The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 83

Hearing the expected bad news, Takeda Yoshitomo could only sigh, "It seems we must consider making peace. Have we received any response to the letters I ordered to be sent urging surrender?"

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "If the governor of Suruga says that he recognizes the security of the Oshima region and grants him the additional fief of Sekito, he will be willing to submit again."

"What?!" Takeda Yoshitomo was furious. "He clearly forged documents to seize Oshima! Moreover, what face does someone who started the rebellion have to ask for new favors? If this is granted, what will happen if everyone follows suit?"

The retainers remained silent.

However, a few people secretly exchanged glances and communicated with each other through their eyes.

Takeda Yoshitomo was unaware of the subtle maneuvering below.

Faced with this situation, he felt that the frustration in his chest was about to explode.

Indeed, writing poetry is much better than fighting!

What is the ultimate meaning of all these wars? Even powerful figures like Taira no Taira and Kamakura no Kōjun, despite their absolute power, could not escape the decline of their families and the extinction of their lineages after their deaths. On the contrary, cultural figures who create masterpieces can spread elegance and literature forever, like rivers flowing eternally.

All the sages and worthies of the past have died, only the authors have left their names behind.

Just as he was lost in thought, a retainer suddenly rushed up, panting, and said, "My lord! Urgent report! Enemy troops have appeared...appeared near Mount Kose...near Mount Kose Castle! Their numbers...number unknown!"

"What!" Takeda Yoshitomo immediately stood up, incredulous. "How is this possible? Can the enemy fly or disappear underground?"

Many of the retainers around him looked at each other in astonishment.

"The enemy has appeared at the port; they must be coming by sea!" The retainer who delivered the message caught his breath and was finally able to speak properly: "I came at full speed to report this, and it only took me an hour. I'm sure we'll make it in time!"

Takeda Yoshitomo was terrified and asked urgently, "The enemy are Tanba people. They may not have seen the sea view many times before coming to Wakasa. How can they have a navy?"

The middle-aged man at the head of the left frowned and sighed, "It seems he persuaded a certain pirate crew to cooperate. This is too fast, and without any warning! Tanba Zhong Kui is indeed extraordinary."

"Heaven is against me!" Takeda Yoshitaka sighed, slamming his hand on the table. He said bitterly, "We have no choice but to spare the traitor Itsumi Masatsune. The entire army must return immediately!"

The young man at the very bottom asked in bewilderment, “Hoseyama Castle is very well-fortified and will not fall easily. Even the elderly, women, and children can hold out for some time if they take up arms. The enemy army is traveling by sea and it would be difficult for them to carry siege equipment. Why is my lord so worried?”

The white-haired elder at the head of the table on the right said weakly, "Lord Yokozabei, you rarely visit the castle, so you may not know... The climate at Koseyama Castle is not very comfortable this season, and many samurai families move to the seaside inns, including... including the mistress and young master. Those inns are almost completely unprotected."

The young man called Yokozabei was speechless, his eyes wide with astonishment.

The middle-aged man at the head of the left asked in a low voice, "What about Lord Naito Echizen-no-kami, who is currently fighting against Tanba Zhongkui at Aoba River? If the traitor Itsumi Masatsune breaks out from Sadoyama Castle and attacks westward, then Lord Echizen-no-kami will be attacked from both sides."

After a moment's thought, Takeda Yoshimune pointed at the middle-aged man and instructed, "Lord Ukyo, you stay behind with five hundred men to provide support. Please ensure the safe evacuation of Lord Echizen's reserve force. I entrust this to you!"

The middle-aged man opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. In the end, he just nodded, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace, and replied in a flat tone, "I will do my best to complete the mission."

155 A small victory is enough.

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that in this day and age, there would still be samurai families who don’t stay obediently in the castle, but instead live in undefended inns on the plains! Do they think they are nobles from the Heian period?” Ōi Shigeie’s face was full of disdain as he shook his head repeatedly. “From Shinano all the way to Tanba, I’ve seen all sorts of prestigious families like Suruga Imagawa and Ise Kitabatake, but none of them are as disgraceful as the Wakasa Takeda!”

Inatomi Shigenobu was more excited than anything else, boasting loudly and excitedly: "The weather was gloomy and the surroundings were shrouded in sea fog. Our group descended from the sky like gods. I shouted loudly, and before the enemy could even put their swords in their sheaths, they had already fled in disarray. After capturing many of the enemy's family members, we calmly boarded the ship and returned. By then, the enemy's reinforcements had already arrived, but they were far behind."

