The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 123

The chaotic battle just now was quite intense for the samurai and foot soldiers of this era. To get their troops out of action again within a day, they would have to pay a fine on the spot.

Even so, Shinzaburo could clearly see that his side's morale was not at its peak.

But that’s okay.

On the battlefield, you can't and don't need to be at your best all the time; it's enough to be slightly better than the opponent.

After watching his own soldiers advance, Shinzaburo soon achieved his desired result.

There was no need for anyone to come back and report; it could be seen from afar that two of the three places where the flags had gathered on the opposite bank of the river had quickly fallen, leaving only the middle place, where the garrison of Takaya Suruga was holding on.

With another elite force infiltrating from the eastern front, the complete collapse of the Tango Isshiki clan seems imminent.

With victory imminent, stability was paramount. Shinzaburo immediately dispatched messengers to order the allied forces on both flanks to converge on the center and launch a pincer attack on the only enemy force holding out.

This Takaya Suruga-no-kami probably stayed behind to cover the retreat.

However, the situation seems to have reached a stalemate again.

Seeing his troops surrounded on three sides, constantly clashing with the enemy, yet unable to achieve a breakthrough.

An hour passed, and the flag and symbols of Takaya Suruga-no-kami on the opposite bank of the river remained standing.

It's unclear whether it was due to a lack of follow-up attacks on our side, or an exceptional performance from the opposing team.

As the sun moved further down the horizon, Shinzaburo thought that since this was the Isshiki Army's home ground and the enemy's formation was not completely destroyed, a night battle would be extremely risky. So he ordered the raiding party on the eastern front to be called back.

Just then, Takemura Hidetoshi noticed that the enemy's rearguard was unusually strong and promptly advised Shingoro to remain vigilant and not to launch a hasty pursuit. Upon receiving orders, he immediately and orderly turned back.

After another quarter of an hour or so of fighting, the generals finally managed to break through Takaya Suruga no Kami's garrison by working together.

It was almost dusk, and we had to call it a day.

Reports from the front lines indicate that the enemy commander Takaya Suruga-no-kami and his four subordinates, Akao, Imai, Matsumoto, and Morita, almost all of whom perished in the battle, displaying both fierce courage and tragic skill.

Their fierce fighting prevented the Kubo family's special forces from pursuing them with full force, giving Isshiki Yoshimichi's main force precious time to retreat.

So when Shingoro's younger brother returned to the main camp, he was excited but also a little regretful. He said, panting, "When I charged over, the enemy was exhausted and in complete disarray. Many enemies were squatting in place to rest and turned to run away before we even engaged in battle! It's just a pity that Takaya Suruga-no-kami was so tenacious. The friendly forces behind him couldn't get up, and I didn't dare to pursue too deeply. Otherwise, this battle might have been able to defeat Isshiki Shikibu (Yoshimichi)."

Shinzaburo simply smiled and shook his head, saying, "I just received news that the young lord of the Isshiki family, Chisomatsu-maru, in Kenbuyama Castle has been rescued by our personnel. Although Isshiki Shikibu retreated with many soldiers, the foundation upon which he abused his power as regent has collapsed!"

"Huh? There really is a way to win without fighting!" Shingoro was stunned for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "So it seems that no matter who wins or loses today, my family is already guaranteed to win overall. If that's the case, why bother with a real battle? Can't we just wait for good news from Kenbuyama Castle?"

“Good question.” Shinzaburo stroked his beard, a confident expression on his face. “Do you remember what I said before the battle? There are ways to win without fighting. But if we always rely on tricks, even if we win every time, we won’t achieve enough results. Think about it, what do you mean by results?”

“Uh… um…” Shingoro pondered for a long time, still unable to figure it out, and shook his head, saying, “The ‘achievements’ that my brother is talking about are probably not cities and lands, and certainly not the supplies and money captured. What are they then…”

“Think about it, since our people were able to rescue the young lord of the Isshiki family, Chisomatsu-maru, from Kenbuyama Castle, then Isshiki Shikibu is bound to fall.” Shinzaburo patiently enlightened him. “But if it weren’t for today’s battle, then the local tyrants of Tango would only think that the Kubo family were outsiders who were just using their status to bully others.”

“I see…” Shingoro suddenly realized, “Sometimes establishing authority is more important than gaining or losing cities and land.”

