.\n\n\"Yes, my lord!\"\n\n\"What's going on in Azuchi?\"\n\n\"The report you heard previously from Amano Genemon seems to be without error.\"\n\n\"The reason I sent you a second time was to get positive information on Lord Nobunaga's departure for the capital on the twenty-ninth, and on what kind of force he was taking with him. To give me some vague response about there being no mistakes in a former report is worthless. Make a clear report: was it reliable information or not?\"\n\n\"It is certain that he will leave Azuchi on the twenty-ninth. I couldn't get the names of the main generals who will accompany him, and it was announced that forty or fifty pages and close attendants will be with him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about his lodgings in the capital?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He'll be at the Honno Temple.\"\n\n\"What! The Honno Temple?\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"Not Nijo Palace?\"\n\n\"All of the reports said that he would be staying at the Honno Temple,\" Matabei answered quite clearly, careful to avoid being scolded again." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a huge gate at the very center of the compound's mud wall, and each of the sub-temples had its own enclosure and gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pine forest seemed to have been swept clean, and itself looked like a Zen garden." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Birdsong, and the sunlight streaming through the treetops, added to the peace of the scene." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After tethering their horses, Mitsuhide and his retainers ate the meals they had packed for both breakfast and lunch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although they had planned on having breakfast near the Kamo River, they had waited to eat until they had arrived at Kitano.\n\nThe soldiers carried a day's worth of provisions: a simple meal of uncooked bean paste, pickled plums, and brown rice. They had not eaten since the night before, and they now breakfasted happily.\n\nThree or four monks from the nearby Myoshin Temple, who had recognized the men as members of the Akechi clan, had invited them into the temple compound.\n\nMitsuhide was sitting on a camp stool in the shadow of the curtain his attendants had set up. He had finished his meal and was dictating a letter to his secretary.\n\n\"The priests of the Myoshin Temple... they'd make perfect messengers! Call them back!\" he ordered a page. When the priests had returned, Mitsuhide entrusted them with the letter his secretary had just written. \"Would you please take this letter quickly to the residence of the poet Shoha?\"\n\nImmediately afterward he got up and walked back to his horse, telling the monks, \"I'm afraid that we have no spare time on this trip. I'll have to forgo meeting the abbot. Please give him my regards.\"\n\nThe afternoon grew hot." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The road to Saga was extraordinarily dry, and the horses' hooves kicked clouds of dust into the air. Mitsuhide rode in silence, thinking through a plan in his characteristically careful way, weighing its feasibility, the likely public reaction, and the possibility of failure. Like a horsefly that always comes back no matter how often it is brushed away, the scheme had become an obsession that Mitsuhide could not drive from his mind. A nightmare had sneaked into him and filled his entire body with poison. He had already lost his power to reason.\n\nIn all of his fifty-four years, Mitsuhide had never relied on his own wisdom the way he was doing now. Although objectively he would have had every reason to doubt his own judgment, subjectively he felt exactly the opposite. I haven't made the smallest mistake, Mitsuhide said to himself. No one could suspect what's on my mind.\n\nWhile he had been in Sakamoto, he had wavered: Should he go ahead with the plan or scrap it? But this morning, when he heard the second report, his hair had suddenly stood on end. In his heart he had resolved that the time was now, and that heaven had sent him this opportunity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobunaga, accompanied by only forty or fifty lightly armed men, was staying at the Honno Temple in Kyoto." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'could' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The demon that possessed Mitsuhide whispered to him that it was a unique opportunity.\n\nHis decision was not a positive act of his own will, but rather a reaction to external circumstances. Men like to believe that they live and act according to their own wills, but the grim truth is that outside events actually stir them to action. So while Mitsuhide believed that heaven was his ally in the present opportunity, part of him was beset by the fear as he rode along the road to Saga that heaven really was judging his every action.\n\nMitsuhide crossed the Katsura River and arrived at Kameyama Castle in the evening, just as the sun dropped below the horizon. Having been informed of their lord's return, the townspeople of Kameyama welcomed him home with bonfires that lit up the night sky. He was a popular ruler who had won the affection of the people as a result of his wise administration.\n\nThe number of days in a year that Mitsuhide spent with his family could be counted on the fingers of one hand. During long campaigns, he might not come home for two or three years. For that reason, those rare days he could be at home were animated by the delight of seeing his wife and children, and being a husband and father.\n\nMitsuhide had been blessed with an exceptionally large family of seven daughters and twelve sons. Two-thirds of them were married or had been adopted by other families, but several of the younger ones, as well as children of his kinsmen and their grandchildren, were still living at the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His wife, Teruko, always said, \"How old will I be when I no longer have to look after children?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "She took in the children of clan members who had died in battle and even raised the children her husband had fathered with other women." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This gentle, wise woman was contented with her lot, and although she was already fifty, she put up with the children and their mischief.\n\nSince leaving Azuchi, Mitsuhide had not found a comfort equal to being at home, and he slept peacefully that night. Even on the next day, his children's cheerfulness and his faithful wife's smile soothed his heart.\n\nIt might be supposed that spending such a night would cause him to change his mind. But he did not waver in the least. On the contrary, he now had the courage to realize an even more secret ambition that lodged in his heart.\n\nTeruko had been with him from the time he had had no lord to serve. Happy with her present estate, she had no other thoughts than to be a mother to her children. Looking at her now, Mitsuhide formed silent words in his breast. Your husband is not going to be like this forever. Everyone will soon be looking up to you as the wife of the next shogun. And as he gazed at the children and other members of his large household, for a moment he was caught up in his own fantasy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I'm going to move you all from this provincial castle to a palace even more elevated than Azuchi. How much happier you will be then!\n\nLater that day, Mitsuhide left the castle, accompanied by a few attendants. He was lightly dressed and was not being waited upon by his usual retainers. Though there had been no official announcement, even the soldiers at the castle gate knew that their lord was going to spend the night at Atago Shrine.\n\nBefore departing for the west, Mitsuhide was going to the shrine to pray for good luck in battle. Accompanied by a few of his closest friends, he would stay in the shrine to hold a poetry party and would return the following day.\n\nWhen he said that he was going to a shrine to pray for victory in battle, and that he was inviting some friends from the capital for a party, nobody suspected what was really in Mitsuhide's mind.\n\nThe twenty servants and half a dozen mounted retainers were dressed more lightly than they would have been had they been going hawking. On the day before, the monks of Itokuin Temple and the priests of Atago Shrine had been informed of the visit, so they were waiting to welcome their lord. As soon as he had dismounted, Mitsuhide asked for a monk by the name of Gyoyu.\n\n\"Is Shoha coming?\" Mitsuhide asked the monk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Gyoyu replied that the famous poet was already there waiting for him, Mitsuhide exclaimed, \"What? Here already? Well, that's perfect. Has he brought other poets from the capital?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It seems that Master Shoha had very little time to prepare himself. He received your invitation yesterday evening, and found that whoever he tried to invite was unable to attend at such short notice. Along with his son, Shinzen, he was only able to bring two others: a disciple by the name of Kennyo, and a relative called Shoshitsu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is that so?\" Mitsuhide laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Did he complain? I knew it was an unreasonable request, but after honoring him time and time again by sending palanquins and escorts, this time I thought it would be much more elegant—and more enjoyable—if he was the one who went to some trouble to meet me. That's why I invited him to this place so suddenly. But just as you might expect, Shoha didn't even feign illness. He scurried up the mountain at once.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With the two monks walking ahead and his attendants behind, Mitsuhide climbed a flight of high stone stairs." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just when it seemed as though there would be flat ground to walk on for a while, the stairs would begin again. As they climbed, the dark green of the cypress trees deepened even more, and the dark violet of the summer sky edged into evening. They felt the night approaching quickly. With every step, their skin could feel the sudden drop in temperature; it was considerably colder at the summit than it had been at the foot of the mountain.\n\n\"Master Shoha sends his apologies,\" Gyoyu told Mitsuhide when they had reached the guest room of the temple. \"He would have come to meet you, but since he thought you would probably pray first at the temples and shrines on the way, he said he would greet you after your devotions.\"\n\nMitsuhide nodded silently. Then, after drinking a cup of water, he asked for a guide. \"Before anything else, I'd like to offer a prayer to the patron deity, and then I'll visit the Atago Shrine while there's still some light.\"\n\nThe shrine priest led the way along a neatly swept path. He climbed the stairs of the outer shrine and lit the sacred candles. Mitsuhide bowed low, and stood in prayer for some time. Three times the priest whisked a branch of the sacred tree over Mitsuhide's head, and then offered him an earthen cup of sacred sake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've heard that this shrine is dedicated to the fire god. Is that true?\" Mitsuhide asked afterward." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'shrine' appears 3 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That is true, my lord,\" the priest replied.\n\n\"And I've heard that if you pray to this god and abstain from using fire, your prayers will be answered.\"\n\n\"That has been said since ancient times.\" The priest avoided giving a clear answer to the question, and turned it back on Mitsuhide. \"I wonder how that tradition originated?\" Then, changing the subject, he began to talk about the history of the shrine.\n\nBored by the priest's monologue, Mitsuhide gazed at the holy lamps in the outer shrine. Finally he stood up silently and descended the stairs. It was already dark when he walked to the Atago Shrine. Leaving the monks, he went alone to the nearby Temple of the Shogun Jizo. There he drew his fortune, but the first lot he pulled predicted bad luck. He drew again, and that one too read \"Bad luck.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "For a moment, Mitsuhide stood as silent as stone." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Picking up the box that held the fortunes, he lifted it reverently to his forehead, closed his eyes, and drew for the third time. This time the answer was \"Great good fortune.\"\n\nMitsuhide turned and walked toward his waiting attendants. They had watched him from afar as he drew his fortune, imagining that he was only indulging a fancy. Mitsuhide was, after all, a man who prided himself on his intellect and who was, above all else, rational. He was hardly the kind of man who would use fortune-telling to reach a decision." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The flickering lamps of the guest room shone through the young leaves. For Shoha and his fellow poets, it would be a night of grinding ink on the inkstones as they recorded their own verses.\n\nThe night's entertainment began with a banquet at which Mitsuhide was the guest of honor. The guests bantered and laughed and drank many rounds of sake, and they were so engrossed in their conversation that they seemed to have forgotten all about poetry." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The summer nights are short,\" their host, the abbot, announced. \"It's getting late, and I'm afraid it's going to be light before we finish our hundred linked verses.\"\n\nIn another room, poetry mats had been arranged. Paper and an inkstone had been set in front of each cushion as though to encourage the participants to write elegant verses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shoha and Shoshitsu were both accomplished poets." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shoha was regarded affectionately by Nobunaga and was on familiar terms with Hideyoshi and the leading tea master of the day. He was a man who had a large circle of acquaintances.\n\n\"Well, my lord, would you give us the first verse,\" Shoha requested.\n\nMitsuhide, however, did not touch the paper in front of him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His elbow was still on the armrest, and he seemed to be looking out into the darkness of the garden where the leaves were stirring." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It seems that you're racking your brains for your verse, my lord,\" Shoha teased Mitsuhide." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide picked up his brush and wrote:\n\nThe whole country knows\n\nThe time is now,\n\nIn the Fifth Month." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At a party like this, once the first verse was composed, the participants added verses in turn until anywhere from fifty to a hundred linked stanzas had been added." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'verse' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The party had begun with a verse by Mitsuhide. The closing verse that tied the work together was also composed by Mitsuhide:\n\nTime for the provinces\n\nTo be at peace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After the monks had extinguished the lamps and withdrawn, Mitsuhide appeared to fall asleep immediately. As he finally lay his head on the pillow, the mountain wind outside shook the trees and howled through the eaves of the roof as strangely as if that mythical, long-nosed monster, Tengu, were raising a fearful cry. Mitsuhide suddenly recalled the story he had heard from the priest at the shrine of the fire god. In his head he imagined Tengu rampaging through the jet black sky." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tengu gnaws on fire and then flies up into the sky. A huge Tengu, and smaller Tengus without number, turned into fire and mounted the black wind. As the fires fell to earth, the shrine of the fire god immediately became a mass of firebrands.\n\nHe wanted to sleep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wanted terribly to sleep. But Mitsuhide was not dreaming; he was thinking. And his brain could not stop the illusion in his mind. He turned over and started to think about the coming day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He knew that on the morrow Nobunaga would leave Azuchi for Kyoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And then the borderline between wakefulness and dream began to blur. And in this state, the difference between himself and Tengu disappeared. Tengu stood on the clouds and looked over the nation. Everything he saw was to his own advantage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the west, Hideyoshi was nailed down at Takamatsu Castle, grappling with the armies of the Mori." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he could collude with the Mori and take the advantage, the army under Hideyoshi, which had spent so many wearisome years on the campaign, would be buried in the west and would never again see the capital.\n\nTokugawa Ieyasu, who was in Osaka, was a clever survivor. Once he saw that Nobunaga was dead, his attitude would depend entirely on what Mitsuhide offered. Hosokawa Fujitaka would no doubt be momentarily indignant, but his son had married Mitsuhide's daughter, and he had been a devoted friend for many years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He would not be unwilling to cooperate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide's muscles and blood were tingling." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, his ears burned with such intensity that he felt young again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tengu turned over. Mitsuhide let out a groan.\n\n\"My lord?\" In the next room, Shoha rose a little and called out, \"What's the matter, my lord?\"\n\nMitsuhide was dimly aware of Shoha's question but intentionally gave no answer. Shoha quickly went back to sleep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The short night was soon over." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Upon arising, Mitsuhide bade farewell to the others and descended the mountain while it was still shrouded in a thick morning mist." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "im ur writing buddy. i set scene (might have existing chars), u do seven sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the thirtieth day of the month Mitsuharu arrived at Kameyama and joined forces with Mitsuhide. Members of the Akechi clan had been coming in from the entire province, swelling the already significant army from Sakamoto. Thus the castle town was crowded with horses and men; carts of military supplies jammed every intersection, and the streets had become nearly impassable. The sun shone down brightly, and it was suddenly almost like midsummer: porters filled the shops and argued with their mouths full of food; outside, the foot soldiers squeezing between the oxcarts yelled back and forth. Along the streets, flies buzzed and swarmed over the droppings left by the horses and oxen.\n\n\"Has your health held up?\" Mitsuharu asked Mitsuhide.\n\n\"Just as you see.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide smiled. He was much more amiable than he had been at Sakamoto, and the color had returned to his face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When do you plan to leave?\"\n\n\"I've decided to wait just a little, until the first day of Sixth Month.\"\n\n\"Well, what about Azuchi?\"\n\n\"I've informed them, but I think Lord Nobunaga is already in Kyoto.\"\n\n\"The report is that he arrived there without incident last night. Lord Nobutada is staying at the Myokaku Temple, while Lord Nobunaga is at the Honno Temple.\"\n\n\"Yes, I've heard that.\" Mitsuhide's words trailed off into silence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuharu suddenly got up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I haven't seen your wife and children for a long time. Perhaps I'll go pay my respects.\"\n\nMitsuhide watched his cousin walk away. A moment later he looked as though his chest were so congested that he could neither spit nor swallow.\n\nTwo rooms away, Mitsuhide's retainer Saito Toshimitsu was conferring with other generals, studying military charts and discussing tactics. He left the room to talk with Mitsuhide.\n\n\"Are you going to send the supply train to the Sanin ahead of us?\"\n\n\"The supply train? Hm... well, we don't need to send it ahead.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly Mitsuhide's uncle, Chokansai, who had just now arrived with Mitsuharu, looked in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey, he's not here. Where did the lord of Sakamoto go? Anybody here know?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked around, goggle-eyed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "CONSTRAINT: Include 'children' 2 time(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although he was an old man, he was so sunny and cheerful that he drove others to distraction. Even if the generals were about to leave on a campaign, Chokansai seemed as cheerful as usual. He turned in another direction. When he casually showed up at the ladies' apartments in the citadel, however, the women and their many children ran up to him.\n\n\"Oh, Lord Jester has come!\" the children cried.\n\n\"Lord Jester! When did you get here?\"\n\nWhether he stood or sat, the happy voices around him did not cease." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you staying overnight, Lord Jester?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Jester, have you eaten yet?\"\n\n\"Lift me up, Lord Jester!\"\n\n\"Sing us a song!\"\n\n\"Show us a dance!\"\n\nThey jumped up on his lap. They played with him. They clung to him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They looked into his ears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Jester! There's hair growing out of your ears!\"\n\n\"One, two.\"\n\n\"Three, four.\" Singing out the numbers, little girls pulled out the hairs while a little boy sat astride his back, pushing down his old head.\n\n\"Play horsy! Play horsy and whinny!\"\n\nChokansai crawled around submissively, and when he suddenly sneezed, the little boy fell off his back. The ladies-in-waiting and attendants laughed so hard they held their sides.\n\nEven as night fell, the laughter and hubbub did not stop." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The atmosphere of the ladies' apartments was as different from that of Mitsuhide's room in the main citadel as a meadow in spring might be from a snow-covered moor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Uncle, now that you're getting on in years,\" Mitsuharu said, \"I'd be grateful if you'd stay here and take care of the family rather than coming with us on the campaign. I think I should tell our lord that.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Chokansai looked at his nephew and laughed. \"My final role may have to be something like that. These little ones just won't leave me alone.\" Night had fallen, and they were badgering him to tell them one of his famous stories.\n\nThis was the last day left before the departure for the campaign. Mitsuharu had expected that there would be a general conference that evening, but as the main citadel was quiet, he went over to the second citadel and slept.\n\nThe next day Mitsuharu waited in anticipation all day, but no orders were forthcoming. Even when night fell, there was no movement in the main citadel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he sent one of his retainers to ask about the situation, the answer came back that Mitsuhide had already gone to bed and was asleep." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuharu was suspicious, but there was nothing he could do except go to sleep himself." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At about midnight Mitsuharu was awakened by the sound of whispering coming from the guardroom two doors down the hallway. Footsteps approached, and the door of his room slid open noiselessly.\n\n\"What is it?\" Mitsuharu asked.\n\nThe guard, who must have thought Mitsuharu would be asleep, hesitated for a moment. Then he hurriedly prostrated himself and said, \"Lord Mitsuhide is waiting for you in the main citadel.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuharu got up and began to dress; he asked what time it was." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'toshimitsu' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The first half of the Hour of the Rat,\" the guard replied.\n\nMitsuharu went out into the ink-black corridor. When he saw that Saito Toshimitsu was kneeling by the doorway, waiting for him, Mitsuharu wondered what the reason was for this unexpected summons in the middle of the night.\n\nToshimitsu walked ahead, holding a candle. They met no one during their long walk down the winding corridor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Almost everyone was peacefully asleep in the main citadel, but an unusual atmosphere permeated this one part of the building, and it seemed that men were up and about in two or three rooms." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where is His Lordship?\"\n\n\"In his sleeping quarters.\"\n\nToshimitsu put out the candle at the entrance to the corridor leading to Mitsuhide's bedroom. With a look, he invited Mitsuharu to enter, and opened the heavy door. As soon as Mitsuharu had gone in, Toshimitsu shut the door behind him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was only from the farthest room in the corridor—Mitsuhide's bedroom—that the faint light of a lamp leaked out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Mitsuharu looked into the room, he could see neither attendants nor pages." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide was alone, dressed in a summer kimono of white gauze, his long sword beside him, his hand on an armrest at his side.\n\nThe light of the lamp was particularly pale because it was filtered through the green gossamer mosquito netting that hung around Mitsuhide. When he slept, the netting surrounded him on all four sides, but now the front was held up by a strip of bamboo.\n\n\"Come in, Mitsuharu,\" Mitsuhide said.\n\n\"What is this all about?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "his cousin asked, after kneeling in front of Mitsuhide." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'though' | Required occurrences: 3" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Mitsuharu, would you risk your life for me?\"\n\nMitsuharu knelt in silence, looking as though he had forgotten how to speak. Mitsuhide's eyes were ablaze with a strange light. His question had been simple and direct—the very words Mitsuharu had been afraid of hearing since Sakamoto. Now Mitsuhide had finally spoken, and though Mitsuharu was not surprised, the blood in his veins felt as though it had turned into ice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Are you against me, Mitsuharu?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'mitsuhide' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Still he did not answer. Mitsuhide, too, fell silent. His face displayed a certain paleness that was not due to the green netting or the guttering of the lamp, but to the reflection of some emotion in his heart.\n\nMitsuharu knew, almost by intuition, that Mitsuhide had prepared a contingency plan to use if he opposed him. Built into the wall beyond the mosquito netting, in the corner of a large alcove, was a secret chamber that could conceal an armed man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The flecks of gold on the surface of the hidden door shone ominously, as if glinting with the bloodthirsty intent of the hidden assassin." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Mitsuharu's right was a large sliding door. He could hear nothing from behind it, but he could sense the presence of Saito Toshimitsu and several other men who had their weapons drawn, just waiting for Mitsuhide's word. Mitsuharu could not resent Mitsuhide's heartless and underhanded behavior; pity came before that. Had the intelligent man he had known since his youth disappeared? He felt as though he were looking at nothing but the wreck of that man now." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mitsuharu, what is your answer?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide asked, edging closer.\n\nMitsuharu felt his cousin's hot breath burning like the fever of a sick man. \"Why do you want me to risk my life?\" he finally asked in reply. He knew very well what Mitsuhide was planning to do, so he was now deliberately feigning ignorance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He held on to the hope that somehow he could pull his cousin back from the brink.\n\nAt Mitsuharu's words, the veins on Mitsuhide's temples stood out even more. His voice became unusually husky as he said, \"Mitsuharu, don't you know that something has been gnawing at me since I left Azuchi?\"\n\n\"It's obvious.\"\n\n\"If that's so, then why are all these words necessary? A yes or a no will suffice.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lord, why are you the one who is refusing to speak? It is not only the fate of the Akechi clan that depends on what you say now but the future of the nation.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What are you saying, Mitsuharu?\"\n\n\"To think that you, of all people, should consider committing this outrage.\" Tears falling down his cheeks, Mitsuharu drew closer to Mitsuhide and dropped both hands to the floor in supplication. \"I have never understood human character less than I have tonight. When we were both young and studied together in my father's house, what was it that we read? Was there a single word in the books of the ancient sages that approved of killing one's own lord?\"\n\n\"Speak more quietly, Mitsuharu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Who's going to hear me? All you have here is assassins behind secret doors, waiting for your command. My lord... I have never once doubted your wisdom. But you seem to have changed so much from the man I used to know.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's too late, Mitsuharu.\"\n\n\"I must speak.\"\n\n\"It's useless.\"\n\n\"I must, even if it's useless.\" Bitter tears fell on Mitsuharu's hands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just then something moved behind the hidden door." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Perhaps the assassin had sensed that the situation had become tense and was eager to act. But there was still no signal from Mitsuhide. He turned away from his cousin's weeping figure.\n\n\"You have studied so much more than others, your intellectual powers are much greater than most people's, and you have reached the age of mature judgment. Is there anything you don't understand?\" Mitsuharu pleaded. \"I am so ignorant that I lack the words. But even someone like me can read the word 'loyalty' and meditate on it until it has become a part of me. Although you've read ten thousand books, it will all come to naught if you lose sight of that word now. My lord, are you listening? Our blood has been drawn from a line of ancient warriors. Would you stain the honor of our ancestors? And what of your own children and their descendants? Think of the shame you'll heap on endless generations.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You could enumerate those kinds of things without end,\" Mitsuhide replied. \"What I intend to do transcends them all. Forget about changing my mind. I've considered the good sense you've just spoken about night after night, turning them over again and again in my brain. When I look back over the road I've traveled for the past fifty-five years, I know I would not be this distraught if I had not been born a samurai. Nor would I be intent on such a thing.\"\n\n\"And it's precisely because you were born a samurai that you should not act against your lord, no matter how much you've had to bear.\"\n\n\"Nobunaga rose against the shogun. And everyone knows how much bad karma he accumulated from burning down Mount Hiei. Look what befell his senior retainers—Hayashi, Sakuma, Araki. I cannot think of their tragic fates as other people's affairs.\"\n\n\"My lord, you've received a province. The clan lacks for nothing. Think of the favors he has bestowed upon us.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At this point Mitsuhide lost control, and his words burst forth like a river in flood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is the favor of an insignificant province like this? I would probably have this, even if I weren't talented. Once he has everything he needs from me, I'll be nothing more than a lapdog to be fed at Azuchi. Or maybe he'll consider me a useless luxury. He's even put me under Hideyoshi's command and ordered me to the Sanin. If that isn't a pronouncement of the Akechi clan's fate, I don't know what is. I was raised a samurai; I have inherited the blood of generations of warriors. Do you think I'm going to finish my days kowtowing while he orders me around? Can't you see through Nobunaga's black heart, Mitsuharu?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuharu sat in stunned silence for a while, then asked, \"To whom have you disclosed your intentions?\"\n\n\"Besides you, a dozen of my most trusted retainers.\" Mitsuhide took a deep breath and listed the men's names.\n\nMitsuharu looked up to the ceiling and let out a long sigh. \"What can I say now that you've told them?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide suddenly moved forward and grabbed his cousin's collar with his left hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is it no?\" he asked. His right hand gripped the haft of his dagger, while his left shook Mitsuharu with terrifying strength. \"Or is it yes?\"\n\nEvery time Mitsuhide shook Mitsuharu, his head moved back and forth as though his neck contained no bones. Tears were streaming down his face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"At this point it's no longer a matter of yes or no. But I don't know what it would have been if you had told me before you informed the others, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Then you agree? You'll act with me?\"\n\n\"You and I, my lord, are two men, but we are the same as one. If you were to die, I wouldn't want to live. Technically, we are lord and retainer, but we have the same roots and the same birth. We have lived our lives together until now, and I am naturally resolved to share whatever fate lies ahead.\"\n\n\"Don't worry, Mitsuharu. It's going to be all or nothing, but I feel our victory is certain. If we are successful, you won't be in charge of a minor castle like Sakamoto. I promise you that. At the very least, you'll have the title next to mine and will be the lord of a great number of provinces!\"\n\n\"What! That is not the issue.\" Casting off the hand that held his collar, Mitsuharu pushed Mitsuhide back." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Provide ten sentences as a continuation of this story segment in the historical fiction genre. Characters may be pre-established." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would soon be the Hour of the Monkey." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'mitsuhide' × 4" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Booming through the blood-red western sun, conch shells resounded high and low, one after another. The soldiers, who had been doing little more than crowding around various encampments, got up immediately to get into their proper columns. Dividing into three lines, they formed ranks, banners aloft.\n\nThe greenery of the surrounding mountains and the pale green foliage nearby rustled with fragrance as the slight evening breeze wafted across the innumerable faces. Once again the conch sounded—this time from the distant forest.\n\nFrom the grounds of the shrine of the war god Hachiman, Mitsuhide and his generals moved forward in brilliant array through the slanting rays of the western sun. Mitsuhide reviewed his troops, who massed together resembled a wall of iron. Every soldier looked up as Mitsuhide passed by, and even the rank and file felt proud to be under the command of such a great general.\n\nMitsuhide wore black armor with light green threading under a white and silver brocade coat. His long sword and saddle were of exceptional workmanship." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Today he appeared much younger than usual, but this was not true of Mitsuhide alone. When a man put on his armor, he was ageless. Even alongside a warrior of sixteen on his first campaign, an old man did not show or feel his age.\n\nToday, Mitsuhide's prayers had been more beseeching than those of any other man in his army. And for that reason, as he passed each soldier, his eyes looked strained by his resolve. The countenance of the commander-in-chief did not go unreflected in the martial spirit of his men. The Akechi had gone to war twenty-seven times. Today, however, the men were feverish with tension, as if they had intuited that the battle they were heading for was out of the ordinary.\n\nEvery man felt that he was setting out never to return. That mass intuition filled the place like a bleak mist, so that the nine banners emblazoned with blue bellflowers fluttering above each division seemed to be beating against a bank of cloud." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include this dialogue snippet naturally: \"How many men do we have altogether?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide reigned in his horse, turned to Saito Toshimitsu who was riding by his side, and asked, \"How many men do we have altogether?\"\n\n\"Ten thousand. If we include the various carriers and packers, there must be more than thirteen thousand men.\"\n\nMitsuhide nodded then said after a pause, \"Ask the corps commanders to come here.\"\n\nWhen the commanders had assembled in front of Mitsuhide's horse, he pulled back momentarily, and in his place his cousin Mitsutada came forward, flanked by generals to his left and right.\n\n\"This is a letter that arrived last night from Mori Ranmaru, who is now in Kyoto. I am going to read it to you so that it will be understood by everyone.\"\n\nHe opened the letter and read: \"'By command of Lord Oda Nobunaga you are to come to the capital, so that His Lordship may review the troops before their departure for the west.'\"\n\n\"We will leave at the Hour of the Rooster. Until then have your soldiers prepare their provisions, feed their horses, and rest.\"\n\nIf the sight of thirteen thousand men preparing their provisions in the field was quite a spectacle, it was a congenial one. In the meantime, the corps commanders who had been summoned were called once again—this time into the forest of the Hachiman shrine. There, enhanced by the shadows of dusk and the cries of the cicadas, the cool air felt almost like water." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A moment before, the sound of hands clapping in prayer could be heard from the shrine. It seemed as though Mitsuhide and his generals had been praying before the gods. Mitsuhide had persuaded himself that he was not acting purely out of the enmity and resentment he felt toward Nobunaga. The fear that he might end up like Araki or Sakuma had allowed him the rationalization that it was a matter of self-defense; he was like a cornered animal forced to strike first in order to stay alive.\n\nFrom the shrine it was only five leagues to the Honno Temple, where his lightly protected enemy was staying. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Conscious that his treachery looked like opportunism, he could not concentrate on his prayer. But he had no trouble in justifying his actions: he enumerated Nobunaga's crimes over the past two decades. In the end, although he had served Nobunaga for many years, Mitsuhide was nostalgic for the old shogunate, with all of its stagnation.\n\nThe commanders waited, crowding together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's stool was still unoccupied. His pages said that he was still praying at the shrine and would soon return. Not long thereafter, the curtain parted. Greeting the men who had gathered there, Mitsuhide's close retainers entered one by one. Mitsuhide, Toshimitsu, Mitsuharu, Mitsutada, and Mitsuaki were the last to appear.\n\n\"Are these all of the corps commanders?\" Mitsuhide asked.\n\nWith alarming speed, the immediate area was completely surrounded by soldiers. Caution could be read on Mitsuhide's face, and a wordless warning was very clearly concentrated in the eyes of the generals.\n\nMitsuhide said, \"You may think it rather cold of me to take these kinds of precautions when talking to my retainers, and especially to retainers on whom I rely. Don't take this measure in the wrong way; it's only in order to disclose to you a great, long-awaited event—an event that will affect the entire nation and that will mean either our rise or our fall.\"\n\nThus he began the disclosure of his intentions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide enumerated his grievances against Nobunaga: the humiliations at Suwa and Azuchi and, the final indignity, an order to join the campaign in the west that implied he was subordinate to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He went on to list the names of the men who had served Nobunaga for years, only to be driven to self-destruction. It was Nobunaga who was the enemy of righteousness, the destroyer of culture, and the conspirator who had overthrown institutions and brought the nation to chaos. He ended his speech by reciting a poem he had written.\n\nLet a person with no understanding\n\nSay what he will;\n\nI will have no regrets for either\n\nPosition or fame.\n\nWhile reciting the poem, Mitsuhide began to feel the pathos of his own situation, and tears began to run down his cheeks. His senior retainers, too, began to weep. Some among them even bit the sleeves of their armor or fell face down on the earth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was only one man who did not weep—the veteran Saito Toshimitsu.\n\nIn order to bind their tears in a pledge of blood, Saito Toshimitsu broke in and said, \"I think His Lordship has opened his heart to us because he considers us men he can trust. If a lord is shamed, his retainers die. Is it our lord alone who is being pained? These old bones of mine have little time left, but if I can witness the downfall of Lord Nobunaga and see my lord become the ruler of the nation, I will be able to die without any regrets.\"\n\nMitsuharu spoke next. \"Each of us thinks of himself as His Lordship's right-hand man, so once he has spoken, there is only one road to take. We should not be late for our own deaths.\"\n\nThe corps commanders all answered in unison. The glint of emotion in every eye and open mouth seemed to say they knew no other word than yes. When Mitsuhide stood up, the men shook with their strong feeling. They congratulated him loudly, as was the time-honored custom when leaving for the front.\n\nYomoda Masataka looked up at the sky and then urged the men to prepare themselves mentally. \"It will soon be the Hour of the Rooster. It's about five leagues to the capital. If we travel across country, we should be able to surround the Honno Temple by dawn. If we can take care of the Honno Temple before the Hour of the Dragon and then destroy the Myokaku Temple, everything should be settled before breakfast.\"\n\nHe had turned to Mitsuhide and Mitsuharu and had spoken with complete conviction." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This speech, of course, was neither a recommendation nor counsel." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was to let the main commanders know that the country was already in their hands, and to exhort them to fire up their blood.\n\nIt was the second half of the Hour of the Rooster. The road was already dark in the shade of the mountain. The armor-clad men flowed in a black line through the village of Oji and finally reached the hill of Oinosaka. The night sky was full of stars, and the capital below looked like its reflection." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The reddish rays of the western sun fell into the empty moat of the Honno Temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the first day of the Sixth Month. The sun had beat down relentlessly on the capital for the entire day, and now spots of dry mud were appearing even in the comparatively deep moat.\n\nThe tile-roofed mud walls ran for more than one hundred yards to the east and west, and for two hundred yards from north to south. The moat was over twelve feet wide, and deeper than usual for a temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Passersby might look up at the roofs of the main temple and the ten or so monastery buildings, but nothing could really be seen from the outside. Only the famous honey locust tree in a corner of the compound was visible from quite some distance away. It was so large that people called it the Honno Forest, or the Locust Tree Grove.\n\nThe tree was as famous a landmark as the pagoda of the Eastern Temple." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the late afternoon sun filled its high branches, a multitude of crows raised a racket all at once." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And no matter how fastidious and elegant the citizens of Kyoto tried to be, there were three things they could not avoid: stray dogs at night, cow dung in the streets in the morning, and crows in the afternoon.\n\nWithin the grounds of the temple there were still a number of vacant areas. Much construction was needed to complete the reconstruction of the twenty or so buildings that had been destroyed by fire during the civil wars in the capital. If a visitor walked in the direction of Fourth Street from the temple's main gate, he would see the mansion of the governor of Kyoto, the samurai quarter, and the streets of a well-regulated town." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: children, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But in the northern part of the city, the slums remained like islands, just as they had been during the shogunate, and one narrow alleyway still richly deserved its old name, Sewer Street.\n\nThe children of the neighborhood almost burst from the alleys between the rough walls that wound beneath the twisted eaves of the single-roofed houses. With their boils, rashes, and sniveling noses, they flew through the streets like giant winged insects.\n\n\"The missionaries have come!\" the children shouted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The priests from the Namban Temple are walking by with a pretty birdcage!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The three missionaries laughed when they heard the children's voices, and slackened their steps as though waiting for friends.\n\nThe Namban Temple, as the missionaries' church was popularly known, was on nearby Fourth Street. The chanting of the religious services at the Honno Temple could be heard in the morning in the slums, and in the evening the church bell echoed through the alleyways. The gate of the Honno Temple was very imposing, and the monks who lived there walked through the streets with haughty expressions, but when the missionaries came through, they were humble and friendly toward the locals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seeing a child with a boil on his face, they would pat his head and show him how to treat it; if they heard that someone was sick, they would visit that person." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was said that no one should interfere in a quarrel between husband and wife, but if the missionaries passed by on such an occasion, they would step in and try to settle it. Thus they earned a reputation for being kind and understanding. \"They're really working for the sake of society,\" people said. \"Maybe they are messengers from the gods.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The people had been struck with admiration for the missionaries for some time. Their good works extended to the poor, the sick, and the homeless. The church even had something like a charity hospital and a home for the aged. And if that wasn't enough, the missionaries liked children." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But when these selfsame missionaries ran into Buddhist priests on the streets, they did not treat them with the same humility as they did the children." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Indeed, they looked at the priests as if they were bitter enemies. For this reason they would take the long way around through Sewer Street, avoiding the Honno Temple as much as possible. Today and the day before, however, they had had to make daily visits to the temple itself, because it had become the headquarters of Lord Nobunaga. This meant that the most powerful man in Japan was now their neighbor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Carrying a small tropical bird in a gilded cage and some pastries made by the cook they had brought from their own country, the three missionaries now seemed to be on their way to offer presents to Lord Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Missionaries! Hey, missionaries!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What kind of bird is that?\"\n\n\"What's in the box?\"\n\n\"If it's cake, give us some!\"\n\n\"Give us some, missionary!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The children of Sewer Street came up and blocked their way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The three missionaries did not look annoyed at all, but smilingly admonished them in broken Japanese as they walked along." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"These are for Lord Nobunaga. Don't be disrespectful. We'll give you all cakes when you come to the church with your mothers,\" one of the priests said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The children tagged along behind, and ran around ahead of them. While the priests were thus surrounded, one of the children ran to the edge of the moat and fell in, making a sound just like a frog. The moat was empty, so there was no danger of the boy drowning, but the bottom of the moat was as muddy as a swamp. The child squirmed in it like a mudfish." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sides of the moat were made of stone, so even an adult would have had trouble climbing out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Indeed, sometimes a poor drunk would fall in and drown on a night when rainwater had filled it to overflowing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Someone immediately notified the boy's family. The curious neighbors of Sewer Street clamored out of their houses like water boiling out of a pot, and the parents came running out barefoot. It was a calamity. But by the time they had arrived, the little boy had already been rescued." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: hands, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He looked like a lotus root plucked from the mud, and he was sobbing loudly.\n\nHe and two of the missionaries had mud splattered all over their hands and clothes. The third missionary had jumped into the moat after the boy, and he was completely covered in mud.\n\nWhen the children looked at the missionaries, they ran around happily, hooting, clapping their hands, and shouting, \"The missionary has turned into a catfish! His red beard is all muddy!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the parents of the boy thanked them and praised their god, even though they were not Christians. They bowed at the priests' feet and shed tears of thankfulness with their hands folded in prayer. In the black mountain of people that had formed behind them, words of praise for the missionaries went from mouth to mouth.\n\nThe missionaries showed no regret at having come this far only to have to turn back the way they had come, carrying their now useless presents." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In their eyes, Nobunaga and the boy from the slums were exactly the same." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moreover, this incident had become talk that would spread from house to house, and the missionaries knew very well what a large and inspiring wave it might grow into.\n\n\"Sotan, did you see that?\"\n\n\"Yes, I was impressed.\"\n\n\"That religion is frightening.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, it is. It really makes you think.\"\n\nOne of the speakers was a man of about thirty, while the other was much older. They looked like father and son. There was something about them that set them apart from the important merchants of Sakai—a part of their character, perhaps, that spoke of a liberal breadth and depth of upbringing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, looking at them, one knew at once they were merchants.\n\nWith Nobunaga in residence, the Honno Temple was no longer a simple temple. From the night of the twenty-ninth on, at the main gate of the temple there was a tumult of carts and palanquins, and the din of people going in and out. The audiences Nobunaga was now granting seemed matters of grave concern to the entire nation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus, a man might withdraw after having obtained at least a word or smile from Nobunaga and go home with the happy feeling that he had gained something worth a hundred or a thousand times the value of the rare utensils, fine wines, delicacies, or other gifts he had presented." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's wait here for a moment. It looks as though a courtier is going through the gate.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It must be the governor. Those look like his attendants.\"\n\nThe governor, Murai Nagato, and his attendants had stopped at the main gate and seemed to be waiting discreetly as the palanquin of an aristocrat was brought out. Very soon afterward, a few samurai led two or three bay and dappled horses behind a small procession of palanquins and litters. When the samurai recognized Nagato, they bowed as they went by, taking the horses' reins in one hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as the crush was over, Nagato entered the gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And when the two merchants had assured themselves that he was inside, they turned their steps in the same direction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Naturally, the guards at the front gate were exceptionally severe. The people who passed in and out were not used to seeing the wartime glitter that shone from the spears, halberds, and even the eyes of the warriors stationed there. The guards all wore armor, and if anyone looked suspicious, they stopped that person with loud shouts and yells.\n\n\"Wait a minute! Where are you going?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "the guard asked the two merchants.\n\n\"I am Soshitsu of Hakata,\" the older man said courteously. When he bowed his head, the younger man did the same.\n\n\"I am Sotan, also of Hakata.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The guards looked as though they couldn't understand anything from that introduction alone, but their captain, who was standing in front of the guardhouse inside, motioned them through with a smile." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please, come in.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Omotemido Hall was the main building of the temple compound, but the real center was Nobunaga's quarters. Outside of the room from which Nobunaga's voice could be heard, a brook murmured from a spring in the garden, and from the buildings a little farther beyond, the bright laughter of women occasionally wafted over on the breeze.\n\nNobunaga was speaking to a messenger from his third son, Nobutaka, and Niwa Nagahide: \"That will be of some help to my old hand, Nagahide. Have him informed that everything is secure. I'll be going to the western provinces in a few days myself, so we'll be meeting there soon.\"\n\nNobutaka and Niwa's army was to sail for Awa the next morning. The messenger had come to give that report along with the information that Tokugawa Ieyasu had traveled from Osaka to Sakai.\n\nNobunaga looked around at the color of the sky as though he had just noticed it, and said to a page, \"It's dusk. Roll up the blinds on the western side.\" Then he asked Nobutada, \"Is it hot where you're staying too?\"\n\nNobutada had come to the capital a little before his father and had taken lodgings at the nearby Myokaku Temple. He had been stationed there the evening his father had entered the capital, which was yesterday, and today as well, and he seemed a little tired. He had thought he would announce his leave, but his father said, \"Why don't we have tea tonight in private? For the last two nights we've had guests, and it saddens me when there's not enough leisure. I'll invite some interesting people for you.\" Nobunaga was going to entertain his son, and he was not about to take no for an answer.\n\nIf he had been allowed to express what was really on his mind, Nobutada might have said that he was only twenty-five years old and did not understand tea as his father did." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had an especially strong aversion to those tea masters who wasted their leisure hours during wartime." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he was going to have the pleasure of being with his father, a tea master was not welcome. To be honest, in his heart he wanted to leave for the campaign right away. He did not want to be behind his younger brother, Nobutaka, by even an hour.\n\nIt seemed that Nobunaga had also invited Murai Nagato, not in his official capacity of governor of Kyoto, but as a friend. But Nagato was unable to forget the stiff formality that was usual between lord and retainer, and the conversation remained awkward. Awkwardness was one of the things Nobunaga detested. With daily events, the pressures of administering the government, guests coming in and out, and lack of sleep—when he was able to get away from public duties for a moment, he could not stand to be confronted with such formality. These situations always made him think fondly of Hideyoshi.\n\n\"Nagato?\" Nobunaga said.\n\n\"Yes, my lord?\"\n\n\"Isn't your son here?\"\n\n\"He came with me, but he's a bit of an ignoramus, so I had him wait outside.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That kind of reserve is really boring,\" Nobunaga muttered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he had asked the man to bring along his son, obviously it was in order to talk lightheartedly, not in order to have a formal interview between lord and retainer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He did not order Nagato to call his son in, however." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I wonder what happened to our guests from Hakata,\" Nobunaga said. He stood up and walked into the temple, leaving Nobutada and Nagato where they were.\n\nBomaru's voice could be heard in the pages' room. His older brother, Ranmaru, seemed to be scolding him for something or other. By this time, all of Mori Yoshinari's children were adults. It had been rumored recently that Ranmaru hoped to receive Sakamoto—presently an Akechi castle—which had been his father's domain. The report was circulating widely, and even Nobunaga was outraged by the thought of it. So to dissipate the public rumor, he now rethought his own rather unseemly policy of keeping Ranmaru dressed as a page and having him constantly at his side. To amend this would be for his own sake as well.\n\n\"Will you be going out into the garden?\" Ranmaru asked.\n\nNobunaga had been standing on the veranda, and Ranmaru quickly ran out from the pages' room to place some sandals on the steppingstone. It was good to have someone so quick-witted and gentle in his service, Nobunaga thought; he had grown used to that kind of solicitude over ten or so years." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I'm not going into the garden. It's been hot today, hasn't it?\"\n\n\"Yes, the sun really burned down on us.\"\n\n\"Are the horses in the stable all healthy?\"\n\n\"They seem to be a little low-spirited.\"\n\nNobunaga looked up and strained his eyes at the evening star, perhaps having sudden thoughts of the faraway western provinces. Ranmaru stared up blankly at Nobunaga's profile. Nobutada had also come in and was standing behind the two men, but Ranmaru's gaze showed that he had forgotten about the younger man's very existence. It was almost as though he were looking at his master for the last time. If his spirit had had the power of self-consciousness, he might have been even more aware of his strange intuition of that moment, and of the goose bumps that were even now appearing on his skin. It was just about the time Akechi Mitsuhide was arriving at Oinosaka.\n\nThe smoke from the stoves in the huge kitchen began to envelop the inside of the temple. Firewood was alight not only in the stoves but also in the baths." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And not just at the Honno Temple: in the hour just before nightfall, smoke from cooking fires trailed off into the sky both inside and outside of the capital.\n\nNobunaga poured water over himself in the bath. A single white flower on a vine showed itself through the bamboo lattice of a high window cut out of the wall. After his hair was arranged and he had donned fresh clothes, Nobunaga walked back along the bridged corridor.\n\nRanmaru came up and announced that Sotan and Soshitsu of Hakata were waiting for him in the tearoom.\n\n\"They've been here since before dark, and the two of them swept the path from the tearoom to the entrance and polished the veranda themselves. Then Master Soshitsu watered the path and made a flower arrangement, while Master Sotan went to the kitchen and gave instructions for the dishes they would present to you.\"\n\n\"Why wasn't I informed earlier?\"\n\n\"Well, they said that since they were the hosts, we should wait until everything was ready.\"\n\n\"It appears they have some sort of plan. Was Nobutada told about this? And Nagato?\"\n\n\"I'll invite them right away.\"\n\nWhen Ranmaru left, Nobunaga went to his quarters but very quickly redirected his steps toward the tearoom.\n\nThe building did not have the appearance of a tearoom." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: Your response must contain: \"I'd like to take a tour of the southern lands, with you and Sotan as my guides. Surely you've traveled to those places a number of times.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The building had been designed as a drawing room, and a smaller space had been created for the tea ceremony by the placement of folding screens.\n\nThe guests were Nobunaga, Nobutada, and Nagato and his son. The lamps added a refreshing atmosphere to the room. After the tea ceremony had been concluded, the hosts and their guests moved to a larger room, where they talked late into the night.\n\nNobunaga was still very hungry. He devoured the dishes placed before him, drank wine—which appeared as if it had been made of melted rubies—and occasionally took a European cake from the well-stocked plate, all the while conversing nonstop.\n\n\"I'd like to take a tour of the southern lands, with you and Sotan as my guides. Surely you've traveled to those places a number of times.\"\n\n\"I think about it all the time but haven't been able to go,\" Soshitsu answered.\n\n\"Sotan, you're young and healthy. Have you been there?\"\n\n\"Not yet, my lord.\"\n\n\"Neither of you have been there?\"\n\n\"No, even though our employees are constantly going back and forth.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, I would think that would be a disadvantage for your trade. Even if someone like me had such hopes, there would never be a good time to leave Japan, so there's really nothing to be done. But you own ships and branch stores and are always free to travel. Why haven't you gone yet?\"\n\n\"The rush of work you have with the affairs of the country is of a different nature than ours, but somehow we've been prevented in one way or another by our household affairs and will be unable to leave for one year or so. Nevertheless, on the day Your Lordship settles all of the many affairs you attend to, I'd like to go with you and Sotan and give you a grand tour.\"\n\n\"Let's do that! That's been one of my desires for such a long time. But Soshitsu, are you going to live that long?\"\n\nAs the page poured out the wine, Nobunaga joked with the old man, but Soshitsu was not to be bested.\n\n\"Well now, rather than worrying about that, can you assure me that you're going to put everything in order before I die? If you're the one that's too slow, I may not be able to wait.\"\n\n\"It should be soon,\" Nobunaga said, smiling, delighted by the old man's banter.\n\nSoshitsu was able to speak his mind in a way that Nobunaga's generals could not. From time to time during the conversation, Nobutada and Nagato would feel uneasy about that, wondering if it was truly all right for these merchants to be speaking as frankly as they were. At the same time they wondered why these commoners had Nobunaga's favor. It was highly unlikely that Nobunaga tolerated them as friends just because they were tea masters.\n\nNobutada was bored by the conversation. Only when the talk between his father and the two merchants turned to the subject of the southern lands was Nobutada's interest engaged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Those things were all new to his ears, and inspired him to youthful dreams and ambitions.\n\nRegardless of whether their understanding of the southern lands was deep or not, the intellectuals at that time had an interest in them. The very essence of Japanese culture was being rocked by a tidal wave of innovations from overseas, foremost among which was the gun.\n\nMuch of what was known about the south was brought by missionaries from Spain and Portugal; but men like Soshitsu and Sotan had started their trade without waiting for the missionaries. Their ships crossed to Korea and traded with China, Amoy, and Cambodia. The men who had told them of the wealth beyond the sea were not the missionaries, but Japanese pirates who made their lair near Hakata, in Kyushu.\n\nSotan had inherited his business from his father and had established branches in Luzon, Siam, and Cambodia. It is said that he is the man who imported waxtree nuts from south China and who developed a method of manufacturing wax, thereby making the lamp fuel that caused the nights in Japan to shine so much brighter. Improving the metallurgical techniques brought in from overseas, he is also credited with bringing about the refinement of iron smelting.\n\nSoshitsu was also involved in overseas trade and was related to Sotan. There was not a lord on the island of Kyushu who had not borrowed money from him. He owned ten or more large ocean-going ships and a hundred smaller vessels." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would not be an exaggeration to say that Nobunaga had picked up almost all of his knowledge about the world beyond Japan while drinking tea with these two men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even now Nobunaga was absorbed in conversation, reaching out for one European cake after another." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soshitsu observed how many he was eating and remarked, \"Those are made with something called sugar, so you should be careful about eating too many of them before you go to bed.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'weight' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is sugar poisonous?\" Nobunaga asked.\n\n\"If it isn't a poison, it certainly isn't healthful, either,\" Soshitsu answered. \"Foods from the barbarian lands are thick and rich, while our Japanese foods have a blander taste. These cakes are much sweeter than our dried persimmons or rice cakes. Once you get a taste for sugar, you won't be satisfied with our own sweets anymore.\"\n\n\"Has a lot of this sugar already been imported to Kyushu?\"\n\n\"Not so much. With an exchange rate of one weight of sugar to one weight of gold, we don't get much of a percentage. I'm thinking of shipping in some sugar plants and trying to transplant them to a warm region, but, like tobacco, I'm wondering if sugar would be a good thing to popularize in Japan.\"\n\n\"That's not like you,\" Nobunaga laughed. \"Don't be so narrow-minded. It doesn't make any difference whether they're good or bad. Just lump them together and ship them in, and they'll bring a special quality to the culture. All sorts of things are finally being brought in from the western and southern seas right now. Their penetration to the east is unstoppable.\"\n\n\"I applaud your tolerance, my lord, and adopting that way of thinking would certainly be a great help to our business, of course. But I wonder if we should leave it at that.\"\n\n\"We should, without a doubt. Bring in everything new as fast as you can.\"\n\n\"As you wish, my lord.\"\n\n\"Or failing that, chew it up well and then spit it out,\" Nobunaga added.\n\n\"Spit it out?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Chew it well, take what's of good quality into your stomach, and spit out the dregs. If the warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants of Japan understand that principle, there'll be no problems in importing anything.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, that's no good.\" Soshitsu waved his hand emphatically. He was against this altogether, and was quick to give his opinions about the direction of the government. \"You, my lord, the ruler of this country, may feel that way, but recently I've seen some worrisome signs, and I, for one, cannot agree with you.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"The spread of false religions.\"\n\n\"You mean the missionaries? Have the Buddhists been making demands on you, too, Soshitsu?\"\n\n\"You're being a bit too disdainful. This problem is truly distressing the nation.\"\n\nSoshitsu went on to tell the story of the child who had fallen into the moat a few hours before, and how the self-sacrifice of the missionaries had impressed the people.\n\n\"In less than ten years, thousands have abandoned the altars of their ancestors and converted to Christianity. And this has occurred not only in Omura and Nagasaki but also throughout Kyushu, in remote areas of Shikoku, and even in Osaka, Kyoto, and Sakai. Your Lordship has just said that it would be all right if whatever we brought into Japan were chewed up and spit out, but religion is unique and probably cannot be treated in that way. No matter how much the people chew, their souls are going to be drawn into this heresy, and they won't give it up, even if you crucify them or cut off their heads.\"\n\nNobunaga was completely silent. His expression indicated that this was a problem of such gravity that it could not be discussed in a few words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had burned Mount Hiei and, using a violence that had been beyond the reach of former rulers, had brought Buddhism to its knees." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had dealt with the clergy with a rain of hellfire and swords, but he himself knew better than anyone else that, wherever he went, the resentment toward him was unlikely to dissipate." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include this dialogue snippet naturally: \"What do you think about this? You're young, so I imagine that you naturally see things differently from Soshitsu.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the other hand, he had permitted the missionaries to build a church, he had publicly recognized their work, and from time to time he had even invited them to banquets. The Buddhist monks raised a hue and cry about which of them Nobunaga considered to be the foreigners—the Christians or themselves.\n\nNobunaga loathed explanations. He hated to hear something spelled out, but he respected a direct intuition between people. In fact, he was elated by it.\n\n\"Sotan.\" He now turned to converse with the other man. \"What do you think about this? You're young, so I imagine that you naturally see things differently from Soshitsu.\"\n\nSotan looked cautiously at the lamp for a moment, but then answered quite clearly.\n\n\"I agree with you, my lord, that it would be all right to chew this matter of foreign religion well and then spit it out.\"\n\nNobunaga turned and looked at Soshitsu like someone who had just had his opinions confirmed. \"Don't worry. You have to grasp the larger scheme of things. Centuries ago, Lord Michizane advocated the combination of the Japanese soul and Chinese know-how. Whether we import the customs of China or artifacts from the West, the colors of fall and the cherry blossoms of spring do not change. Rather, when rain falls on a pond, the water is renewed. You're making the mistake of gauging the ocean by the moat of the Honno Temple. Isn't that true, Soshitsu?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord, one must measure a moat by a moat's standards.\"\n\n\"And the same with culture from overseas.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As I get old, even I have become like a frog in a well,\" Soshitsu said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think you're more like a whale.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Soshitsu agreed, \"but a whale with narrow vision.\"\n\n\"Hey, bring some water,\" Nobunaga ordered the page sleeping behind him. He was not yet finished with the evening. Though they had not eaten or drunk for a while, the excitement of the conversation had continued on its own.\n\n\"Father,\" Nobutada said, sliding over to Nobunaga. \"It's gotten awfully late. I'm going to take my leave.\"\n\n\"Stay a little longer,\" Nobunaga said, restraining him more than he would have ordinarily. \"You're just over at Nijo, aren't you? Even if it's late, you're almost right next door. Nagato lives right in front of the gate, and our guests from Hakata are hardly going back there tonight.\"\n\n\"No, just me...\" Soshitsu looked as though he were getting ready to leave. \"I have an appointment tomorrow morning.\"\n\n\"Then the only person staying is Sotan?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll be on night duty. There's work left for me, tidying up the tearoom.\"\n\n\"I see. You won't stay for my sake. You're carrying that expensive tea equipment with you, and you must stay here to guard it tonight.\"\n\n\"I won't contradict you, my lord.\"\n\n\"Speak frankly,\" Nobunaga laughed. Suddenly looking behind him, he stared at the hanging scroll on the wall. \"Mu Ch'i is very good, isn't he? You rarely see such skill nowadays. I've heard that Sotan owns a painting by Mu Ch'i called Ships Returning from Faraway Ports. I wonder if anyone is worthy of owning such a famous painting?\"\n\nSotan suddenly laughed out loud, as though Nobunaga were not there.\n\n\"What are you laughing about, Sotan?\"\n\nSotan looked at the people around him. \"Lord Nobunaga would like to take my Mu Ch'i scroll with one of his sly stratagems: 'Is anyone worthy of owning such a painting?' This is like sending agent-provocateurs into an enemy province. You'd better look out for your precious oak tea caddy!\" And he could not stop laughing.\n\nHe had hit dead center." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'lamps'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For some time, Nobunaga had been after the painting. Both the tea caddy and the painting were family heirlooms, however, and for that reason even Nobunaga had not been able to speak his own mind freely.\n\nBut now the owner had been kind enough to bring up the matter, and Nobunaga thought that that was the same as promising to give him the object. Certainly, after laughing at him so audaciously, Sotan would not have the heart not to give him what he wanted.\n\nSo Nobunaga laughed too. \"Well, you don't miss anything, Sotan. When you get to my age, a man can become a true disciple of tea.\" He was revealing the truth in a jest.\n\nSoshitsu rejoined, \"In a few days I'll be meeting Master Sokyu from Sakai. Let's deliberate together then about where the painting belongs. Of course, it would have been best to ask Mu Ch'i himself.\"\n\nNobunaga's mood was improving. And, although the attendants came to trim the wicks of the lamps a number of times, he simply sipped water and went on, oblivious of the passage of time.\n\nIt was a summer night, and the temple's shutters and doors were all open. Perhaps for that reason, the flames in the lamps were continually flickering and were capped by halos of evening mist." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If one had been able to read the future in the light of the lamps that evening, one might have divined an evil omen in the halos of mist or in the shades of light passing through the wicks of the lamps." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Someone knocked at the front gate of the temple. After a while an attendant announced that a dispatch had arrived from the western provinces. Taking advantage of the moment, Nobutada stood up and Soshitsu also begged to take his leave. Nobunaga then stood up also, to accompany them as far as the bridged corridor.\n\n\"Sleep well,\" Nobutada said, turning once more and looking at the figure of his father from the corridor.\n\nNagato and his son were standing next to Nobutada, holding lanterns. The halls of the Honno Temple compound sank back into a darkness as black as ink. It was the second half of the Hour of the Rat." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide was standing at a crossroads: a right turn would take him westward; a left turn would lead him through the village of Kutsukake and across the Katsura River, and on to the capital." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'there' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had reached the crest of the hill he had been climbing all his life. The two roads before him represented a turning point and a finality. But the view that presented itself to his eye that night did not compel him to reflection of any sort. Instead, the broad sky showing him the twinkling of peaceful stars seemed to promise a great change in the world, one that would begin with the new dawn.\n\nNo order had been given to rest, but Mitsuhide's horse had stopped, and he sat in the saddle, silhouetted against the starry sky. Perceiving that he was not going to move for the moment, the generals around him, clad in glittering armor—and the long lines of armored men, banners, and horses behind him—waited restlessly in the dark.\n\n\"There's a spring bubbling up over there. I can hear water murmuring, I think.\"\n\n\"There it is. Water!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Groping along in the undergrowth of the precipice bordering the road, one of the men finally discovered a little stream in the rocks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One after another, the soldiers pushed forward to fill their canteens with the clear water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This will us get as far as Tenjin.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Maybe we'll eat at Yamazaki.\"\n\n\"No, the night's so short, it'll probably get light when we get to the Kaiin Temple.\"\n\n\"The horses will get tired if we march during the daytime, so His Lordship is probably thinking that we should make as much progress as we can through the night and morning hours.\"\n\n\"That would be best until we get to the western provinces.\"\n\nThe foot soldiers, quite naturally, and even the samurai above them—with the exception of their commanders—still knew nothing at all. The whispers and laughing voices that did not quite reach the ears of the commanders manifested their assumption that the battlefield was still far away.\n\nThe line began to move. From that point, the commanders carried spears and advanced alongside of their troops with watchful eyes and a quickened pace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To the left. To the left. The men began to descend the divide of Oinosaka to the east. Not one soldier turned off on the road to the west. Doubt reflected from eye to eye. But even those who were suspicious hurried on. The men behind simply looked up to the banners that fluttered in front of them; there was no mistake that this was the road on which their banners proceeded. The horses' hooves clattered on the steep slopes. From time to time the sound of the falling rocks became almost deafening." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The army resembled a waterfall that would allow nothing to stand in its way." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both men and horses were soaked with sweat, and their breath came in fiery gasps. Meandering through the deep mountain gorges, they once again descended. Quickly turning toward the babbling mountain stream, they pressed on toward the sheer slopes of Mount Matsuo.\n\n\"Take a rest.\"\n\n\"Break out the provisions.\"\n\n\"No fires are to be lit.\"\n\nOrders were passed down, one after another. They were still only at Kutsukake, a village on the mountainside that was made up of no more than ten or so woodcutters' houses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nevertheless, the warning of the central command had been strict, and patrols were quickly set in the area of the road that went down to the foothills." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where are you going?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Down to the valley to get some water.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You're not allowed to separate from the ranks. Borrow some water from somebody else.\"\n\nThe soldiers opened up their provisions and silently started to eat. A good bit of whispering was heard as they chewed their food. A number of the men wondered why they were fortifying themselves with a meal at this apparently inopportune time, halfway down the mountain. They had already eaten a meal before they had left the Hachiman Shrine that night.\n\nWhy weren't they to eat when the sun came up, at Yamazaki or Hashimoto where they could tether their horses? Though they were puzzled, they still assumed that they were on their way to the western provinces. The road to Bitchu was not the only way that led to their destination." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If they turned to the right at Kutsukake, they could pass through Oharano and come out in the direction of Yamazaki and Takatsuki.\n\nBut when they started off once again, the entire army descended straight ahead to Tsukahara without turning to either side, and went on to the village of Kawashima. By the fourth watch, the greater part of the army looked down at the unexpected sight of the Katsura River under the night sky.\n\nThe soldiers suddenly became agitated. As soon as they felt the cool breeze of the river, the entire army stopped in its tracks in fear.\n\n\"Settle down!\" the officers ordered the men.\n\n\"Don't make so much noise! And don't talk to each other unnecessarily!\"\n\nThe clear water of the river shimmered, and in the breeze from the river the nine standards with their blue bellflowers swayed like long poles bent into bows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Amano Genemon, whose command was on the edge of the army's right wing, was summoned by Mitsuhide. He jumped off his horse and ran toward his commander.\n\nMitsuhide was standing on a dry part of the riverbed. The penetrating eyes of the generals all turned in Genemon's direction. There were Saito Toshimitsu, his face rimmed with frost-white hair, and Mitsuharu, whose tragic face now appeared like a mask. Along with these two men, the many armored members of his field staff surrounded Mitsuhide like an iron barrel.\n\n\"Gengo,\" Mitsuhide said, \"it will soon be light. You take a company and cross the river first. On the way you are to cut down anyone who might be able to run through our lines to warn the enemy. Also, there may be merchants and other travelers who are passing through the capital in the early dawn, and it will be necessary to take care of these people. This is extremely important.\"\n\n\"I understand.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Wait.\" Mitsuhide called the man back. \"As a precaution, I've sent some men to guard the road through the mountains from Hozu, down from northern Saga, and along the Nishijin Road from the Jizoin. Don't attack our own men by mistake.\" Mitsuhide's voice was cuttingly sharp; it was easy to see that his mind was now working at full speed and that his blood vessels were so filled with tension they were close to bursting.\n\nWatching Genemon's troops splash across the Katsura River, the remaining men felt increasingly uneasy. Mitsuhide remounted and, one after another, the men under his command followed his example.\n\n\"Give out the orders. Make sure no one misses a word.\"\n\nOne of the commanders at Mitsuhide's side cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, \"Take off your horses' shoes and throw them away!\" The shrill command from the first ranks could be heard clearly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The foot soldiers should all put on new straw sandals. Don't wear sandals with cords that are loose from walking on the mountain roads. If the cords have loosened, tie them firmly enough so that if they get wet, they won't chew up your feet. Gunners, cut your fuse cords to lengths of one foot and tie them in bundles of five. Unnecessary things, like the wrapping for provisions and personal effects, or anything that will be a burden to the free movement of your arms and legs, should be thrown into the river. Don't take anything but your weapons.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The army was dumbfounded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the same time, something of a groundswell began to bubble up from the men. It was connected with neither the sound of voices nor the appearance of motion. The men looked to the left and right, but having been forbidden to talk among themselves, it simply went from face to face—a voiceless voice. Nevertheless, almost instantaneously, action was kindled wherever one looked. And it was so exceedingly swift that, superficially at least, any doubt, uneasiness, or alarm was nowhere apparent.\n\nWhen everything was ready and the men had re-formed their ranks, the old warrior, Saito Toshimitsu, raised a voice that had been tempered in a hundred battles, and spoke to the troops almost as if he were reading.\n\n\"Rejoice. Today our master, Lord Akechi Mitsuhide, will become the ruler of the country. Do not entertain the least bit of doubt.\"\n\nHis voice carried all the way to the faraway foot soldiers and sandal bearers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone gasped as though they were all breathing their last." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But this gasp contained no trace of either joy or acclamation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was more like a shudder." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toshimitsu closed his eyes and raised his voice almost as though he were scolding the men. Was he trying to reassure himself, too?\n\n\"No day will ever shine as brightly as today. We will rely especially on the samurai to achieve meritorious deeds. Even if you fall in battle today, your relatives will be rewarded in accordance with your actions.\" Toshimitsu's voice did not change much, right up to the time he finished speaking. He had been told what to say by Mitsuhide, and it was probably not in accord with his own thinking. \"Let's cross the river!\"\n\nThe sky was still dark. The current of the Katsura River momentarily checked the warhorses as they attempted to ford the stream." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'ieyasu' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Curls of white waves surged and rolled back on themselves. The entire army shivered as the men sloshed through the water in soaked straw sandals. Although they were drenched, not one gunner let his fuse cords get wet. The clear water went up past their knees, and it was colder than ice. No doubt every soldier and officer was consumed by his own thoughts as he crossed the current. Each man considered the words that were spoken by Toshimitsu and the corps commanders before he began to ford the stream.\n\nWell, we must be attacking Lord Ieyasu. Except for Tokugawa Ieyasu, there's no one nearby enough to attack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But what did Toshimitsu mean when he said our lord would become the ruler of the country from this day on?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was as far as the soldiers' thoughts took them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In large part, the Akechi clan's warriors were men steeped in morality and justice, and it had still not occurred to them that the enemy was Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The earnest, stubborn Akechi spirit, devoted to a sense of justice, had been passed from the company commanders down through the ranks, right to the lowest foot soldier and sandal bearer.\n\n\"Hey, it's getting light.\"\n\n\"Daybreak will be here soon.\"\n\nThey were in the area between Nyoigadake and the mountain range that delimitated the eastern edge of Kyoto. The edge of a mass of clouds was glittering a bright red.\n\nWhen the men strained their eyes, they could see the city of Kyoto just barely visible in the dark of dawn. Behind them, toward Oinosaka or the border of the grassy province of Tamba, however, the stars were so clear and bright they might have been counted.\n\n\"A corpse!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There's another one over there too.\"\n\n\"Hey, and over here!\"\n\nThe army was now approaching the eastern outskirts of Kyoto. With the exception of groves and thatched huts, there was only dew-covered farmland until one reached the pagoda of the Eastern Temple.\n\nDead bodies were strewn at the foot of the pines along the side of the road, in the middle of the road, and almost everywhere the soldiers looked. The dead all seemed to have been farmers from the area. Lying face down as though asleep in a field of eggplant flowers, a young girl lay dead, still clutching her basket, cut down by the single stroke of a sword.\n\nIt was apparent that the blood was still flowing, for it was fresher than the morning dew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Undoubtedly the troops of Amano Genemon that had set out before the main army saw these early-rising farmers in their fields, chased them down, and killed them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They may have felt pity for their innocence, but their orders were not to risk the success of the greater action to come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking down at the fresh blood on the earth and up at the red clouds in the sky, Mitsuhide stood up in his stirrups, abruptly raised his whip into the air, and shouted, \"On to the Honno Temple! Overrun it completely! My enemies are at the Honno Temple. Go! Go! I'll cut down anyone who lags behind!\"\n\nNow was the time for battle, and the nine banners emblazoned with the blue bellflowers split into three companies of three banners each. Striking into the entrance to Seventh Street, they trampled through city gate after city gate, swarming into the capital all at once. The Akechi army burst in through the gates at Fifth, Fourth, and Third streets, and poured into the city.\n\nThe mist was still thick, but a bright red dawn had begun to permeate the sky over the mountains, and as usual, the wicket gates were being opened for the people going to and fro.\n\nThe men crowded through the gates, and spears and guns swarmed in confusion. Only the banners were kept down as the soldiers crowded through.\n\n\"Don't push! Don't be flustered! The rear corps should wait outside the gate for a moment.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seeing the confusion, one of the commanders did what he could to restrain the men. Slipping the bar out of the large door, he opened the gate wide.\n\n\"All right! Go through!\" he yelled, goading them on.\n\nThe order had been to rush in silently, without raising a battle cry, to keep the banners down, and even to keep the horses from neighing. But as soon as they crashed through the gates and stormed into the city, the Akechi troops had already worked themselves into a near frenzy.\n\n\"On to the Honno Temple!\"\n\nThrough the general turmoil, the sound of opening doors could be heard coming from houses here and there, but as soon as the residents looked outside, they pulled their heads in again and slammed the doors tight." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage requirement: 'forces' must appear 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Among the many units that pushed in on the Honno Temple, the forces that approached it the quickest were those led by Akechi Mitsuharu and Saito Toshimitsu, who could be seen in the vanguard.\n\n\"It's difficult to see in these narrow streets filled with mist. Don't get lost trying to get there before the others. The honey locust tree of the Honno Temple grove should be your landmark! Aim for the big bamboo stand between the clouds of mist. There it is! That's the honey locust tree of the Honno Temple!\"\n\nGalloping ahead on horseback and waving his hands furiously as he gave out instructions, Toshimitsu seemed to have pledged his warrior's voice to that one morning of his life.\n\nThe second army, led by Akechi Mitsutada, was also in motion. Those forces inundated the district around Third Street, passed through the inner section like smoke, and made a drive to encircle the Myokaku Temple in Nijo. This action was naturally coordinated with the forces attacking the Honno Temple and was calculated to finish off Nobunaga's son Nobutada.\n\nIt was no distance from this place to the Honno Temple. The armies were separated by the dark of predawn, but already at this point an indescribable noise was beginning to rise from the direction of the Honno Temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The ringing sound of the conch shell and the booming of the gongs and drums could be heard. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the sound shook heaven and earth and was not like anything ordinarily heard in this world. There was no one in the capital that morning who did not either jump up in surprise or leap out of bed in response to the screams of his family.\n\nClamorous noises and voices quickly arose even in the ordinarily peaceful area of the nobles' mansions that surrounded the Imperial Palace. With all of this uproar and the echoing of the drumming horses' hooves, the sky of Kyoto itself seemed to be ringing.\n\nThe confusion of the city people, however, was only momentary, and as soon as the nobility and common people understood the situation, their homes were as quiet as they had been a while before, when they had been sleeping peacefully. No one ventured to go out into the streets.\n\nIt was still so dark the soldiers could not determine whose face was in front of them, and on their way to the Myokaku Temple, the second army mistook some of its own men, who had taken a roundabout way through another narrow street, for the enemy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even though their commander had strictly warned them not to fire until the order was given, when they came to the corner of the intersection, the excited soldiers suddenly began to fire blindly through the mist.\n\nWhen they smelled the gunpowder smoke, their spirits became all the more excited in spite of themselves. Even soldiers who had been in battles before might go through a situation like this before they achieved complete self-control.\n\n\"Hey! You can hear conch-shell horns and gongs over there. It's started over at the Honno Temple.\"\n\n\"They're fighting!\"\n\n\"The attack is on!\"\n\nThey couldn't tell if their feet were hitting the ground or not. Running forward, they still could not determine whose voices they heard, though there was no resistance in front of them." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Still, the pores all over their bodies began to swell, and they were even unaware of the cold mist striking their goose-fleshed faces and hands. They shook with such feeling that all they could do was yell.\n\nAnd so they raised their battle cry even before they saw the roofed walls of the Myokaku Temple. Unexpectedly, a cry rose up in the direction of the front of the unit, and the gongs and drums began to ring out impatiently as well.\n\nMitsuhide was with the third army. It would be proper to say that headquarters were located wherever he happened to be, and this time he had stopped at Horikawa. He was surrounded by members of his clan, and a camp stool had been set up for him, but he did not sit down even for a moment. His entire being was focused on the voices of the clouds and the shrieks of the mist, and he looked uninterruptedly into the sky in the direction of Nijo. From time to time his eyes overflowed with the red of the morning clouds, but still no flames or smoke reached skyward." