Surviving the loss of family and patronage

While Tōgō was in Britain, the Satsuma Rebellion killed three of his brothers and removed Saigō Takamori, his mentor and benefactor. Losing such a patron could ordinarily end a young officer's career. Tōgō nevertheless returned as a newly promoted lieutenant whose record had earned trust in his own right. The passage makes career survival part of his political skill rather than treating advancement as a simple reward for battlefield competence.