The Welcoming Party
[Note: Elements of the next two accounts are official. I sought to create some cohesion in my interpretation, so again, the below is an educated guess.]
The Unicorns appreciate irony, hence the name they gave to the second major Rokugani war they fought.
Though Ide Emissaries are usually quick to pick up on cultural subtleties, fifty years had not proven enough time to adjust to the demanding poise required when dealing with Lions. Also, the Lions had absolutely no intention of learning even the most trivial of Unicorn ways. Intolerable faux pas in both courts created the perfect environment for war. Its date of outbreak proved the only intangible.
A large Lion Army set out from Kyuden Ikoma to teach the Unicorns proper manners. They advanced northwest along the sleeping river to protect their flank and divide the Unicorn Provinces in half at the merging of the Firefly and Sleeping River, but Unicorn Horse Archers pelted the advancing Lions with arrows for weeks before making their stand. The Lions found a massive fortress called City Between the Rivers sitting exactly on their objective. The proximity of major rivers, the presence of a fortress, and the maneuverable Unicorn army bottled up the Lions and squeezed it into submission. So ended the Battle Between the Rivers.
Of course the Lions would not concede defeat so easily. This time their best strategists carefully plotted an offensive that promised at least marginal success. But before the Lions could march again, the Scorpions offered their help to the Lions.
Scorpion help usually entailed an implied price, so the Lions were more suspicious than usual when this proposed Scorpion help came "unconditionally", especially as it came from perhaps their second greatest enemy. Still, the Lions accepted.
The Scorpions set upon a path of nothing less than annexation of the Unicorn lands. With Lion help and the "childish intellect" of the Unicorn, the Scorpions were sure of victory.
The Scorpions devoted 100 thousand bushi to its goal. The army quickly reached the White Shore Plane just inside Unicorn territory when the full Unicorn army, some 160 thousand cavalry and mounted infantry, swept down upon the invaders. Not one Lion appeared to reinforce the Scorpion advance. In fact, many Scorpions reported seeing Lions among the mounted infantry. The Scorpions were crushed thoroughly at the Battle of White Shore Plain, and many Unicorns delight to this day pointing to Scorpion "childish intellect". Scorpions may only flush in resentment, for not even their skilled courtesans could erase that grave mistake from the memories of all Rokugani.
When the Scorpions demanded an explaination for the Lions' betrayal, no official reply came. It is generally understood that the Lions remembered an old proverb before the battle: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