Qinghai Shiga, who also participated in the operation, looked completely uninterested and added indifferently, "Two hundred elites raiding a residence that was almost completely unprepared, and capturing a few dozen old people, women and children, is hardly impressive."

His words left his colleagues speechless.

Originally, a few people were just chatting idly while Shinzaburo was seeing Nagasawa Yamatosuke off, but unexpectedly, one of them was completely oblivious to the situation.

After a moment of silence, Ooi Shigeie stood with his hands behind his back, looking in a nostalgic manner, and said, looking into the distance, "Of course, compared to the fierce battle against the Hatano family's army in Tanba back then, where I killed two demons in one battle, today's events are indeed insignificant."

With him flaunting his seniority like that, his other colleagues had even less room to speak up.

After all, most people hadn't joined the Kubo family when that battle took place.

At this moment, Qinghai Shigao was quite accommodating, revealing his longing and saying with great emotion, "I hope that I will also have the opportunity to participate in such a fierce battle in the future."

Oi Shigeie was very pleased to hear this and wanted to say a few more words, but when he saw his lord arrive, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and bow along with everyone else.

Shinzaburo saw off Nasa Yamatosuke, who had provided transportation support, and returned to his tent. He glanced around and smiled, saying, "You've all worked hard. How much did you gain this time?"

Shigenobu Inatomi excitedly said, "We have captured more than sixty hostages, belonging to more than thirty families."

Shinzaburo nodded, his smile fading: "Since that's the case, it seems we haven't managed to capture the Wakasa Takeda family's lady and young master."

Inato Shigenobu was immediately embarrassed.

Shinsaburo asked again: "Where are the Awaya, Shirai, Mutou, Naito, Matsunomiya, Kumagaya, and Yamagata families?"

Ōi Shigeie quickly said, "There didn't seem to be many high-ranking officials' families living there at the time. They only captured the concubine and illegitimate son of the Matsumiya family, and a daughter of the Yamagata family."

"The timing wasn't good, but there's nothing we can do about it," Shinzaburo said regretfully, then asked, "Did you kill a lot of people during the operation?"

Harumi shook his head and said, "Everyone knows that these samurai families can afford to pay the travel allowance, so they will naturally exercise restraint. I have not seen a large number of deaths or injuries, only a few accidental deaths."

“That’s good.” Shinzaburo pondered for a moment and instructed, “Set a hostage fee of one to ten kan according to the person’s status. Release the person once you receive the money.”

Upon hearing this, Harumi asked doubtfully, "I thought that capturing the enemy samurai's family members was to persuade them to surrender, or to exchange for the fortress..."

Ooi Shigeie said awkwardly, "It seems we haven't captured many important figures. The wives and children of more than sixty ordinary samurai are probably not enough to exchange for an important stronghold."

Inatomi Shigenobu hesitated for a moment, then cautiously interjected, "Isn't one to ten kan a bit low for the status of these prisoners?"

Shinzaburo shook his head: "Since we can't make a final decision, let's be generous. I won't take this indemnity; let the soldiers who participated in the operation divide it among themselves."

Oi, Inafumi, and Harumi immediately said that they had not done a good enough job and were too ashamed to share the reward, so they would give it to their subordinates.

After some time, Kawakatsu Tsuguji, who was in charge of the pursuit, returned with his troops, accompanied by Takemura Hidetoshi and others.

They greeted each other, expressed their gratitude for each other's hard work, and Shinzaburo inquired about the battle situation.

Kawakatsu Tsuguji seemed very unwilling, stroking his chin regretfully and saying, "Originally, the enemy's reserve force had already collapsed, and there might have been a chance to take Naito Echizen-no-kami. Unexpectedly, there was Awaya Ukyo-suke who came to their aid. Although there were not many of them, they were strict in their discipline and not easy to deal with. So we only obtained a dozen or so heads of samurai who were not very well known."

Shinzaburo chuckled, "Isn't it good that you obtained more than a dozen samurai heads on your first meeting?"

Kawakatsu lowered his head in embarrassment and said, "I just feel sorry for Lord Kubo Genban's meticulous planning."

Shinzaburo laughed and said, "That's enough. Actually, sometimes fighting too well on the battlefield and winning too quickly isn't necessarily a good thing."

Kawakatsu Tsuyoshi was completely puzzled.

Shinzaburo didn't explain either.

……

With the assistance of ships provided by Nasa Yamatosuke, Shinzaburo dispatched two hundred men by sea to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's rear, assaulting the residence of the family members. Upon hearing this, the Wakasa Takeda army was thrown into chaos and retreated in panic, thus lifting the siege of Saidayama Castle.

