Between Two Worlds: The Epic of Brazil

[Dom Pedro II]

Part I: The Reconquest

King Jorge III sat in his throne room. The hall was quite grand with great wide carpets made from bearskin. These had been a present from the Angle peoples after their incorporation into the Brazilian Empire. The ceiling arched high in the air and was beautified by murals between the support beams. Guards were posted at every entrance, but they were there more for show than for actual defense. At that moment, Jorge's first minister, Sir do Jardim, entered the room. He was dressed in fine robes made from the best materials that could be found in the empire.

"What news do you have for me?" Jorge asked sleepily.

"Sire, the Japanese continue their insolence!" the advisor was fuming, "We have demanded that the Japanese leave the Nevada Peninsula. Instead, they are continuing the construction of this colony… Nagasaki. In a few months it shall be complete, sir! They have already begun construction of the fort. We cannot allow them to secure this position!"

The king sighed and scratched his beard, "Of course, you are right… Send word to Tokugawa. Inform him that I am again requesting the Japanese to relinquish control of the colony to me or to withdraw from the continent and destroy it. Tell him that naturally, Brazil is willing to offer substantial compensation in return for this gesture of goodwill and understanding. Inform him further that Brazil shall not contest the colony of Izumo since it does not directly interfere with the affairs of our northern territories yet, but that Nagasaki shall not be tolerated. It effectively cuts off Porto Nevado in the far east from the rest of the Brazilian Empire.

"Immediately, sire," do Jardim turned and left the room.

Several weeks passed, and do Jardim returned to the chambers of his majesty. He had no good news to report.

"I am afraid… I am afraid that the Japanese have refused us. They have said that if we want their colonies, we shall have to take them by force."

The king was playing with his young daughter, Alessandra. The beautiful brown-eyed little girl giggled as he bounced her on his knee. When the minister came in so abruptly, Jorge lowered his daughter to the floor. A servant came and took the child away.

"You told them exactly what I said?" asked King Jorge.

"Yes, sir, I did. To the letter in fact!"

"It appears then that we have only one more option left open to us," the king replied, "Bring in General da Silva."

The general entered the room with do Jardim. Da Silva was a hardened grizzled figure from the northern frontier. He came from one of the many Celtic villages stretching from Natal across the Brazilian arctic wasteland to northern coastline.

"General," King Jorge began, "I am looking at the possibility of war with Japan to seize their colonies on our territory. I ask you, as my military advisor, do you think such an offensive is wise."

"Your majesty, I am pleased to hear that action is to be taken against this blatant insult to our sovereignty. Yes, they can be taken quite easily. Even if they had superior numbers, the will of the men to cast the enemy into the sea shall overcome the largest army they can throw at us. But if you want a practical assessment, the towns have not yet been heavily garrisoned, and it shall be some time before this can be done.

"What about the war as a whole? If the Japanese assault us, can we defend ourselves?" asked the king.

"Naturally, our most extreme outposts… Porto Nevado in particular since it is the closest to Japan, will be threatened, but once their outposts have been destroyed, the Japanese will sue for peace before they even have the oppurtunity to attack our cities."

"Minister do Jardim, does your evidence of Japan concur with this?"

"Well… it might. Japan is, however, a very stubborn empire. It's people are militaristic and their honor could make surrender very difficult. But I have another point, sir... As you know, your majesty, my father was a merchant who settled in Porto Nevado colony. I myself have much experience with the sea being a native of that place. Sire, we have virtually no navy! Certainly, we have a Great Lighthouse in Rio de janeiro to guide our merchant ships, but we have no ships. The few galleys we do have are currently on an exploratory mission in Babylon! I do know that the Japanese have a rather large naval force, so we will be completely unable to stop an invasion."

"Nonesense!" declared da Silva, "We have a large chariot division near Porto Nevado and a regiment of warriors garrisoned in the city. We could have our chariots in Nagasaki and back to Porto Nevado before the first of their men hit the beaches. We will be more than capable then fighting off whatever flimsy invasion they may throw at us."