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga woke up with a start, but not for any particular reason. After a good night's sleep, he naturally woke up in the morning on his own. Since his youth he had always risen at dawn, no matter how late he had gone to bed. He awoke, or rather—while he was not yet fully conscious and his head was still on the pillow—he experienced a particular phenomenon. It was a transition from dreaming to wakefulness that lasted only a fraction of a second, but in that infinitesimal space, a number of thoughts would pass through his head with the speed of a flash of lightning.\n\nThey were memories of experiences that had occurred between the time of his youth and the present, or reflections on his present life, or goals for the future. Whatever they were, these thoughts would pass through his brain in that moment between dream and reality.\n\nThis experience was, perhaps, less a habit than an innate ability. As a child, he had already been an extraordinary dreamer. The brambles and thorns of reality, however—especially given his birth and breeding—would not permit him to live only in a world of dreams. The real world had added difficulties on top of difficulties and had taught him the pleasure of cutting his way through them.\n\nDuring this period of growth, when he was tested and returned victorious, and was tested again, he ultimately learned that he was not satisfied with the difficulties given to him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The highest pleasure of life, he found, lay in seeking out difficulties, plunging right into them, and then turning back to see them behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His convictions had been strengthened by the self-confidence he had gained from such experiences and had put him into a frame of mind far beyond the common sense one of ordinary men. After Azuchi, the idea of the impossible did not exist within his boundaries or in the world of his conceptions. That was because the works he had accomplished up to that point had not been done by following the path of ordinary men's common sense; rather, he had taken the path of making possible the impossible.\n\nAnd that morning, on the border between the world of dreams and his mortal body, where the intoxication of the night before was perhaps still running fragrantly through his veins, pictures were being drawn in his brain: convoys of huge ships going to the southern islands, to the coast of Korea, and even to the great country of the Ming. He himself stood in the tower of a ship along with Sotan and Soshitsu. One more person would have to accompany him, he thought—Hideyoshi. He felt that the day he could make this into a reality was not far off.\n\nIn his mind, a small accomplishment like the domination of the western provinces and Kyushu was not enough to fill an entire lifetime.\n\nIt's dawn, he muttered to himself, and he rose and left his bedroom.\n\nThe heavy cedar door that opened to the corridor had been exquisitely fashioned so that when it was pulled open or closed, the sill naturally made a noise almost as if it were calling out. When the pages heard this sound in their faraway room, they jumped up with a start. The flickering light of the paper lantern was reflected by the thick pillars and planks of the veranda, which gleamed as if they had been polished with oil." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Aware that their lord had awakened, the pages quickened their steps toward the bathroom next to the kitchen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On their way, they heard a noise in the direction of the north corridor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It sounded like a window shutter being opened quickly.\n\nThinking that it might be Nobunaga, they stopped and peered back toward the blind corridor. The only person visible, however, was a woman wearing a cool, large-patterned kimono and a long outer coat patterned with pines and cherry blossoms. Her long black hair trailed behind her.\n\nAs the shutters were open, a morning sky the color of bellflowers appeared through the window, looking almost like a paper cutout. The breeze that wafted in rustled the woman's black hair and sent the fragrance of aloeswood all the way to the place where the pages were lingering.\n\n\"Ah, over there.\" The pages heard the sound of running water and ran off in the direction of the kitchen. The priests of the temple had not yet left their living quarters, so the windows and the huge main gate had not yet been opened. In the wide earthen-floored kitchen and on the elevated wooden platform, the humming of mosquitoes and the darkness of the night remained, but the steaminess of the summer morning could already be felt.\n\nNobunaga felt a unique dislike for that particular time of day. By the time the pages realized that he had left his sleeping quarters and had come running up, he had already finished rinsing his mouth and washing his hands. Walking over to the huge jar into which water flowed from a bamboo water pipe, he took a small pail and dipped it into a lacquered tub." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Splattering water everywhere, just like a wagtail, he hastily washed his face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, you're getting your sleeve wet, my lord.\"\n\n\"Let me change the water.\"\n\nThe pages were in dread. One of them fearfully lifted up Nobunaga's white sleeve from behind, while another dipped out fresh water. Still another held up a towel while kneeling at his feet. At the same time, the men in the samurai quarters left the night guardroom and began to open up the paneled doors in the court. Just at that moment, however, they became aware of an extraordinary noise coming from the direction of the outer main temple, and then of the reverberation of furious footsteps running toward the inner court.\n\nNobunaga turned around, his hair still dripping wet, and said impatiently, \"Go see what it is, Bomaru.\" After giving the order, he continued vigorously rubbing his face with a cloth.\n\nOne of the pages said, \"Maybe the guards at the outer temple have gotten into a fight or something.\"\n\nNobunaga did not acknowledge the remark. For a moment his eyes resembled the waters of an abyss, and sparkled as though he were searching for something, not in the outer world but within himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But only for a moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was not just outside the main temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Here at the guest mansion, and from ridgepole to ridgepole of the ten or so monastery buildings, something as strong as an earthquake shaking the entire crust of the earth was being conveyed by an indefinable noise and a terrifying current of energy.\n\nAny man, no matter how strong, is likely to feel confusion at such a moment. The blood retreated even from Nobunaga's face, and the pages attending him all turned pale. But they probably stood still for no more than a couple of breaths. Almost immediately, someone came running down the nearby corridor at great speed.\n\nA man yelled, \"My lord! My lord!\"\n\nThe pages chorused, \"Master Ranmaru! Master Ranmaru! Over here!\" Nobunaga himself came out and called the man.\n\n\"Ranmaru! Where are you going?\"\n\n\"Ah, you're here, my lord,\" Ranmaru said, almost falling down as he knelt. At a glance, Nobunaga could feel on the very surface of his flesh that what was happening was not just a simple matter of some samurai getting into a fight, or a row between the men at the stables.\n\n\"What's happened, Ranmaru? What's all the commotion?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he asked quickly, and Ranmaru was just as quick with his answer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The Akechi have committed an outrage. There are warriors outside, rioting and waving banners that are unmistakably emblazoned with the Akechi crest.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What! The Akechi?\" The words left his mouth in astonishment. His surprise demonstrated thoroughly that he had never expected—never even dreamed—that this would happen. But the singular physical shock and the emotional excitement he felt were halted at his lips. Speaking with nearly the same calm he always possessed, his next words sounded almost like a growl.\n\n\"The Akechi... it was inevitable.\"\n\nTurning quickly aside, Nobunaga dashed back into his room. Ranmaru started to follow him, but after five or six steps he turned back and scolded the trembling pages. \"Each one of you get to work quickly. I've just ordered Bomaru to tell everyone to shut all of the gates and doors. Block all of the doorways, and don't let the enemy even get close to His Lordship.\" Before he was able to finish his words, bullets and arrows began to strike the kitchen door and the nearby windows like a downpour of rain. Countless arrows pierced deeply through the wooden doors, and the bright steel of their sharp points clearly proclaimed the battle to the people inside.\n\nFrom south of Rokkaku, north of Nishikikoji, west of Toin, and east of Aburakoji, the four sides of the Honno Temple were engulfed in the armor of the Akechi forces and their battle cries. The tile-roofed walls could be easily seen, but, protected by the deep moat, they could not be so easily scaled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The forest of spears, banners, guns, and halberds did nothing more than sway back and forth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some of the men leaped rashly to the base of the roofed wall; others could not jump so far. Many of those who tried fell to the bottom of the moat. And because of their heavy armor, those who fell in were buried up to their waists in the foul-smelling, muddy swamp water, the color of black ink. Even if they had been able to get up and call, their companions above never looked down.\n\nThe Akechi troops at Nishikikoji demolished the tenements of the neighborhood, while women with infants, old people, and children fled from underneath the wreckage, like hermit crabs scuttling away from empty shells. In this way the soldiers filled the moat with doors and roof planking.\n\nImmediately, everyone scrambled to swarm over the wall. The gunners lined up their firearms and, aiming from the top of the wall down into the compound, fired off the first volley.\n\nBy then the buildings inside the temple compound were uncannily still. All of the doors in the front main temple were closed, and it was difficult to tell whether or not there was an enemy inside to shoot at. Flames and smoke began to rise from Sewer Street. The heat of the fire beneath the ruined houses immediately began to smolder and easily ignited one structure after the next." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soon all the poor people on the block stampeded out as though they would trample each other to death." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Crying and screaming, they spilled onto the dry riverbed of the Kamo River and into the center of town, carrying nothing with them at all." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Viewed from the area of the main gate on the opposite side of the temple, it must have seemed as though the men who had already broken through the rear gate had begun to set fire to the kitchen. The main force that thronged at the front gate was in no mood to be bested by their comrades. In a rage, the rank and file yelled out to a wavering group of officers who seemed to be doing nothing more than wasting time in the area of the drawbridge.\n\n\"Smash on in!\"\n\n\"Push on through! What are you doing?\"\n\nOne of the officers faced the guard inside the gate.\n\n\"We are the Akechi forces on our way to the western provinces. We have come here in full array in order to respectfully salute Lord Oda Nobunaga.\"\n\nIt was a poor attempt to trick the defenders into opening the main gate, and it only delayed matters even more. The guard was naturally suspicious, and he had no reason to open the gate on his own, without asking for Nobunaga's orders.\n\nHe told them to wait. The ensuing silence inside the gate meant that the emergency was being reported to the main temple and that there would be an instantaneous rush to man defenses.\n\nThe warriors jostling behind were becoming impatient at having to use a stratagem to cross this little bit of moat and they began to push the lines in front of them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Attack! Attack! What are we waiting for?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Take the walls!\"\n\nRecklessly competing to take the entrance first, they pushed those who were wavering to the side and even knocked them down.\n\nA number of men in the front were pushed into the moat, and battle cries were raised both by those on top and by those who had fallen in. Then, apparently on purpose, groups even farther behind began to push. More men fell into the moat. In an instant, one section of the moat was filled with mud-covered warriors.\n\nOne young warrior stepped over the mass of human beings and leaped for the base of the roofed wall. Another man followed his example.\n\n\"We're going over!\"\n\nScreaming and thrusting with their spears, the men crossed over and quickly clung to the top of the roofed wall. The jumble of warriors in the moat jostled and shoved like mudfish trying to jump out of a pond. The warriors above them trampled the backs, shoulders, and heads of their own comrades." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One man after another was sacrificed wretchedly to the horrific, muddy rush." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because of their unseen distinguished service, however, voices soon yelled with pride from the top of the walls of the Honno Temple.\n\n\"I'm the first!\"\n\nSo quickly did the others reach the wall that it was difficult to distinguish who was first and who second.\n\nInside the walls, the Oda samurai who were already running from the guard station inside the gate and the area around the stables seized any weapon they could and tried to stem the flood of this rushing river. It was, however, the same as trying to support a broken dam with nothing more than one's hands. Ignoring the swords and spears of the defenders, the Akechi vanguard quickly bounded through, stepping over the corpses of men who had engaged in the battle and were dyed in the flowing blood of their enemies.\n\nAs if to say that all they wanted was to visit the residence of Lord Nobunaga, they ran straight toward the main temple and the guest house. They were met, however by a hum of arrows like a roaring wind from the wide veranda of the main temple and from the balustrade of the guest house. The distance was advantageous for bowshot, but many of the arrows did not hit the advancing warriors, and instead dug harmlessly into the earth. Many others skipped along the ground or rebounded from the faraway walls.\n\nAmong the defenders, a number of brave men dressed only in sleeping attire, half-naked or even unarmed, grappled with the armored enemy. The guards who had received time off from duty had slept comfortably through the heat of the summer night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now, perhaps ashamed to enter the fight late, they ran out to restrain the Akechi warriors—if only a little—with nothing more than the fierceness of their bodies and their own desperate efforts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the billowing waves of armor were not to be stopped and were already surging under the eaves of the temple. Darting back inside his room, Nobunaga had put on breeches over a garment of white silk and was fastening the cords as he gnashed his teeth.\n\n\"A bow! Bring me a bow!\" he shouted.\n\nAfter he'd yelled this order two or three times, someone finally knelt down and held a bow in front of him. Snatching it away, he bounded outside through the paneled doors, shouting back, \"Let the women escape. Nothing is wrong with their getting away. Just don't let them become an encumbrance.\"\n\nThe noise of doors and screens being kicked in could be heard everywhere, and the screams of the women intensified the unnerving atmosphere under the shaking roof tiles. The women fled in confusion from room to room, running down the corridors and jumping over the handrails. Their ruffled trains and sleeves cut through the gloom like flying flames of white, red, and purple. But the bullets and arrows flew everywhere—into the shutters, the pillars, and the handrails. Nobunaga had already stepped out onto a corner of the veranda and was firing his arrows at the enemy. Around him were stuck the arrows that had been concentrated on his own figure.\n\nWatching the fearful way he fought, even the women, who had lost all control of themselves, were unable to leave his side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All they could do was scream." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fifty years a human being under heaven.\" That line was from the play Nobunaga had loved so much, and it had characterized his view of life during his youth. He did not think of what was happening as a world-shaking event. He was certainly not dispirited by the thought that it might be the end.\n\nRather, he fought with a fierce, burning spirit that would not simply give up and die. The ideal that he held in his breast as the great work of his life had not yet been even half-finished. It would be too mortifying to be defeated in the middle of the journey. There was just too much to be regretted if he died this morning. So he took another arrow and notched it to the string. He listened to the string hum again and again, seeming to loose his anger with each arrow. Finally the string became frayed and the bow was ready to break.\n\n\"Arrows! I don't have any arrows! Bring me more!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Continuing to call out behind him, he even picked up and shot the enemy's arrows that had missed him and fallen to the corridor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just then, a woman wearing a red silk headband and gallantly trussing up one sleeve of her kimono carried in an armful of arrows and raised one to his hand. Nobunaga looked down at the woman.\n\n\"Ano? What you've done here is enough. Now try to escape.\"\n\nHe motioned her off emphatically with his chin, but the court lady, Ano, kept passing arrow after arrow to Nobunaga's right hand and would not leave, no matter how he upbraided her.\n\nHe shot with nobility and grace more than with skill, more with spirit than with great strength. The magnificent hum of his arrows seemed to say that the arrows themselves were too good for these menials, that the arrowheads were gifts from the man who would rule the nation. The arrows that Ano brought, however, were quickly spent.\n\nHere and there in the temple garden the enemy lay, felled by his arrows. But, braving his fire, a number of the armored soldiers yelled out and pressed desperately in under the balustrade, and finally began to climb onto the bridged corridor.\n\n\"We can see you, Lord Nobunaga! You can't escape now! Give up your head like a man!\"\n\nThe enemy were as thick as the crows on the honey locust tree in the morning and evening. Personal attendants and pages positioned themselves around Nobunaga in the rear and side corridors in a protective stance, their swords shining with a fire born of desperation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were not going to let the enemy get close." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Mori brothers were among them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A number of these men who had refused to leave their lord at the very end and had fought to protect him now lay on top of their enemies exactly as they had grappled with them, both seeming to have died by the other's hands.\n\nThe guard corps at the outer temple had made the main temple their battleground and now fought a fierce and bloody fight to keep the enemy from approaching the court. But because the enemy forces seemed about to take the entrance to the bridged corridor that led to the court, the entire corps, which consisted of less than twenty men, formed a single unit and dashed together toward the interior.\n\nThus the Akechi warriors who had scrambled up to the bridged corridor were caught on both sides. Stabbed and cut, their corpses fell on top of one another. When the men from the outer temple saw that Nobunaga was still safe, they cried out in elation, \"Now there's time! Now! Retreat as quickly as possible!\"\n\n\"Idiots!\" Nobunaga spat, tossing his bow away. It had broken and he was out of arrows. \"This is no time to retreat! Lend me your spear!\"\n\nUpbraiding them, he grabbed a retainer's weapon and ran down the corridor like a lion. Finding an enemy warrior with his hand on the balustrade and about to climb over, he drove his spear straight down into the man.\n\nJust then, an Akechi warrior drew back his small bow from the shade of a Chinese black pine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The arrow struck Nobunaga's elbow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Staggering back, Nobunaga leaned heavily against the shutter behind him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that very moment, some minor action was occurring outside the western wall. A force of retainers and foot soldiers under the command of Murai Nagato and his son had sallied out from the governor's mansion, which was located in the neighborhood of the Honno Temple. Striking at the encircling Akechi forces from behind, they attempted to enter the compound from the main gate.\n\nThe night before, Nagato and his son had stayed up late into the night talking with Nobunaga and Nobutada, returning to their mansion to sleep at about the time of the third watch. That, one could say, was the reason Nagato had been sleeping so soundly and had been caught off guard. As part of his duties, he should have known—at the very least—about the situation the moment the Akechi forces stepped inside the capital precincts. And then he should have immediately sent a warning to the nearby Honno Temple, even if it had been just moments before the arrival of the hostile troops.\n\nHis negligence had been total and absolute. But the fault lay not with Nagato alone. Certainly, negligence could be attributed to all of those who were staying in the capital or who had mansions there.\n\n\"It seems there's some trouble outside,\" Nagato was told when he was first awakened. He had no idea of the magnitude of the trouble." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Maybe it's a brawl or something. Go take a look,\" he told a retainer." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'spears' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, while he leisurely got out of bed, he heard one of his attendants calling out from the roof of the mud-walled gate.\n\n\"Smoke's coming up from Nishikikoji!\"\n\nNagato clicked his tongue and muttered, \"Probably some fire on Sewer Street again.\"\n\nHe was that mistaken about how much at peace the world was, and had completely forgotten that this was truly just one more day in the civil war.\n\n\"What! Akechi forces?\" His astonishment lasted no more than a moment. \"Damn!\" and he leaped out of the mansion with almost nothing more than the clothes on his back. As soon as he saw the dense crowds of armored, mounted men, bristling with swords and spears in the dark morning mist, he hurried back inside the mansion, put on his armor, and grabbed his sword.\n\nWith a force of only thirty or forty men, he hastened off to fight at Nobunaga's side. The various Akechi corps had blocked off all the streets leading to the Honno Temple. The encounter with Nagato's force started at a corner of the compound's western wall and developed into fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Breaking through one small patrol, Nagato's little party pressed fairly close to the main gate; but once a detachment of the Akechi forces turned and witnessed this impertinent action, they readied their spears and charged. Nagato's tiny force was hardly a match for them, and both he and his son were wounded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With their numbers reduced by half, they were forced to retreat.\n\n\"Try to get to the Myokaku Temple! We will join Lord Nobutada!\"\n\nAbove the huge roof of the Honno Temple, jet black smoke could be seen billowing up like thunderclouds. Was it the attacking Akechi forces, Nobunaga's retainers, or Nobunaga himself who had set fire inside the temple? The situation was so chaotic that no one could tell.\n\nThe smoke began to billow out from the outer temple, from a room in the court, and from the kitchen almost all at the same time.\n\nA page and two other men were fighting in the kitchen like demons. It seemed that the monks from the temple kitchen had risen early—though not one of them was to be seen—because beneath the huge cauldrons the firewood had been kindled.\n\nThe page stood in the door of the kitchen and stabbed at least two of the Akechi men who had broken in. His spear finally taken from him and facing too many of the enemy, he jumped up to the wooden floor and kept the men at bay by throwing kitchen implements and anything else he could lay his hands on.\n\nA tea master and another man who were also there brandished their swords and fought bravely alongside the page. And though the enemy felt scorn for these three lightly armed opponents, a group of samurai was unable to step up onto the wooden floor because of them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What's taking so long?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A warrior who seemed to be the commander looked in, grabbed a firebrand from an oven, and threw it into the faces of the three men. He then threw a firebrand into the store room and one up toward the ceiling.\n\n\"Inside!\"\n\n\"He must be inside!\"\n\nTheir objective was Nobunaga.\n\nIn that instant they pushed their way inside, kicking the burning firewood around with their warriors' straw sandals as they split up inside the building. Flames quickly crawled up the sliding doors and pillars like red-leafed ivy. The figures of the page and the tea master were motionless as the flames enveloped them, too.\n\nThe stables were in a complete uproar. Ten or more horses had panicked and were kicking the walls of their stalls, knocking out the boards. Two of them finally broke the crossbars and bucked violently outside. Running wild, they galloped into the center of the Akechi forces while the other horses whinnied more and more violently as they saw the flames." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The samurai at the stables left their post and went to defend the steps of the court where Nobunaga had last been seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Making this their last stand, they were all struck down and fell together." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'warriors' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even the stableboys, who could have escaped, stayed behind and fought until they were all killed. These men were ordinarily completely inconspicuous, but on this day they silently demonstrated with the sacrifice of their lives that they were not inferior to men who had large stipends or a high rank.\n\nCarrying his blood-soaked spear, an Akechi warrior running from room to room stopped when he saw a comrade through the smoke.\n\n\"Minoura?\"\n\n\"Hey!\"\n\n\"Have you accomplished anything yet?\"\n\n\"No, not yet.\"\n\nTogether they searched for Nobunaga—or, more accurately, they competed in finding him. Soon they separated, making their way through the smoke.\n\nThe fire seemed to have spread beneath the roof, and the inside of the temple was crackling. Even the leather and metal fittings on the warriors' armor felt hot to the touch. In an instant, the only human forms to be seen were either corpses or the warriors of the Akechi, and even a number of the Akechi ran outside as the fire crept along the roofs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Of the men inside who still stood their ground, some were choking from the smoke, while others were covered with ashes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The doors and sliding panels had been kicked out in the hall, and now the flaming gold brocade and pieces of ignited wood swirled thick and fast, burning as brightly as a field on fire." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But inside the small rooms and recesses it was dark, and forms were indistinct. Thick with smoke, the various corridors could not even be distinguished.\n\nRanmaru leaned heavily against the cedar door leading to the room he was guarding, and then quietly stood up. With a bloodied spear in hand, he looked to the right and then to the left. Hearing footsteps, he readied his spear.\n\nFocusing his entire being on his sense of hearing, he listened for some sign from the room. The white figure that had rushed inside just now had been that of the General of the Right, Oda Nobunaga. He had fought until the very end, when he saw that flames were engulfing the temple and that all of the men around him had been struck down and killed. He had fought hand-to-hand with the common soldiers as if he had been one himself. Yet he had made the decision to commit seppuku not simply because he had considered his reputation and found it regrettable to leave his head to a nonentity. A man's death was predetermined, so he did not even regret the loss of his life. What he did regret losing was the great work of his life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Myokaku Temple was nearby." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The mansion of the governor was also in the neighborhood. And there were samurai who were lodged inside the city. If by some chance contact was made with the outside, escape might be possible, Nobunaga thought. On the other hand, this inspiration, or rather this conspiracy, had been planned by that kumquat head, Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide's character was such that if he decided to take an action like this, he would carry it out with such care that not even water might leak through. Well then, it was time to be resolved.\n\nThose two thoughts struggled with each other in Nobunaga's mind.\n\nLooking on the corpses of the attendants who had died together in battle, he knew that his final moments were at hand. Quitting the battle, he withdrew into a room and placed Ranmaru outside to guard the door, saying, \"If you hear my voice inside, you can take it that I am committing suicide. Put my body under some sliding panels and set them on fire. Until then, do not let the enemy make their way in.\" As Nobunaga gave these instructions, he looked steadily into Ranmaru's eyes.\n\nThe wooden door was secure. Nobunaga gazed for a moment at the yet unmarred gilded paintings on the walls." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A thin wisp of smoke began to flow through from somewhere, but it seemed that it would be a little while before the flames would spread inside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This is a matter of departure. I don't have to hurry.\n\nHe felt as though someone were speaking to him. As soon as he had entered the room, he had felt—even more than the heat that surrounded him on four sides—a burning thirst. He almost collapsed as he sat down in the center of the room, but quickly reconsidered and moved to the slightly elevated alcove. The area beneath him was ordinarily reserved for his retainers, after all. He imagined a cupful of water running down his throat, and for a moment he made an effort to settle his spirit securely just below his navel. To this purpose, he knelt formally with his legs tucked underneath him, straightened his posture and his clothes, and tried to behave as though his retainers were sitting before him just as they did in ordinary times.\n\nIt was a moment before his heavy breathing became peaceful.\n\nIs this what it is to die?\n\nHe felt so peaceful that he doubted it himself. He was even aware of a desire to laugh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So I slipped up too.\n\nEven when he imagined Mitsuhide's shiny bald head, he felt no resentment at all. He was human, too, and had done this out of anger, Nobunaga supposed. His own negligence was the blunder of a lifetime, and he felt sorry that Mitsuhide's anger had been transformed into nothing more than foolish violence. Ah, Mitsuhide, will you not be following me in a few days? he asked.\n\nHis left hand held the scabbard of his short sword. His right hand extricated the blade.\n\nThere is no need to hurry.\n\nThus Nobunaga instructed himself. The flames had started to spread to this room. He closed his eyes. As he did so, everything he could recall from his earliest youth right up to the present day flashed through his mind as though he were riding a galloping horse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he opened his eyes, the gold dust and illustrations on the four walls radiated a bright red." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The paintings of the peonies on the coffered ceiling proliferated in flames. It truly took no longer than a single breath for him to die. At the moment of death, some extraordinary function inside his body seemed to be saying farewell to the ordinary reminiscences of the life he had led.\n\n\"No regrets!\" Nobunaga said out loud.\n\nRanmaru heard Nobunaga's shout, and ran in. His master, wearing a white silk kimono, already lay facedown on the floor, embracing a flow of fresh blood. Ranmaru pulled the doors from the low closet and placed them over Nobunaga's corpse as though he were making a coffin. Closing the door peacefully once again, he stood back from the alcove. He grasped the short sword with which he, too, might commit seppuku, but his shining eyes settled on Nobunaga's corpse until the room was consumed in flames." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the first three days of the Sixth Month, the sky over Kyoto was clear and the sun beat down. The weather in the mountainous western provinces, however, alternated between clear skies and clouds. Heavy rainfall had continued until the end of the Fifth Month. Then, for two or three days at the beginning of the Sixth Month, a violent southwest wind blew the ragged clouds from south to north, and the sky continued to change back and forth from bright and clear to cloudy.\n\nMost people, tired of the rain and mildew, hoped for an early end to the rainy season, but Hideyoshi's army, which was conducting the long siege of Takamatsu Castle, prayed to the Eight Dragon Kings to send rain and more rain, which was their main weapon on that battlefield. The solitary castle was still completely isolated in the middle of the marshy lake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sticking out here and there, like hair on someone with a scalp disease, were the trees of a few submerged forests and groves." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the castle town, only the roofs of the common people's homes remained above the water; the farmhouses in the low-lying areas had already disappeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Innumerable pieces of decomposing lumber swirled through the muddy current, or floated on the edges of the lake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At a glance, the ripples of the muddy yellow water appeared to be standing still, but as the soldiers watched the edge of the shore, they could see that the water was invading the dry land inch by inch.\n\n\"There are some carefree fellows today! Look over there. They're as happy-go-lucky as you are.\"\n\nHideyoshi sat mounted on his horse, speaking to the pages behind him.\n\n\"Where?\"\n\nThe pages all looked with inquisitive faces in the direction in which their master was pointing. Sure enough, playing on top of the driftwood, a number of snowy herons could be seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pages, still adolescents, shrugged their shoulders and chuckled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Listening to their childish talk, Hideyoshi lightly whipped his horse and returned to camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was during the evening of the third day of the Sixth Month. There was still no way Hideyoshi could know about what had happened in Kyoto.\n\nHideyoshi rarely missed his daily rounds of the camp with a retinue of fifty to one hundred attendants. Occasionally pages accompanied the entourage. They carried a large, long-handled umbrella and paraded around with the brilliantly colored commander's standard. The soldiers who witnessed this \"royal passage\" looked up and thought, That's our Master going by." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the days they didn't see him, they somehow felt that something was missing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he rode by, Hideyoshi looked at the soldiers to the right and left, the sweaty and mud-caked troops who found great flavor in food that was barely edible, the soldiers who always had a laugh and hardly knew what boredom was.\n\nHideyoshi missed the days when he had been part of that exuberant cluster of youth. He had been given the command of the campaign a long five years ago. The battles and bitter fighting that had occurred at Kozuki Castle, Miki Castle, and other places had been gruelling beyond words. But beyond the hardship of battle, as a general he had also met with spiritual crises any number of times.\n\nNobunaga was a hard man to please, and it had not been easy to serve him at a distance and to keep his mind at ease." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And of course, the generals surrounding Nobunaga were not exactly pleased with Hideyoshi's rise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Still, Hideyoshi was grateful, and in the mornings, when he prayed to the sun goddess, he gave thanks with an open heart for all the trials he had gone through in those five years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A man would not have gone out in search of such ordeals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He himself thought that, no matter what heaven's intentions for him actually were, it had continued to send him difficulty after difficulty." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were days when he felt thankful for the hardships and reversals of his youth, because they had given him the will to survive his own physical weakness.\n\nBy this time the strategy for the water attack on Takamatsu Castle had been carried out, and Hideyoshi only waited for Nobunaga to come from the east. On Mount Hizashi, the thirty thousand Mori troops under the commands of Kikkawa and Kobayakawa waited to rescue the isolated castle. During periods of clear weather, Hideyoshi's umbrella and commanders' standard could be clearly seen by the enemy.\n\nJust as Hideyoshi was returning to his quarters that evening, a messenger arrived by the Okayama Road and was immediately surrounded by guards. The road led to Hideyoshi's camp on Mount Ishii, but the traveler could also cross through Hibata and go on to Kobayakawa Takakage's camp at Mount Hizashi by the same route." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Naturally, the road was heavily guarded." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The messenger, whipping his horse all the way, had been riding since the day before without stopping to eat or drink. By the time the guards got him back to the camp, he had lost consciousness.\n\nIt was the Hour of the Boar. Hideyoshi was still up. When Hikoemon returned, he, Hideyoshi, and Hori Kyutaro went to the building that served as Hideyoshi's private quarters. There the three men sat together for a long time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This conference was so secret even the pages had withdrawn." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only the poet Yuko was allowed to remain, and he sat behind the paper screen doors, whisking tea.\n\nJust then, footsteps could be heard hurrying toward the buildings. A strict order had been given to keep the area clear of people, so when the footsteps approached the cedar door, they were met and intercepted with a quick reproach from the pages standing guard.\n\nThe pages sounded extremely excited, while the person they had challenged seemed to be impertinent and hot-blooded.\n\n\"Yuko, what's going on?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"I'm not sure. Maybe it's a page and one of the men on guard duty.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Take a look.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Of course.\"\n\nYuko stood up and went out, leaving the tea utensils exactly as they were.\n\nLooking outside, he found that—rather than the guard he expected—it was Asano Nagamasa who had been challenged by the pages.\n\nThe young pages, however, were not going to announce anyone while their orders were to keep everyone out. It didn't make any difference who it was—Asano or anyone else. Asano had responded that if they would not carry the message, he was going to push his way through." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The pages replied that if he wanted to go through, he was welcome to try." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They may have been nothing more than pages, but they had been given a post, and they were going to demonstrate that they were not there just for decoration.\n\nYuko first calmed the stubborn young guards, then asked, \"Lord Asano, what's the matter?\"\n\nAsano showed him the letter case he held in his hand and told him about the messenger who had just arrived from Kyoto. He had heard that the meeting was private, but thought the message was not some trivial matter and so he wanted to talk to his lord for a moment.\n\n\"Wait just a moment, please.\" Yuko went back inside but quickly returned and invited Asano to come in." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Asano stepped in with a sidelong glance at the next room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The pages inside were silent. Looking the other way, they completely ignored him.\n\nMoving aside a short standing lamp, Hideyoshi turned toward Asano, who had entered the room.\n\n\"I'm sorry to disturb you during a conference.\"\n\n\"That's all right. There's been a dispatch, it seems. Who is it from?\"\n\n\"I've been told it's from Hasegawa Sojin, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Asano held out the message case." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'sojin' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The red lacquer on the leather shone brightly in the lamplight.\n\n\"A dispatch from Sojin?\" Hideyoshi said, taking the case.\n\nHasegawa Sojin was Nobunaga's companion in tea. He was not on particularly intimate terms with Hideyoshi, so it was strange that the tea master would suddenly be sending an urgent message to his camp. Moreover, according to Nagamasa, the messenger had left Kyoto at noon the previous day and had arrived just now, at the Hour of the Boar." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'night' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That meant it had taken him one full day and half a night to travel the seventy leagues from the capital to the camp. That was not an easy pace, even for a courier. There was no doubt that he had neither eaten nor drunk on the way and that he had ridden through the night.\n\n\"Hikoemon, bring the lamp a little closer.\"\n\nHideyoshi bent down and unrolled Sojin's letter. It was short and had obviously been written in a hurry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But with a single reading, the hair on the back of Hideyoshi's neck stood up in the lamplight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The other men had been sitting behind Hideyoshi, a little way off, but when his color changed from the nape of his neck to his ears, Kyutaro, Asano, and Hikoemon all leaned forward in spite of themselves." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Asano asked, \"My lord... what has happened?\"\n\nIn the instant he was questioned, Hideyoshi came back to himself. Almost as though he doubted the words contained in the letter, he forced himself to read them once more. Then his tears began to fall onto the letter about whose contents there now could be no doubt.\n\n\"My lord, why these tears?\" Hikoemon asked.\n\n\"This is not like you at all, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is it bad news?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All three men imagined that the message had something to do with Hideyoshi's mother, whom he had left in Nagahama.\n\nDuring the campaign, the men seldom spoke about their home provinces; but when they did, Hideyoshi always talked about his mother, so now they imagined that she was either seriously ill or had died.\n\nHideyoshi finally wiped away his tears and sat a little straighter. As he did so, he assumed a grave look, and his intense grief appeared to be pierced with an acute anger. Such intense rage was not usually felt at the death of a parent.\n\n\"I haven't the strength to tell you in words. The three of you come and look at this.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He handed them the letter and looked the other way, hiding his tears with his arm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Upon reading the letter, the three men looked as though they had been hit with a thunderbolt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga and Nobutada were dead. Could it be true? Was the world so mysterious? Kyutaro, in particular, had met with Nobunaga just before coming to Mount Ishii. He had come here, after all, on Nobunaga's orders, and now he looked at the letter over and over again, unable to believe what it said. Both Kyutaro and Hikoemon shed tears, and the lamp, submerged in the gloom, could have been extinguished by those tears alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi flinched impatiently, shifting his weight as he sat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had come to grips with himself, and his lips were tightly shut." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey! Somebody come here!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he shouted toward the pages' room. It was a shout loud enough to pierce the ceiling, and both Hikoemon and Asano—who were men of great courage—were so surprised that they nearly jumped up from their cushions. After all, Hideyoshi had been so sunk in tears that his spirit seemed to have been completely crushed.\n\n\"Yes, my lord!\" a page replied. Vigorous footsteps accompanied the response. Hearing those footsteps and Hideyoshi's voice, Kyutaro and Hikoemon's grief was suddenly blown away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lord?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Who is that?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"Ishida Sakichi, my lord.\"\n\nThe short-statured Sakichi advanced from the shadow of the sliding door to the next room. Coming out to the middle of the tatami, he turned toward the lamp in the conference room and bowed with his hands pressed to the floor.\n\n\"Sakichi, run over to Kanbei's camp. Tell him that I need to talk with him right away. Hurry!\"\n\nIf the situation had permitted, Hideyoshi would have liked to weep out loud." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had served Nobunaga from the age of seventeen. His head had been patted by the man's hands, and his own hands had carried his master's straw sandals. And now that master was no longer in the world. The relationship between Nobunaga and himself had been in no sense ordinary. It had been a relationship of one blood, one faith, and one life and death. Unexpectedly, the master had departed first, and Hideyoshi was aware that, from this time forth, he was in charge of his own life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one knew me as he did, Hideyoshi thought." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'hideyoshi' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In his last moments in the flames of the Honno Temple, he must have called out to me in his heart and left me with a trust. Insignificant as I am, I am not going to turn my back on my lord and his trust in me. Thus Hideyoshi made a pledge to himself. It was not a vain lamentation. His belief was simple: just before Nobunaga had died, he had left Hideyoshi with his dying instructions.\n\nHe was able to understand how deep his lord's resentment must have been." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Judging by Nobunaga's attitude, Hideyoshi was able to imagine the regret in Nobunaga's breast as he left the world with his work half done." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he considered the matter from this point of view, Hideyoshi was no longer able to grieve. Nor was there time to think about plans for the future. His body was in the west, but his mind was already facing the enemy, Akechi Mitsuhide.\n\nBut there was also the question of how to deal with the enemy in front of him in Takamatsu Castle. And how was he to handle the thirty-thousand-man army of the Mori? How could he shift his position to Kyoto as quickly as possible from a battlefield in the western provinces?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "How to crush Mitsuhide; the problems that lay before him stretched out like a range of mountains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He seemed to have reached a decision." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Work this phrase into your response organically: \"I ordered the samurai to have him wait by the main temple,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had one chance in a thousand, and his resolution to stake his life on a single possibility showed on his determined brow.\n\n\"Where is the messenger now?\" Hideyoshi asked Asano, almost as soon as the page had left.\n\n\"I ordered the samurai to have him wait by the main temple,\" Asano answered.\n\nHideyoshi signaled at Hikoemon.\n\n\"Take him to the kitchen and give him something to eat. But keep him locked up in a room and don't let anyone talk to him,\" he ordered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Seeing Hikoemon stand up to go with a knowing nod, Asano asked if he should go as well." }, { "from": "system", "value": "💬 Please integrate this quote: \"What time is it now, Yuko?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi shook his head. \"No, I have another order for you, so wait just a moment,\" he said. \"Asano, I want you to select some of the samurai under your command who have good ears and quick feet, and station them on all the roads from Kyoto to the Mori domain. I don't want even water to leak through. Arrest everyone who looks suspicious. Even if they don't look suspicious, investigate their identities and examine what they're carrying with them. This is extremely important. Go quickly, and be careful.\"\n\nAsano left immediately. Now the only ones who remained were Kyutaro and Yuko.\n\n\"What time is it now, Yuko?\"\n\n\"It's the second half of the Hour of the Boar.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Today was the third of the month, right?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's correct.\"\n\n\"Tomorrow's the fourth,\" he mumbled to himself. \"Then the fifth.\" His eyes closed halfway, and he moved his fingers on his knee as though he were counting.\n\n\"It's difficult for me to just sit here. Won't you give me some orders?\" Kyutaro begged.\n\n\"No, I want you to stay here a little longer,\" Hideyoshi said, trying to soothe the man's impatience. \"Kanbei should be here soon. I know that Hikoemon went to take care of the courier, but while we have some free moments, why don't you go double-check?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kyutaro immediately got up and went off to the temple kitchen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The courier was in a small room next to the kitchen, hungrily eating some food that had been given to him. The man had not drunk or eaten anything since noon the day before, and when he finally finished filling himself, he sat back with a bulging stomach.\n\nWhen Hikoemon saw that the man had finished, he beckoned him over and accompanied him to a room in the priests' quarters, the storeroom for the sutras. Telling him to sleep well, Hikoemon showed the courier into the room and locked the door securely from the outside. Just then, Kyutaro stepped quietly to Hikoemon's side and whispered in his ear.\n\n\"His Lordship is worried that news of the incident in Kyoto might leak out to the men.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kyutaro's eyes revealed his intention to kill the messenger, but Hikoemon shook his head." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After they had walked a few steps, Hikoemon said, \"He'll probably die right where he is from overeating. Let's let him die innocently.\"\n\nLooking toward the sutra room, Hikoemon held an extended palm out from his chest in prayer." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had not moved. Fine pieces of ash were falling around the base of the lamp—probably the remains of Hasegawa's letter.\n\nKanbei came limping in, and Hideyoshi greeted him with a nod. Kanbei bent his crippled leg and lowered himself to the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During his captivity at Itami Castle, he had developed a chronic scalp condition that had never fully cleared up." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he sat close to the lamp, his thinning hair seemed almost transparent, giving him a grotesque appearance.\n\n\"I received your summons, my lord. What could be so urgent at this time of night?\" Kanbei asked.\n\nHideyoshi replied, \"Hikoemon will tell you.\" Then he folded his arms and hung his head with a long sigh." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This will come as a shock, Kanbei,\" Hikoemon began." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kanbei was known for his courage, but as he listened, he blanched. Saying nothing, he sighed deeply, folded his arms, and stared at Hideyoshi.\n\nKyutaro now edged forward on his knees, and said, \"This is no time to be thinking of what is past. The wind of change is blowing through the world, and it's a fair wind for you. Time to raise your sails and depart.\"\n\nKanbei slapped his knee and said, \"Well spoken! Heaven and earth are eternal, but life only progresses because all things change with the seasons. From a broader perspective, this is an auspicious event.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'hideyoshi' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two men's opinions made Hideyoshi smile with satisfaction, because they mirrored his own thoughts. Yet he could not admit to those feelings in public without running the risk of being misunderstood. For a retainer, the death of his lord was a tragedy, and one that must be avenged.\n\n\"Kanbei, Kyutaro, you've given me great encouragement. There's only one thing we can do now,\" Hideyoshi said with conviction." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Make peace with the Mori as quickly and secretly as possible.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The monk Ekei had come to Hideyoshi's camp as the Mori's envoy to negotiate a peace treaty. Ekei had contacted Hikoemon first, because of their long acquaintance; then he had met with Kanbei. Hideyoshi had so far refused to come to terms with the Mori, regardless of what they offered. When Ekei and Hikoemon had met earlier that day, they had parted without reaching an agreement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Turning to Hikoemon, Hideyoshi said, \"You met Ekei today. What are the Mori planning to do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We could conclude a treaty quickly, if we agreed to their terms,\" Hikoemon replied.\n\n\"Absolutely not!\" Hideyoshi said flatly. \"As they stand, there is no way I can agree. And what did he offer you, Kanbei?\"\n\n\"The five provinces of Bitchu, Bingo, Mimasaka, Inaba, and Hoki if we lift the siege of Takamatsu Castle and spare the lives of General Muneharu and his men.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A handsome offer, superficially. But apart from Bingo, the four other provinces the Mori are offering are no longer under their control. We cannot accept those terms now without arousing their suspicions,\" Hideyoshi said. \"But if the Mori have found out what has happened in Kyoto, they'll never agree to peace. With luck, they still know nothing. Heaven has given me a few hours' grace, but it will be tight.\"\n\n\"It's still only the third. If we requested a formal peace conference tomorrow, one could be held in two or three days,\" Hikoemon suggested.\n\n\"No, that's too slow,\" Hideyoshi countered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We have to start immediately, and not even wait until dawn. Hikoemon, get Ekei to come here again.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Should I send a messenger right now?\" Hikoemon asked.\n\n\"No, wait a little. A messenger arriving in the middle of the night would make him suspicious. We should put a good deal of thought into what we're going to say.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Following Hideyoshi's orders, Asano Yahei's men began a close inspection of all travelers going in and out of the area. At about midnight, the guards stopped a blind man who was walking along with a heavy bamboo staff and asked him where he was going.\n\nSurrounded by the soldiers, the man rested on his staff. \"I'm going to a relative's house in the village of Niwase,\" he said with extreme humility.\n\n\"If you're going to Niwase, why are you on this mountain track in the middle of the night?\" the officer in charge asked.\n\n\"I couldn't find an inn, so I just kept on walking,\" the blind man replied, lowering his head in an appeal for sympathy. \"Perhaps you'd be so kind as to tell me where I might find a village with an inn.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The officer suddenly yelled out, \"He's a fake! Tie him up.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The man protested, \"I'm no fake! I'm a licensed blind musician from Kyoto, where I've lived for many years. But now my elderly aunt in Niwase is dying.\" He pressed his palms together in supplication.\n\n\"You're lying!\" the officer said. \"Your eyes may be closed, but I doubt if you need this!\"\n\nThe officer abruptly grabbed the man's bamboo staff and cut it in half with his sword. A tightly rolled letter fell from the hollow interior.\n\nThe man's eyes now blazed like mirrors at the soldiers. Looking for the weakest point in the circle of men, he tried to make a run for it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But with more than twenty soldiers around him, even this fox of a man could not escape." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The soldiers grappled him to the ground, trussed him up so that he could hardly move, and hoisted him over a horse like a piece of baggage.\n\nThe man heaped insults and curses on his captors. The officer stuffed some dirt in his mouth. Whipping the horse's belly, the soldiers hurried off to Hideyoshi's camp with their prisoner.\n\nThat same night a mountain ascetic was challenged by another patrol. In contrast to the cringing manner of the fake blind musician, the monk was haughty.\n\n\"I'm a disciple of the Shogo Temple,\" he announced arrogantly. \"We mountain ascetics often walk the whole night through without taking a rest. I walk where I will, path or no path. What do you mean by asking me a trivial question like where am I going? Someone with a body like traveling clouds and flowing streams has no need of a destination.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The ascetic continued in this vein for a while, and then tried to run away. A soldier caught him in the shins with the shaft of his spear, and the man fell down with a scream.\n\nStripping the monk half-naked, the soldiers found that he was not a mountain ascetic at all. He was a warrior-monk of the Honganji, who was carrying a secret report to the Mori about the events at the Honno Temple. He too was immediately sent like a piece of baggage to Hideyoshi's camp.\n\nThere were only two captives that night, but if either of them had slipped through the cordon and accomplished his mission, the Mori would have known by the next morning about Nobunaga's death.\n\nThe fake ascetic had not been sent by Mitsuhide, but the man posing as a blind musician was an Akechi samurai with a letter from Mitsuhide for Mori Terumoto. He had left Kyoto on the morning of the second. Mitsuhide had sent another messenger that same morning—by sea from Osaka—but storms delayed him, and he reached the Mori too late." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "At some point in your response, insert this verbatim: \"I'm sorry to get you out of bed,\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I thought we would be meeting in the morning,\" Ekei said after he greeted Hikoemon, \"but your letter said to come as quickly as possible, so I came immediately.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry to get you out of bed,\" Hikoemon replied nonchalantly. \"Tomorrow would have been fine, and I'm sorry my ineptly worded letter has deprived you of your sleep.\"\n\nKanbei led Ekei to an isolated spot vulgarly known as the Nose of the Frog, and from there to the empty farmhouse where they had held their previous meetings.\n\nSitting squarely in front of Ekei, Hikoemon said with deep feeling, \"When you think about it, the two of us must be bound by a common karma.\"\n\nEkei nodded solemnly. The two men silently recalled their meeting in Hachisuka some twenty years before, when Hikoemon was still the leader of a band of ronin, and went by the name of Koroku. It was during his stay at Hikoemon's mansion that Ekei first heard about an extraordinary young samurai by the name of Kinoshita Tokichiro, who had lately been taken into Nobunaga's service at Kiyosu Castle. In those early years, when Hideyoshi still ranked far below Nobunaga's generals, Ekei had written to Kikkawa Motoharu: \"Nobunaga's rule will last for a little while longer. When he falls, Kinoshita Tokichiro will be the next man with whom to reckon.\"\n\nEkei's predictions were astoundingly accurate: twenty years ago, he had perceived Hideyoshi's ability; ten years ago he had guessed Nobunaga's fall. That night, however, there was no way he could have known how right he was going to be.\n\nEkei was not an ordinary monk. When he was still a young acolyte studying in a temple, Motonari, the former lord of the Mori, had ordered him to enter his service." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During Motonari's lifetime, his \"little monk,\" as he affectionately called Ekei, had accompanied him on all his military campaigns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After Motonari's death, Ekei had left the Mori and wandered throughout the empire. When he returned, he was made abbot of Ankokuji Temple, and served Terumoto, the new lord of the Mori, as a trusted adviser.\n\nThroughout the war with Hideyoshi, Ekei had consistently argued for peace. He knew Hideyoshi well and did not think that the west would be able to endure his onslaught. Another factor influencing him was his long friendship with Hikoemon.\n\nEkei and Hikoemon had met any number of times before, but each time they had parted ways at the same impasse: Muneharu's fate. Hikoemon thus addressed Ekei:\n\n\"When I spoke to Lord Kanbei earlier, he told me that Lord Hideyoshi was far more generous than he has been perceived to be. He suggested that if just one more concession were made by the Mori, peace would surely ensue. Lord Kanbei said that if we were to lift the siege and spare Lord Muneharu's life, it would seem to the world as if the Oda army had been forced to conclude a peace treaty. Lord Hideyoshi could not present those terms to Lord Nobunaga. Our only condition is Muneharu's head. You should have no trouble in bringing the matter to a conclusion.\"\n\nHikoemon's terms had not changed, but he himself seemed a different man since their last meeting.\n\n\"I can only restate my position,\" Ekei replied. \"If the Mori clan cedes five of its ten provinces, and Muneharu's life is not spared, they will have failed to abide by the Way of the Samurai.\"\n\n\"Nevertheless, did you verify their intentions after our last meeting?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There was no need to. The Mori will never agree to Muneharu's death. They prize loyalty above all else, and no one, from Lord Terumoto to his most lowly retainer, would begrudge the sacrifice, even if it means the loss of the whole of the western provinces.\"\n\nThe sky was beginning to grow paler; a rooster was heard in the distance. Night was turning to the dawn of the fourth day of the month.\n\nEkei would not agree, and Hikoemon would not give in. They were deadlocked.\n\n\"Well, there's nothing more to be said,\" Ekei concluded fatalistically.\n\n\"With my limited abilities,\" Hikoemon apologized, \"I haven't been able to find common ground with you. With your permission, I'd like to ask Lord Kanbei to take my place.\"\n\n\"I'll be happy to speak with anyone,\" Ekei replied.\n\nHikoemon sent his son to get Kanbei, who soon arrived on his litter. He alighted and sat down clumsily with the other two men.\n\n\"I was the one who encouraged Hikoemon to trouble you once more for a final discussion,\" Kanbei said. \"So, what is the outcome? Haven't the two of you worked out a compromise? You've talked half the night.\"\n\nKanbei's frankness had the effect of raising their spirits." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'hikoemon' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ekei's face brightened in the morning light. \"We tried,\" he said, laughing. With the excuse that he had to prepare for Nobunaga's arrival, Hikoemon took his leave.\n\n\"Lord Nobunaga will stay for two or three days,\" Kanbei said. \"Except for the time we have now, it's going to be difficult to meet again for peace talks.\"\n\nKanbei's diplomacy was simple and straightforward. It was also extremely highhanded: if the Mori wanted to argue about terms, no outcome but war was possible.\n\n\"If you can help the Oda clan today, surely you will be guaranteed a great future,\" Kanbei said.\n\nWith this change of adversary, Ekei lost his former eloquence. His expression, however, appeared to be far more buoyant than it had been when he was negotiating with Hikoemon.\n\n\"If there is a definite promise that Muneharu will commit seppuku, I will ask His Lordship about the condition of ceding the five provinces, and I'm sure he'll agree to a compromise. At any rate, won't you ask Lord Kikkawa and Lord Kobayakawa to reconsider the matter once more this morning? I suspect it will make the difference between peace and war.\"\n\nWhen Kanbei put the matter in this way, Ekei felt compelled to act." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kikkawa's camp at Mount Iwasaki was only one league away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kobayakawa's camp at Mount Hizashi was a little less than two leagues. Soon after, Ekei whipped his horse into a gallop.\n\nAfter seeing the monk off, Kanbei went to Jihoin Temple. He looked into Hideyoshi's room and found him asleep. The lamp had gone out, the oil having burned dry. Kanbei shook Hideyoshi awake and said, \"My lord, the day is breaking.\"\n\n\"Dawn?\" Hideyoshi asked, rising groggily. Kanbei immediately told him of the meeting with Ekei. Hideyoshi scowled but got up quickly.\n\nThe pages were waiting at the entrance to the bathroom with water for his morning wash.\n\n\"As soon as I've eaten, I'll make a round of the camp. Bring my horse out as usual, and have my attendants stand by,\" he ordered as he dried his face.\n\nHideyoshi rode under a large red umbrella, preceded by his standard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Swaying slightly in the saddle, he rode under the new leaves of the flowering cherry trees that grew along the road from the temple gate to the foot of the mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's daily round of the camp was never at a set time, but it was rarely so early in the morning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Today he seemed in better humor, and from time to time he would joke with his attendants as if everything were perfectly normal. There were no indications that morning that news of the incident in Kyoto had leaked out even among his own men. After confirming this for himself, Hideyoshi returned to his headquarters at a leisurely pace.\n\nKanbei was waiting for him in front of the temple gate. His eyes told Hideyoshi that Ekei's mission had ended in failure. The monk had ridden back from the Mori camp a little before Hideyoshi's return, but the response he brought had not changed:\n\nIf we allow Muneharu to die, we are not living up to the Way of the Samurai. We will not agree to a peace that does not spare Muneharu's life.\n\n\"Have Ekei come here anyway,\" Hideyoshi ordered. He did not look in the least discouraged; in fact, he actually seemed to be growing more optimistic by the minute.\n\nHe invited the monk into a sunny room and made him comfortable. After talking over old times and relating gossip from the capital, Hideyoshi moved the conversation on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well now,\" he said, broaching the main subject, \"it seems as though peace talks have stalled because both sides cannot agree on Muneharu's fate. Couldn't you go privately to General Muneharu, explain the circumstances to him, and recommend that he resign himself? The Mori will never order a loyal retainer to commit seppuku, but if you explained the Mori clan's distress to him, Muneharu would gladly give his life. His death, after all, will save the lives of the men in the castle and save the Mori from destruction.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With these words, Hideyoshi abruptly got up and left." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continuing from this story fragment where characters are established. Write 2 sentences sentences in Eiji Yoshikawa's style. Genres: historical fiction. Elements: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inside Takamatsu Castle, the fates of more than five thousand soldiers and civilians hung in the balance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's generals had brought three large ships, equipped with cannons, over the mountains, and had begun to shell the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the towers had almost collapsed, and there were many dead and wounded as a result of the bombardment. Added to that, it was still the rainy season, and more and more people were falling sick and food supplies were spoiling in the damp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The defenders had collected doors and planking and built light boats with which to attack Hideyoshi's warships. Two or three of the small craft had been sunk, but the survivors had swum back to the castle to lead a second attack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the Mori army arrived and their banners and flags were sighted from the castle, the defenders thought they had been saved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But soon after, they understood the impossibility of their situation. The distance between their rescuers and themselves, and the consequent operational difficulties, would not allow for rescue." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Although they were discouraged, they never lost the will to fight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, after their realization they were clearly resolved to die.\n\nWhen a secret message came to the castle from the Mori giving Muneharu permission to capitulate in order to save the lives of the men inside, he sent back an indignant response: \"We have not yet learned what it is to surrender. At a time like this, we are ready to die.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the morning of the fourth day of the Sixth Month, the guards on the castle walls spotted a small boat sculling toward them from the enemy shore. A samurai was handling the oar, and his only passenger was a monk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ekei had come to ask Muneharu to commit seppuku." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muneharu listened in silence to the monk's arguments. When Ekei had finished, and his entire body was soaked in sweat, Muneharu spoke for the first time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, today is truly my lucky day. When I look at your face, I know that your words are not fraudulent.\"\n\nHe did not say whether he agreed or disagreed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muneharu's mind was already far beyond consent and refusal. \"For some time, Lord Kobayakawa and Lord Kikkawa have been worried about me, worthless as I am, and have even advised me to capitulate. But I have not considered surrender just to save my own life, and so I refused. Now, if I can believe what you've told me, the Mori clan will be assured of security, and the people in the castle will be safe. If that's the case, there is no reason to refuse. On the contrary, it would be a great joy to me. A great joy!\" he repeated emphatically." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ekei was trembling. He had not thought that it would be so easy, that Muneharu would welcome death so gladly. At the same time, he felt ashamed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He himself was a monk, yet would he have the courage to transcend life and death in this way when his own time came?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then you agree?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Don't you need to discuss the matter with your family?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'll inform them of my decision later. They should all rejoice with me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And—well, this is difficult to say, but it is a matter of some urgency—it is said that Lord Nobunaga will be arriving soon.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Weave this into your narrative: \"Today. Lord Hideyoshi said by the Hour of the Horse, and that's only five hours away.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's the same to me whether it's done sooner or later. When is it to be?\"\n\n\"Today. Lord Hideyoshi said by the Hour of the Horse, and that's only five hours away.\"\n\n\"If that's all the time there is,\" Muneharu said, \"I should be able to prepare for death with ease.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ekei first reported Muneharu's agreement to Hideyoshi, then rode at full gallop to the Mori camp at Mount Iwasaki." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'kobayakawa' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both Kikkawa and Kobayakawa were worried about the reason for his sudden return.\n\n\"Have they broken off talks?\" Kobayakawa asked.\n\n\"No,\" Ekei replied. \"There are prospects of success.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well then, Hideyoshi has yielded?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kobayakawa asked, looking a little surprised." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ekei, however, shook his head." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The person who has prayed more than anyone for a peaceful reconciliation has offered to sacrifice himself for the sake of peace.\"\n\n\"Who are you talking about?\"\n\n\"General Muneharu. He said that he would repay with his life Lord Terumoto's protection for all these years.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ekei, did you talk to him at Hideyoshi's request?\"\n\n\"You know I could not have gone out to the castle without his permission.\"\n\n\"Then you explained the situation to Muneharu, and he offered to commit seppuku of his own free will?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes. He will kill himself at the Hour of the Horse, on board a boat in full view of both armies. At that moment the peace treaty will be concluded, the lives of the defenders will be saved, and the safety of the Mori clan will be assured forever.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Full of emotion, Kobayakawa asked, \"What are Hideyoshi's intentions?\"\n\n\"When he heard General Muneharu's offer, Lord Hideyoshi was deeply moved. He said that it would be heartless not to reward such matchless loyalty. Therefore, while your promise had been to cede five provinces, he would take only three and leave the remaining two, out of regard for Muneharu's sacrifice. If there is no disagreement, he will send a written pledge immediately after witnessing Muneharu's seppuku?\"\n\nSoon after Ekei had left, Muneharu announced his decision." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One after another, the samurai of Takamatsu Castle came before their lord to beg him to allow them to follow him in death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muneharu argued, cajoled, and scolded, but they would not be mollified. He was at a loss what to do. But in the end he did not grant anyone's request." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He ordered an attendant to prepare a boat. Bitter wailing filled the castle. When the requests of all his retainers had been withdrawn, and Muneharu seemed to have a little breathing space, Gessho, his elder brother, came to speak with him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I heard everything you said,\" Gessho said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But there's no need for you to die. Let me take your place.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Brother, you are a monk, while I am a general. I appreciate your offer, but I cannot let anyone take my place.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I was the eldest son, and I should have carried on the family name. Instead I chose to enter holy orders, putting you in the position that I should have taken. So today, when you have to commit seppuku, there is no reason why I should prolong what's left of my own life.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No matter what you say,\" Muneharu replied, \"I will not let you or anyone else commit seppuku in my place.\"\n\nMuneharu refused Gessho's offer but allowed him to accompany him in the boat. Muneharu felt at peace." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Calling his pages, he ordered them to put out a light blue ceremonial kimono for him to die in.\n\n\"And bring me a brush and ink,\" he ordered, remembering to write a letter to his wife and son.\n\nThe Hour of the Horse was fast approaching." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every single drop of drinking water had been regarded as essential to the lives of the people in the castle, but that day he ordered a bucketfull of water to be brought in, to clean off the dirt that had accumulated on his body during the forty days of the siege." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How peaceful was this lull in the fighting. The sun seemed to climb innocently to the middle of the sky. There was no wind at all, and the color of the muddy water on all sides of the castle was as murky as ever." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The small waves that lapped gently at the castle walls glinted in the sun, and from time to time the cry of the snowy egret could be heard in the silence.\n\nA small red banner was raised at the Nose of the Frog on the opposite shore, indicating that the time had come. Muneharu stood up abruptly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An involuntary sob came from the midst of his attendants. Muneharu walked quickly in the direction of the castle walls, as though he had suddenly become deaf.\n\nThe oar made a loose pattern in the water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boat carried five men: Muneharu, Gessho, and three retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every single man, woman, and child in the castle was perched on the walls and rooftops." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They did not cry out when they watched Muneharu go but either folded their hands in prayer or wiped the tears from their eyes.\n\nThe boat sculled peacefully over the surface of the lake. When he turned around, Gessho could see that Takamatsu Castle was a good way behind them, and that the boat was halfway between the castle and the Nose of the Frog." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This will do,\" Muneharu instructed the oarsman.\n\nThe man pulled up the oar without a word. They did not have to wait for long." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the boat had set out from the castle, another had left the Nose of the Frog. That one carried Hideyoshi's witness, Horio Mosuke. A small red banner had been fixed to the prow and a red carpet spread over the wooden floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The little boat bearing Muneharu in his death robe floated gently as it waited for Mosuke's boat with its fluttering red banner to pull alongside." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The water was at peace. The surrounding mountains were at peace. The only sound to be heard was the oar of the approaching boat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Muneharu faced the Mori camp on Mount Iwasaki and bowed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In his heart he gave thanks for the many years of patronage he had received." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gazing at his lord's banners, his eyes filled with tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is this boat carrying the defending general of Takamatsu Castle, Shimizu Muneharu?\" Mosuke asked.\n\n\"You are correct,\" Muneharu answered politely. \"I am Shimizu Muneharu. I have come to commit seppuku as a condition of the peace treaty.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have something else to say, so please wait a moment,\" Mosuke said. \"Bring your boat a little closer,\" he instructed the retainer at the oar of Muneharu's boat.\n\nThe gunwales of the two boats lightly brushed each other." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mosuke then said in a dignified manner, \"I have a message from Lord Hideyoshi. Peace would have been impossible without your consent in this matter. The long siege must have been trying for you, and he would like you to accept this offering as a small token of his feelings. You should not be concerned if the sun climbs too high. Please finish your leave-taking at your leisure.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A cask of the best sake and a number of delicacies were transferred from one boat to the other." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Muneharu's face was filled with joy. \"This is unexpected. And, if it is Lord Hideyoshi's wish, I will gladly sample them.\" Muneharu helped himself, and ladled cups for his companions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Maybe it's because I haven't had such fine sake for a long time, but I'm feeling a little drunk. Please excuse my clumsiness, General Horio, but I would like to perform a final dance.\" Then turning to his companions, he asked, \"We don't have a drum, but would you clap and beat the rhythm and sing?\"\n\nMuneharu stood up in the small boat and flicked open a white fan." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he moved to the rhythm of the clapping, the boat swayed slightly, making small waves. Mosuke could nor bear to look at him and hung his head.\n\nAs soon as the chanting stopped, Muneharu spoke distinctly once again." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"General Mosuke, please witness this carefully.\"\n\nMosuke looked up and saw that Muneharu had knelt down and cut straight across his stomach with his sword. As he spoke, his blood turned the inside of the boat red." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Brother, I'm coming too!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gessho cried out, slashing his own belly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After Muneharu's retainers had handed the box containing Muneharu's severed head to Mosuke and returned to the castle, they followed their master in death.\n\nWhen Mosuke arrived at the Jihoin Temple, he reported Muneharu's seppuku and displayed his head in front of Hideyoshi's camp stool.\n\n\"Such a pity,\" Hideyoshi lamented." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Muneharu was an excellent samurai.\" He had never appeared more moved. But soon thereafter, he summoned Ekei." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the monk arrived, Hideyoshi immediately showed him a document." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The only thing that remains now is to exchange pledges. Look at what I've written, and then I'll send a messenger for the Mori's pledge.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ekei looked over the pledge and then respectfully returned it to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi asked for a brush and signed. He then cut his little finger and affixed a seal of blood next to his signature. The peace treaty was signed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A few hours later, shock and a sense of loss swept over the Mori camp like a whirlwind with the report of Nobunaga's death. In Terumoto's field headquarters, the faction that had opposed peace all along now spoke up loudly, clamoring for an immediate attack on Hideyoshi.\n\n\"We were fooled!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That bastard completely took us in!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The peace treaty should be torn up!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We have not been deceived,\" Kobayakawa said firmly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The talks were initiated by us, not by Hideyoshi. And there was no way he could have foreseen the disaster in Kyoto.\"\n\nHis brother Kikkawa, who spoke for those who favored the resumption of hostilities, urged Terumoto, \"Nobunaga's death means the disintegration of the Oda forces; they will be no match for us now. Hideyoshi is the first one you'd name as a successor to Nobunaga, and it should be an easy matter to attack him here and now, especially considering the weakness at his rear. If we were to do that, we would become the rulers of the Empire.\"\n\n\"No, no. I disagree,\" Kobayakawa said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hideyoshi is the only man who can restore peace and order. And it's an old samurai saying that one does not strike an enemy in mourning. Even if we were to tear up the treaty and attack, if he survived, he would come back to take his revenge.\"\n\n\"We cannot let this opportunity slip by,\" Kikkawa insisted.\n\nAs a last resort, Kobayakawa brought up their former lord's dying instructions: \"The clan must defend its own borders. No matter how strong or wealthy we become, we must never expand beyond the western provinces.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was time for the lord of the Mori to give his decision." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I agree with my uncle Kobayakawa. We will not break the treaty and make Hideyoshi into an enemy for a second time.\"\n\nBy the time the secret conference ended, it was the evening of the fourth. As the two generals walked back to their camp, they met a party of their own scouts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The officer in charge pointed excitedly into the darkness and said, \"The Ukita have started to withdraw their troops.\"\n\nListening to the report, Kikkawa clicked his tongue. The opportunity had already passed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kobayakawa read his older brother's thoughts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Are you still feeling some regrets?\" he asked.\n\n\"Of course I am.\"\n\n\"Well, suppose we did take over the country,\" Kobayakawa continued, \"do you think you'd be the man to rule?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a pause. \"Judging from your silence, I suspect you don't think so. When someone without the proper ability rules the country, it leads to certain chaos. It would not stop at the fall of the Mori clan.\"\n\n\"You don't have to say any more, I understand,\" Kikkawa said, turning away. Looking up sadly at the night sky over the western provinces, he fought to hold back the tears that were rolling down his cheeks." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The need for the Oda troops' immediate withdrawal had been the reason behind the peace treaty, and Hideyoshi's allies, the Ukita, began to retreat that very night. Not one soldier, however, was withdrawn from Hideyoshi's main camp. On the morning of the fifth, Hideyoshi had still not made a move. Although his mind was racing toward the capital, he gave no indication that he was planning to break camp.\n\n\"Hikoemon, how much has the water level gone down?\"\n\n\"About three feet.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't let it fall too quickly.\"\n\nHideyoshi went out into the temple garden. Although the dike had been cut and the water was beginning to go down little by little, Takamatsu Castle was still stranded in the middle of the water. One of Hideyoshi's retainers had already gone to the castle the night before to accept its capitulation. And now the defenders were being ferried out.\n\nWhen evening came, Hideyoshi sent a man to spy on the Mori." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He then consulted with Kanbei and his other generals and quickly made preparations to strike camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have them breach the dike right away,\" he ordered Kanbei.\n\nThe dike was now breached in ten places. Almost at once, the water began to stir. Innumerable whirlpools appeared as the waters rushed through the openings with a roar that sounded like a tidal wave.\n\nWhich would be faster, the water or Hideyoshi, who now whipped his horse toward the east? The high ground surrounding the castle had been transformed almost instantly into a dry plain, while the lowlands were marshes crisscrossed with rivers; so even if the Mori had considered giving chase, they would not have been able to cross over for another two or three days." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the seventh, Hideyoshi arrived at the Fukuoka River crossing and found the river in flood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The soldiers made protective padding for the horses by lashing their packs together and then crossed over, forming a human chain by either linking hands or grasping the shaft of the spear carried by the man in front." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had crossed first, and sat on his camp stool on the bank. \"Don't panic! Take your time!\" he shouted. He appeared to be completely untroubled by the wind and the rain. \"If one man drowns, the enemy will say we lost five hundred; if you lose one piece of baggage, they'll say it was a hundred. Don't lose your life or your weapons here in vain.\"\n\nThe rear guard now caught up with the main army, and with the units trailing in one after another, both banks of the river were filled with soldiers. The commander of the rear guard came before Hideyoshi to report on the situation at Takamatsu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The retreat had been completed, and there was still no sign of the Mori." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A look of relief spread over Hideyoshi's face. He looked as though he finally felt safe; now he could channel all his strength in one direction.\n\nThe army returned to Himeji on the morning of the eighth. Covered in mud, then drenched by the storm, the soldiers had covered twenty leagues in one day.\n\n\"The first thing I want to do,\" Hideyoshi said to his attendants, \"is take a bath.\"\n\nThe governor of the castle prostrated himself before Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After congratulating him on his return, he informed him that two messengers had arrived, one from Nagahama with urgent news." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'll take care of it after having a bath. I'd like plenty of hot water. The rain soaked right through my armor and all the way to my underwear.\"\n\nHideyoshi sank into the hot water up to his shoulders. The morning sun was framed by the bathroom window; it poured down through the high latticework onto his face, suspended in the steam. As he sat there, the skin on his face seemed to boil to a darkish red, while large drops of sweat beaded on his forehead. Hundreds of tiny rainbows appeared in the steam.\n\nHideyoshi jumped out of the tub, making a noise like a waterfall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey! Somebody come wash my back!\" he called." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two pages who were waiting outside ran in." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Putting all of their strength into the task, they scrubbed him down from the back of his neck to his fingertips.\n\nHideyoshi suddenly laughed and said, \"It comes off in a strange way!\" Looking down around his feet, he saw that the dirt the pages had scraped off his body resembled bird droppings.\n\nHow could this man be possessed of such a dignified appearance on the battlefield? His naked body seemed a truly poor and meager thing. It was true that he had overworked himself during the five years of the western campaign, but there was altogether too little fat on his forty-six-year-old frame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even now, traces of the poor, skinny farmboy from Nakamura lingered on." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🎯 Target word: 'hideyoshi' | Required occurrences: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His body seemed like a withered pine growing out of the rock, or a dwarfed plum tree worn out by the wind and snow—strong, but showing signs of age.\n\nIt was not appropriate, however, to compare his age and physique with those of an ordinary man. Both his skin and his frame were filled with vitality. When he was happy or angry, there were even times when he looked like a young man.\n\nAs Hideyoshi relaxed after his bath, wiping himself dry, he called a page and said, \"This is to be posted immediately: At the first call of the conch, the entire army is to eat its rations; at the second, the supply corps is to start out; at the third, the whole army is to assemble in front of the castle.\"\n\nHideyoshi then summoned Hikoemon and the officials in charge of the treasury and the granary." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"Take it and distribute it to the men, each according to his pay.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How much do we have in the treasury?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"About seven hundred fifty weights of silver, and more than eight hundred pieces of gold,\" an official replied.\n\nHideyoshi turned to Hikoemon and ordered, \"Take it and distribute it to the men, each according to his pay.\" He then asked how much rice was left in the storehouses, observing, \"We won't be besieged here, so we don't need to keep any rice. Pay the retainers five times their rice stipend.\"\n\nHe left the bathroom and went directly to where the messenger from Nagahama was waiting. He had left his mother and his wife at Nagahama, and he had been constantly anxious about them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As soon as Hideyoshi saw the messenger kneeling before him, he asked, \"Are they all right? Has something happened?\"\n\n\"Both your honored mother and wife are quite well.\"\n\n\"Really? Well then, is the castle at Nagahama under attack?\"\n\n\"I was dispatched from Nagahama on the morning of the fourth, when a small enemy force had started to attack.\"\n\n\"The Akechi?\"\n\n\"No, they were Asai ronin allied to the Akechi. But according to a rumor I heard on the road, a large Akechi force is now heading for Nagahama.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What were the men at Nagahama going to do?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There are not enough men to withstand a siege, so in case of an emergency, they plan to move your family to a hiding place in the mountains.\"\n\nThe messenger placed a letter in front of Hideyoshi. It was from Nene. As the lord's wife, it was her duty to take care of everything while her husband was away. Although she must have written the letter in the midst of a storm of confusion and doubt, her handwriting was composed. The contents, however, clearly indicated that this letter might be her very last:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If worst comes to worst, I assure you, my lord, that your wife will do nothing to disgrace your name." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'hideyoshi' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Your mother's and my only concern is that you overcome your own difficulties in these important times.