Then they led their troops to pursue the enemy's remaining forces, inflicting a major defeat on Naito Echizen-no-kami, capturing seventeen samurai, more than sixty armored soldiers, and countless miscellaneous soldiers, and also seizing a batch of military provisions and supplies that they had not had time to take away.

Tanba Zhong Kui's name became widely known.

This means that after Itsuki Masataka openly raised the banner of rebellion, he gained a foothold without suffering much loss.

The already weak prestige of the newly appointed Wakasa governor, Takeda Yoshitomo, has further declined.

Conversely, the fact that the Tanba army sent troops to support Takeda Nobutoyo's restoration was no longer just a simple slogan, but had a certain degree of persuasiveness.

Following Itsuki Masatsune, the lord of Soudouyama Castle, several smaller factions in the western part of Wakasa, near Tanba, including Hongo, Aoi, and Ōshio, also joined the ranks of those "abandoning darkness for light."

Matsunaga Nagayori was still fighting in Tango, so the "righteous men" had no choice but to first visit Kubo Yoshiaki's dock.

Among them, Itsumi Masatsune was a senior retainer of Takeda, commanding over five hundred soldiers, making him a significant figure in Wakasa. Furthermore, his timing in choosing sides was impeccable, essentially a "first act of rebellion," naturally earning him considerable attention.

Shinzaburo personally came out to greet him from a hundred paces away, adopting an attitude of equal interaction. During their conversation, he repeatedly stated that he was only on behalf of Hosokawa Ukyo on this inspection tour, and that his power came from the bestowal of a noble person, and that he would never dare to be arrogant.

The rest, such as Honjō, Aoi, and Ōo, were small powerful clans with only a few villages in their territories.

Even minor noble families can be treated with courtesy and will not be neglected. But when dealing with them, one must adopt a humble and respectful attitude.

It wasn't that Shinzaburo had become arrogant, but according to Japanese etiquette, he had to do it this way to appear proper and prevent the other party from feeling uneasy.

The reason these people "returned to the right path" is certainly not out of conscience, but because they have their own interests to pursue.

For example, Itsuki Masatsune once claimed, through an ancient document in his possession, that he had the right to control the temples, shrines, and villages in the Oshima region. The Takeda family, as the governor of Wakasa, did not recognize this, and the two sides had been in dispute ever since.

Now that Takeda Yoshitomo has been driven away, there's no need to fight over it anymore. The Miyoshi side will definitely approve it in the name of Takeda Nobutoyo.

The other smaller factions are in similar situations.

Correspondingly, the Muto family, which had territorial disputes with Itsuki and Hongo, and the Terai family, which had conflicts with Aoi and Ōshio-juku, were not necessarily truly loyal to Takeda Yoshitomo, but now they suddenly became the vanguard in opposing the intervention of the Tanba forces.

The Muto family had over three hundred members, and the Terai family had one hundred and fifty. They had both fortified their cities after the Takeda army withdrew, and were not particularly easy to deal with for the time being.

Instead of dealing with them, Shinzaburo went to Kawakami Castle and Nada Castle, which were directly controlled by the Takeda family, and easily persuaded the small number of uneasy garrison soldiers to surrender, ensuring that the two precious routes between Tanba and Wakasa remained open.

Based on Matsunaga Nagayori's previous statements, these territories will most likely be granted directly to those who have rendered meritorious service in the name of Takeda Nobutoyo. After all, helping that guy regain his throne always comes with its own rewards.

As expected, the larger piece will go to Shinzaburo, and the smaller piece to Kawakatsu Tsuguji.

Neither place is particularly fertile, so there's little to be expected in terms of income.

However, Wakasa was relatively poor overall, and the proportion of direct territories held by the Takeda clan was not high. Furthermore, the local lords seemed quite agile and unlikely to put up a stubborn resistance. Therefore, it was unlikely they could achieve a complete victory in one fell swoop; they could only proceed slowly and steadily, making progress day by day.

156 Guardian? Better to learn etiquette and law.

Matsunaga Nagayori's campaign in Tango went relatively smoothly. He first won a battle in the field, and then, with the help of his collaborators, he took down a medium-sized stronghold and established a foothold in the eastern part of Kasa District.

He then took advantage of his rising prestige to organize the powerful clans of Amada and Hero counties into three groups, and appointed the hereditary retainers of the Naito family, the deputy governor of Tanba, as the heads of each group.

The so-called "sponsored sons and sponsors system" popular during the Warring States period meant that reliable and important officials were appointed to be stationed in various places to manage the people of the country in detail. The people who were managed were called "sponsors," and the important officials stationed in various places were called "sponsors."