"Agreed," King Jorge nodded, "Very well. We shall go to war... Minister do Jardim, order the governor of Natal to organize a regiment of spearmen for the city's defense."

"Sir, there are no men to organize into an army in Natal!" Minister do Jardim explained, "It's still a new settlement. The only population we could draw from are the indigenous people."

"Those indigenous people are my relatives," growled da Silva defensively, "They will fight! They are a hearty people."

"A Celtic regiment is a threat to the security of the northern territories and the state of Brazil at large. You know very well that they have never accepted Brazilian rule. We have still had uprisings out there."

"They will fight," da Silva reiterated.

"We will chance the revolt," Jorge said, "If we must go to war, we will need the support of everyone. Besides, fighting against a foreign power could do much to bring us together. The Celts and Angles are as opposed to the Japanese presence on the continent as we are. They will quite willingly fight against a common enemy."

"I am sorry to question your decision, your majesty, but it is just as likely that they could see an oppurtunity to join the Japanese in hopes of regaining self-rule. Even if they don't, they are short-sighted enough to just recognize the fact that we are giving them swords and spears and may just go on a rampage."

"Minister, you insult my people! I cannot allow you to do this! I challenge..."

"General!" snapped King Jorge, "This is not the time or the place. I forbid a duel! There is no reason. Minister, I demand that you refrain from speaking of the Celts and Angles in such a way. They have the trust of their sovereign king even if not yours."

"Yes, sir," General da Silva saluted, "Is that all?"

"Yes, you are dismissed," Jorge waved a hand. Da Silva left the room.

King Jorge placed a hand over his eyes as he let out a soft sigh. "Minister... please, be careful what you say. I can not afford to either of you right now."

"Sire, I am apprehensive of this war," the Minister said.

"Well, be apprehensive then! Don't you think I am concerned? But in life, we must take risks. It will be better to stand and fight now while the colonies are weak than after they have had time to develop, and it will be better to fight them at some point than not to take them at all."

Continued...

[Dom Pedro II]

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Izumo

The snow fell silently in the forests around the wooden fences lining the perimeter of the scattering of houses called Izumo. Out in the bay were several small merchant vessels. This had not been a particularly favorable trading location since only four months out of the year left the area accessible by water. In fact, an old wrecked ship in the bay lay locked in a sheet of ice in the shallows by the shore.

Ditches dug to protect the city from assault by Brazilian infantry were now filled with a mix of brown leaves and slushy snow. The only roads, if they could be called that, leading to the settlement often left travelers knee-deep in mud. The pine trees that wrapped around the village like a wreath were dusted with the white snow, and it was here that the battle was to take place.

Japanese lookouts perched in the make-shift tower on the outskirts of the village had spotted an army moving over the hills. This was the division of archers under the command of Colonel Teodoro Branco. The archers were the best in the Brazilian army. A hundred years earlier, this outfit had been battling hordes of Celtic and Angle barbarians on the great Brazilian tundra. From those days emerged a long tradition of excellence, and the division had grown to over 2,500 men including the infantry support. There was not a skilled archer in all of Brazil that did not dream of one day being accepted into the Frontier Guard.

Japanese skirmishers were sent out from the city center to hold back the enemy. As the Japanese line came down the snowy hill, the archers emerged from the trees. Branco ordered his men to load their bows. Without fanfare, the archers complied. Then the colonel ordered them to take aim. Hundreds of bows were raised into the air on steep angles. They drew back on the strings and waited.

"Fire!" Branco declared.

A great wave of arrows rose into the sky. They arched down and began raining on the Japanese warriors. The warriors raised their wooden shields above their heads to catch the falling arrows. They cut into the wood and some passed between the shields and tore into shoulders, heads, stomachs, and limbs. Without delay, the archers reached back to their quivers and reloaded their bows and took aim again against the charging troops. Branco gave the order to fire again.

The warriors, not expecting such a rapid rate of shooting, fell to the ground in droves as they foolishly left their shields at their sides. They had never seen such speedy reloading and firing. The archers were already preparing for a third barrage when the Brazilian troops accompanying the archers stepped up to the front. The infantry commander ordered the men ahead.