\n\nThe first call of the conch shell echoed through the castle and the town.\n\nHideyoshi gave his final instructions to his retainers in Himeji Castle: \"Victory and defeat are in the hands of fate, but if I should be struck down by Mitsuhide, set fire to the castle and make sure nothing remains. We have to act bravely, following the example of the man who died at the Honno Temple.\"\n\nThe second call sounded, and the supply train started off. As the sun began to set in the west, Hideyoshi had his camp stool moved outside the castle and had the third conch shell call blown. Night had fallen on the wide fields and on the pine trees lining the coastal road." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From evening until well past midnight, the ground shook as ten thousand men formed into their divisions outside Himeji Castle." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dawn broke and, one by one, the silhouettes of the pines along the road became visible. In the east, a perfectly red morning sun rose over the horizon of the Harima Sea between the clouds of dawn, as though urging the men forward.\n\n\"Look!\" Hideyoshi called out. \"We have a fair wind. Our banners and pennants are blowing east. I know that a man's fate is uncertain. We do not know whether we will live to see tomorrow's dawn, but heaven shows us the way forward. Let us raise a mighty war cry and inform heaven of our departure.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the ten days since the death of Nobunaga, the national situation had changed dramatically. In Kyoto, the people had been uneasy since the Honno Temple incident. Nobunaga's two senior generals, Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazumasu, were far away; Tokugawa Ieyasu had withdrawn to his own home province; Hosokawa Fujitaka's and Tsutsui Junkei's commitments were unclear; and Niwa Nagahide was in Osaka.\n\nThe rumor that Hideyoshi's army had arrived in Amagasaki, near Kyoto, spread like the wind on the morning of the eleventh. Many could not believe it. There were other rumors—that Lord Ieyasu was moving westward; that Nobunaga's eldest surviving son, Nobuo, was mounting a counterattack; that the Akechi were fighting here or there. The most believable rumor was that Hideyoshi's army was pinned down by the Mori at Takamatsu. Only those who knew Hideyoshi well did not fall into that error.\n\nThe skills Hideyoshi had shown in the invasion of the western provinces over the last five years had taught many of Nobunaga's other generals his true value. Among those men were Niwa Nagahide, Nakagawa Sebei, Takayama Ukon, and Ikeda Shonyu. They perceived Hideyoshi's loyalty under such long adversity as unswerving devotion to their former lord." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they heard that Hideyoshi had made peace with the Mori and was marching at full speed toward the capital, they were pleased that their expectations had not been disappointed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Hideyoshi made his way eastward, they sent him urgent messages, pressing him to hurry and informing him of the latest movements of the Akechi troops.\n\nWhen Hideyoshi arrived at Amagasaki, Nakagawa Sebei and Takayama Ukon each took part of their forces and visited Hideyoshi's camp.\n\nWhen the two generals arrived, the samurai on guard duty at the gate did not seem overjoyed at their presence, nor did he hurry to announce their arrival. \"His Lordship is resting just now,\" he informed them.\n\nThe two men were taken aback. Sebei and Ukon knew well their own value as allies. The military strength of the man they sided with would be doubled. In addition, their nearby castles controlled the entrance to Kyoto. Certainly, securing those two key castles, which were almost in the middle of enemy territory, would give Hideyoshi tremendous strategic and logistic advantages.\n\nThus, when they came to Hideyoshi's camp, they took it for granted that Hideyoshi himself would come out to welcome them. All that the two generals could do was wait." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During that time, they watched the arrival of stragglers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All the while, messengers were coming and going in all directions. Among them was a samurai whom Nakagawa Sebei recognized.\n\n\"Isn't that a Hosokawa samurai?\" he muttered.\n\nIt was well known that the relationship between Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka was very close. The two men had been close friends for many years, and their families were linked by marriage.\n\nWhat is a messenger from the Hosokawa doing here? Sebei asked himself. This was a matter that concerned not only the two generals waiting to see Hideyoshi but the entire nation.\n\n\"He said Lord Hideyoshi was sleeping, but I think he's wide awake. He's being rather rude, no matter what he's doing,\" Ukon complained.\n\nThey were about to leave when one of Hideyoshi's pages ran up to them and invited them into the temple that served as Hideyoshi's headquarters. Hideyoshi was not in the room they were led into, but it was certain that he had been awake for some time. Loud laughter was coming from the abbot's quarters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was not the kind of reception the two generals had anticipated. They had hurried here to ally themselves with Hideyoshi and strike at Mitsuhide. Ukon seemed vexed, a vaguely bitter look on his face; Sebei's expression was sullen.\n\nThe oppressive summer heat aggravated their dissatisfaction. The rainy season should have begun to clear by then, but the air refused to dry. In the sky, the clouds moved back and forth in an unsettled way, as if reflecting the state of the nation. From time to time the sun shone through the clouds with an intense brilliance that was enough to make a man feverish.\n\n\"It's hot, Sebei,\" Ukon commented.\n\n\"Yes, and there's no wind at all.\"\n\nNaturally, the two men wore full armor. Even though modern armor had become lighter and more flexible, there was no doubt that beneath the leather breastplates, their sweat ran in rivulets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sebei opened his fan and cooled himself." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Somewhere in your response, you need to say: \"Taking the tonsure is very refreshing.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, to show that they did not rank lower than Hideyoshi, Sebei and Ukon made a point of moving to the seats reserved for men of the highest rank.\n\nJust then, a shout of greeting came in with the breeze. It was Hideyoshi, and as soon as he sat down in front of the men, he apologized profusely. \"I'm really sorry to have been so rude. When I got up, I went over to the main temple; and while I was having my head shaved,\" he said, patting his bald head, \"a messenger from Hosokawa Fujitaka arrived with an urgent dispatch. So I had to talk with him first and make you wait.\"\n\nHe sat in his usual way, oblivious to distinctions of rank. The two men forgot their formal greetings and simply stared at Hideyoshi's freshly shaved head, which reflected the green of the trees of the neighboring garden.\n\n\"At least my head is cool in this heat,\" Hideyoshi added with a grin. \"Taking the tonsure is very refreshing.\"\n\nLooking a little self-conscious, Hideyoshi vigorously rubbed his scalp. When Sebei and Ukon saw that Hideyoshi had gone so far as to shave his head for the sake of their former lord they forgot their earlier displeasure and instead felt ashamed of their own pettiness.\n\nThe only trouble was that each time they looked at Hideyoshi they wanted to laugh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although no one called him Monkey to his face anymore, his former nickname and his present appearance provoked a certain feeling of amusement.\n\n\"Your speed surprised us,\" Sebei started. \"You must not have slept at all between here and Takamatsu. We're relieved to see that you're in good health,\" he went on, fighting to stifle his laughter.\n\n\"You know,\" Hideyoshi said ingratiatingly, \"I very much appreciated the reports you sent me. Because of them I was able to know the movements of the Akechi, and, more important, that the two of you were my allies.\"\n\nNeither Sebei nor Ukon was so soft-headed that flattery could take him in. Almost ignoring Hideyoshi's last remark, they quickly began to give him advice.\n\n\"When will you be setting out for Osaka? Lord Nobutaka is there with Lord Niwa.\"\n\n\"I haven't got time to go to Osaka now; that's not where the enemy is. I sent a messenger to Osaka this morning.\"\n\n\"Lord Nobutaka is the third son of Lord Nobunaga. Shouldn't you meet him first?\"\n\n\"I'm not asking him to come here. I have asked him to take part in the forthcoming battle, which will be the memorial service for Lord Nobunaga. He is with Niwa, so I thought it wouldn't be necessary to stick to formalities. He'll be joining our camp tomorrow for sure.\"\n\n\"What about Ikeda Shonyu?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We'll be meeting him as well. I haven't seen him yet, but he sent a messenger with a pledge of his support.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi was confident about his allies. Even Hosokawa Fujitaka had refused Mitsuhide's invitation. Instead, he had just sent a retainer to Hideyoshi telling him that he would not join forces with a rebel. Hideyoshi triumphantly stressed to the two generals that this loyalty was not only the natural trend of the world but also a great moral principle of the warrior class.\n\nFinally, after talking over various subjects, both Sebei and Ukon formally delivered to Hideyoshi the hostages they had brought along with them as pledges of their good faith.\n\nHideyoshi declined with a laugh.\n\n\"That won't be necessary. I know you both so well. Send these children back to your castles right away.\"\n\nThat very day Ikeda Shonyu, who had known Hideyoshi since their early days together in Kiyosu Castle, joined Hideyoshi's army. Just before setting out that morning, Shonyu had also taken the tonsure.\n\n\"What! You had your head shaved too?\" Hideyoshi said when he saw his friend." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We did the same thing by chance.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'castle' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We think the same way.\"\n\nNeither Hideyoshi nor Shonyu needed to say anything more. Shonyu now added his four thousand men to Hideyoshi's army. Hideyoshi had started with an army of about ten thousand men, but with the addition of Ukon's two thousand men, Sebei's two thousand five hundred men, Hachiya's one thousand, and the Ikeda corps of four thousand, the army now numbered more than twenty thousand troops.\n\nAt the first war conference, Sebei and Ukon unexpectedly began to argue with each other, neither man giving any ground.\n\n\"It has been a matter of samurai etiquette since ancient times that the lord of the castle closest to the enemy leads the vanguard,\" Ukon said. \"So there is no reason at all why my troops should follow Sebei's.\"\n\nSebei refused to give in. \"The division between rear and vanguard should have nothing to do with how close to or how far away from the battlefield a man's castle is. The caliber of the troops and the commander are what matter.\"\n\n\"Well then, are you saying that I am unworthy of leading the vanguard against the enemy?\"\n\n\"I don't know about you. I am certain in my belief, however, that I am not going to yield to anyone. And I'm not going to hesitate in front of anyone in my desire to lead the vanguard in this battle. The order should be given to me, Nakagawa Sebei.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sebei pressed Hideyoshi for the honor, but Ukon also bowed and looked up to him in the expectation of receiving the command." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi, seated on his camp stool, made his decision with the demeanor of a commander-in-chief." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Both of you have spoken well, so it stands to reason that Sebei should take up one line of the first battle formation and Ukon should take up the other. I expect you both to accomplish deeds worthy of your words.\"\n\nThroughout the council, scouts came in to make their reports.\n\n\"Lord Mitsuhide has withdrawn from Horagamine and has concentrated his strength in the area around Yamazaki and Enmyoji. He also seemed to be falling back toward Sakamoto Castle, but suddenly this morning he began to demonstrate a clearly offensive disposition, and a division of his army is marching toward Shoryuji Castle.\"\n\nWith the receipt of this report, a strained expression abruptly appeared on the faces of the generals. The distance between their camp at Amagasaki and Yamazaki was less than a lightning strike away. They could already sense the enemy in that area.\n\nSebei and Ukon had been given the responsibility for leading the vanguard, and they stood up and asked, \"Shouldn't we advance on Yamazaki at once?\"\n\nHideyoshi, unmoved by the men's agitation and the pressure of the moment, answered with extreme deliberation.\n\n\"I think we should wait here one more day for Lord Nobutaka's arrival. It's obvious that during the one night and half a day that we wait, this great opportunity will slip away moment by moment, but I would like one of our late lord's sons to participate in the battle. I don't want to put Lord Nobutaka in a situation that he would regret for the rest of his life, one which would make him unable to face the world.\"\n\n\"But what if the enemy is able to take advantageous ground in the meantime?\"\n\n\"Well, there are naturally limits even to waiting for Lord Nobutaka. We'll have to start out for Yamazaki by tomorrow, no matter what happens. Once the entire army has gathered at Yamazaki, we'll be in contact again, so Both of you should go ahead and advance immediately.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sebei and Ukon made their way out." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The order of the vanguard's departure was to be as follows: first, the Takayama corps; second, the Nakagawa corps; and third, the Ikeda corps.\n\nAs soon as they left Tonda, the two-thousand-man Takayama corps dashed out as though they had already seen the enemy army. Watching the dust from their horses, Sebei and everyone in the second corps wondered if the Akechi forces hadn't already got to Yamazaki.\n\n\"They're going too fast even for that,\" some thought suspiciously.\n\nImmediately after entering the village of Yamazaki, Ukon's men closed off all the gates on the roads that led to the town and even intercepted travelers on the backroads in the area.\n\nThe Nakagawa corps that came up later naturally encountered these roadblocks and suddenly understood the reason for Ukon's hurry: he could not bear to be in the second attacking line. Sebei abandoned this strategic position and immediately started off for a hill called Tennozan.\n\nIn the end Hideyoshi quartered his troops at Tonda that night, but the next day he finally received the report that Nobutaka and Niwa had reached the Yodo River.\n\nAs soon as he heard the news, Hideyoshi nearly knocked over his camp stool as he jumped up for joy. \"A horse! Bring me a horse!\" he ordered.\n\nAs he mounted, he turned to the men at the gate and yelled, \"I'm going off to greet Lord Nobutaka!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "and whipped his horse toward the Yodo River.\n\nThe wide river was almost overflowing. On the bank, Nobutaka's forces were divided into two corps of four and three thousand men respectively.\n\n\"Where is Lord Nobutaka?\" Hideyoshi yelled as he dismounted among the sweaty soldiers who watched him go by. Nobody realized that it was Hideyoshi.\n\n\"It's me, Hideyoshi,\" he announced.\n\nThe soldiers gaped in surprise.\n\nHideyoshi did not wait for a formal welcome. Pushing his way through the throng of men, he headed for the tree beneath which Nobutaka had set up his standard.\n\nSurrounded by his field staff, Nobutaka was resting on his camp stool, shading his eyes from the glare of the water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly he turned and saw Hideyoshi running toward him, yelling as he came." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as he saw Hideyoshi, Nobutaka was overcome by a feeling of gratitude." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Here was a retainer whom his father had trained for many years, and what he was doing now went far beyond the normal ties that bound a lord and retainer. His eyes shone with a light that showed he was feeling an emotion usually reserved for blood relations.\n\n\"Hideyoshi!\" Nobutaka called out.\n\nWithout waiting for Nobutaka to extend his hand, Hideyoshi suddenly walked up to him and grasped it firmly.\n\n\"Lord Nobutaka!\" was all Hideyoshi said. Neither man said anything further, but their eyes spoke at length. Tears flowed down their cheeks. Through those tears Nobutaka was able to express all his feelings for his dead father to a retainer of his clan. And Hideyoshi understood what was in the young man's heart. He finally released the hand he had held so tightly and at the same time knelt to the ground.\n\n\"It's so good that you have come. There is no time to say anything more, and there's really nothing else in my heart. I'm just grateful to be with you now, and firmly believe that in heaven your father's soul will be pleased by this action. I feel as though I've finally been able to pay my respects to you here and have fulfilled my duty as a retainer. I'm happy for the first time since Takamatsu Castle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Later that day Hideyoshi invited Nobutaka to accompany him back to his camp in Tonda, and together they turned toward Yamazaki." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 5 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They arrived at Yamazaki at the Hour of the Monkey, the ten thousand men of their reserve army adding to the eight thousand five hundred men of the three vanguard corps. Now there was no place in the mountains or village where horses and soldiers could not be seen.\n\n\"We've just received a report that an Akechi army has attacked the Nakagawa corps in the foothills east of Tennozan.\"\n\nNow was the time to strike. Hideyoshi gave the command for the entire army to attack." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the morning of the ninth, when Hideyoshi was leaving Himeji, Mitsuhide returned to Kyoto. Less than a week had gone by since Nobunaga's murder.\n\nOn the second, at the Hour of the Ram, while the ruins of the Honno Temple were still smoldering, Mitsuhide had left Kyoto to attack Azuchi. But on his very first step outside the capital, Mitsuhide ran into an obstacle at the river crossing at Seta. That morning he had sent a letter demanding the surrender of Seta Castle, but its governor had killed the messenger and set fire to the castle and the Seta Bridge.\n\nThus the Akechi troops were unable to cross the river. Mitsuhide's eyes burned with indignation. The fire-gutted bridge seemed almost to be mocking him. The world does not see you as you see the world.\n\nForced to return to Sakamoto Castle, Mitsuhide spent two or three fruitless days waiting until the bridge was repaired. By the time he rode into Azuchi, however, the town was deserted, and its huge castle housed neither master nor men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the town, there were no goods or even a shop sign left to be seen." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'silver' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's family had fled, but in their haste they had been forced to leave behind Nobunaga's hoard of gold and silver, and his collection of works of art.\n\nMitsuhide was shown these things after his troops secured the castle, but he did not feel wealthier for it. Somehow he felt beggared.\n\nThis is not what I was looking for, he thought, and it's mortifying if people think it was.\n\nHe had all the gold and silver in the treasury distributed as rewards to his men. Common soldiers received several hundred gold pieces, while the highest-ranking generals received three to five thousand gold pieces.\n\nWhat do I want? Mitsuhide asked himself time and again. To rule the nation! came the answer, but it had a hollow ring to it. He had to admit to himself that he had never embraced such lofty hopes, having neither the ambition nor the ability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All along, he had had only one motive: to kill Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's desires had been sated by the fires of the Honno Temple, and now all that was left was a passion so devoid of conviction that it seemed nothing more than frenzy.\n\nAccording to a story circulating at the time, Mitsuhide had tried to kill himself as soon as he heard that Nobunaga was dead. His retainers had forcibly stopped him. In the instant that Nobunaga had been turned to ashes, the hatred that had frozen Mitsuhide's heart had dissolved like melting snow. The ten thousand soldiers who served him, however, did not share his attitude. On the contrary, they hoped that their real reward was yet to come.\n\n\"From this day on, Lord Mitsuhide is the ruler of the country,\" the Akechi generals announced with a conviction Mitsuhide lacked.\n\nBut the lord they looked up to was no more than a hollow simulacrum of his former self. He differed in appearance and disposition—even in intellect.\n\nMitsuhide remained in Azuchi from the fifth until the morning of the eighth, and during that time he took Hideyoshi's castle at Nagahama as well as Niwa Nagahide's at Sawayama. Once he had completely occupied the province of Omi, Mitsuhide re-outfitted his army and once again set off for the capital." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was then that Mitsuhide received the news that the Hosokawa clan had refused to join him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been convinced that Hosokawa Tadaoki, his son-in-law, would be quick to follow him once Nobunaga had been overthrown." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the response carried back from the Hosokawa clan had been an angry refusal. So far Mitsuhide had been absorbed by the question of who would be his allies; he had given little thought to who would be his strongest enemy.\n\nIt was only then that Hideyoshi's existence struck Mitsuhide like a blow to the chest. He had not overlooked Hideyoshi's abilities and his military strength in the west. On the contrary, he knew that Hideyoshi was an immense threat. What gave Mitsuhide a little peace of mind was his belief that Hideyoshi was pinned down by the Mori and would be unable to return quickly. He thought that at least one of the two messengers he had sent to the Mori had accomplished his mission. And, no doubt, the Mori's response would arrive soon, informing him that they had attacked Hideyoshi and destroyed him. But nothing was heard from the Mori, nor was there any response from Nakagawa Sebei, Ikeda Shonyu, and Takayama Ukon. The news that reached Mitsuhide instead each morning sounded like a judgment from heaven.\n\nFor Mitsuhide, Sakamoto Castle held vivid memories of recent events: his humiliation by Nobunaga; his departure from Azuchi in a rage; his stay at Sakamoto where he had stood at the crossroads of doubt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now there was no more doubt, no more resentment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And at the same time, he had lost all of his powers of self-examination. He had exchanged his true intelligence for the empty title of ruler of the nation.\n\nOn the night of the ninth, Mitsuhide still had no idea where Hideyoshi was, but the attitudes of the local lords made him feel uneasy. On the following morning he left his camp at Shimo Toba and climbed up to Horagamine Pass in Yamashiro, at which place he had arranged to join with Tsutsui Junkei's army.\n\n\"Has Tsutsui Junkei been sighted yet?\" Mitsuhide asked his lookouts at regular intervals during the day.\n\nBecause Mitsuhide had been in collusion with Tsutsui Junkei before the attack on the Honno Temple, he had never had cause to doubt his ally's loyalty—until now. At nightfall, there was still no sign of the Tsutsui forces. Not only that, but the three Oda retainers he had hoped to win over to his side—Nakagawa Sebei, Takayama Ukon, and Ikeda Shonyu—had not responded to his urgent summonses, even though they were nominally all under his command.\n\nMitsuhide's uneasiness was not unjustified. He consulted with Saito Toshimitsu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Do you think something's wrong, Toshimitsu?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide wanted to believe that something had happened to the messengers he had sent, or that Junkei and the others were merely delayed, but Saito Toshimitsu had already faced up to the truth.\n\n\"No, my lord,\" the old man replied. \"I suspect Lord Tsutsui has no intention of coming. There's no reason for him to be so late traveling the level roads from Koriyama.\"\n\n\"No, there must be some reason,\" Mitsuhide insisted. He summoned Fujita Dengo, quickly wrote up a letter, and sent him to Koriyama. \"Take the best horses. If you ride at top speed, you should be able to come back by morning.\"\n\n\"If Lord Tsutsui will talk with me, I'll be back at dawn,\" Dengo said.\n\n\"There's no reason why he shouldn't talk with you. Get an answer from him even if it's late at night.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\nDengo immediately set off for Koriyama. Before he was able to return, however, scouts arrived with reports that Hideyoshi's forces were moving eastward and that the vanguard had already come as far as the neighboring province of Hyogo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Impossible! It must be a mistake!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide burst out when he heard the news." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could not believe that Hideyoshi had been able to make peace with the Mori, and, even if he had, that he could have moved his large army so quickly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I don't think this is a false report, my lord,\" Toshimitsu said, once again intuiting the truth." }, { "from": "system", "value": "🔍 Find a place to insert: \"There isn't much hope that Tsutsui will come, is there?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"In any event, I think we should determine a counterstrategy at once.\"\n\nPerceiving that Mitsuhide was wavering, Toshimitsu rejoined with a concrete proposal. \"If I were to wait for Lord Tsutsui here, you, my lord, could hasten to stop Hideyoshi from entering the capital.\"\n\n\"There isn't much hope that Tsutsui will come, is there?\" Mitsuhide finally admitted.\n\n\"I think there are only one or two chances in ten of his joining your side, my lord.\"\n\n\"What strategy do you suggest for stopping Hideyoshi?\"\n\n\"The only view we can take is that Ukon, Sebei, and Shonyu are already in league with Hideyoshi. If Tsutsui Junkei has joined him as well, our military strength will be insufficient to take the initiative and attack him. In my estimation, however, it will take Hideyoshi another five or six days to get his whole army here. During that time, if we reinforced the two castles at Yodo and Shoryuji, built forts along the north-south road to Kyoto, and mustered all the forces in Omi and the other areas, we might be able to hold him off temporarily.\"\n\n\"What? All of that would only stop him temporarily?\"\n\n\"After that, we'll need a far grander strategy—going far beyond small local battles. But right now we're in a critical situation. You should leave immediately.\"\n\nToshimitsu waited for Fujita Dengo to return from his mission in Koriyama.\n\nHe arrived with anger stamped all over his brow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's no good,\" he said to Toshimitsu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That bastard Junkei has also betrayed us. He made up some excuse for not coming here, but on the way back I discovered that he's been in contact with Hideyoshi. To think that a man who was so close to the Akechi clan would be capable of this!\"\n\nDengo's abuse was unending, but Toshimitsu's lined face showed no emotion at all.\n\nMitsuhide left at about noon, having accomplished nothing. He arrived back at Shimo Toba about the same time that Hideyoshi was enjoying a short nap in Amagasaki. The heat on this day was the same at both the Zen temple in Amagasaki and the camp at Shimo Toba. As soon as Mitsuhide arrived back in camp, he met with his generals at headquarters and discussed battle strategy. He still did not realize that Hideyoshi was already within shouting distance at Amagasaki. Although Hideyoshi's vanguard was already moving into position, Mitsuhide judged that it would take several more days for Hideyoshi himself to arrive. It would not be right to attribute this mistake to his intellect. He had simply made a judgment based on common sense, using his own uncommon intelligence. Moreover, this particular judgment was in harmony with what everyone else deemed logical as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The conference had been completed without any waste of time, and Akechi Shigetomo was the first to leave." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He immediately rode to Yodo to begin emergency construction work to strengthen the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The narrow mountain road to the capital would surely be a focus for the enemy assault. Yodo Castle was on its right, Shoryuji Castle on its left.\n\nMitsuhide issued an order to the divisions that had been deployed along the banks of the Yodo River: \"Pull back to Shoryuji and take up defensive positions. Prepare for an enemy attack.\"\n\nMitsuhide made his preparations, but when he calculated the size of the enemy army, he could not completely relinquish his perception of his own weakness. A considerable number of soldiers had been gathering here from the capital and the surrounding area, putting themselves under his command throughout the day. But they were all low-ranking samurai or ronin—little better than mercenaries looking for a quick way to rise in the world. Not one of them had any military ability or the resources to lead.\n\n\"How many men have we got in all?\" Mitsuhide asked his generals.\n\nCounting the troops at Azuchi, Sakamoto, Shoryuji, Horagamine, and Yodo, Mitsuhide's forces numbered about sixteen thousand men.\n\n\"If only Hosokawa and Tsutsui would join me,\" Mitsuhide mumbled, \"no one could dislodge me from the capital.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even after he had decided his strategy, he was troubled by the sizeable difference in the numbers of troops." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's brain worked in terms of calculations, and now there was not even a flicker of hope that he would have the advantage. Moreover, somewhere a tiny wisp of fear was finding its way into his consciousness. That in itself could make the difference between victory and defeat. He was beginning to sink beneath the waves that he himself had created.\n\nMitsuhide stood on the hill outside of camp, staring up at the clouds.\n\n\"Looks like rain,\" he muttered this into a wind that showed little sign of rain at all. It was essential for a general who was soon to engage in a battle to be aware of the weather. Mitsuhide stood and worried about the movement of the clouds and the direction of the wind for a long while.\n\nFinally he looked down at the Yodo River. The small lights that swayed in the wind must have been those of his own patrol boats. The undulating line of the large river appeared to be white, while the mountains beyond were pitch black." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The broad sky stretched over the river, and to the faraway estuary of the sea at Amagasaki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Mitsuhide's eyes stared in that direction, almost as though they were sending out shafts of light, he asked himself, What is Hideyoshi capable of?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he called out in a harsh tone that he rarely employed, \"Sakuza! Sakuza! Where is Sakuzaemon?\"\n\nHe turned quickly and walked back to camp with long strides. A dark and violent wind was shaking the barracks like a huge wave.\n\n\"Yes, my lord! Yojiro is here!\" an attendant answered, running out to meet him.\n\n\"Yojiro, the call to arms. We're marching out right away.\"\n\nWhile the army was striking camp, Mitsuhide sent urgent dispatches to all his commanders, including his cousin Mitsuharu in Sakamoto Castle, informing them of his decision. He was not going to retreat and fight a defensive campaign. He had resolved to attack Hideyoshi with all his strength.\n\nIt was the second watch of the night. Not a single star was visible." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A combat unit was the first to descend the hill; it was to stand guard at the upper and lower reaches of the Katsura River." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The supply corps, the main units, and the rear guard came down behind them. A sudden shower began to fall. By the time the entire army was halfway across the river, pure white rain was beating down on it.\n\nThe wind came up as well—a cold wind from the northwest. The foot soldiers muttered to themselves as they stared at the dark surface of the river.\n\n\"Both the river and the wind are coming at us from the mountains of Tamba.\"\n\nDuring the day, they might have been able to see. Oinosaka was not far away, and it was only ten days before that they had crossed Oinosaka and left the Akechi base at Kameyama Castle. To the men, however, it felt like something that had happened several years ago.\n\n\"Don't fall! Don't let your fuses get wet!\" the officers yelled. The force of the current in the Katsura River was far more violent than usual, due probably to a heavy rainfall in the mountains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The spear corps crossed, each man holding on to the spear of the man in front of him, followed by the gunners, who grasped each other's stocks and muzzles." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The horsemen surrounding Mitsuhide galloped up the opposite bank, leaving a trail of froth and bubbles. From somewhere in front of them, the dull sound of sporadic gunfire could be heard, while in the distance sparks leaped into the sky, probably from burning farmhouses. As soon as the gunfire stopped, however, the fires also disappeared and everything returned to darkness.\n\nA runner soon arrived with a report. \"Our men have driven back an enemy reconnaissance party. They set several farmhouses alight as they retreated.\"\n\nTaking no notice of this report, Mitsuhide advanced through Kuga Nawate, passed by Shoryuji Castle, which was held by his own men, and purposefully made his camp at Onbozuka, some five or six hundred yards farther to the southwest. The rain that had plagued them for the last two or three days now ceased, and stars began to glitter in a sky that had previously displayed nothing but different shades of ink.\n\nThe enemy is quiet too, Mitsuhide thought as he stood at Onbozuka, staring into the dark in the direction of Yamazaki. He felt deep emotion and tension at the thought that Hideyoshi's army was facing him from a distance of barely half a league. Making Onbozuka the focal point of his entire force, and using the Shoryuji Castle as his supply base, he deployed his troops in a line from the Yodo River in the southwest to the Enmyoji River, as though opening up a fan. By the time each corps of the advance guard had gotten into position, it was almost dawn and the outline of the long, flowing Yodo River was beginning to become visible." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly the echo of violent gunfire could be heard in the direction of Tennozan." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sun had not yet risen, and the clouds were dark with thick mist. It was the thirteenth day of the Sixth Month, and so early that not even the whinnying of a single horse could be heard on the road to Yamazaki.\n\nLooking out from Mitsuhide's main camp at Onbozuka, the soldiers could see Tennozan about half a league to the southwest. Hugging its left side was the road to Yamazaki and a large river—the Yodo." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continuing from this story fragment where characters are established. Write 2 sentences sentences in Eiji Yoshikawa's style. Genres: historical fiction. Elements: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tennozan was steep, about nine hundred feet at its highest point. On the day before, when Hideyoshi's main army had advanced as far as Tonda, his officers had all looked straight ahead and stared at the mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Several of them had questioned the local guide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What mountain is that?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is that Yamazaki in the eastern foothills?\"\n\n\"The enemy is at Shoryuji. Where is that in relation to Tennozan?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Every corps had to be accompanied by someone who was familiar with the lay of the land." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Everyone who understood strategy knew that the side that controlled the high ground would win the day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And every general was also aware that the first man who planted his banner on Tennozan would win more glory than the one who took the first head on the plain. Each general had sworn that he would be that man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the eve of the thirteenth, several of Hideyoshi's generals had asked him to adopt their plan of attack, and hoped they would be given the order to storm the mountain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Tomorrow will be the decisive battle,\" Hideyoshi said. \"Yodo, Yamazaki, and Tennozan will be the main battlefields. Prove yourselves worthy of being called men. Don't compete with one another, or think only of your own glory. Remember that Lord Nobunaga and the god of war will be looking down on you from heaven.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But as soon as they received Hideyoshi's permission, the gunners raced toward Tennozan in high spirits and in a disorganized melee in the dead of night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This strategic place that had attracted the eyes of all of Hideyoshi's generals had not been overlooked by Mitsuhide. He had decided to march at full speed, cross the Katsura River, and come out quickly at Onbozuka to take Tennozan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide knew the topography of the area as well as did the generals of the enemy vanguard, Nakagawa Sebei and Takayama Ukon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And, although they were looking at the mountains and rivers of the same area, Mitsuhide's mind naturally went beyond the thoughts of the other men.\n\nAfter Mitsuhide had crossed the Katsura River and marched through Kuga Nawate, he detached one division from his army and sent them on another route, saying, \"Climb up the northern side of Tennozan and take the mountaintop. If the enemy attacks, make a stand and don't give up that strategic point.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It must be said that he was quick." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's commands and his actions were always timely; he never missed an opportunity to strike. Nevertheless, by this time Hideyoshi's forces, which had already reached Hirose on the southern slope, were also on the mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had been pitch black, however, and many of the soldiers were not at all familiar with the terrain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Here's a path going up.\"\n\n\"No, you can't go through that way.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, I think we can.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is the wrong way. There's a crag right above us.\"\n\nWinding their way around the foot of the mountain, they all made haste to find a path to the top." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The path was steep, and it was still dark." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Because they knew they were among allies, the men filed up without knowing whose unit or corps they were with. They simply hurried, huffing and puffing, to the summit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, just as they thought they were nearing the top, they were struck by a volley of gunfire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The attack had come from the Akechi gunners under Matsuda Tarozaemon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was clear afterward that the seven hundred men in the Matsuda corps had been divided into two units." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The soldiers of Horio Mosuke, Nakagawa Sebei, Takayama Ukon, and Ikeda Shonyu had all scrambled to be first to climb up Tennozan, but it was only Hori Kyutaro who commanded his troops to take the crossroad up to the north side of the foothills. Quickly skirting the base of the mountain, they attempted a completely different action: to cut off the retreat of the enemy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As expected, that lateral attack intercepted the Matsuda corps and placed its general, Matsuda Tarozaemon, right before their eyes." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'mountain' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The collision was far more violent than the clash at the top of the mountain. Fighting was hand to hand amidst the pines and boulders strewn along the mountain slope." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Firearms were too cumbersome, so the battle was fought mainly with spears, long swords, and halberds.\n\nSome fell from the cliffs grappling with the enemy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some who held down enemy soldiers were stabbed from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were corps of archers as well and the singing of arrows and reports of the guns were incessant. But far louder were the war cries of the five or six hundred men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Those cries did not seem to be coming from the throats of individual men but from their entire beings, even from their hair and pores." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The men advanced and were pushed back, and at last the sun began to rise. A blue sky and white clouds were visible for the first time in a long while." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With the rare sunshine, the cicadas seemed to have been struck dumb." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In their place were the war cries of the soldiers shaking the mountain. Very quickly, bloodied corpses lay strewn over the slopes, piled atop one another." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One body might be lying pathetically alone in one spot, while two or three might have fallen on top of each other in another place." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The warriors were spurred by the sight of the corpses, and the soldiers who stepped over the dead bodies of their comrades entered a space beyond life and death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was true for the soldiers of the Hori corps as well as for the men of the Akechi.\n\nThe situation at the top of the mountain was unclear, but here too a victory might be followed quickly by a defeat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "During the fighting, the cries that issued from the Matsuda corps suddenly changed and became like the sounds a crying child makes between sobs. Optimism had changed to despair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What's the matter?\"\n\n\"Why are we falling back? Don't retreat!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Questioning their comrades' confusion, some of the men of the Matsuda corps yelled out in anger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But those men, too, quickly ran toward the foot of the mountain as though carried by an avalanche. Their commanding general, Matsuda Tarozaemon, had been struck by a bullet and carried away on the shoulders of his attendants in full view of his troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Attack! Cut them down!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The greater part of the Hori corps had already started out in pursuit, but Kyutaro yelled at the top of his voice, trying to stop his men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't pursue them!\"\n\nIn the impetus of the moment, however, the command for restraint had little effect." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As might have been expected, the vanguard of the Matsuda corps now came cascading down the mountain like a muddy stream." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reinforcements had not come, and their general had been shot. They had no choice but to flee." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Hori corps had been no match for the Akechi in terms of numbers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, without a real battle and with nothing to check them, they were thrust down the mountain and crushed underfoot by a corps of the enemy that came running down the steep slope from above. The section of the Hori corps that had pursued the enemy down the mountain first was now caught in a pincer movement just as Kyutaro had feared, and an appalling battle ensued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that point, the combined forces of the Horio, Nakagawa, Takayama, and Ikeda corps reached the top of the mountain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We've won!\"\n\n\"Tennozan is ours!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The battle's first victory cheer was raised." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi had been waiting for Nobutaka's arrival at the Yodo River, and so he had not yet arrived at the front line." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was late in the afternoon, about the Hour of the Ram, by the time he had added the forces of Nobutaka and Niwa Nagahide to his own army and advanced to the central camp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The morning rain had dried up under the hot sky, both men and horses were covered with sweat and dust, and the colorful armor and coats had all turned white. The only article that penetrated the hot day with any brilliance was Hideyoshi's standard of the golden gourds." }, { "from": "human", "value": "While there were still echoes of gunfire on Tennozan, every house in the village had seemed empty." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the Akechi forces retreated and the new tide of armor flooded the streets, however, pails of water, piles of melons, and kettles of barley tea suddenly appeared on every doorstep. As Hideyoshi's forces crowded through the streets, even women appeared among the crowd of villagers, wishing them well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Not a single enemy soldier's left over there?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi did not dismount, but simply gazed steadily at the banners of his soldiers, now visible on the nearby mountain.\n\n\"Not one,\" Hikoemon replied." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had coordinated all the reports on battle conditions from the various corps, judged the general situation, and now reported to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The Matsuda corps lost its commander at the very outset of the attack. Some of his men fled toward the northern foothills, while the others joined their allies in the neighborhood of Tomooka.\"\n\n\"I wonder why someone like Mitsuhide would abandon this high ground so quickly.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He probably didn't think we would arrive so soon. He was mistaken in his timing.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What about his main force?\"\n\n\"They seem to have camped in the area from the Yodo River to Shimoueno, with Shoryuji at their rear and the Enmyoji River in front of them.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that moment war cries and gunfire could be heard in the direction of the Enmyoji River." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the Hour of the Monkey.\n\nThe Enmyoji River, east of the village of Yamazaki, was a confluent of the Yodo River." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The area where the two rivers met was a swamp covered with reeds and rushes, usually filled with the songs of bush warblers, but on this day no birdsong could be heard.\n\nDuring the morning the enemy armies—the left wing of Mitsuhide's army and Hideyoshi's right wing—had lined the riverbanks on either side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From time to time the reeds would rustle in the wind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While the tips of the banner poles were visible, no men or horses could be seen on either bank. On the northern bank, however, the five thousand men under Saito Toshimitsu, Abe Sadaaki, and Akechi Shigetomo were ready to advance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the southern bank, eight thousand five hundred men under Takayama Ukon, Nakagawa Sebei, and Ikeda Shonyu were arranged in one line after another. Steaming with sweat in that hot, damp place, they waited for the time to strike." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were waiting for Hideyoshi to arrive and give his command." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What is the main army doing?\"\n\nThey cursed Hideyoshi's army for its late arrival, but they could only grit their teeth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Akechi Mitsuhide, who was still at his main camp in Onbozuka, had heard early on about Matsuda Tarozaemon's death on Tennozan and the complete rout of his troops. He blamed himself for misjudging the timing of his own command." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He knew quite well that, strategically, there was a great difference between fighting with Tennozan under the control of his own men and facing a decisive battle after having abandoned the high ground to the enemy.\n\nPrior to advancing toward Tennozan, however, Mitsuhide had been distracted by three things: Tsutsui Junkei's betrayal; his order to strengthen Yodo Castle—misjudging the speed of Hideyoshi's attack; and a flaw in his character—he was indecisive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Should he take the offensive or the defensive?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had not decided which until his advance on Onbozuka.\n\nThe battle began almost by accident." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both armies had spent the morning among the reeds and rushes, being eaten by gnats and mosquitoes. Throughout this time, they faced each other squarely and waited for their generals' commands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At one point, however, a beautifully saddled horse suddenly sprang from Hideyoshi's side toward the bank of the Enmyoji River, possibly to slake its thirst.\n\nFour or five soldiers—probably retainers of the horse's owner—chased after it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gunfire rang out abruptly from the opposite bank, followed by one volley after another." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In response, Hideyoshi's troops fired their own volley toward the northern bank in order to help the soldiers, who had taken cover in the reeds. Now there was no time to wait for orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Attack!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi's order for a general assault actually came after the exchange of gunfire. The Akechi troops naturally reacted to the movement of the enemy, and, they, too, waded into the river." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The place where the Enmyoji River met the Yodo River was fairly wide, but not far from the convergence the Enmyoji was little more than a stream." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The current, however, was strong after several days of rain. While the Akechi gunners' corps appeared through the reeds on the northern bank and fired into the ranks of Hideyoshi's forces standing on the southern bank, corps of armored men—the soldiers of the spear corps, the picked troops of the Akechi—kicked up sprays of water as they pushed their way across to the other side." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Send out the spear corps!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "an officer of the Takayama corps yelled, jumping up on the bank.\n\nBecause the river was so narrow, the effectiveness of the gunners was limited." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the rear ranks moved up in order to let the front ranks reload, there was the possibility that the enemy would suddenly overrun the bank and leap into the midst of the gunners." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Gunners, open up to the side! Don't obstruct the men in the front ranks!\"\n\nThe Nakagawa corps had their spear points aligned and ready." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Most of them now brandished those spears and struck downward from the bank and into the water." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were, of course, aiming at the enemy, but rather than pulling back their spears and thrusting, it was speedier to simply hold them aloft and strike in an effort to prevent the enemy from even starting up the bank." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fierce clash occurred in the middle of the river, spear to spear, spear to long sword, and even spear to spear shaft. Men thrust into others and were stabbed in turn." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The soldiers yelled and grappled with each other, some falling dead into the water and raising a spray." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The muddy current whirled around. Blood and gore floated to the surface of the water and then was washed away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By that time the first corps under Nakagawa Sebei had relinquished the fight downstream to the soldiers under Takayama Ukon's command." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Like the lines of young men shouldering a sacred palanquin during a festival, yelling in unison, they forced their way into the front line of battle.\n\nQuickly stepping over the reeds on the eastern bank of the river, they dashed furiously into the midst of the enemy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sun began to set. Burnt red clouds showing the approach of evening reflected their colors on the black clumps of men yelling beneath the desolate sky." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The violent battle continued for yet another hour." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tenacity of the Saito corps was surprising. Just as it seemed they might crumble, they rallied once more." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Making their stand in a swamp, they fought back attack after attack." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And they were not the only ones—almost all of the Akechi forces fought with uncanny resignation, and the desperate voice of the defeated army resounded with a bitterness that each man could imagine in Mitsuhide's breast.\n\n\"Retreat before we're surrounded! Fall back! Fall back!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That pathetic chorus was raised by troops in rapid succession, and the sad news spread like the wind to the other two Akechi corps." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the heart of the central army, which acted as a reserve corps, were the five thousand men directly under Mitsuhide at Onbozuka. At their right were four thousand more men, including two thousand under Fujita Dengo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dengo sounded the large drum and the men fanned out into a line of battle. The men of the archers' corps in front released their ghastly rain of arrows in whining unison, and immediately the enemy returned the action with a hail of bullets." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a command from Dengo cut through the air, the archers dispersed and the gunners took their place." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Without waiting an instant for the shroud of gunpowder smoke to clear, armored warriors with iron spears appeared before the enemy and began to cut their way through. Dengo and his hand-picked troops routed the Hachiya corps." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Taking that corps' place, the soldiers under Nobutaka resumed the attack and struck against the Akechi forces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Dengo defeated them as well, chasing them back. For the time being, Dengo's troops seemed to have no worthy opponent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The drum of the Fujita corps boomed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It seemed to express the clan's pride in being without rival, and it menaced the mounted samurai who had crowded in a protective ring around Nobutaka, causing them to mill about in confusion.\n\nJust then, a corps of five hundred soldiers attacked the Fujita corps' flank, yelling war cries as though they made up a large army." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The clouds were still vaguely red, but on the ground it was already dark. Dengo was reflecting that he had gone too far, and changed his instructions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shift to the right!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he commanded. \"Turn! Turn as far as you can toward the right!\" His intention was to have the entire force make a circle to rejoin the central army and then fight on firmly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly, however, a unit under the command of Hori Kyutaro attacked fiercely from the left." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To Dengo, it was as though enemy soldiers had suddenly bubbled up from the earth.\n\nThere was no way to retreat, Dengo realized at once, but there was also no time to correct his formation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Hori warriors cut off his men with the speed of the wind and began to encircle them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobutaka's standard seemed to flutter closer and closer to Dengo.\n\nJust at that point, a band of five hundred men, including Dengo's son and his younger brother, promptly rode out in a black cluster and galloped fearlessly into the enemy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The night had grown dark." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The wind carried the cries of the life-and-death struggles and filled the sky with the smell of blood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobutaka's corps was respected as being the strongest among the divisions of Hideyoshi's army, and now it was reinforced with the three thousand men under the command of Niwa Nagahide. Brave and spirited as Dengo and his men were, they could not break through the enemy line." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dengo was wounded in six places." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Finally, after fighting and whirling about on his horse for so long, he began to lose consciousness. Suddenly a voice came from the darkness behind him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thinking it to be the voice of his son, he raised his head from the horse's mane." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just at that moment something struck him above the right eye. It felt like a star falling from heaven, hitting him on the forehead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stay in the saddle! Hang on tight to the saddle! An arrow has glanced off you, and you have a light wound on your forehead.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Who is it? Who's holding me up?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's me, Tozo.\"\n\n\"Ah, brother. What's happened to Ise Yosaburo?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's already been cut down in battle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about Suwa?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Suwa is dead too.\"\n\n\"And Denbei?\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lonely wind blew through the pines that grew around Mitsuhide's camp at Onbozuka. The curtain of the enclosure swelled in the wind like a large white living thing. It flapped incessantly, singing an eerie, uneasy dirge.\n\n\"Yoji, Yoji!\" Mitsuhide called.\n\n\"Yes, my lord!\"\n\n\"Was that a messenger?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"Why didn't he report directly to me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The report has not yet been confirmed.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is there a rule about what can and cannot reach my ears?\" Mitsuhide asked, annoyed.\n\n\"I'm sorry, my lord.\"\n\n\"Take courage! Are you losing your nerve over bad omens?\"\n\n\"No, my lord. But I fully expect to die.\"\n\n\"Really?\"\n\nMitsuhide was suddenly aware of his shrill tone, and lowered his voice. He then considered that perhaps he himself should listen to the words with which he had just reproved Yojiro. The wind made a much more lonely sound than in the day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Vegetable gardens and fields lay beyond the gentle slope. To the east was Kuga Nawate; to the north, mountains; to the west, the Enmyoji River. But in the darkness, only the pale twinkling of stars shone over the battlefield.\n\nOnly three hours had passed between the Hour of the Monkey and the second half of the Hour of the Rooster. Mitsuhide's banners had filled the field. Where were they now? All had been struck down. He had listened to the names of dead men until he was no longer able to keep count." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had only taken three hours." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was no doubt that Yojiro had just now received one more piece of bad news. And he had lost the courage to relay the matter to Mitsuhide. Reprimanded by his lord, Yojiro once again descended the hill. Looking around, he feebly leaned against the trunk of a pine and stared up at the stars.\n\nA horseman rode up to Yojiro and halted in front of him.\n\n\"Friend or foe!\" Yojiro shouted, challenging the stranger with the spear he had been using as a staff.\n\n\"Friend,\" the rider replied as he dismounted.\n\nJust by looking at the shambling gait of the man, Yojiro could see that he was seriously wounded." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Yojiro walked toward him and offered him his arm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Gyobu!\" Yojiro said, recognizing his comrade. \"Hold fast! Lean on me.\"\n\n\"Is that Yojiro? Where is Lord Mitsuhide?\"\n\n\"On top of the hill.\"\n\n\"He's still here? This is a dangerous place for him now. He must leave right away.\"\n\nGyobu went up to Mitsuhide and prostrated himself in front of him, almost falling on his face. \"The entire army has been routed. The dying fell on top of the dead; so many achieved glorious deaths in battle that I cannot remember their names.\"\n\nLooking up, he could only see Mitsuhide's white face." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It seemed as though it were floating beneath the dark shape of the pines." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide said nothing, as though he had not been listening.\n\nGyobu went on, \"At one point, we pressed close on Hideyoshi's center, but when darkness fell our retreat was cut off, and we could no longer find Lord Dengo. General Sanzaemon's division was surrounded by the enemy, and extremely bitter fighting ensued. He was able to escape with only two hundred men. His last words were, 'Go immediately to Onbozuka and tell His Lordship to withdraw to Shoryuji Castle as fast as he can, and then either prepare to hold the castle or retreat toward Omi during the night. I will act as his rear guard until then. After we receive news that His Lordship has withdrawn, we will gallop straight into Hideyoshi's camp and fight to the death.'\"\n\nMitsuhide was still silent. When Gyobu had finished giving his report, he collapsed and breathed his last.\n\nMitsuhide stared at him from his seat and then looked vacantly at Yojiro. He asked, \"Were Gyobu's wounds deep?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord,\" Yojiro answered, tears filling his eyes.\n\n\"He seems to be dead.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yojiro,\" Mitsuhide suddenly said in an entirely different tone. \"What did the previous messenger report?\"\n\n\"I will not conceal anything from you, my lord. Tsutsui Junkei's army appeared on the field and attacked our left wing. Saito Toshimitsu and his entire corps did not have the strength to hold them off, and they were completely routed.\"\n\n\"What! Was that it?\"\n\n\"I knew that if I told you that now, it would be hard to accept. I had truly hoped to tell you when it wouldn't add to your unhappiness.\"\n\n\"This is the world of men.\" Then he added, \"It makes no difference.\"\n\nMitsuhide laughed. At least it was something like a laugh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he abruptly waved toward the rear of the camp and impatiently called out for his horse.\n\nMitsuhide had sent most of his troops to the front, but there should have been at least two thousand men in the camp with his senior retainers. Leading this force, Mitsuhide was ready to join up with what was left of Sanzaemon's corps and attempt one last battle. Mounting his horse, he yelled out the orders for the attack in a voice that resounded through Onbozuka. Then, without waiting for the soldiers to assemble, he turned his horse around and started to gallop down the hill, accompanied by a few mounted samurai.\n\n\"Who are you?\" Mitsuhide asked, bringing his horse to a stop. Someone had suddenly rushed out of the camp, run down the slope, and stood blocking the way, his arms stretched out wide.\n\n\"Tatewaki, why are you stopping me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide asked sharply. It was one of Mitsuhide's senior retainers, Hida Tatewaki, and he quickly grabbed the bridle of Mitsuhide's horse." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'tatewaki'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The unruly animal stamped the ground, unable to control itself.\n\n\"Yojiro! Sanjuro! Why didn't you stop him? Get off your horses, my lord,\" Hida Tatewaki said, scolding Mitsuhide's attendants. Then bowing in Mitsuhide's direction, he said, \"The man before me is not the Lord Mitsuhide I serve. The war is not lost after one defeat. It is not like you to think about throwing away your life right after one battle. The enemy is going to ridicule us for having lost self-control. Even though you've been defeated here, you have a family in Sakamoto and several generals dispersed in the provinces just waiting for word from you. Surely you must not be without a plan for the future. First withdraw to Shoryuji Castle.\"\n\n\"What are you talking about, Tatewaki?\" Mitsuhide shook his head almost in time with his horse's mane. \"Are all the men we've lost going to rise up once again and regain their high spirits? I cannot abandon my men to the enemy and let them be killed. I'm going to deal one good blow to Hideyoshi and punish Tsutsui Junkei's treachery. I'm not looking for a place to die in vain. I'm going to show them who Mitsuhide is. Now let me pass!\"\n\n\"Why are my wise lord's eyes so wild? Our army received a blow today, and at least three thousand men died while countless others were wounded. Our generals were struck down, and our new recruits have been scattered. How many soldiers do you think are left in this camp now?\"\n\n\"Let me go! I can do exactly as I please! Let me go!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's exactly that kind of irresponsible talk that proves you're only rushing off toward death, and I'm going to do my best to stop you. It would be one thing if there were still three or four thousand obstinate men here, but I suspect there are only four or five hundred who will be trailing behind you. All the others have slipped out of camp since evening and fled,\" Tatewaki said, his voice filled with tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Is a man's intellect so frail? And once that intellect fails, does he simply become a madman? Tatewaki gazed at Mitsuhide's frenzy and wondered how the man could have changed so much. Shedding bitter tears, he could not help remembering how prudent and intelligent Mitsuhide had once been.\n\nOther generals now stood in front of Mitsuhide's horse. Two of them had already been on the front lines, but, concerned for their lord's safety, they had come back to the camp. One of them said, \"We all agree with Lord Hida. Shoryuji is nearby, and it's certainly not too late to go there first and work out a strategy for our next step.\"\n\n\"As long as we're here, the enemy forces will be drawing closer and closer, and everything could come to an end right in this spot. We should whip our horses and move on to Shoryuji as fast as we can.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Tatewaki no longer asked what his lord's intentions were." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had the conch shell blown and quickly ordered a retreat to the north." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yojiro and another retainer abandoned their own horses and walked, each grasping the bridle of their master's horse and leading it to the north. The other soldiers and commanders on the hill followed them. But, just as Tatewaki had said, they numbered no more than five hundred men.\n\nMiyake Tobei was the commander of Shoryuji Castle. Here, too, there were nothing but omens of defeat, and a desolate mood of doom filled the castle. Surrounded by faintly flickering lanterns, all present deliberated over how to save themselves. As they searched for some rational conclusion, even Mitsuhide realized that there was nothing to be done.\n\nThe sentries outside the castle had repeatedly reported the approach of the enemy, and the castle itself was not strong enough to resist the crushing force of Hideyoshi's army." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even Yodo Castle had been in this condition when he had ordered its repair some days ago." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was not unlike beginning to build a dike only after hearing the sounds of the billowing waves.\n\nPerhaps the only thing Mitsuhide did not regret at this point was that a number of his generals and soldiers had remained loyal and fought a furious battle, poignantly demonstrating their loyalty. It was, in one sense, paradoxical that there were men within the Akechi clan—the clan that had struck down their own lord—who would still not break the bond between lord and retainer. Clearly Mitsuhide was a virtuous man, and those men were manifesting the ironclad law of the samurai.\n\nFor that reason, the number of dead and wounded was unusually high, even though the battle had lasted no more than three hours. It was later estimated that the Akechi had suffered more than three thousand casualties, while Hideyoshi's forces had lost more than three thousand three hundred. The number of wounded was incalculable. Thus one might understand the great spirit of the Akechi forces, which was in no way inferior to that of their general. Considering the small size of Mitsuhide's force—nearly half the size of his enemy's—and the disadvantageous ground on which it fought, his defeat was not one that could be ridiculed by the world." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The moon of the thirteenth day of the Sixth Month was blurred by thin clouds. One or two mounted warriors rode separately on ahead, while others followed a little behind. Thirteen mounted men rode in scattered groups from north of the Yodo River toward Fushimi.\n\nWhen they had finally entered a dark trail in the depths of the mountain, Mitsuhide turned and asked Tatewaki, \"Where are we?\"\n\n\"This is Okame Valley, my lord.\"\n\nSpeckles of moonlight spilling through the branches fell on Tatewaki and the men who followed behind.\n\n\"Do you plan on crossing to the north of Momoyama and then coming out to the Kanshu Temple Road from Ogurusu?\" Mitsuhide asked.\n\n\"That's right. If we pursue this course and get close to Yamashina and Otsu before it gets light, we won't have to worry.\"\n\nShinshi Sakuzaemon suddenly stopped his horse a little in front of Mitsuhide's and signaled them to be quiet. Mitsuhide and the horsemen following him also stopped. Without so much as a whisper, they watched Akechi Shigetomo and Murakoshi Sanjuro as they walked ahead as scouts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two riders had stopped their horses next to a stream and signaled for the men behind them to wait." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They stood there for some time, listening.\n\nWas it an enemy ambush?\n\nFinally, a look of relief appeared on their faces. Following the signals of the two men motioning ahead of them, they once again quietly moved forward. Both the moon and the clouds appeared to be hanging in the middle of the midnight sky. But no matter how stealthily they advanced, when the horses started up the slope, they kicked up stones or stepped on rotten wood, and even the echoes of such little sounds awakened the sleeping birds. Each time it happened, Mitsuhide and his followers quickly restrained their horses.\n\nAfter their horrible defeat, they had fled to Shoryuji Castle and rested. Later they had discussed what was to be done, but in the end, the only possible plan was to retreat to Sakamoto. All of his retainers had prevailed on Mitsuhide to be patient. Leaving Miyake Tobei in charge of the castle, Mitsuhide slipped out at dusk." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The force that followed him right up to the time he left Shoryuji still numbered about four or five hundred men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But by the time they entered the village of Fushimi, most of them had deserted. The few who remained were his most trusted retainers, and they numbered only thirteen men.\n\n\"A great number of us would only stand out to the enemy, and anyone who hasn't resolved to accompany our lord in either life or death would only be a hindrance. Lord Mitsuharu is in Sakamoto along with three thousand troops. All I care about is getting there safely. I pray to the gods to help our poor lord.\"\n\nThe loyal retainers who remained comforted each other in this way.\n\nAlthough the area was hilly, it had no really steep places. The moon was visible, but because of the rain, the ground beneath the trees was muddy, and the road was dotted with puddles.\n\nIn addition, Mitsuhide and his retainers were exhausted. They were already close to Yamashina, and if they could only get to Otsu, they would be safe. That was how they encouraged each other, but to the tired men themselves it seemed more like a hundred leagues.\n\n\"We've entered a village.\"\n\n\"This must be Ogurusu. Go quietly.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thickly thatched mountain huts could be seen here and there." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's followers would have liked to avoid such human habitations as much as possible, but the road led between the houses. Fortunately, not a light was showing. The houses were surrounded by large bamboo thickets under a white moon, and all indications were that everyone was deeply asleep, completely unaware of the world's confusion.\n\nWith narrowed eyes that pierced the darkness, Akechi Shigetomo and Murakoshi Sanjuro scouted far ahead, riding along the narrow village road without mishap. Stopping where the road wound around a bamboo thicket, they waited for Mitsuhide and his group.\n\nThe figures of the two men, and the reflection of their spears, could be clearly seen from the shadows of the trees that stood fifty yards ahead.\n\nThe sound of bamboo being trampled and the grunt of a wild animal suddenly exploded from the darkness.\n\nTatewaki, who was leading his horse ahead of Mitsuhide, instinctively looked behind. Darkness lined the brushwood hedge of a hut covered by the gloom of the bamboo thicket. Some twenty yards behind, Mitsuhide's silhouette stood out as if he had been nailed to the spot.\n\n\"My lord,\" Tatewaki called." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no answer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The clumps of young bamboo swayed in a windless sky.\n\nTatewaki was about to turn back, when Mitsuhide suddenly spurred his horse forward and passed in front of him without a word. He was slumped over the horse's neck. Tatewaki thought it strange, but nevertheless followed along behind, as did the others.\n\nThey galloped along the road in this manner without incident for about three hundred yards. After joining up again with the two scouts, the thirteen men continued to advance, with Mitsuhide riding sixth from the front.\n\nSuddenly, Murakoshi's horse reared up. In that instant, his drawn sword swept by the left of his saddle.\n\nA loud clanging sound rang out as the sword cut the sharpened tip of a bamboo spear. The hands that held the spear quickly disappeared into the bamboo thicket, but the others had clearly seen what had happened.\n\n\"What was that? Bandits?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It must be. Watch out, they seem to be somewhere inside this big bamboo thicket.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Murakoshi, are you all right?\"\n\n\"What, you think I'm going to be hurt by the bamboo spear of some wandering thief?\"\n\n\"Don't be distracted! Just hurry along. Distractions will be nothing but trouble.\"\n\n\"What about His Lordship?\"\n\nAll of them turned around.\n\n\"Look, over there!\n\nSuddenly they all turned pale. About a hundred paces in front of them, Mitsuhide had fallen from his horse. Worse, he was writhing on the ground, groaning in agony, and looked as though he was unable to stand up again.\n\n\"My lord!\"\n\nShigetomo and Tatewaki dismounted, ran up to him, and tried to lift him back into the saddle." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'thicket' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide no longer seemed to have the will to ride. He simply shook his head.\n\n\"What's happened to you, my lord?\" Completely forgetting themselves, the other men crowded around in the dark. The groans of the suffering Mitsuhide and the sighs of the men filled the air. Just at that moment, the moon shone with special clarity.\n\nSuddenly the undisguised footsteps and screams of the bandits came clamoring noisily out of the darkness of the bamboo thicket.\n\n\"It looks like the accomplices of the man with the bamboo spear are coming up at us from behind. It's the nature of these marauders to try to take advantage of any show of weakness. Sanjuro and Yojiro, take care of them.\"\n\nAt Shigetomo's words, the men split up. A spear was quickly positioned and swords drawn.\n\n\"Damn you!\" With a thunderous yell, someone leaped into the bamboo thicket." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A sound like a rain of leaves, or perhaps a pack of monkeys, split the silence of the night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Shigetomo... Shigetomo...\" Mitsuhide whispered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm here, my lord.\"\n\n\"Ah... Shigetomo,\" Mitsuhide said again. He then groped around as though searching for the arms that were supporting him.\n\nBlood was spurting from the side of his chest, his vision was fading, and he was finding it difficult to speak.\n\n\"I'm going to bind your wound and give you some medicine, so be patient for just a little while.\"\n\nMitsuhide shook his head to show that binding the wound would be unnecessary. Then his hands moved as though they were searching for something.\n\n\"What is it, my lord?\"\n\n\"A brush... \"\n\nShigetomo hurriedly took out paper and ink and a brush. Mitsuhide took the brush with shaking fingers and looked at the white paper." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shigetomo knew that he would be writing his death poem and began to feel a choking sensation in his chest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could hardly stand to see Mitsuhide writing such a thing now and in this place, and in his attachment to what he felt was his lord's greater destiny, he said, \"Don't take up your brush now, my lord. Otsu is hardly a breath away, and if we can just find our way there, you'll be welcomed by Lord Mitsuharu. Let me bandage up this wound.\"\n\nAs Shigetomo put the paper on the ground and began to untie his own sash, Mitsuhide suddenly waved his hand with surprising strength. Then, with his left hand, he lifted himself off the ground. Stretching out his right hand, he grasped the brush with almost crushing strength and started to write:\n\nThere are not two gates: loyalty and treason.\n\nBut his hand shook so much that he seemed to be unable to write the next line. Mitsuhide passed the brush to Shigetomo. \"You write the rest.\"\n\nLeaning on Shigetomo's lap, Mitsuhide turned his head toward the sky and gazed at the moon for a little while. When the color of death even paler than the moon had filled his face, he spoke with a voice surprisingly free of confusion and finished the verse.\n\nThe Great Way penetrates the font of the heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Waking from the dream of fifty-five years,\n\nI return to the One.\n\nShigetomo put down the brush and began to weep. Just at that moment, Mitsuhide drew his short sword and cut his own throat. Sakuzaemon and Tatewaki ran back in shock and saw what had happened. Approaching the dead body of their lord, each man fell on his own blade. Another four men, then six, then eight surrounded Mitsuhide's body in the same way and followed him in death. In no time at all, their lifeless bodies formed the petals and heart of a flower of blood on the ground.\n\nYojiro had dashed into the bamboo thicket to fight with the bandits. Murakoshi called out into the darkness, worried that he might already have been cut down.\n\n\"Yojiro, come back! Yojiro! Yojiro!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But regardless of the number of times he called, Yojiro did not come back again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Murakoshi had also received a number of wounds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he was somehow able to crawl out through the bamboo stand, he saw the silhouette of a man passing right by him.\n\n\"Ah! Lord Shigetomo.\"\n\n\"Sanjuro?\"\n\n\"How is His Lordship?\"\n\n\"He has breathed his last.\"\n\n\"No!\" Sanjuro was surprised. \"Where?\"\n\n\"He is right here, Sanjuro.\" Shigetomo indicated Mitsuhide's head, which he had wrapped in a cloth and attached to his saddle. He looked away sadly.\n\nSanjuro leaped with a violent force toward the horse. As he seized Mitsuhide's head, he raised a long, wailing cry." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At length he asked, \"What were his last words?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He recited a verse that began 'There are not two gates: loyalty and treason.'\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He said that?\"\n\n\"Even though he attacked Nobunaga, his action could not be questioned as a matter of loyalty or treason. Both he and Nobunaga were samurai, and they served the same Emperor. When he finally woke from fifty-five years of a dream, he found that even he was not someone who could escape from the world's blame and praise. After saying these words, he killed himself.\"\n\n\"I understand.\" Murakoshi was sobbing convulsively, wiping the tears from his face with his fist. \"He neither listened to Lord Toshimitsu's admonishments nor refused to fight a decisive battle at Yamazaki on disadvantageous ground with a small army, because he depended on that Great Way. In that light, retreating from Yamazaki would have amounted to abandoning Kyoto. When I realize what was in his heart, I can't stop crying.\"\n\n\"No, even though he was defeated, he never abandoned the Way, and doubtless died with that long-cherished ambition. He showed his last verse to heaven. But you know, if we waste time here, those brigands will probably come back and attack again.\"\n\n\"Right.\"\n\n\"I was unable to take care of everything here by myself. I have left our lord's corpse without the head. Would you bury it so no one will find it?\"\n\n\"What about the others?\"\n\n\"They all gathered around his body and died bravely.\"\n\n\"After I've carried out your orders, I'll find some place to die too.\"\n\n\"I'm taking his head to give to Lord Mitsutada at the Chionin Temple. I'll think about disposing of myself after that. Well, good-bye then.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Good-bye.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two men went separate ways on the narrow path through the bamboo grove. The speckles of light scattered by the moon were lovely to behold." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shoryuji Castle fell that night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It happened just as Mitsuhide was dying in Ogurusu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The generals Nakagawa Sebei, Takayama Ukon, Ikeda Shonyu, and Hori Kyutaro all moved their command posts there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Lighting a huge bonfire, they lined their camp stools outside the castle gate and waited for Nobutaka and Hideyoshi to arrive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobutaka soon stood before them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To have taken the castle was a resplendent victory." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both soldiers and officers straightened their banners and looked up at Nobutaka with great reverence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Nobutaka dismounted and passed through the ranks of the army, he nodded to the men with a friendly expression." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was almost overly polite to the generals, greeting them respectfully and showing his gratitude." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Taking Sebei's hand, he said with special affection, \"It is due to your loyalty and courage that the Akechi were crushed in a single day's battle. My father's soul has been appeased, and I will not forget this.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He gave the same praise to Takayama Ukon and Ikeda Shonyu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Arriving a little later, however, Hideyoshi said nothing at all to those men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he rode by them in his palanquin, he even appeared to be looking down on them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sebei was a man of unequaled ferocity, even in the midst of rough warriors, and it is likely that he felt offended by Hideyoshi's behavior." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He cleared his throat loud enough to be heard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi glanced out from inside the palanquin and passed on with a parting remark." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good work, Sebei.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sebei stamped his feet in anger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Even Lord Nobutaka was civil enough to dismount for us, but this man is so arrogant that he goes right by in his palanquin. Maybe Monkey thinks he's already running the country,\" he said, loudly enough so that everyone around him could hear, but beyond that he could do nothing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ikeda Shonyu, Takayama Ukon, and the others held the same rank as Hideyoshi, but at some point Hideyoshi had started treating them as though they were his subordinates." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They, too, had steadily come to feel that they were somehow under Hideyoshi's command." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To be sure, that was not a pleasant feeling for any of them, but no one had protested." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even on entering the castle, Hideyoshi simply gave a quick glance to the burned-out ruins of the building and gave no thought to resting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ordering that a curtained enclosure be set up in the garden, he placed his camp stool next to Nobutaka's, quickly summoned the generals, and began giving out orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Kyutaro, lead an army to the village of Yamashina and push on toward Awadaguchi. Your objective is to come out at Otsu and cut off the road passage between Azuchi and Sakamoto.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he turned to Sebei and Ukon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You should hurry down the Tamba Road as quickly as possible. It appears that many of the enemy have fled toward Tamba, and we don't want to give them time to get to Kameyama Castle and make preparations. If we're slow here, we're likely to lose even more time. If you can reach Kameyama by midday tomorrow, it should fall without much trouble.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Some, then, were sent hurrying to Toba and the area of Shichijo, while others were to advance to the vicinities of Yoshida and Shirakawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The instructions were highly explicit, and Nobutaka only sat to the side as they were being given." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the eyes of all the generals, Hideyoshi's attitude was nothing less than presumptuous." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, even Sebei, who had at first opened his mouth in anger, meekly accepted his orders like the others." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally they distributed provisions to the soldiers for the first time since morning, ladled out some sake, filled their stomachs, and once again started off for the next battlefield." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi understood that there was a time and place for making people yield to his control, and his ploy this time had been to wait for the time when each of the generals had just won a victory." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Hideyoshi knew that his colleagues were men of matchless valor and unmanageable courage, and he was not so imprudent as to risk addressing them as subordinates by use of this ploy alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "An army must have a leader." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While Nobutaka should have been the commander-in-chief in terms of rank, he had only recently joined the campaign, and all of the generals recognized the fact that he was lacking in both authority and resolve." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That being so, there was absolutely no one left to assume leadership other than Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although not one of the generals felt disposed to submit to Hideyoshi, each one knew that no one else was acceptable to the whole group." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had planned this battle to be the requiem for Nobunaga, and he had rallied them together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "So if they now complained about his handling of them as subordinates, they would only have exposed themselves to the accusation of self-interest." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The generals had no time for rest but were to set off at once for the new battlefields to which they had been ordered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they stood up together to depart, Hideyoshi remained in the commander's seat and gestured to each man with his chin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi stayed at the Mii Temple, and on the night of the fourteenth there was another huge thunderstorm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The smoldering embers of Sakamoto Castle were extinguished, and all night long, pale white lightning flashed over the ink-colored lake and Shimeigatake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With the dawn, however, the heavens were wiped clean and the hot summer sky appeared once again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the main camp at the Mii Temple, a thick yellow smoke could be seen rising from the eastern bank of the lake in the direction of Azuchi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Azuchi is burning!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the report of the guards, the generals went out onto the veranda." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi and the rest of them shaded their eyes with their hands." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A messenger reported, \"Lord Nobuo, who was camped at Tsuchiyama in Omi, and Lord Gamo joined forces and have been attacking Azuchi since morning. They set fire to both the town and the castle, and the wind from the lake has engulfed all of Azuchi in flames. But there were no enemy soldiers left in Azuchi, so there was no battle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi could imagine what was occurring far away." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There was no reason to set that fire,\" he muttered sullenly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No matter who he is, Lord Nobuo and even Gamo acted hastily.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But he soon calmed down." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The culture that Nobunaga had spent the blood and resources of half a lifetime constructing was to be mourned in every way, but Hideyoshi had faith that very soon—and with his own strength—he would build an even greater castle and culture." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just at that moment, another patrol of soldiers came from the main temple gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were gathered around a single man and were bringing him to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"A farmer from Ogurusu by the name of Chobei says that he found Lord Mitsuhide's head.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the custom to inspect the head of an enemy general with grave decorum and etiquette, and Hideyoshi gave orders for his camp stool to be set up in front of the main temple." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Soon thereafter, he sat down with the other generals and looked at Mitsuhide's head in silence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Afterward, the head was exposed at the ruins of the Honno Temple." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only half a month had passed since the morning the standard of the bellflower had been set up amid the Akechi army's war cries." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mitsuhide's head had been displayed for the benefit of the citizens of the capital, and they swarmed together at the site from morning till night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even those who had denounced Mitsuhide's treason now said a prayer, while others threw flowers beneath the rotting skull." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's military commands were simple and clear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had only three laws: Be diligent in your work." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Commit no wrongs. Troublemakers will be executed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had not yet conducted a formal funeral service for Nobunaga; the grand ceremony he had in mind could not be accomplished with military power alone, and it would not be right for it to be under only his patronage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fire in the capital had finally died down, but the sparks had spread to all the provinces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga was dead, Mitsuhide was dead, and there was the possibility that the country would once again be divided into three spheres of influence, as it had been before Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Worse, family feuds and rival warlords defending their own local interests might plunge the country into the chaos of the last years of the shogunate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the Mii Temple, Hideyoshi moved his entire army onto a fleet of warships, boarding everything from horses to gilded screens." