See also: Legend of the Five Rings, Last week, Next week

The Lion in charge of the small invasion force is identified as Akodo Taerukon. He has a very nice horse. A very nice horse. I strike up an interesting conversation with him about horses, but Fujiko rudely interrupts and insists on asking about the peasant being boiled, and why a smalll Lion army is in Phoenix lands.

Things start to go rapidly downhill, as Fujiko and Taerukon start to trade insults, and discuss declaration of war. He says that he is an Imperial Officer, but refuses to show his papers to Fujiko when she demands them. He make the reasonable point that she is only a rather rude assistant Imperial magistrate and he has an army. I try to get things back on track, but whenever it seems like I might get some cooperation, Fujiko throws in an insult.

Eventually, we discover that the Samurai were following a Phoenix peddler who had been kidnapping and eating Lion children. The local pesants are starving because their lord has sold all the harvest to profit from the inflated prices caused by the famine after the earthquake. Taerukon hands over the merchant (the guy in a pot) to Fujiko and leaves, though invites me to come and see the rest of his horses in the Imperial capital.

We head to Toshi Rambo to try and interview the Gaijin who might know lots of stuff. We travel there with Taerukon (much to the dislike of Fujiko). On arriving there, we discover that Ramasing is being held under house arrest by Imperial Guard, and they won't allow us to speak to him. We need to go find the Imperial General who has given them their orders.

I go talk to Taerokun to see if he can arrange something. Get invited to a meal with him, his sisters and mother. His mother is an ex-Utako, so we have a long discussion about horse genealogy.

It turns out that Taerokun is himself an Imperial General. He agrees to let us go talk to Ramasing.