I've searched on "Encircled Terrain" and "Hidden Route", and can't find a straight answer to the timing on this one:
Hidden Route: "Recon Limited: Target your unbowed Scout: Target a province. You may negate the first effect that moves home one or more of your Personalities from an action during a battle at that province's battlefield. Before this turn ends, you may put this card in your hand from the discard pile if you did not destroy the targeted province."
and
Encircled Terrain: "Terrain Battle: Before this battle’s resolution, the Attacker and Defender, in the order of your choice, each choose one of their units at the current battlefield. Move all other units there home."
I target Province x with Hidden Route. We enter my battle phase, and I assign attackers to Province x. My opponent takes his first action, which does not move home any of my personalities. I take my first action, and play Encircled Terrain. My opponent plays his second action, and let's say it's Imperial Decree (the specific card doesn't matter) to move one of my personalities home.
Does Hidden Route prevent Imperial Decree?
I reference: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Effects#Delayed_effects "However, something that prevents a specific type of effect, such as bowing, will only negate a delayed effect when it is actually applied."
This rule suggests that Hidden Route will apply to Imperial Decree, because the effect of Encircled Terrain that moves personalities home has not actually occurred, even though the action that produced that effect was successfully played.
However: http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Glossary_D "An effect’s being delayed has no influence on when an action or its effects are considered to have resolved. An action can be resolved, but still have delayed effects that are waiting to happen." (emphasis mine)
The second quote (from the rulebook entry on "Delay") seems to say that even though the effect of Encircled Terrain does not happen until after Imperial Decree, but that it is considered resolved prior to Imperial Decree. If the effect is resolved prior to Imperial Decree (even though its results are delayed), will Hidden Route instead prevent the movement home before this battle's resolution?