“Yes.” Shinzaburo nodded. “In the short term, the Kubo family cannot obtain the title of ruler of Tango Province. If they want to maintain their voice, they must leave a deep impression on the locals. In addition, the people in charge of covering the rear today must be the most die-hard resisters. Their entire clan died on the battlefield, which is also to our advantage.”

233 Succession to the Name

The next day, after cleaning up the battlefield, it was estimated that the enemy had suffered around 700 casualties. Among them, the Takaya Suruga garrison, which was responsible for covering the rear, suffered almost half its casualties before collapsing and completely losing its organizational structure.

If they hadn't fought so hard, the Dango army would have lost at least three to five hundred more men during the full-scale retreat.

After the Kubo family gathered the scattered soldiers and regrouped, they also suffered a loss of nearly four hundred men, which was also a major blow.

From a purely numerical perspective, the battle near Sato Tanigawa cannot be considered a major victory.

However, this was a victory in a field battle under equal conditions, and it dealt an extremely heavy blow to the enemy's morale.

More importantly, the strategic situation underwent a major shift behind the scenes. Hosokawa Fujitaka, a secret envoy of the shogunate, and Akechi Mitsuhide, disguised as a physician, jointly planned a jaw-dropping operation. The two persuaded several former retainers of the Isshiki family who were deeply dissatisfied with the status quo. Under the cover of fierce fighting at the front, they set fire to Kenbuyama Castle to create chaos and took the opportunity to "rescue" the young Isshiki lord, Senmatsumaru.

They then rushed to Wakasa-Kohama Bay and publicized the news through the temple and shrine network. In this way, the banner of punishing the treacherous minister in the name of Ashikaga Shogun became even more legitimate.

How would it feel for Isshiki Yoshimichi, who had been wielding power, to retreat back to Kenbeyama Castle with his remaining troops after his defeat at Sato Tanigawa, only to find that his own backyard was on fire?

Shinzaburo does not possess any special abilities and is unable to read other people's minds.

All he could do was take a short rest and continue advancing southeast to put pressure on the enemy.

Kubo's army is not in a very good state, but now that they have lost the legal basis to govern the country, they are at their weakest point and it is unlikely that they can organize any decent resistance.

They marched forward, reaching Miyazu on the first day and Yura on the second. The garrison troops along the way all fled at the mere sight of them, without encountering a single soldier resisting.

On the third day, upon arriving outside Kenbuyama Castle, before they could even prepare to attack, they were informed that Isshiki Yoshimichi had abandoned the castle and surrendered!

However, it was not a surrender to the Kubo family, but a surrender to Hosokawa Fujitaka, the shogunate's special envoy who was stationed in Wakasa-Kohama Bay.

This choice is quite subtle.

In this way, Tango's protection of the Isshiki family's succession crisis can be declared over. Hosokawa Fujitaka took Isshiki Yoshimichi to Kyoto to meet with the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and await his decision.

Shinzaburo entered Kenbuyama Castle without hesitation and seized all its reserves. He moved the grain and supplies out and transported them back to his hometown by sea, pocketed the gold and silver, and distributed the copper coins to his soldiers.

Then they waited for the people of Tango to come and pay their respects.

Isshiki Yoshimichi was the cousin of the young lord Senshūmaru, and he was the primary target of this campaign. As a powerful and treacherous minister who had once defeated Naito Munekatsu, the governor of Tan Province, he possessed immense "uniting power value" and could naturally surrender directly to the shogunate. However, other smaller forces were not qualified to associate with the Ashikaga clan and could only submit to Kubo Gunshu.

Especially the people of Kumano and Takeno districts in northern Tango province.

They naturally knew whose hands their fate was in.

Initially, Shinzaburo relied on Itsuki Masatsugu's connections and the power of 400 kan of silver to bribe the three small forces in the coastal area: Himura, Hirata, and Kuroi. Next, the influential Nomura Kenmon was persecuted and forced to defect, which is how the first group of collaborators was found.

Previously, other samurai in the area might have looked down on these four opportunists, but now they are all trying to establish connections and come to them, expressing their "welcome to the king's army" attitude.

Soon, more than twenty people came to Shinzaburo's front lines to surrender. After introductions, the leaders were Kawada Izumi-no-kami, Hashimoto Bungo-no-kami, Sugita Samara, Shimazu Minbu-sho, and so on... all of them were obsequious and subservient, as if they had truly been defeated and subdued.

