Defensive Strategies of the Late Shogunate
by Sesus Ketek
Defensive Strategies is not a massive volume, but its subject matter is quite complex, detailing the tactical principles employed by the armies of the Shogunate in its closing years. The text is divided into two broad sections, one for 'offense' and one for 'defense'.
The offensive doctrine of the Shogunate seems focused on speed and power... well-equipped forces moving quickly to strike devastating blows against their enemies. The weapons they make use of... skyships, essence cannons, powered armour... are now few and far between.
Whatever the merit of such doctrines, the defensive tactics of the Shogunate are striking in their seeming foolishness. Even if hindsight perceives flaws more clearly than might have been known at the time, even if Ketek's neutral perspective is interpreted to hold hidden bias, the concept underlying Shogunate defenses is shockingly unsound: Do Not Give An Inch. Even the Empress, with access to the powers of the Dynasty and the Imperial Manse, had the wisdom to limit her borders to the Blessed Isle, sacrificing direct rule of the Threshold. Shogunate defenses in the final century seemed to assume that no loss of territory was acceptable, that all had to be defended, be it a village against bandits or Creation against the fae.