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was on the eighteenth of the month, and the objective was to move to Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Another military force also snaked its way east along the land route." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The line of ships moving over the lake was driven by the breeze that filled the banners, and it reflected the marching land army advancing along the coast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Azuchi was already nothing more than scorched earth, and as soon as the troops arrived, they found themselves disheartened." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The gold-and-blue walls of Azuchi no longer existed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All the gates of the outer wall and the towering eaves of the Soken Temple had been burned to the ground." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The castle town was even worse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was nothing for which even the stray dogs could hunt, and the priests from the Christian church walked around with empty eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobuo should have been there, but he was fighting rebels in Ise and Iga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It became clear that the burning of Azuchi had not been ordered by Nobuo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Certainly the fires had been started by his men, but it seemed plausible that that had been the result of a misunderstanding or perhaps of false rumors spread by the enemy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi and Nobutaka had traveled to Azuchi together and lamented the destruction with deep feeling." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, after they realized that the fires had not been set at Nobuo's command, their indignation seemed to abate somewhat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They stayed in Azuchi for only two days." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The convoy of ships once again set sail, this time for the north." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was advancing his main army to his home castle at Nagahama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The castle was safe." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no sign of the enemy, and allied troops were already entering the castle grounds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the commander's standard with the golden gourds was raised, the people of the castle town were overjoyed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They filled the streets through which Hideyoshi passed en route from his boat to the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Women, children, and the elderly prostrated themselves in the dirt to greet him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some people cried, and some could not even lift their faces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There were some who cheered and waved their hands, while others even forgot themselves as they danced with joy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He purposefully passed by on horseback to respond to the enthusiastic welcome of his people." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For Hideyoshi, however, there remained a very serious anxiety, and it grew even more intense after he entered Nagahama Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He burned with such impatience and longing that he could not stand idle even for a moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Were his mother and wife safe?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After sitting down in the inner citadel, he asked the question over and over to each one of the generals who came and went." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was suddenly very worried about the condition of his family." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We've looked everywhere for them, but no clear report has come in yet,\" the generals said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wasn't there anyone who knew anything about their whereabouts?\" Hideyoshi asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, we thought so,\" one general answered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But none of the people seem to have seen them. When they fled the castle, their destination was kept an absolute secret.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I see. It must be true. If their whereabouts had leaked out to the common people, the enemy would have given chase, and they would have been in danger.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi met another general and discussed an entirely different subject." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That day the enemy troops at Sawayama Castle had abandoned the fortress and fled in the direction of Wakasa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The general reported that the castle had been returned to the control of its former commander, Niwa Nagahide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ishida Sakichi and four or five other members of the pages' group suddenly returned hurriedly from an unknown destination." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before they got to Hideyoshi's room, happy voices could be heard bubbling up in the corridor and the pages' room, and Hideyoshi asked those around him, \"Has Sakichi come back? Why is he so slow in coming here?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He sent a man to rebuke him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ishida Sakichi had been born in Nagahama, and he knew the geography of the area better than anyone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had thought, therefore, that now was the time to use his knowledge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been out on his own since noon, looking for the place where his lord's mother and his wife might be hiding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sakichi knelt respectfully in front of Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "According to his report, Hideyoshi's mother, his wife, and the rest of the household were hiding in the mountains a little more than ten leagues from Nagahama." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It seemed that they were barely keeping body and soul together." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, let's get ready to leave right away. If we go now, we should be able to get there by tomorrow night,\" Hideyoshi said, standing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was nearly unable to restrain himself, so great was his impatience." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Take care of things while I'm gone,\" he ordered Kyutaro." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hikoemon is stationed at Otsu, and Lord Nobutaka is still at Azuchi.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Hideyoshi left the castle gate, he saw six or seven hundred men lined up and waiting for him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They had fought successive battles at Yamazaki and Sakamoto, and had had no time to rest even at Azuchi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The warriors had arrived only that morning, and their faces were still tired and muddy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi said, \"It will be enough if fifty horsemen come with me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi only said this after the mounted men carrying torches had started to lead the procession." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Almost all of the soldiers, then, were to stay behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's dangerous,\" Kyutaro said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Fifty horsemen are too few. The road you'll take tonight passes close by Mount Ibuki, and enemy forces may still be hiding there.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both Kyutaro and Shonyu were especially vociferous in cautioning him, but Hideyoshi seemed convinced that there was no need for such concern." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Answering that it was not worth worrying about, he ordered the men with the torches to lead the way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Leaving the castle gate, they went along the tree-lined road toward the northeast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Riding through the night until about the fourth watch, Hideyoshi progressed five leagues down the road without too much haste." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The group arrived at Sanjuin Temple at midnight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had thought the monks would be taken completely by surprise, but to his amazement, when they opened the main gate, he saw that the inside of the temple was brilliantly lit with lanterns, water had been splashed over the grounds, and the entire area had been swept clean." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Somebody must have come ahead and announced that I was coming.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It was me,\" Sakichi announced." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes. I thought that you would probably be stopping here to rest, my lord, so I had a young man who is a fast runner come ahead and order meals prepared for fifty men.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sakichi had been an acolyte at Sanjuin Temple, but at twelve years of age he had been accepted by Hideyoshi as a page at Nagahama Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That had been eight years ago, and he had since become a twenty-year-old samurai." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sakichi had excellent good sense and was more quick-witted than most people." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At dawn, the outline of Mount Ibuki could be seen against the rose and pale blue hues of the sky, while nothing could be heard but the chirping of tiny birds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dew was deep on the road, and darkness hung beneath the trees." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi looked happy. He knew that with every step he was getting closer to his mother and wife, and he seemed to mind neither the steep slope of the road nor his own fatigue." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now, the closer he approached Nishitani as the light increased on Mount Ibuki, the more he had the feeling of being held to his mother's breast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No matter how long they climbed upstream along the Azusa River, they never seemed to come to its source." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, it opened up and they came out into a valley so wide that they might have forgotten they were in the middle of the mountains." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's Mount Kanakuso,\" announced the monk who was acting as guide, and he pointed to a steep peak directly in front of them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He wiped the sweat from his forehead." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sun had climbed to the center of the sky, and the heat of midsummer was rising." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The monk walked on ahead again on the narrow path." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After a while the path became so narrow that Hideyoshi and his attendants had to dismount." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just at that moment the men around Hideyoshi stopped." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It looks like the enemy,\" they said with alarm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi and his small force had just climbed around the peak." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There appeared to be a group of soldiers stationed on the mountainside in the distance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Those soldiers, too, seemed surprised, and they all stood up together." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of them seemed to be giving out commands while soldiers scattered in disorder." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They could be remaining enemy soldiers,\" someone said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I've heard that they've fled as far as Ibuki.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That was, indeed, a possibility, and the gunners immediately ran forward." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The order was quickly given to get ready for battle, but the two monks who were acting as guides called them back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's not the enemy. They're the lookouts from the temple. Don't shoot!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They then turned toward the mountain in the distance and made themselves understood by gesturing and yelling at the top of their voices." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With that, the soldiers began to descend the mountain like stones tumbling down a cliff." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Very soon, an officer with a small banner affixed to his back ran down to them. Hideyoshi recognized him as a retainer from Nagahama." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Daikichi Temple was nothing more than a small mountain temple. When it rained, water leaked through the roof. When the wind blew, the walls and beams shook. Nene lived and waited upon her mother-in-law in the main temple, while the ladies-in-waiting lived in the priests' quarters. The retainers who came later from Nagahama built small huts in the area or lodged in farmhouses in the village. So in those wretched conditions, a large family of over two hundred had lived for over two weeks." }, { "from": "human", "value": "By the time news of Nobunaga's murder reached them, the advance guard of the Akechi army was already in sight of the castle, and there was hardly time to think of what to do." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nene had written a letter to her husband in the far-off western provinces, but it was truly at the last moment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Taking her mother-in-law, she had abandoned the castle and fled, leaving everything behind. All she was able to do was load a packhorse with a change of clothes for her mother-in-law and the presents her husband had received from Nobunaga.\n\nIn that situation Nene felt the tragic resolve and the great responsibility of a woman's lot. She was in charge of the castle in Hideyoshi's absence, and she had to serve his aged mother and run the large castle household. She must have wanted with all her heart the happiness of hearing her husband tell her that she had done well. He, however, was far away on the battlefield." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Until recently she had lived in the safety of a castle while her husband was on the battlefield, but now, suddenly, there was no distinction between them.\n\nDuring a war, this situation was no cause for despair, but Nene was pained by the question of where to move Hideyoshi's mother. Even if the castle was abandoned to the enemy, she was certain that Hideyoshi would quickly retake it. But as his wife, if she had allowed her mother-in-law to be injured, she would never have been able to face him again.\n\n\"Please just worry about protecting my mother-in-law. Don't think about me. And no matter how much you may regret leaving something behind, don't let yourselves be distracted by possessions.\" Thus Nene encouraged the women servants and everyone in the household as they moved desperately along the road to the east." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nagahama was bordered on the west by Lake Biwa, the north was checked by hostile clans, and activity in the direction of the Mino Road was unclear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no recourse, then, but to flee toward Mount Ibuki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When her clan was victorious, the warrior's wife would be filled with happiness." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But once her husband had become the loser—or they were driven from his castle as fugitives—the pathetic wife must feel a wretchedness that could not be imagined by a man who worked in the fields or sold his wares in town.\n\nFrom that day on the members of Hideyoshi's household went hungry, lay down to sleep in the open, and were frightened by the enemy patrols. During the night it was difficult to avoid the dew; during the day their white, bloodied feet pressed on in flight.\n\nThrough these difficulties there was one thing they kept in mind: when we're captured by the enemy, we'll show them. That was almost everyone's secret promise. The women were of one mind." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The feeling among them was that if the fragrance that drifted from their rouge and the loveliness of their black hair did not project from their hearts on that day, they should be disdained and condemned as nothing but shams to hide their ugliness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The village was an excellent refuge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sentries had been posted at a distance, so there was no fear of a surprise attack. As it was midsummer, the bedding and provisions were made to last. Their greatest discomfort was only a matter of isolation. Being so far from human habitation, they had no idea of what was going on.\n\nThe messenger should return soon. Nene let her thoughts run toward the western sky." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The night before she fled Nagahama she had hastily written a letter to her husband. She had heard nothing from the messenger since then. Perhaps he had fallen into the hands of the Akechi on the way, or had been unable to find their hiding place. She had thought about those possibilities day and night.\n\nMore recently she had heard that there had been a battle at Yamazaki. When told about the event, her blood raced to the surface of her skin, flushing her complexion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's very likely. It's just like that boy,\" Hideyoshi's mother said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The old lady's hair had turned completely white, and now she sat in the main hall of the Daikichi Temple from the time she rose in the morning to the time she went to bed, hardly moving at all and praying devoutly for her son's victory." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No matter how chaotic the world became, she believed absolutely that the child to whom she had given birth would not turn from the Great Way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even now when she gossiped with Nene, she still fell into her old habit of referring to Hideyoshi as \"that boy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let him return victorious, even if it's in exchange for this old body.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was her single day-long prayer. From time to time she would look up with a sigh of relief at the statue of the goddess Kannon.\n\n\"Mother, I have a feeling we're going to be receiving good news soon,\" Nene said one day.\n\n\"I've been feeling that myself, but I don't know why,\" Hideyoshi's mother said.\n\n\"I felt it all of a sudden when I looked up at the face of Kannon,\" Nene said. \"Yesterday more than the day before, today more than yesterday, she seems to be smiling at us.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was on the morning of Hideyoshi's arrival that the two women had been talking in this way.\n\nThe setting sun was bringing the shadow of the valley across the village, and the walls of the temple were already colored by twilight. Nene was striking the flint to light the lamps in the dark of the inner sanctuary, while the old lady sat in prayer in front of the statue of Kannon.\n\nSuddenly they heard warriors hurrying outside. Hideyoshi's mother turned around in surprise and Nene went out to the veranda.\n\n\"His Lordship is coming!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The shouts of the sentinels echoed throughout the compound." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every day sentinels went downstream about two leagues to stand watch. They all looked as if they had fallen on their faces after running up to the main gate, but when they saw Nene on the veranda, they started yelling at her from where they were, as though there wasn't enough time to come closer.\n\n\"Mother!\" Nene shouted out.\n\n\"Nene!\"\n\nThe old lady and her daughter-in-law embraced in tears, hardly aware that their happy voices had become one. The old lady prostrated herself before the image of Kannon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nene knelt next to her and bowed with all her heart.\n\n\"The boy hasn't seen you for a long time. You look a little tired. Go brush your hair.\"\n\n\"Yes, Mother.\"\n\nNene quickly retired to her room. She brushed her hair, cupped some water from the bamboo conduit to wash her face, and quickly applied some makeup.\n\nAll of the members of the household and the samurai were in front of the gate, lined up according to age and rank to greet Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'would' 2 time(s) throughout your message" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The faces of both old and young, many of whom were villagers, peeked from between the trees. Their eyes were wide with curiosity about what would happen next. After a short while two warriors running ahead of the others came up to the gate and announced that their lord and his company would arrive soon. When they finished their report to Nene, they joined the line of men at the very end, and everyone became hushed. Every man waited for Hideyoshi to appear in the distance. As she stood in the shadow of the expectant men, Nene's eyes looked strangely opaque." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Very soon thereafter a group of men and horses arrived, and the air was filled with the smell of sweat and dust and the din and bustle of those who had come out to greet their lord. The front gate of the temple was temporarily hidden by the whinnying line of horses and people congratulating the men on their safe arrival.\n\nHideyoshi was among them. He had ridden the short distance from the village, but dismounted in front of the temple gate. Handing the reins of his horse to an attendant, he looked over at a group of children standing at the end of the line of people at his right.\n\n\"There must be a lot of places to play in the mountains,\" he said." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he patted the shoulders of the little boys and girls standing nearby." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were all children of his retainers, and their mothers, grandmothers, and grandfathers were there too. Hideyoshi smiled at each one of them as he walked toward the stone steps of the gate.\n\n\"Well, well. I see that everyone's safe. I'm relieved.\" Then he turned to the people on his left, where the warriors of his clan stood silently. Hideyoshi raised his voice a little. \"I've come back. I understand the hardships you've suffered in my absence. You had to work very hard.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The warriors standing in line bowed low. Beneath the temple gate at the top of the steps, his main retainers and both young and old members of his immediate family waited to greet him. Hideyoshi merely looked to the right and left, demonstrating his own health with a smile. To his wife, Nene, he gave only a glance, and passed through the temple gate without speaking.\n\nBut from that point, the husband was accompanied by the figure of his modest wife. The pages that followed in a crowd and the members of his family either went off to rest as Nene had instructed them or simply saluted him from the veranda, each then disappearing into his own quarters." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the high-ceilinged main temple, a solitary lamp flickered on a low stand. Next to it sat a single woman with hair as white as a silkworm cocoon, wearing a russet-colored kimono.\n\nShe could hear her son's voice as he was led up to the veranda by his wife. Without making a sound, his mother stood up and moved to the edge of the room. Hideyoshi paused beneath the shutter and brushed the dust from his coat. His head, which he had shaved at Amagasaki, was still wrapped in a hood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nene came around from behind her husband and spoke in a quiet voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your mother has come out to greet you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi quickly went up to his mother and prostrated himself. \"I've given you so much trouble, Mother. Please forgive me,\" was all he could say.\n\nThe old lady retreated a little on her knees, then repeated her greeting, prostrating herself in front of her son. The etiquette of the occasion required that a greeting be made to the lord of the clan upon his triumphal return; it was the tradition of the warrior class, not a simple, everyday matter between parent and child. But as soon as Hideyoshi saw his mother safe and sound, he was unable to feel anything but affection for his own flesh and blood. Silently he approached his old mother." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With modest manners, however, she resisted him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You've returned safely. But before you ask about my hardships or well-being, why don't you tell me about Lord Nobunaga's death? And tell me if you've destroyed our hateful enemy, Mitsuhide?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'would' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi unconsciously straightened his collar. His mother continued, \"I wonder if you know that what your old mother worried about day after day was not whether you were alive or dead. I worried about whether you would act like the great General Hideyoshi, a retainer of Lord Nobunaga. Even as I wondered about how you would manage after the death of our lord, I heard about your march on Amagasaki and Yamazaki. But after that, we heard nothing.\"\n\n\"I was slow in letting you know.\"\n\nHer words seemed reserved and spoken without love, but Hideyoshi trembled with happiness, as though his blood were rushing through his entire body. Rather than being soothed by a natural motherly love, he felt that his mother's present admonishment showed a far greater love, and it gave him encouragement for the future.\n\nHe then told them in detail of the events that had happened since Nobunaga's death, and of the great deeds he wished to accomplish." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He spoke about these things plainly so that his old mother would understand them well.\n\nHis mother now shed tears for the first time, and then praised her son. \"You did well by destroying the Akechi in only a few days. Lord Nobunaga's soul must feel satisfied, and he should have no regrets about having given you his affection. To tell the truth, I was determined not to let you spend a single night here if you had come before seeing Mitsuhide's head.\"\n\n\"No, and I wouldn't have been able to see you before finishing that matter, so there was nothing I could do but fight on doggedly until two or three days ago.\"\n\n\"Being able to meet you here safely like this must mean that the road you've taken is in harmony with the intentions of the gods and Buddhas. Well... Nene, come over here, too. We should give thanks together.\"\n\nWith that, the old lady turned once again to the statue of Kannon." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Until that time, Nene had sat modestly apart from Hideyoshi and his mother. When her mother-in-law requested her presence, however, she quickly got up to walk into the main sanctuary.\n\nAfter lighting the lantern in the Buddhist shrine, she returned and, for the first time, sat next to her husband. The three of them bowed together in the direction of the faint light. After Hideyoshi raised his head and gazed at the image, the three bowed again. A mortuary tablet bearing Lord Nobunaga's name had been placed in the shrine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When they had finished, Hideyoshi's mother looked as though a heavy weight had been lifted from their hearts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Nene,\" the old lady called softly. \"That boy is fond of a bath. Has it been prepared?\"\n\n\"Yes. I thought it would be more relaxing for him than anything else, so I'm having one prepared right now.\"\n\n\"It would be good if he could at least wash off the sweat and dirt. In the meantime, I'll go to the kitchen and have them prepare something he likes to eat.\"\n\nThe old lady left the two of them alone.\n\n\"Nene.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I suspect you went through a lot of hardships this time, too. But even with managing everything else, you kept my mother safe. That was really my only concern as well.\"\n\n\"The wife of a warrior is always ready for difficulties like these, so it didn't seem so bad.\"\n\n\"Really? Then you've understood that there is nothing more satisfying than to look around and see your difficulties behind you.\"\n\n\"When I see that my husband has come home safely, I know just what you mean.\"\n\nThey returned to Nagahama the following day. The morning sun reflected on the white mist." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Following the Azusa River, the road grew progressively narrower, and the warriors dismounted and led their horses.\n\nHalfway through the journey, they encountered one of the staff officers from Nagahama who had come to report on the war situation.\n\n\"Your letter concerning the punishment of the Akechi was sent to the other clans, and, perhaps due to the speed with which it was notified, the army of Lord Ieyasu has returned to Hamamatsu from Narumi. On the other hand, Lord Katsuie's army, which had come as far as the Omi border, seems now to have halted its advance.\"\n\nHideyoshi smiled silently and then almost muttered to himself. \"It seems that Lord Ieyasu also felt a little confused this time. Of course it was only an indirect result, but it seems that checking Ieyasu dispersed Mitsuhide's military strength. How chagrined the Tokugawa warriors must be to have gone back without a fight.\"\n\nThus, on the twenty-fifth of the month, the day after he safely returned his mother to Nagahama, he departed for Mino." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There had been agitation in Mino, but as soon as his army advanced, the area was subdued." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "First presenting Nobutaka with the castle at Inabayama, he demonstrated his loyalty toward the clan of his former lord. Then he waited calmly for the conference at Kiyosu, which was to begin on the twenty-seventh of that month." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shibata Katsuie was fifty-two years old that year." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a military commander, he was the veteran of many battles; as a man, he had experienced many vicissitudes on the road of life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was of a good lineage and had a distinguished career; he commanded a powerful army, and he was blessed with a robust physique." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one doubted that he had been chosen by the times." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He himself assumed that this was unquestionably the case." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the fourth day of the Sixth Month, he was encamped at Uozaki in Etchu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The moment he heard the news of the Honno Temple incident, he told himself, What I do now is of the utmost importance, and I must do it well." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For this reason, his actions were delayed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was that circumspect." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His mind, however, hurried to Kyoto like a squall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was the most senior Oda retainer and the military governor of the northern provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now, equipped with a lifetime of wisdom and strength, he was gambling his entire career on one move." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Abandoning the battlefield in the north, he hastened toward the capital." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though one might say he hastened, in fact it took him several days to leave Etchu, and he spent several days more in his home castle at Kitanosho in Echizen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He himself did not consider his progress to be slow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once a man like Katsuie moved on such an important mission, everything had to be done according to the rules, and that necessitated a proper prudence and correct timing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The speed with which he moved his troops seemed remarkable to Katsuie, but by the time his main force reached the border of Echizen and Omi, it was already the fifteenth of the month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was not until noon on the following day that the rear guard from Kitanosho caught up with him, and the entire army rested their horses at the mountain pass." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking down onto the plain, they could see that the summer clouds were already high in the sky." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had been twelve days since Katsuie had heard of Nobunaga's death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It is true that Hideyoshi—who was fighting the Mori in the western provinces—had heard the report from Kyoto one day ahead of Katsuie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But on the fourth of the month Hideyoshi had made peace with the Mori, on the fifth he had departed, on the seventh he had arrived at Himeji, on the ninth he had turned toward Amagasaki, on the thirteenth he had struck down Mitsuhide in the battle at Yamazaki, and by the time Katsuie had reached the borders of Omi, he had already swept the capital clear of the remaining enemy troops." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'leading'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Certainly the road leading to the capital from Echizen was longer and more difficult than the one leading from Takamatsu, but the difficulties that faced Hideyoshi and those that Katsuie confronted were not of the same order." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie had the clear advantage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In managing his troop movements and in disengaging himself from the battlefield, his circumstances were far easier than Hideyoshi's." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why, then, was he so late?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was simply that Katsuie put prudence and abiding by the rules ahead of speed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The experience that he had gained by participating in so many battles, and the self-confidence that had come about as a result, had created a shell around his thinking and power of discrimination." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Those qualities were actually a hindrance to swift action when national affairs were at a turning point, and they contributed to Katsuie's inability to go beyond conventional tactics and strategies." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The mountain village of Yanagase was full of horses and men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "West of it was the direction of the capital." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Going east, the army would pass Lake Yogo and enter the road to Nagahama Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie had set up his temporary headquarters in the compound of a small mountain shrine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie was extremely sensitive to the temperature, and appeared to be suffering from the intense heat and the climb on that day in particular." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he had had his camp stool set up in the shade of the trees, he had a curtain stretched from tree to tree, and he took off his armor behind it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He then turned his back to his foster son, Katsutoshi, and said, \"Wipe off my back, Katsutoshi.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Two pages held large fans and cooled Katsuie's sides." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the sweat dried, his body began to itch." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Katsutoshi, rub harder. Much harder,\" he fretted." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The boy was still only fifteen years old." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was rather touching to see him acting with such filial piety in the middle of a march." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Something like a rash covered Katsuie's skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Katsuie was not the only one to suffer that summer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Many of the soldiers who were wearing leather and metal armor developed a skin condition that might be called an armor rash, but Katsuie's case was particularly severe." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He told himself that his weakness during the summers was the result of having spent the greater part of the past three years at his post in the northern provinces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the undeniable truth was that the older he got, the weaker he seemed to become." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsutoshi rubbed harder, as he had been told, until he drew fatty red blood from Katsuie's skin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Two messengers arrived. One was Hideyoshi's retainer, the other a retainer of Nobutaka." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Each carried a letter from his lord, and together they presented their letters to Katsuie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi and Nobutaka, both whom were encamped at the Mii Temple in Otsu, had written their letters personally." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both were dated from the fourteenth of the month. Hideyoshi's letter said:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "I have today inspected the head of the rebel general, Akechi Mitsuhide." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With this, the requiem for our late lord has ended with appropriate results." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We wished to announce this quickly to all the Oda retainers residing in the northern provinces and to send a summary immediately." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Needless to say, while His Lordship's passing was the cause of unbearable grief for all of us, the rebel general's head has been exposed and the rebel troops exterminated to the last man, all within eleven days of his death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "We do not take pride in this, but believe that it will placate our lord's soul in the underworld, if only a little." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi had concluded in his letter that the outcome of the tragedy should be a matter for great rejoicing, but Katsuie did not rejoice in the least." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, the very opposite emotion appeared on his face even before he had finished reading." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In his answer, however, he naturally wrote that nothing could have made him happier than Hideyoshi's news." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He also emphasized the fact that his own army had gotten as far as Yanagase." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Contemplating what he knew now from both the reports of the messengers and the contents of the letters, Katsuie felt unsure about what to do next." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the messengers left, he selected a number of young men with stout legs and sent them from Otsu to Kyoto to investigate the real conditions of the area." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He seemed to be resolved to stay camped where he was until he knew the full story." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is there any reason to think this might be a false report?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie asked. He was even more surprised than he had been when he received the tragic report about Nobunaga some days before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If someone were to have faced Mitsuhide's army in a \"requiem battle\" ahead of Katsuie himself, it should surely have been Nobutaka or Niwa Nagahide, or even one of the Oda retainers in the capital who might have joined forces with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was, after all, in Sakai at the time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And, in that case, the victory would not have been won in one day and one night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one in the Oda clan was of a higher rank than Katsuie, and he knew quite well that if he had been there, everyone would have had to look up to him as commander-in-chief in the battle against the Akechi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That would have been a matter of course." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie never considered Hideyoshi to be as insignificant as he appeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the contrary, he knew Hideyoshi quite well and had never made light of his abilities." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, it was a mystery to Katsuie how Hideyoshi had been able to leave the western provinces so quickly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie's camp was fortified the following day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Roadblocks were set up, and travelers from the capital were stopped by sentries and questioned thoroughly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Any information was immediately relayed from the various officers to headquarters in the main camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the talk that was gathered from the streets, one could no longer doubt both the complete destruction of the Akechi and the fall of Sakamoto Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moreover, according to some travelers, flames and black smoke had been rising in the area of Azuchi that day and the day before, and someone reported that Lord Hideyoshi had led a section of his army toward Nagahama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The next day Katsuie's mind was no more at peace than before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was still having trouble deciding what he should do next." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was distraught by shame." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had brought his army from the north this far, and he could not bear to stand aside while Hideyoshi leaped into action." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What was to be done?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The natural responsibility of the senior retainer of the Oda clan would have been to attack the Akechi, but that work had been finished by Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Under the present conditions, then, what would be his greatest and most urgent business?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And what strategy would he use in the face of Hideyoshi's present upper hand?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie was obsessed by Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moreover, his thoughts were strongly dominated by a dislike that bordered on outright hatred." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Summoning his senior advisers, he deliberated on the subject until the late hours of the night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the following day, couriers and secret messengers hurried out in all directions from the staff headquarters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the same time Katsuie himself addressed a particularly friendly letter directly to Takigawa Kazumasu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although he had already sent the messenger from Nobutaka back to his master carrying a special response, he now wrote and sent yet another letter to Nobunaga's son." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He selected a senior retainer as the envoy and sent two more clever retainers along with him, indicating the importance of their mission." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As for contacting the other close retainers, two scribes took down Katsuie's words and then spent half a day writing out more than twenty letters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The gist of the letters was that on the first day of the Seventh Month they were to meet in Kiyosu to discuss such important problems as who would be the successor to Nobunaga, and how the former domain of the Akechi was to be divided." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As the initiator of the conference, Katsuie would recover some of his dignity as senior retainer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Certainly it was fully acknowledged that without him such important problems could not be resolved." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With this leverage as his \"key,\" Katsuie changed direction and turned toward Kiyosu Castle in Owari." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the way, from what he heard and from the reports of his scouts, he discovered that many of the surviving Oda retainers had been heading toward Kiyosu before his letters had even been delivered." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Samboshi, the son of Nobunaga's heir, Nobutada, was already there, and naturally the common view was that the center of the Oda clan would be moved there too. Katsuie, however, suspected that Hideyoshi had taken a presumptuous lead and had orchestrated this as well." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every day Kiyosu Castle presented the extraordinary spectacle of magnificent processions of mounted men going up the hill to the castle gate.\n\nThe land from which Nobunaga had begun his life's work was now regarded as the conference ground where the settlement of the clan's affairs would be discussed.\n\nOn the surface, the surviving Oda retainers who had gathered claimed that they had come to pay their respects to Samboshi. No one mentioned that he had received Shibata Katsuie's letters or that he had come at Hideyoshi's invitation.\n\nBut everyone knew that a conference would soon begin in the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The subject of the conference was also common knowledge." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Only the public notice of the day and time needed to be posted. Once the retainers had payed their respects to Samboshi, not one of them would be returning to his home province. Each had a good number of soldiers waiting at their lodgings in the castle town.\n\nThe population of the castle town had swollen tremendously, and that, combined with the midsummer heat and the town's small size, created an atmosphere of extraordinary confusion and noise. With horses running furiously through the streets, fights among servants, and frequent outbreaks of fire, there was no time for boredom." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Toward the end of the month Nobunaga's two surviving sons, Nobutaka and Nobuo, and his former generals, including Katsuie and Hideyoshi, arrived.\n\nOnly Takigawa Kazumasu had not yet made an appearance. Because of his absence, he was the object of frank and unfavorable criticism in the streets.\n\n\"Takigawa was happy enough to accept posts when Lord Nobunaga was alive and was even appointed to the important position of governor-general of eastern Japan, so why is he so late in arriving in this present crisis? It's a shameful display on his part.\"\n\nThere were others even more unabashed in their criticism." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He's a clever politician, and he is not a man of unshakable loyalty. That's probably why he hasn't stirred yet.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "That sort of talk made the rounds of the taverns." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Soon thereafter, criticism concerning Katsuie's lateness in attacking Mitsuhide was also heard here and there. Of course, the various clans residing in Kiyosu heard it as well, and Hideyoshi's retainers quickly brought it to his attention.\n\n\"Really? So that's started too? It's criticism of Katsuie, so no one is going to think that the rumors are being spread by Katsuie himself, but to me it looks like an attempt on his part to cause dissension among us—a battle of scheming before the big conference. Well, let them have their little tricks. Takigawa has been won over by Katsuie anyway, so let it be.\"\n\nBefore the conference, each man conjectured about his own future and groped for what was in the others' minds. In the meantime there were the usual unspoken understandings and antagonisms, spreading false rumors, winning over others, splitting the opposition, and every other stratagem." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The communication between Shibata Katsuie and Nobutaka was particularly conspicuous; the one man was of the highest rank among the clan's elders, while the other was the third son of Nobunaga." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The intimacy between these two went beyond official business and could not be kept secret." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The general opinion was that Katsuie planned to ignore Nobunaga's second son, Nobuo, and establish Nobutaka as the next heir." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They all took it for granted, however, that Nobuo would oppose Nobutaka." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was little reason to doubt that Nobunaga's successor would naturally be either Nobutaka or Nobuo, the younger brothers of Nobutada, who had died at Nijo Castle at the time of his father's death. Everyone, however, was confused over which one of these two should be supported.\n\nNobuo and Nobutaka: both were born in the First Month of the first year of Eiroku and were now twenty-four years old. Though it seems strange that they could be born in the same year and still be called older and younger brothers, the explanation is that they had different mothers. Although Nobuo was considered the elder brother and Nobutaka the younger, Nobutaka had actually been born twenty days earlier than Nobuo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would have been natural, then, for Nobutaka to be called the elder brother, except for the fact that his mother was a woman from a small, obscure clan, and so he was designated Nobunaga's third son while Nobuo was established as the second." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Therefore, while these men were called brothers, the intimacy between true flesh-and-blood relatives was absent. Nobuo's disposition was lethargic and negative, and the only positive feeling he displayed was his constant opposition to Nobutaka, whom he looked down upon as his subordinate \"younger brother.\"\n\nWhen these two were fairly compared, everyone recognized that Nobutaka had far more the disposition to be Nobunaga's successor. On the battlefield he was much more like a general than was Nobuo; he displayed an ambitious spirit in his everyday words and actions, and, more than anything else, he was not retiring like his brother.\n\nSo it was natural that he began to show an aggressive attitude quite suddenly after going to Yamazaki and displaying a dominating presence in Hideyoshi's camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His willingness to bear the responsibilities of the Oda heir were manifested clearly in his recent words and behavior, and as striking proof of the ambition he was entertaining, after the battle of Yamazaki he began to detest Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For Nobuo, who had panicked when the Akechi had attacked and whose own army had set fire to Azuchi Castle, Nobutaka had some harsh words.\n\n\"If punishments are going to be clearly imposed, they will have to ask him about his responsibility. Nobuo is a fool.\" Although those sentiments were not spoken publicly, the atmosphere in Kiyosu was tense, and it was certain that someone must have repeated the words to Nobuo. It was a situation in which covert schemes brought out the most repugnant aspects of human nature.\n\nThe conference was supposed to begin on the twenty-seventh of the month, but because Takigawa Kazumasu was late in arriving, it was postponed one day after another until finally, on the first day of the Seventh Month, an announcement was circulated to all of the important retainers staying in Kiyosu: \"Tomorrow, at the second half of the Hour of the Dragon, everyone should proceed to the castle, there to determine who will be the ruler of the nation. The chairman of this great conference will be Shibata Katsuie.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobutaka lent prestige to Katsuie, while Katsuie provided influence for Nobutaka, and they boasted that they would have their own way at this conference." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Moreover, when the conference finally opened, it appeared that a great number of men were already leaning in their direction." }, { "from": "human", "value": "All of the many partitions in Kiyosu Castle had been opened that day, no doubt because the sun continued to shine and the heat and stuffiness would otherwise have been unbearable." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'katsuie' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That action, however, also implied that a certain amount of care was being taken not to allow private conversations. Almost all the guards inside the castle were retainers of Shibata Katsuie.\n\nBy the Hour of the Snake, all of the lords were seated in the great hall.\n\nTheir seating arrangements were as follows:\n\nKatsuie and Takigawa sat on the right, facing Hideyoshi and Niwa on the left." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lesser retainers, such as Shonyu, Hosokawa, Tsutsui, Gamo, and Hachiya, were seated behind them. At the very front in the seats of highest rank were Nobutaka and Nobuo. But from the side, Hasegawa Tamba could be seen holding a small boy.\n\nThat was, of course, Samboshi.\n\nWaiting modestly beside them was Maeda Geni, the retainer who had received Nobutada's last order when the latter was about to die in the battle at Nijo Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Apparently he did not feel it an honor to be the only survivor present.\n\nSamboshi was only two years old, and as his guardian held him on his lap directly in front of the assembled lords, he could barely keep still. He stretched out his hand and pushed Tamba's chin and then stood up in his lap.\n\nTo help the perplexed Tamba, Geni tried to humor the child by whispering something from behind; at that, Samboshi reached over Tamba's shoulder and pulled Geni's ear. Bewildered, Geni did not protest, and once again the wet nurse who had been kneeling behind them placed a folded paper crane into Samboshi's hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Geni's ear was saved.\n\nThe eyes of all the assembled generals fixed on the innocent child. Some showed a faint smile, while others shed silent tears. Only Katsuie looked out over the great hall with a sullen face. He appeared as though he would have liked to mutter something about a \"nuisance.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the chairman of the conference and as the dignified and solemn spokesman, he should have begun the proceedings by speaking first. Nevertheless, now everyone was distracted and he had lost the opportunity to speak. He seemed to be almost unbearably distraught at his own vain efforts.\n\nAt length Katsuie opened his mouth and said, \"Lord Hideyoshi.\"\n\nHideyoshi looked straight at him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie forced a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What shall we do?\" he asked, exactly as though he were opening negotiations. \"Lord Samboshi is an innocent child. Being confined to his guardian's knee must be trying for him.\"\n\n\"That could be so,\" Hideyoshi said in a noncommittal tone.\n\nKatsuie must have thought that Hideyoshi was becoming conciliatory, and he quickly mustered a confrontational attitude." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Antipathy mixed with dignity stiffened his entire frame, and he now displayed an expression that showed his extreme displeasure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, Lord Hideyoshi. Are you not the person who requested Lord Samboshi's presence? I really have no idea, but—\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're not mistaken. I'm the one who advocated it of necessity.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Of necessity?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie smoothed the wrinkles from his kimono. It was still before noon so the heat was not too oppressive, but because of the thickness of his garments and his skin condition, he seemed to be very uncomfortable. Such a thing might seem trivial, but it influenced the tone of his voice and gave him a grim expression.\n\nKatsuie's view of Hideyoshi underwent a change after Yanagase. Until that time, he had thought of Hideyoshi as his junior, and was of the opinion that their relationship had not been a particularly good one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the battle of Yamazaki had been a turning point. Hideyoshi's name was now being mentioned every day with rising authority in connection with the work left undone after the death of Nobunaga. It was unbearable for Katsuie to observe this phenomenon passively. And his feelings were compounded by his reaction to Hideyoshi's having fought the requiem battle for Nobunaga.\n\nThat Hideyoshi was viewed on equal terms with him caused Katsuie the greatest un-happiness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could not bear to have his many years as an elder of the Oda clan overlooked because of this man's few meritorious deeds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Why should Shibata Katsuie be put into a lower position than someone who was now wearing a kimono and headdress so proudly, but who in the old days in Kiyosu was nothing more than a menial risen up from moat cleaner and dung sweeper? Today, Katsuie's breast was like a tightly strung bow, pulled taut by innumerable emotions and strategies.\n\n\"I don't know how you're thinking about today's conference, Lord Hideyoshi, but generally the lords seated here are all bearing firmly in mind that it is the first time the Oda clan has met like this to discuss such important matters. Why must we have a two-year-old child here?\" Katsuie asked bluntly.\n\nBoth his speech and his conduct seemed to be asking for a sympathetic response not only from Hideyoshi but from all the great lords there. When he realized that he was not going to get a clear answer from Hideyoshi, he continued in the same tone of voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We have no time to dally. Why don't we ask the young lord to retire before we begin this conference? Do you agree, Lord Hideyoshi?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi looked undistinguished, even in a formal kimono." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word restriction: Use 'there' 2 time(s) only" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was no mistaking his humble origins when he appeared among the others.\n\nAs for his rank, he had been given a number of important titles when Nobunaga was alive. He had fully demonstrated his real strength both during the western campaign and in his victory at Yamazaki.\n\nBut meeting Hideyoshi face to face, you might doubt whether you would side with him in those dangerous times and risk your life for him.\n\nThere were men who, at a glance, seemed to be quite impressive." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Takigawa Kazumasu, for example, had a stately bearing that no one would deny belonged to a first-rate general. Niwa Nagahide possessed an elegant simplicity and, with his receding hair, he appeared to be a stalwart warrior. Gamo Ujisato was the youngest, but with the respectability of his family line and the nobility of his character, he seemed to possess a strong moral sense. In composure and dignity, Ikeda Shonyu was even less imposing than Hideyoshi, but there was a certain light that shone from his eyes. And there was Hosokawa Fujitaka, who appeared so upright and gentle, but whose maturity made him inscrutable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So although Hideyoshi's appearance was ordinary, he looked downright shabby when he sat with those men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The men who gathered for the conference that day in Kiyosu were of the foremost rank among their contemporaries." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Maeda Inuchiyo and Sassa Narimasa had not attended because they were still fighting in the northern campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And, although he was a special case, if Tokugawa Ieyasu's name were added, it might be said that the men in Kiyosu that day were the leaders of the country." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And Hideyoshi was among them, regardless of his appearance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi himself realized the greatness of his colleagues' rank, and he was discreet and humble." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His arrogance after the victory at the battle of Yamazaki was nowhere to be seen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the beginning he was extremely serious." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even in response to Katsuie's words, he was respectfully reserved. But now it seemed that he could no longer avoid a response to Katsuie's persistent request.\n\n\"No, what you're saying is quite reasonable. There is a reason for Lord Samboshi to attend this conference, but because he's still of such an innocent age, and the conference promises to be a long one, he's certain to feel cramped. If it is your wish, lord, let's ask him to withdraw right away.\" Answering Katsuie with such moderate language, Hideyoshi turned a little and asked the guardian to withdraw.\n\nThe man nodded and, taking Samboshi up from his lap, put him into the hands of the wet nurse behind him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'suddenly' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Samboshi appeared to be very pleased with the great crowd of fully attired men and strongly rejected the wet nurse's hand. When she held on to him anyway and stood up to go, he suddenly swung his arms and legs and broke out crying. He then threw the folded paper crane into the midst of the seated lords.\n\nTears suddenly came to every man's eyes.\n\nThe clock struck noon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The tension in the great hall was tangible." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie made the opening address. \"The tragic death of Lord Nobunaga has caused us great sadness, but we must now choose a worthy successor to continue his work. We must serve him in death as we did in life. This is the Way of the Samurai.\"\n\nKatsuie questioned the men about the succession. He sought proposals from those present again and again, but no one would be the first to come forward and express his private opinion. Even if anyone had been rash enough to express his own thoughts on that occasion, if by any chance the man he supported as the Oda successor was not chosen in the final selection, his life would have been in certain danger." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one was going to open his mouth indiscreetly, and they all sat in complete silence. Katsuie patiently let the group's silent modesty pass for exactly that. Perhaps he had foreseen this course of events. Deliberately he took on a dignified tone and spoke. \"If none of you has any particular opinion, for the present I will offer my own humble opinion as senior retainer.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that moment, a sudden change of complexion appeared on the face of Nobutaka, who was seated in the place of honor. Katsuie looked at Hideyoshi, who in turn was looking back and forth from Takigawa to Nobutaka.\n\nThose subtle movements set up unseen waves from mind to mind for just an instant. Kiyosu Castle was filled with a silent tension, almost as though it were devoid of human beings.\n\nFinally Katsuie spoke. \"It is my view that Lord Nobutaka is of the appropriate age, and has the natural ability and lineage to be the successor to our lord. Lord Nobutaka is my choice.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a very well-put statement that came close to being a proclamation. Katsuie thought that he had already taken control.\n\nBut then someone spoke up. \"No, that's not right.\" It was Hideyoshi. \"In terms of lineage,\" he went on, \"the correct succession is from Nobunaga's eldest son, Lord Nobutada, to his son, Lord Samboshi. The province has its laws and the clan has its household regulations.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'samboshi' precisely 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie's face flushed darkly. \"Ah, wait a moment, Lord Hideyoshi.\"\n\n\"No,\" Hideyoshi continued, \"you're going to say that Lord Samboshi is still an infant. But if the entire clan—beginning with you yourself, my lord, and all the other retainers and generals—is here to protect him, there should be no discontent. Our devotion should have nothing to do with age. As for me, I believe that if the succession is to be correctly followed, Lord Samboshi must be the heir.\"\n\nTaken aback, Katsuie took a handkerchief from his kimono and wiped the sweat from his neck. What Hideyoshi was asserting was indeed the law of the Oda clan." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It could not be taken as opposition simply for opposition's sake.\n\nThe other man who had great consternation written on his face was Nobuo. As Nobutaka's main rival, he had formally been proclaimed elder brother, and his mother had been of excellent lineage. There was no doubt that he, too, had secret expectations of being named successor to his father.\n\nAs his anticipation had been implicitly denied, his mean-spiritedness quickly became manifest, and he looked as though he could not stand to be there any longer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobutaka, on the other hand, glared at Hideyoshi.\n\nKatsuie could say nothing either positive or negative, but only mumbled to himself. No one else expressed an opinion of either approval or disapproval.\n\nKatsuie had exposed his true colors, and Hideyoshi had spoken just as frankly. The opinions of the two men were completely opposed and, having been so clearly stated to be so, siding with either one was going to be a serious matter." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Utter silence encased everyone like a thick crust.\n\n\"As for the succession... well, yes. But this is different from what it might be in times of peace. Lord Nobunaga's work is still only half done, with many difficulties remaining. Even more than when he was in this world.\"\n\nKatsuie repeatedly called for his colleagues to speak, and every time he opened his mouth—almost groaning—Takigawa would nod. But it appeared that it was still difficult to see through the minds of the others.\n\nHideyoshi spoke up once again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If Lord Nobutada's wife were only just pregnant now, and we were waiting for the umbilical cord to be cut to verify whether the child was a boy or girl, a conference like this would be necessary. But we have a suitable heir, so where is the need for dissent or discussion? I think we should immediately decide upon Lord Samboshi.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He persisted in this position, not even glancing at the faces of the other men. It was primarily an objection aimed at Katsuie.\n\nAlthough the positions of the other generals were not voiced outright, they seemed to be moved by Hideyoshi's opinions and to agree with him in their hearts. Just before the conference, the generals had seen the helpless figure of Nobutada's orphaned son, and every one of them had children in his own household. They were samurai, a calling in which a man might be alive today but could never know about tomorrow." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As each one of them looked at the pitiful figure of Samboshi, he could not help but be deeply touched." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That sentiment was backed by a noble and sound argument. Even though the generals held their own silence, it was natural that they were moved by Hideyoshi's assertion.\n\nIn contrast, while Katsuie's argument sounded reasonable to a certain degree, it was weak at its foundation. It was really based on expediency, and it stripped Nobuo of his status. It was far more likely that Nobuo would stand aside to support Samboshi than that he would do so to back the succession of Nobutaka." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie struggled to find an argument to use against Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had not thought that Hideyoshi would easily agree with his own proposal at today's conference, but he had not estimated how vigorously the man would insist on backing Samboshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nor had he foreseen that so many of the other generals would lean toward supporting the child." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'could' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hm, well now, let me see. Your words may seem logical by the force of argument, but there is a great difference between taking charge of a two-year-old lord and looking up to a man who has both proper age and military ability. Remember that we remaining retainers must shoulder the responsibility both for the morale of the administration and for the long-range policies for the future. There are also a number of difficulties with the Mori and the Uesugi. What's going to happen if we have an infant lord? Our former lord's work could be stopped halfway, and left as it is, the Oda clan's domain could actually diminish. No, if we choose a defensive attitude, our enemies on all four sides will think that their opportunity has come and will invade. Then the country will sink into chaos once again. No, I think your idea is dangerous. What do you think, all of you?\"\n\nLooking around at the men seated in the hall, his eyes searched out supporters. Not only was there no clear response from anywhere, but suddenly another eye caught his own.\n\n\"Katsuie.\"\n\nA voice called his name, exhibiting an opposing force that might as well be cutting him from the side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well, Nagahide, what is it?\" Katsuie shot back a reply filled with disgust, almost as a reflex action.\n\n\"I've listened to your prudent thoughtfulness for some time now, but I can't help being persuaded by Hideyoshi's argument. I'm fully in agreement with what Hideyoshi says.\"\n\nNiwa had the rank of elder. With Niwa breaking the silence and clearly placing his banner in Hideyoshi's camp, Katsuie and everyone attending the conference suddenly became agitated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why do you say that, Niwa?\"\n\nNiwa had known Katsuie for years, and knew him well. Thus, he spoke soothingly. \"Don't be angry, Katsuie.\" Looking at Katsuie with a kindly expression, he went on, \"Regardless of what might be said, wasn't it Hideyoshi who most pleased our lord? And when Lord Nobunaga met his untimely death, it was Hideyoshi who returned from the west to attack the immoral Mitsuhide.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie's face was smeared with his own wretchedness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But he would not be broken, and his obstinacy was manifest right in his physical body." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Niwa Nagahide went on, \"At that time you were involved in the campaign in the north. Even if the troops under your command had not been ready but you had whipped your horses to the capital as soon as you heard of Lord Nobunaga's death, you might have crushed the Akechi on the spot—your status is so much higher than Hideyoshi's, after all. Because of your negligence, however, you were simply late, and that was certainly regrettable.\"\n\nThat opinion was in the breast of every man there, and Niwa's words expressed their innermost feelings. That negligence was Katsuie's weakest point. The single factor of having arrived late and not participated in the battle for their late lord could not be excused in any way. After Niwa had brought it out into the open, he unreservedly gave his own approval to Hideyoshi's proposal, saying that it was both just and proper." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Niwa finished speaking, the atmosphere in the great hall had changed. It was now filled with gloom.\n\nAs if to help Katsuie in his crisis, Takigawa quickly took the opportunity to whisper to the man next to him, and soon sighs and low voices filled the room.\n\nA resolution was going to be difficult. It could be a turning point for the Oda clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the surface, it was never anything more than the noise of individual voices, but beneath the uproar there was great anxiety concerning the outcome of the confrontation between Katsuie and Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the midst of the oppressive atmosphere, a tea master came in and quietly informed Katsuie that it was now past noon. Nodding to the man, Katsuie ordered him to bring him something to wipe the sweat from his body. When one of the attendants gave him a damp white cloth, he grabbed it in his large hand and wiped the sweat from his neck.\n\nJust at that time, Hideyoshi put his left hand to his side. Grimacing with knitted brows, he turned to Katsuie and said, \"You'll have to excuse me for a moment, Lord Katsuie. I seem to have a sudden case of indigestion.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly he stood up and retired several rooms away from the conference hall.\n\n\"It hurts,\" he complained loudly, disconcerting the men around him.\n\nLooking very ill, he lay down. Apparently in full control of himself, however, he placed the cushion to face the cool breeze wafting in from the garden, turned his back to the others, and loosened his sweat-soaked collar by himself.\n\nBut the doctor and the attendants were alarmed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His retainers also came in anxiously, one after another, to look in on him.\n\nBut Hideyoshi never even looked around. With his back still turned to them, he waved them away as he might a fly.\n\n\"This happens all the time. Just leave me in peace, and I'll be better soon.\"\n\nThe attendants quickly prepared a sweet-smelling decoction for him, which Hideyoshi drank in one gulp." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he lay down again and seemed to fall asleep, so his attendants and samurai withdrew to the next room.\n\nThe conference hall was some distance away, so Hideyoshi did not know what happened after he had excused himself. He had left just as the attendants were repeatedly announcing the noon hour, however, so his departure had most likely given the generals the opportunity to adjourn for lunch.\n\nAbout two hours passed. During that time, the afternoon sun of the Seventh Month shone relentlessly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The castle was as peaceful as though nothing were happening at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Niwa came into the room and asked, \"How are you feeling, Hideyoshi? Has your stomach settled down?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi turned and propped himself up on one elbow. Seeing Niwa's face, he seemed to quickly regain consciousness and sat up straight. \"My goodness, excuse me!\"\n\n\"Katsuie asked me to come and fetch you.\"\n\n\"What about the conference?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It cannot resume without you. Katsuie said we would continue after you came back.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have said all I had to say.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"After an hour's rest in their rooms, the retainers' mood seems to have changed. Even Katsuie has had second thoughts.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Let's go.\"\n\nHideyoshi stood up. Niwa smiled, but an unsmiling Hideyoshi was already leaving the room.\n\nKatsuie greeted him with a direct look in the eye, while the men gathered there seemed somehow relieved. The atmosphere of the conference hall had changed. Katsuie stated positively that he had given in and accepted Hideyoshi's proposal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A measure had been agreed upon establishing Samboshi as Nobunaga's heir.\n\nWith Katsuie's conciliation, the entire conference hall was swept clean of the ominous clouds in an instant. A blending spirit of peace was beginning to arise.\n\n\"Everyone agreed that Lord Samboshi should be regarded as the head of the Oda clan, and I have no objection.\" Katsuie repeated. Seeing that his own view had been rejected by everyone, Katsuie had quickly withdrawn his previous remarks but had barely survived his disappointment." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was, however, one hope he still held.\n\nIt had to do with the next item to be discussed by the conference: the fate of the former Akechi domain—or, in other words, the problem of how the domain would be divided up between the surviving Oda retainers.\n\nBecause it was a substantial problem directly affecting the interests of all the generals, it was a difficulty—even more so than the problem of succession—that no one expected to be able to avoid.\n\n\"This matter should be decided upon by the senior retainers.\" Hideyoshi, who had obtained the first victory, expressed his modest opinion, and it greatly smoothed the progress of the conference." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, what are the thoughts of our most senior retainer?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Niwa, Takigawa, and the others now saved the crushed Katsuie from disgrace, giving him the central position in the conference." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The presence of Hideyoshi, however, was difficult to deny, and the draft proposal was eventually sent to him as well. Apparently it could not be finished without first asking his opinion.\n\n\"Bring me a brush,\" he ordered. Dipping the brush in the ink, he artlessly drew a line through three or four clauses and wrote in his own opinions. With this revision, he sent it back." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'katsuie' should appear 3 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once again it was sent to Katsuie, and Katsuie looked displeased. He thought silently for some time; the clause containing his own hopes was still wet with the ink that had been drawn across it. Hideyoshi, however, had also inked a line through the section allotting himself Sakamoto Castle, which he had replaced by the province of Tamba.\n\nExhibiting a lack of selfishness, he was proposing that Katsuie exhibit the same quality. Finally, a good portion of the Akechi domain was allotted to Nobuo and Nobutaka, and the rest was assigned as allotments to men according to their merits at the battle of Yamazaki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There will be more business tomorrow,\" Katsuie began." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And with this long conference taking place in such heat, I'm sure you're all tired. I certainly am. Shall we adjourn, my lords?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie finally refused to make a quick reply to Hideyoshi's new proposals. There was no objection to that. The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and the heat was becoming more and more severe. The first day was finished.\n\nOn the following day Katsuie presented the senior retainers with a compromise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The night before he had gathered his own retainers, and they had put their heads together in a discussion at their lodgings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi, however, turned down the new proposal as well.\n\nOn that day again the clause containing the allotments came between the two men and opposition between them seemed to be intensifying. The general trend, however, was already supporting Hideyoshi. No matter how Katsuie persevered, Hideyoshi's conditions were followed in the end.\n\nAt noon there was a break, and at the Hour of the Ram the decisions were presented to all the generals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The territory being distributed was the Akechi's confiscated land as well as Nobunaga's personal domain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The first on the list for the division of the Oda provinces was Lord Nobuo, who received the entire province of Owari, followed by Lord Nobutaka, who was given Mino. One was the cradle of the Oda clan; the other, Nobunaga's second home.\n\nThere were two clauses, however, that added a good bit more to the original proposal: Ikeda Shonyu was given Osaka, Amagasaki, and Hyogo, which were worth one hundred twenty thousand bushels; Niwa Nagahide received Wakasa and two districts of Omi. Hideyoshi received the province of Tamba.\n\nKatsuie's only grant was Hideyoshi's own castle of Nagahama." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the strategic bottleneck on the road leading from Katsuie's home province of Echizen to Kyoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie had requested the province forcibly and had hoped for three or four other districts, but Hideyoshi had scratched out all other grants. Hideyoshi's only condition was that Nagahama would be given to Katsutoyo, Katsuie's adopted son.\n\nThe night before, the retainers of the Shibata clan had surrounded Katsuie and advocated a protest against such a humiliating share. They even encouraged him to reject the conditions and leave, and Katsuie was of the same mind right up to the time of his arrival on the second day of the conference. When he faced the men seated there, however, it was evident that the general trend was not to accept what he alone was demanding." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It wouldn't be right to humble myself, but I shouldn't be viewed as selfish, either. A majority are going to approve of these articles anyway, so if I don't show sympathy for them, it might get worse later on.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'hideyoshi' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In view of the opinions of those seated at the conference, he could naturally do nothing more than restrain himself.\n\nIf I can only take the strategic area of Nagahama from Hideyoshi, he thought. In the end, he hoped to realize his secret intentions on another day, and accepted the conditions as they were.\n\nIn contrast to Katsuie's vacillation, Hideyoshi's attitude seemed to be one of unconcern. From the time of the campaign in the western provinces to the victory at Yamazaki, Hideyoshi had taken the leadership in both military and administrative policies, and people naturally thought he would expect to receive more than the others." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Despite those notions, however, what he did receive was nothing more than the province of Tamba. He gave up his domain of Nagahama and granted Sakamoto—which everyone would have thought it proper for him to take—to Niwa.\n\nAnd Sakamoto was the key to Kyoto. Did he purposely not take Sakamoto, hoping to indicate that he had no desire to take the reins of the government? Or did he simply feel that he should leave such small matters up to the opinions of the group, because it would fall into the right person's hands? Nobody understood yet what was in his heart." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The conference had finally agreed that the province for Nobunaga's heir, Samboshi, would be three hundred thousand bushels in Omi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The protectors of the young lord were to be Hasegawa Tamba and Maeda Geni, but they were to be assisted by Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Azuchi had been lost to the flames, and until a new castle could be built, Samboshi's residence would be Gifu Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Samboshi's two uncles, Nobuo and Nobutaka, were to act as his guardians." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In addition to these articles, there was the matter of the structure of the administration." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It would be the responsibility of Katsuie, Hideyoshi, Niwa, and Shonyu to send generals to Kyoto as representatives of the Oda." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The proposals were quickly decided upon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At a closing ceremony, pledges of loyalty to the new lord were signed and sworn to in front of the altar to Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the third day of the Seventh Month. The ceremony marking the first anniversary of Nobunaga's death should have been held the day before. If the conference had gone smoothly, the ceremony might have been conducted on the day itself, but because of Katsuie's reservations, the night had passed by and the memorial service had been postponed until the following day.\n\nWiping the sweat from their bodies and changing into mourning dress, the generals waited for the appointed hour for the memorial service in the castle's chapel.\n\nThe hum of mosquitoes was thick around the eaves, and a thin new moon hung in the sky. Quietly the generals crossed over to the secondary citadel. Red and white lotuses were depicted on the sliding doors of the chapel. One by one the men came in and sat down.\n\nOnly Hideyoshi did not appear. Eyes were strained in doubt. But as the generals looked in the direction of the faraway altar, among the austere articles such as the shrine, the mortuary tablet, the golden screen, the offertory flowers, and the incense burner, they could see Hideyoshi sitting coolly and smugly beneath the altar, holding the young Samboshi on his lap.\n\nEach one of them wondered what he was doing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they thought it over, however, they remembered that it had been the judgment of the majority at the conference that afternoon that Hideyoshi would be recognized as an aide to the young lord, along with his two guardians. On those grounds he could not be accused of being presumptuous.\n\nAnd, simply because he could not find any reason to censure Hideyoshi, Katsuie looked extremely displeased.\n\n\"Please go up to the altar in the proper order,\" Katsuie growled at Nobuo and Nobutaka, twisting his chin. His voice was low, but it was boiling over with vexation.\n\n\"Pardon me, please,\" Nobuo said to Nobutaka, and stood up first.\n\nNow it was Nobutaka's turn to look displeased. He seemed to feel that being placed behind Nobuo in front of the assembled generals would place him in a subordinate position in the future.\n\nNobuo faced his father's mortuary tablet, closed his eyes, and put his hands together in prayer. Offering incense, he prayed once again in front of the shrine and then withdrew.\n\nSeeing that the man was about to return directly to his own seat, Hideyoshi cleared his throat once as if to bring attention to the child, Samboshi, who was sitting on his lap. Without actually saying \"Your new lord is over here!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "he attracted Nobuo's attention." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo seemed almost startled at Hideyoshi's deliberate gesture, and hurriedly turned in their direction on his knees." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was by nature a weak man, and his alarm seemed almost pitiful." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking up at Samboshi, Nobuo bowed reverently." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In fact, he was too polite.\n\nIt was not the young lord who nodded his approval; it was Hideyoshi. Samboshi was a fretful, spoiled child, but for some reason, seated on Hideyoshi's lap, he was as quiescent as a little doll.\n\nWhen Nobutaka stood up, he likewise prayed in front of the soul of his father. But having witnessed Nobuo's precedent and apparently not wanting to be laughed at by the other generals, he bowed reverently toward Samboshi with a truly correct demeanor. He then went back to his seat.\n\nThe next was Shibata Katsuie. When his large frame knelt before the shrine, almost hiding it from view, both the red and white lotuses on the partitions and the flickering lamps tinted his figure in what seemed like red flames of wrath. Perhaps he was giving Nobunaga's soul a lengthy report on the conference and pledging his support for his new lord. But with the offering of incense, Katsuie remained a long time in silent prayer with his palms pressed solemnly together. Then, withdrawing about seven paces, he straightened his back and turned in the direction of Samboshi.\n\nSince Nobuo and Nobutaka had already bowed reverently to Samboshi, Katsuie could not very well be negligent in that regard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Very likely feeling that it was unavoidable, he swallowed his pride and bowed.\n\nHideyoshi looked as though he were nodding in approval of Katsuie as well. Katsuie jerked his short, thick neck to the side and returned with a rustle back to his own seat. After that, he looked angry enough to spit.\n\nNiwa, Takigawa, Shonyu, Hachiya, Hosokawa, Gamo, Tsutsui, and the other generals paid their respects. Then they moved to the banquet room used for such affairs and, at the invitation of Nobutada's widow, settled down to a meal. The tables were set for more than forty guests. The cups were passed around, and the lamps flickered in the cool night breeze. As the men made themselves comfortable with pleasant words for the first time in two days, each was feeling a little drunk.\n\nThe banquet that evening was a bit unusual in that it was given after a memorial service, and so no one got very drunk. Nevertheless, as the sake began to be felt, the generals left their seats to talk to others, and laughter and animated conversations could be heard here and there.\n\nA particularly large number of cups and men gathered in front of Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And then one more man stepped into the crowd.\n\n\"How about a cup?\" asked Sakuma Genba.\n\nGenba's matchless valor in the battles in the north had been highly praised, and it was said that no enemy ever encountered him twice. Katsuie's love for the man was extraordinary. He was fond of describing him as \"my Genba,\" or \"my nephew.\" In his pride he spoke publicly and freely about Genba's martial virtues.\n\nKatsuie had a great number of nephews, but when he said \"my nephew,\" he meant Genba alone.\n\nEven though Genba was only twenty-eight years old, he held Oyama Castle as a general of the Shibata clan and had received a province and rank hardly inferior to the great generals gathered in the banquet room.\n\n\"Say, Hideyoshi,\" Katsuie said. \"Give a cup to that nephew of mine, too.\"\n\nHideyoshi looked around as though he had just noticed Genba.\n\n\"Nephew?\" Hideyoshi said, studying the younger man. \"Ah, you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Certainly, he did appear to be the hero everyone talked about, and his sturdy frame overshadowed the short-statured, frail-looking Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genba did not, however, have his uncle's pockmarked face." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was fair-skinned but robust, and at a glance seemed to have the brows of a tiger and the body of a leopard.\n\nHideyoshi presented the man with a cup. \"It's understandable that Lord Katsuie has such fine young men in his clan. Here, have a cup.\"\n\nBut Genba shook his head. \"If I'm going to receive a cup, I'd like that big one.\"\n\nThe cup in question still contained some sake.\n\nHideyoshi artlessly emptied it out and called, \"Somebody come serve him.\"\n\nThe mouth of the gold-lacquered flask touched the edge of the vermilion cup, and even though the bottle was quickly emptied, the cup itself was not yet full. Someone brought in another flask, and the cup was finally filled to the brim.\n\nThe handsome young hero narrowed his eyes, raised the cup to his lips, and drank it dry in one gulp.\n\n\"Well then. What about you?\"\n\n\"I haven't got that kind of talent,\" Hideyoshi said, smiling." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'hideyoshi' exactly 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At Hideyoshi's refusal to drink, Genba pressed harder.\n\n\"Why won't you drink?\"\n\n\"I'm not a strong drinker.\"\n\n\"What! Just this little bit.\"\n\n\"I drink, but not a lot.\"\n\nGenba roared with laughter. Then he said, loudly enough so that everyone would hear, \"The rumors that you hear are certainly true. Lord Hideyoshi is good at making excuses, and he's certainly modest. A long time ago—over twenty years—he was an underling sweeping up horse droppings and carrying Lord Nobunaga's sandals. It's admirable of him not to have forgotten those days.\"\n\nHe laughed at his own effrontery. The others must have been startled. The chattering stopped suddenly, and everyone looked back and forth from Hideyoshi, who was still sitting across from Genba, to Katsuie.\n\nIn an instant, everyone forgot about his cup and suddenly sobered up. Hideyoshi only smiled as he looked at Genba." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His forty-five-year-old eyes simply gazed at the youth of twenty-eight." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'twenty-eight' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their dissimilarity was not just a matter of a difference of age. The life Hideyoshi had lived the first twenty-eight years after his birth and the path Genba had followed for his twenty-eight years were extremely different in terms of both environment and experience. Genba might have been considered as just a little boy who knew nothing of hardships in the real world. For this reason he had a reputation for arrogance as well as for bravery. And apparently he was a man who did not employ caution in a place that was more dangerous than any battlefield—a room in which the leading men of the day were gathered.\n\n\"But, Hideyoshi, there is just one thing I can't stand. No, listen, Hideyoshi. Do you have ears to hear?\" At that point he was yelling at Hideyoshi disrespectfully. It appeared to be less a matter of being drunk than of something eating at him from inside. Hideyoshi, however, looked at his drunken state and spoke to him almost with affection.\n\n\"You're drunk,\" he said.\n\n\"What!\" Genba shook his head violently and straightened his posture. \"This is no small problem to be written off to drunkenness. Listen. Just a little while ago in the chapel, when Lord Nobuo and Lord Nobutaka and all the other generals came to do reverence to the soul of Lord Nobunaga, didn't you sit in the seat of honor with Lord Samboshi on your lap and make them bow in your direction, one after another?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, well,\" Hideyoshi said, laughing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What are you laughing about? Is something funny, Hideyoshi? I don't doubt that your shrewd design was to hold up Lord Samboshi as an ornament for your own insignificant self so that you could receive the bows of the Oda family and its generals. Yes, that's it. And if I had been present, I would have had the pleasure of pulling your head right off. Lord Katsuie and the distinguished men sitting here are so good-natured that I get impatient, and—\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that moment Katsuie, who was sitting about two seats away from Hideyoshi, drained his cup and looked around at the other men. \"Genba, what do you mean by talking in such a way about another man? No, Lord Hideyoshi, my nephew is not speaking out of malice. So just ignore him,\" he said, laughing.