War of the Rich Frog

The War of the Rich Frog was a conflict that lasted from 1165 to 1166 between the Unicorn and Lion Clans over Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru, a small but productive trade city on the Lion-Unicorn border. The city had been a holding of the Unicorn Clan since their return, though the Lion had long wanted to reclaim the city. They got their chance in 1160, when the family of ronin that administered the city for the Unicorn accepted fealty as a vassal family from the Lion's Ikoma family.

Defection of the Kaeru
Long administered by the ronin Kaeru family under a Unicorn governor, Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru was in Unicorn territory, but little attention was paid to it by the Clan's leadership. The Kaeru were allowed a great deal of autonomy, which made Kaeru Toshi a popular place for black market goods as well as legal trading. When the Ikoma family offered fealty to the Kearu in 1160, Lion forces immediately moved to annex the city. The Unicorn initially made no move to defend their lands.

The Khan's Plan
Unknown to the Lion, Moto Chagatai spent the following years assembling and training an army capable of matching that stationed at the Lion's garrison in Kaeru Toshi. The Khan intended to retake Kaeru Toshi in a blitz attack, thus showing the Unicorn's might over the Emperor's Right Hand.

Politics
The courts of the empire were outraged by the Unicorn's surprise attack. Imperial law had forbidden war between clans since the First Yasuki War, but Ide Tang managed to bring a defense against the threats being leveled against his clan. The decree listed explicitly the clans that could not make war with one another, and the Unicorn Clan was not included. The law was made during their long absence, and the clan was simply not included in the decree.

In addition to Tang's political maneuvering, the Unicorn managed to ally with the Scorpion Clan for aid during the war. The Scorpion helped the Unicorn in return for the one thing they valued most from the Master of the Four Winds: control of Ryoko Owari Toshi.

The Rain of Blood
The Unicorn assault should have quickly taken the city, but no force within Rokugan was able to predict the horror that was about to befall the entire empire. The Rain of Blood struck. The Rain caused massive panic on both sides of the fight. Additionally, the Rain caused a great deal of infighting for both forces, leading to many deaths. This served only to increase hostilities in the conflict, as neither side was certain of what had happened or who had caused it.

Erratic Tactics
For unknown reasons, the Lion forces suffered a great deal of miscommunication and counter-intuitive orders. The leadership of the clan's forces were very frustrated by vague and constantly changing orders from their Champion. It was later revealed that this was due to the loss of Champion Matsu Nimuro to the creature Tamago, but at the time, the Lion commanders of the conflict were slowly becoming unsure of the sanity of their own Champion.

The Emperor and the Shogun
Early on, Shogun Kaneka moved to stop the battle with his Imperial Legion, but he was redirected by Toturi III. The Emperor was afraid the Shogun would use his intervention the war as an opportunity to unite his former Lion and Unicorn allies. The Emperor, his power being tested by the Shogun and the Gozoku, could not afford to allow his half-brother to gain that much power.

The Dragon Clan
While the courts attempted to broker peace between the waring clans, many wondered why the Emperor does not simply forbid the two clans from fighting. Unfortunately, because the Empire was in chaos from the Rain of Blood, Toturi III could not afford to make an enemy of either the Unicorn Clan nor the Lion. Instead, the Emperor commanded the Dragon Clan to enter the fight. The Dragon were ordered to make the battle too costly for either clan to continue. While this was a heavy burden to the Dragon, who were already spread out fighting the new Bloodspeaker threat, Togashi Satsu dispatched Mirumoto Kei with a force of Imperial troops to hinder the warring clans.

The Final Push
Though the Dragon forces caused a great deal of damage to both the Unicorn and Lion armies, they were unable to stop the fighting. Both sides moved to make their final pushes for the war. The insignificant village of Sukoshi Zutsu becames the Unicorn staging ground for the final attack. The Lion received intelligence of this plan and redeployed their forces to meet the Unicorn as they prepared. The Dragon attacks had actually served to even the forces of the two warring clans, making the potential for loss of life even higher.

For the final attack, the armies of both clans had been joined by their respective Champions, Moto Chagatai and Matsu Nimuro. Unknown to any present, however, Nimuro had actually been replaced by the creature known as Tamago.

Led by their Champions, the resulting battle was brutal. Losses were high on both sides. During the fight, Chagatai found and engaged what he believed to be Nimuro in personal combat. Their fight was difficult, and both men inflicted a heavy toll on one another. But in the end, Chagatai prevailed, killing Tamago. Their pseudo-Champion dead, the Lion withdraw back to Kaeru Toshi.

Aftermath
Following the final battle, the Lion retained control of Toshi sano Kanemochi Kaeru and the Unicorn kept Sukoshi Zutsu. The Emerald Legions arrived, led by the Emerald Champion, and the fighting ceased. While many felt the Unicorn had gained nothing from the war, they had gained a great deal of respect for their military prowess.

Major References

 * Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition Page 26.
 * War of the Rich Frog, Parts One, Two, Three, and Four
 * Way of the Theif Pages 74 - 80