A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 4 October 2011
Card Text: Times of Strife Until your second turn from now begins, all provinces have a maximum strength equal to their base strength, and after each time another player who controls no units at the current battlefield announces a Battle action, he discards a card.
Question: If a player has no units at battlefield and moves a unit to the battle field while Times of Strife is in play, does he discard a card?
What I think the answer is: My thinking is yes, because when the player announces the action he has no units at the battle field.
I wanted to get clarification because the exception to the rule of presence regarding movement complicates this somewhat, since they'll control units at the end of the action, but not when the action is announced.
http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Battles#Rule_of_Presence
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 4 October 2011
Question: If a player has no units at battlefield and moves a unit to the battle field while Times of Strife is in play, does he discard a card?
What I think the answer is: My thinking is yes, because when the player announces the action he has no units at the battle field.
Yes, the player would discard a card, for the reason you gave.
A player, 4 October 2011
In relation to the ruling here.
Can a player, with no units in a battle, announce Unwavering Assault(or other movement Strategy) with only 1 card in hand while the game state is under a Times of Strife?
I want to say yes, because of the following from Card Types...
A. The player puts the Strategy card face-up in a resolution area, which is created for that card. B. The player announces which ability on the card is to be used. The action then proceeds (see Abilities and actions.)
Indicating that the card is out of your hand before the action is announced and thus before Times of Strife triggers a discard.
Others have argued that the good faith rule prevents the play, just trying to "officially" end an argument.
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 4 October 2011
Can a player, with no units in a battle, announce Unwavering Assault(or other movement Strategy) with only 1 card in hand while the game state is under a Times of Strife?
Yes, for the reason you gave.