THE NORTHERN COURT;

or, THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND, NOW THERE ARE TWO OF THEM!

Hatakeyama & Hojo Event:

Whilst the split of the government by Takenaga had proven something of a compromise for the first years of the new, restored government, it had in truth manifested only as a peace between the two governments which operated entirely independently: the civilian government in Kyoto and the military government in Kamakura. The move to fully unify the government into one place, and one polity, within Kyoto, therefore, had been a major one which presented a real concern for many who believed it would force an end to the status quo, with the Emperor and Shogun rubbing shoulders and commanding soldiers so near to one another.

Then, the unpredictable had occurred, as it is wont to do. 

The disappearance of Hojo Shinji shook the North, or at least, shook the Hojo-backed Shogunate, with him having been to many the embodiment of its legitimacy, even as he had pain-stakingly constructed a legitimate and functional government around his rediscovered twin brother. That government was still held together, but suddenly the move to Kyoto felt a lot more of a compromise or subjugation than a power play. Moreover, even the brother-Shogun Yoshisada now seemed to inherit Shinji’s unwillingness, expressing a desire to search for the late Hojo prince himself, and submitting a request to the government for a period of absence to that end. When this was received, in secret, by the Imperial government, certainly not intended to be spread as a destabilising narrative, it was leaked by an unknown source, and spread as a rumour tantamount to a resignation and abdication. It demanded an answer, and radical action.

Amongst the buke, the nobles scrambled to nominate a successor. They were terrified to permit a power vacuum, perceiving (perhaps rightly) their rivals amongst the court nobility’s ambition to cement their position in such a void. But there truly were no good candidates, the Ashikaga blood princes ran thin, and more importantly, the powerful daimyo who controlled them ran even thinner. There was, in theory, Shinji’s son, who might one day prove both a blood prince and powerful daimyo, but for now, a child was deemed as good as no one, for he would be unable to resist kuge schemes. Still, there was something afoot amongst them, some scheme, and it was whispered that they were preparing to defend their privileges and rights if necessary, though whether they had the power to do that was questionable at best.

Amongst the kuge, the nobles were rowdy, pressuring the government and the Emperor to do what must be done: to complete the restoration. They suggested the Hatakeyama actually end the Ashikaga candidacy as a concept itself, which had proven itself too great a harm to the Empire, arguing instead to give the title of Shogun and shikken to a lesser member of the buke class, either under their control or a weaker ally. Several names were floated, but it was accepted that the Shogun would need to be a more prestigious noble, as the head of the buke class. For the Shogunate, some suggested the Hatakeyama prince-cousin Hisanobu, whilst others considered even nominating the old Yamana (the male heir, Koretake, not quite Yamana Kirika herself), to cement their friendship whilst granting little power of concern to them, deeming them too cowed by the Ouchi to prove a threat. For the title of shikken, they nominated the Hojo once again, in order to keep them on side, or, if that was deemed impossible or unnecessary, they suggested the young Rokkaku Ujitsuna who would prove a suitable puppet. 

Whatever the case, they wanted a big swing from this Restoration, it might be the best chance they get.

At this rate, only one faction will be a Claimant amongst ye at this point, and now is your time to decide. There are several options. For both to remain Claimants, the government must separate, and this will cause tension amongst your vassals. For Hojo to remain sole Claimant, they must destroy the Imperial Government (unlikely). For Hatakeyama to remain the sole Claimant, they must only appoint a new, non-Hojo candidate for one the offices of Shogun and Shikken. Any attempt to maintain the present status quo will lead to your nobles, buke and kuge, taking action of their own volition in their interests. And, of course, both factions may defend themselves against your reforms as well.

As a note, their Kyoto puppet government, being a puppet and a daimyo, will have only 2 plot slots, and, being now landed, the Kamakura Shogunate NFE is to be dissolved.

Whoever is nominated Shogun will gain +1 PPC per part, whoever is nominated Shikken will gain +1 AP.

-

Hatakeyama:

Option 1: Nominate a Hojo Shogun and shikken, nobles be damned. - [This will please the buke greatly] - [WARNING: this will enrage the kuge and embolden radical buke, leading to immediate unintended acts]
Option 2: Nominate a non-Hojo Shogun, but a Hojo shikken. - [This will upset the buke and kuge, and drop IA] - [This will simply kick the can down the road into next part, though giving both factions more time to scheme. You will still be the only Claimant.]
Option 3: Keep Ashikaga Yoshisada, in absentia, but nominate a non-Hojo shikken. - [This will upset the buke greatly and drop IA precipitously, but please the kuge somewhat]
Option 4: Nominate a non-Hojo Shogun and shikken, Takenaga’s project has failed. - [This will infuriate the buke, but please the kuge immensely and increase IA slightly] - [WARNING: the buke will likely act, whether or not they can do so in any substantially disruptive sense…]

Hojo: Note that the word demand implies a threat, but does not require military action. As you are the head of the buke, their failure to comply with your demands would result in buke fury.

Option 1: This has all proven more trouble than it was ever worth. We never cared to begin with, and Yoshihisa can do no greater harm than this burden has done to our clan. We are backing out of the arrangement. - [Resign the Shogunate and title of shikken. Leave the Hatakeyama to their mess.]
Option 2: We will keep the post in name, for duty’s sake. Perhaps Yoshisada will solve this himself later, but frankly, it’s barely our problem. - [Maintain the title of Shogun and demand the Hatakeyama select Option 3]
Option 3: We will step down slightly, but maintain something of a presence to please the buke. - [Maintain the title of shikken and demand the Hatakeyama select Option 2, kicking the can down the road]
Option 4: All the same, it is our responsibility to clean up after our lost princes… Yoshisada will keep his post, whether he goes on this quest or not, and we will defend the rights of the buke with all our might.  - [Maintain the titles and demand the Hatakeyama select Option 1, forcing a plot-affected but modabused resolution]