A third wave of arrows flashed over their heads on their way to the raging line of Japanese warriors. Arrows sunk through wood, grass, and flesh. The battlefield was littered with bodies, swords, shields, and arrows embedded in the earth. Still, the Japanese advanced. The two lines collided with a mass of heaving bodies and the roar of armies and the clash of swords. Almost instantly, the out-numbered Brazilian infantry was pushed back. The archers found the roiling butchery rolling back toward them.


"Retreat!" Branco shouted over the noise.

The archers turned around and began running in a panicking mob into the woods. They dashed backward piecemeal back to the encampment. The Brazilian soldiers held the line long enough for their archers to get away and then turned themselves. The Japanese commander, fearing that he might be walking into an ambush deeper in the forest, ordered his men to hold their position. They had taken the field, and that would be enough for now.

Back at the Brazilian camp, Branco was quite displeased.

"Absurd!" he scoffed, "The Frontier Guard is far too small to be used against this city! We have only a dozen horsemen! How can we hope to seize the city without horsemen or infantry! It cannot be done, I say…"
"Nephew, please," Dom Leonardo Dias said, "Calm down. You must learn to control that fiery youth of yours if you intend to be a great man some day."

"Uncle, if I lose here, I will never be a great man! I will be a disgraced military officer. I cannot and will not let that happen."

"Yes, and you must compose yourself then. If you do not think with a clear head, you will lose. It seems like such a pity to be wasting valuable troops fighting for this dismal scrap of land."

"And you don't think I should be out here at all," Branco eyed his uncle closely.

"Admittedly, I was sent here by your mother who hopes I can talk some sense into you. Personally, I think that there is no reason for a man of your status, a man with great land titles, to be fighting out here. Oh certainly, there would be some who would say that it is the responsibility of the lords to become great warriors, but I am a man of practicality. I see no reason to fight for these barbaric lands. It seems like a ridiculous conflict."

"We are not fighting for the land, sir. We are fighting for the glory of the Brazilian Empire!" Branco raised his chest and his lower lip pushed out as he said this, "We are showing that this continent is ours. All of it is the homeland of Brazil."

"Wrong, it is all of the arable land that is Brazil's!" Dom Dias raised a finger, "It is on any land where crops can grow that we claim our sovereignty. We are a nation of agrarians. We make our money from the earth, and it is the common man who works that land for the betterment of the nobles. So it has been, and so it shall be."

"Do you truly put so little faith in progress?" asked Dom Branco.

"Progress is over-rated. It is fleeting. As soon as you've developed something, it becomes obsolete right after," Dias remarked, "Tradition is forever."

"I will serve my king," Branco said firmly.

The following day there was no activity. Spies in the forests on either side played a delicate game with one another to collect information on the enemy. The Japanese spent the day making better fortifications with the few men they had left. Branco was planning for a new attack. Dusk soon fell over the region, and the Brazilian army quietly slipped out of camp.

The spies ran back toward the village crying that the Brazilian army was coming. The Brazilian horsemen were riding in front to serve as a screen for the approaching army. One rode back to report to Branco that they had made it all the way to the town gates entirely unopposed. The Japanese army was huddled inside the fortifications waiting for the Brazilians to come.

The archers came up again and formed their lines. Torches were passed around and the tips of the arrows were lit. Once all of them had been set ablaze, Branco ordered the men to take aim. Their target was the wooden fortifications about the complex. The snow had stopped, and the wood had been dried out somewhat.

The line of fires across the archery line suddenly burst into the air. It looked as though the stars were falling from heaven. Flaming arrows pierced the wood and set it on fire. Men were felled from the parapets and crashed down below. More arrows rained down onto the tower and it began to burn.

Soldiers quickly emerged to try and stamp out the flames. A second volley of regular arrows began picking off the men that came out. It was not long before the length of the wall was engulfed in flames. While this was distracting the Japanese, the horsemen rode out around to the back along the beach front. They torched the houses running along the water before they encountered a troop of Japanese soldiers. The men gave chase, but naturally the horses were much faster.