\n\nHideyoshi was unable to show his anger and unable to laugh. He had been placed in a predicament in which he could only force a subtle smile, but his own particular appearance was well fitted for such situations.\n\n\"Lord Katsuie, don't let this upset you. It's all right,\" Hideyoshi said ambiguously. He was clearly pretending to be drunk.\n\n\"Don't pretend, Monkey. Hey, Monkey!\" Tonight Genba was acting even more arrogantly than usual. \"'Monkey!' Now that was a slip, but it's not so easy to change a name that was commonly used for twenty years. That's right, it's that 'Monkey' that comes to mind. A long time ago, he was the monkeylike underling being chased around and around from job to job in Kiyosu Castle. At that time, my uncle occasionally served on night duty. I heard that one night when he was bored, he invited Monkey over and gave him sake, and when my uncle got tired from drink he lay down. Then, when he asked Monkey to come over and massage his legs, the tactful Monkey happily did so.\"\n\nAll the men present had lost their pleasant feelings of intoxication. Each man's face turned pale while his mouth went sour. This was not a simple situation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was very likely that beyond the walls not so far removed from the banquet, in the shadows of the trees and under the floors, were swords, spears, and bows hidden by the Shibata." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Were they not persistently trying to provoke Hideyoshi? A weird sensation, shared by everyone, began to grow out of the feelings of distrust, and that sensation rode the inklike evening breeze and the shadows of the lamps that flickered throughout the hall. It was the middle of the summer, but every man felt a chill along his spine.\n\nHideyoshi waited until Genba had finished and then laughed out loud.\n\n\"No, Lord Nephew, I wonder from whom you heard that. You've reminded me of a pleasant memory. Twenty years ago, this old monkey had the reputation of being good at massage, and the entire Oda clan had me rub them down. Lord Katsuie's legs were not the only ones to get massaged. And then, when I was given some sweets in reward, how good they tasted! That makes me nostalgic now, nostalgic for the taste of those sweets.\" Hideyoshi laughed again.\n\n\"Did you hear that, Uncle?\" Genba asked grandiosely. \"Give something nice to Hideyoshi. If you ask him to massage your legs now, he might even do it.\"\n\n\"Don't go too far in this game, Nephew. Listen, Lord Hideyoshi, he's just being playful.\"\n\n\"That's all right. Why, even now I still occasionally massage a certain person's legs.\"\n\n\"And who would that be?\" Genba asked with a sneer.\n\n\"My mother. She's seventy years old this year, and massaging her legs is a unique pleasure for me. Since I've been on the battlefield for so many years, however, I haven't had that pleasure at all recently. Well, I'll take my leave now, but the rest of you stay as long as you like.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi was the first to leave the banquet." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he left and walked down the main corridor, no one got up to stop him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the contrary, the other lords thought it wise of him to have left, and were all relieved of the sensation of intense danger they had felt.\n\nTwo pages suddenly came out of the room near the entrance where they had been stationed, and followed after him. They had been able to perceive the atmosphere that had pervaded the castle for two days, even from their room. But Hideyoshi had not permitted a large number of his retainers to enter the castle, so when the two pages saw that their lord was safe, their minds were set at ease.\n\nThey had already stepped outside and were summoning the attendants and horses when a voice called out from behind.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi! Lord Hideyoshi!\"\n\nSomeone was looking for him in the dark, open field. A crescent moon floated in the sky.\n\n\"I'm over here.\"\n\nHideyoshi was already mounted. Recognizing the sound of a slap against the seat of a saddle, Takigawa Kazumasu ran over to him.\n\n\"What is it?\" Hideyoshi asked with a glance of the same sort that a lord might give to his retainer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Takigawa said, \"You must have gotten very angry this evening. But it was only because of the sake. And Lord Katsuie's nephew is still young, as you can see. I hope you'll forgive him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he added, \"This is something that was arranged beforehand, and you may have forgotten about it, but on the fourth—tomorrow—the celebration announcing Lord Samboshi's succession will be held, and you should be sure not to miss it. Lord Katsuie was very concerned about this after you left just now.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Is that so? Well... \"\n\n\"Be sure to be there.\"\n\n\"I understand.\"\n\n\"And again, about tonight. Please forget about it. I told Lord Katsuie that you were a big-hearted person and not likely to be offended by the jests of a drunken young man on one occasion.\"\n\nHideyoshi's horse had started to move. \"Let's go!\" he shouted to the pages, almost knocking Takigawa to the ground.\n\nHideyoshi's lodgings were in the western section of town. They consisted of a small Zen temple and a wealthy family's house that he was renting. Quartering his men and horses at the temple, he himself occupied a floor of the house.\n\nIt had been easy for the family to accommodate him, but he had been accompanied by seven or eight hundred retainers. That was actually not very many men, however, as the Shibata clan, it was rumored, had quartered approximately ten thousand of its soldiers in Kiyosu.\n\nAs soon as Hideyoshi returned to his lodgings, he complained that it was smoky inside." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ordering the windows to be opened, he almost kicked off his ceremonial robes with the paulownia crest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then he quickly stripped naked and requested a bath.\n\nThinking that his lord was in a bad mood, the page warily poured a pail of hot water over Hideyoshi's back. Hideyoshi, however, yawned as he sank into the tub. Then, as if he were stretching his arms and legs, he let out a grunt. \"I'm loosening up a little,\" he observed, then grumbled about the stiffness of the last two days. \"Has the mosquito netting been put up?\"\n\n\"We've already put it up, my lord,\" responded the pages who were holding his sleeping kimono.\n\n\"Fine, fine. All of you should turn in early too. And tell that to the men on guard as well,\" Hideyoshi said from inside the mosquito netting.\n\nThe door was closed, but the windows were open to let in the breeze, and the light from the moon seemed almost to be quivering. Hideyoshi began to feel drowsy.\n\n\"My lord?\" called a voice from outside.\n\n\"What is it? Is that Mosuke?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord. The Abbot Arima is here. He says he'd like to see you in private.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What, Arima?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I told him that you had gone to sleep early, but he insisted.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "For a moment no answer came from inside the mosquito netting." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally Hideyoshi said, \"Show him in. But give him my apologies for not getting up, and tell him that I was indisposed at the castle and took some medicine.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mosuke's footsteps quietly descended the steps from the mezzanine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then someone could be heard climbing the steps, and very soon a man was kneeling in front of Hideyoshi on the wooden floor.\n\n\"Your attendants told me you were asleep, but... \"\n\n\"Your Reverence?\"\n\n\"I have something of great urgency to tell you, so I ventured to come over in the middle of the night.\"\n\n\"With two days of conferences, I've become both mentally and physically exhausted. But what brings you here in the middle of the night?\"\n\nThe abbot spoke softly. \"Are you planning to attend the banquet for Lord Samboshi at the castle tomorrow?\"\n\n\"Well, I might be able to if I take some medicine. My malady could just be heatstroke, and people will be annoyed if I'm not there.\"\n\n\"Perhaps your being indisposed is a premonition.\"\n\n\"Well now, why do you say that?\"\n\n\"Some hours ago, you withdrew about halfway through the banquet. Soon after that, only the Shibata and their allies remained, and they were very intently discussing something in secret. I didn't understand what was going on, but Maeda Geni was anxious about the situation too, and we secretly listened in on them.\"\n\nSuddenly becoming silent, the abbot peeped inside the mosquito netting as if to make sure that Hideyoshi was listening." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A pale blue bug was chirping at the corner of the netting, and Hideyoshi was lying down as before, looking up at the ceiling." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Find a natural way to mention that We don't know in detail what they plan to do, but what we're sure of is that they are not going to let you live. Tomorrow when you go up to the castle, they want to take you into a room, confront you with a list of your crimes, and force you to commit seppuku. If you refuse, they plan to kill you in cold blood. Furthermore, they are planning to station soldiers in the castle and even take control of the castle town." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Go ahead.\"\n\n\"We don't know in detail what they plan to do, but what we're sure of is that they are not going to let you live. Tomorrow when you go up to the castle, they want to take you into a room, confront you with a list of your crimes, and force you to commit seppuku. If you refuse, they plan to kill you in cold blood. Furthermore, they are planning to station soldiers in the castle and even take control of the castle town.\"\n\n\"Well now, that's rather intimidating.\"\n\n\"In fact, Geni was anxious to come here and inform you himself, but we were afraid that his leaving the castle would be noticed, so I came here instead. If you are sick just at this moment, it must be heaven's protection. Perhaps you should reconsider attending tomorrow's ceremony.\"\n\n\"I wonder what I should do.\"\n\n\"I hope you won't be attending. By any means!\"\n\n\"It's a celebration for the accession of the young lord, and all are supposed to attend. I'm grateful for your good intentions, Your Reverence. Thank you very much.\"\n\nInside the mosquito netting, Hideyoshi pressed his palms together in prayer toward the retreating footsteps of the abbot.\n\nHideyoshi was very good at sleeping. To fall asleep immediately, wherever the thought occurs to one, may seem like an easy ability to acquire, but it is, in fact, quite difficult.\n\nHe had acquired this mysterious skill—so close to enlightenment—out of of necessity, and he had formulated it into as a sort of motto to follow, both to alleviate the pressure of the battlefield and to preserve his own health.\n\nDetachment. For Hideyoshi, that simple word was a talisman." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Detachment might not seem to be a very impressive quality, but it was at the heart of his skill at sleeping. Impatience, delusion, attachment, doubt, urgency—every kind of bond was cut through in an instant with his two eyelids, and he slept with a mind as blank as a virgin sheet of paper. And conversely, he would wake up in a moment, completely alert.\n\nBut detachment was not only for when he fought cleverly and his plans went as he intended. Over the years he had made many blunders, but during those times he never brooded over his failures and lost battles. On such occasions he recalled that one word: detachment.\n\nThe kind of earnestness people often spoke of—sustained determination and perseverance, or singleminded concentration—was not a special quality for him, but rather a natural part of daily life. Thus for him, it was far more essential to aim toward that detachment that would allow him to remove himself from those qualities—even if just for a moment—and allow his soul to breathe. In turn, he naturally left the problems of life and death up to that one concept: detachment.\n\nHe had been lying down just a short time. Had he slept an hour?\n\nHideyoshi got up and went down the stairs to the toilet." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Immediately, a man on duty was kneeling on the floored veranda, holding up a paper lantern. Very soon thereafter, when he stepped from the toilet, another man was holding a small dipper filled with water, and, drawing near, he poured the water over Hideyoshi's hands.\n\nAs Hideyoshi wiped his hands, he gazed at the position of the moon over the eaves, then turned to his two pages and asked, \"Is Gonbei there?\"\n\nWhen the man he had asked for appeared, Hideyoshi started back toward the stairs to the second floor, looking back at Gonbei as he walked.\n\n\"Go to the temple and tell the men we're leaving. The division of soldiers and the streets by which to advance were all written down this evening when we left the castle and given to Asano Yahei, so get instructions from him.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"Wait a moment. I forgot about something. Tell Kumohachi to come see me.\"\n\nGonbei's footsteps went from the stand of trees behind the house off in the direction of the temple. After he had left, Hideyoshi quickly dressed in his armor and went out.\n\nHideyoshi's lodgings stood near the crossroads of the Ise and Mino roads. He passed by the corner of the store house and walked off in the direction of that crossroads.\n\nAt that moment Kumohachi, who had just received Hideyoshi's summons, ran tottering up from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm here and at your service!\" He came around and knelt in front of Hideyoshi.\n\nKumohachi was an old warrior of seventy-five years, but he was not easily bested even by younger men, and Hideyoshi saw that he had come with his armor already on.\n\n\"Well now, this is not a matter that necessitates armor. I'd like you to do something in the morning. I want you to stay behind.\"\n\n\"In the morning? You mean at the castle?\"\n\n\"That's right. You've understood well, typical of your years of service. I want you to go with a message to the castle that I fell ill during the night and suddenly had to return to Nagahama. Also say that I deeply regret not being able to attend the ceremony, but that I hope everything will be well. I imagine that Katsuie and Takigawa will dwell on that for a while, so I want you to wait there, appearing to be senile and hard of hearing. Don't react to anything you hear, and then leave as though nothing had happened.\"\n\n\"I understand, my lord.\"\n\nThe old warrior was bent at the waist like a shrimp, but his spear never left his hand. Bowing once before standing up, he turned his body as though his armor weighed heavily upon him, and shuffled off.\n\nAlmost all of the men at the temple had already lined up on the road in front of the gate. Each corps, which was identified by its banner, was in turn divided into companies. The commanders readied their horses at the head of each unit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fires on the fuse cords flickered back and forth, but not a single torch was lit." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The moon in the sky was only a slender crescent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Along the row of trees, the seven hundred troops swayed silently in the dark, like waves on a shore.\n\n\"Hey! Yahei!\" Hideyoshi called out as he walked along next to the line of officers and men. The men were not easily distinguishable in the shadows of the trees, and here was a short man beating a bamboo staff on the ground as he walked along with six or seven men following behind. Most of the soldiers probably thought he was the head of a group of packers, but when they realized it was Hideyoshi, they became even more hushed, pulling their horses back so they would not get in the way.\n\n\"Here I am! Over here!\"\n\nAsano Yahei had been at the base of the stone steps giving instructions to a group of men. When he heard Hideyoshi's voice, he finished up quickly and ran over to him.\n\n\"Are you ready?\" Hideyoshi spoke to him impatiently, hardly giving him time to kneel. \"If you're all set, move out.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord, we're ready.\"\n\nTaking charge of the commander's standard with the golden gourds that had been propped up in a corner of the gate, he carried it out into the middle of the ranks and quickly mounted his own horse to join the troops.\n\nHideyoshi rode out, accompanied by his pages and about thirty mounted men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The conch shell might have been blown at that moment, but circumstances prohibited the use of the conch or of torches." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'hideyoshi's' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yahei had received the golden fan of command from Hideyoshi and, in his stead, waved it once, twice, and then a third time. With that signal, the seven-hundred-man army began gradually to advance.\n\nThe head of the procession then changed direction and, turning on the road, passed by Hideyoshi. The position of corps commander was filled exclusively by trusted retainers. That one saw almost none of the faces of the old and experienced veterans was most likely because many of them had been left at Hideyoshi's castles in Nagahama and Himeji, and at his other estates.\n\nAt midnight, Hideyoshi's soldiers left the castle at Kiyosu, looking as though they were the main force accompanying their lord. Taking the Mino road, they started out for Nagahama.\n\nHideyoshi himself departed immediately afterward with no more than thirty or forty men. He took a completely different route and hurried along the back roads where no one would notice him. He finally arrived in Nagahama the following day at dawn." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "This is from the middle of a story, so characters will be referenced as if known. Write four sentences sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa. Genres: historical fiction. Themes: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We slipped up, Genba,\" Katsuie said.\n\n\"No, it was a plan that really had no room for mistakes.\"\n\n\"Do you really think there is such a plan? Somewhere there was an oversight, and that's why the fish slipped out of the net so easily.\"\n\n\"Well, it's not that I didn't say anything about it. If you're going to strike, strike! If we had attacked that scum's quarters, we'd have been able to look at Hideyoshi's head by now. But all you could talk about was doing it in secret. Now all our efforts have come to nothing because you wouldn't listen to me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah, you're still young. You were asking me to use a flawed plan, and the plan I had devised was superior. The best strategy was to wait until Hideyoshi came up to the castle and force him to disembowel himself. Nothing could have been better than that. But according to the reports last night, Hideyoshi was suddenly striking camp. Now, at first, I thought that was unfortunate, but then I reconsidered. If that bastard was leaving Kiyosu at night, it was a gift from heaven—because he was leaving unannounced, I could have denounced his crimes. I instructed you to lie in ambush and strike him down on the way so that justice might be served.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That was a careless mistake on your part, Uncle, from the very beginning.\"\n\n\"My mistake? Why?\"\n\n\"Your first mistake was in thinking Monkey would play into our hands by coming to today's celebration. Then, although you instructed me to go with some soldiers to ambush him, your second mistake was in forgetting to take the precaution of ordering men to guard the backroads.\"\n\n\"Fool! I gave you the orders and had the other generals follow your instructions solely because I had faith that you would not overlook things like that. And you have the impudence to say that hiding soldiers only on the main road and letting Hideyoshi slip through is my fault! You should reflect a little on your own inexperience!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, I apologize for my error this time, but hereafter, Uncle, please refrain from rattling on with too much artifice. A person who gets carried away with his own clever schemes is going to drown in them someday.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What are you saying? You think I use too much cunning?\"\n\n\"It's your constant habit.\"\n\n\"You... you fool!\"\n\n\"It's not just me, Uncle. Everybody says so. 'Lord Katsuie makes people cautious, because no one can ever tell what he is plotting.'\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie was silent, knitting his thick black eyebrows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For a long time, the relationship of uncle and nephew had been far warmer than that between lord and retainer. But too much familiarity had eroded authority and respect in the relationship, and those qualities were now missing. That morning Katsuie could hardly restrain the sullen look on his face.\n\nIt was a complicated sense of displeasure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had not slept at all the night before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Having ordered Genba to strike down the fleeing Hideyoshi, Katsuie had waited until dawn for the report that would clear the gloom that filled his heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Genba returned, however, he did not make the report Katsuie had been waiting for so tensely.\n\n\"The only people who passed by were Hideyoshi's retainers. Hideyoshi himself was nowhere to be seen. I thought it would be disadvantageous to attack them, so I came back with nothing to show for my efforts.\"\n\nThat report, added to Katsuie's fatigue from the night before, put him in a state of true despondency.\n\nThen, when even Genba found fault with him, there was little wonder that he was feeling depressed that morning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He could not remain in such a mood, however. Today was the celebration of the announcement of Samboshi's succession. After his breakfast Katsuie took a nap and had a bath, then he once again arrayed himself in his sweltering ceremonial robes and headgear.\n\nKatsuie was not the kind of man who, once depressed, remained visibly so." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Today the sky was filled with clouds and it was even more humid than the day before, but his demeanor on the road to Kiyosu Castle was far more majestic than that of anyone else in the castle town, and his face sparkled with sweat." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fierce men who only the night before had fastened the cords of their helmets, crawled through the grass and bushes with their spears and firearms, and looked to take Hideyoshi's life on the road were now arrayed in court hats and ceremonial kimonos. Their bows were in their cases and their spears and halberds sheathed, and they now meandered in innocent-looking attire up to the castle.\n\nThe men who climbed to the castle were not from the Shibata clan alone, of course, but were also from the Niwa, the Takigawa, and other clans. The only men who had been there the day before but who were no longer present were those under the command of Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Takigawa Kazumasu informed Katsuie that Kumohachi had been waiting in the castle since early morning, as a representative of Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He said Hideyoshi would not be able to attend today because of illness and was sending his apologies to Lord Samboshi. He also mentioned that he had hoped for an audience with you, my lord. He's been waiting for a little while.\"\n\nKatsuie nodded bitterly. While it angered him that Hideyoshi was scrupulously feigning ignorance of the whole affair, he too had to pretend to know nothing, and now granted an audience to Kumohachi. Katsuie then cantankerously asked one question after another. What kind of illness did Hideyoshi have?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "If he had decided to return home so suddenly the night before, why hadn't he informed Katsuie?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he had, Katsuie himself would have come to visit and taken care of all the arrangements. But it seemed that old Kumohachi had grown extremely deaf and was only able to hear about half of what Katsuie was saying.\n\nAnd no matter what was being said, the old man appeared not to understand, but repeated the same answer over and over. Feeling that the interview was as useless as beating the air, Katsuie could not help but be vexed at Hideyoshi's ulterior motives in sending such a senile old warrior as a formal envoy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No matter how much he rebuked the old man, nothing came of it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With pent-up anger from his irritation, he asked Kumohachi one more question to finish the conversation.\n\n\"Envoy, how old are you, anyway?\"\n\n\"Exactly... yes, indeed.\"\n\n\"I'm asking you about your age... How old are you?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, it's just as you say.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie felt as though he were being made a fool of. Thrusting his angry face next to Kumohachi's ear, he yelled out in a voice loud enough to crack a mirror.\n\n\"How old are you this year?\"\n\nThereupon Kumohachi nodded vigorously and answered with exceeding calm." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'would' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Ah, I see. You're asking me my age. I'm ashamed to say that I've done nothing of merit that the world might have heard of, but this year I'll be seventy-five.\"\n\nKatsuie was dumbfounded.\n\nHow ridiculous it was for him to be losing his temper with this old man, with today's pressure of work in front of him and the probability that he would be unable to relax all day. Along with an awareness of self-scorn, Katsuie felt his hostility toward Hideyoshi moving him to make a pledge that the two of them would shortly not exist under the same sky." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Go on home. That's enough.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gesturing with his chin, he ordered the old man to leave, but Kumohachi's buttocks seemed to be stuck to the floor with rice paste.\n\n\"What? What if there's a reply?\" he asked, gazing sedately at Katsuie.\n\n\"There is none! No reply at all! Just tell Hideyoshi that we'll meet wherever we chance to meet.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "With this parting remark, Katsuie turned and walked away down the narrow corridor toward the inner citadel." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kumohachi also ambled down the corridor. With one hand on his hip, he turned toward Katsuie's retreating image. Chuckling to himself, he finally walked on toward the castle gate.\n\nThe celebration for Samboshi's accession was completed that day, and a feast was given that surpassed the one of the evening before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Three halls were opened up inside the castle for the announcement of the new lord's installation, and people attended in far greater numbers than the day before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The main topic of conversation among the guests was Hideyoshi's insulting behavior. To feign illness and be absent on the day of this important event was outrageous, and there were some who said that Hideyoshi's disloyalty and insincerity could clearly be seen.\n\nKatsuie knew quite well that the criticism of Hideyoshi was being artificially generated by the followers of Takigawa Kazumasu and Sakuma Genba, but he indulged in the comfort of gloating secretly over the knowledge that the advantage was going to him.\n\nAfter the conference, the observance of the anniversary of Nobunaga's death, and the day of celebration, Kiyosu was inundated by heavy rains every day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some of the lords left for their provinces the day after the celebration." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A number of the others, however, were held back by the rising waters of the Kiso River. Those who remained behind waited for the weather to clear, thinking it might happen the next day or the day after that, but they could really do nothing more than pass the days in inactivity in their lodgings.\n\nTo Katsuie, however, the time was not necessarily wasted.\n\nThe comings and goings of Katsuie and Nobutaka between their respective lodgings were quite noticeable." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It must be remembered that Oichi, Katsuie's wife, was Nobunaga's younger sister and therefore Nobutaka's aunt." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Moreover, it was Nobutaka who had persuaded Oichi to remarry and become Katsuie's wife. It was really from the time of the marriage that the relationship between Nobutaka and Katsuie had become intimate. Certainly they were more than simple in-laws.\n\nTakigawa Kazumasu was at those meetings as well, and his presence seemed to have some significance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the tenth day of the month Takigawa sent out an invitation for a morning tea ceremony to all the remaining lords." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The gist of the invitation was as follows:\n\nThe recent rains are clearing, and each of you is thinking of returning to his home province. It is a maxim among warriors, however, that uncertainty governs the time of their next meeting. As we remember our former lord, I would like to offer you a bowl of plain tea in the morning dew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "I know you must be in a hurry to leave for home after this long stay, but I do anticipate your presence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was all it said, and it was nothing more than what might be expected. But the people of Kiyosu gaped at the men going in and out that morning.\n\nWhat was it? A secret council of war? Men like Hachiya, Tsutsui, Kanamori, and Kawajiri attended the tea ceremony that morning, while Nobutaka and Katsuie were probably the guests of honor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But whether the meeting was the tea ceremony it purported to be, or some secret affair, could not have been known by anyone other than the host and his guests that day.\n\nLater that afternoon the generals finally returned to their home provinces. On the night of the fourteenth Katsuie announced that he would leave for Echizen, and on the fifteenth he left Kiyosu.\n\nAs soon as he had crossed the Kiso River and entered Mino, however, Katsuie was troubled by rumors that Hideyoshi's army had closed all the passes in the mountains between Tarui and Fuwa and was barring his way home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie had only just decided that he would attack Hideyoshi, but now the situation had been reversed, and he found the path home as dangerous as thin ice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To get to Echizen Katsuie had to pass Nagahama, and his antagonist had already returned there. Would Hideyoshi let him pass through without challenging him?\n\nWhen Katsuie had left Kiyosu, his generals had advised him to take a more roundabout route, through Takigawa Kazumasu's province in Ise. But if he had done so, the world would certainly have believed he was afraid of Hideyoshi—a loss of face that Katsuie would have been unable to bear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As they entered Mino, however, the central question persisted with every step.\n\nReports of troop movements in the mountains ahead forced Katsuie to halt his army's advance and arrange its units into battle formation until the reports could be verified.\n\nA rumor was then reported that units under Hideyoshi's command had been sighted in the area of Fuwa, and as Katsuie and his field staff sat on their horses, their hair stood on end. Trying to imagine the numbers and strategy of the enemy waiting in their path, they were overcome by feelings as black as ink." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The troops were brought to a sudden halt in front of the Ibi River, while Katsuie and his staff quickly discussed the matter in the wood of the local village shrine." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Should they strike on ahead, or retreat? One possible strategy would be to retreat for the present and take possession of Kiyosu and Samboshi. They could then denounce Hideyoshi's crimes, unite the other lords, and set out in a more imposing manner. On the other hand, they had a large force, and it would give them joy as a samurai to fight their way through, routing the enemy with a quick victory." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As they thought over the possible results of each alternative, they realized that the former plan would mean a protracted war, while the latter would bring a prompt decision." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'small' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As for that, however, instead of crushing Hideyoshi with one quick blow, their own defeat was not entirely out of the question.\n\nCertainly the mountainous terrain north of Sekigahara was very advantageous for men lying in ambush. In addition, the troops that Hideyoshi had withdrawn to Nagahama would no longer be the small force of the recent past. From southern Omi to the areas of Fuwa and Yoro, a large number of men from small castles, powerful provincial families, and scattered samurai residences had connections with Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'hideyoshi' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Those with connections to the Shibata were few.\n\n\"No matter how I think this through, there just doesn't seem to be a good strategy for confronting Hideyoshi here. His quick return home must have been planned exactly to take this kind of advantage. I think we should not risk the battle he wants under these conditions,\" Katsuie said, echoing the advice of his generals.\n\nGenba, however, laughed scornfully. \"That's probably the right course of action if you're resolved to become a laughingstock for being so afraid of Hideyoshi.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In any war council, the suggestion to retreat is the weak one, while the counsel to advance is considered more forceful." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba's opinion in particular exerted a strong influence on the members of the field staff. His matchless courage, his rank within the clan, and the affection with which he was regarded by Katsuie were all factors to be taken into consideration.\n\n\"To flee at the sight of the enemy, without exchanging a single arrow, would ruin the reputation of the Shibata clan,\" one general said.\n\n\"It would be a different matter if we had made such a decision before leaving Kiyosu.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's just as Lord Genba says. If people hear that we came this far and then retreated, we'll become a laughingstock for generations to come.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How about retreating after fighting an engagement?\"\n\n\"They're only Monkey's soldiers, anyway.\"\n\nThe younger warriors all shouted out their support of Genba.\n\nThe only man who remained silent was Menju Shosuke." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you think, Shosuke?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie rarely asked Shosuke for his opinion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Recently, Shosuke had been out of favor with Katsuie, and he usually refrained from speaking. He answered docilely, \"I think Genba's opinion is absolutely correct.\"\n\nAmong the others, who were all hot-blooded and ready to fight, Shosuke had appeared to be as cold as water and lacking in courage in spite of his youth. But he had responded as if there were no alternative." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If even Shosuke can speak like this, we'll follow Genba's advice and push straight on through, just as we are. But we should send out scouts as soon as we've crossed the river, and not hurry down the road carelessly. Move out plenty of foot soldiers first, and have a spear corps follow them immediately. Place the gunners ahead of the rear guard. When soldiers are lying in ambush, firearms are not apt to be of much use up front. If the enemy is there and the scouts give us the signal, sound the drum immediately, but don't show them a hair's-breadth of confusion. The unit commanders should all wait for my orders.\"\n\nIts direction settled, the army crossed the Ibi River. Nothing happened. As it began to advance toward Akasaka, there was no sign of the enemy.\n\nThe reconnaissance units were far ahead and approaching the neighborhood of the village of Tarui." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nothing unusual could be discerned there, either." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A lone traveler approached. He looked suspicious, and one of the soldiers from the reconnaissance unit ran up ahead and took him into custody. Threatened and questioned by the scouts, the man was quick to talk, but it was those who did the threatening who were dismayed.\n\n\"If you're asking me if I saw Lord Hideyoshi's men on the road, well, yes, I most certainly did. Early this morning, in the area of Fuwa, and just now passing through Tarui.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"About how many men were there?\"\n\n\"I'm not sure, but certainly it was a force of several hundred.\"\n\n\"Several hundred?\"\n\nThe scouts looked back and forth at each other." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dismissing the man, they immediately reported back to Katsuie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The news was rather unexpected. The enemy was such a small force that Katsuie and his generals now had even more misgivings. However, the order to push ahead was given, and the army marched on. Just at that moment it was reported that an envoy from Hideyoshi was riding in their direction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the man finally came in sight, they could see that he was not an armored warrior but was, instead, a striking youth wearing a printed gossamer silk coat and a wisteria-colored kimono. Even the reins of his horse were ornately decorated.\n\n\"My name is Iki Hanshichiro,\" the youth announced, \"Lord Hidekatsu's page. I am here to offer my services as a guide to Lord Katsuie.\"\n\nHanshichiro trotted right past the scouts, who were completely taken aback." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yelling in a confused voice, their commander chased after him, nearly falling off his horse in pursuit.\n\nKatsuie and his field staff looked with suspicion at the young man. They had anticipated a battle, and their excitement and anticipation of a fight had soared. Then, in the midst of their spears and burning fuse cords, this elegant young man gracefully dismounted and bowed politely." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Hidekatsu's page? I have no idea what that means, but bring him here. Let's talk with him,\" Katsuie ordered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie had stamped down the grass by the roadside and was standing in the shade of some trees. Having his camp stool set down, he managed to conceal the rigid tension of his subordinates, as well as his own. He invited the envoy to sit down.\n\n\"You have a message?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You must be exhausted from the long trip home in this heat,\" Hanshichiro said formally.\n\nOddly, his words sounded exactly like those of a peacetime greeting. Taking a letter box that was hanging from his shoulder by a red cord, he continued, \"Lord Hideyoshi sends his greetings.\" Then he handed the missive to Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie received the letter suspiciously and did not open it right away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Blinking, he looked at Hanshichiro.\n\n\"You say you're Lord Hidekatsu's page?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"Is Lord Hidekatsu in good health?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I imagine he's grown up.\"\n\n\"He'll be seventeen years old this year, my lord.\"\n\n\"Well, he's that old already? Time passes quickly, doesn't it. It's been a long time since I've seen him.\"\n\n\"Today he was ordered by his father to come as far as Tarui to extend a welcome.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What?\" Katsuie stammered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A pebble beneath one leg of his camp stool was crushed by the weight of his heavy body, which equaled the surprise in his heart. Hidekatsu, who was Nobunaga's son, had been adopted by Hideyoshi.\n\n\"Welcome? Welcome who?\" Katsuie asked this time.\n\n\"Why, Your Lordship, of course.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hanshichiro covered his face with his fan and laughed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His adversary's eyelids and mouth were twitching uncontrollably, so he could hardly suppress a smile." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Me? He's come to welcome me?\" Katsuie continued to mumble to himself.\n\n\"First take a look at the letter, my lord,\" Hanshichiro requested.\n\nKatsuie had been in such a daze that he had completely forgotten about the letter in his hand." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie nodded repeatedly for no particular reason." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As his eyes followed the written words, a range of emotions swept across his face. The letter was not from Hidekatsu at all, but was unmistakably from Hideyoshi's brush. It was quite openhearted.\n\nThe road between northern Omi and Echizen is one you've traveled many times before, so I assume you know the way." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nevertheless, I am sending my foster son, Hidekatsu, to guide you." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There is a baseless rumor abroad, unworthy of our notice, that Nagahama would be an advantageous place from which to hinder your return home. In order to contradict such mean-spirited reports, I have sent my foster son to greet you, and you may take him as a hostage until you have passed through with peace of mind. I would have liked to entertain you at Nagahama, but I have been sick since leaving Kiyosu...\n\nReassured by the words of the envoy and the letter, Katsuie could not help reflecting on his own timidity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been cowering before what might have been in Hideyoshi's heart, and now he was relieved." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For some time he had been regarded as a clever strategist, and was acknowledged to be so full of intrigue that whenever he did anything, people were quick to say that Katsuie was up to his old tricks again. At moments like these, however, he was not even going to bother to cover up his emotions with a feigned nonchalance. It was that part of his character that the late Nobunaga had understood well. He had considered Katsuie's courage, conspiratorial mind, and honesty to be distinctive features that could be put to good use." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus he had given Katsuie the heavy responsibility of being commander-in-chief of the northern campaign, had put numerous warriors and a large province into his charge, and had relied upon him fully." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, when Katsuie thought about the lord who had known him better than anyone else and contemplated the fact that he was no longer in the world, he felt that there was no one in whom he could put his trust.\n\nBut now he was suddenly touched by Hideyoshi's letter, and the emotions he had harbored toward his rival were completely reversed in an instant. He now frankly reflected on the fact that their enmity had been based entirely on his own suspicions and timidity.\n\nSo Katsuie rethought the situation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Now that our lord is gone, Hideyoshi will be the man in whom to put our trust.\"\n\nThat night he talked warmly with Hidekatsu. The following day he crossed Fuwa with the young man and entered Nagahama, still holding on to his new warm impressions.\n\nBut in Nagahama, after he and his senior retainers had accompanied Hidekatsu as far as the castle gate, he was shaken once again, when he found out that Hideyoshi had not been in Nagahama for some time." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had gone on to Kyoto, where he had been involved in important state affairs." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I've been taken in by Hideyoshi again!\" Katsuie said, his irritation quickly returning, and he hurried to start out again on the road home." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the end of the Seventh Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Fulfilling the promise he had made, Hideyoshi surrendered the castle and lands of Nagahama to Katsuie, who gave it to his foster son, Katsutoyo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie still did not know why Hideyoshi had insisted at the conference of Kiyosu that the castle be given to Katsutoyo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And neither the men at the conference nor the public at large were suspicious about the condition or even stopped to consider what Hideyoshi had in mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie had another foster son, Katsutoshi, a boy who would be fifteen years old that year." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Those members of the Shibata clan who had any feelings about it at all lamented that if the relationship between Katsuie and Katsutoyo was that cold, they could only fear for the future of the clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Katsutoyo is so irresolute,\" Katsuie complained." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He never does anything with real clarity and decision. He doesn't even have the proper disposition to be my son. Katsutoshi, on the other hand, has no trace of malice in him at all. He's really taken to me as his father.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But if Katsuie preferred Katsutoshi to Katsutoyo, he favored his nephew, Genba, even more." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His love for Genba went beyond that felt naturally for a nephew or son, and he had an inclination to indulge the emotion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Thus Katsuie kept a watchful eye on Genba's younger brothers, Yasumasa and Katsumasa, installing each of them in strategic castles while they were still only in their twenties." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the midst of all that deep affection between family members and retainers, only Katsutoyo felt dissatisfied with his foster father and the Sakuma brothers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Once, during the New Year's celebrations, for example, when Katsuie's family and retainers had come to congratulate him on the New Year, the first toast was offered by Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsutoyo had naturally assumed that it would be offered to him, and had advanced respectfully on his knees." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's not for you, Katsutoyo, it's for Genba,\" Katsuie said, holding the cup back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It became known in other quarters that this slight was a matter of discontent for Katsutoyo, and the story was doubtless heard by spies from other provinces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Certainly such information reached Hideyoshi's ears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Before surrendering Nagahama to Katsutoyo, it was necessary for Hideyoshi to move his own family to a new home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We'll be moving to Himeji in just a little while. It's mild in winter, and there's fish from the Inland Sea.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With these orders, Hideyoshi's mother, wife, and the entire household moved to his castle in Harima." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Hideyoshi himself did not go." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no time to waste." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had the castle at Takaradera near Kyoto completely renovated." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It had been Mitsuhide's stronghold at the time of the battle of Yamazaki, and there was a reason Hideyoshi did not send his mother and wife to live there." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He went from Takaradera Castle to the capital on alternate days." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he returned, he supervised construction; when he was absent, he was seeing to the government of the nation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was now taking the responsibility upon himself for safeguarding the Imperial Palace, for the administration of the city, and for overseeing the various provinces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "According to the original decision of the Kiyosu conference, all phases of the government of Kyoto were to be managed equally by the four regents—Katsuie, Niwa, Shonyu, and Hideyoshi—and were never supposed to be Hideyoshi's responsibility alone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Katsuie was far away in Echizen, carrying on some secret maneuvers with Nobutaka and others in Gifu and Ise; Niwa, though close by in Sakamoto, seemed already to have given over his responsibility entirely to Hideyoshi; and Shonyu had quite gallantly declared that, although he had been given a title, the problems of dealing with the administration and the nobility were beyond his abilities, and he would have nothing more to do with either." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was in just these areas that Hideyoshi had true ability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His talents were far more administrative than anything else." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi knew that battle was not his main talent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But he understood clearly that if a man held high ideals but was defeated on the battlefield, great administrative works would not go forward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus he risked everything on a battle, and once he had started a campaign, he fought to the bitter end." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In rewarding his martial accomplishments, the Imperial Court informed Hideyoshi that he would be given the rank of Lieutenant-General of the Imperial Guard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi declined, protesting that his merits did not deserve such an honor, but the Court graciously insisted, and he finally accepted a lesser title." }, { "from": "human", "value": "How many there are who are quick to find fault when they witness those who do good in the world!" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "How many of the mean-spirited ones talk against those who work with upright hearts!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This is always true, and whenever great changes occur, the flood of gossip is liable to be especially violent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hideyoshi is exposing his arrogance quickly. Even his subordinates are grasping authority.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They're ignoring Lord Katsuie. It's as though there were no one else to serve.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"When you look at the influence he's gained recently, it's as though they're proclaiming that Lord Hideyoshi is Lord Nobunaga's successor.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The criticism aimed at him was noisy indeed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But, as always in such cases, the identities of the accusers remained unknown." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Whether or not he heard the rumors, Hideyoshi was unconcerned." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had no leisure to listen to gossip." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the Sixth Month, Nobunaga had died; in the middle of that month, the battle had been fought at Yamazaki; in the Seventh Month, the conference at Kiyosu had been held; at the end of that month, Hideyoshi had withdrawn from Nagahama, moving his family to Himeji; and in the Eighth Month, he had begun construction on Takaradera Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he continued to go back and forth between Kyoto and Yamazaki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he was in Kyoto, in the morning he would be bowing at the Imperial Palace; in the afternoon he would be inspecting the city, in the evening he would look over governmental matters, send out replies to letters, and greet guests; at midnight he would review letters from distant provinces; and at dawn he would make decisions concerning the petitions of his subordinates." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Every day he would whip his horse off somewhere while still chewing the food from his last meal." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He frequently had a number of destinations—the mansion of a court noble, meetings, inspections—and recently he had been heading off repeatedly toward the northern part of Kyoto." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was there that he had ordered an enormous construction project to be started." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Within the grounds of the Daitoku Temple, he had begun to build yet another temple, the Sokenin." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It must be completed by the seventh day of the Tenth Month. Finish clearing the area by the eighth day, and complete preparations for all the ceremonies by the ninth day. There should be nothing left to be done by the tenth day.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "This he said very firmly to Hikoemon and to his brother-in-law, Hidenaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No matter what construction project Hideyoshi undertook, he would not change the time limit." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The memorial service was held within a lamplit shrine that was one hundred eightyfour yards wide." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The brightly colored canopy sparkled, the thousands of lanterns looked like stars, and the smoke from the incense drifted among the fluttering banners, creating purple clouds above the heads of the crowds of mourners." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Among the priests alone, venerable scholars from the five major Zen temples and priests from the eight Buddhist sects attended." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "People of the time who observed the service described it as though the five hundred arhats and the three thousand disciples of the Buddha were all before their very eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After the ceremonies of reading from the sutras and scattering flowers before the Buddha had taken place, the Zen abbots paid their respects." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally, Abbot Soken recited the parting gatha and, with all of his strength, yelled \"Kwafz!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "For an instant all was hushed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then, as the solemn music was played once again, the lotus flowers fell, and one by one the participants offered incense at the altar." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Among the mourners, however, about half of the Oda relatives who undoubtedly should have attended were absent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Samboshi had not appeared, neither had Nobutaka, Katsuie, or Takigawa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But perhaps most unfathomable of all were the intentions of Tokugawa Ieyasu." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After the Honno Temple incident, he was in a unique position. What his thoughts were, or how his cold eyes regarded present events, no one was able to judge." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Day and night, the snow fell on wintry Echizen, leaving no opening through which a man could free his heart." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But within the castle walls of Kitanosho, it was warmer than usual that year. That uncommon state of affairs was due to the presence of Lady Oichi and her three daughters. The lady herself was rarely seen, but her daughters could not bear to be confined to their apartments. The eldest, Chacha, was fifteen, the middle sister eleven, and the youngest only nine. To these girls, even falling leaves were a cause for wonder, and their laughter rang through the corridors of the citadel.\n\nKatsuie was drawn by their voices to the women's quarters, where he hoped to forget his many cares amid their gay laughter, but whenever he appeared, the expressions on the faces of the girls darkened, and they neither laughed nor smiled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even Lady Oichi was solemn and quiet, beautiful and cold." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Please come in, my lord,\" she would say, inviting him to sit by the small silver fretwork brazier." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even after their marriage, they spoke to each other with the formality of a retainer addressing a member of his lord's family." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Your loneliness must be all the greater when you see the snow and feel the cold of this place for the first time, my lady,\" Katsuie said sympathetically." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not so much, my lord,\" Oichi replied, but it was clear that she longed for a warmer land. \"When do the snows of Echizen begin to melt?\" she asked.\n\n\"This is not Gifu or Kiyosu. When the rape flowers are blooming and the cherry blossoms are beginning to fall there, these mountains are still patched with melting snow.\"\n\n\"And until then?\"\n\n\"It's like this every day.\"\n\n\"You mean it never melts?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Just snow a thousand feet deep!\" Katsuie replied sharply. Upon being reminded of the length of time the snow would cover Echizen, his heart was filled with bitter resentment. Thus he was unable to spend even a moment's leisure with his family.\n\nKatsuie returned to the citadel as quickly as he had left. Accompanied by his pages, he walked off in great strides along the roofed corridor through which the snowy wind was blowing. As soon as he had gone, the three girls went out to the veranda to sing songs, not of Echizen but of their native Owari." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie did not look back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Before entering the main citadel, he ordered one of his pages, \"Tell Gozaemon and Gohei to come to my room at once.\"\n\nBoth men were important retainers of the Shibata clan, and elders upon whom Katsuie relied.\n\n\"Did you send a messenger to Maeda Inuchiyo?\" Katsuie asked Gozaemon.\n\n\"Yes, my lord. He left a little while ago,\" the man replied. \"Did you want to add something to it, my lord?\"\n\nKatsuie nodded silently; he seemed to be lost in thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The previous evening a council of the entire clan had discussed a weighty matter: Hideyoshi. And their decision had not been a passive one. They had the whole winter to carry out a plan: Takigawa Kazumasu was to rally Ise; Nobutaka was to persuade Gamo Ujisato to join them, and to request assistance from Niwa Nagahide; Katsuie himself would write to Tokugawa Ieyasu to sound out his intentions; and a messenger had already been sent to the scheming old shogun, Yoshiaki. Finally, it was hoped that when the moment came, the Mori would attack Hideyoshi from the rear.\n\nThat was the plan, but Ieyasu's attitude was totally unclear. And although it was easy to tempt Yoshiaki's inconstancy, there seemed to be little hope of persuading the Mori to unite with their cause." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Not only that, but Gamo Ujisato, the man to be drawn in by Nobutaka, was already allied to Hideyoshi, while Niwa stood tactfully in the center, declaring that he could not take sides with any of his former lord's retainers, and that he would only stand in the defense of the rightful heir, Lord Samboshi.\n\nDuring this time, Hideyoshi was holding in Kyoto the magnificent memorial service for Nobunaga that had attracted the attention of the entire nation. Hideyoshi's increasing fame was making the proud Katsuie think about whether he should act and how fast. But the mountains of Echizen responded to Katsuie's scheming with snow. He planned great campaigns, but he could not move his army to fight them.\n\nDuring the conference, a letter had arrived from Kazumasu, advising Katsuie that the best strategy was to wait until spring and complete their great undertaking in one campaign." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Until then, Kazumasu said, Katsuie was to make peace with Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'katsuie' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie had considered his advice and decided it was the correct way to handle the situation.\n\n\"If there is something else you would like to say to Lord Inuchiyo, I will send another messenger,\" Gozaemon repeated, observing Katsuie's worried expression.\n\nKatsuie confided his doubts to these men. \"At the conference I agreed to send two trusted retainers along with Inuchiyo to negotiate peace with Hideyoshi, but now I don't know.\"\n\n\"What do you mean, my lord?\" one of the retainers asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I don't know about Inuchiyo.\"\n\n\"Are you worried about his abilities as an envoy?\"\n\n\"I'm well acquainted with his abilities. But when Hideyoshi was still a foot soldier, they were close friends.\"\n\n\"I don't think you have anything to worry about.\"\n\n\"You don't?\"\n\n\"Not in the least,\" Gozaemon declared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Both Inuchiyo's province in Noto and his son's in Fuchu are surrounded by your own estates and the castles of your retainers. So not only is he geographically isolated from Hideyoshi, but he will have to leave his wife and children as hostages.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Gohei was of the same opinion. \"There has never been any discord between the two of you, my lord, and Lord Inuchiyo has served you faithfully throughout the long northern campaign. Many years ago, when he was a young samurai in Kiyosu, Lord Inuchiyo had a reputation for being wild. But he has changed. These days his name is associated with integrity and honesty, and people are quick to acknowledge their faith in him. So, rather than worry, I wonder if he isn't the most suitable man we could send.\"\n\nKatsuie began to believe that they were right. Now he could laugh, knowing that his own suspicions was nothing more than that. But if the plan did somehow go wrong, the entire situation could quickly turn against Katsuie. Moreover, he was uneasy because his army would be unable to move until the spring." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobutaka's isolation in Gifu and Takigawa's in Ise troubled him even more. Therefore the envoy's mission was crucial to the success of the entire strategy.\n\nA few days later Inuchiyo arrived at Kitanosho. He would be forty-four that year—a year younger than Hideyoshi. He had been tempered by his years on the battlefield, and even with the loss of one eye, he looked cool and self-possessed.\n\nWhen he received Katsuie's warm reception, he smiled at its excess." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Lady Oichi was also there to greet him, but Inuchiyo said gallantly, \"It must be unpleasant for you to be in this cold room with a group of coarse samurai, my lady.\"\n\nUrged to withdraw, Lady Oichi left for her own apartments. Katsuie mistook this for deference, but Inuchiyo had intended it as a gesture of sympathy for Oichi, in whom he saw Nobunaga, her dead brother.\n\n\"You're living up to your old reputation. I've heard you were an old hand at this,\" Katsuie said.\n\n\"You mean sake?\"\n\n\"I mean a lot of sake.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inuchiyo laughed heartily, his one eye blinking in the light of the candles. He was still the handsome man Hideyoshi had known in his youth.\n\n\"Hideyoshi was never much of a drinker,\" Katsuie said.\n\n\"That's true. His face turned red right away.\"\n\n\"But I recall that when you were young, the two of you often spent the whole night drinking together.\"\n\n\"Yes, as far as debauchery went, that young Monkey never got tired. He was an expert. Whenever I drank too much, I would just fall down and sleep anywhere.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I imagine you're still close friends.\"\n\n\"Not really. No one is less reliable than a former drinking partner.\"\n\n\"Is that so?\"\n\n\"Surely you must remember, Lord Katsuie, those days of eating, drinking, and singing until dawn. Friends will put their arms around each other's shoulders, revealing things they wouldn't even talk to their own brothers about. At the time, you think that person is the best friend you ever had, but later you both get involved in the real world and you have a lord or a wife and children. When you both look back at the feelings you had when you were living together in the barracks, you find that they've changed quite a bit. The way you see the world, the eyes with which you look at others—you've grown up. Your friend is not the same, and neither are you. The really true, pure, and devoted friends are the men we meet in the midst of adversity.\"\n\n\"Well then, I've been under the wrong impression.\"\n\n\"What do you mean, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I thought that you and Hideyoshi had a deeper relationship, and I was about to ask you to do me a favor.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you're going to fight with Hideyoshi,\" Inuchiyo said, \"I will not raise my spear against him, but if you're going to hold peace talks, I'd like to take it upon myself to be in the vanguard. Or is it something different?\"\n\nInuchiyo had hit the mark. Without saying anything further, he smiled and raised his cup.\n\nHow had the plan leaked out to him? Katsuie's eyes showed his confusion. After thinking it over for a moment, however, he realized it had been he himself who had been testing out Inuchiyo on the subject of Hideyoshi from the very beginning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even though he was living in the provinces, Inuchiyo was not the kind of man who lived in a corner. Certainly he would know what was going on in Kyoto, and he would have a clear understanding of the trouble between Hideyoshi and Katsuie. Furthermore, Inuchiyo had received Katsuie's urgent summons and come quickly, despite the snow.\n\nAs Katsuie reflected on the matter, he had to rethink his view of Inuchiyo, in order to know how to control him. Inuchiyo was a man whose power would grow with the years. Like Sassa Narimasa, he was under Katsuie's command on Nobunaga's orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During the five years of the northern campaign, Katsuie had treated Inuchiyo like one of his own retainers, and Inuchiyo had obeyed Katsuie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But now that Nobunaga was dead, Katsuie wondered if the relationship would continue unchanged. It came down to this: Katsuie's authority had depended on Nobunaga. With Nobunaga dead, Katsuie was only one general among many.\n\n\"I have no desire to fight with Hideyoshi, but I fear that rumor may have it otherwise,\" Katsuie said with a laugh.\n\nAs a man matures, he becomes practiced in a way of laughing that draws a veil over his true feelings. \"It seems strange,\" Katsuie continued, \"to send an envoy to Hideyoshi when we are not at war, but I've received a number of letters from both Lord Nobutaka and Takigawa urging me to send someone. It's been less than six months since Lord Nobunaga died, and already there are rumors that his surviving retainers are fighting among themselves. This is a disgraceful state of affairs. Besides, I don't think we should give the Uesugi, the Hojo, and the Mori the chance they're looking for.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I understand, my lord,\" Inuchiyo said.\n\nKatsuie had never been very good at explanations, and Inuchiyo summarily accepted his assignment, as though it were unnecessary to listen to the tedious details. Inuchiyo left Kitanosho on the following day. He was accompanied by two men, Fuwa Hikozo and Kanamori Gorohachi. Both were trusted retainers of the Shibata clan, and while they went along as envoys, they were really there to keep an eye on Inuchiyo.\n\nOn the twenty-seventh of the Tenth Month, the three men arrived at Nagahama to collect Katsutoyo." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Unfortunately, the young man was ill." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The envoys counseled him to stay behind, but Katsutoyo insisted on coming, and the party traveled from Nagahama to Otsu by boat. Spending one night in the capital, they arrived at Takaradera Castle the following day.\n\nThis was the battlefield where Mitsuhide had been defeated that past summer. Where before there had been nothing more than a poor village with a decaying post station, now a prosperous castle town was springing up. After the envoys had crossed the Yodo River, they could see scaffolding covering the castle. The road was deeply rutted with the tracks of oxen and horses, and everything they saw spoke of Hideyoshi's energetic plans." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even Inuchiyo was beginning to question Hideyoshi's intentions. Katsuie, Takigawa, and Nobutaka accused Hideyoshi of neglecting Lord Samboshi and of working for his own advantage. In Kyoto he was building up his power base, while outside of the capital he was expending huge amounts on castle construction. These projects had nothing to do with enemy clans in the west or north, so against whom was he preparing his army in the very heart of the nation?\n\nWhat had Hideyoshi said in his defense? He, too, had several complaints: There was the unfulfilled promise made at the Kiyosu conference to move Samboshi to Azuchi, and there was the memorial service for Nobunaga that Nobutaka and Katsuie had failed to attend." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The meeting between Hideyoshi and the envoys took place in the partially reconstructed main citadel. A meal and tea were served before the negotiations began. It was the first time Hideyoshi and Inuchiyo had met since the death of Nobunaga.\n\n\"Inuchiyo, how old are you now?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"I'll be forty-five soon.\"\n\n\"We're both becoming old men.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What do you mean? I'm still a year younger than you, aren't I?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah, that's right. Like a little brother—a year younger. But looking at the two of us now, you look the more mature.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're the one who looks old for your age.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi shrugged. \"I've looked old since my youth. But frankly speaking, no matter how old I get, I still don't feel like much of an adult, and that worries me.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Someone said that a man should be unwavering after the age of forty.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's a lie.\"\n\n\"You think so?\"\n\n\"A gentleman is unwavering—that's how the saying goes. It would be more true in our case that forty is the age of our first wavering. Isn't that pretty much true for you, Inuchiyo?\"\n\n\"You're still playing the fool, Lord Monkey. Don't you agree, gentlemen?\"\n\nInuchiyo smiled at his companions, who had not failed to notice that he was familiar enough with Hideyoshi to call him \"Lord Monkey\" to his face.\n\n\"Somehow I can't agree with either Lord Inuchiyo's opinion or yours, my lord,\" said Kanamori, who was the oldest of the group." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How is that?\" asked Hideyoshi, who was clearly enjoying the conversation.\n\n\"As far as my ancient self goes, I would say that a man is unwavering from the age of fifteen.\"\n\n\"That's a little early, isn't it?\"\n\n\"Well, look at young men on their first campaign.\"\n\n\"You have a point. Unwavering at the age of fifteen, even more so at nineteen or twenty, but at forty you slowly start to come undone. Well then, what happens at about the time of one's respected old age?\"\n\n\"When you get to fifty or sixty, you're really confused.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And at seventy or eighty?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then you start forgetting that you're confused.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They all laughed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'inuchiyo' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It seemed as though the feasting would last until evening, but Katsutoyo's condition was deteriorating. The conversation changed, and Hideyoshi suggested that they move to another room. A physician was summoned. He immediately gave Katsutoyo some medicine, and everything was done to warm the room in which the talks would be held.\n\nOnce the four men were settled, Inuchiyo opened the proceedings. \"I believe you have received a letter from Lord Nobutaka, who also counsels peace with Lord Katsuie,\" Inuchiyo began." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi nodded, apparently eager to listen. Inuchiyo reminded him of their common duty as retainers of Nobunaga, then frankly admitted that it was Hideyoshi who had truly discharged that duty completely. But after that, it appeared that he was out of harmony with the senior retainers, neglecting Lord Samboshi and working for his own advantage. Even if this were untrue, Inuchiyo felt that it was regrettable that Hideyoshi's actions were open to such an interpretation.\n\nHe suggested to Hideyoshi that he should look at the situation from the standpoints of Nobutaka and Katsuie. One of them had met with disappointment, while the other now felt ill at ease." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'hideyoshi's' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsuie, who had been called \"Jar-Bursting\" and \"the Demon,\" had been slow in moving and was a step behind Hideyoshi. Even at the conference in Kiyosu, had not Katsuie deferred to him?\n\n\"So won't you end this quarrel?\" Inuchiyo asked finally. \"It's not really a problem for someone like me, but Lord Nobunaga's family is still embroiled in it. It's unbecoming that his surviving retainers should share the same bed and have different dreams.\"\n\nThe look in Hideyoshi's eyes seemed to change with Inuchiyo's words. Inuchiyo had laid the blame for the quarrel at Hideyoshi's door, and he steeled himself for a violent refutation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Unexpectedly, Hideyoshi nodded vigorously." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're absolutely right,\" he said with a sigh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm really not to blame, and if I were to list my excuses, there would be a mountain of them. But when I look at the situation the way you've explained it, it would appear that I've gone too far. And in that sense, I've been wrong. Inuchiyo, I leave it in your hands.\"\n\nThe negotiations were concluded on the spot. Hideyoshi had spoken so frankly that the envoys felt somewhat bemused, but Inuchiyo knew Hideyoshi well.\n\n\"I'm very grateful to you. Just hearing that has made it worth coming all the way here from the north,\" he said with great satisfaction.\n\nFuwa and Kanamori, however, did not show their joy unguardedly. Understanding the reason for their reticence, Inuchiyo went a step further." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But Lord Hideyoshi, if you have some dissatisfaction you'd like to express about Lord Katsuie, I hope you'll express it frankly. I'm afraid these peace accords won't last long if you're concealing something. I will spare no effort to settle any problem, no matter what it might be.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's unnecessary,\" Hideyoshi said, laughing. \"Am I the kind of person who keeps something bottled up inside and remains silent? I've said everything I want to say, to both Lord Nobutaka and Lord Katsuie. I've already sent a long letter that explains everything in detail.\"\n\n\"Yes, the letter was shown to us before we left Kitanosho. Lord Katsuie felt that everything you had written was reasonable and would not have to be brought up again during these peace talks.\"\n\n\"I understand that Lord Nobutaka suggested holding peace talks after reading my letter. Inuchiyo, I was being particularly careful not to upset Lord Katsuie before you came here.\"\n\n\"Well, you know, an elder statesman should be accorded respect in any situation. But I know I've rattled the horns of Demon Shibata from time to time.\"\n\n\"It's difficult to do anything without rattling those horns. Even when we were both young, those horns were strangely scary—especially for me. In fact, the Demon's horns were even scarier than Nobunaga's moods.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you hear that?\" Inuchiyo laughed. \"Did you hear that, gentlemen?\" Both men were drawn into the laughter. To say such things in front of them was hardly speaking ill of their lord behind his back. Rather, they felt it was a shared sentiment they could not deny.\n\nThe human mind is a subtle thing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After that moment, Kanamori and Fuwa felt more at ease with Hideyoshi and relaxed their watchfulness of Inuchiyo.\n\n\"I think this is indeed a happy event,\" Kanamori said.\n\n\"We really couldn't be happier,\" Fuwa added. \"More than that, I have to thank you for your generosity; we have completed our mission and saved our honor.\"\n\nThe next day, however, Kanamori still had misgivings and said to Fuwa, \"If we go back to Echizen and report to our lord without Lord Hideyoshi's having put anything in writing, won't this agreement seem a bit unreliable?\"\n\nBefore departing that day, the envoys once again went to the castle to meet with Hideyoshi, to pay their respects." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Several attendants and horses were waiting outside the main entrance, and the envoys thought that Hideyoshi must have been receiving guests." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'hideyoshi' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But in fact it was Hideyoshi himself who was going out. At that moment he stepped from the main citadel.\n\n\"I'm glad you came,\" he said. \"Well, let's go inside.\" Turning around, Hideyoshi led his guests to a room. \"I had a really good laugh last night. Thanks to you, I slept late this morning.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'katsuie' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And sure enough, he looked as though he had just gotten up and washed his face. That morning, however, each of the envoys looked somehow different—as though he had woken up inside a different shell.\n\n\"You've been much too hospitable in the midst of all your work, but we are returning home today,\" Kanamori said.\n\nHideyoshi nodded. \"Is that so? Well, please give my regards to Lord Katsuie on your return.\"\n\n\"I'm sure Lord Katsuie will be delighted by the outcome of the peace talks.\"\n\n\"My heart has been lifted just by your coming here as envoys. Now all those people who would like to make us fight will be disappointed.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But won't you please take your brush and sign a solemn pledge, just to stop up the mouths of such people?\" Kanamori entreated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was it. That was what had suddenly become essential for the envoys that morning. The peace talks had gone too smoothly, and they had become uneasy with words alone. Even if they reported to Katsuie what had transpired, without some sort of document it was nothing more than a verbal promise.\n\n\"All right.\" The look on Hideyoshi's face showed full agreement. \"I'll give one to you, and I'll expect one from Lord Katsuie. But this pledge isn't limited to Lord Katsuie and me. If the names of the other veteran generals are not attached as well, the document will be meaningless. I'll speak to Niwa and Ikeda immediately. That should be all right, shouldn't it?\"\n\nHideyoshi's eyes met Inuchiyo's." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That should be fine,\" Inuchiyo answered clearly." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His eyes read everything in Hideyoshi's heart—he had seen the future even before leaving Kitanosho. If Inuchiyo could be called a rogue, he was a likable one.\n\nHideyoshi stood up. \"I was just about to leave myself. I'll go with you as far as the castle town.\"\n\nThey left the citadel together.\n\n\"I haven't seen Lord Katsutoyo today. Has he already left?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"He is still unwell,\" Fuwa said." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inuchiyo, Kanamori, and Fuwa returned to Kitanosho on the tenth day of the same month, and immediately reported to Katsuie. Katsuie was overjoyed that his plan to establish a pretense of peace had been carried out more smoothly than he had anticipated.\n\nSoon thereafter Katsuie held a secret meeting with his most trusted retainers and told them, \"We'll keep the peace through the winter. As soon as the snows melt, we'll butcher our old enemy with a single blow.\"\n\nAs soon as Katsuie had completed the first stage of his strategy by making peace with Hideyoshi, he dispatched another envoy, this time to Tokugawa Ieyasu. That was at the end of the Eleventh Month.\n\nFor the last half year—since the Sixth Month—Ieyasu had been absent from the center of activity. After the Honno Temple incident, the entire nation's attention had been focused on filling the void that had been created when the center had so suddenly collapsed. During that time, when no one had had a moment to look anywhere else, Ieyasu had taken his own independent road.\n\nAt the time of Nobunaga's murder, he had been on a sightseeing tour of Sakai and had barely been able to return to his own province with his life. Immediately ordering military preparations, he pushed as far as Narumi. But the motive behind that action was quite different from the one Katsuie had had for crossing over Yanagase from Echizen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Ieyasu heard that Hideyoshi had reached Yamazaki, he said, \"Our province is entirely at peace.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then he withdrew his army to Hamamatsu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ieyasu had never considered himself to be in the same category as Nobunaga's surviving retainers. He was an ally of the Oda clan, while Katsuie and Hideyoshi were Nobunaga's generals. He wondered why he should take part in the struggle among the surviving retainers, why he should fight to pick over the ashes. And there was something far more substantial for him now. For some time he had watched eagerly for a chance at territorial expansion into Kai and Shinano, the two provinces that bordered his own. He had been unable to play his hand while Nobunaga was alive, and there would likely be no better opportunity than now.\n\nThe man who foolishly opened up a path toward that goal and who gave Ieyasu a splendid opportunity was Hojo Ujinao, the lord of Sagami, another of the men who took advantage of the Honno Temple incident. Thinking that the time was ripe, a huge Hojo army of fifty thousand men crossed into the former Takeda domain of Kai. It was a largescale invasion, executed almost as though Ujinao had simply taken a brush and drawn a line across a map, taking possession of what he thought he could.\n\nThat action gave Ieyasu a splendid reason to dispatch troops. The force he raised, however, consisted of only eight thousand men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The three-thousand-man vanguard checked a Hojo force of well over ten thousand men before it joined Ieyasu's main force." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The war lasted more than ten days. Finally, the Hojo army could do nothing more than make a last stand or—as Ieyasu had hoped for and as it finally did—sue for peace.\n\n\"Joshu will be handed to the Hojo, while the two provinces of Kai and Shinano will be awarded to the Tokugawa clan.\"\n\nThat was the agreement to which they came, and it was just as Ieyasu had intended." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their packhorses and traveling attire covered with the snow of the northern provinces, Shibata Katsuie's envoys to Kai arrived on the eleventh day of the Twelfth Month." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were first asked to rest in the guest quarters in Kofu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Their party was a large one and was led by two senior Shibata retainers, Shukuya Shichizaemon and Asami Dosei." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For two days they were more or less entertained. Otherwise, however, it seemed that they were being put off.\n\nIshikawa Kazumasa apologized profusely, telling the party that Ieyasu was still busy with military affairs." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The envoys grumbled at the coolness of their reception." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In response to the many gifts of friendship from the Shibata clan, the Tokugawa retainers had simply received a list of the gifts and had given no other recognition at all." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'ieyasu' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On their third day, they were granted an audience with Ieyasu.\n\nIt was the middle of a severe winter. Nevertheless, Ieyasu was sitting in a large room without even a hint of a warming fire." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He did not look to be a man who had been afflicted by hardships and reverses since his youth. The flesh of his cheeks was plump. His large earlobes gave a certain weight to his entire body, like the rings of an iron teakettle, and caused the visitors to wonder if the man could really be a great general still only forty years old." }, { "from": "human", "value": "If Kanamori had come as an envoy, he would have quickly seen that the phrase \"unwavering at the age of forty\" applied absolutely to this man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Thank you for coming all this way with so many gifts of friendship. Is Lord Katsuie in good health?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He spoke in an extremely dignified manner, and his voice overwhelmed the others, even though it was soft." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His retainers stared at the two envoys, both of whom felt like the representatives of a dependent clan bringing tribute. To relate the message from their lord now would be mortifying. But there was nothing else they could do." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Katsuie congratulates you on your conquest of the provinces of Kai and Shinano. As a token of his congratulations, he sends these gifts to you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Katsuie has sent you here to give me his congratulations at a time when we've been out of contact for so long? My goodness, how polite.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "So the envoys set out on the road home with a truly bad aftertaste in their mouths." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ieyasu had not given them any message for Katsuie." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was going to be difficult reporting to Katsuie that Ieyasu had not said a kind word about him, quite apart from reporting the cold treatment they themselves had received.\n\nParticularly galling was the fact that Ieyasu had written no reply to the warm letter Katsuie had sent. In short, it was not simply that their mission had ended in complete failure, but Katsuie seemed to have humbled himself in front of Ieyasu far more than was necessary for his own ends." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The two envoys discussed the situation with some anxiety. Naturally their enemy, Hideyoshi, featured in their somber thoughts, but so did their long-standing foes, the Uesugi. If, added to those dangers, there were the threat of discord between the Shibata and Tokugawa clans..." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They could only pray that that would not come to pass.\n\nBut the speed of change always outruns the imaginary fears of such timid people. At about the time the envoys returned to Kitanosho, the promises made the month before were broken, and just before the year's end, Hideyoshi began to move against northern Omi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the same time, for unknown reasons Ieyasu suddenly withdrew to Hamamatsu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had been about ten days since Inuchiyo had returned to Kitanosho. Katsuie's stepson, Katsutoyo, who had been forced to stay at Takaradera Castle because of illness, had finally recovered and went to take his leave of his host.\n\n\"I shall never forget your kindness,\" Katsutoyo said to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi accompanied Katsutoyo as far as Kyoto and took pains to ensure that his return journey to Nagahama Castle was comfortable." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Katsutoyo ranked with the highest in the Shibata clan, but he was shunned by Katsuie and looked down upon by the rest of the clan. Hideyoshi's kind treatment had worked a change in Katsutoyo's attitude to his stepfather's enemy.\n\nFor nearly half a month after Hideyoshi had seen off Inuchiyo and then Katsutoyo, he did not seem to be occupying himself with castle construction or events in Kyoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rather, he turned his attention to some unseen arena." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the beginning of the Twelfth Month, Hikoemon—who had been sent to Kiyosu—returned to Hideyoshi's headquarters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With that one move, Hideyoshi departed from the passive and patient period of rest he had gone through since the Kiyosu conference, and for the first time slapped down the stone on the go board of national politics, signaling a return to the active mode." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hikoemon had gone to Kiyosu to persuade Nobuo that his brother Nobutaka's secret maneuvers were more and more threatening and that Katsuie's military preparations were at present quite clear. Nobutaka had not moved Lord Samboshi to Azuchi, in breach of the treaty signed after the Kiyosu conference, but had interned him at his own castle in Gifu. That amounted to kidnapping the legitimate Oda heir." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi's petition went on to explain that in order to bring the affair to an end it would be necessary to strike at Katsuie—the ringleader of the plot and the cause of the instability—while the Shibata were unable to move because of the snow.\n\nNobuo had been disaffected from the very beginning, and it was obvious that he disliked Katsuie. Certainly he did not believe he could rely on Hideyoshi for his future, but the latter was a far better choice than Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So there was no reason for him to deny Hideyoshi's petition." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Lord Nobuo was really quite enthusiastic,\" Hikoemon reported." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He said that if you, my lord, would personally take part in a campaign against Gifu, he himself would join you. Rather than granting us the petition, he seemed to be actively encouraging us.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He was enthusiastic? Really, I can almost see him.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi pictured the pitiful scene to himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Here was the noble sire of an illustrious house but also a man whose character made him difficult to save.\n\nNevertheless, it was a piece of good luck. Before Nobunaga's death, Hideyoshi had never been the kind of man to proclaim his own aspirations or grand ideas, but after Nobunaga died—and especially after the battle at Yamazaki—he had become aware of the real possibility that he was destined to rule the nation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He no longer concealed either his self-confidence or his pride.\n\nAnd there was another remarkable change. A man who aims at becoming the ruler of the nation is usually accused of wanting to expand his own power, but recently people were beginning to treat Hideyoshi as Nobunaga's natural successor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Suddenly, very suddenly, a small army seemed to come together at the front gate of the Sokoku Temple. The soldiers arrived from the west, south, and north to gather under the standard of the golden gourds, until a fair-sized force had assembled in the center of Kyoto.\n\nIt was the seventh day of the Twelfth Month." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The morning sun shone down through a dry, sweeping wind.\n\nThe people had no idea what was going on. The great funeral service held during the Tenth Month had been conducted with magnificence and pomp." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'their'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was easy for the people to be caught up in their own petty judgments. Their expressions showed that they had fooled themselves into believing that there would not be another war for the present.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi himself is riding at the very front. The Tsutsui forces are here, and so is Lord Niwa's army.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the voices at the side of the road were puzzled about the destination of this expedition." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The meandering line of armor and helmets passed very quickly through Keage and joined the forces waiting at Yabase. The warships ferrying troops split the white waves in close formation, heading northeast, while the army taking the land route camped for three nights at Azuchi, arriving at Sawayama Castle on the tenth.\n\nOn the thirteenth Hosokawa Fujitaka and his son, Tadaoki, arrived from Tamba and immediately requested an audience with Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm glad you've come,\" Hideyoshi said warmly. \"I imagine you were troubled a good bit by the snow.\"\n\nConsidering the situation they were in, Fujitaka and his son must have spent the last six months feeling as though they were walking on thin ice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Mitsuhide and Fujitaka had been steadfast friends long before either had served Nobunaga." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tadaoki's wife was Mitsuhide's daughter. Beyond that, there were many other bonds between the retainers of the two clans. For those reasons alone, Mitsuhide had been sure that Fujitaka and his son would side with him in his rebellion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Fujitaka had not joined him. If he had allowed himself to be swayed by his own personal feelings, his clan would probably have been destroyed with the Akechi. Certainly he must have felt as though he had been balancing eggs one on top of another." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "To have acted with prudence outwardly and avoided danger within must have been painful beyond words. He had saved Tadaoki's wife, but his clemency had created internal strife within his clan.\n\nBy now Hideyoshi had absolved him and recognized the loyalty shown by the Hosokawa." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Thus they were receiving Hideyoshi's hospitality. As Hideyoshi looked at Fujitaka, he saw that his sidelocks had turned the color of frost over the last half year. Ah, this man is a master, Hideyoshi thought, and at the same time recognized that for a man to take a stand in the general trend of things and make no mistakes, he would have to whittle away at his flesh and the blackness of his hair." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In spite of himself, he felt sorry for Fujitaka every time he looked at him.\n\n\"The drum is being beaten from over the lake and from the castle town as well, and you appear to be ready to attack. I hope you will honor us by placing my son in the vanguard,\" Fujitaka began.\n\n\"Do you mean the siege of Nagahama?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "replied Hideyoshi. He seemed to be speaking off the point, but then responded in a different vein." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"We're attacking from both land and sea. But you know, the real focus of the attack is inside the castle, not outside. I'm sure Katsutoyo's retainers will come here this evening.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As Fujitaka considered Hideyoshi's words, he meditated once again on the old saying \"He who rests his men well will be able to employ them to desperate efforts.\"\n\nAs Fujitaka's son looked at Hideyoshi, he also remembered something. When the Hosokawa clan's fate had stood at a great crossroads, and its retainers had all met to deliberate a course of action, Fujitaka had spoken and directly indicated the position to take: \"In this generation, I have seen only two truly uncommon men: one of them is Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, the other is unmistakably Lord Hideyoshi.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Recalling those words now, the young man could only wonder if they were true. Was this what his father called an uncommon man? Was Hideyoshi really one of the two truly great generals of his generation?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they had withdrawn to their quarters, Tadaoki expressed his doubts.\n\n\"I guess you don't understand,\" Fujitaka mumbled in response. \"You're still lacking in experience.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Aware of Tadaoki's dissatisfied look, he guessed what was on his son's mind and said, \"The closer you get to a large mountain, the less its great size can be perceived. When you start to climb, you will not understand its size at all. When you listen and then compare everyone's comments, you can understand that most men will speak without having seen the entire mountain and, having seen only one peak or valley, will imagine they have seen everything. But they'll really be doing nothing more than making judgments on the whole while having seen only one part.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Tadaoki's mind was left with its former doubts, despite the lesson he had received. He knew, however, that his father had experienced far more of the world than he had, and so he could do nothing more than accept what his father was saying.\n\nSurprisingly enough, two days after their arrival, Nagahama Castle passed into Hideyoshi's hands without injury to a single soldier." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had been exactly as Hideyoshi had predicted to Fujitaka and his son: \"The castle will be captured from within.\"\n\nThe envoys were three of Shibata Katsutoyo's senior retainers. They brought a written pledge in which Katsutoyo and all of his retainers swore to obey and serve Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They have acted with discrimination,\" Hideyoshi said with apparent satisfaction. According to the terms of the pledge, the castle's territory would remain the same as before, and Katsutoyo would be allowed to continue as its possessor.\n\nWhen Hideyoshi gave up the castle, people commented on how quickly he had resigned himself to the loss of such a strategic location." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Retaking the castle had been executed as easily as passing something from the left hand to the right.\n\nBut even if Katsutoyo had asked for reinforcements from Echizen, they could not have come because of the heavy snows. In addition, Katsuie would only have treated him harshly, just as he had done before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When Katsutoyo had fallen ill on his mission to Hideyoshi, Katsuie had made his anger plain to the whole clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"To take advantage of Hideyoshi's hospitality under the pretense of illness, and then to return after spending several days as his guest—that man is a fool beyond words.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Reports of Katsuie's harsh words eventually reached Katsutoyo." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now, surrounded by Hideyoshi's army, Nagahama Castle was isolated, and Katsutoyo had nowhere to turn.\n\nHis senior retainers, who had already guessed his intentions, announced, \"Those retainers who have family in Echizen should go back. Those who feel like staying here with Lord Katsutoyo and aligning themselves with Lord Hideyoshi may stay. His Lordship understands, however, that many of you may feel it would be difficult to remain true to the Way of the Samurai by leaving the Shibata clan and turning your back on Lord Katsuie. Those who feel that way may withdraw without hesitation.\"\n\nFor a moment the atmosphere was filled with tension." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The men simply hung their heads in bitterness, and there were few objections." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That night sake cups were raised in an honorable separation of lord and retainers, but fewer than one out of ten returned to Echizen." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In this way Katsutoyo cut his ties with his stepfather and allied himself with Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From that time on he was officially under Hideyoshi's command, but it had only been a matter of form. Long before these events, Katsutoyo's heart had already been like a little bird being fed in Hideyoshi's cage.\n\nAt any rate, the seizure of Nagahama was now complete." }, { "from": "human", "value": "To Hideyoshi, however, it had been nothing more than a passing event on the way to Gifu—Nobutaka's main castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The pass over Fuwa was famous as a place that was difficult to cross in winter, and conditions on the plain of Sekigahara were especially severe.\n\nFrom the eighteenth to the twenty-eighth day of the Twelfth Month, Hideyoshi's army marched across Sekigahara. The army was divided into corps, and those corps were further broken down into divisions: packhorses, gunners, spearmen, mounted warriors, and foot soldiers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Defying the snow and mud, they pushed on. It took Hideyoshi's force of about thirty thousand soldiers two days to cross into Mino.\n\nThe main camp was set up at Ogaki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From there, Hideyoshi attacked and took all of the smaller castles in the area." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This was immediately reported to Nobutaka, who spent several days in complete confusion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He hardly knew what strategy to take, much less how to fight a defensive battle.\n\nNobutaka had thought only of grandiose schemes but had had no idea how to accomplish them. Until then he had allied himself to men like Katsuie and Takigawa and submitted schemes for attacking Hideyoshi, but he had never expected to be attacked by him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At his wits' end, Nobutaka left his fate to the discretion of his senior retainers. But after arriving at the current pass, they had nothing left that could be called \"discretion.\"\n\nThere was nothing the senior retainers could do but kowtow at Hideyoshi's camp just as Katsutoyo's retainers had done." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'hideyoshi' 2 time(s) throughout your message" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobutaka's mother was sent as a hostage, and his senior retainers had to send their own mothers as well.\n\nNiwa begged Hideyoshi to spare Nobutaka's life. Hideyoshi, as might be expected, pardoned him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Granting them peace for the time, he smiled at Nobutaka's senior retainers and asked, \"Has Lord Nobutaka come to his senses? It will be a blessing if he has.\"\n\nThe hostages were immediately sent to Azuchi. Immediately thereafter Samboshi, who had been kept at Gifu, was turned over to Hideyoshi and moved to Azuchi as well." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After that, Nobuo was put in charge of the young lord." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Having delivered that trust, Hideyoshi made a triumphal return to Takaradera Castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "New Year's Eve was celebrated two days after his return. Then came the first day of the eleventh year of Tensho. From morning on, sunshine glittered on the snow that had recently fallen on the trees just planted on the grounds of the renovated castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fragrance of the New Year's rice cakes drifted through the grounds, and the sound of the drum reverberated through the corridors for more than half a day." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But at noon an announcement rang out from the main citadel: \"Lord Hideyoshi is going to Himeji!\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "make story longer like Eiji Yoshikawa would. heads up: might have existing chars/lore" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi arrived at Himeji around midnight on New Year's Day." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Greeted by the flames of bonfires, he quickly entered the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The greatest joy, however, was not Hideyoshi's, but his people's, as they watched the flourish of the grand spectacle: all his retainers and their families were assembled at the main gate of the castle to welcome him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Dismounting, he handed the reins to an attendant and, for a moment, looked up at the keep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the Sixth Month of the previous summer, just before his forced march to Yamazaki and his great victory to avenge Nobunaga, he had stood at the same gate and wondered whether he would come back alive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His last orders to his retainers had been clear: \"If you hear that I have been defeated, kill my entire family and burn the castle to the ground.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now he was back in Himeji Castle, having arrived exactly at midnight on New Year's Day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If he had faltered for a moment and wasted time by thinking about his wife and mother in Nagahama, he would have been unable to fight with the desperation of a man who expects to meet his death in battle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He would have been pressed by the power of the Mori in the west and watched the Akechi grow stronger in the east." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the case of both the individual and the entire country, the border between rising and falling is always a wager based on life or death—life in the midst of death, death in the midst of life." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi, however, had not returned to rest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As soon as he entered the main citadel, and even before changing from his traveling clothes, he met with the officials of the castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He listened attentively to the report on subsequent events in the west and the situation in his various estates." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the second half of the Hour of the Rat—midnight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Although unconcerned about their own exhaustion, Hideyoshi's retainers were worried that perhaps the strain might begin to affect their lord's health." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Your honored mother and Lady Nene have been waiting for you since this evening. Why don't you go inside and show them how well you are?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi's brother-in-law Miyoshi suggested." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he walked on inside, he found his mother, wife, nieces, and sisters-in-law waiting for him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Though they had not slept at all, they greeted him in a line, kneeling with their hands to the floor." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi passed by each of their bowed heads with sparkling eyes and a smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Finally he stood before his old mother and said, \"I have a moment of leisure this New Year's and have returned to be with you for a little while.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While he was paying his respects to his mother, Hideyoshi looked the image of what she so often called him—\"that boy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "From within a large white silk hood, his mother's face beamed with a joy beyond words." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The road you have chosen was filled with extraordinary hardships,\" she said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And last year in particular was not an easy one. But you endured everything.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's been colder this winter than any other year I can remember,\" Hideyoshi said, \"but you look very well, Mother.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"They say that age is something that slips up on you, and somehow I've already gone past my seventieth year. I've lived a long life—much longer than I expected. Never did I think I would live this long.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, no. You have to live until you're a hundred. As you can see, I'm still a boy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're going to be forty-six this New Year's,\" the old lady said with a laugh." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How can you say you're still a boy?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But, Mother, aren't you the one who's always calling me 'that boy' from morning to night?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That's just a habit, you know.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, I hope you'll always call me that. To confess the truth, even though I keep getting older, the development of my mind just can't keep up with the years. More than that, Mother, if you weren't here I'd lose my greatest motivation and might stop growing altogether.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Miyoshi, who had appeared behind him, saw that Hideyoshi was still there, engrossed in conversation with his mother." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Surprised, he said, \"Haven't you taken off your traveling clothes yet, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Ah, Miyoshi. Why don't you sit down?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 2 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'd like to, but why don't you take a bath first?\"\n\n\"Yes, you're right. Lead on, Nene.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi was surprised at the cock's crow. He had spent most of the night talking and had only slept for a short while. At dawn, Hideyoshi put on a ceremonial hat and kimono and went to pray at the castle shrine. He then ate rice cakes and soup in Nene's room. After that he went to the main citadel. Today, the second day of the new year, the line of people who had come up to the castle to wish him New Year's greetings seemed endless.\n\nHideyoshi greeted each one of them, offering each a cup of sake. The well-wishers then walked by any number of groups of preceding visitors, their faces bright and cheerful. Passing through the main and west citadels, one could see that every room was filled with guests—here was a group chanting Noh verses, there was a group reciting poetry. Even after noon, more well-wishers came before Hideyoshi.\n\nHideyoshi took care of all business in Himeji until the fifth, and that evening he startled his retainers by announcing that he would be leaving for Kyoto on the following day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They rushed to get things ready in time. They had thought that he would be staying in Himeji until the middle of the month, and indeed until noon Hideyoshi had showed no inclination to leave at all.\n\nIt was only much later that people understood the motives behind his actions. Hideyoshi moved quickly and never lost an opportunity.\n\nSeki Morinobu commanded Kameyama Castle in Ise. Although nominally one of Nobutaka's retainers, he was now on friendly terms with Hideyoshi. During the holidays, Seki came to Himeji in secret to offer his congratulations for the New Year.\n\nAs he was congratulating Hideyoshi, a messenger arrived from Ise. Seki's castle had been seized by Nobutaka's leading supporter, Takigawa Kazumasu.\n\nHideyoshi left Himeji without a moment's delay. He reached Takaradera Castle that evening, entered Kyoto on the seventh, arrived at Azuchi on the following day, and had an audience with the three-year-old Samboshi on the ninth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have just now asked Lord Samboshi for permission to subdue Takigawa Kazumasu,\" Hideyoshi said to Seki and the other lords as he walked into the hall, almost as if he had kicked a ball into their midst. \"Katsuie is behind this. So what we have to do is conquer Ise before Katsuie's soldiers are able to move.\"\n\nHideyoshi issued a proclamation from Azuchi. It was circulated widely in his domains, as well as to the generals in those areas friendly to him, and called for all just warriors to gather at Azuchi. How pitiful for the creator of the blind strategy that inspired that proclamation. There in Kitanosho, married to the beautiful Lady Oichi and surrounded by deep snow, Shibata Katsuie waited vainly for nature to take its course.\n\nIf only the spring sun would come and melt the snow. But the snow walls that had seemed to him an impenetrable defense were crumbling even before the advent of spring.\n\nKatsuie was shaken by blow after blow: the fall of Gifu Castle, the revolt in Nagahama, Nobutaka's surrender. And now Hideyoshi was going to attack Ise. Katsuie felt he could neither leave nor sit still." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the snow on his borders was as deep as on the mountain passes of Szechuan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neither soldiers nor military supplies would be able to cross them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had no need to worry about an attack from Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He would march forward the day that the snow melted, but who could tell when that would be?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The snow seemed to have become a protective wall for the enemy." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'katsuie' appears 4 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kazumasu is a veteran, too, Katsuie thought, but taking the little castles at Kameyama and Mine was a careless movement of soldiers without much regard for timing. That was stupid. Katsuie was furious.\n\nAlthough his own strategy was riddled with faults, he criticized the actions of Takigawa Kazumasu, who had attacked too early.\n\nBut even if Kazumasu had abided by Katsuie's plans and waited for the snows to melt, Hideyoshi—who had already seen through the enemy's intentions—would not have spared them the time. In a word, Hideyoshi had outwitted Katsuie. He had seen what was in Katsuie's heart from the time the man had sent envoys for peace talks.\n\nKatsuie was not simply going to take all that sitting down. Twice he sent out messengers: first to the ex-shogun Yoshiaki, asking him to encourage the Mori to attack from the western provinces; then to Tokugawa Ieyasu.\n\nBut on the eighteenth day of the First Month, Ieyasu, for reasons unknown, met secretly with Nobunaga's eldest son, Nobuo. Ieyasu had been professing strict neutrality, so what was his plan now? And why was a man of such cunning meeting with one entirely lacking in that quality?" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ieyasu had invited Nobuo, who was timidly being swept along in the violent tide of the times, to his own private quarters. There he favored that frail man with entertainment and secret conversations. Ieyasu treated Nobuo exactly as an adult would treat a child, and whatever conclusions the two reached remained secret. At any rate, Nobuo returned to Kiyosu delighted. His appearance was that of a commoner very pleased with himself, and there was also something of a guilty conscience about him. He seemed extremely hesitant to look Hideyoshi in the eye.\n\nAnd where was Hideyoshi on the eighteenth day of the First Month? What was he doing? Accompanied by only a few trusted retainers, he had wound around the northern part of Lake Biwa, stealthily traversing the mountainous area on the border of Omi and Echizen.\n\nAs Hideyoshi toured the mountain villages and high ground, which were still under deep snow, he pointed out strategic places with his bamboo staff and gave out orders as he walked.\n\n\"Is that Mount Tenjin? Build some ramparts there, too. And construct some right away on that mountain over there as well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the seventh day of the Second Month, Hideyoshi sent a letter from Kyoto addressed to the Uesugi, proposing an alliance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The reason was not complicated. The Shibata and the Uesugi had continually fought bloody battles over a number of years, now taking land from one another, now losing it. It was likely that Katsuie would now be thinking about mending those old grudges so that he could concentrate all of his strength on the confrontation with Hideyoshi. But his stubbornness and pride made it unlikely that he would succeed in carrying off so subtle a strategy.\n\nTwo days after sending the letter to the Uesugi in the north, Hideyoshi announced his army's departure for Ise. He divided his forces into three corps, which advanced along three different routes.\n\nWith war cries, under clouds of banners and drums, their march shook the mountains and ridges. All three armies crossed the central mountain range of Omi and Ise and regrouped in the areas of Kuwana and Nagashima. That was where Takigawa Kazumasu was to be found.\n\n\"First let's see what battle formation Hideyoshi chooses,\" Kazumasu said when he heard that the enemy was approaching. He was fully confident of his own ability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was a matter of timing, and he had misjudged the moment to begin hostilities." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The treaty between Katsuie, Nobutaka, and Kazumasu had been kept secret even from their own advisers, but now the fuse had been blindly ignited because Kazumasu had been so eager for an opportunity. Dispatches were sent to Gifu and Echizen. Leaving two thousand soldiers in Nagashima Castle, Kazumasu himself went to Kuwana Castle.\n\nThe castle was protected on one side by the sea and on the other by the hills around the castle town, and it was easier to defend than Nagashima. Even so, Kazumasu's strategy was not simply to retreat to this narrow strip of land. Hideyoshi would have to divide his sixty-thousand-man army to attack Gifu, Nagashima, and Kuwana, as well as the various other castles in the area, so even if his main army attacked, it would not be with overwhelming strength.\n\nOn the one hand, he had heard that the enemy army was impressive in its numbers, but on the other, he knew that its soldiers would be taking the roads over the peaks of the Owari-Kai mountain range. It was obvious that the supply train carrying the munitions and provisions would be very long.\n\nWith that in mind, Kazumasu believed that destroying Hideyoshi would be no difficult task at all. Draw him in, attack mercilessly, watch for the opportunity to get Nobutaka on his feet again, unite with the soldiers in Gifu, and destroy Nagahama.\n\nContrary to Kazumasu's expectations, Hideyoshi had not bothered to take the small castles, but had decided to attack the enemy's main stronghold." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'Katsuie's patience has finally broken. Instead of waiting for the thaw, he has engaged twenty or thirty thousand coolies to clear the snow from the road.' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that moment, urgent messages began to come to Hideyoshi from Nagahama, Sawayama, and Azuchi. The situation was not an easy one; the clouds and surging tides that covered the world changed with every passing day.\n\nThe first dispatch read: \"The vanguard of Echizen has passed through Yanagase. A part of it will soon be invading northern Omi.\"\n\nThe next courier bore a similar message: \"Katsuie's patience has finally broken. Instead of waiting for the thaw, he has engaged twenty or thirty thousand coolies to clear the snow from the road.\"\n\nYet a third messenger reported how critical the situation was: \"It is probable that the Shibata forces left Kitanosho around the second day of the Third Month. By the fifth, the vanguard had advanced as far as Yanagase in Omi. By the seventh, one division was threatening our positions on Mount Tenjin, while other divisions set fire to the villages of Imaichi, Yogo, and Sakaguchi. The main army of twenty thousand men under the command of Shibata Katsuie and Maeda Inuchiyo is steadily advancing southward.\"\n\n\"Strike camp immediately,\" Hideyoshi ordered. And then, \"On to northern Omi.\"\n\nLeaving the Ise campaign to Nobuo and Ujisato, Hideyoshi turned his army toward Omi. On the sixteenth he reached Nagahama, and on the seventeenth his troops were snaking their way along the lakeside road that led to northern Omi. He himself rode on horseback. The spring breeze played on his face as he rode beneath the commander's standard of the golden gourds." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the border of Omi in the mountainous area of Yanagase, the fresh snow lay in pleats and folds." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The wind blowing over the area and swooping down on the lake from the north was still cold enough to redden the noses of the warriors. At dusk the army divided to take up positions. The soldiers could almost smell the enemy. And yet not a single column of smoke from an enemy campfire, or a single enemy soldier, could be seen.\n\nBut the officers pointed out the enemy positions to their men. \"There are Shibata units along the base of Mount Tenjin and in the area of Tsubakizaka. There is also a large division of the enemy stationed in the areas of Kinomoto, Imaichi, and Sakaguchi, so stay on your guard, even when you sleep.\"\n\nBut the white mist trailed into camp, ushering in an evening so peaceful it could hardly be imagined that the world was at war.\n\nSuddenly, sporadic gunfire was heard in the distance—all from Hideyoshi's side. Not a single shot was returned throughout the night. Was the enemy asleep?\n\nAt dawn the gunners who had been sent to test out the enemy's front line pulled back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi ordered the commanders of the musket corps to report to his headquarters, where he listened carefully to their reports of the enemy positions.\n\n\"Have you seen any trace of Sassa Narimasa's troops?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\nHideyoshi wanted to be sure, but all three commanders answered in the same way. \"The banners of Sassa Narimasa are nowhere to be seen.\"\n\nHideyoshi nodded, acknowledging that it might be true. Even if Katsuie had come, he would be unable to do so without anxiety because of the Uesugi at his rear. Hideyoshi could imagine that Sassa had been left behind for precisely that reason.\n\nThe order to eat breakfast was issued. The rations carried during a campaign were unpolished rice balls packed with bean paste and wrapped in oak leaves. Hideyoshi talked with his pages while chewing his rice noisily. Before he had eaten half of it, the others had finished." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't you chew your food?\" he asked.\n\n\"Aren't you just a slow eater, my lord?\" the pages answered. \"It's our custom to eat quickly and shit quickly.\"\n\n\"That's a good way to be,\" Hideyoshi replied. \"Shitting quickly is good, I guess, but you all should try to eat like Sakichi.\"\n\nThe pages looked at Sakichi. Like Hideyoshi, Sakichi had eaten only half of his rice and was chewing it as carefully as an old lady.\n\n\"I'll tell you why,\" Hideyoshi continued. \"It's all right to eat quickly on days when there's going to be a fight, but it's different when you're besieged in a castle and there are limited provisions that you have to stretch out for the day. At that time you'll be able to see the wisdom of eating slowly both in the well-being of the castle and in your own health. Also, when you're deep in the mountains and plan to hold out for a long time without provisions, you may have to chew on anything—roots or leaves—just to satisfy your stomach. Chewing well is an everyday matter, and if you don't get into the habit you won't be able to do it voluntarily when the time comes.\" Suddenly getting up from his camp stool, he waved them along. \"Come on. Let's go climb Mount Fumuro.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mount Fumuro is one of a cluster of mountains at the northern edge of two lakes—the smaller Lake Yogo and the larger Lake Biwa. From the village of Fumuro at its foot to its summit is a height of almost eight hundred meters and a walking distance of over two leagues. If the traveler wanted to climb its steep slope, he would have to plan on taking at least half a day.\n\n\"He's leaving!\"\n\n\"Where's he going so suddenly?\"\n\nThe warriors guarding Hideyoshi noticed the retreating figures of the pages and ran after them. They could see Hideyoshi happily walking on ahead, grasping a bamboo staff, and looking for all the world as if he were off on a hawking expedition.\n\n\"Are you going to climb the mountain, my lord?\"\n\nHideyoshi pointed halfway up the slope with his staff.\n\n\"Right. Up to about there.\"\n\nWhen they had climbed about a third of the way up the mountain, they came to a small area of level ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi stood looking around, as the wind cooled the sweat on his forehead." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "From his position he had a bird's-eye view of the area from Yanagase to the lower Yogo. The road to the northern provinces, which wound its way through the mountains and connected several villages, looked like a single ribbon.\n\n\"Which one is Mount Nakao?\"\n\n\"That's it over there.\"\n\nHideyoshi looked in the direction in which the warrior was pointing. That was the enemy's main camp. A large number of banners followed the lines of the mountain and continued down to its base. There a single army corps could be recognized. But if one looked further, one could see that the banners belonging to the forces of the north filled the mountains in the distance and occupied the strategic areas on peaks closer at hand and all along the road. It was just as though some military expert had made that piece of heaven and earth his base and was trying his hand at a tremendous expansion of his formation. There were no cracks or spaces in the subtlety of the arrangement or in the strategy of the positioning of troops." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The grandeur with which they showed themselves ready to swallow the enemy was beyond words.\n\nHideyoshi silently looked out over the scene. He then looked back toward Katsuie's main camp on Mount Nakao and gazed fixedly at it for a long time.\n\nLooking closely, he could see a group of men working like ants on the southern face of the main camp area on Mount Nakao. And not in just one or two places. He could detect activity in all of the slightly elevated locations.\n\n\"Well, it looks like Katsuie intends to make this a long campaign.\"\n\nHideyoshi had the answer. The enemy was building fortifications at the southern end of the main camp. The entire battle array, which spread out like a fan from the central army, had been positioned with great care. It would make a steady, carefully controlled advance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no sign of preparations for a surprise attack." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi could read the enemy's plan." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'tadaoki' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In a word, Katsuie intended to keep him pinned down here to give his allies in Ise and Mino the time to prepare for a combined offensive from the front and rear.\n\n\"Let's go back,\" Hideyoshi said, and started off. \"Isn't there another way down?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord,\" a page answered proudly.\n\nThey came to an allied camp just between Mount Tenjin and Ikenohara. From the banners, they knew it was Hosokawa Tadaoki's post.\n\n\"I'm thirsty,\" Hideyoshi said after presenting himself at the gate.\n\nTadaoki and his retainers thought that Hideyoshi was conducting a surprise inspection.\n\n\"No,\" Hideyoshi explained, \"I'm just on my way back from Mount Fumuro. But since I'm here...\" As Hideyoshi stood before Tadaoki, he drank some water and gave orders: \"Strike camp immediately and go home. Then take all of the warships docked at Miyazu in Tango and attack the enemy coast.\"\n\nHideyoshi had conceived of the idea of a navy when he was climbing the mountain. The plan did not seem to have anything to do with what he was involved with at the time, but that kind of discrepancy was, perhaps, peculiar to his way of thinking." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His thought processes were not limited by what he saw in front of him.\n\nAfter half a day of military observations, Hideyoshi had almost completely determined his strategy. That night he summoned all of the generals to his headquarters and told them what he was going to do: because the enemy was preparing for extended hostilities, Hideyoshi's forces would also construct a number of ramparts and prepare for protracted hostilities.\n\nThe construction of a chain of fortresses was begun. The engineering was on a grand scale—geared to encourage morale. Hideyoshi's decision to begin building right in front of the enemy, at a time when a decisive battle seemed imminent, could be called either reckless or courageous. It could easily have lost him the war. But he was willing to take that chance in order to connect himself to the people of the province.\n\nThe fighting style of Nobunaga had been characterized by an irresistible force; it was said that \"where Nobunaga advances, the grasses and trees wither.\" But Hideyoshi's fighting style was different. Where he advanced, where he made his camp, he naturally drew people to him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Winning over the local people was an important matter to attend to before ever trying to defeat the enemy.\n\nStrict military discipline is vital, but even on days when blood seemed to flow, there was something of a spring breeze wherever Hideyoshi set up his camp stool. Someone even wrote: \"Where Hideyoshi lives, the spring wind blows.\"\n\nThe lines of fortresses were to run through two areas. The first ran from Kitayama in Nakanogo, along the route to the northern provinces through Mount Higashino, Mount Dangi, and Mount Shinmei; the second went along Mount Iwasaki, Mount Okami, Shizugatake, Mount Tagami, and Kinomoto. Such a huge undertaking would require tens of thousands of laborers.\n\nHideyoshi recruited the men from the province of Nagahama. He had signposts advertising the work raised in the areas especially devastated by war. The mountains were filled with refugees. Lumber was cut, roads were opened, fortifications were constructed everywhere, and it was easy to believe that a line of fortresses would spring up overnight. But the construction work was not so easy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A single fort required a watchtower and barracks, and also moats and ramparts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Three wooden palisades were set up, while huge rocks and trees were stockpiled directly above the road that the enemy would most likely take to attack.\n\nBoth a trench and a palisade connected the area between Mount Higashino and Mount Dangi, which was the zone most likely to be used as the battlefield. The excavation for this alone was daunting, but the necessary work was completed in only twenty days. Women and children participated in the effort.\n\nThe Shibata conducted night raids and played petty tricks and were able to impede progress, but seeming to realize that they were having no real success against men who were constantly prepared, they became as quiet as the mountain itself.\n\nIt was almost uncanny. Why didn't they just make their move? But Hideyoshi understood. His constant thought—that his adversary was a strong old veteran and not an easy mark—was reflected in Katsuie's mind as well. But there were other important reasons.\n\nKatsuie's military preparations were already complete, but he felt that the time was not yet ripe to mobilize the allies he held in reserve.\n\nThose allies were, of course, the forces of Nobutaka in Gifu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once Nobutaka was able to move, Takigawa Kazumasu would also be able to attack from Kuwana Castle." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, for the first time, Katsuie's plans could be transformed into an effective strategy.\n\nKatsuie knew that if it were not done in that way, victory would not easily be achieved. That was how he had secretly and quite anxiously calculated the situation from the very beginning. The calculation itself was based on the comparative strengths of Hideyoshi's provinces and his own.\n\nAt that time, given Hideyoshi's sudden popularity and power after the Battle of Yamazaki, the allies he could count on were the provinces of Harima, Tajima, Settsu, Tango, Yamato, and a few others, for a total a military strength of sixty-seven thousand soldiers. If the soldiers of Owari, Ise, Iga, and Bizen were added to that, the total would be about one hundred thousand.\n\nKatsuie could bring together the main strength of Echizen, Noto, Oyama, Ono, Matsuto, and Toyama. That would mean a force of perhaps no more than forty-five thousand men. If, however, he added Nobutaka's Mino and Ise and Kazumasu's provincial strength, he would have a military force of close to sixty-two thousand men, a number with which he could almost compete with the enemy." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The man appeared to be a traveling monk, but walked with the gait of a fighting man. Right now he was climbing the Shufukuji road.\n\n\"Where are you going!\" the Shibata guard challenged.\n\n\"It's me,\" the priest replied, pushing back his monk's hood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sentries signaled to the palisade behind them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the wooden gate was huddled yet another party of men. The monk approached the officer and said a few words. There appeared to be some confusion for a few moments, but then the officer himself led out a horse and handed the priest the reins.\n\nMount Yukiichi was the encampment of Sakuma Genba and his younger brother, Yasumasa. The man dressed as a priest was Mizuno Shinroku, a retainer of Yasumasa." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been entrusted with a secret message, and was now kneeling in front of his lord, inside his headquarters." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How did it go? Good or bad news?\" Yasumasa asked impatiently." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Everything is arranged,\" Shinroku replied.\n\n\"Were you able to meet him? Did everything go well?\"\n\n\"The enemy already has strict lookouts, but I was able to meet with Lord Shogen.\"\n\n\"What are his intentions?\"\n\n\"I have them written down in a letter.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He looked inside his wickerwork hat and tore off the joint of the hat's cord." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A letter that had been pasted underneath fell onto his lap. Shinroku straightened out the creases and put the letter into his lord's hand.\n\nYasumasa studied the envelope for some time.\n\n\"Yes, this is definitely Shogen's handwriting, but it's addressed to my brother. Come with me. We'll go see my brother right now and notify the main camp at Mount Nakao.\"\n\nLord and retainer went out through the palisade and climbed to the peak of Mount Yukiichi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The arrangement of men and horses, the palisade gates and the barracks became progressively tighter and more controlled as they reached the top. Finally the main citadel, which looked like a castle, came into view, and they could see innumerable curtained enclosures spread over the peak.\n\n\"Tell my brother that I am here.\" As Yasumasa spoke to the guard, one of Genba's retainers came running up.\n\n\"I'm afraid Lord Genba is not in his quarters, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Has he gone to Mount Nakao?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, he's over there.\"\n\nLooking in the direction in which the retainer was pointing, he saw his brother, Genba, sitting with five or six warriors and pages on the grass beyond the main citadel. It was difficult to see what they were doing.\n\nWhen he came closer, he could see that Genba was having one of the pages hold a mirror while another held a basin. There, under a blue sky, he was shaving as though he had no other care in the world." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was the twelfth day of the Fourth Month." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Precise word count needed: 'brother' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Summer had already come, and in the castle towns on the plains, the heat could be felt. But in the mountains, spring was now at its height.\n\nYasumasa walked over and knelt on the grass.\n\n\"Well, brother?\" Genba looked at him out of the corner of his eye, but continued to thrust out his chin in front of the mirror until he was finally finished shaving. Only after the razor was put away and the shaved hair was washed from his face with the water in the basin did he turn completely to face his little brother." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What is it, Yasumasa?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Would you have all the pages withdraw, please?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why don't we go back to my quarters?\"\n\n\"No, no. This is really the best place for a secret discussion.\"\n\n\"You think so? All right.\" Turning to his pages, Genba ordered them to withdraw some distance.\n\nThe pages took the mirror and basin and left." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The samurai also withdrew." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The Sakuma brothers remained facing each other on the top of the mountain. One other man was there—Mizuno Shinroku, who had come along with Yasumasa.\n\nIn accordance with his position, Shinroku was still at a distance, prostrating himself toward his two superiors.\n\nAt that point Genba noticed him. \"Shinroku has returned, has he?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He has and he reports that everything went smoothly. His errand seems to have been successful.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sure it wasn't easy. Well, what about Shogen's reply?\"\n\n\"Here is Shogen's letter.\"\n\nGenba opened the letter as soon as he held it in his hand. An open pleasure filled his eyes and hung on the corners of his mouth. What kind of secret success could have made him so happy?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "His shoulders shook almost uncontrollably." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Shinroku, come a little closer. You're too far away over there.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"According to Shogen's letter, it appears that the real details were entrusted to you. Tell me everything Shogen had to say.\"\n\n\"Lord Shogen said that both he and Lord Ogane had had differences of opinion with their lord, Katsutoyo, even before Nagahama changed sides. Hideyoshi knew that and though they have been put in charge of the fortresses at Mount Dangi and Mount Shinmei, they are under the watchful eye of Hideyoshi's trusted retainer, Kimura Hayato. They can hardly make a move.\"\n\n\"But both Shogen and Ogane intend to escape and come here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They plan to kill Kimura Hayato tomorrow morning, and then bring their men over to our side.\"\n\n\"If this is going to happen tomorrow morning, there's no time to lose. Send out a force to them,\" Genba ordered Yasumasa. He then interrogated Shinroku once again. \"Some reports say that Hideyoshi is in his main camp, while others claim that he is in Nagahama. Do you know where he is?\"\n\nShinroku admitted that he did not." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For the Shibata side, the question of whether Hideyoshi was at the front or at Nagahama was an extremely important one.\n\nWithout knowing where he was, the Shibata were uncertain how to proceed. Katsuie's strategy was not for a single frontal attack. He had been waiting quite some time for the opportunity to have Nobutaka's Gifu army spring into action. Takigawa Kazumasu's forces could then initiate their attack, and together the two armies of Mino and Ise would threaten Hideyoshi's rear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that point Katsuie's main force of twenty thousand men could rush in and drive Hideyoshi into a corner at Nagahama.\n\nKatsuie had already received a letter from Nobutaka to that effect. If Hideyoshi was at Nagahama, he would quickly catch wind of such operations and see to it that both Gifu and Yanagase were ready. If Hideyoshi was now on the front lines, Katsuie would have to be fully ready, for the time for Nobutaka's uprising was now.\n\nBut before any of those plans could be carried out, the Shibata had to pin down Hideyoshi to create the right circumstances for Nobutaka to move." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That one point remains unclear,\" Genba said again. There was no doubt that during the long period of waiting, which had lasted for more than a month, he was becoming more and more depressed. \"Well, we succeeded in luring Shogen, and we should rejoice in that alone. Lord Katsuie must be informed immediately. We will wait for Shogen's signal tomorrow.\"\n\nYasumasa and Shinroku left first and returned to their own camp. Genba called over a page to bring him his favorite horse." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Accompanied by ten warriors, he left immediately for the main camp on Mount Nakao." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The newly built road between Mount Yukiichi and the main camp at Nakao was about four yards wide and meandered along for over two leagues, along the ridgeline of the mountains. The spring greenery of the mountains filled the warriors' eyes, and as Genba whipped his horse along, even he was overcome by a poetic sentiment.\n\nThe main camp at Mount Nakao was surrounded by several palisades. Each time Genba approached a gate, he would simply give his name and ride through, looking down at the guards from his saddle.\n\nBut just as he was about to ride through the gate to the main citadel, the commander of the guards called out abruptly and challenged him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait! Where are you going?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba turned around and stared at the man.\n\n\"Ah, is that you, Menju? I've come to see my uncle. Is he in his quarters or at staff headquarters?\"\n\nMenju frowned, walked around in front of Genba, and said angrily, \"Dismount first, please.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"This gate is very close to Lord Katsuie's headquarters. It doesn't make any difference who you are or how much of a hurry you're in, it is not permitted to ride in on horseback.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You dare say that to me, Menju?\" Genba said angrily, but according to military discipline he could not really refuse. Instead he dismounted as Menju had required him to do and barked, \"Where's my uncle?\"\n\n\"He's in the middle of a military conference.\"\n\n\"Who's attending?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Haigo, Lord Osa, Lord Hara, Lord Asami, and Lord Katsutoshi.\"\n\n\"If that's so, it'll be all right if I join them.\"\n\n\"No, I'll announce you.\"\n\n\"That won't be necessary.\"\n\nGenba pushed his way through." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Menju watched him as he walked off." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A look of misery clouded his face. The challenge he had thrown out just now, at the risk of his own reputation, was not simply for the sake of military law. He had been secretly trying to get Genba to reflect on his attitude for some time.\n\nThe attitude shown in the proud manner Genba usually displayed was connected with his uncle's favoritism. When he observed how the lord of Kitanosho acted with biased blind love toward his nephew, Menju could not help feeling uneasy about the future." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the very least, he felt that it was not right for Genba to be calling the commander-in-chief \"uncle.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Genba paid no attention to such matters as Menju's unhappy thoughts. He now walked directly into his uncle's headquarters, ignoring the other retainers there, and whispered to his uncle, \"When you're finished, I have a private matter to discuss with you.\"\n\nKatsuie quickly ended the conference. After the generals had all withdrawn, he leaned from his camp stool and spoke excitedly with his nephew. After giving a self-satisfied laugh, Genba silently showed Shogen's answer as though he knew it would give Katsuie great pleasure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie was immensely pleased." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The plot that he had conceived and asked Genba to put into effect was working. On that account alone, the happiness of having seen everything go according to plan was greater for him than for anyone. He, in particular, had the reputation for loving intrigue, and as he read Shogen's reply he was so happy that he was almost drooling.\n\nThe aim of the plot was to weaken the enemy from within. From Katsuie's point of view, the presence of men like Shogen and Ogane in Hideyoshi's army provided opportunities for hatching plot after plot." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The twelfth day of the month, midnight." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bonfires were smoldering, and the only sound to be heard in the mist-shrouded mountain camp was the soughing of the pine trees.\n\n\"Open the gate!\" someone called out in a hushed voice, knocking repeatedly on the wooden gate of the palisade.\n\nThe small fort on Motoyama had formerly been Shogen's headquarters, but Hideyoshi had replaced him with Kimura Hayato." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Who is it?\" the sentry asked, peering through the palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A solitary figure was standing outside in the dark. \"Call Commander Osaki,\" the figure said.\n\n\"First tell me who you are and where you've come from.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The man outside did not reply for a moment. A misty rain was falling, and the sky was the color of India ink. \"That's something I can't tell you. I must speak with Osaki Uemon, here at the palisade. Just tell him that.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Friend or foe?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Friend, of course! Do you think an enemy could have come up this far so easily? Are your guards that careless? If this were some enemy plot, would I be knocking at the gate?\"\n\nThe man's explanation seemed reasonable. The guard nodded and went to fetch Osaki." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What is it?\" Osaki asked.\n\n\"Are you Commander Osaki?\"\n\n\"Yes, I am. What do you want?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Weave this into your narrative: \"What business do you have here in the middle of the night?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My name is Nomura Shojiro, and I am a retainer of Lord Katsutoyo, presently in the service of Lord Shogen.\"\n\n\"What business do you have here in the middle of the night?\"\n\n\"I have to speak to Lord Hayato at once. I know this must sound suspicious, but I have something of great importance that I must tell him immediately.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Can't you tell me and let me relay the message?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I must speak with him in person. As a sign of my good faith, I'll entrust these to you,\" Nomura said, removing his swords and handing them through the palisade to Osaki.\n\nOsaki realized Nomura was genuine and opened the gate, then led him to Hayato's quarters. It was a wartime camp, and there was really no difference in the security measures, night or day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The place Nomura was led to was called the main citadel, but it was really just a hut, and Hayato's living quarters were little more than a board fence.\n\nHayato came in and quietly sat down. \"What do you have to say?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he asked, looking directly at Nomura. Possibly because of the lamplight shining from the side, Hayato's face looked extremely pale.\n\n\"I believe you have been invited to attend a tea ceremony tomorrow morning at Lord Shogen's camp on Mount Shinmei.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A questioning look burned in Nomura's eyes, and the weird quiet of the night gave a faint shiver to the man's voice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both Hayato and Osaki experienced an uncanny sensation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That's right,\" Hayato answered." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/insert_quote: \"Have you already agreed to attend, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Have you already agreed to attend, my lord?\"\n\n\"Yes. Since he went to the trouble of sending me an invitation, I sent a messenger back with my acceptance.\"\n\n\"When did you send the messenger, my lord?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'trick' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"About noon today.\"\n\n\"Then that must be exactly the trick I thought it was!\"\n\n\"Trick?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'shibata' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You must on no account go tomorrow morning. The tea ceremony is a ploy. Shogen is planning to murder you. He has already met with a secret messenger from the Shibata and sent a written pledge to them. Make no mistake, his plan is first to kill you and then to raise the banner of rebellion.\"\n\n\"How did you find this out?\"\n\n\"The day before yesterday, Shogen summoned three Buddhist priests from the nearby Shufuku Temple to perform a memorial service for his ancestors. I had seen one of those men before, and he was without doubt a Shibata samurai. I was surprised, and sure enough, after the service, he complained of stomach pains and remained at the camp after the other two had left. He left the next morning, saying that he was returning to the Shufuku Temple, but just to make sure I had one of my retainers follow him. Just as I had thought, he did not return to the Shufuku Temple at all, but instead ran straight to Sakuma Genba's camp.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hayato nodded as though he did not need to hear any more. \"I appreciate your warning. Lord Hideyoshi did not trust Shogen nor Ogane, and said that we should be wary of them. Their treachery has become clear. What do you think we should do, Osaki?\"\n\nOsaki drew closer and offered his thoughts." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nomura's ideas were considered as well, and a plan was conceived on the spot." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Osaki sent messengers to Nagahama.\n\nIn the meantime, Hayato wrote a letter and entrusted it to Osaki. It was a short note to Shogen, explaining that he could not attend the tea ceremony because of ill health." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the day dawned, Osaki took the letter and went to call on Shogen at Mount Shinmei.\n\nThe custom of that time was to hold frequent tea ceremonies in camp. Everything, of course, was prepared with simplicity—the tea room was only a temporary shelter with rough plaster walls, reed mats, and a vase containing wild flowers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The purpose of the tea ceremony was to cultivate the inner strength needed to endure the fatigue of a long campaign." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Early that morning Shogen had swept the dewy ground and set the coals in the hearth. Soon Ogane and Kinoshita arrived. Both of them were retainers of Shibata Katsutoyo." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'taken' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shogen had taken them into his confidence, and they had taken a solemn oath to act with him.\n\n\"Hayato's late, isn't he?\" Ogane commented.\n\nSomewhere a rooster crowed, and the guests both looked nervous." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shogen, however, acted as a host should and stayed perfectly calm." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"He'll be here soon enough,\" he said confidently.\n\nOf course, the man they were waiting for never came; instead a page appeared with the letter Hayato had entrusted to Osaki.\n\nThe three men looked at one another." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about the messenger?\" Shogen asked." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The page replied that the man had left immediately upon delivering the letter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The same anxious look darkened the faces of the three men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No matter how brave they were, they could not feel at ease, knowing that their treachery might have been exposed.\n\n\"How could it have leaked out?\" Ogane asked.\n\nEven their mumbling sounded like complaints." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Now that the plot had been exposed, the tea ceremony was forgotten, and their thoughts turned to making good their own escape." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both Ogane and Kinoshita appeared as though they could hardly bear to stay there a moment longer.\n\n\"There's nothing we can do after this.\" As that lament escaped Shogen's lips, the other two men felt as though they had been struck in the chest." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Mandatory: Your text must contain 'letter' 2 times exactly" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shogen, however, glared at them as if he were telling them to keep their heads.\n\n\"The two of you should take your men and go as quickly as possible to Ikenohara. Wait there near the big pine tree. I'm going to send a letter to Nagahama. Then I'll follow you right away.\"\n\n\"To Nagahama? What sort of letter?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My mother, wife, and children are still in the castle. I can escape, but my mother and the others will certainly be held hostage if we wait too long.\"\n\n\"I suspect you're too late. Do you really think there's still time?\"\n\n\"What am I going to do? Just abandon them there? Ogane, pass me that inkstone over there.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shogen began to run his brush rapidly over the sheet of paper. Just then, one of his retainers came in to report that Nomura Shojiro had disappeared.\n\nShogen threw down his brush in disgust." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It was him, then. I've been negligent about that fool for some time. He'll pay for this.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He glared as though he were giving someone the evil eye, and the hand that held the letter addressed to his wife began to shake.\n\n\"Ippeita!\" he shrieked.\n\nThe man quickly appeared." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Take a horse and hurry to Nagahama. Find my family and put them on a boat. Don't even think about saving their possessions; just scull across the lake to Lord Katsuie's camp. I'm relying on you. Go immediately, and don't waste a single moment,\" he ordered." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Almost before he finished speaking, Shogen had fastened the bindings on his armor. Holding a long spear, he ran out of the building. Ogane and Kinoshita both quickly gathered their men and went down the mountain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At about that time the dawn was turning white, and Hayato had sent out his forces. When the men led by Ogane and Kinoshita reached the foot of the mountain, they were ambushed by Osaki. Those who survived the attack tried to flee to the big pine tree in Ikenohara where they would wait for Shogen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But Hayato's men had gone around the northern end of Mount Dangi and cut off their escape by that road. Encircled this time, almost all of them were annihilated.\n\nShogen was only one step behind them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He, too, fled in that direction with a few men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He wore his helmet with deer antlers and his black leather armor and carried his long spear under his arm as he rode. He truly looked like a warrior ready to cut through the wind and the bravest of Katsutoyo's retainers, but he had already strayed from the Way of the Samurai, and the sounds of righteousness and lofty ideals were lacking in the galloping of his horse's hooves.\n\nSuddenly he was surrounded by Hayato's troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't let the traitor get away!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "They heaped abuse on Shogen, but he fought as though he was not afraid to die." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Carving out a road of blood as he passed, he finally escaped from the iron cage." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Whipping his horse at full speed for about two leagues, he soon joined up with Yasumasa's army, which had been waiting since the night before. Had the assassination of Hayato been a success, the two fortresses on Motoyama would have been attacked and taken at the appearance of Shogen's signal fires. But the plan had not gone as expected, and Shogen had barely escaped with his life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he listened to the way events had turned out from his brother Yasumasa, Genba looked disgusted. \"What? You mean that Hayato got the first move on them because the plot was exposed this morning?\" he said. \"Well, Shogen's plan must have been poorly conceived. Tell all three men to come here.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Until then Genba had done everything to induce Shogen to betray his lord, but now that the scheme had fallen short of his expectations, he talked about him as though he were nothing but trouble.\n\nShogen and the two others were expecting to be well received, but they were to be greatly disappointed by Genba's attitude. Shogen asked to meet Katsuie and report some highly secret information to him in order to make up for his failure." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That sounds hopeful, doesn't it?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genba's mood showed a little improvement, but to Ogane and Kinoshita he was just as brusque as before." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The two of you stay here. Only Shogen will be going with me to the main camp.\"\n\nWith that, they left immediately for Mount Nakao.\n\nThe incident that morning, with all of its complications, had been reported in detail to Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When, not long thereafter, Genba accompanied Shogen to Katsuie's camp, the latter sat waiting for them on his general's stool with a haughty look." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie always looked dignified no matter what the situation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shogen was quickly granted an audience.\n\n\"You failed this time, Shogen,\" Katsuie said.\n\nThe expression on his face as he spat out his real feelings was a complex one." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was commonly said that the Shibata uncle and nephew both had calculating, self-interested natures, and now both Katsuie and Genba waited with cold expressions for Shogen to speak.\n\n\"The oversight was mine,\" Shogen said, aware that he could do nothing more than apologize. At that point he must have repented his decision bitterly, but now there was no way of going back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Bearing shame on top of shame and stifling his anger, he could only bow his head to the ground in front of that arrogant and selfish lord.\n\nAll he could do was beg for Katsuie's mercy. He did, however, have another plan with which he might curry favor with Katsuie, and it had to do with the question of Hideyoshi's whereabouts." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both Katsuie and Genba had a deep interest in that question, and when Shogen mentioned the subject, they listened eagerly.\n\n\"Where is Hideyoshi now?\"\n\n\"Hideyoshi's whereabouts are kept secret even from his own men,\" Shogen explained." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Though he was seen during the construction of the fortresses, he hasn't been in camp here for some time. But he's probably in Nagahama, and he might make preparations for attacking from Gifu, while watching the situation here at the same time. He may be putting himself in a position to react to conditions in either place.\"\n\nKatsuie nodded gravely, exchanging glances with Genba. \"That's it. That must be it. He must be in Nagahama.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But what kind of proof do you have?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have no real proof,\" Shogen replied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But if you'll give me a few days I'll verify the details of Hideyoshi's whereabouts. There were several men in Nagahama who took a kind interest in me, and I'm sure that when they know that I'm supporting you, my lord, they'll slip out of Nagahama and inquire about me here. Also, the reports from the spies I sent out should be coming in soon. Beyond that, I would like to offer a strategy that will defeat Hideyoshi,\" he concluded, with a look that hinted at the extent of his faith in his scheme.\n\n\"You should be very, very careful, don't you think? But let's hear what you have to say.\"\n\nAt dawn on the nineteenth day of the month, Shogen and Genba visited Katsuie's headquarters a second time." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What Shogen carried with him that morning was certainly valuable. Genba had already heard Shogen's information, but as Katsuie now heard it for the first time, his eyes widened like saucers, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.\n\nShogen spoke with great excitement." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"For the past few days Hideyoshi has been at Nagahama. Two days ago, on the seventeenth, he suddenly led a force of twenty thousand men out of the castle there and force-marched to Ogaki, where he set up camp. It goes without saying that by crushing Lord Nobutaka in Gifu with a single blow, he would cut off any anxiety about being attacked from the rear. We can surmise, then, that he is resolved to raise his entire force, turn in that direction, and make a move for a decisive, all-or-nothing battle. It is said that before leaving Nagahama,\" Shogen continued, \"Hideyoshi had all the hostages from Lord Nobutaka's family killed, so you can understand the resolve with which the bastard moved on Gifu. And there's more. Yesterday his vanguard set fires in various places and is preparing for a siege of Gifu Castle.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The day we've been waiting for is coming, Katsuie thought, almost licking his lips." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba was of the same mind. He burned with the same thoughts, but even more so. Here was an opportunity—a matchless opportunity." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But how could they make full use of it?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Little opportunities here, little opportunities there during hostilities came in waves of tens of thousands, but a truly great opportunity on which hung a man's rise or fall in a single blow came only once." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now Katsuie was at the point of grasping or of failing to grasp that kind of opportunity. Katsuie nearly drooled as he thought the possibilities through, and Genba's face was flushed.\n\n\"Shogen,\" Katsuie finally began, \"if you have some sort of strategy to offer, please speak frankly.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My own humble opinion is that we should not miss this opportunity, but should attack the two enemy fortresses at Mount Iwasaki and Mount Oiwa. We could act in concert with Lord Nobutaka, even though Gifu is far away, and act just as quickly as Hideyoshi. Your allies could, at the same time, attack and destroy Hideyoshi's fortresses.\"\n\n\"Ah, that is exactly what I'd like to do, but such things are more easily said than done, Shogen. The enemy is also not without men, and they're building fortresses too, aren't they?\"\n\n\"When you look at Hideyoshi's battle formation from within, there is one very large opening,\" Shogen replied." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Frequency requirement: 'attack' - 2 occurrence(s)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Consider this. The two enemy fortresses at Iwasaki and Oiwa are far from your camp, but you still consider them to be central strongholds. The fact is, however, that the construction of both of those fortresses is much flimsier and rougher than that of any of the others. Add to this that both the commanders and the soldiers protecting these places are under the impression that the enemy would never attack them. To all appearances, they have been extremely negligent in their preparations. If we mount a surprise attack, it must be there. Moreover, once we destroy the enemy's very core, how much more easily the other castles would fall!\"\n\nKatsuie and Genba both agreed heartily with Shogen's plan.\n\n\"Shogen has seen through the enemy's ruse,\" Katsuie said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is the best plan we could have made for confounding Hideyoshi.\"\n\nIt was the first time Shogen had been so highly praised by Katsuie. For some days he had been despondent and deflated, but now his expression suddenly changed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Take a look at this,\" he said, spreading out a map. The fortresses at Dangi, Shinmei, Mount Iwasaki, and Mount Oiwa stood on the eastern shore of Lake Yogo. There were also a number of fortresses from the southern area of Shizugatake to Mount Tagami, the chain of camps stretching along the road to the northern provinces, and several other military positions." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'clearly' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "All were clearly shown, and the topography of the area—with its lakes, mountains, fields, and valleys—was delineated in detail.\n\nThe impossible had become possible. Clearly it was a great disadvantage for Hideyoshi, Katsuie gloated, that a secret map like this had been spread out in his enemy's headquarters before the battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It could be said that Katsuie derived great joy from that fact alone. Examining the map closely, he praised Shogen once again.\n\n\"This is a wonderful gift, Shogen.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Standing at one side, Genba was also scrutinizing the map, but looking up, he suddenly said with conviction, \"Uncle, this plan of Shogen's—to penetrate deep behind the enemy lines and take the two fortresses of Iwasaki and Oiwa—I'd like you to send me as the vanguard! I am confident that a surprise attack with the necessary resolution and speed could be handled by no one other than myself.\"\n\n\"Well, now, wait a moment... \"\n\nKatsuie shut his eyes in quiet deliberation, as though apprehensive of the younger man's ardor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genba's self-confidence and zeal quickly resisted that hesitation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What other plans are you entertaining for this opportunity? Surely there's no room in your thoughts for something else?\"\n\n\"What? I don't think so.\"\n\n\"Heaven's opportunities don't wait, you know. While we stand here like this, our chance may be slipping away moment by moment.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't be so hasty, Genba.\"\n\n\"No. The more you deliberate, the more time slips away. Are you unable to make a decision when a victory of such magnitude is right before your eyes? Ah, it makes me think Demon Shibata is getting old.\"\n\n\"You're talking foolishness. It's just that you're still young. You've got the courage for battle, but you're still inexperienced when it comes to strategy.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Why do you say that?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba's face began to flush, but Katsuie would not be agitated. He was a veteran of innumerable battles, and was not about to lose his composure.\n\n\"Think for a moment, Genba. There is nothing more dangerous than going deep behind enemy lines. Is it worth the risk? Aren't we at a point where we must think this through over and over so there will be no regrets?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genba laughed out loud." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But behind the hint that his uncle's anxiety was of no value, Genba's youthful iron will was also laughing at age's discrimination and vacillation.\n\nKatsuie, however, did not reproach his nephew's open derisive laughter. He seemed to show affection for the young man's lack of inhibition." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He actually seemed to love Genba's high spirits.\n\nGenba had been accustomed to his uncle's favor for some time. He could quickly read through the man's emotions and come to terms with them easily." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Now he insisted further. \"It's true that I'm young, but I fully understand the danger of penetrating the enemy lines. In this situation I would be relying solely on strategy, and not be impatient for merit. I'll dare to do it just because there's danger involved.\"\n\nKatsuie was still unable to give his approval freely." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As before, he was lost in deliberation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba gave up badgering his uncle, and suddenly turned to Shogen.\n\n\"Let me see the map.\"\n\nWithout moving from the camp stool Genba unrolled the map, stroked his cheek with one hand, and remained silent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nearly an hour passed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie had been concerned at the time his nephew had spoken with such zeal, but when he observed Genba silently contemplating the map, he suddenly felt sure of the younger man's reliability." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"All right.\" Finally putting an end to his own deliberations, he turned and spoke to his nephew." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Don't make any mistakes, Genba. I'm giving you the order to go deep behind the enemy lines tonight.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba looked up, and at the same time stood straight up from the camp stool. He was almost insanely happy and bowed with great civility. But while Katsuie admired this nephew who was so happy at being put in command of the vanguard, he knew it was a position that might easily mean a man's death if he made a mistake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm telling you again—once you've accomplished your goal of destroying Iwasaki and Oiwa, retreat with the speed of the wind.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes, Uncle.\"\n\n\"This hardly needs to be said, but a safe retreat is extremely important in war—especially in a fight involving the penetration of enemy territory. If you fail to withdraw safely, it's like forgetting the last basketful of earth when digging a well a hundred fathoms deep. Go with the speed of the wind, and come back in the same way.\"\n\n\"I've understood your warning well.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His hope having now been realized, Genba was perfectly docile. Katsuie immediately assembled his generals. By evening the orders had gone out to each of the camps, and the preparations for every corps seemed to be complete." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the night of the nineteenth day of the Fourth Month. The eighteen-thousand man army left the camp in secret exactly at the second half of the Hour of the Rat. The attacking force was divided into two corps of four thousand men each." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They moved down the mountain toward Shiotsudani, crossed over Tarumi Pass, and pressed eastward along the western bank of Lake Yogo.\n\nIn a diversionary maneuver, the twelve thousand men of Katsuie's main army took a different route. Advancing along the road to the northern provinces, they gradually turned southeast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Their action was intended to assist the success of the surprise attack corps led by Sakuma Genba, and at the same time it would police any movements from the enemy fortresses.\n\nAmong the main forces of the diversionary army, Shibata Katsumasa's single corps of three thousand men went southeast of the slope at Iiura, hid their banners and armor, and stealthily observed the enemy movements in the direction of Shizugatake.\n\nMaeda Inuchiyo had been charged with guarding a line that stretched from Shiotsu to Mount Dangi and Mount Shinmei." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shibata Katsuie departed from the main camp at Mount Nakao with an army of seven thousand men, and he advanced as far as Kitsunezaka on the road to the northern provinces." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was in order to draw in and incapacitate Hidemasa's five thousand men stationed on Mount Higashino that Katsuie's army now proudly displayed its banners and marched on." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The night sky slowly began to brighten with the approach of dawn." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the twentieth day of the Fourth Month of the lunar calendar—very close to the summer solstice—and the nights were short.\n\nIt was just about at that time that the generals of the vanguard began to gather on the white shore of Lake Yogo. Following the vanguard of four thousand men, a second corps came quickly up behind them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That was the force that would penetrate deep behind the enemy lines, and Sakuma Genba was in its midst.\n\nThe mist was thick.\n\nSuddenly a rainbow-colored light appeared in the middle of the lake." }, { "from": "human", "value": "That in itself might have made the men think that it would shortly be dawn." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But they could hardly see the tails on the horses in front of them, and the path through the grassy plain was still dark.\n\nAs the mist swirled by the banners, armor, and spears, the men all appeared as though they were walking through water.\n\nThey were oppressed by thoughts that tightened their chests." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The cold mist gathered on their eyebrows and on the hairs of their nostrils.\n\nA splashing noise and laughter and animated voices could be heard from the lake shore. Scouts from the attacking troops quickly got down on all fours and crept forward to investigate who might be out in the middle of the mist." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It turned out to be two samurai and maybe ten grooms from the fortress at Mount Iwasaki; they had just walked into the shallows of the lake and were washing horses.\n\nThe scouts waited for troops from the vanguard to move up and signaled to them silently with waves of the hand. Then, when they were sure the enemy was trapped, they suddenly yelled, \"Take them alive!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Caught unawares, the warriors and grooms splashed through the water in surprise and ran along the shore.\n\n\"The enemy! It's the enemy!\"\n\nFive or six men escaped, but the rest were captured." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, well, the season's first game.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Shibata warriors grabbed the prisoners by their collars and took them to their commander, Fuwa Hikozo, who questioned them from horseback." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A message was sent to Sakuma Genba, asking what should be done with the prisoners." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The response spurred them to quick action: \"Do not be delayed by these men. Kill them at once and continue immediately to Mount Oiwa.\"\n\nFuwa Hikozo dismounted, drew his sword, and personally decapitated one man. He then shouted out a command to all the members of the vanguard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Here! have a festival of blood! Hack off the heads of the others and present them as an offering to the god of war. Then raise your war cries and move on to attack the fortress at Oiwa!\"\n\nThe soldiers around Hikozo almost fought over the chance to cut off the heads of the grooms. Raising their bloody swords high in the morning sky, they offered the lifeblood of their prisoners and yelled to the demons." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The entire army raised war cries in response." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Billowing waves of armor shook and trembled through the morning mist as each man competed to be first." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Sweating horse brushed past sweating horse in the struggle to take the lead, and one spear corps after another rushed forward in the confusion of glittering spearheads.\n\nGunfire could already be heard, spears and long swords flashed in the morning light, and a strange sound was coming from the area of Mount Oiwa's first palisade.\n\nHow deep the lingering dreams of the short summer night!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The slopes of Mount Oiwa, defended by Nakagawa Sebei, and Mount Iwasaki, held by Takayama Ukon—the center of Hideyoshi's fortifications—were bound by the mist and as quiet, as if no one knew yet of the oncoming flood of men." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The construction of the fortress at Mount Oiwa had been quick and simple. Nakagawa Sebei slept in a rest hut along the ramparts halfway up the mountain.\n\nNot yet fully conscious, he suddenly raised his head and muttered. \"What's going on?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "On the border between dream and reality, and without knowing why, he got up abruptly and put on the armor that had been placed near his bed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As he was finishing, someone knocked at the door of the rest hut and then seemed to be pushing against it with his body as well.\n\nThe door fell inward, and three or four retainers tumbled in.\n\n\"The Shibata!\" they cried." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Calm down!\" Sebei reprimanded them." }, { "from": "human", "value": "From the incoherent reports of the surviving grooms, Sebei was unable to find out where the enemy had broken through or who was leading them." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It would be an extraordinary feat for even a daring enemy to break this far through the lines. These men will not be easy to deal with. I don't know who's leading them, but I suspect that of all the commanders of the Shibata forces it's most likely to be Sakuma Genba.\"\n\nSebei had quickly grasped the situation, and a shudder ran through his entire frame. It would be difficult to deny that the man is a powerful enemy, he thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But opposed to that overwhelming feeling, a different kind of strength bubbled up from within, and he rebounded.\n\nGrabbing his long spear, he yelled, \"Let's go fight!\"\n\nSporadic gunfire could be heard in the distance, from the foot of the mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then suddenly it was heard unexpectedly close, from a wooded area on the southwest slope." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They've taken the shortcuts too.\"\n\nBecause of the thickness of the mist, the enemy banners could not be seen clearly, and that had the effect of making the Nakagawa forces even more fretful.\n\nSebei called out once again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His voice echoed in the heart of the mountain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The thousand-man Nakagawa corps defending the mountain was now awakened by the attack coming in right before its eyes." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It had been taken completely by surprise. As far as the men knew, the main Shibata position was a great distance away—a belief that had put them off their guard. The enemy would surely not attack such a safe place!" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But before they even realized that their belief had been mistaken, the enemy had already descended like a gale." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Sebei stamped the earth and upbraided his men for their complacency and negligence." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One by one his officers sought him out and, either sighting his commander's standard or recognizing his voice, they and their soldiers hurriedly gathered around him and formed a real army." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is Genba in command?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord,\" a retainer replied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How many men does he have?\" Sebei continued.\n\n\"Fewer than ten thousand.\"\n\n\"One line of attack or two?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There appear to be two armies. Genba is attacking from Niwatonohama, and Fuwa Hikozo has taken the path from Mount Onoji.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even with all of its men assembled, the fortress was defended by no more than a thousand men. The attacking forces of the enemy were reported to be close to ten thousand.\n\nBoth shortcuts and the barrier gates at the foot of the mountain were inadequate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was easy to see that it would only be a matter of time before they were annihilated.\n\n\"Confront the enemy at the shortcut!\" Sebei sent his right-hand man off first with three hundred soldiers, and then encouraged his own men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The rest of you come with me. The Nakagawa forces have never been bested since coming out of Ibaraki in Settsu. Don't step back a single pace from the enemy in front of us now!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the head of the commander's standard and the banners, Nakagawa Sebei took the lead and whipped his horse toward the foot of the mountain at full speed." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Provide ten sentences as a continuation of this story segment in the historical fiction genre. Characters may be pre-established." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the morning of the same day, six or seven warships moved north across Lake Biwa like a flock of water birds. On the curtain enfolding the bridge of one of the ships, a large iris crest fluttered in the wind.\n\nNiwa Nagahide was standing on the bridge of the ship when he suddenly saw black smoke rising from a mountain on the north side of the lake and yelled out to the men around him. \"Is that near Oiwa or Shizugatake?\" he asked.\n\n\"It looks like Shizugatake,\" one of the members of his staff replied.\n\nIn fact, as one looked out in that direction, the mountains appeared to be piled one on top of another, so that the flames from Mount Oiwa looked quite convincingly as though they were rising from Shizugatake.\n\n\"It's hard to understand.\" Niwa knitted his brow and continued to gaze steadily out into the distance.\n\nIt was surprising how overly accurate his premonition was. At dawn that day—the twentieth of the month—he had received a message from his son, Nabemaru:" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There have been suspicious movements in both Katsuie's and Genba's camps during the night." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Find a natural way to mention that The situation certainly doesn't look good," }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At that time he had guessed that what he must be seeing was an enemy attack. Hideyoshi was busy attacking Gifu. And if their enemies were aware of it, they would know that it was the moment to strike at Hideyoshi's unguarded position.\n\nNiwa felt apprehensive as soon as he heard his son's report. Boarding his meager force of a thousand men aboard five or six ships, he had them cross the lake to the vicinity of Kuzuo.\n\nJust as he had feared, there were flames from the direction of Shizugatake, and when they finally approached the shore at Kuzuo, he could hear gunfire.\n\n\"The enemy seems to have overrun the fortress at Motoyama. Shizugatake is also in danger, and I doubt if Mount Iwasaki will be able to hold out.\"\n\nNiwa asked two of the staff officers for their opinions.\n\n\"The situation certainly doesn't look good,\" one of the men answered. \"The enemy has sent in a large force, and it would appear that our numbers are not going to be sufficient to help our allies in this emergency. The best plan would be to return to Sakamoto and entrench ourselves in the castle there.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're talking nonsense,\" Niwa said, dismissing the suggestion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Disembark the entire army immediately. Then take the ships to Kaitsu and bring a third of Nagamaru's forces.\"\n\n\"Will there be time, my lord?\"\n\n\"Everyday calculations have absolutely no value when it comes to war. Our mere presence will have an effect. It will take them some time to realize how few of us there are. And that will delay them. Get the troops landed, and hurry back to Kaitsu.\"\n\nThe army landed at Ozaki, and the ships set sail immediately. Niwa brought his horse to a stop in a village to question the locals.\n\nThe villagers told him that the battle had begun at dawn and was completely unexpected. Just as they had seen the flames from Mount Oiwa, they had heard war cries like the sound of tidal waves. Then, warriors from the Sakuma forces, perhaps a reconnoitering party, had whipped their horses through the village from the direction of Yogo. Rumor had it that Nakagawa Sebei's forces defended the fortress but were cut down to the last man.\n\nWhen asked if they knew anything about Kuwayama's men in the area of Shizugatake, the villagers answered that just moments ago, Lord Kuwayama Shigeharu had led all of his forces from the fortress at Shizugatake and was now hurrying along the mountain road in the direction of Kinomoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This information left Niwa in openmouthed surprise." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had come with reinforcements, ready to entrench himself here with his allies, but the Nakagawa forces had been annihilated and the Kuwayama forces had abandoned their posts and were fleeing as fast as they could." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What disgraceful conduct! What had they been thinking?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Niwa pitied Kuwayama's confusion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And this happened just now?\" he asked the villagers.\n\n\"They couldn't be much farther than half a league away,\" the farmer replied.\n\n\"Inosuke!\" he called out to a retainer. \"Run after the Kuwayama corps and talk with Lord Shigeharu. Tell him that I've come and that we'll defend Shizugatake together. Tell him to turn back immediately!\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord!\"\n\nThe man whipped his horse and hurried off in the direction of Kinomoto.\n\nKuwayama had tried two or three times that morning to persuade Nakagawa to retreat, but had offered him no help at all and had completely lost his head at the onslaught of the Sakuma forces. As soon as he heard of the destruction of the Nakagawa corps, he wavered all the more. Then, in the face of the rout of the central camp of his allies, he abandoned Shizugatake without firing a single bullet or wielding a spear in resistance, fleeing with a pace that left every man for himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His intentions were to join up with their allies at Kinomoto and then wait for Hidenaga's orders." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But now, en route, here was a man from the Niwa clan informing him of Niwa's reinforcements. Suddenly gaining courage, he reorganized his troops, made a quick turnaround, and went back to Shizugatake.\n\nIn the meantime Niwa had reassured the villagers. Ascending Shizugatake, he was finally united with Kuwayama Shigeharu.\n\nHe wrote a letter at once, sending it by dispatch to Hideyoshi's camp in Mino, informing him of the urgency of the situation.\n\nThe Sakuma forces at Mount Oiwa made a provisional camp there and, secure in their feeling of triumph, rested quietly for more than two hours from about the Hour of the Horse. The warriors were weary after the intense battle and the long march that had started the night before. After eating their provisions, however, they took pride in their blood-soaked hands and feet; lighthearted talk arose here and there, and their fatigue was forgotten.\n\nOrders were given, and the officers were told to relay them from corps to corps.\n\n\"Sleep! Sleep! Close your eyes for a while. No one knows what's going to happen tonight!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The clouds overhead looked like the clouds of summer, and the cries of the season's first cicadas could be heard in the trees." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The wind wafted pleasantly over the mountains from lake to lake, and the soldiers—who had now satisfied their empty stomachs—finally felt themselves becoming drowsy." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Still holding their firearms and spears, they sat down." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the shade of the trees, the horses closed their eyes as well, and even the group commanders leaned against the trunks and fell asleep.\n\nEverything was quiet, but it was the kind of silence that comes after an intense fight. The camp of their enemies—who had been wrapped in dreams until just before dawn—had been turned to ashes, and all of its soldiers become corpses left to the clusters of grass. It was now fully day, but death was in the air. Except for the alertness of the sentries everything was subdued, even the atmosphere in the staff headquarters was hushed.