Of course, there were also those who resisted to the very end.

For example, the Kanaya family of Kumano District has a serious territorial dispute with the Nomura family. They had previously received instructions from Isshiki Yoshimichi to occupy all of the Nomura family's territory. Now that Nomura Kensuke is a guest of the Kubo family, the Kanaya family is naturally furious and would rather retreat into the mountains to wage guerrilla warfare than compromise. In the future, this family will most likely associate with the remnants of Hosokawa Harumoto's faction.

Besides, most Chinese people are still quite pragmatic.

Shingoro's younger brother was puzzled by this and asked privately, "When we attacked Wakasa before, we respected the former governor Takeda Harubu (Nobutoyo), but we still encountered a lot of resistance. Now in Tango, we don't have any official status, but we are easily welcomed by the locals. Why is that?"

Shinzaburo saw things clearly and explained, "It's precisely because the Kubo family has no official status that they surrendered so easily! Although our army is advancing rapidly, we have no suitable reason to occupy Tango's lands, and therefore cannot confiscate the castles and lands of the local people. We can only appease them. They only need to kneel and kowtow to keep their family business. Why not?"

“Ah! That’s true.” Shingoro immediately understood, and his excitement at winning the battle vanished instantly. “After all, the shogunate’s banner was to eliminate treacherous officials, not to attack the Isshiki family. So, all that hard work, did it only bring people’s hearts and empty fame? People’s hearts and empty fame are certainly important, but… but… I still feel a little dissatisfied.”

“It’s not that bad.” Shinzaburo smiled slightly. “Last year, we besieged Takefusa Castle and wiped out the Matsukura family, which had 400 soldiers. Last time, Sato Tanigawa even crushed the Takaya family, who owned the Dai family of Takeno District. I definitely want to keep these achievements in my hands, but I need to find some tactful ways to do so.”

What is a tactful approach?

Shingoro's younger brother didn't understand at first, and Shinsaburo was too lazy to explain in detail, so he simply showed it through his actions.

He summoned two young relatives who had made a significant impact in the battle—Butaro and Tobei—and asked them bluntly, "The Takaya clan of Takeno District has suffered heavy casualties and is on the verge of decline. Which of you is willing to inherit this lineage?"

The intention behind the words was quite obvious and not difficult to understand.

Shingoro immediately realized: "So that's a tactful way to do it! It's quite appropriate indeed."

Pig Taro and Tobei exchanged glances for a moment, their faces showing a mixture of eagerness and uncertainty, their eyes seeming to say, "Are you going?" "Why aren't you going?"

Shinzaburo did not intend to urge him.

This may seem like a golden opportunity, but it is actually quite risky and requires the person involved to be proactive.

A moment later, the impulsive Ino-taro knelt down and said with great emotion, "I am willing to inherit the Takaya family name and guard Takeno District of Tango Province!"

Shinzaburo nodded with pleasure and then instructed, "Next, find all the remaining members of the Takaya clan and select those who are willing to cooperate. If you can find suitable marriage partners, that would be even better. In addition, Akao, Imai, Matsumoto, Morita, and the like are the right-hand men of the Takaya family, so each of them should find a reliable person from their families to succeed them. It would be best if they came from Noguchi Township, and secondly, they should be selected from Kumada and Inoue in Kuwata District."

Pig Taro bowed and accepted the order.

Shingoro then asked, "The Matsukura family of Takefusa Castle was almost wiped out. Was they treated the same way?"

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo shook his head: "A powerful clan of this caliber is not worth wasting a descendant of the Kubo family on inheriting its name. Let Itsumi Suruga-no-kami (Masataka) remain stationed at Takefusa Castle, and let his younger brother or second son change his surname to Matsukura."

"In other words, the northern part of Kumano District is under the jurisdiction of Itami Suruga-no-kami, the southern part is under the jurisdiction of Nomura Kenmono, and Takeno District is inherited by Inotarō in the name of the Takaya family." Shingoro pondered for a while and then discovered a new blind spot, "So, among these people, who is the one who actually makes the decisions?"

“That’s a good question.” Shinsaburo glanced at Inotaro, who was kneeling on the ground, and said solemnly, “Itsumi Suruga-no-kami is skilled in diplomacy, and Nomura Kenmono is a local who knows the place well. They each have their own advantages. Of course, I can rely on the Kubo family’s power to force them to obey Inotaro’s orders, but whether anyone will outwardly comply and inwardly defy them afterward depends on their individual abilities.”