A small band of Japanese horsemen numbering no more than seven charged toward the rear of the line of archers. They were cut down as the men fired their arrows at them. The Japanese were quickly going down in defeat. The fires had taken down much of the wall, and the soldiers were no moving through the gaps that had been broken through the walls.

The last of the Japanese soldiers engaged the Brazilians. This time, hordes of archers joined with the regular infantry as they charged towards the enemy warriors. The Japanese warriors were surprised when the great crowd of infantry suddenly halted and many of them lifted bows and fired into them before they had a chance to react. The Japanese fell to the ground in droves. The archers dropped their bows and drew crude clubs and daggers and ran forward with the infantry. The shock was so amazing that the Yamato warriors found themselves overwhelmed. After several more minutes of battling, it was over.

Unfortunately, Branco lost many of his archers in the process. Those that were not killed were left with crippled hands or eyes bringing their lives as archers to an end. Still, only five hundred had been killed or wounded in total. There were still two thousand men left to secure the city as soon as the Japanese surrendered it.

[Dom Pedro II]

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Nagasaki

Thus far, the Japanese had found this little portion of the Nevada Peninsula to be quite pleasant. It was arctic much like their homeland in Japan. The colonists had arrived there in hopes of living in peace and making money from trade with the locals. Japan had violated no borders by choosing to construct their town there. If Japan had done anything wrong, it had been to violate a claim by the Brazilians of total control over a continent that up until this point they had occupied by themselves with the exception of the small tribes they had swiftly subdued.

Now the hopeful Japanese settlers were fearing for their lives. Word had come from the native Seljuke tribe, who hated their Brazilian lords, that the Brazilian war chariots with infantry were moving west from Porto Nevado. Many of the local tribes had aligned themselves with the Japanese at the outbreak of war. For years, they had chafed under Brazilian rule and now saw an opportunity to regain lost territory and set themselves back in charge of their own destiny.

General da Silva had gone out to Recife and had taken a boat from there to take command of the army in Porto Nevado personally. He spent the next few weeks getting the troops together. He had at his disposal 3,000 war chariots and an additional 2,500 of the best-trained warriors as an escort. The army was forced to move down through backwater roads down the Nevada Peninsula. They pushed up into the hills claimed by the Japanese. They met no resistance in the snowy hills from the Japanese.

What da Silva could not know was that the Japanese had been reinforced by more troops from the sea. Nagasaki only had a division of 1,500 warriors there at first, but the galleys from Japan landed another 1,500 spearmen into the village. They immediately set to work on creating new fortifications for the city. They felled trees and made new walls. Dirt and rocks were piled up to make heavy fortresses. Ditches were dug all along the outside of the town. Large wooden spears were set into the ground to protect against horsemen.

The time for battle was drawing near. The Brazilian chariots were coming over the hills. They made their way through the poor roads made more by nature than by man. The wheels stuck in the deep ruts in the dirt. The horses slipped and slid through the mud as they pulled the chariots forward. Scouts probed ahead of the columns in search of the enemy. There were none. After days and days, the Brazilians stood on the bluffs directly above Nagasaki.

Lines of Japanese soldiers with seven-foot spears came from out of the town as the chariots moved to engage them. The opportunity to hit the defenders by surprise was now lost. The chariots would have to fight face to face with the Japanese spearmen.

Da Silva's plan was simple: attack with both arms of his chariots and flank the enemy spearmen and then charge with his warriors. The horses began their run down the open space between them and the spearmen. The drivers cracked their whips on the back of the horses. The Japanese forces were gathering on their right wing making it impossible to turn their flank. The chariots on the right became muddled and confused.

Instead of charging around the spearmen, they were forced into an open charge in front of them. The charioteers would have to bring themselves dangerously close to the enemy soldiers and their spears to be successfully hit them. The Japanese soldiers pointed the shafts of their spears in front of them and dug into the ground. The horses collided with the Japanese line. Points impaled the horses through the chest and the shafts broke off in their bodies. They bucked wildly in violent convulsions. The chariots were reduced to splinters and their riders were thrown to the enemy. The second wave of horses cut down the first line of the Japanese soldiers. The drivers sliced with swords and skewered with lances and spears.

