Chapter 26

"Welcome back, Master."

"Back...!"

As Hikaru, who had successfully unified Ise-Shima, returned to the new territory, his new wife, Oichi, greeted him, but he was surprised by her attire.

"Why is she wearing a sailor uniform?"

It was likely sewn by Kimiko. Oichi, wearing the sailor uniform, spoke to Hikaru.

"I heard from Kimiko that this kind of clothing is popular in the South."

Of course, it was a complete lie. When trying to pass off items from the future, claiming they were from the South usually went unnoticed, as almost no one in this era had traveled overseas, let alone to Europe.

"Does it suit me?"

"It suits you very well."

It was not a lie; it suited her perfectly. If such a high school girl were to walk around town, she would either be approached by men or invited to an entertainment agency.

"I like it too, but I think the skirt is a bit short, so I can only wear it indoors."

The sailor uniform sewn by Kimiko had a short skirt, fully designed for the future. It might be difficult to go outside in a mini-skirt sailor uniform in this era.

"We can just say it's for indoor use."

"Yes, that's true."

Smiling, Oichi made Hikaru start to think that having multiple wives might not be so bad.

"Kimiko has prepared dinner and is waiting for us. I also helped a bit after learning from her."

Usually, a princess of a daimyo family wouldn't be allowed to cook, but Kimiko didn't mind, and Oichi, who had never cooked before, found it interesting. Oichi was also learning many other things from Kimiko.

"What's on the menu today?"

"It's Ming cuisine. 'Ma-bo-tofu' is spicy but delicious, right?"

"It's my favorite."

Hikaru and Oichi entered the inner quarters of the nearly completed Shinchi Castle. A part of the inner quarters, deeper inside, was called the "Inner Sanctuary," where only Hikaru, Kimiko, Seiki, Kiyomaro, and the robot army were allowed. Many people tried to find a way to enter, but no one had succeeded yet.

---

"Is Iga the Iga in the mountains next to Ise?"

"Yes, that Iga."

In the summer of 1564, Hikaru, who was busy with the development of the newly unified Ise-Shima, received a report from his secretary, Masahide Honda.

"Some of the local samurai from Iga wish to pay their respects to you."

According to Masahide, Iga was a poor mountainous region with weak governance by the Niki clan, and many local samurai were under the indirect control of the Rokkaku and the Kitabatake clans. The Kitabatake aimed for direct control of Iga, while the Rokkaku used Iga as a bridgehead to send troops to northern Ise.

Iga itself was a poor country, but its residents, who ran through the mountains, had strong legs and special skills for moving through difficult terrain. Many daimyo used them for intelligence and other tasks. Shinchi's household also employed dozens of such people.

"There's no reason to refuse if they want to pay their respects."

"I'll make the arrangements."

A few days later, local samurai from Iga, who owned land, visited Shinchi Castle.

"Wow! The Shinchi family can build such a magnificent castle?"

"That explains why the Kitabatake were defeated."

The local samurai were amazed by the nearly completed Shinchi Castle, the port, and the castle town. They entered the castle under the guidance of vassals arranged by Masahide.

"We, the newly unified Ise-Shima, will serve the Shinchi family."

They brought gifts of local products and greeted the Shinchi family, acknowledging their rule. Although the local samurai were independent, many had followed the Rokkaku and the Kitabatake due to their proximity. With the Kitabatake clan now extinct, they decided to serve the Shinchi family.

"Thank you for your long journey. I look forward to your service."

By saying "look forward," Hikaru was essentially just acknowledging the current situation. He was busy with the development of Ise-Shima and didn't want to provoke the Rokkaku by attempting direct control of Iga. Ise still had the power of Nagashima, and there were many other neighboring forces. Hikaru hoped the local samurai of Iga could serve as a buffer against the Rokkaku and gave them Chinese porcelain and other goods as a return gift.

"Thank you for your kindness."

The Iga issue was resolved, but there were other problems.

First, the province of Kii. The power of the temples and shrines, such as Koyasan, Negoro-ji, and Kumano Sanzan, was strong, and the governance of the guardian Takeda clan was limited. The armed monks and peasant groups, such as the Negoro and the Saiga, possessed many firearms.

For now, they hadn't extended their influence into Ise, but the Horiguchi party and the Kumano navy, based in Kii, were eyeing the Shinchi army's captured castles in Shima.

The situation in Yamato was also chaotic. This was due to the efforts of Matsunaga Hisahide, who had appeared at the first Chinese porcelain auction Hikaru held.

