[Legends] The Conquest of Steppes

[Golnax]

After Kusagakure was officially and fully founded, the village given its' name by Aimi Kaguya, the leading military minds of the Gold Army met to decide what to do. All were in agreement that for an army this size they did not control enough land and that what land they did control was far too spread apart. Land would need to be claimed further north to help bridge the gap that the armies of Wind had created. More than this, though, word had reached them through scouts about the approaching powers creeping in around them. Wind was to their north, Fire to the west, Water to the east. If they were to not be taken over by one of these Great Nations, they would need more forces to defend themselves and more land from which to pull resources from.

The former Ezhuahuacatl, Aimi Kaguyas' advisor, suggested that they head south west. The Land of Steppes, they advised, was a frequent target for their warriors who would trade with, raid and plunder the dispirit and isolated tribes. They believed that, with the right pressure in the right ways, they could be made to fold under the rule of Gold, their nomadic peoples conscripted into the army and their resources taken advantage of. Taking the Steppes would also prevent Fire from taking it for themselves and give them a wider coast line, more land to farm and domesticated animals to feed the army. For these reasons, Aimi Kaguya, with agreement from the Morimoto samurai generals, sanctioned his advisor to lead a large portion of the army to attack the tribes of Steppes.

They moved swiftly, taking as many of their own natives who were familiar with the territory as they could muster along with a bolstering number of samurai and soldiers, newly donned in a mixture of samurai armor and traditional war garb of their own people, lead the majority of the soldiers in the southern portion of Gold Country further south, while Aimi Kaguya and his units moved north. In little to no time at all they were bleeding in the borders of Steppes and interacting with the first tribe, the Kujo.

A friendly tribe who had dealt with the raiders from Plains and Sea on mixed terms, defending themselves when the more aggressive warriors tried to take from them and trading with them otherwise, the leaders of the Kujo tribe met with the Advisor who gave them a choice; join with them, become a part of Gold and reap all of the rewards that would come with it - wealth, training, societal structure, general improvement to life and more - or be vanquished then and there. The Kujo tribesmen did not have to think long and initially took up arms against the armies of Gold. Mounting their horses, they made a courageous effort to maintain their independence once the Advisor and their forces attacked. Their arrows and spears were swift upon their steeds and their aims were true.

Their efforts, however, were ultimately futile, and the comparatively small cavalry quickly fell to the might of the experienced warriors newly impowered by the usage of chakra and improved armaments. Most were slain and those that remained were allowed to live once they surrendered. Thus the first tribe fell.

Next, the Advisor turned their attention to the Ito tribe. Smaller than the Kujo and held with a religious fervor of spirits, the Advisor knew that they would be slow to act upon any open hostilities. Their isolationist policies kept them from learning the fate of the Kujo far too late as the fallen tribesmen gave even more information about their fellow nomadic tribes. Swiftly and suddenly the Advisor and their armies descended upon the Ito. Though some of them took up arms to defend themselves without being prompted to, most of what would be considered the 'military force' of the tribe waited on the tribal elders to divine a sign from the spirits.

This hesitation would prove costly and in short order the Ito fell, the few who survived gathered and made to join ranks, being handled by the Kujo who helped them adjust to their new rule even as they themselves were adjusting. Thus fell the second tribe.

The last to fall were the Abe, the fiercest of the tribes. Not open to trading with the other tribes, let alone foreign invaders, the Abe had been monitoring the events that had fell on their vast plains and preparing for war. The Advisor approached an emissary and made them the same offer that had been made to the Kujo; to join and reap the benefits or to be annihilated. The Abe, proud and fierce, chose the latter. The battle that followed was furious and bloody, leaving many a man dead. However, despite their ferocity, the Abe were ultimately out numbered, out matched and out gunned. The army of Gold swept through the final nomadic tribe and killed all who did not throw down their spear.

With no one left to fight for them, the remaining Abe tribesmen were forced to surrender. Like the Ito and Kujo before them, they were gathered up and made to work as part of the growing army. With this final victory, however, the Advisor knew that the country was the property of Gold and that the plans to make the land of use to Gold could be commenced.

With the battle over, settlements were erected in a more permanent style. The Advisor forced the three surviving tribes to work together, to divulge what knowledge they had of their country, to make a more unified land. The going was slow and naturally resentment was rampant, but the Advisor knew that improved conditions for them, for their children, for their childrens' children, would eventually reap a ripe and rich resource. They would simply need to be guided and monitored in the mean time.

With the development of a more advanced country on the horizon, the war in the south was won, and Gold was expanded.