Shear madness erupted in the lines. The Japanese ran forward in a suicidal charge completely overtaking the lead horses and chariots. The horses fought their way out of the fray. A few broke free from the chariots and galloped away from the battle. The charioteers turned back leaving the lead chariots for themselves. The entire right flank of the Brazilian army was in full flight.

To the left, there was more success. The Brazilian chariots had managed to turn the left flank and send the Japanese sprawling toward their center. Still, it was costly. Their horses and men were falling in great number as well, and the ground was causing chariots to crash and break. The riders and drivers were forced to take up the fight on foot.

Behind the line, da Silva was coming up with his warrior units. He saw the chariots of the right heading back towards him. He called the leader over to him.

"Just what in the blazes do you think you're doing?" he bellowed to the chariot leader.

"Sir, they pushed us back. There was nothing to be done! There was simply too many of them!" the leader cried.

"Turn your men around and try again! If you don't, when I get through with you, you'll wish it had been the spears to finish you," snapped da Silva.

With a quick snap of the reigns, the leader turned back toward the front. He signaled for his chariots to follow.

"Wait!" called da Silva putting his gloved hand to his face, "I have a plan!"

The Japanese saw the dark mass of the chariots returning at full speed. The Japanese readied themselves again. Their spears were held up at the horses' shoulder level. Despite the fact that such a force was baring down on them, the Japanese soldiers remained cool and composed.

Suddenly, just before the spear points, the chariots halted. Out from the rear of the chariots emerged warriors unseen by the army of Japan. They drew clubs and axes and hurled themselves at the spear line. The spears, ineffective against warriors at that range, were dropped, and the spearmen took flight. Those in the rear began throwing them at the enemy like javelins, but this proved useless. Some in desperation thrust and jabbed at the infantry onslaught. The charioteers opened fire with arrows and javelins on the spearmen.
The Japanese commanders rushed the warriors to the front of the lines. What followed was a scene of absolute horror and destructiveness. The Japanese warriors were thrown into the intense furnace. After an hour, over three thousand on both sides lay slain. The last of the Japanese surrendered unconditionally. The village now belonged to Brazil.

That night, the bright green, yellow, and blue banners were fluttering in the outpost of Nagasaki. The Japanese vessels had vanished with the sign of Brazilian victory. Da Silva was enjoying the spoils of war in the dining hall of the village that had been put up only a few months earlier. The officers enjoyed good food and wine and discussed the future.

"The messenger has been dispatched to Sao Paulo, sir," an officer said to da Silva.

"Good. Good," da Silva raised his goblet, "Now, if only Izumo can be taken as well, the Japanese will quickly sue for peace."

"I'd be sad to see peace made so soon," a young officer commented.

Da Silva looked hard at the boy from over the rim of his cup. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Well… sir," the young man gulped, "It seems as though this miserable little piece of land is not much of a prize."

"You remember of course, don't you, that this miserable little piece of land we fight for is and always was our miserable piece of land. It is Brazil. It has not be conquered. It has been liberated."

"Yes, naturally, you are right, sir," the young man was now particularly nervous, "I meant no disrespect to our country… In fact, I would rather see us go on to glorify our country more by marching right into Kyoto!" The young officer practically screamed these last words as he did his best to convince everyone in the room that he was an ardent patriot.

Da Silva, who could barely contain a small, simply looked back down into his goblet, "Today was a very bloody battle. You saw what they did, and that was to save this miserable land… Imagine the fight at the gates of Kyoto. Pray you never have to combat the Japanese again." He paused for a moment as he reflected on these words, then he added, "But then who knows. Maybe you'll get your chance for further glory."

Continued...

[Dom Pedro II]

Sorry for the delay in continuing the story...

The time for peace had arrived. King Joao sent a delegation under a flag of truce to Japan. He authorized them to offer Japan one hundred and fifty thousand gold and a supply of the finest luxury products made in Brazil for an indefinite period as reparations for the cost to the Japanese people in the war. Meanwhile, Joao began to turn to life at home.