\n\nThe loud snores of the commander-in-chief, Genba, leaked happily through the curtains. Suddenly, five or six horses came to a halt somewhere, and a group of men in helmets and armor ran in the direction of the field staff headquarters. The members of the staff, who had sat sleeping around Genba, quickly looked outside.\n\n\"What's up?\" they yelled.\n\n\"It's Matsumura Tomojuro, Kobayashi Zusho, and the other scouts.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Come on in.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The man who invited them in was Genba. Awakened unexpectedly, his eyes were wide with surprise and still red from a lack of sleep. It appeared that just before taking a nap, he had gulped down a good deal of sake. A large red sake cup lay empty next to his seat.\n\nMatsumura knelt in a corner of the curtained enclosure and then reported what they had observed.\n\n\"There's no longer even a single enemy soldier at Mount Iwasaki. We thought there was a chance that they had hidden their banners and were planning to lie in wait for us, so we looked around to make sure. But the commanding general, Takayama Ukon, and everyone under his command have gone to Mount Tagami.\"\n\nGenba clapped his hands.\n\n\"They ran away?\" He laughed out loud and looked around at his staff officers. \"He says Ukon ran away! He's a fast one, isn't he!\" He laughed again, sending his entire body into convulsions of glee." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It seemed he had not yet sobered up from the drunken state he had fallen into after the victory sake." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba could not stop laughing.\n\nJust then, the messenger who had been sent to Katsuie's main camp to report on the war situation returned with Katsuie's instructions.\n\n\"Are there no enemy movements in the area of Kitsunezaka?\" Genba asked.\n\n\"Nothing in particular. Lord Katsuie seems to be in very fine spirits.\"\n\n\"I imagine he was quite pleased.\"\n\n\"Yes, he was.\" The messenger continued to answer Genba's repeated questions without even the chance to wipe the sweat from his brow. \"When I described the details of this morning's battle to him, he said, 'Is that so? Well, that's just like that nephew of mine.'\"\n\n\"Well, what about Sebei's head?\"\n\n\"He examined it immediately and said that it was definitely Sebei's. Looking around at the men who were with him, he declared it to be a good omen, and his mood seemed to improve even more.\"\n\nGenba was in a very good mood himself." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to seamlessly include 'Well then, there's no need to send another dispatch, is there?' in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hearing of Katsuie's happiness, he exulted in his own triumph and burned with the desire to surprise his uncle with even greater joy.\n\n\"I suppose that the lord of Kitanosho still doesn't know that the fortress at Mount Iwasaki has also fallen into my hands,\" he laughed. \"He gets satisfied just a little too quickly.\"\n\n\"No, the capture of Iwasaki was reported to him at about the time I was taking my leave.\"\n\n\"Well then, there's no need to send another dispatch, is there?\"\n\n\"If that were the only thing.\"\n\n\"At any rate, by tomorrow morning Shizugatake is going to be mine.\"\n\n\"Well, as for that... \"\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"Lord Katsuie said you might get carried away with this victory and start viewing the enemy as being too easy to deal with, and this might begin to put you off guard.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You're talking foolishness,\" Genba said, laughing." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'forces' 2 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm not going to get drunk on this one victory.\"\n\n\"But just before you left, Lord Katsuie gave you that one warning in particular, telling you to make a clean retreat when you've entered deep into the enemy's territory. It's dangerous to stay here very long. Today again, he told me to tell you to return right away.\"\n\n\"He said to withdraw immediately?\"\n\n\"His words were that you should withdraw quickly and unite forces with our allies to the rear.\"\n\n\"How weak-willed!\" Genba grunted, showing a thin derisive smile. \"Well, all right.\"\n\nAt that point, several scouts entered with their reports. Niwa's three thousand men had joined forces with the Kuwayama corps, and together they were reinforcing the defenses at Shizugatake.\n\nThat simply threw oil on the fire of Genba's eagerness to attack. Such news will make a truly brave general want to fight all the more.\n\n\"This will be interesting.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genba brushed aside the camp curtain and went outside." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'stood' into your response exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Looking out over the new greenery of the mountains, he could see Shizugatake at a distance of about two leagues to the south. Closer and below where he stood, a general was climbing up from the foot of the mountain, accompanied by a number of attendants. The defending commander of the wooden barrier gate was hurrying ahead to show him the way.\n\nGenba clicked his tongue and muttered, \"That must be Dosei.\"\n\nAs soon as he recognized a general always at his uncle's side, he guessed the man's errand before meeting him.\n\n\"Ah, here you are.\"\n\nDosei wiped the sweat from his brow. Genba simply stood there without inviting the man inside the curtained enclosure. \"Lord Dosei, what are you doing here?\" he asked flatly.\n\nDosei looked as though he did not wish to say anything there and then, but Genba spoke out first." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We'll camp here tonight and withdraw tomorrow. This was reported to my uncle already.\" He looked like he did not want to hear anything else about it.\n\n\"I've been informed.\" Dosei politely introduced his remarks with a greeting. He then congratulated Genba at length on his great victory at Mount Oiwa, but Genba was not able to bear his roundaboutness.\n\n\"Did my uncle send you here because he's still anticipating trouble?\"\n\n\"As you've conjectured, he's extremely anxious about your plan to camp here. His wishes are for you to withdraw from enemy territory by tonight at the latest and return to his main camp.\"\n\n\"Don't worry, Dosei. When my picked troops advance, they have explosive power; when they stand to defend a place, they're like steel walls. We have not been shamed yet.\"\n\n\"Lord Katsuie has had faith in you from the very beginning, but when you look at this from a military standpoint, to be delayed when you've penetrated deep inside enemy territory is not really the accomplishment of your strategy.\"\n\n\"Wait a moment, Dosei. Are you saying that I don't understand the art of war? And are those your words or my uncle's?\"\n\nAt that point even Dosei was getting nervous, and there was really nothing he could do but stay silent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He began to feel that his role as a messenger was putting him in danger." }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: would, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If you say so, my lord. I shall report the extent of your conviction to Lord Katsuie.\"\n\nDosei hurriedly took his leave, and when Genba returned to his seat he quickly sent out orders. Dispatching one corps of men to Mount Iwasaki, he also directed a number of small reconnaissance parties to Minegamine and the vicinity of Kannonzaka, between Shizugatake and Mount Oiwa.\n\nSoon thereafter, another voice was heard making an announcement.\n\n\"Lord Joemon has just arrived on orders from the main camp at Kitsune.\"\n\nThe messenger this time had not come for simple conversation or to relay Katsuie's thoughts. Rather, he delivered formal military orders, the content of which was yet another request to retreat. Genba listened tamely, but his answer, as before, firmly upheld his own view and he showed no indication of submitting.\n\n\"He has already given me the responsibility of supervising an incursion deep into enemy territory. To comply with what he asks now would be to omit the finishing touch to a military operation that has been successful so far. I would like him to trust me with the baton of command for just one more step.\"\n\nSo Genba neither bowed to what the envoy had been sent to say nor submitted to his commander-in-chief's very explicit orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had used his ego as a shield." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Standing before him now, even Joemon—who had been chosen to come here by Katsuie himself—was unable to prevail upon the man's rigidity.\n\n\"There's nothing more I can do,\" Joemon said, washing his hands of the whole affair. His final words were accompanied by a slightly indignant look. \"I cannot imagine what Lord Katsuie will think, but I will pass your answer on to him.\"\n\nJoemon quickly returned without further conversation. He naturally whipped his horse to quicken his return, just as he had in coming.\n\nThus the third messenger returned, and by the time the fourth arrived, the sun was growing dim in the west. The old warrior, Ota Kuranosuke, a veteran retainer and personal attendant to Katsuie, talked at length. He spoke, however, more about the relationship between uncle and nephew than about the order itself, and did his best to soften the youthful Genba's rigid stance.\n\n\"Now, now. I understand your resolve, but of all the members of your family, Lord Katsuie holds you in the highest esteem, and that's why he's so worried now. Particularly, now that you've destroyed one section of the enemy, we will be able to consolidate our position, continue to make one victory after another, and break down the enemy's weak points step by step. That is our larger strategy, and it's the one that has been decided upon in order to take control of the country. Listen, Lord Genba, you should stop here.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The road is going to be dangerous when the sun goes down, old man. Go back.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You won't do it, will you?\"\n\n\"What are you talking about?\"\n\n\"What is your decision?\"\n\n\"I wasn't thinking of making that decision from the very beginning.\"\n\nFatigued, the old retainer left.\n\nThe fifth messenger arrived.\n\nGenba had become even more rigid. He had come so far, and he was not going to turn back. He refused to see the messenger, but the man was not some minor retainer. The messengers who had come that day had all been distinguished men, but the fifth one was a particularly powerful member of Katsuie's entourage." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I know that our envoys to you may not have been satisfactory, but now Lord Katsuie has talked about coming here himself. We, his close attendants, have urged him to stay in camp and I, as unworthy as I am, have come in his place. I implore you to think about this clearly and then strike camp and leave Mount Oiwa as quickly as possible.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He made his plea while prostrating himself outside the curtained enclosure." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba, however, had judged the situation thus: Even if Hideyoshi had been informed of the incident and had hurried from Ogaki, it was still a distance of thirteen leagues from there to here, and it would have taken until nightfall for the warning to arrive. It would also not be an easy matter to get away quickly from Gifu. Therefore, the soonest imaginable time for the completion of that shift in field positions would be tomorrow night or the day after.\n\n\"That nephew of mine is not going to listen, no matter who I send,\" Katsuie complained. \"I'll have to go there myself and make him withdraw by nightfall.\"\n\nThe main camp at Kitsune had received word that day of the raiding army's happy success and was temporarily overjoyed. But the order for a swift retreat had not been carried out. In fact, Genba had dismissed all of the distinguished envoys with a refusal to obey and a derisive sneer.\n\n\"Ah, that nephew of mine is going to be the end of me,\" Katsuie lamented, barely able to contain himself. When word leaked out about the internal discord within the field staff—that Genba's willfulness was being criticized by Katsuie—the martial spirit within the camp somehow lost its cheerfulness." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Another envoy has left camp.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What! Another?\"\n\nThe repeated comings and goings between the main camp and Mount Oiwa pained the hearts of the warriors.\n\nFor half a day, Katsuie felt his life would be shortened. During the time he waited for the return of his fifth envoy, he could hardly stay seated on his camp stool. The camp was located at a temple in Kitsunezaka, and it was along the corridors of that building that Katsuie now wandered silently, looking in the direction of the temple gate.\n\n\"Shichiza hasn't returned yet?\" he asked his close attendants innumerable times. \"It's already evening, isn't it?\"\n\nAs dusk pressed in, he became irritated. The evening sun was now casting its light on the bell tower." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 3 instance(s) of the word 'genba'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Yadoya has returned!\" That was the message relayed by the warrior at the temple gate.\n\n\"What happened?\" Katsuie asked anxiously.\n\nThe man delivered his report frankly. Genba had at first refused to meet him, but Yadoya had persisted. He had related his lord's view in detail, but in vain. Genba insisted that even if Hideyoshi rushed to Mount Oiwa from Ogaki, it would take him at least one or two days. Thus Genba would be able to destroy Hideyoshi's troops quite easily because they would be so fatigued from the long journey. For that reason, he had declared his resolution to remain on Mount Oiwa and in no way appeared ready to change his mind.\n\nKatsuie's eyes glistened with anger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That fool!\" he yelled, almost as if he were spitting blood." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, beneath a heavy groan that shook his entire frame, he muttered, \"Genba's behavior is outrageous.\"\n\n\"Yaso! Yaso!\" Looking all around him and into the warriors' waiting area in the next room, Katsuie yelled out in a high-pitched voice.\n\n\"Are you looking for Yoshida Yaso?\" Menju Shosuke asked in return.\n\n\"Of course!\" Katsuie shrieked, venting his anger on Shosuke. \"Call him here right now! Tell him to come here right away!\"\n\nRunning footsteps echoed through the temple. Yoshida Yaso received Katsuie's orders and immediately whipped his horse toward Mount Oiwa.\n\nThe long day finally darkened and the flames of the bonfires began to flicker in the shadows of the young leaves. They reflected what was now deep within Katsuie's breast." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The return trip of two leagues could be completed in the twinkling of an eye by a fast horse, and Yaso returned in no time at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I told him that this was the last you had to say and admonished him thoroughly, but Lord Genba would not consent to a retreat.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sixth report was the same. Katsuie no longer had the energy to be angry and would have shed tears had he not been on the battlefield. Instead, he simply sank into grief and blamed himself, regretting the blind love he had held for Genba until now.\n\n\"I'm the one who was wrong,\" he lamented.\n\nOn the battlefield—where a man must act strictly according to military discipline—Genba had taken advantage of his close ties to his uncle. He had made a decision that could affect the rise or fall of the entire clan, and had insisted on his own selfish way without the least bit of reflection.\n\nBut who was it who had allowed the young man to become accustomed to that kind of action? Wasn't this morass the result of his own heedless love for his nephew? Through it he had first lost his foster son, Katsutoyo, and Nagahama Castle. Now he was about to lose an enormous and irretrievable opportunity upon which rested the fate of the entire Shibata clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When these thoughts came to him, Katsuie sank deep into a remorse for which there was absolutely no one else to blame." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 11 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Yaso had more to report: the words that Genba had actually spoken. In response to Yaso's advice, Genba had laughed and even ridiculed his uncle:\n\n\"Long ago, when people mentioned the name of Lord Katsuie, they called him the Demon Shibata, and said he was a general of devilish contrivances and mysterious schemes—at least from what I've heard. Today, however, his tactics come from an old head out of touch with the times. You can't wage war today with old-fashioned strategies. Look at our penetration into the enemy territory this time. At the beginning, my uncle wouldn't even give his permission for the plan. He should leave the whole thing to me and watch for the next day or two.\"\n\nKatsuie's gloom and wretchedness were unbearable to watch. He, more than anyone, knew Hideyoshi's true value as a general. The comments he had made to Genba and his other retainers had never been anything more than strategic remarks aimed at taking away their fear of the enemy. In his very bowels, Katsuie knew that Hideyoshi was a formidable adversary, especially after his withdrawal from the western provinces and his performance at the Battle of Yamazaki and the conference at Kiyosu. Now this powerful enemy was before him, and at the very opening of these all-or-nothing hostilities, he saw that his own ally was a stumbling block.\n\n\"Genba's behavior is outrageous. Never once have I suffered a defeat or shown my back to the enemy. Ahh, this was inevitable.\"\n\nThe night darkened, and Katsuie's anguish turned to resignation.\n\nMessengers were not sent out again." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That very same day—the twentieth of the month, at the Hour of the Horse—Hidenaga sent his first report to Hideyoshi's camp at Ogaki.\n\nThis morning a Sakuma force of eight thousand men took to the mountain trails and entered deep into our territory.\n\nIt was thirteen leagues from Kinomoto to Ogaki, and even for a mounted messenger, the courier had been amazingly fast.\n\nHideyoshi had just come back from the bank of the Roku River, where he had gone to observe the level of the rising water. There had been violent rains in Mino for the past few days, and the Goto and Roku rivers, both of which flowed between Ogaki and Gifu, were flooding.\n\nThe original plan had called for a general attack on Gifu Castle on the nineteenth, but the heavy rains and the floodwaters of the Roku River had obstructed Hideyoshi, and there were no prospects of crossing the river again that day. He had been waiting two days now for a chance to move on.\n\nHideyoshi received the urgent letter from the messenger outside camp and read the note while still in the saddle. After thanking the messenger, he went back to his quarters without any visible show of emotion.\n\n\"How about making me a bowl of tea, Yuko?\" he asked. At about the time he was finishing his bowl of tea, a second messenger arrived:\n\nThe twelve thousand-man main army under Lord Katsuie has taken up its positions." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It is moving out of Kitsunezaka in the direction of Mount Higashino." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had moved to his camp stool in the curtained headquarters, and now he called in various members of his staff and told them, \"An urgent message has just come from Hidenaga.\"\n\nCoolly, he read the letter aloud. The generals looked alarmed as they listened. The third dispatch was from Hori Kyutaro, who clearly detailed the brave fight and death of Nakagawa and the loss of Mount Iwasaki because of Takayama's retreat. Hideyoshi closed his eyes for a moment when he learned of Nakagawa's death in battle. For a moment, a desolate look came over the faces of the generals, and they blurted out pathetic questions. Every one of them stared at Hideyoshi, as if trying to read from his face how they would handle this dangerous situation.\n\n\"Sebei's death is a great loss,\" Hideyoshi said, \"but he did not die in vain.\" He spoke a little louder. \"Be of good spirits, and thereby, you'll pay tribute to Sebei's spirit. More and more, heaven is prophesying that a great victory will be ours. Katsuie was entrenched in his mountain castle, withdrawn from the world and unable to find his way. Now he has left the fortress that was a prison for him and arrogantly drawn his formation out far and wide. That shows that his luck has run out. We should be able to destroy the bastard completely before he even quarters his troops. The time has come for us to realize our great desire and fight this decisive battle for the nation! The time has come, and not one of you should fall behind!\"\n\nThe dire news was suddenly transformed by Hideyoshi's few words into a reason for cheer.\n\n\"The victory is ours!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi declared. Then, without losing any time, he began to give out orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The generals receiving his commands took their leave at once and each man almost flew back to his camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "These men, who had been pressed by the alarming feeling that they were in critical danger, now felt impatient and strained, waiting for their own names to be called as Hideyoshi gave out his commands." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Except for Hideyoshi's pages and attendants, practically all the generals had withdrawn to make their preparations." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But two local men, Ujiie Hiroyuki and Inaba Ittetsu, as well as Horio Mosuke, who was under Hideyoshi's direct command, had not received any orders.\n\nLooking as though he could hardly contain himself, Ujiie came forward on his own and said, \"My lord, I have a favor to ask: I would also like to prepare my own forces to go with you.\"\n\n\"No, I want you to stay at Ogaki. I'll need you to keep Gifu under control.\" He then turned to Mosuke. \"I want you to stay here too.\"\n\nWith those last orders, Hideyoshi left the enclosure. He called for his page and asked him, \"What about the couriers I ordered before? Are they ready?\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord! They're waiting for your instructions.\"\n\nThe page ran off quickly and returned with fifty runners.\n\nHideyoshi turned to the runners and addressed them directly. \"Today is a day like no other in our lives. It is a great blessing for you to have been chosen to be the heralds of this day.\"\n\nHe continued with individual orders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Twenty of you will announce to the villages on the road between Tarui and Nagahama that torches should be set along the roads at nightfall. Also, no obstructions like handcarts, stock, or lumber should be left in the way. Children should be kept indoors and bridges should be strengthened.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'hideyoshi's' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The twenty men on his right nodded simultaneously. To the remaining thirty men he gave the following instructions: \"The rest of you go to Nagahama at top speed. Have the garrison prepare itself, and tell the elders of the towns and villages that military provisions should be placed along the roads that we'll be traveling.\"\n\nThe fifty men ran off right away.\n\nHideyoshi immediately issued a command to the retainers around him and then mounted his black horse.\n\nJust then Ujiie ran up unexpectedly. \"My lord! Wait a moment!\" Clinging to Hideyoshi's saddle, the warrior was weeping silently.\n\nLeaving Ujiie alone in Gifu, with the possibility that he might communicate with Nobutaka and rebel, had been a source of anxiety for Hideyoshi. To forestall betrayal, he had ordered Horio Mosuke to stay with Ujiie.\n\nUjiie was mortified not only by the thought that he had been doubted but also by the realization that Mosuke would be left out of the most important battle of his life just because of him.\n\nIt was in response to those deep emotions that Ujiie now clung to the bridle of Hideyoshi's horse. \"Even if it's not right for me to accompany you, I beg you to allow General Mosuke at least to be at your side. I'll be happy to disembowel myself right here to remove your anxiety!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he put his hand on his dagger." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Keep your head, Ujiie!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "/set_word_count: along, frequency: 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi shouted, striking the man's hand with his whip. \"Mosuke can follow me if he wants to come with me that much. But he should come after the army has left. And for that matter, we can't just leave you. You should come along too.\"\n\nAlmost insane with joy, Ujiie turned toward the staff headquarters and called out in a loud voice, \"Lord Mosuke! Lord Mosuke! We've received permission to go! Come out and show your gratitude.\"\n\nThe two men prostrated themselves on the ground, but all that remained was the sound of a whip in the wind. Hideyoshi's horse was already galloping off in the distance.\n\nEven his attendants were caught off guard and had to scramble to catch up.\n\nThe men on foot, as well as those who quickly mounted their horses, chased after their master all at once without any formation or order.\n\nIt was the Hour of the Ram. Not even two hours had passed between the arrival of the first courier and Hideyoshi's departure. During that time, Hideyoshi had turned a defeat in northern Omi into an opportunity for victory. He had created a new strategy for his entire army on the spot. He had instructed couriers and sent them out with orders along the thirteen-league road to Kinomoto—the road that would be his path to all or nothing." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had been resolved in both body and mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With the impetus of that resolve, he himself and a force of fifteen thousand men sped straight ahead, while five thousand men remained behind.\n\nHideyoshi and his advance guard entered Nagahama that afternoon at the Hour of the Monkey. One corps followed another, and the last men and horses to leave Ogaki must have been departing just about the same time the advance guard was entering Nagahama.\n\nHideyoshi was not negligent when he arrived at Nagahama, but immediately made preparations for taking the initiative against the enemy. In fact, he never even dismounted. After eating rice balls and slaking his thirst with a ladle of water, he quickly departed from Nagahama and hurried on through Sone and Hayami. He arrived at Kinomoto at the Hour of the Dog.\n\nIt had taken them only five hours to travel from Ogaki, because they had come the entire way without stopping.\n\nHidenaga's fifteen thousand men were at Mount Tagami. Kinomoto was actually a post station on the road that skirted the eastern slope of the mountain. A division of the army on the peak was stationed there. Just outside the village of Jizo, the men had constructed an observation tower." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where are we? What's the name of this place?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi asked, pulling his galloping horse to an abrupt halt and holding on tightly.\n\n\"This is Jizo.\"\n\n\"We're close to the camp at Kinomoto.\"\n\nThe answers came from some of the retainers around him. Hideyoshi remained in the saddle.\n\n\"Give me some water,\" he ordered. Taking the ladle offered him, he swallowed down the water in one gulp and stretched for the first time since he had left Ogaki, then dismounted and quickly walked to the base of the watchtower and looked up to the sky. The tower was unroofed and had no stairway. The soldiers simply climbed up by stepping on roughly spaced wooden footholds.\n\nSuddenly Hideyoshi seemed to recall his days as a young foot soldier. Tying the cord of his commander's fan to the sword he was wearing, he began to climb to the top of the tower. His pages pushed him up by his hindquarters, and a sort of human ladder was formed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is dangerous, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't you need a ladder?\"\n\nThe men below called to him, but Hideyoshi was already well over twenty feet from the ground.\n\nThe violent storm that had passed over the plains of Mino and Owari had abated. The sky was clear and full of stars, and Lake Biwa and Lake Yogo were like two mirrors thrown onto the plain.\n\nWhen Hideyoshi, who had seemed weary from the journey, stood on the tower—his resolute figure outlined against the night sky—he was far more happy than tired. The more dangerous the situation and the deeper his hardships, the happier he became. It was the happiness-that arose from surmounting adversities and being able to turn and see them behind him, and he had experienced it to greater and lesser degrees since the time of his youth. He himself claimed that the greatest happiness of life was to stand at the difficult border between success and failure.\n\nBut now, as he gazed out over nearby Shizugatake and Mount Oiwa, he looked like a man who was confident of victory.\n\nHideyoshi, however, was far more cautious than most men. Now, as was his habit, he peacefully closed his eyes and placed himself in a position where the world was neither enemy nor ally. Extricating himself from earthly inconsistencies, he himself became the heart of the universe and listened for the declaration of heaven's will." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's just about finished up already,\" he muttered, finally displaying a smile." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 7 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That Sakuma Genba came out looking so fresh and green. What could he have been dreaming of?\"\n\nDescending the tower, he immediately climbed halfway up Mount Tagami, where, he was greeted by Hidenaga. As soon as he finished giving Hidenaga his orders, Hideyoshi once again descended the mountain, passed through Kuroda, crossed over Kannonzaka, went along the east of Yogo, and arrived at Mount Chausu, where he rested for the first time since departing Ogaki.\n\nHe was accompanied by two thousand soldiers. His persimmon-colored silk armor coat was covered with the sweat and dust of the day. But it was in that dirty coat, and with the steady movements of his military fan, that he gave out the instructions for the battle.\n\nIt was already late at night, somewhere between the second half of the Hour of the Boar and the first half of the Hour of the Rat." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "[System: Use 'shizugatake' 2 times in response]" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hachigamine lay to the east of Shizugatake. Genba had brought up a single corps there during the evening. His plan for the attack on Shizugatake the following morning was to act in concert with the vanguard at Iiurazaka and Shimizudani to the northwest and to isolate the enemy fortress.\n\nStars filled the entire sky. The mountains, however, covered with trees and shrubs, were as black as ink, and the path that wound through them was nothing more than a narrow woodcutters' trail.\n\nOne of the sentries grunted.\n\n\"What's going on?\" another man asked.\n\n\"Come here and take a look,\" yet another man called from a little farther off." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The sound of men rustling through the undergrowth could be heard, and then the figures of sentries appeared on the ridge." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There seems to be a sort of glow in the sky,\" one of them said, pointing toward the southeast." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Where?\"\n\n\"From the right of that big cypress all the way to the south.\"\n\n\"What do you think it is?\"\n\nThey all laughed.\n\n\"It must be the farmers near Otsu or Kuroda burning something.\"\n\n\"There shouldn't be any farmers left in the villages. They've all run away to the mountains.\"\n\n\"Well then, maybe it's the bonfires of the enemy stationed at Kinomoto.\"\n\n\"I don't think so. On a night when the clouds are low it would be different, but it's strange to see the sky colored like this on a clear night. There are too many trees blocking our view here, but we should be able to see if we climb up to the edge of that cliff.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hold up! That's dangerous!\"\n\n\"If you slip, you'll fall all the way into the valley!\"\n\nThey tried to stop him, but he climbed out onto the rock face, clinging to the vines. His silhouette looked like that of a monkey on top of the rocky mountain.\n\n\"Oh no! This is horrible!\" he suddenly called out.\n\nHis exclamation startled everyone below.\n\n\"What is it? What do you see?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The man on the ridge stood silently, almost as though he were in a daze." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One after another, the men below climbed up to where he was. When they reached the top, they all trembled. Standing on the rocky clifftop, they could see not only Lake Yogo and Lake Biwa but also the road to the northern provinces that wound its way south along the lake. Even the base of Mount Ibuki was visible.\n\nNight had fallen, so it was difficult to see clearly, but there appeared to be a single line of flames flowing like a river all the way from Nagahama to Kinomoto near the foot of the mountain they were on. The flames stretched from point to point as far as the eye could see—a steady stream of fire with circles of light.\n\n\"What's that?\"\n\nDazzled for a moment, they suddenly came to their senses." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Let's go! Quick!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sentries scrambled down the cliff face almost as if they'd lost their grip, and ran off to inform the main camp.\n\nWith glorious expectations for the next day, Genba had gone to sleep early. His soldiers too were already asleep.\n\nIt was close to the Hour of the Boar when Genba sat up, aroused from his light sleep.\n\n\"Tsushima!\" he called out.\n\nOsaki Tsushima was sleeping nearby, and by the time he got up, Genba was already standing before him, grasping a spear he had taken from the hand of a page.\n\n\"I just heard a horse whinny. Go out and check.\"\n\n\"Right!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As Tsushima lifted the curtain he ran headlong into a man yelling for his life." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is an emergency!\" the man said, panicked.\n\nGenba raised his voice and asked, \"What do you have to report?\"\n\nIn his agitated state the man was unable to report on the urgent situation with conciseness.\n\n\"There are a great number of torches and bonfires along the road between Mino and Kinomoto, and they're moving along in an alarming red line. Lord Katsumasa thinks it's got to be an enemy movement.\"\n\n\"What! A line of fire on the Mino road?\"\n\nGenba looked as though he still did not understand. But one step behind that urgent report from Shimizudani came a similar dispatch from Hara Fusachika, who was camped at Hachigamine." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The soldiers in camp began to wake up in the dark commotion." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ripples spread out immediately.\n\nCuriously, Hideyoshi was coming back from Mino. But Genba could not quite believe it; he still wore the unwavering look of someone who persists in his own convictions. \"Tsushima! Go verify this!\"\n\nWith that order he demanded his camp stool and consciously put on an air of composure. Certainly he understood the subtle feelings of his retainers as they looked to see what was written on his face.\n\nOsaki returned quickly. He had ridden to Shimizudani, then to Hachigamine, and then continued from Mount Chausu to Kannonzaka in order to ascertain the facts. And the facts were these:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Not only can you see the torches and bonfires, but if you listen carefully you can hear the whinnying of the horses and the clattering of their hooves. It's nothing to joke about. You'll need to plan a counter strategy as quickly as possible.\"\n\n\"Well, what about Hideyoshi?\"\n\n\"It's thought that Hideyoshi is in the van.\"\n\nGenba was now so taken aback that he could hardly find the words to speak. Biting his lip, he looked up silently, his face pale.\n\nAfter a while he said, \"We'll retreat. There's nothing else we can do, is there? A large army is on its way, and our troops are isolated here.\"\n\nGenba had stubbornly refused to obey Katsuie's orders the night before. Now he himself ordered his panicked troops to make preparations to strike camp, and hastened his retainers and pages." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is the messenger from Hachigamine still here?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba asked the retainers around him as he mounted his horse. Told that the messenger was still in camp, he summoned him.\n\n\"Go back immediately and tell Hikojiro that our main corps is now beginning a retreat, pulling back through Shimizudani, Iiurazaka, Kawanami, and Moyama. Hikojiro's forces should follow us as a rear guard.\"\n\nAs soon as he had finished giving the order, Genba joined his retainers and started down the pitch-dark mountain path.\n\nThus, Sakuma's main army began its general retreat during the second half of the Hour of the Boar. The moon was not out when they set off. For about half an hour they burned no torches, to prevent the enemy from discovering their whereabouts. Instead, they stumbled down the narrow paths by the light of their fuse cords and the stars." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Comparing their movements in terms of time, Genba must have started to strike camp just as Hideyoshi had climbed up Mount Chausu from Kuroda village and was taking a rest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was there that Hideyoshi talked with Niwa Nagahide, who had come in haste from Shizugatake to have an audience with him. Nagahide was an honored guest, and Hideyoshi's treatment of him was polite indeed.\n\n\"I hardly know what to say at present,\" he said. \"You've gone to great trouble since this morning.\"\n\nWith those few words, he shared the commander's seat with Nagahide, later asking about matters like the enemy's situation and the lay of the land. From time to time the laughing voices of the two men could be heard on the night wind blowing across the mountaintop.\n\nDuring that time, the soldiers following Hideyoshi continued coming into camp in groups of two and three hundred.\n\n\"Genba's forces have already started to retreat toward Shimizudani and have left a rear guard in the area of Hachigamine,\" a scout reported." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi then issued an order to Nagahide to relay the following information and commands to all the fortresses of their allies:" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the Hour of the Ox, I will begin a surprise attack on Genba. Gather the local people and have them yell battle cries from the mountaintops at dawn. Just as dawn breaks, you will hear gunfire, which will signal that the opportunity has come for getting the enemy in our grasp. You should know without being told that the firing before dawn will be coming from the muskets of the enemy. The conch shell will be the signal for the general attack. The chance should not be missed.\n\nAs soon as Nagahide departed, Hideyoshi had the camp stool taken away. \"They say Genba's running away. Follow his path of retreat and pursue him furiously,\" he said, telling the warriors around him to relay that order to the entire army." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 9 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"And be sure not to fire your muskets until the sky begins to turn light.\"\n\nIt was not a level road they were on, but really just a mountain path with a good many dangerous spots. The attack began with one corps after another starting out, but they could not advance as fast as they would have liked.\n\nAlong the way, men dismounted and led their horses through swamps or along cliff faces where there was no road at all.\n\nAfter midnight the moon rose to the middle of the sky and helped the Sakuma forces along their path of retreat. Its light, however, was also a blessing for Hideyoshi's pursuit of them.\n\nThe two armies were no more than three hours apart. Hideyoshi had sent an overwhelmingly large army into this one battle, and his warriors' morale was high. The probable outcome was clear before the fighting began." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sun was high. It was almost the Hour of the Dragon. There had been fighting on the shore of Lake Yogo, but the Shibata had fled once again, collecting themselves in the area of Moyama and the Sokkai Pass.\n\nHere, Maeda Inuchiyo and his son were camped, their banners flying peacefully. Very peacefully. Seated on his camp stool, Inuchiyo no doubt had coolly observed the gunfire and sparks that had been spreading over Shizugatake, Oiwa, and Shimizudani since dawn.\n\nHe commanded a wing of Katsuie's army, which put him in a truly delicate position, for his personal feelings and his duty to Katsuie were in conflict. One mistake and his province and entire family would perish. The situation was very clear. If he opposed Katsuie, he would be destroyed. If he abandoned his long friendship with Hideyoshi, however, he would be betraying his emotions.\n\nKatsuie... Hideyoshi..." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Mode:\nCo-writing\nContext: Match character/world familiarity\nLength:\neight sentences\nGenres:\nhistorical fiction\nTags:\nsamurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bloody, screaming Sakuma forces were fleeing toward the Maeda positions.\n\n\"Don't panic! Don't act disgracefully!\" Genba, who was also fleeing in that direction accompanied by a group of mounted men, leapt from his crimson saddle and rebuked his troops with hoarse shrieks. \"What's the matter with you? Are you going to run, after so little fighting?\"\n\nReproaching his warriors, Genba was trying to encourage himself at the same time. As he sat down heavily on one of the rocks, his shoulders heaved and he seemed almost to be breathing fire. A bitter taste filled his mouth. The effort he had made not to lose his dignity as a general in the middle of this confusion and disaster was extraordinary, considering his youth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was only now that he was told that his younger brother had been killed." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With open disbelief he listened to the reports informing him that many of his commanders had died.\n\n\"What about my other brothers?\"\n\nIn response to that abrupt question, a retainer pointed them out behind him. \"Two of your brothers are over there, my lord.\"\n\nGenba, with bloodshot eyes, spotted the two men. Yasumasa had stretched out on the ground and was staring absentmindedly up to the sky. The youngest brother slept with his head dangling off to the side, while blood from a wound filled his lap.\n\nGenba felt affection for his brothers and was relived that they were still alive, but the sight of those same brothers—his own flesh and blood—also seemed to enrage him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Stand up, Yasumasa!\" he yelled." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"And pull yourself together, Shichiroemon! It's too early for you to be lying on the ground. What are you doing!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mustering his courage, Genba stood up with some difficulty. He, too, seemed to have sustained a wound.\n\n\"Where's Lord Inuchiyo's camp? On the top of that hill?\" He started to walk away, dragging one of his feet, but turned back and looked at his younger brothers, who seemed to be coming behind him. \"You don't have to come. You two should collect some men and prepare for the enemy. Hideyoshi is not going to waste time.\"\n\nGenba sat on the commander's stool within the enclosure and waited. Inuchiyo soon appeared.\n\n\"I was sorry to hear what happened,\" he sympathized.\n\n\"Don't be.\" Genba managed to force a bitter smile." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"With such mediocre thinking, I was bound to lose.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was such an unexpectedly tame answer that Inuchiyo looked again at Genba." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It seemed that Genba was taking the blame for his defeat entirely upon himself. Genba did not complain about Inuchiyo not sending his troops into battle.\n\n\"For the present, would you give us your assistance by holding off the attacking Hideyoshi forces with your fresh troops?\"\n\n\"Of course. But do you want the spear corps or the firearm corps?\"\n\n\"I would like the gunners' corps to lie in wait a good bit out in front. They could shoot into the confusion of the advancing enemy, and we could then act as a second force, brandishing our own bloody spears and fighting like we're ready to die. Go quickly! I beg of you!\"\n\nOn any other day, Genba would not have begged Inuchiyo for anything. Even Inuchiyo could not help feeling pity for the man. He understood that Genba's humility was most likely due to the weakness he felt because of his defeat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But it also might have been because Genba already understood Inuchiyo's real intentions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The enemy seems to be approaching,\" Genba said, not relaxing even for a moment. As he muttered these words, he stood up. \"Well then,\" he said, \"I'll see you later.\" He lifted the curtain and went out, but then turned to Inuchiyo, who was coming out from behind to see him off. \"We may not meet again on this earth, but I do not plan on dying ignominiously.\"\n\nInuchiyo escorted him as far as the place where he had been lingering a little while before. Genba bade him good-bye and descended the slope with quick steps. The scene below that filled his field of vision had changed completely from what it had been only minutes before." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The Sakuma forces had numbered eight thousand men, but it appeared that only about one-third of them remained." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The others were either dead or wounded or had deserted. Those who did remain were either routed soldiers or distracted commanders, and their yells of confusion made the situation seem even worse than it was.\n\nIt was clear that Genba's younger brothers were incapable of organizing the chaos. Most of the senior officers were dead. The various corps had no leaders, and the soldiers were unsure of who would be next in command, while Hideyoshi's army was already visible in the distance. Even if the Sakuma brothers had been able to stop the rout at that point, little could have been done about the army's wavering.\n\nBut the gunners of the Maeda army ran as quietly as water through all the screaming and, quickly spreading out at some distance outside the camp, lay down. Observing that action, Genba yelled out a command in a penetrating voice, and finally the confusion abated a little." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The knowledge that fresh troops from the Maeda had entered the field became an extraordinary source of strength for Genba's soldiers, as well as for Genba and his remaining officers." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Don't retreat a step until we see that damned monkey's head at the end of one of our spears! Don't let the Maeda laugh at us! Don't shame yourselves!\"\n\nSpurring them on, Genba moved around through his officers and men. As might be expected, the soldiers who had followed him that far were alive to the feeling of honor. Blood and gore, dried by a sun that had been shining brightly since the early hours of the day, stained the armor and spears of many. Dirt and bits of grass were mixed in with the filth.\n\nEvery man's face showed that he craved a drink of water, even if just a mouthful. But there was no time for that. Great clouds of yellow dust and the sounds of the enemy's horses were already approaching from the distance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Hideyoshi, who had advanced thus far from Shizugatake with a force that had swept over everything, pulled back just before Moyama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This camp is under the command of Maeda Inuchiyo and his son, Toshinaga,\" Hideyoshi announced.\n\nWith that observation, he suddenly brought the rushing advance of his vanguard to a halt. He then reorganized his battle array and brought his men into formation.\n\nAt that point the two armies were out of firing range. Genba continued to command the Maeda gunners to take up a position in the path of the enemy's advance, but the dust covered Hideyoshi's army, which refused to advance into firing range.\n\nAfter he had parted from Genba, Inuchiyo lingered at the edge of the mountain and watched the situation from afar. His intentions were a puzzle even to the generals around him. Two of his samurai, however, led out his horse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Well, now he's determined to go out and fight. In their hearts, that is what his soldiers seemed to hope. But as Inuchiyo was stepping into the stirrups, he was whispering with a messenger who had just returned with an answer from Toshinaga's encampment. Inuchiyo mounted his horse but did not seem ready to move.\n\nThere was a noisy outburst in the direction of the foot of the mountain. When Inuchiyo and everyone else looked down that way, they could see that a frightened horse from the rear of their formation had broken its tether and was running wild through the camp.\n\nThat would not have been a difficult situation in normal times, but at that juncture, confusion created more confusion and resulted in an uproar.\n\nInuchiyo looked back at the two samurai and signaled to them with his eyes." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Carry on, everyone,\" he said to the retainers around him, and hastened his horse forward." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At the same moment, rattling musket fire echoed across the plain. That would have come from their own gunners' corps, and Hideyoshi's forces must have opened their assault simultaneously. With those thoughts, Inuchiyo charged down the slope, looking at the clouds of dust and gunpowder smoke off to the side.\n\n\"Now! Now!\" he muttered, and struck his saddle incessantly.\n\nGongs and large war drums were being beaten in one section of the encampment at Moyama, adding to the confusion. It seemed that Hideyoshi's irresistible forces had stepped over their own casualties on the gunners' line of defense and were already breaking deeply into the heart of the Sakuma and Maeda corps. And, as easily as they had thrown the central army into confusion, they were now coming with such fury that nothing could stop them.\n\nObserving the violent fighting, Inuchiyo avoided the road, joined forces with his son, Toshinaga, and quickly started to withdraw." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Some of his officers were both angry and suspicious, but for Inuchiyo it was nothing more than the action he had decided upon earlier." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'because' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In his heart of hearts, Inuchiyo had always been independent, and his wish had been for neutrality. Because of the position of his province, he had been sought after by Katsuie and had been compelled to join that man's side. But now, because of his friendship with Hideyoshi, he quietly retreated.\n\nBut Hideyoshi's advancing troops tore relentlessly into the Maeda army, and some of the rear guard were cut down.\n\nIn the meantime, Inuchiyo and his son led their almost completely uninjured troops out of camp; from Shiotsu they took a roundabout route through Hikida and Imajo and finally withdrew into Fuchu Castle. During the violent battle, which lasted two days, the Maeda encampment was like a solitary forest standing peacefully in the midst of the clouds of chaos." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What had conditions been in Katsuie's camp since the night before?\n\nKatsuie had sent six different messengers to Genba, and each messenger had returned in complete failure. Katsuie then lamented that nothing more could be done and went to sleep with bitter resignation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In fact, he should not have been able to sleep at all: he was reaping what he himself had sown—his favoritism toward Genba had yielded the poison of blind love." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had made a grave mistake in being led by his emotions into confounding the flesh-and-blood bond of an uncle and his nephew with the solemn ties between a commander and his subordinate.\n\nNow Katsuie fully understood. Genba had also been the cause of the rebellion of Katsuie's foster son, Katsutoyo, at Nagahama." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And he had heard of Genba's unpleasant haughty behavior toward Maeda Inuchiyo, of all people, on the battlefield in Noto.\n\nEven recognizing such flaws in the man, Katsuie was still sure that Genba's fiber was far above the average.\n\n\"Ah, but now those very qualities may prove to have been fatal,\" he mumbled, turning over in his sleep." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At the moment when the lamps were beginning to flicker, a number of warriors came running down the corridor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the next room and the room next to that, Menju Shosuke and others started up from their sleep." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hearing voices in response to those footsteps, the men who had been guarding Katsuie's quarters quickly ran out into the corridor.\n\n\"What's happened?\"\n\nThe bearing of the warrior who had rushed in as a spokesman was not normal." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He spoke so quickly that his words jumbled together.\n\n\"The sky over Kinomoto has been red for some time. Our scouts have just returned from Mount Higashino—\"\n\n\"Don't be so long-winded! Just give us the essentials!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Menju abruptly admonished the man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Hideyoshi has arrived from Ogaki. His army is making a great uproar in the vicinity of Kinomoto,\" the warrior said in one breath.\n\n\"What? Hideyoshi?\"\n\nThe agitated men had come as quickly as they could to report the situation at Katsuie's sleeping quarters, but Katsuie had already heard what had been said and came out to the corridor himself." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Did you hear what they were saying just now, my lord?\"\n\n\"I heard,\" Katsuie replied. His face looked even more ashen than it had earlier in the evening." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"As for that, Hideyoshi did the same thing during the campaign in the western provinces.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As might be expected, Katsuie remained calm and tried to quiet those around him, but he could not conceal his own residual emotions. He had warned Genba, and from the way he was speaking now, it seemed almost as though he were proud that that warning had hit the mark. But this was also the voice of that brave general who had once been called Jar-Bursting Shibata or Demon Shibata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Those who heard it now could only feel pity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I can no longer rely on Genba. From here on I'll have to take my own stand, so we can fight to our hearts' content. Don't waver and don't be alarmed. We should be happy that Hideyoshi has finally come.\"\n\nGathering his generals, Katsuie sat down on his camp stool and issued the orders for troop dispositions. He behaved with the vigor of a young man." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had anticipated Hideyoshi's coming as only a slight possibility; as soon as the possibility became a real threat, his camp was thrown into confusion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Not a few men left their posts of duty with the excuse of illness, others disobeyed orders, and many soldiers deserted in confusion and panic." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was a sad state of affairs: of seven thousand soldiers, not even three thousand now remained.\n\nThis was the army that had departed from Echizen with a will firmly set to fight Hideyoshi. Those men should not have been ready to run away at the first actual threat from him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "What had led them to that point—an army of over seven thousand men? It had been one thing only: the lack of an authoritative command. Also, Hideyoshi's actions had been unexpectedly swift, and that only dumbfounded them all the more." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Rumors and false reports ran rampant, and thus cowardice was encouraged." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When Katsuie observed his troops' ugly confusion, he was not merely disheartened, but enraged. Gnashing his teeth, he seemed unable to keep from spitting out his indignation to the officers around him. First sitting, then standing, then walking around, the warriors around Katsuie had been unable to calm themselves down at all." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His orders had been relayed two or three times, but the answers had been unclear." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why are you all so flustered?\" he asked, rebuking those around him. \"Calm down! Leaving posts of duty and spreading rumors and gossip only causes our men to become more confused. Anyone committing such acts will be severely punished,\" he said, adding one rebuke to another." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A number of his subordinates dashed out a second time, announcing his strict orders. But even after that, Katsuie could be heard shouting in a high-pitched voice, \"Don't get excited! Don't get confused!\" But his intentions to suppress the turmoil only resulted in adding one more voice to the wild commotion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Dawn had almost come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The war cries and musket fire that had moved from the area of Shizugatake to the western bank of Lake Yogo echoed across the water.\n\n\"The way things are going, Hideyoshi should be getting here soon!\"\n\n\"At least by noon.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What! You think they're going to wait until then?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Cowardice engendered more cowardice, and finally fear enveloped the entire camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There must be ten thousand of the enemy!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"No, I think there must be twenty thousand!\"\n\n\"What? With that kind of power, there must be thirty thousand of them!\"\n\nThe soldiers were caught up in their own fears, and no one felt comfortable without the agreement of his companions." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then a rumor that sounded like the truth started to circulate.\n\n\"Maeda Inuchiyo has gone over to Hideyoshi!\"\n\nAt that point, the Shibata officers were no longer able to control their troops." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie finally mounted his horse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Riding around the area of Kitsunezaka, he personally berated the soldiers in the separate encampments. Apparently he had come to the conclusion that it would be ineffective to let his own generals pass on the strict orders coming from headquarters.\n\n\"Anyone leaving camp for no reason will be cut down immediately,\" he screamed. Chase down and shoot any cowardly deserters! Anyone spreading rumors or dampening the martial spirit of the men is to be killed on the spot!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the situation had advanced too far, and the revival of Katsuie's severe martial spirit was in vain." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Over half of his seven thousand troops had already deserted, and the remaining men hardly had their feet on the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In addition, they had already lost confidence in their own commander-in-chief." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Reduced as he was to a position lacking in respect, even Demon Shibata's orders sounded hollow.\n\nHe rode back into his main camp, which was already under attack.\n\nAh, he thought, the end has come for me, too..." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Seeing his dispirited army, Katsuie realized the futility of the situation. His fierce spirit, however, pushed him on relentlessly toward his own desperate death. As dawn began to break, horses and men were scattered thinly over his sparse camp." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"My lord, this way. Over here for just a moment.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two warriors held on to either side of Katsuie's armor as though they were supporting his large body. \"It's not like you to be this quick-tempered.\" Leading him forcibly through the maelstrom of horses and men and out of the temple gate, they shouted desperately at the others, \"Hurry up and bring his horse! Where is our lord's horse!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the meantime Katsuie himself was shouting." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I will not retreat! Who do you think I am! I'm not running away from this place!\" His fierce words came with increasing vehemence. Once again he glared and yelled at the staff officers who would not leave his side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping me from going out to attack? While you hold me down, why aren't you attacking the enemy?\"\n\nA mount was brought up. A soldier carrying the beautiful commander's standard emblazoned with the golden emblem came and stood next to it." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We can't stem the tide here, my lord. If you die in this place, it will be in vain. Why don't you fall back to Kitanosho and put your thoughts into a plan for another attempt?\"\n\nKatsuie shook his head and yelled, but the men around him hastily forced his body into the saddle. The situation was urgent." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Suddenly the captain of the pages, Menju Shosuke, a man who had never distinguished himself in battle, ran forward and prostrated himself in front of Katsuie's horse." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Please, my lord! Allow me to take your commander's standard.\"\n\nTo ask one's lord for permission to carry the commander's standard meant that one was volunteering to make a stand in his place.\n\nShosuke said nothing more but remained kneeling in front of Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He displayed no particular preparedness for death, desperation, or ferocity; he looked as he usually did when he appeared before Katsuie as the captain of the pages." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What? You want me to give you the commander's standard?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'shosuke' exactly 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Mounted on his horse, Katsuie stared down at Shosuke's back in amazement. The generals around him, struck with surprise, also fixed their eyes on Shosuke. Among Katsuie's many personal attendants, few had been treated more coldly than Shosuke had been." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie, who held that kind of prejudice against Shosuke, must have known what effect it had been having better than anyone else." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And yet, wasn't that very Shosuke now before Katsuie, offering to put himself in Katsuie's place?\n\nThe wind of defeat blew desolately across the camp, and it had been unbearable for Katsuie to watch his men wavering since dawn. The cowards who had quickly thrown down their weapons and deserted had not been few in number; Katsuie had looked warmly upon many of those men and had given them his favors for many years." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As those thoughts came to him, Katsuie was unable to hold back his tears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But whatever Katsuie was thinking, he now kicked his horse's flanks with the heels of his stirrups, and chased away the pained look in his face with a thundering roar.\n\n\"What are you talking about, Shosuke? Once you die, that's the time for me to die! Now move away!\"\n\nShosuke scurried away from the rearing horse but grabbed its reins." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Then let me accompany you.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Against Katsuie's will, Menju put the battlefield behind him and hurried off in the direction of Yanagase." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both the man who guarded the commander's standard and Katsuie's retainers surrounded his horse and hurried him off in the middle of their group.\n\nBut Hideyoshi's vanguard had already broken through Kitsunezaka and, ignoring the Shibata warriors standing in its defense, put their sights on the golden standard fleeing into the distance.\n\n\"That's Katsuie! Don't let him get away!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "A crowd of swift-running spearmen gathered together and ran in Katsuie's direction." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We'll take our leave here, my lord!\" Tossing off those words of farewell, the generals fleeing with Katsuie suddenly left his side, wheeled around, and dashed into the midst of the fierce spears of the pursuing troops. Their corpses soon fell to the ground." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Menju Shosuke had also turned and faced the enemy's onslaught, but now he once again chased after his lord's horse and yelled at Katsuie from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"The commander's standard... please... let me carry it!\"\n\nThey were just outside of Yanagase.\n\nKatsuie brought his horse to a halt and took the gold commander's standard from the man next to him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It held so many memories—he had raised it in his camps together with his reputation as the \"Demon Shibata.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Here, Shosuke. Take it among my warriors!\"\n\nWith those words, he suddenly tossed the standard to Shosuke.\n\nShosuke bent forward and agilely caught it by the shaft." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was overjoyed. Waving the standard for a moment or two, he sent his final words in the direction of Katsuie's back." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good-bye, my lord!\"\n\nKatsuie turned, but his horse continued galloping toward the mountainous area of Yanagase. Only ten mounted men were accompanying him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The commander's standard had been tossed into Shosuke's hands just as he had begged, but at that moment Katsuie had also left him with the words, \"Take it among my warriors!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That had been his request and it no doubt had been made in consideration of the men who were being left to their deaths along with Shosuke.\n\nSome thirty men instantly gathered beneath the standard. Those were the only men who truly respected their own honor and who were willing to die for their lord." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ah, there are some honorable Shibata men left, Shosuke thought, looking happily at the faces around him." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Come on! Let's show them how to die happily!\"\n\nPutting the standard into the hands of one of the warriors, he dashed out in front, hurrying west from Yanagase village toward the northern ridge of Mount Tochinoki. When the small force of not even forty men made the resolve to go forward, they manifested a spirit far more intense than that of the thousands of men on Kitsunezaka that morning." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Katsuie has fallen back to the mountains!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It appears that he's made his final resolve and is prepared to die.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As might be expected, the pursuing Hideyoshi troops exhorted each other to go on.\n\n\"We'll have Katsuie's head!\"\n\nEach one fought to take the lead as they started to climb Mount Tochinoki." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Flashing the golden standard on the mountaintop, the Shibata warriors watched breathlessly as the numbers of enemy warriors—who were scrambling up even in places where there was no path—increased moment by moment." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"There's still time to pass around a farewell cup of water,\" Shosuke said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In those few moments, Shosuke and his comrades scooped up and shared the water that trickled from between the crags on the mountaintop and calmly prepared themselves for death. Shosuke suddenly turned to his brothers Mozaemon and Shobei.\n\n\"Brothers, you should escape and return to our village. If all three of us achieve death in battle at once, no one will be able to carry on the family name or take care of our mother. Mozaemon, the elder brother is supposed to carry on the family name, so why don't you go now?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If the younger brothers are cut down by the enemy,\" Mozaemon replied, \"can the elder brother face his mother with the words 'I'm home now?' No, I'll stay here. Shobei, you should go.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"That would be horrible!\"\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"For me to be sent home alive at a time like this would hardly be a pleasure for our mother. And our dead father must be looking at his sons from the other world today as well. It will not be my feet that walk back to Echizen today.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well then, we'll die together!\"\n\nTheir souls united in a pledge of death, the three brothers stood unwavering beneath the commander's standard.\n\nShosuke made no further mention to his brothers about wanting them to return home." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The three brothers took their farewell drink from a scoop of clear spring water and, as a refreshing spirit passed through their breasts, all turned in the direction of their mother's home." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One can imagine the prayers that were in their hearts. The enemy was approaching from all sides, close enough now that the individual voices of enemy soldiers could be heard.\n\n\"Guard the commander's standard, Shobei,\" Shosuke said to his younger brother as he put on his face guard." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He was pretending to be Katsuie, and did not want the enemy to recognize him." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Make sure to use 'enemy' 2 time(s) throughout your message" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Five or six musket balls snapped past his head. Taking that as their cue, the thirty men invoked Hachiman, the god of war, and struck out for the enemy.\n\nThey divided into three units and attacked the advancing enemy." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'their' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The men coming up from below were breathing hard and could not stand up to the desperate figures running down at them. Long swords poured down on the helmets of Hideyoshi's men, spears pierced their breasts, and their wretched corpses fell everywhere.\n\n\"Let no one be too eager to die!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Shosuke shouted suddenly as he withdrew inside a palisade." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the commander's standard followed him, so too did his remaining men.\n\n\"It's said that the slap of five fingers is not as strong as the blow of a single fist. If our little force scatters, its effects will be weakened. Stay beneath the standard whether we advance or retreat.\"\n\nGiven that caution, they leaped out once again." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Whirling one way, they cut furiously into the enemy; whirling another, they pierced him with spears." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, like the wind, they withdrew to their ramparts.\n\nThus, they sallied forward six or seven times to fight.\n\nThe attackers had already lost more than two hundred men." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It was close to noon, and an intense sun shone high overhead." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fresh blood on the armor and helmets dried quickly, giving off a black luster like that of lacquer.\n\nThere were fewer than ten men remaining beneath the commander's standard, and their fiery eyes hardly seemed to see each other. Not one man was uninjured." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An arrow pierced Shosuke's shoulder. As he looked at the fresh blood flowing over his sleeve, he pulled the arrow from his body with his own hand. Then he turned in the direction from which the arrow had come." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tops of a great number of helmets could be seen approaching, rustling through the bamboo grass like wild pigs.\n\nShosuke used the time he had left to speak quietly to his comrades. \"We have fought every way we could, and we have nothing to regret. Everyone choose a respectable enemy and make a splendid name for yourself. Let me be the first, dying in our lord's stead. Do not let the commander's standard fall. Carry it high, one man after another!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Those blood-smeared warriors so prepared to die raised the standard toward the enemy coming through the bamboo grass." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The warriors moving in their direction must have been uncommonly fierce men. They came on unflinchingly, demonstrating the oaths they had made with their spears. Shosuke faced them and yelled out to dampen their spirits." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"How discourteous of you! Low-class nobodies! Are you thinking of putting your spears into the body of Shibata Katsuie?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shosuke looked like a demon, and in fact no one was able to stand in front of him. A number of men were speared down almost at his feet.\n\nObserving the man's ferocity and fighting desperately with men who were willing to defend their commander's standard to the death, even the most violent braggarts of the attacking troops broke their encirclement and opened up a path to the foot of the mountain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Here I am! Katsuie himself is coming! If Hideyoshi is here, have him meet me mounted and alone! Come on out, monkey-face!\" Shosuke yelled out as he went down the slope road.\n\nRight there he pierced an armored warrior with a mortal wound." }, { "from": "human", "value": "His elder brother, Mozaemon, had already been struck down; his little brother, Shobei, had crossed long swords with an enemy warrior, and each had struck the other dead." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shobei had fallen to the base of a nearby crag.\n\nBeside him, the gold commander's standard lay abandoned, now completely red.\n\nFrom both the top and the bottom of the slope, innumerable spears now pressed in on Shosuke's body, every warrior wanting to take the commander's standard and the head they believed to be Katsuie's." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Each man vied with the others for the prize." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Beneath the confusion of spears, Menju Shosuke achieved death in battle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A handsome young warrior of only twenty-five years, he had been held in low esteem by men like Katsuie and Genba because of his reticence, gentility, grace, and love of learning—Shosuke's innocent features were still concealed by his face guard.\n\n\"I killed Shibata Katsuie!\" a samurai yelled.\n\n\"His commander's standard was taken by these hands!\" shouted another." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Then every voice was raised, one man claiming this, another claiming that, until the entire mountain shook." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And still Hideyoshi's men had no idea that the head belonged not to Shibata Katsuie, but to Menju Shosuke, the captain of his pages." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We've killed Katsuie!\"\n\n\"I've held the head of the lord of Kitanosho!\"\n\nPushing and shoving, their cries reverberated through the air. \"The standard! The gold standard! And his head! We took his head!\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING TASK:\n- Continue from user input\n- Match character/world knowledge level from input\n- Sentences: 6 sentences\n- Genres: historical fiction\n- Include tags: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie had barely escaped with his life, but his army had been annihilated." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Until that morning, the Shibata standard with its golden emblem had flown in the vicinity of Yanagase, but now only Hideyoshi's standard could be seen. It shone brilliantly in the bright sunshine, impressing all who saw it, symbolizing a reality that transcended ordinary wisdom and strength.\n\nThe flags and banners of Hideyoshi's army—which stretched out along the roads, and covered the fields presented a grand spectacle of victory. They were packed so closely together that they resembled a thick golden haze.\n\nThe army started eating its provisions. Hostilities had begun early that morning and had lasted for about eight hours." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When the meal was finished, the entire army was given orders to advance north immediately." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "As the men approached Tochinoki Pass, they could see the Tsuruga Sea to the west, while the mountains of Echizen opened up to the north seemingly right under their horses' hooves.\n\nThe sun was already beginning to sink, and heaven and earth burned with an evening glow encompassing all the colors of a rainbow.\n\nHideyoshi's face was burnt a deep red. He did not, however, appear to be a man who had not slept for days. He seemed to have forgotten that men need to sleep. Constantly advancing, he had not yet ordered a halt." }, { "from": "human", "value": "At that time of year the nights were at their shortest." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "While it was still light, the main army bivouacked at Imajo in Echizen. The vanguard went on, however, having been ordered to advance as far as Wakimoto—more than two leagues away—while the rear guard stopped at Itadori, about the same distance behind the central army. Thus, the camp that night stretched for four leagues from van to rear.\n\nThat night Hideyoshi fell into contented slumber—one that even the song of the mountain cuckoo could not disturb.\n\nTomorrow we'll get to Fuchu Castle, Hideyoshi thought just before going to sleep. But how will Inuchiyo receive us?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "What was Inuchiyo doing at that time?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "He had passed through the area at noon that same day and, while the sun was still high in the sky, had withdrawn his army into Fuchu, his son's castle." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank the gods you're safe,\" his wife said as she came out to greet him.\n\n\"Take care of the wounded. You can look to me later on.\"\n\nInuchiyo did not even take off his sandals or untie his armor; he just stood in front of the castle. His pages were also there, lined up behind him, solemnly waiting.\n\nFinally, corps after corps of warriors marched smartly through the gate, carrying the corpses of their fallen comrades, on top of which they had laid their banners. Next, those wounded in battle were either carried in or walked in, leaning on their comrades' shoulders." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The thirty-odd casualties the Maeda had suffered in the retreat did not compare with the losses of the Shibata and Sakuma." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The bell was rung at the temple, and as the sun dipped in the sky, the smoke from cooking fires began to rise from all parts of the castle. The order was given for the soldiers to eat their rations. The troops, however, did not disperse, but stayed in their units, as if they were still on the battlefield.\n\nA guard at the main gate yelled, \"The lord of Kitanosho has arrived at the castle gate.\"\n\n\"What! Lord Katsuie here!\" Inuchiyo muttered in astonishment." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Ensure 'inuchiyo' appears 2 time(s) in your answer" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "This was an unexpected development, and Inuchiyo seemed unable to bear to meet the man—now a fugitive. For a moment he was sunk in thought, but then he said, \"Let's go out to greet him.\"\n\nInuchiyo followed his son out of the keep. Descending the last set of stairs, he walked to the darkened connecting corridor. One of his attendants, Murai Nagayori, followed after him.\n\n\"My lord,\" Murai whispered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inuchiyo looked at Murai questioningly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The retainer whispered in his lord's ear, \"Lord Katsuie's arrival here is an incomparable and happy opportunity. If you kill him and send his head to Lord Hideyoshi, your and Lord Hideyoshi's relationship will be patched up without difficulty.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Without warning Inuchiyo struck the man in the chest. \"Shut up!\" he thundered.\n\nMurai staggered back to the wooden wall behind him and just barely avoided falling over. Turning pale, he had the presence of mind neither to stand up nor to sit completely down.\n\nGlaring at him, Inuchiyo spoke with undisguised anger. \"It is an outrageous act to whisper into a lord's ear an immoral, cowardly plan that a man should be ashamed to utter. You consider yourself a samurai, but you know nothing of the Way of the Samurai! What kind of man would sell the head of a general who had come knocking at his gate, just to profit his own clan? Much less when he's spent as many years campaigning with that general as I have!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Leaving the trembling Murai behind, Inuchiyo went out toward the main entrance to greet Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Katsuie had come up to the castle gate still on horseback." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He held the shaft of a broken spear in one hand and did not appear to be wounded, but his entire face—his entire being—was suffused with desolation." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The reins of his horse were held by Toshinaga, who had run out to greet him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The eight men who accompanied him had stayed outside the main gate." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So Katsuie was alone." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I'm greatly obliged to you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "With those courteous words to Toshinaga, Katsuie dismounted. He looked Inuchiyo in the face and spoke in a loud voice full of self-scorn. \"We lost! We lost!\"\n\nHe was in surprisingly good spirits. It may have been that he was just pretending, but he seemed far more relaxed than Inuchiyo had imagined he would be. Inuchiyo was kinder than usual in greeting the defeated general." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Toshinaga was no less concerned than his father and helped the fugitive take off his blood-soaked sandals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I feel as though I've come home to my own house.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Use the word 'shibata' 2 time(s) - this is a strict requirement" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kindness makes a deep impression on a man in the abyss of destruction and causes him to abandon any suspicions and bitterness. It is the only thing that will make him think that there is still light in the world.\n\nApparently now quite happy, Katsuie continued to congratulate father and son on their escape. \"This defeat was entirely due to my own oversights. I brought troubles onto you, too, and I hope you'll forgive me,\" he apologized. \"I'll retreat as far as Kitanosho and put my affairs in order and without any regrets. I wonder if you wouldn't give me a bowl of rice and tea.\"\n\nDemon Shibata seemed to have become the Buddha Shibata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even Inuchiyo was unable to hold back his tears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Bring some tea and rice quickly. And sake,\" Inuchiyo ordered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He could think of few words of comfort for the man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, he felt that he had to say something. \"It's often said that victory and defeat are the stuff of a warrior's life. If you consider today's disaster in terms of human destiny, you know that to be proud of victory is the first step toward the day of destruction, and to be completely defeated is the first step toward the day of victory. The eternal cycle of man's rise and fall is not just a matter of temporary joy and sorrow.\"\n\n\"Therefore, what I regret is neither my own personal destruction nor the perpetual cycle of change,\" Katsuie said. \"I only regret the loss of my reputation. But rest assured, Inuchiyo. It is all predestined.\"\n\nFor him to say such a thing was a complete departure from the Katsuie of olden days. But he seemed to be neither tormented nor confused." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When the sake arrived, Katsuie happily took a cup and, supposing that it would be his farewell, poured one for father and son as well. He heartily ate the simple meal Inuchiyo had ordered.\n\n\"I've never tasted anything like the rice I've eaten today. I'll never forget your kindness.\" That said, he took his leave.\n\nInuchiyo, who accompanied him outside, immediately noticed that his mount was exhausted. Ordering a page to bring out his own beloved dapple-gray horse, he offered it to Katsuie." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Put your mind at ease,\" Inuchiyo said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We will hold this place until you get to Kitanosho.\"\n\nKatsuie started to leave but then turned the horse around and came up to Inuchiyo as though he had suddenly remembered something. \"Inuchiyo, you and Hideyoshi have been close friends since your youth. The battle having turned out this way, I release you from your duty to me as a retainer.\"\n\nThose were to be his last words to Inuchiyo. As he mounted his horse, his expression was devoid of any falsehood. Confronted with such feeling, Inuchiyo bowed with heartfelt emotion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The figure of Katsuie leaving the castle gate was black against the red of the evening sun." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 1 sentence." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tiny remaining army of eight mounted men and ten or so foot soldiers now took flight to Kitanosho." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "im ur writing buddy. i set scene (might have existing chars), u do seven sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Two or three mounted men galloped into Fuchu Castle. Their news was soon common knowledge throughout the stronghold. \"The enemy is camped at Wakimoto. Lord Hideyoshi has set up camp at Imajo, so there is little prospect of an attack tonight.\"\n\nHideyoshi slept happily through the night—really more like half the night—at Imajo, and on the following day he left camp early and rode to Wakimoto.\n\nKyutaro came out to greet him. He erected the commander's standard, indicating the presence of the commander-in-chief.\n\n\"What went on in Fuchu Castle last night?\" Hideyoshi asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There appeared to be a great deal of activity.\"\n\n\"Are they fortifying the place? Maybe the Maeda want to fight.\" Answering his own question, he looked toward Fuchu. Suddenly he turned to Kyutaro and ordered him to prepare his troops.\n\n\"Are you going into battle in person?\" Kyutaro asked.\n\n\"Of course.\" Hideyoshi nodded as though he were looking out over a large level road. Kyutaro quickly communicated Hideyoshi's words to the various generals and blew the conch shell to assemble the vanguard." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Very soon the men had fallen into ranks, ready to march.\n\nIt was less than two hours to Fuchu. Kyutaro rode in front while Hideyoshi himself rode in the middle of the vanguard. They were soon in sight of the castle walls. Inside the castle, the men were naturally feeling extremely tense. Viewed from the top of the keep, the columns of men and Hideyoshi's standard of the golden gourds looked close enough to touch.\n\nThe order to halt had not yet been given." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And, as Hideyoshi was in their midst, the soldiers of the vanguard were sure that he would surround the castle immediately.\n\nMoving toward the main gate of Fuchu Castle, Hideyoshi's men—now like a rushing river—displayed the \"crane wing\" formation. For a moment, only the commander's standard did not move.\n\nJust then, the entire structure of the castle spat out gunpowder smoke.\n\n\"Move back a little, Kyutaro. Move back!\" Hideyoshi ordered. \"Don't have the soldiers spread out or take up battle array. Order them to regroup and stand out of formation.\"\n\nThe soldiers in the vanguard retreated, and the muskets within the castle were silenced." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The fighting spirits of both sides, however, could have exploded in an instant." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Somebody take the commander's standard and advance twenty yards ahead of me,\" Hideyoshi ordered." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I won't need anyone to lead my horse; I'll be going into the castle by myself.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your response should contain the word 'hideyoshi' precisely 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had not informed anyone of his intentions beforehand, and spoke quite suddenly from the saddle. Ignoring the shocked expressions of his generals, he immediately went forward with his horse at a canter toward the main gate of the castle.\n\n\"Just a moment! Wait just a moment so I can go ahead of you!\"\n\nA samurai went stumbling quickly after him, but when he had gotten barely ten yards in front of Hideyoshi, bearing the commander's standard as he had been ordered, several shots rang out, their fire directed toward the golden gourds.\n\n\"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!\"\n\nYelling in a loud voice, Hideyoshi galloped in the direction of the musket fire like an arrow shot from a bow.\n\n\"It's me! Hideyoshi! Don't you recognize me?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "As he approached the castle, he took the golden baton of command from his waist and waved it at the soldiers in the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"It's me! Hideyoshi! Hold your fire!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Astonished, two men leaped from the armory next to the main gate and pushed the gate open.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi?\"\n\nThis turn of events seemed to be totally unexpected, and they greeted him with some embarrassment. Hideyoshi recognized both of the men. He had already dismounted and was walking toward them.\n\n\"Has Lord Inuchiyo returned?\" he asked, then added, \"Are both he and his son all right?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Yes, my lord\" one of the men replied." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They both returned without mishap.\"\n\n\"Good, good. I'm relieved to hear that. Take my horse, will you?\"\n\nHanding his horse's bridle over to the two men, Hideyoshi went in through the castle gate exactly as if he were walking into his own house, accompanied by his own attendants.\n\nThe warriors filling the castle like a forest were overawed as—almost in a daze—they observed the behavior of the man. At that moment Inuchiyo and his son ran out in Hideyoshi's direction. As they approached each other, the two men spoke out at once, like the old friends they were.\n\n\"Well, well now!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Inuchiyo! What are you up to?\" Hideyoshi asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Nothing at all,\" Inuchiyo replied with a laugh. \"Come in and sit down.\"\n\nAccompanied by his son, Inuchiyo led the way in to the main citadel. Expressly avoiding the formal entrance, they opened up the gate to the gardened area and led their guest directly toward the inner apartments, stopping to look at the purple irises and the white azaleas in the garden along the way.\n\nIt was the same treatment one would give a close family friend, and Inuchiyo was acting the way he had acted when he and Hideyoshi had lived in houses separated by a hedge.\n\nFinally, Inuchiyo invited Hideyoshi inside.\n\nHideyoshi, however, stood looking around without even moving to untie his straw sandals." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"That building over there—is that the kitchen?\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'hideyoshi' must be used 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "he asked. When Inuchiyo answered affirmatively, Hideyoshi started walking toward it. \"I want to see your wife. Is she here?\"\n\nInuchiyo was completely taken aback. He was about to tell Hideyoshi that if he wanted to meet his wife, he would call her right away, but there was not enough time for that. Instead, he hurriedly told Toshinaga to take their guest to the kitchen.\n\nHaving sent his son to chase after Hideyoshi, he himself hurried down the corridor to warn his wife.\n\nThe most surprised of all were the cooks and the maidservants." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Here was a short samurai—clearly a general—in a persimmon-colored armor coat, walking nonchalantly into the kitchen and calling out as if he were a member of the lord's family." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Hey! Is Lady Maeda here? Where is she?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "No one knew who he was. Everyone looked puzzled, but upon seeing his golden baton of command and formal sword, they all quickly knelt and bowed. He had to be a general of high rank, but no one had seen him among the Maeda before.\n\n\"Hey, Lady Maeda, where are you? It's me, Hideyoshi. Come on, show your face!\"\n\nInuchiyo's wife was preparing food with some of the servants when she heard all the commotion. She came out wearing an apron and with her sleeves tied back. For a moment she simply stood and stared." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I must be dreaming,\" she murmured.\n\n\"It's been a long time, my lady. I'm glad to see you're well as always.\"\n\nWhen Hideyoshi started to step forward, she roused herself and, quickly loosening the cord at her sleeves, prostrated herself on the wooden floor.\n\nHideyoshi artlessly sat down. \"The first thing I want to tell you, my lady, is that your daughter and the ladies in Himeji have become good friends. Please set your mind at ease about that. Also, although your husband saw some trying moments in this last campaign, he showed no confusion about whether to advance or retreat, and you could say that the Maeda camp came away from the battle undefeated.\"\n\nInuchiyo's wife placed the palms of her hands together beneath her bowed forehead.