Matsunaga Nagayori's approach can be said to have initially possessed the characteristics of the foster parentage system.

Since most of the local nobles and powerful families had received land grants from the Queen, they had little dissatisfaction with the institutional reforms.

This is essentially using external wars to restore internal order.

Given Matsunaga Nagayori's long-standing battlefield experience, it is not surprising that he achieved such results in attacking the disorganized Tango.

Kubo Yoshiaki's victory over Wakasa Takeda was somewhat unexpected. In practical terms, they gained control of over 80% of Ōi County, roughly a quarter of the entire Wakasa region.

Unfortunately, its main purpose was to persuade the Chinese people to surrender, and it did not directly seize much land.

Matsunaga Nagayori quickly made a decision to hand over Kawakami Castle to Kawakatsu Tsuguji, along with a nearby village of two or three hundred people.

Kubo Yoshiaki acquired Natasho Castle, and subsequently controlled three villages and two temple territories, with an estimated land holdings of around 800 koku.

These two fortresses existed primarily to guard the passage between Tanba and Wakasa; the surrounding population and land area were indeed not large.

Although Matsunaga Nagayori had requested the authority to act expediently beforehand, it was nominally better to let Takeda Nobuyoshi handle such matters, since the military expedition was launched under the pretext of helping him regain his right to rule.

In particular, the fact that four forces "abandoned darkness and turned to light" makes it seem as if the former guardian, who was driven away by his own son, has a certain appeal.

Although it was obvious to everyone that Masatsune Itsumi, the lord of Sodoyama Castle, had switched sides out of personal ambition, the other smaller factions, such as Hongo, Aoi, and Ōshio, had changed allegiance only after seeing Yoshiaki Kubo's victory.

However, one cannot say that out of politeness.

Ultimately, it was probably Miyoshi Nagayoshi, who valued legal principles, who made the decision to send Takeda Nobutoyo back to Wakasa Province.

Of course, there wouldn't be any ready-made fortresses or land offered. After some discussion, this guy was assigned to Nada-sou Castle, which Kubo Yoshiaki had just acquired.

It turned out to be a burden.

By this time, it was already late July, and if the troops were not disbanded, the autumn harvest would be delayed.

However, Shinzaburo did not dare to return to the capital.

It was clearly not feasible to let Takeda Nobutoyo act freely on his own. They were worried that the old scoundrel might cause some new trouble, and they were also concerned that this still valuable brand would be destroyed.

So Shinzaburo took out 65 koku of white rice from the captured military rations, giving each of the peasant soldiers and laborers a dou (a unit of volume), and dismissed them to go home and harvest rice. He himself stayed in Wakasa with the samurai and foot soldiers.

After the reforms a few months ago, the Kubo family's foot soldiers were mostly grassroots landowners who owned a lot of land and generally had the ability to hire day laborers to cope with the busy farming season.

Of course, since they are still serving part-time and cannot be used as professional soldiers, they would definitely have a lot of complaints if they couldn't go home for years on end. This deployment is not long and the distance is no more than 60 kilometers, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Also, have some servants from home come over to do chores.

……

So, throughout the autumn, Shinzaburo and Takeda Nobutoyo were locked in a silent standoff.

Takeda Nobutoyo was already in his fifties, and in this era, it wouldn't be surprising if he were to enter his coffin at any moment. At that age, having lost the support of both his own and his own people, and having been driven out by his retainers and son, he should have felt hopeless about life.

However, he did not seem particularly discouraged. He even said cheerfully, "Although my eldest, second, and third sons are all rebellious and immoral, I still have my fourth and fifth sons who have not yet come of age. Once I expel the unfilial sons and restore the position of Wakasa Guardian, there will still be successors."

That old man is quite prolific.

When he was advised by his eldest son and retainers, he became enraged and declared that he would depose the eldest son and establish a younger one in his place, which resulted in the expulsion of his two underage sons.

Even if a daimyo is expelled, he won't necessarily be destitute. He can always find a place to eat and even support some guards, servants, and concubines.

For example, Takeda Nobutora of Kai was also driven away by his son and took a group of people to Suruga. Despite his old age, he was still capable of studying biological reproduction.

Shinzaburo wasn't really interested in the conversation; he just exchanged perfunctory words and made small talk.

But Takeda Nobutoyo took the initiative to ask, "I've heard that Kubo Genban is actually a descendant of the Kyogoku family, from the lineage of Sasaki Hangan?"

This topic is unavoidable.

Shinzaburo felt that emphasizing it too much would seem fake, so he simply said, "That's what Lord Hosokawa Ukyo said."