Joao was in the royal garden with Alessandra one fine spring morning. It was a quite, serene place with exotic flowers of bright reds, blues, and yellows. There were large, lazy weeping willows, and there were tall conifers. It was like a forest in the middle of the palace. Alessandra was pulling up the flowers and smelling them.

"I love the flowers, daddy," she said.

"I know you do, sweetie," Joao smiled.

"I wish we had the garden all year," Alessandra sighed.

"Well... we can't do that because in winter all the flowers die," he explained, "Besides, if we had them all the time, they wouldn't be as special."

This clearly was beyond the young girl's reasoning, "I hope I can have my garden forever," she said.

"Of course, you will," Joao replied, "When you are queen, it will be all yours."

"When I am queen there shall be no more winter!" she stood up straight in as regal a pose as such a little child could muster.

"Yes, and you shall marry some great man to be your king!" Joao laughed.

"No!" she said abruptly.

"No?" asked Joao.

"No! I will rule by myself!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"It is," the young girl had a flash of brilliance in her eyes.

Joao was amused, but at the same time he knew that she would never be ruler of Brazil. She would have to marry a man who would become king through her, but she would have to rule as his queen.

The king's train of thought was broken by the entrance of Minister do Jardim. King Joao went over to the minister.

"What news have you for me?" asked Joao.

"The Japanese have refused our diplomatic efforts. In fact, they didn't even bother to hear what our envoys had to say. They sent out warships to capture the vessel, but our diplomats got away thankfully."

"So then the war is not over..." King Joao muttered.

"What are we to do?" the minister asked.

"Order all of the provinces to begin recruiting, and if necessary conscripting, men for the purposes of national defense."

"Sir, the people will not stand for that-" the king turned fiercely to his advisor cutting his sentence like a sword.

"They will have to stand for it! Or they will stand alone! I have not chosen to perpetuate this war, and if our governors and our people intend to be saved from the Japanese horde, they will stand with us. This is no longer a war of expansion, it is a war of survival!"

"Y-Yes, sir," Minister do Jardim said, "I will see what can be done."

"Thank you, minister. That will be all. Have a report sent to General da Silva fully informing him of the current situation."

Unfortunately, the news reached General da Silva before there was much he could do. The main body of the Brazilian army was occupying Nagasaki. For the past few months, the general had been there rebuilding his forces with new horses and troops. A Japanese armada was spotted off the coast of Porto Nevado about one year later. It had taken the Japanese long enough, but they were finally making an offensive. As soon as he was ready, da Silva began moving the army north, but it was too late. A massive army was landed north of the city. Porto Nevado still had no roads joining the rest of the continent, so da Silva's army had to march through tundra, forests, and treacherous highlands. The Japanese won the march, and the city was seized.

The great merchant capital of the far Brazilian east had been suffering badly from the loss of trade for almost two years, and the invasion proved disastrous. People who could fled the city in droves. As the Brazilian army arrived, they were mobbed by great numbers of refugees seeking sanctuary. The army could give them none.

Da Silva was confident that he could oust the Japanese invaders from the city. If his chariots had smashed the Japanese at Nagasaki, they most certainly could do it at Porto Nevado. This logic was somewhat flawed by the circumstances involved in environment and the enemy forces. Da Silva was no doubt over-confident of his position. His army was plagued with disease, and the men were being worn down by the cold and the long march from Nagasaki. The enemy was also better equipped. The Japanese invaders had with them an army composed of 2,000 swordsmen reinforced with 3,000 spearmen.

Da Silva, fearing raids from the Japanese, decided to launch the first strike to break down the spirit of the enemy army. He flung a whole division of chariots against the city, but they were routed after a long battle. Shortly after that, the Japanese launched a raid against the second chariot division, and it barely escaped destruction. The liberation force had been routed. Da Silva decided that he would lay siege to the city until stronger divisions could be brought up in sufficient numbers. Thus he sat and waited.

At about the same time that word of the failure to reclaim Porto Nevado had reached the central parts of the Brazilian empire, the war in the north was taking a turn for the worse as well. The Japanese had landed an invasion force at the fishing town of Pescador along the northern coast. The warriors were no match for the Japanese swordsmen, and the city was quickly taken.