Upon hearing this, Pig Taro couldn't help but look up and exclaim "Ah!" with a hesitant expression. After a moment of hesitation, he forced himself to say, "I will certainly do my best to guard the territory and live up to my lord's expectations."

Seeing this, Shinzaburo smiled and softened his tone, offering words of comfort: "There's no need to worry too much. The distance from Kohama Bay to Tango Takeno District isn't far; you can reach it by boat in a day or two. With the formidable military prestige of the Kubo family here, no one else dares to openly oppose you. Furthermore, the local gentry and elders in the surrounding villages are all closely connected with the Takaya family. As long as you diligently inherit this lineage and demonstrate the qualities that can be relied upon, people will gradually place their hopes for the revitalization of the family on you."

Shingoro chimed in, "Also, they'll be sending some reliable people here to assist us, right?"

Hearing these words, Pig Taro gradually relaxed, frowning as he pondered while letting out a sigh of relief.

Shinzaburo couldn't predict whether his relatives would truly gain a foothold, but there was currently no other option.

To truly control a piece of land, one must combine kindness and severity, eliminate die-hard elements, conduct land surveys, dispatch officials to the grassroots level, and formulate regulations on conduct and military service.

But the current conditions don't allow it, so we have no choice but to use the old methods for now.

234 Hosokawa Fujitaka, who knows how to adapt to the times

Ashikaga Yoshiteru was satisfied with the results of the Tango campaign, and Miyoshi Nagayoshi and his son Miyoshi Yoshioki were also very happy.

The central government's dispatch of troops to resolve the succession crisis among feudal lords was something that hadn't been seen for decades during the Muromachi period. Its recurrence signifies the restoration of order within the shogunate.

Now that everyone is satisfied, it is natural to reward those who have made contributions.

The lands previously conquered by Naito Munekatsu, the governor of Tan Province, were mostly distributed to powerful clans in the Amada and Hero districts. Now, this has been officially recognized by the authorities. Therefore, the people of Yaku, Kirimura, Shiomi, Yokoyama, and other provinces are nominally now under the jurisdiction of both Tanba and Tango.

Incidentally, Shinzaburo had previously suggested that he send his brother-in-law to Kyoto to enjoy official rank and status, and that was successful. Although it cost a lot of money and favors, it at least alleviated the Naito family's predicament.

However, whether Naito Munekatsu would feel grateful for this is hard to say. Politicians often do not follow the common people's simple concept of gratitude and revenge.

Shinzaburo handled the outcome of the battle more smoothly. Kubo Inotarō, a member of the clan, married the niece of Takaya Suruga-no-kami, who had died a heroic death in battle, and named her "Takaya Akimasa," becoming the lord of Omori, Tsunae, and Kamo in Takeno District. Meanwhile, several other young men from Noguchi Township were adopted into the Akao, Imai, Matsumoto, and Morita clans, respectively.

Then, Itsuki Masatsune's younger brother changed his surname to Matsukura and inherited Takefu Castle. Nomura Kenmono was secured after offering a hostage to Obama Castle. This basically meant that the Kumano and Takeno districts were effectively annexed by the Kubo family, although their rule was not very secure.

In theory, the entire territory of Tango still belongs to the prestigious Isshiki family.

Isshiki Yoshimichi was spared death for surrendering voluntarily, but was ordered to shave his head and become a monk. He was then imprisoned in a temple and became neighbors with Hosokawa Harumoto.

This man was truly not wronged. As close relatives of the Isshiki family, who were guards of Tango, he and his father, Isshiki Yoshiyuki, did indeed commit many acts of abusing their power and deceiving their lord. It's just that they were overthrown before they could establish themselves independently.

However, Ashikaga Yoshiteru allowed Isshiki Yoshimichi's younger brother, Yoshikiyo, to inherit the official title of "Shikibu Daisuke" and the old territory of Yoshiwara Castle, thus maintaining the continuation of this branch of the family.

Currently, the legitimate Tango Guardian, Isshiki Chimatsumaru, is not yet ten years old and far from the age of coming of age. He is clearly incapable of handling government affairs and needs someone to assist him.

