Battle of Sleeping River

The Battle of Sleeping River occurred during the second rising of the Bloodspeaker Iuchiban.
== Background ==
Iuchiban had escaped from his tomb, and his eta followers had gathered their dead to a great plain near the Sleeping River. Once they heard of the gathering, the Great Clans raised a huge army to stop him. Way of the Lion, p. 107
== Battle ==
After the failure of the attempts led by Isawa Ryuiso to negotiate with Iuchiban, Way of the Phoenix, p. 25 the Phoenix Clan were instrumental in securing the victory of the Empire. As the forces of the clans were being divided and crushed by the Bloodspeaker forces, the Phoenix stepped in, unleashing their most powerful magics against the undead and their masters. The Bloodpeakers fought back, but their maho was no match for the sheer might of the Elemental Masters, and the Shiba Yojimbo cut down any enemy that could get close to them. After a near-rout, the Phoenix drove the Bloodspeakers from Ryoko Owari Toshi and converged upon them on the Plains of Sleeping River, allowing the Imperial armies a chance to recover. Way of the Phoenix, pp. 40-41 The army of the Dragon Clan were led by the general Mirumoto Gojanuwan and his shugenja shireikan Agasha Hanujito. Way of the Dragon, p. 26 Iuchiban's soul ocuppied the body of a huge Hida Bushi, wielding Revenge. The Tomb of Iuchiban: The Journal of Kuni Visten
=== Iuchiban trapped again ===
There the Clans were united to stop Iuchiban seizing the Emerald Throne. The battle lasted for seven days before it was finally over and Togashi Yamatsu, the Ise Zumi who had discovered his escape, using the power of his tattoos to hold the spirit of Iuchiban Blood Dawn, Part IV: Twisted Visions, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf and his very soul was imprisoned. His essence was returned to his tomb, and the magic of the Isawa bound him into the walls of the sepulchre. Way of the Phoenix, p. 41 Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 15 Bloodspeakers, p. 53
Reichin, Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, pp. 15, 305 the ronin who called himself "Usagi", assisted the Emerald Champion to defeat Iuchiban and was rewarded. Roleplaying in the Emerald Empire, p. 244
=== Climax ===
The Lion's Pride were instrumental in the victory. They had been seen as the weakest point of the combined Empire forces and were attacked tirelessly by the Bloodspeaker. Only the war cry of the standard bearer of the Banner of the Roaring Tempest allowed the samurai-ko to keep their positions until the Akodo outflanked the enemy. Secrets of the Lion, p. 78
== Known casualties ==
* Iuchi Mohai
Sleeping River