The First Hojo-Sanosuke War

### Outcome:

A defeat for the Sanosuke, their invasion forces driven back north. A victory that brought prestige to the Hojo.

### Battles

Battle of Hashikumo

 The first of conflicts that was waged between the Hojo and their allies against the various Sanosuke clans. Though the first war between the Hojo and Sanosuke wasn't in terms of numbers or battles impressive, it set out the rivalry that would the deciding factor for the centuries to come between the two Great Clans in the Lightning Country.

## The Participants

Most often than not, people just say that the Hojo and Sanosuke fought this conflict. This is, however, quite far from the truth. Minor Taika clans fought alongside as underneath the command of the Hojo during this conflict. The Sanosuke weren't a entirely cohesive force either but made out of separate jarldoms that fought alongside.

## The Cause

The cause of the conflict is disputed between scholars, historians as clans that have been involved into the war. Two major sides have sprung forth that have different theories.

Those that consider the Sanosuke to be the aggressors state that they started the conflict. This is because of what many Taika consider typical of Chonobi, to raid and pillage a neighbour. If these raids aren't repelled, it is a grave sign of weakness. The raids will temporarily stop, heralding the signs of an invasion. With the minor clans to the south of the Sanosuke unable to do much against the constant raiding, the Sanosuke started the conflict as the aggressor.

There are those who consider that the major factors aren't with the Sanosuke. Some argue that constant border conflicts have led to feuds and desire to put the border disputes to a halt. Leading that the Sanosuke were simply the first to make the step, cause else it would have been the Hojo or another clan.

## The Invasion from Horga

The Taika that bordered the Sanosuke weren't any strangers of the aggression. Many managed to often repel small raiding parties that ventured into their land. Sometimes having the courage to try to return the favour. Various small conflicts would break out but nothing that escalated into a full-scale war. According to Sanosuke records from the Jarldom of Horga, a Taika force managed to enter into their land and wound various prominent people in their region. This couldn't be left unanswered.

Rallying the support of various other jarls, three Sanosuke jarls launched a joint invasion into the south of Horga, just north of Shimadaka. The exact clan isn't recorded well among either Hojo or Sanosuke sources but this sparked a defensive reaction from the Hojo. Even as they weren't directly under attack, they were quite wary of what it could mean for them. Mobilising their forces, they wouldn't instantly launch an attack on the Sanosuke invasion force that was now so close to their borders.

The Sanosuke invaders raided and pillaged the invaded region with impunity. Little resistance was met on their way, leaving them free to occupy the region. Being quite harsh to the local population, they were attempting to stabilise the region and bring it to their order. Where they thus already had some success, it wasn't clear on who would gain or govern the area. This made the Sanosuke progress much slower as well blind to what was to come.

## The Hojo Counter-Attack

Readying their forces, the Hojo gathered more support from various other clans. Once ready, they marched into the Sanosuke occupied region and started to engage their enemy without any warning. It was reasoned that the Sanosuke were barbaric and thus there was no need for honorable conducts, such as an official declaration of war.

The squabbling between the various prominent Sanosuke invasion leaders made them unaware of the storm that was heading towards them. The Hojo capitalized on this as they tried to avoid detection by small skirmishes. The bulk of their force would descend on one of the largest portion of the Sanosuke forces, led by the jarls of Horga and Langenes. This battle would take place near the small town of Hashikumo. Resulting in a decisive Hojo victory.

The Hojo victory at Hashikumo started a rout of the Sanosuke forces as they were unable to directly confront the allied Taika force. On their route north, they would burn every resource that they couldn’t bring along, in hope to deter or slow down the Hojo and their allies. Various skirmishes would take place but with the battle of Hashikumo, the conflict already had been decided.

## Aftermath

The war ended with a peace treaty signed in the small town of Hashikumo. The Hojo supervised the peace negotiations and aimed to remember the Sanosuke of what would happen if they marched south again, by keeping the negotiations in Hashikumo. The Sanosuke jarldoms that had participated would be forced to pay some tribute for some years and swear that they wouldn’t send any raiding parties for the duration of the truce. This aftermath had various consequences.

For the Sanosuke, this peace was considered a big insult. Grudgingly they would accept peace to not face a large combined Taika force after losing many troops in their attempted invasion. It also taught them the value of Taika cavalry, something that they had underestimated before.

The Hojo enjoyed a good amount of prestige as they were considered the protectors of the nearby Taika clans and people. Using this prestige, they started to expand their sphere of influence. Without a doubt, it set the ideas for the Hojo to formulate plans for their own invasion campaign into Sanosuke lands.