Oshima, Yano, and Koide are all the obvious choices to rescue the young master from Kenbuyama Castle, but their talents, strength, and experience are not sufficient, and they may not be able to truly support the framework.

If in the future, the real power is taken away by Isshiki Yoshikiyo, the younger brother of Isshiki Yoshimichi, then wouldn't all the previous battles have been in vain?

Therefore, the central government will definitely send one or more people to Tango to oversee things. Moreover, this person—or these people—will inevitably represent the interests of Ashikaga and Miyoshi.

Originally, Shinzaburo only considered his own gains and losses and didn't care much about who would be sent by his superiors, nor did he think about exerting his influence.

Unexpectedly, shortly after the troops withdrew and returned to Wakasa-Ohama Castle, Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide immediately requested an audience.

These two old friends had just returned to Kyoto with the young master of the Isshiki family, Chimatsumaru, to report for duty not long ago, and they immediately came back to build relationships again, showing their high level of enthusiasm.

……

Shinzaburo already knew about Hosokawa Fujitaka.

To be precise, we knew each other in a past life.

From the perspective of this era, Hosokawa Fujitaka has not yet shown many outstanding qualities. He is not much different from other close retainers of the shogunate such as Isshiki Fujinaga, Ueno Nobutada, and Ōdate Harumi. They are all part of the corrupt old system, empty shells with family background but no real power.

But as a time traveler, he naturally knew that this person was exceptionally talented, ambitious, and flexible, quite different from ordinary frivolous young masters from wealthy families.

As expected, upon meeting, Hosokawa Fujitaka did not engage in much insincere pleasantries. He quickly knelt down and frankly stated his purpose: "I have come to visit you today in the hope that Lord Kubo Sado will support my appointment as the head of the Kenbeyama Castle in Tango, to assist the young lord of the Isshiki family who has not yet come of age in handling government affairs!"

Shinzaburo was somewhat surprised by his frankness.

Mitsuhide Akechi explained from the side, "It was I who told Hosokawa Hyobu (Fujitaka) that Kubo Sado dislikes empty rhetoric and prefers concise and to-the-point language."

"Ah, I see." Shinzaburo nodded in understanding, but immediately declined, "If Hosokawa Hyobu wants to become the ruler of Tango, shouldn't he first recommend himself to the shogunate, or ask Miyoshi Shusuke (Chōkei) and Miyoshi Chikuzen (Yoshiki) for help?"

Hosokawa Fujitaka's expression was stern, and he solemnly shook his head, saying, "While the nobles above may have the power to carry out their words, they are ultimately powerless to intervene in matters concerning distant lands. The person appointed to the position of Tango cannot accomplish anything without your support."

“Hehe…” Shinzaburo stroked his beard and chuckled, neither confirming nor denying. “Hosokawa Hyōbu personally went to Tango with minimal entourage and risked his life to rescue the young master of the Isshiki family. His merit is immense. It is only natural that he would take over Takebeyama Castle with such an achievement.”

"I am deeply humbled and dare not take credit for myself." Hosokawa Fujitaka appeared modest and cautious, keeping his head deeply bowed and maintaining a respectful attitude. "How can such a trivial matter be compared with the great achievements of Lord Kubo Sado? Compared with other retainers of the shogunate, my only advantage is that I am good at knowing when to be pragmatic."

Being pragmatic...

Shinzaburo certainly understood the meaning of those words. So he was indeed somewhat tempted.

Hosokawa Fujitaka's words make a lot of sense.

Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru was unable to extend his reach to the grassroots level, the Miyoshi father and son were currently focused on the southern part of the Kinai region and had no time to attend to anything further, and the governor of Tan Province, Naito Munekatsu, was in a bad situation recently and his authority had declined significantly. Only the governor of Wakasa, Daikubo Yoshiaki, had the highest say in Tango affairs.

The people of the five districts of Tango have become accustomed to living without anyone to control them, and they will not easily obey the so-called "envoys from above." They will only fear the military might of the Kubo army.

If Shinzaburo doesn't give his approval, it will be difficult for Ashikaga and Miyoshi to hold their positions as regents at Kenbuyama.

Then Akechi Mitsuhide chimed in, "Not everyone understands that Tango Province must rely on Lord Kubo Sado. If someone who doesn't know the importance of this matter is appointed to assist in governing Tsukube-yama Castle and then does something presumptuous, it will inevitably harm the excellent situation we have today!"