Branco, who had now been made commander of the newly formed Army of the North, organized together a large force of volunteer Celtic regiments combined with his old elite archer regiment. He finally received the cavalry support he had been looking for, and he began a marching for Pescador less than one year after its capture. After a long drawn-out game across the Brazilian northern forests, the Japanese field army in the north was finally out-manuevered and promptly destroyed. The Japanese commander left in the town with fewer than 500 defenders surrendered the province to the Brazilians again.

Once the battle in the north was over, da Silva ordered the horse units to the east to fight the Japanese. His siege had led to the build-up of a massive army on the Nevada Peninsula. Twice already, his army had been driven back out of the mountains away from Porto Nevado by the Japanese swordsmen, but now he was arriving in force. They could not stop him. If a little more time and effort were invested, he could retake the city in another six months. This hope was not to be however.

King Joao had realized that prosecuting the war right to the end would be important for Brazilian morale and to prove their supremecy over the continent to the Japanese and the rest of the civilized world. This hope was not to be. A conspiracy among the nobles led by Dom Leonardo Dias had developed to end the war as soon as possible. Recently in Japan, Tokugawa had died, and a new regime seized power before his successor could be appointed. The new government run by a noble council was eager to end the war and end the war discontent. In Japan, Porto Nevado seemed like small consolation for the other losses. Minister do Jardim, who was eager to see his home city spared further blood shed agreed to arrange a secret meeting with the nobles and Japanese diplomats. A treaty was prepared between the two parties that would immediately end hostilities and restore Porto Nevado to Brazil for a sum amounting to 350,000 gold. Once the deal was complete, the nobles petitioned the king to sign the treaty and end the war.

"I should have you all hanged!" thundered King Joao.

"Your majesty, I beg of you..." Minister do Jardim pleaded, "Hear me out! It's a reasonable offer."

"You deliberately went behind my back to organize this treaty," King Joao declared, "You have insulted the authority of the crown! I am not surprised that those audacious nobles would try and usurp my authority, but you... you arranged it for them!"

"Sire, listen to me, please," do Jardim cried, "I understand why you would be mad, but understand my reasons. My parents are in Porto Nevado even as we speak. They have been forced to live under Japanese rule for two years! I have no way of knowing if they are even alive. The city has dried up as a commercial power... it's ports are empty, and its people are starving. It is my home! Can you not see why I must seek the quickest way to save it?"

King Joao let out a sigh of frustration, "Granted," he admitted grudgingly, "I see what you say, but you still had no right... How can I accept this treaty though? Da Silva's army is on the very brink of retaking the city!"

"But at what cost, your majesty?" asked do Jardim, "In the name of peace, I ask you to sign this treaty. If not for me then for my parents and the citizens of Porto Nevado."

"Minister, it is not just my own personal feelings that govern my decisions here. It is General da Silva who is in command of the army, and it is his campaign against the Japanese in Porto Nevado. I must look at the issue of peace versus political reality. If I take away his chance for victory just before he is about to accomplish it, he shall be infuriated."

"His goal is not the city of Porto Nevado. It is to win the war for Brazil. Our victory is his victory, and our glory is by his God-given ability to command. He shall win the battle of Porto Nevado without even using weaponry. The Japanese are willing to give us back our city because they are afraid. They know we have the power to retake it, and they know we shall do it shortly. They simply ask for a little gold in return. I implore you to take the offer. We cannot afford to run the risk of them rejecting a peace offering under different conditions. If we take the city, they may not choose to make peace and the war will go on even longer! You know we do not have the resources to take a Japanese mainland city. End this war here and now!"

"Very well," King Joao sighed, "I shall accept this treaty that you have arranged. I shall write out my declaration regarding this treaty, and we shall forget that it was the nobles who fashioned it in the first place."

"Of course, sire," Minister do Jardim bowed slightly.

Thus, with a single pen stroke on that piece of paper, the Peninsular War and the Brazilian Reconquest came to an end.

END OF PART I