\n\nAt that point Inuchiyo came in looking for his wife and saw Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"This is no place to receive you properly. Before anything else, at least please remove your sandals and come up off the dirt floor.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include 'husband' 2 time(s) in your answer - no more, no less" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Husband and wife did everything they could to persuade him to step up onto the wooden floor, but Hideyoshi declined, speaking to them as informally as before. \"I'm in a hurry to get to Kitanosho and really can't spare the time right now. But may I take advantage of your kindness and ask for a bowl of rice?\"\n\n\"That's an easy request to fill. But won't you come in just for a moment?\"\n\nHideyoshi made no move to untie his straw sandals and relax. \"We'll do that on another day. Today I have to move fast.\"\n\nBoth husband and wife knew the good and bad points of Hideyoshi's character. Theirs had never been a friendship that placed great value on obligations or pretense." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Inuchiyo's wife retied the cord holding up her sleeves, and she herself stood in front of the cutting board in the kitchen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the kitchen for the entire castle, and a great number of maidservants, cooks, and even officials were working there. But Lady Maeda was not a woman who did not know how to prepare a savory meal on short notice.\n\nBoth on that day and the day before, she herself had looked after the wounded and helped with the preparation of their food. But even on uneventful days, she would come to the kitchen to prepare something for her husband. Now the Maeda clan governed a large province. But in the poverty of their days in Kiyosu, when their neighbor Tokichiro was no better off than they, the two families would often go to each other to borrow a measure of rice, a handful of salt, or even an evening's worth of oil for the lamp. In those days they could see how well off the neighbors were by the light shining in their windows at night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "This woman is no less a good wife than my own Nene, Hideyoshi thought." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In that short interlude of reflection, however, Inuchiyo's wife had finished preparing two or three dishes. She led the way from the kitchen, carrying the tray herself.\n\nIn the hilly area that stretched toward the western citadel, a small pavilion stood in a copse of pines. The attendants spread a rug out over the grass next to it and set down two trays of food and flasks of sake.\n\n\"Can't I at least serve you something better, even if you're in a hurry?\" Inuchiyo's wife asked.\n\n\"No, no. Won't your husband and son join me?\"\n\nInuchiyo sat down facing Hideyoshi, and Toshinaga held up the sake flask." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "There was a building here, but the guest and his hosts did not use it. A wind blew through the pines, but they hardly heard it.\n\nHideyoshi did not drink more than one cup of sake but hurriedly ate up the two bowls of rice that Inuchiyo's wife had prepared for him.\n\n\"Ah, I'm full. I'm sorry to impose, but might I ask for a bowl of tea?\"\n\nPreparations had already been made in the pavilion. Inuchiyo's wife quickly went inside and served Hideyoshi a bowl of tea.\n\n\"Well, my lady,\" Hideyoshi said as he drank, looking at her as though he were about to ask her advice." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've given you a lot of trouble, but now, on top of that, I'd like to borrow your husband for a little while.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Inuchiyo's wife laughed cheerfully. \"'To borrow my husband?' It's been a long time since you've used that phrase.\"\n\nHideyoshi and Inuchiyo both laughed, and Hideyoshi said, \"Listen to that, Inuchiyo. It appears that women don't easily forget old grudges. She's still talking today about how I used to 'borrow' you to go drinking.\" Returning the tea bowl, he laughed again. \"But today it's just a little different from the past, and if my lady doesn't disagree, I'm sure your husband won't either. I would definitely like him to go with me to Kitanosho. It would be fine if your son stays here to take care of you.\"\n\nSeeing that the question had already been settled between the talking and the laughing, Hideyoshi quickly made the decision on his own. \"What I would like, then, is for your son to stay here and your husband to ride with me. Inuchiyo has no equal as a man skilled in battle. Then, on the happy day when we return from the campaign, I'd like to stop here again and impose on you for a few days. We'll depart tomorrow morning. I'll take my leave for today.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The entire family saw him as far as the entrance to the kitchen." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On the way Inuchiyo's wife said, \"Lord Hideyoshi, you said that Toshinaga should stay here to take care of his mother, but I don't think I'm that old or that lonely yet. There will be enough warriors left guarding the castle, and no one will need to feel anxious about its defense.\"\n\nInuchiyo was of the same mind. As they walked hurriedly toward the entrance, Hideyoshi and the Maeda family finalized the hour of departure for the following day and settled other details.\n\n\"I'll be waiting for the next time you drop by,\" Inuchiyo's wife said as she bade him farewell at the entrance to the kitchen; her husband and son took him as far as the front gate of the castle.\n\nThe very night Hideyoshi took leave of the Maeda family and returned to his own camp, two very important men from the Shibata side were brought in as prisoners. One of them was Sakuma Genba. The other was Katsuie's foster son, Katsutoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Both had been captured during their flight through the mountains to Kitanosho." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba had been wounded. With the heat of the summer, the wound had become infected and quickly began to fester. The emergency treatment often used by warriors was moxibustion, and Genba had stopped at a farmhouse in the mountains, asked for moxa, and applied it around the opening of the wound.\n\nWhile Genba was busy applying the moxa, the farmers held a secret conclave in which they decided that they would probably receive a handsome reward for turning Katsutoshi and Genba over to Hideyoshi. That night they surrounded the hut where the two were sleeping, trussed them up like pigs, and carried them to Hideyoshi's camp.\n\nWhen Hideyoshi heard about that, he did not look very happy. Contrary to the farmers' expectations, he punished them severely." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The following day Hideyoshi, accompanied by Inuchiyo and his son, spurred his horse toward Katsuie's castle at Kitanosho. By afternoon, Echizen's capital was filled with Hideyoshi's troops.\n\nAlong the way, the Tokuyama and Fuwa clans had already seen what was in the wind, and many men surrendered at the gate of Hideyoshi's camp.\n\nHideyoshi camped on Mount Ashiba and had the castle at Kitanosho surrounded so tightly that a drop of water could not have trickled through. As soon as that was done, Kyutaro's corps was given the work of breaking through a section of the palisade. Then Genba and Katsutoshi were led up close to the castle walls.\n\nBeating the attack drum, the soldiers assailed the ears of Katsuie, who was inside the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If you have any last words for your foster son and Genba, you'd better come out and say them now!\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must use the word 'thinking' exactly 2 times in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That message was given two or three times, but the castle remained silent. Katsuie did not appear, perhaps thinking that to see the two men would be unbearable. And of course it was clear that Hideyoshi's strategy was to destroy the morale of the men in the castle.\n\nStragglers from Katsuie's army had arrived during the night, and now the castle was sheltering about three thousand souls, including noncombatants.\n\nIn addition, Genba and Katsutoshi had been taken alive by the enemy, and even Katsuie could not help thinking that his end had come. The attack drums of the enemy were unceasing. By nightfall, the surrounding palisades had all been broken through, and the entire area was filled with Hideyoshi's forces to within thirty or forty yards of the castle walls themselves." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Required word frequency: 'generals' (2x)" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, inside the castle the situation remained peaceful. After a while the enemy's drums ceased; night was approaching, and generals who seemed to be envoys were going back and forth from the castle to the outside. Maybe there was a move afoot to spare Katsuie's life, or perhaps the generals were envoys for capitulation. Such rumors spread, but the atmosphere inside the castle did not seem to corroborate those theories.\n\nAs the evening passed, the main citadel—which had been as black as ink—was cheerfully lit with lanterns. The northern enclosure and the western citadel were also lit up. Bright lamps shone at intervals even in the keep, where desperate soldiers were on watch, waiting to do battle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The attacking troops wondered what was going on." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But the mystery was soon solved. They could hear the beating of drums now along with the flowing sound of flutes. Folk songs heavy with the accent of the northern provinces drifted to within earshot.\n\n\"The people in the castle know this is their last night and are probably enjoying a farewell banquet. How sad.\"\n\nThe attacking troops outside the castle felt sympathy for its inhabitants. Both the men inside the castle and those outside had been soldiers under the command of the Oda, and there was not a person there who did not know Katsuie's past. For that reason alone, the situation was a deeply emotional one." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A final banquet was held in the castle of Kitanosho." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was attended by more than eighty people—the entire clan and the senior retainers. Katsuie's wife and her daughters sat under the bright lamps in the middle of the group while the enemy army waited outside, only a short distance away.\n\n\"We didn't even get together like this to celebrate the first day of the new year!\" someone said, and the entire family laughed. \"With the dawn, the first day of our life in the next world will begin. Tonight will be our New Year's Eve in this world.\"\n\nWith the numerous lamps and the many laughing voices, the gathering seemed no different from an ordinary banquet. Only the presence of armed warriors caused a bleak cloud to float through the hall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The makeup and dress of Oichi and her three daughters lent an unbelievably fresh and even elegant air to the event." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The youngest of the three sisters was only ten years old, and when they saw the child making merry among the trays of food and the noisy people, gulping her food and playing pranks on her older sisters, even the old warriors who thought nothing of their imminent deaths had to look off in another direction.\n\nKatsuie had drunk too much. Any number of times, as he offered a cup to someone, he would let his loneliness slip, saying, \"If only Genba were here.\" When he heard someone expressing chagrin at Genba's failure, he would protest: \"Stop blaming Genba. This disaster is fully on account of my own mistakes. When I hear you blaming Genba, I feel worse than if I were being attacked.\"\n\nHe took care that everyone around him was drinking and distributed the best sake in the storehouse to the warriors in the towers. With the sake came his message:\n\n\"Express your farewells to your hearts' content. Reciting poems wouldn't be at all amiss.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Songs were heard coming from the towers, and laughing voices filled the room." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Even in front of Katsuie drums were sounded, and the silver fans of the dancers drew elegant lines in the air.\n\n\"Long ago, Lord Nobunaga would get up and dance at the slightest provocation and try to force me to do the same, but I was always ashamed of my inability.\" Katsuie reminisced. \"How regrettable! I should have learned at least one dance just for tonight.\"\n\nIn his heart he must have truly missed his former lord. And there was something else. Even though he had been driven to his present predicament—which was truly nothing less than hopeless—by a single monkey-faced soldier, it is certain that he secretly hoped at least to die a glorious death.\n\nHe was only fifty-three years old." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a general, his future should have been ahead of him, but now his only hope was for a noble death." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sake made the rounds. Cup after cup was consumed, and the many barrels dried up with the night. There was singing accompanied by drums, dances with silver fans, and cheerful shouts and laughing voices, but nothing that they did could completely sweep away the atmosphere of sorrow.\n\nFrom time to time, an icy silence and the black smoke coughed into the night by the flickering of the lamps exposed on the eighty drunken faces a pale color that had nothing to do with drinking sake. The lamps showed it was midnight, but still the banquet went on. Oichi's daughters leaned against her lap and began to sleep. To them, this banquet had become too boring to bear, it seemed." }, { "from": "system", "value": "<<USAGE LIMIT>>: 'daughter' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At some point the youngest daughter had taken over her mother's lap as a pillow and was now sleeping silently. As Oichi touched her daughter's hair, she struggled to hold back her tears. The middle daughter also eventually began to doze. Only the eldest, Chacha, seemed to understand what her mother was thinking. She knew what the evening's banquet was about and yet, she still managed to look serene.\n\nThe girls were beautiful, and all three resembled their mother, but Chacha was especially endowed with the aristocratic bearing that ran through the blood of the Oda. The combination of her youth and natural beauty could not help but make the beholder sad." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"She's so innocent,\" Katsuie said suddenly, looking at the sleeping face of the youngest child." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He then spoke with Lady Oichi about the fate of the girls." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Your own status is that of Lord Nobunaga's sister, and it has not yet been even a year since you became my wife. It would be better if you took the children and left the castle before dawn. I'll have Tominaga accompany you to Hideyoshi's camp.\"\n\nOichi answered with tears in her eyes. \"No!\" she said through her tears. \"When a woman marries into a warrior family, she is resolved to accept her own karma. To tell me to leave the castle now is truly cold-hearted, and it's unthinkable that I should go begging at Hideyoshi's camp gate, asking him to spare my life.\"\n\nShe looked at Katsuie, shaking her head behind her sleeve. But Katsuie tried once again. \"No, no. It gives me pleasure to think that you would be so faithful to me when our relationship is still so shallow, but your three daughters are the children of Lord Asai. More than that, Hideyoshi would certainly not be heartless to the sister of Lord Nobunaga or to her children. So you should go ahead and leave, and leave quickly. Go prepare yourself.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Calling over one of his retainers, Katsuie gave the man instructions and told them to get started." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Oichi only shook her head and refused to move." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word usage target: 'children' must be used 2 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"But even though you are so determined, may these innocent children at least leave the castle as my lord wishes?\"\n\nShe gave the appearance of agreeing with him. Then she shook awake the youngest child, who was sleeping on her lap, and told the children they were to be sent outside the castle.\n\nChacha clung to her mother. \"I don't want to go. I don't want to go. I want to be with you, Mother!\"\n\nKatsuie spoke to her and her mother tried to persuade her, but they were unable to stop her desperate tears. Finally she was led away and forced out of the castle against her will." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The sobs of the three girls could be heard as they moved far into the distance. It was already close to the fourth watch of the night, and the joyless party was over. The warriors quickly retied the leather straps of their armor, picked up their weapons, and began to disperse to their final posts, the posts that would be the places of their deaths.\n\nKatsuie, his wife, and the several members of the clan moved together into the interior of the main citadel.\n\nOichi had a small desk brought to her and began to grind the ink for her death poem. Katsuie also left a poem.\n\nWhile the night was the same everywhere, it was not the same for everyone." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The dawn was quite different for the vanquished and the victor.\n\n\"Make sure we have taken the surrounding walls by the time the sky turns white,\" Hideyoshi ordered, and then waited peacefully for the dawn.\n\nThe town was also relatively calm. Fires broke out in two or three places. They had not been set by Hideyoshi's soldiers but more likely had been started accidentally by the confused townspeople. Because they could serve as bonfires that would illuminate surprise attacks from the soldiers in the castle, they were allowed to burn all night.\n\nVarious generals had gone in and out of Hideyoshi's quarters from evening until midnight." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because of that, there was talk that either a movement was afoot to spare Katsuie's life or that the castle would soon capitulate." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nevertheless, even after midnight, no change was made in the original battle strategy.\n\nThe quick activity in every camp meant that dawn was close. Soon the conch shell was sounded. The beating of the drum began splitting the mist. It reverberated with a boom throughout the entire camp.\n\nThe assault began precisely at the Hour of the Tiger as had been planned. The attack commenced as the troops facing the castle wall opened a barrage of gunfire." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The popping of the guns reverberated uncannily through the mist, but then suddenly both the gunfire and the war cries of the vanguard stopped." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just then a lone rider broke through the mist, whipping his horse from Kyutaro's position to Hideyoshi's camp stool." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Behind him ran a single enemy samurai and three young girls.\n\n\"Hold your fire! Stop the attack!\" the rider shouted.\n\nThe fugitives were, of course, Nobunaga's nieces. Ignorant of the wearers, the soldiers watched as six elegant sleeves went by, soaked in the mist. The eldest sister held her middle sister's hand, while she in turn took care of the youngest. They tiptoed over the stony road. It was considered the proper etiquette for fugitives to go with very little to protect their feet, and the little princesses were no exception, walking on the earth in nothing but heavy silk socks." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The youngest stopped walking and said she wanted to return to the castle. The samurai who had accompanied them from the castle calmed her down by putting her on his back.\n\n\"Where are we going?\" the little girl asked with a shudder.\n\n\"We're going to a nice man's place,\" Shinroku answered.\n\n\"No! I don't want to go!\" the girl cried.\n\nThe older girls did their best to calm her down." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Mother should be coming later on. Right, Shinroku?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Yes. Of course she is.\"\n\nPattering on like that, they finally approached the stand of pines where Hideyoshi had made his camp.\n\nHideyoshi came out from behind the curtain and stood beneath a pine tree, watching them approach. He walked up to meet the girls.\n\n\"They all have the family resemblance,\" he said when he saw them up close.\n\nWas it the figure of Nobunaga or that of Oichi that was conjured up within his breast? Whichever it was, he was completely charmed and could only mutter that they were good children." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "A tassel hung elegantly from Chacha's plum-colored sleeve. Against the middle sister's sleeve, which was embroidered with a bold pattern, was a red sash. The youngest girl was dressed no less elegantly than her sisters. Each had a tiny satchel scented with aloeswood and a tiny golden bell.\n\n\"How old are you?\" Hideyoshi asked. But none of the three would answer. On the contrary, their lips turned so white they gave the impression that if you touched them they would burst into tears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi laughed lightly and displayed a smile." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Your task: Include 'little' 3 time(s) in your response" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"There is nothing to fear, my little princesses. From now on you can play with me.\" And he pointed to his own nose.\n\nThe middle sister laughed a little, perhaps because she was the only one who was reminded of a monkey.\n\nBut suddenly the gunfire and war cries shook the area even more strongly than before, sweeping over the entire area of the castle. Overhead, the morning sky began to appear.\n\nThe little princesses saw the smoke rising from the castle walls and started to scream and cry in confusion.\n\nHideyoshi put the girls in the care of a retainer, then called vehemently for a horse and rode off in the direction of the castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two moats along the outer walls that drew in the waters of the Kuzuryu River did not allow the attacking troops an easy approach." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When at last, however, they were able to cross the outer moat, the soldiers in the castle had set fire to the bridge at the front gate. The flames leaped to the tower over the gate and spread to the area of the barracks. The resistance of the defenders was furious beyond the attackers' anticipation.\n\nAt noon the outer castle fell. The attackers flowed into the main citadel from every one of the gates.\n\nKatsuie and his senior retainers had gone to the keep to make their final stand. The mighty keep was a nine-story building with iron doors and stone pillars." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After two hours of fighting in the keep, the attacking soldiers had sustained many more casualties than they had suffered during the whole morning." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The courtyard and the tower were a sea of flames. Hideyoshi ordered a temporary retreat. Perhaps because he saw that they were making little headway, he pulled back every corps.\n\nDuring that time he selected several hundred stalwart warriors. No one was to carry firearms; only spears and swords.\n\n\"Now I'm going to see it done! Cut your way into the tower!\" he ordered.\n\nThe specially picked spear corps immediately enveloped the tower like a swarm of wasps and soon penetrated into the interior." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Jet black smoke poured from the third floor, from the fourth, then from the fifth." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Good!\" Hideyoshi yelled when a huge umbrella of flames shot out from the tower's multifaceted eaves.\n\nThat was the flash that signaled Katsuie's end. Katsuie and the eighty members of his household held the attackers back on the third and fourth floors of the keep and fought hard until the very end, slipping in the spilled blood. But now three members of his family called to him.\n\n\"Prepare yourself quickly, my lord!\"\n\nRunning up to the fifth floor, he joined Lady Oichi. After witnessing her death, Shibata Katsuie ended his life by cutting open his stomach." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 8 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was the Hour of the Monkey. The keep burned all night. The magnificent buildings that had stood on the banks of the Kuzuryu River since the time of Nobunaga burned like a funeral pyre for innumerable past dreams and a thousand souls. Nothing, however, could be found in the ashes that in any way resembled Katsuie.\n\nIt was said that he had packed dry grass into the tower with meticulous care so that he would be burned up completely. And for that reason, Katsuie's head could never be offered as sure proof of his death. For a while some said that Katsuie had escaped, but Hideyoshi reacted with almost complete indifference to those rumors. By the following day he had already turned toward Kaga." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Incorporate 'hideyoshi' into your response exactly 4 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Oyama Castle in Kaga had been until the day before the headquarters of Sakuma Genba. When the fall of Kitanosho was reported, the people in that area could see what was in the wind and surrendered to Hideyoshi. He entered Oyama Castle without a fight. But the more victories his armies won, the more he warned them about the gravity of the situation and cautioned them against the slackening of military discipline. His aim was to overawe the solid warriors of the Shibata and their allies once and for all.\n\nSassa Narimasa in Toyama Castle was one of those warriors. Indeed, he was a strong supporter of the Shibata and held Hideyoshi in complete contempt. In terms of lineage, Sassa was far above Hideyoshi. He had been Katsuie's second in command during the northern campaign, and during the campaign against Hideyoshi, he had been asked to stay behind, not only to check the Uesugi clan but also to manage internal matters in the north.\n\nSassa is here. That is the stance he took as he glared out of the castle, standing firm in his guardianship of the northern provinces. Even though Katsuie had already perished and Kitanosho had fallen, there was a good possibility that—with his natural ferocity and professed dislike of Hideyoshi—Sassa might make a desperate effort to step into Katsuie's shoes and do his best to prolong the war." }, { "from": "human", "value": "And he was indeed thinking of doing that by combining his own fresh troops with the remaining Shibata." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi purposely did not confront the man." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The numbers of Hideyoshi's army demonstrated his power, and he decided to let their presence persuade Sassa to reconsider his position. In the meantime he approached the Uesugi clan with an invitation to form an alliance. Uesugi Kagekatsu sent a retainer to congratulate Hideyoshi on his victory and to respond affirmatively to Hideyoshi's offer.\n\nConsidering the apparently friendly relationship between Hideyoshi and the Uesugi clan, Sassa Narimasa found it impossible to plan a battle of resistance. He therefore disguised his intentions and finally declared his submission to Hideyoshi. He then married his daughter to Inuchiyo's second son, Toshimasa, and settled down with relief in his own province. Thus the area north of Kitanosho was pacified by momentum, and virtually no fighting had been required.\n\nHaving secured the north, Hideyoshi's victorious army returned to Nagahama Castle on the Boys' Festival, the fifth day of the Fifth Month.\n\nAt Nagahama Hideyoshi listened to reports of the situation in Gifu. After Kitanosho, it was chiefly Gifu Castle that continued its attacks on Hideyoshi, but after the great defeat of the Shibata, the martial spirit of Nobutaka and his soldiers was considerably dampened. To make matters worse, there were in Nagahama Castle many retainers from Gifu who had deserted Nobutaka and joined Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "In the end, the situation had become so extreme that a mere twenty-seven men remained with Nobutaka." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because Nobutaka had relied particularly upon the Shibata, for him their destruction was akin to cutting the roots of a plant." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "His men all deserted him, except for his favorites. Nobuo assembled his forces and surrounded Nobutaka's castle. He sent a message saying that his brother should go to Owari.\n\nNobutaka left Gifu Castle, took a boat, and landed at Utsumi in Owari. One of Nobuo's attendants went to Nobutaka with an order for him to commit seppuku, and, feeling that his time had come, Nobutaka calmly wrote out his last words and then took his own life. Thus Nobutaka's end was caused by his own brother. But the man who was behind his death was Hideyoshi. It is hardly necessary to say that Hideyoshi was unwilling to attack Nobutaka—who was so closely related to Nobunaga—with his own army, and so resorted to using Nobuo.\n\nAt any rate, the mediocrity of Nobuo and Nobutaka cannot be doubted. If they had made their minds one as brothers—or if either one had been distinguished in bravery and blessed with an eye that could perceive the tide of the times—they would not have experienced such a collapse in the end. Compared with Nobuo, who showed a good-natured stupidity, Nobutaka was a bit more courageous." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But he was really not much more than an incompetent bluffer." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "On that seventh day Hideyoshi left for Azuchi, stopping at Sakamoto Castle on the eleventh. In Ise, Takigawa Kazumasu also surrendered. Hideyoshi gave him a province in Omi worth five thousand bushels. He did not venture to question Kazumasu about his past crimes." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: This is part of a larger narrative. The user will write a segment, then you need to write around 12 sentences continuing directly from it. Characters and events may be pre-established from earlier chapters.\n\nAuthor style: Eiji Yoshikawa\nGenre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In just one short year, Hideyoshi had risen so rapidly to prominence that even he was surprised." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had struck down the Akechi and the Shibata; Takigawa and Sassa knelt before him; Niwa held him in special confidence; and Inuchiyo had demonstrated his loyalty to their old friendship.\n\nHideyoshi now controlled almost all the provinces that Nobunaga had conquered. Even his relationship with provinces outside Nobunaga's sphere of influence had undergone a complete change. The Mori, who for years had obstinately resisted Nobunaga's plans for hegemony, had signed a treaty of alliance and sent hostages.\n\nThere was, however, one man who remained an open question: Tokugawa Ieyasu. There had been no communication between the two for some time. They were silent, like poor chess players waiting for the other side to make a good move.\n\nThe silence was finally broken by a diplomatic overture from Ieyasu, soon after Hideyoshi's return to Kyoto on the twenty-first day of the Fifth Month. Ieyasu's most senior general, Ishikawa Kazumasa, called on Hideyoshi at Takaradera Castle.\n\n\"I have come to convey Lord Ieyasu's congratulations. Your great victory has brought peace to the nation.\" With that solemn announcement, Kazumasa presented Hideyoshi with a valuable antique tea container called Hatsuhana.\n\nHideyoshi had become a devotee of the tea ceremony, and he was delighted to receive the precious gift." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But it was also clear that he derived even greater satisfaction from having received the courtesy from Ieyasu first. Kazumasa had planned on returning to Hamamatsu that very day, but Hideyoshi detained him.\n\n\"You don't have to hurry,\" Hideyoshi said. \"Stay for two or three days. I'll tell Lord Ieyasu that I insisted. Especially since we're having a little family celebration tomorrow.\"\n\nWhat Hideyoshi called \"a little family celebration\" was the banquet to mark his investiture with a new court title, which was the seal of imperial approval on his domestic policies and military successes. He was also to announce the construction of a major new castle in Osaka.\n\nThe banquet lasted three days. A seemingly endless line of guests made its way up to the castle, and the narrow streets of the town were clogged with the carriages of courtiers, and their servants and horses.\n\nKazumasa was forced to admit that Nobunaga's mantle had come to rest on Hideyoshi's shoulders. Until that day he had firmly believed that it would be his lord, Ieyasu, who would succeed Nobunaga, but the time he spent with Hideyoshi changed his mind. When he compared Hideyoshi's and Ieyasu's provinces and reflected on the differences between their troops, he concluded sadly that the Tokugawa domain was still a small provincial outpost in eastern Japan.\n\nA few days later, Kazumasa announced his intention to leave, and Hideyoshi accompanied him as far as Kyoto." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As they were riding along, Hideyoshi turned in the saddle and looked back." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He beckoned to Kazumasa, who was riding some way behind, to join him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a retainer of another clan, Kazumasa had been received with the courtesy due to a guest, but he quite naturally rode behind Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi said warmly, \"We decided to travel together, and that doesn't mean that we should ride separately. The road to Kyoto is particularly boring, so let's talk as we ride.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kazumasa hesitated for a moment but then rode up to Hideyoshi's side." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's inconvenient going back and forth to Kyoto,\" Hideyoshi went on. \"So within the year I'm going to move to Osaka, which is close to the capital.\" He then described his plans to build a castle.\n\n\"You've chosen a good location in Osaka,\" Kazumasa remarked. \"It's said that Lord Nobunaga had his eye on Osaka for a number of years.\"\n\n\"Yes, but the warrior-monks of the Honganji were entrenched in their temple-fortress there, so he was forced to settle for Azuchi.\"\n\nBefore long they entered the city of Kyoto, but just as Kazumasa was about to take his leave, Hideyoshi stopped him once again and said, \"It wouldn't be advisable to take the land route in this heat. You'd better take a boat across the lake from Otsu. Let's have some lunch with Maeda Geni while the boat's being prepared.\"\n\nHe was referring to the man he had recently appointed to the governorship of Kyoto. Giving Kazumasa no chance to refuse, Hideyoshi led him to the governor's mansion. The courtyard had been swept clean, as though the visitor had been expected, and Geni's reception of Kazumasa was extremely courteous.\n\nHideyoshi continuously urged Kazumasa to relax, and during lunch they talked of nothing else but the castle he was going to build.\n\nGeni brought in a large sheet of paper and spread it out on the floor." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A plan for a castle was being shown to an envoy from another province, and both the man showing it and the man being shown it looked apprehensive of the reason for Hideyoshi's openness; the only apparent explanation was that Hideyoshi had forgotten that Kazumasa was a retainer of the Tokugawa clan, as well as the status of his own relationship with that clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I've heard that you're quite an expert on castles,\" Hideyoshi told Kazumasa, \"so if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just as Hideyoshi had said, Kazumasa was quite well versed in castle construction. Normally such plans would be top secret—hardly something to show to a retainer from a rival province—but Kazumasa put away his doubts about Hideyoshi's intentions and studied the plans.\n\nKazumasa knew Hideyoshi was unlikely to do anything small, but he was overawed by the scale of the project. When Osaka had been the headquarters of the warrior-monks of the Honganji, their fortress had occupied an area of one thousand square yards. In Hideyoshi's plan, that became the foundation for the main citadel. The area's topography—rivers, mountains, and seacoast—had been taken into consideration; their advantages and disadvantages had been considered, and the comparative difficulties of attack and defense and other logistical problems had all been thought out. The main citadel, and the second and third, were all surrounded by earthen walls. The circuit of the outer walls was more than six leagues. The tallest building within the walls was a five-story keep, which would be pierced with openings from which to shoot arrows. The tiles of the roof were to be gold-leafed.\n\nIn his amazement Kazumasa could only marvel in silent awe at what he saw before him. But what he had been staring at was still nothing more than a part of the project." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The moat surrounding the castle took its water from the Yodo River." }, { "from": "human", "value": "With the prosperous mercantile city of Sakai close by, Osaka was connected with numerous trade routes to China, Korea, and Southeast Asia." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The nearby Yamato and Kawachi mountain chains formed a natural defensive wall. The Sanin and Sanyo roads connected Osaka with sea and land routes to Shikoku and Kyushu, and made it a gateway with access to all outlying areas. As the location of the country's most important castle and a place from which to rule the nation, Osaka was many times superior to Nobunaga's Azuchi. Kazumasa could discover nothing lacking here.\n\n\"What do you think?\" Hideyoshi asked.\n\n\"Absolutely perfect. It's a plan on a grand scale,\" Kazumasa replied. There was nothing more he could honestly say.\n\n\"It will be sufficient, don't you think?\"\n\n\"On the day it's completed, it will be the largest castle town in the whole country,\" Kazumasa said.\n\n\"That's what I intend.\"\n\n\"When do you anticipate its completion?\"\n\n\"I'd like to move in before the year is through.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Kazumasa blinked disbelievingly. \"What! By the end of the year?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Well, about then.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It could take ten years for an engineering project of that size.\"\n\n\"In ten years the world will have changed, and I'll be an old man,\" Hideyoshi said, laughing. \"I've ordered the overseers to complete the castle's interior, including its decorations, within three years.\"\n\n\"I can't imagine it's going to be easy to make the craftsmen and laborers work at such a pace. And the amounts of stone and lumber you will need are going to be immense.\"\n\n\"I'm bringing in lumber from twenty-eight provinces.\"\n\n\"How many laborers will you need?\"\n\n\"I'm not sure about that. I suppose I'll need well over a hundred thousand. My officials say that it will require about sixty thousand men working every day for three months just to dig the inner and outer moats.\"\n\nKazumasa fell silent. He was depressed as he reflected on the great difference between this project and the castles of Okazaki and Hamamatsu in his own province. But would Hideyoshi really be able to bring the huge stones he needed to Osaka, an area totally lacking in quarries? And where, in these difficult times, did he think he could find the huge sums to pay for the project? He wondered whether Hideyoshi's great plans were really anything more than bragging.\n\nJust then something urgent seemed to have occurred to Hideyoshi, and he called for his secretary and began dictating a letter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Completely forgetting that Kazumasa was there, he looked over what had been written down, nodded, and started to dictate another letter." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Even if Kazumasa had not wanted to listen to what was being said, Hideyoshi was right in front of him and he could not help but hear." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi seemed to be dictating an extremely important letter to the Mori clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Once again Kazumasa was embarrassed and hardly knew what to do with himself." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He said, \"Your official business seems to be rather urgent. Shall I withdraw?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"No, no, that won't be necessary. I'll be done in a moment.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi continued with his dictation. He had received a letter from a member of the Mori clan congratulating him on his victory against the Shibata. Now, under the pretext of giving an account of the battle of Yanagase, he was demanding that his correspondent define his own attitude concerning the future of his clan. It was a personal letter, and an extremely important one.\n\nKazumasa sat next to him, silently looking at the stands of bamboo groves, while Hideyoshi dictated:\n\n\"If I had given Katsuie a moment's rest, it would have taken much longer to defeat him. But the fate of Japan hung in the balance, so I had to resign myself to the loss of my men. I attacked Katsuie's main castle at the second half of the Hour of the Tiger, and by the Hour of the Horse I took the citadel.\"\n\nWhen he dictated the words, \"the fate of Japan,\" his eyes were ablaze just as they had been when the castle fell. The letter then took a turn that would rivet the Mori clan's attention on his words.\n\n\"It would be futile to mobilize our troops, but if necessary I will visit your province in person to determine the matter of boundaries. Therefore, it is important that you use discretion and be resolved not to provoke me.\"\n\nKazumasa unconsciously stole a look at Hideyoshi and marveled at the man's boldness. Here was Hideyoshi lightheartedly dictating some very frank words, almost as if he were sitting cross-legged in front of his correspondent, having a friendly chat. Was he being arrogant or just naïve?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Both the Hojo in the east and the Uesugi in the north have entrusted matters to my resolve. If you are also prepared to let me work freely, the government of Japan will be better than it has been since ancient times. Give this deep thought and your own personal care. If you have any objections, please let me know before the Seventh Month. It is essential that you relay all of this in detail to Lord Mori Terumoto.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 10 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Kazumasa's eyes watched the play of the wind in the bamboo, but his ears were absolutely fascinated with what Hideyoshi was saying. His heart quivered like the bamboo leaves in the wind. It appeared that, for this man, even the titanic task of building Osaka Castle was something he did in his spare time. And he asserted, even to the Mori clan, that if they objected they should let him know before the Seventh Month—before he went to war again.\n\nKazumasa was beyond admiration; he felt exhausted.\n\nAt that moment an attendant announced that Kazumasa's ship was ready to sail. Hideyoshi took one of the swords from his waist and presented it to Kazumasa. \"It may be a little old, but people say it's a good blade. Please take it as a small token of my appreciation.\"\n\nKazumasa took it and reverently lifted it to his forehead.\n\nWhen they went outside, Hideyoshi's personal guards were waiting to escort Kazumasa to the port of Otsu." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "WRITING ASSISTANT ENGAGED\nMATCH: Character/world familiarity\nOUTPUT: 11 sentences SENTENCES\nGENRES: historical fiction\nINCORPORATE: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was a mountain of problems awaiting Hideyoshi both inside Kyoto and out." }, { "from": "human", "value": "After Yanagase, the fighting had come to an end; but even though Takigawa had submitted, there were still a few rebels who obstinately refused to surrender." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Remnants of the Ise army had entrenched themselves in Nagashima and Kobe, and Oda Nobuo was in charge of mopping up the last pockets of resistance." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he heard that Hideyoshi had returned from Echizen, Nobuo left the front for Kyoto and met Hideyoshi on that very day." }, { "from": "system", "value": "⚠️ Required: Use 'hideyoshi' exactly 3 times" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"When Ise submits, you may occupy Nagashima Castle,\" Hideyoshi told him.\n\nThat very mediocre prince left Kyoto for Ise in high spirits.\n\nIt was the time of day when the lamps were lit. The courtiers who had come calling had departed and all the other guests had gone. Hideyoshi took a bath and then, as he joined Hidekatsu and Maeda Geni for dinner, an attendant informed him that Hikoemon had just arrived.\n\nThe wind rustled the rattan blinds, and the loud laughter of young women drifted in on the air. Hikoemon did not go inside immediately, but first rinsed his mouth and smoothed his hair. He had returned on horseback from Uji and was covered with dust.\n\nHis mission had been to meet Sakuma Genba, who was a prisoner at Uji. It had appeared to be an easy mission but was in fact rather difficult, as Hideyoshi knew quite well. That was the reason he had chosen Hikoemon." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Genba had been captured but not executed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Instead, he had been imprisoned at Uji." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi had ordered that he not be treated harshly or humiliated. He knew that Genba was a man of matchless courage, who, if released, would become a raging tiger. Thus, a strict guard was kept on him at all times.\n\nEven though Genba was a captive enemy general, Hideyoshi felt sorry for him. He loved Genba's natural talents just as Katsuie had, and felt that it would be a shame to put him to death. So, soon after Hideyoshi returned to Kyoto, he sent a messenger to express his feelings and try to reason with Genba.\n\n\"Katsuie is gone now,\" the messenger began, \"and you should hereafter think of Hideyoshi as taking his place. If you do, you will be free to return to your home province and castle.\"\n\nGenba laughed. \"Katsuie was Katsuie. It is impossible for Hideyoshi to replace him. Katsuie has already committed suicide, and I have no thoughts of remaining in this world. I will never serve Hideyoshi, even if he gives me control of the entire nation.\"\n\nHikoemon had been the second messenger. He had left with the knowledge that it would be difficult. And sure enough, he had failed to change Genba's mind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"How did it go?\" Hideyoshi asked. He sat enveloped in the mosquito smudge rising from a silver censer.\n\n\"He wasn't interested,\" Hikoemon replied. \"He only implored me to cut his head off.\"\n\n\"If that was his only response, it would not be sympathetic to push the matter any further.\" Hideyoshi seemed to be giving up the idea of persuading Genba, and the lines on his face suddenly disappeared.\n\n\"I know what you were hoping for, my lord, but I'm afraid I wasn't a very competent messenger.\"\n\n\"There's no need to apologize,\" Hideyoshi consoled him. \"Even though Genba is a prisoner, he will not bow to me to save his life. His sense of honor is outstanding. I regret losing a man with that kind of fortitude and determination. If he had been persuaded by you and had come to change his loyalty, that alone might have made me lose my respect for him.\" He added, \"You're a samurai, and you knew that in the bottom of your heart, so it makes sense that you were unable to change his mind.\"\n\n\"Forgive me.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm sorry to have troubled you with this. But didn't Genba say anything else?\"\n\n\"I asked why he had not chosen to die on the battlefield, but had run away into the mountains and been captured by farmers instead. I also asked why he spent his days as a captive, waiting to be beheaded, rather than killing himself.\"\n\n\"What did he say?\"\n\n\"He asked me if I thought seppuku or being killed on the battlefield are the greatest acts of courage for a samurai, then he said he was of a different opinion: he thought a warrior must try his best to survive.\"\n\n\"What else?\"\n\n\"When he escaped from the battle at Yanagase, he did not know whether Katsuie was alive or dead, so he was trying to get back to Kitanosho to help plan a counterattack. On the way, however, the pain from his wounds became unbearable, and he stopped at a farmhouse and asked for moxa.\"\n\n\"Sad... very sad.\"\n\n\"He also very calmly said that he had borne the shame of being taken alive and sent to prison so that if the guards had presented him with an opening he might have escaped, stalked you, and taken your life. Thus he might have been able to appease Katsuie's anger and been able to beg forgiveness for the mistake he had made when he penetrated the enemy lines at Shizugatake.\"\n\n\"Ah, what a shame.\" Tears of sympathy welled up in Hideyoshi's eyes. \"To have misused a man like that and sent him to his death—that was Katsuie's fault. Well, we'll let him have what he wants, and allow him to die with grace. See to it, Hikoemon.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I understand, my lord. Tomorrow, then?\"\n\n\"The sooner the better.\"\n\n\"And the place?\"\n\n\"Uji.\"\n\n\"Should he be led around and exhibited?\"\n\nHideyoshi thought for a moment. \"I suppose that would be Genba's wish. Execute him in a field at Uji after you've led him through the capital.\"\n\nThe next day Hideyoshi gave two silk kimonos to Hikoemon just before he left for Uji.\n\n\"I expect Genba's clothes are dirty. Give him these for his death clothes.\"\n\nThat day Hikoemon rode to Uji once more to meet with Genba, who was now in solitary confinement.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi has commanded that you be led through Kyoto and then beheaded on a field in Uji, as you have wished,\" he said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Genba did not look the least bit unhappy. \"I'm grateful,\" he replied politely.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi has also provided these clothes.\"\n\nGenba looked at the kimonos and said, \"I am truly grateful for Lord Hideyoshi's kindness. But I don't think the crest and tailoring would suit me. Please return them.\"\n\n\"Not suit you?\"\n\n\"These are clothes that a foot soldier would wear. For me, Lord Katsuie's nephew, to be seen wearing them by the people of the capital would only shame my late uncle. The clothes I am wearing may be rags, but even though they are still grimy from battle, I would rather be led around in them. But if Lord Hideyoshi will allow me to wear one new kimono, I would like something a little more suitable.\"\n\n\"I'll ask him. What is your wish?\"\n\n\"A red wide-sleeved coat with a bold pattern. Beneath that, a red silk kimono with silver embroidery.\" Genba did not mince his words. \"It is no secret that I was captured by farmers, tied up, and sent here. I bore the shame of being captured alive. My aim was still to take Lord Hideyoshi's head, but that, too, was unfulfilled. When I am taken to my place of execution, I imagine that it will cause some excitement in the capital. I regret wearing a miserable silk garment like this, but if I am to wear a better one, I want it to be like the gaudy clothes I wore on the battlefield, with a banner flying from my back. Beyond that, and as proof that I have no bad feelings about being tied up, I would like to be tied up in front of everyone when I get into the cart.\"\n\nGenba's frankness was truly one of his most likable traits." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Literary Collaboration:\n- Sentences: five sentences\n- Match character context\n- Genre: historical fiction" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The end of the Sixth Month approached.\n\n\"The construction of Osaka Castle should be moving right along,\" Hideyoshi said. \"Let's go take a look.\"\n\nWhen he arrived, the men in charge of the project explained what had been achieved up to that point. The marsh at Naniwa was being filled, and canals had already been dug through its length and breadth." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The makeshift shops of merchants were beginning to appear on the site of the castle town." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Looking out toward the sea at the harbor of Sakai and the mouth of the Yasuji River, one could see hundreds of boats carrying stones, their full sails almost touching." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi stood on the spot where the main citadel would be constructed and, looking landward, saw the tens of thousands of laborers and artisans of all trades. These men were working day and night in shifts so that the construction would never stop.\n\nWorkers were levied from every clan; when a lord was negligent in sending his quota, he was severely punished, regardless of his status. There was a line of command of subcontractors, foremen, and sub-foremen for every trade at each work station. Responsibilities were clearly defined for those in charge." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Word frequency rule: 'ieyasu' × 2" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "If anyone was found lacking, he was immediately beheaded. The samurai from each clan who served as inspectors did not wait for punishment but committed seppuku on the spot.\n\nBut what concerned Hideyoshi most right now was Ieyasu. Throughout Hideyoshi's life, he had secretly thought that the most formidable man of the times—other than Lord Nobunaga—was Ieyasu. Given his own conspicuous rise to power, he imagined that it would be almost impossible to avoid a confrontation with him." }, { "from": "human", "value": "During the Eighth Month, he ordered Tsuda Nobukatsu to take a famous sword made by Fudo Kuniyuki and present it to Ieyasu." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Tell Lord Ieyasu that I was immensely pleased with the famous and matchless piece of pottery he presented to me when he sent Ishikawa Kazumasa.\"\n\nNobukatsu left for Hamamatsu toward the beginning of the month and returned on about the tenth day.\n\n\"The Tokugawa clan's hospitality was so gracious that I almost felt embarrassed. They were truly attentive,\" he reported.\n\n\"Did Lord Ieyasu appear to be in good health?\"\n\n\"He seemed to be extremely well.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What about the discipline of his retainers?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It had a quality you don't see in other clans—an appearance of indomitability.\"\n\n\"I've heard that he employs a great number of newcomers as well.\"\n\n\"It would seem that many are former retainers of the Takeda.\"\n\nDuring his conversation with Nobukatsu, Hideyoshi was suddenly struck by the contrast between his own age and Ieyasu's. Certainly he was Ieyasu's elder." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Ieyasu was forty-one and he was forty-six—a difference of five years. But far more than Shibata Katsuie—who was his senior by a number of years—had done, the younger Ieyasu was giving him cause for a good deal of thought.\n\nNevertheless, all of that was hidden in his heart. Outwardly it was not in the least bit apparent that, soon after the hostilities with the Shibata, he anticipated yet another battle. Which is to say that the relationship between the two men seemed to be totally satisfactory. In the Tenth Month Hideyoshi petitioned the emperor on Ieyasu's behalf to give him a higher court rank." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "human", "value": "In Azuchi, Lord Samboshi was just four years old." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Several provincial lords came to greet the New Year and to pay their respects and pray for his continued health." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Excuse me, Lord Shonyu?\"\n\n\"Well, Lord Gamo, how fortuitous.\"\n\nThe two men had met by chance in front of the great hall of the main citadel." }, { "from": "human", "value": "One of them was Ikeda Shonyu, who had been moved from Osaka to Ogaki Castle to make room for Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The other was Gamo Ujisato." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You look healthier all the time,\" Gamo said. \"That's the best you could ask for.\"\n\n\"No, my health goes along with the years, but we've been busy anyway. For a number of nights I haven't been able to sleep, even in Ogaki.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"You have the additional burden of being in charge of the construction of Osaka Castle, Lord Shonyu.\"\n\n\"That kind of work is appropriate for men like Matsuda and Ishida, but it's not fitting for us soldiers.\"\n\n\"I disagree. It's not like Lord Hideyoshi to put men in unsuitable places. You can be sure he has a need for you somewhere among the officials.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I'm really annoyed that you can see that kind of resource in me,\" Shonyu replied, laughing. \"By the way, what about your New Year's greetings to the young lord?\"\n\n\"I just now took my leave.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I was just leaving myself, so it's good timing, and there's a private matter I'd very much like to talk over with you.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"To tell the truth, as soon as I saw you, I realized there was also a matter I would like to ask you about.\"\n\n\"We must be having the same thoughts. Where shall we talk?\"\n\nShonyu gestured toward a small room off the great hall." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two men sat down in the empty room." }, { "from": "human", "value": "There was no brazier, but the New Year's sun coming through the sliding paper doors was warm." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Have you heard the rumors?\" Shonyu began." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I have. It's being said that Lord Nobuo has been killed. And it sounds like the truth.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shonyu frowned and sighed. \"We're already seeing the signs that there will be some kind of disturbance this year. How bad it will get depends on who the antagonists are, but the recent omens are troubling. You're younger than I am, Lord Gamo, but it appears to me that your judgment is better than mine. Don't you have the wit to come up with a good idea before something regrettable happens?\"\n\nHe looked deeply anxious." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gamo answered with another question." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Where can these rumors be coming from?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I can't tell you that. But where there's smoke, there's fire.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do you think there's something we don't know?\"\n\n\"No, not at all. The facts are just in the wrong order. To begin with, Lord Nobuo went to Takaradera Castle to call on Lord Hideyoshi in the Eleventh Month of last year. It's said that Lord Hideyoshi himself took charge of the reception held for thanking Lord Nobuo for subjugating Ise, and his hospitality was so great that Lord Nobuo stayed for four days.\"\n\n\"Indeed?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Lord Nobuo's retainers had expected him to leave the castle on the following day, but on the second day there was no word from him, nor on the third day, nor even on the fourth. Well, it seems that they imagined the worst, and even his servants outside of the castle started blurting out a number of wild suppositions.\"\n\n\"So that's it,\" Gamo laughed. \"When you expose the roots of these stories, most of them are fabrications, aren't they?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But Shonyu continued to look worried, and went on quickly, \"After that, there was more public discussion of the matter, and various competing rumors ran back and forth between Ise, Nagashima, Osaka, and the capital. The first one claims that the origin of the false report of Nobuo's death came not from among Lord Nobuo's attendants but from the mouths of Hideyoshi's servants. The men at Takaradera Castle refute this. They claim that the rumor was born from the suspicions and dark spirits of Lord Nobuo's retainers. While each side is loudly denouncing the other, the rumor of Lord Nobuo's murder is spreading like the wind.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Do people believe it?\"\n\n\"It's hard to fathom the mind of the common man, but after witnessing Lord Nobutaka's end directly after the fall of the Shibata, it's certain that a number of Lord Nobuo's relatives and retainers must be having bad dreams and asking themselves who's going to be next.\"\n\nThen Gamo spoke openly about his own fears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He inched closer to where Shonyu knelt and said, \"There should be a firm understanding between Hideyoshi and Nobuo regardless of the kind of rumors that are making the rounds. But there just may be considerable discord between them, too.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Gamo stared at Shonyu, who nodded vigorously." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Look at the situation since the death of Lord Nobunaga,\" Gamo said." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Most people think that after peace returned Lord Hideyoshi should have passed all authority to his former lord's heir. But no matter how you reason it through, it's clear that Lord Samboshi is far too young and that the successor should be Lord Nobuo. If Hideyoshi does not submit to Lord Nobuo, he could be accused of being disloyal and of forgetting the many favors the Oda clan bestowed upon him.\"\n\n\"It's all a little unsavory, isn't it? Nobuo's intentions are transparent, and yet he doesn't seem to understand that what is about to happen is just the opposite of what he would like.\"\n\n\"But do you think it's really possible that he's holding such optimistic thoughts?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He may be. What kind of calculations will be going on in the mind of a pampered fool, after all?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"It's certain that they're hearing these rumors in Osaka and that misunderstandings are just going to increase.\"\n\n\"This is awkward, to be sure,\" Shonyu sighed.\n\nAs Hideyoshi's generals, both Shonyu and Gamo were bound to him by the absolute bond that existed between lord and retainer." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But they were also bound to a set of conditions that now might not be so easily resolved.\n\nFirst of all, at the time Gamo had been receiving Nobunaga's favors, he had married Nobunaga's youngest daughter. Moreover, Shonyu and Nobunaga had had the same wet nurse, and Shonyu's relationship with his former lord as a foster brother had been particularly close." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Therefore, even at the conference in Kiyosu, the two men ranked as relatives. Quite naturally, they could not be indifferent to the problems facing the Oda clan, and except for the young Samboshi, the only person of Nobunaga's direct bloodline was Nobuo.\n\nThe two men would not have been so perplexed if they could have found anything of merit in Nobuo's character, but it was clear that he was nothing more than a mediocrity." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Both before and after the conference at Kiyosu, it was clear to everyone that he was not the man to grasp the reins that had fallen from Nobunaga's hands.\n\nBut unfortunately no one would tell Nobuo the truth. The good-natured young aristocrat—who had always leaned on the strength of his retainers, who had bowed and nodded approval at flatterers on every occasion, and who had been taken in by others who had manipulated him to their own advantage—had let a great moment in history pass by without even being aware of it." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo had secretly met with Ieyasu the year before and after the battle of Yanagase, had forced his brother to commit suicide on Hideyoshi's advice." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "More recently he had been rewarded with the provinces of Ise, Iga, and Owari for his victory in Ise and, perhaps thinking that his day was at hand, expected that Hideyoshi would next transfer the authority of the central government to him.\n\n\"But we can't just let the situation continue like this and look on like spectators. Don't you have some good ideas, Lord Shonyu?\"\n\n\"No, I hoped to get some from you. You've got to think of something, Lord Gamo.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I think the best thing would be to have Lord Nobuo meet with Lord Hideyoshi. Then he could speak frankly.\"\n\n\"That's an excellent idea. Well, he's been assuming an air of importance recently, so how will we go about this?\"\n\n\"I'll invent some pretext.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "For Nobuo, something that might have been interesting yesterday today was not. In his heart he was always discontented. Moreover, he was not the kind of man who would reflect on why that was so." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The previous autumn he had moved to Nagashima Castle in his new province of Ise, and he had been granted a new court rank. When he went out the crowds bowed to him, and when he returned he was greeted by flutes and stringed instruments. There was nothing he wished for that he could not have, and that spring he was still only twenty-six years old." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Include exactly 2 instance(s) of the word 'living'" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The tragedy of Nobuo was that living in such enviable conditions, he was all the less satisfied.\n\n\"Ise is too provincial,\" he would complain. \"Why is Hideyoshi building that absurdly big castle in Osaka? Is he planning on living there himself, or is he going to invite the rightful heir to do so?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When he spoke that way, it was Nobunaga speaking in his head. It was as though he had received his father's form but not his substance. \"That Hideyoshi is immodest. He's forgotten that he was my father's retainer, and now he not only taxes my father's remaining retainers and hurries to build a gigantic castle, but he treats me as though I were an encumbrance. Lately he doesn't consult with me about anything.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The silence between the two men dated from the Eleventh Month of the previous year. Recent rumors that Hideyoshi was making plans and leaving him out of them were quite enough to raise his suspicions.\n\nAt the same time, Nobuo let out certain unguarded statements among his retainers, and those became public, so that his innermost thoughts became a further irritation to Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As a result, the New Year passed by without their exchanging greetings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At New Year's, when Nobuo was playing kickball in the rear garden with his ladies-in-waiting and pages, a samurai announced a visitor. It was Gamo. He was two years older than Nobuo and was married to Nobuo's sister.\n\n\"Gamo? He's here just at the right time,\" Nobuo said, gracefully kicking the ball." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"He'll be a good opponent. Bring him to the garden immediately.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The messenger left but quickly returned, saying, \"Lord Gamo says he's in a hurry and is waiting for you in the guest room.\"\n\n\"What about kickball?\"\n\n\"He said to tell you that he has no skill at the game.\"\n\n\"What a peasant!\" Nobuo laughed, showing a line of elegantly blackened teeth." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Provide ten sentences as a continuation of this story segment in the historical fiction genre. Characters may be pre-established." }, { "from": "human", "value": "A number of days after Gamo's visit, a letter arrived from Gamo and Shonyu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo had been in a very good mood, and he quickly summoned four of his elder retainers and passed on the information." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"We're going to Otsu tomorrow. They say that Hideyoshi is waiting for me at the Onjo Temple.\"\n\n\"Will that be safe, my lord?\" one of the four elders asked.\n\nNobuo smiled, clearly displaying his blackened teeth.\n\n\"Hideyoshi must be troubled by the public rumors about our falling out. I'm sure that's it. He hasn't been dutiful to the person closest to my father.\"\n\n\"But what sort of arrangements have been made for this meeting?\"\n\nIn his answer Nobuo sounded quite self-assured. \"It's like this. A while ago, Gamo came and said that there was gossip of something unseemly between Hideyoshi and me, but Gamo assured me Hideyoshi harbors no grudge at all. He asked me to go to the Onjo Temple in Otsu and have a New Year's meeting with him. I felt there was no reason to have any animosity toward Hideyoshi and agreed to go. Both Lord Shonyu and Lord Gamo assured me that I would be quite safe.\"\n\nIt could be said that Nobuo's tendency to accept at face value whatever was written or spoken was the result of his upbringing. So his elder retainers were all the more inclined to be prudent, and they could not hide their misgivings." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Crowding together, they looked over Gamo's letter.\n\n\"There's no mistake,\" one said, \"it seems to be in his handwriting.\"\n\n\"Nothing else can be done,\" another replied. \"If Lord Shonyu and Lord Gamo have gone to the trouble to handle the matter this far, we should not be remiss.\"\n\nAnd so it was decided that the four senior retainers would accompany Nobuo to Otsu.\n\nOn the following day Nobuo set out for Otsu. When he arrived at the Onjo Temple, Gamo called on him immediately, and Ikeda appeared a little later.\n\n\"Lord Hideyoshi arrived yesterday,\" Shonyu said. \"He's waiting for you.\"\n\nThe place for the meeting had been prepared at Hideyoshi's lodgings, the main temple, but upon being asked politely when it would be convenient for him to meet Hideyoshi, Nobuo replied with a little display of willfulness, \"I'm tired from the trip, so I'd like to rest all day tomorrow.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "You must include the following in quotes somewhere in your response: Even my senior retainers aren't here." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Well then, we'll make arrangements for the day after tomorrow.\" And the two men returned to inform Hideyoshi.\n\nNo one had the leisure to spend an entire day doing nothing, but since Nobuo had said he wanted to rest, everyone spent the day in useless tedium.\n\nUpon his arrival, Nobuo had been annoyed to find that Hideyoshi and his retainers had occupied the main buildings, while the smaller ones had been allotted to his party. In arranging the day of the meeting Nobuo had tried to be a little self-assertive and had acted on whim, but the next day he himself seemed to be greatly troubled by his own boredom, and he started to complain.\n\n\"Even my senior retainers aren't here.\"\n\nNobuo spent the day being shown the temple's treasured books of poetry and being bored to tears by the endless talk of the old priests. When evening finally came, his four senior retainers appeared in his room. \"Did you have a good rest, my lord?\" one of the four asked." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The fools! Nobuo was angry. He wanted to scream that he was bored and had nothing to do, but instead he replied, \"Yes, thank you. Did each of you make yourself comfortable in your own lodgings?\"\n\n\"There was no time to make ourselves comfortable.\"\n\n\"Why is that?\"\n\n\"The messengers from the other clans were unending.\"\n\n\"There were that many visitors? Why didn't you come and tell me?\"\n\n\"You said that you wanted to rest for the day, and we did not want to disturb you, my lord.\"\n\nDrawing circles with his fingers and tapping his kneecaps, Nobuo looked at them with haughty disinterest.\n\n\"Well, fine. But the four of you should eat your evening meal with me. We'll have a little sake too.\" The senior retainers looked at each other and seemed to be embarrassed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Is there something else that will prevent you from doing that?\" Nobuo asked." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 6 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "One of the retainers said, as though he were apologizing, \"The fact is that a while ago a messenger came with an invitation from Lord Hideyoshi, and we came here to ask your permission.\"\n\n\"What! Hideyoshi invited you! What's this? Another tea ceremony?\" A frown appeared on Nobuo's face.\n\n\"No, I don't think it's anything like that. I doubt that he would invite retainers like us, especially for tea, and leave our lord out, when there are other lords here he could have invited instead. He said there was something he wanted to talk over with us.\"\n\n\"How strange,\" Nobuo said, but then shrugged his shoulders. \"Well, if he's invited you, I wonder if he's going to talk about finally having me fully take over the Oda clan. That might be it. It would be improper for Hideyoshi to lord it over the rightful heir. The people would never stand for it.\"" } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Continuing from this story fragment where characters are established. Write 2 sentences sentences in Eiji Yoshikawa's style. Genres: historical fiction. Elements: samurai, Japan" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The main temple hall was deserted. Only the lamps waited for the night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The guests arrived. It was the middle of the First Month and bitterly cold. Then someone else approached, clearing his throat." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Because the person was accompanied by an attendant, Nobuo's four retainers immediately realized that it must be Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He seemed to be giving orders in a loud voice as he walked along.\n\n\"Sorry to keep you waiting,\" he said as he entered the room, and then coughed into his hand." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "When they looked up, they could see that he was now alone—not even a page was behind him.\n\nThe four men were ill at ease." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As each one greeted him, Hideyoshi blew his nose." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"You appear to have a cold, my lord,\" one of Nobuo's retainers said affably." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I just can't seem to get over it,\" Hideyoshi replied in no less a friendly manner.\n\nIt was a rather plain setting for a discussion." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Neither food nor drink were offered, nor did Hideyoshi begin with any small talk." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Aren't you troubled by Lord Nobuo's recent behavior?\" he began.\n\nThe four men were filled with apprehension." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "They were shocked by what seemed to be a reprimand, and thought he was laying the blame on them as Nobuo's senior advisers. \"You're doing your best, I suppose,\" he said then, and the color returned to their faces." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"All of you are intelligent men, but I suspect you can't do much under Lord Nobuo. I understand. I've taxed my own ingenuity for his sake, but regrettably, it seems like I'm always meeting with reverses.\"\n\nHe said these last words emphatically, and the four men felt extremely cramped." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi continued to expose his innermost feelings, making his dissatisfaction with Nobuo very plain." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"I have made my decision,\" Hideyoshi said. \"I feel sorry that you four have spent many years serving this man. To be brief, we can end the matter without fuss if you can persuade Lord Nobuo either to commit seppuku or to become a priest. As a reward, I will give you lands in Ise and Iga.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was not just the cold that chilled the four men to the bone. The four walls felt like silent swords and spears." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Hideyoshi's eyes shone fixedly, tiny pinpoints of light." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Those eyes required the retainers to say either yes or no.\n\nHe would not give them time to consider his offer or allow them to leave without hearing their answer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "They were in a desperate situation." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The four men hung their heads in grief. Finally, however, they agreed and quickly wrote and signed pledges." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"My retainers are drinking sake in the Willow Room,\" Hideyoshi said. \"Go and join them. I'd like to go with you, but I'm going to bed early because of this cold.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Picking up the pledges, he retired to his quarters in the temple.\n\nNobuo was unable to settle down that night." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "At dinner he had sat with his retainers and attendants, the priests, and even the virgin priestesses from the neighboring shrine. He had been cheerful and talked in a loud voice, but when everyone had left and he was once again alone, he constantly asked his pages and the samurai on guard, \"What time is it now? Haven't the senior retainers come back from the main temple yet?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "After a while only one of the men returned.\n\n\"Are you alone, Saburobei?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo asked the retainer suspiciously." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The expression on the man's face was not normal, and even Nobuo felt apprehensive." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Prostrating himself with both hands to the floor, the old man could not even look up." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo could hear him sobbing." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"What is it, Saburobei? Did something happen while you were talking with Hideyoshi?\"\n\n\"It was a painful meeting.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"What! Did he call you over to scold you?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"If that had been it, it would not have been painful at all. What happened was totally unexpected. We were forced to sign pledges. You, too, must be resolved, my lord.\" He went on to reveal Hideyoshi's order in its entirety, then said, \"We knew that if we said no, he would kill us on the spot, so there was nothing we could do but sign. Later I saw my chance during a drinking party with his retainers and ran back here alone. There'll be an uproar when they discover I'm gone. You are not safe here, my lord. You must leave immediately.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo's lips had lost their color." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "The movements of his eyes seemed to show that he had heard only half of what the man had said. His heart beat as fearfully as a fire bell, and he could hardly sit still." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"But... then... what about the others?\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"I came back here on my own. I don't know about the others.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"The others, they signed the pledge too?\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"They did.\"\n\n\"So they're still drinking with Hideyoshi's retainers? I misjudged them. They're lower than beasts!\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He stood up as he continued this abuse and snatched the long sword from the hands of the page behind him. As he walked hastily out of the room, the flustered Saburobei chased after him, pleading to know where his lord was going." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo turned around and, lowering his voice, asked for a horse to be brought immediately." }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"Wait for a moment, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Understanding his lord's intentions, Saburobei dashed off to the stables.\n\nThe horse was a fine one, a bay called Sledgehammer." }, { "from": "human", "value": "As soon as Nobuo was in the saddle, he galloped through the rear gate into the cover of night." }, { "from": "human", "value": "No one knew he was gone until the following day." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Naturally, the meeting with Hideyoshi was canceled on the excuse that Nobuo had fallen ill, and Hideyoshi calmly returned to Osaka as though that was exactly what he had expected.\n\nNobuo returned to Nagashima, shut himself up inside his castle, and, still on the pretext of illness, would not show his face even to his own retainers." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But his seclusion was not entirely on account of a feigned malady." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 3 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He had really become quite ill. Only the doctor went in and out of the inner apartments, and although the plum blossoms behind the castle bloomed, the music ceased, and the garden was quiet and deserted.\n\nIn the castle town, on the other hand, and all over Ise and Iga, rumors spread and multiplied by the day. Nobuo's flight from the Onjo Temple had fueled everyone's suspicions." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "Task: Continue with three sentences sentences\nStyle: Eiji Yoshikawa\nNote: Maintain narrative threads and character relationships as presented" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Produce a starting prompt please." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobuo's senior retainers confined themselves to their castles—almost as if by prearrangement—and never came to Nagashima. That only encouraged the rumors and worsened the unease throughout the province.\n\nThe truth was always difficult to discover, but it was certain that the discord between Nobuo and Hideyoshi had once again ignited." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Naturally, Nobuo's status was the center of the storm, and there did appear to be someone he could rely upon." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'secret' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobuo was conservative by nature, and believed in the efficacy of secret plots and stratagems. Although he always seemed to be in agreement with his allies, he was also quick to hint that he had other friends who would cover him from behind if the situation did not turn out the way he wanted. Unless he had a secret ally in reserve, he could never be at ease." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nobuo now remembered the one great player who had stood in the shadows." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "That man, of course, was the sleeping dragon of Hamamatsu, Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu.\n\nBut the results of playing with strategy depend on the other players. The fact that Nobuo would consider using Ieyasu as his means to check Hideyoshi only demonstrated his lack of understanding of the other parties involved." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The man with a devious mind never truly knows his opponent." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He is like the hunter who chases after the deer and fails to see the mountains.\n\nBeyond that, it was the natural conclusion to his kind of thinking that Nobuo would push Ieyasu to the fore and attempt to prevent Hideyoshi's rise to power. One night, after the beginning of the Second Month, Nobuo sent a messenger to Ieyasu." }, { "from": "human", "value": "The two men bound themselves in a secret military alliance based on the mutual understanding that they were both waiting for the time when they could strike at Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Then, on the sixth day of the Third Month, the three senior retainers who had not been seen in the castle since that night at the Onjo Temple suddenly appeared. They had been specially invited by Nobuo to a banquet. Ever since the incident at the Onjo Temple, Nobuo had been convinced that the men were traitors, plotting with Hideyoshi." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Just seeing them made him sick with rancor.\n\nNobuo nonchalantly entertained the three men, and after they had eaten, he said suddenly, \"Ah, Nagato, I'd like you to see a new firearm that has just arrived from a blacksmith in Sakai.\"\n\nThey went to another room, and as Nagato looked at the musket, Nobuo's retainer suddenly yelled, \"By my lord's command!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "and grabbed him from behind." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"This is despicable!\" Nagato gasped, tying to draw his sword from its sheath. But he was knocked to the ground by his more powerful assailant and could only struggle helplessly in his grip.\n\nNobuo stood up and ran around the room, yelling, \"Let him go! Let him go!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "But the violent scuffle continued." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Holding his unsheathed sword over his head, Nobuo screamed once again, \"If you don't let him go, I won't be able to cut the bastard down! Let him go!\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "The assassin was holding Nagato by the throat, but seeing his chance, he thrust the man away." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "In the same instant, and without waiting for Nobuo to strike, he stabbed Nagato with his short sword.\n\nA group of samurai, now kneeling outside of the room, announced that they had killed the other two retainers. Nobuo nodded his approval." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "But then he heaved a great sigh. Regardless of their crimes, to have executed three senior advisers who had been at his side for many years was a merciless act. Such brutality, of course, had also been in Nobunaga's blood." }, { "from": "human", "value": "But in Nobunaga's case it was born of passion and imbued with great significance." }, { "from": "system", "value": "IMPORTANT: 'nagashima' should appear 2 times in total" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobunaga's evil and violence were seen as drastic but necessary remedies for the ills of the times; Nobuo's actions, however, arose from nothing more than his own petty emotions.\n\nThe killings in Nagashima Castle could have churned up raging waves that might have led to disturbances on all sides beginning that very night. But the murder of the three senior retainers had been carried out in secret, and on the very next day, soldiers from Nagashima were dispatched to attack each of the retainers' castles." } ]

[ { "from": "system", "value": "im ur writing buddy. i set scene (might have existing chars), u do seven sentences like Eiji Yoshikawa" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Ikeda Shonyu was famous for three things: his short stature, his courage, and his skill at the spear dance." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "He was forty-eight, the same age as Hideyoshi.\n\nHideyoshi had no son; Shonyu, however, had three in whom he could take pride, and all three of them had grown to manhood. The eldest, Yukisuke, was twenty-five and the commander of Gifu Castle; the second, Terumasa, was twenty and the commander of Ikejiri Castle; and the youngest would be fourteen this year and was still at his father's side.\n\nShonyu's relationship with Hideyoshi went back to the time when Hideyoshi was still called Tokichiro. By this time, however, a large gulf had opened up between the two. But Shonyu had not been left behind by the times. After Nobunaga's death, he was one of the four men—along with Katsuie, Niwa, and Hideyoshi—who had been appointed to administer the government of Kyoto, and even if the position was a temporary one, it was prestigious." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Moreover, right here in Mino, father and sons possessed three castles, while his son-in-law, Nagayoshi, was the commander of Kaneyama Castle." }, { "from": "human", "value": "It could not be said that he had fared badly." }, { "from": "human", "value": "Nor was there any reason for him to feel uneasy." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Hideyoshi was always tactful and often paid attention to his old friend. He even had his nephew, Hidetsugu, engaged to Shonyu's daughter.\n\nThus in peacetime Hideyoshi shrewdly strengthened the ties between them against the day of emergency, but this year—as the decisive battle became more and more inevitable—he leaned more heavily on Shonyu as his main ally. Now he suddenly sent a messenger to Ogaki offering to adopt his son-in-law, Nagayoshi, and to give him the provinces of Owari, Mino, and Mikawa.\n\nTwice Hideyoshi sent letters written by his own hand. The fact that Shonyu did not send a quick response did not mean he was envious or mean-hearted. He knew well that serving Hideyoshi would be more advantageous than serving anyone else." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "And he understood that, while Hideyoshi had great ambitions, he himself would also receive great advantages.\n\nWhat made it difficult for Shonyu to rouse himself to a response was simply the problem of the widely discussed moral justification for war between the eastern and western armies. The Tokugawa accused Hideyoshi of being a traitor who had already eliminated one of the sons of his former lord and was now ready to strike down his heir, Nobuo.\n\nIf I ally myself to Hideyoshi, Shonyu thought, I will have taken a poor step in terms of moral duty; if I help Nobuo, I'll be standing on moral duty, but my hopes for the future will be dim.\n\nAnd Shonyu had yet another worry. Shonyu had close ties with Nobunaga, and because of that deep relationship he could not easily sever his relationship with Nobuo, even after Nobunaga's death. To make matters worse, his eldest son was a hostage in Ise, and Shonyu did not feel he could just abandon him to be killed." }, { "from": "human", "value": "So, every time he received one of Hideyoshi's letters, Shonyu was confused." }, { "from": "human", "value": "When he discussed the matter with his retainers, he listened to advice from two factions, one stressing the importance of justice and counseling against abandoning moral duty; and the other arguing that now was the time when a great advantage might be gained for the prosperity of the clan." }, { "from": "human", "value": "What was he going to do?" }, { "from": "human", "value": "Just as his confusion was growing more and more acute, his eldest son was unexpectedly sent home from Nagashima." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Nobuo thought that Shonyu would be grateful to him and never betray him. Such an obvious ruse might have had the desired effect on someone else, but Shonyu was a man of some insight. He understood the act to be nothing more than a childish, high-pressure goodwill sales tactic and a transparent political calculation.\n\n\"I've made my decision. In a dream the Buddha told me to join the western army,\" he announced to his retainers. On the same day he sent a letter to Hideyoshi, declaring himself his ally.\n\nHe was, of course, lying about the dream from the Buddha, but immediately after Shonyu had made his decision, the general's innate ambition was suddenly set aflame by a casual conversation with his eldest son.\n\nWhat Yukisuke mentioned was that the commander of Inuyama Castle, Nakagawa Kanemon, had received his orders to return to Inuyama soon after he himself had been released from Nagashima." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Until that day, Shonyu had been unable to decide whether Inuyama Castle would be his ally or enemy, but now that he had sent word of his support for Hideyoshi, Inuyama Castle would be an enemy right in front of him. Moreover, the castle was in a strategic area with natural defenses, and it was certain that Ieyasu and Nobuo considered Nakagawa Kanemon able enough to entrust with the first-line defenses of their provinces. If that were so, he had no doubt been suddenly detached from the Ise army for that purpose and ordered to return to his own castle.\n\n\"Summon the leader of the Blue Herons,\" Shonyu ordered an attendant.\n\nIn a valley beyond the rear entrance of the castle was a collection of huts belonging to the men employed from outside of the clan. They were called the Blue Heron Corps. From that encampment, Shonyu's attendant called out a short, solidly built young man of about twenty-five years of age." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "It was Sanzo, the captain of the Blue Herons. Receiving his instructions from the attendant, he went through the rear castle gate and into the inner garden.\n\nShonyu was standing in the shade of a tree, and beckoned him forward with a thrust of his chin. Then, as Sanzo prostrated himself at his lord's feet, Shonyu gave him his orders in person.\n\nThe name of the Blue Heron Corps was derived from the color of their blue cotton uniforms. Whenever an incident occurred, they would fly off to unknown destinations, like a flock of blue herons taking flight.\n\nThree days later, Sanzo returned from some undisclosed location." }, { "from": "human", "value": "He quickly went through the rear gate of the castle and, just as before, bowed before Shonyu in the inner garden." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "Shonyu then received the freshly bloodstained sword that Sanzo took from an oilpaper wrapping and inspected it carefully.\n\n\"This is it, certainly,\" Shonyu said, nodding, and then added in praise, \"You did well.\" He gave several gold coins to Sanzo as a reward.\n\nThere was little doubt that the sword was the one carried by Nakagawa Kanemon, the commander of Inuyama Castle. His family crest was lacquered onto the scabbard.\n\n\"Thank you for your generosity, my lord,\" Sanzo said, and started to withdraw, but Shonyu told him to wait. Once again summoning an attendant, he had so much money set in front of Sanzo that it would have to be carried out on the back of a horse." }, { "from": "system", "value": "Essential phrase to include: \"I've given the details very carefully to three of my most trusted men. I want you to disguise yourself as a packhorse driver, load this money on a horse, and ride along behind those three men.\"" }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "An official and the personal attendant wrapped the coins in a number of reed-mat bales as Sanzo stood there in openmouthed surprise.\n\n\"I want you to do another job, Sanzo.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"\n\n\"I've given the details very carefully to three of my most trusted men. I want you to disguise yourself as a packhorse driver, load this money on a horse, and ride along behind those three men.\"\n\n\"And what is our destination?\"\n\n\"Don't ask.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord.\"" }, { "from": "human", "value": "\"If everything goes as planned, I'll promote you to the rank of samurai.\"" }, { "from": "system", "value": "Next message should be approximately 4 sentences." }, { "from": "gpt", "value": "\"Thank you, my lord.\"\n\nSanzo was a bold and fearless man, but he was more unnerved by the sight of the great amount of money than he would have been by a pool of blood. He prostrated himself again, putting his head to the ground almost excessively. When he raised it, he saw an old man, who looked like a country samurai, and two stout youths who were loading the bales of money onto a horse's saddle." } ]