Hisahide, facing strong resistance from local samurai, had suffered many defeats but earned money by appraising and reselling Chinese porcelain purchased from Hikaru. He was now advancing his campaign and had forced many local samurai to flee or face extinction. He was expected to fully pacify Yamato next year and was regularly corresponding with Hikaru. His letters expressed gratitude for the Chinese porcelain and proposed a friendly relationship, with the Shinchi family in Ise-Shima and the Matsunaga family in Yamato. He also mentioned the potential inconvenience caused by the families and vassals of the fleeing local samurai.

Some of these fleeing samurai were being employed by the Shinchi family to address the shortage of personnel. The Tennoji, Tsuchiya, Ochi, and Hashi families, among others, had either been destroyed or surrendered and were now visiting Ise.

Hikaru found a promising young man named Shimazaki Seiki. He quickly stood out in the new recruit training organized by Kimiko and was appointed as one of the commanders.

"The development of Ise-Shima and the strengthening of the security forces are going well. Oichi is cute, Kimiko is beautiful, and the children are energetic. If nothing happens, everything will be fine..."

Did Hikaru jinx it by saying that out loud?

In the autumn of 1564, after the harvest, a disturbance occurred in Iga.

Among the local samurai in Iga, about a dozen families with land in Yamada County were pro-Shinchi. Their land was mostly mountainous, with limited areas suitable for rice or field crops. They began trading mountain products and herbs for rice from Ise, with a slightly favorable exchange rate due to their allegiance.

With some extra resources, they started developing local specialties to sell in Ise and, as a side effect, began attacking neighboring pro-Rokkaku local samurai.

"Why did this happen?"

When Hikaru received this report from Masahide, he was at a loss. With some extra resources, they attacked their neighbors to expand their influence. While this was a common mindset in this era, Hikaru wished they had been more restrained. The conflict didn't just involve the local samurai of Iga.

"We have lost our land and can only rely on the glory of the Shinchi family."

In Iga, when children fight, their parents often get involved. Few local samurai had submitted to the Shinchi family, and most were under the influence of the Rokkaku. The attacked local samurai called for Rokkaku reinforcements, and the pro-Shinchi local samurai in Yamada County were occupied by the Rokkaku army. They were counterattacked and lost their land.

"I don't need this mountainous land..."

With the Rokkaku army and pro-Rokkaku local samurai advancing south, Hikaru had to deploy his security forces. Financially, it was a complete loss.

"Katahiro, don't get too involved."

"A decisive victory might cause more trouble..."

Katahiro, who was already accustomed to receiving pay, firmly declined Hikaru's offer to take over Yamada County, as it was a poor and unprofitable land.

"Try to gain the upper hand and negotiate for the rights to Yamada County."

"That sounds reasonable. But why did the Rokkaku send troops?"

"I think they are just observing."

Masahide answered Katahiro's question.

"The current Rokkaku family is too busy dealing with the Miyoshi and the Azai to have any spare capacity. They want to gauge the strength of the Shinchi family."

If the Shinchi family was strong, the Rokkaku would seek peace and focus on the north and west. If weak, they would try to maintain influence in northern Ise and strengthen their forces to prepare for the Miyoshi and the Azai.

This was the analysis of Masahide.

"Spending war funds for such a reason..."

"Lord, I will try to bring this to a peaceful resolution."

"I count on you, Katahiro."

Leading 5,000 troops, Katahiro engaged the Rokkaku and Iga local samurai coalition, gradually reducing the enemy's strength without causing too many casualties on his side. After a week of fighting, a messenger from the Rokkaku, who had suffered unexpected losses, arrived and agreed to a peace treaty, returning Yamada County to the Shinchi family. The coalition retreated.

"Lord Shinchi, thank you for recovering our land."

"No, Yamada County belongs to the Shinchi family!"

To prevent further conflict, Yamada County was placed under the direct control of the Shinchi family, and the local samurai were fully integrated as vassals. Many more intelligence agents were born from among them.

---

"Shimazaki Seiki, for your outstanding service, you will receive a reward of 500 kan."

"Thank you for your kindness."

In fact, the Shinchi family was fighting another front. The Horiguchi party and the Kumano navy, based in Kii, attacked the Shinchi-held Sanniki Castle in Shima, but the Shinchi army repelled them and occupied Kii. The Horiguchi party was destroyed, and Seiki, who had killed the Horiguchi leader, Horiguchi Yoshitaka, received a special reward from Hikaru.

He also received other rewards, such as swords, Chinese porcelain, and gold.

"Everyone is so warlike."

"Regarding Kumano, they were calm when we recognized their existing rights. As long as their income doesn't decrease, they won't complain."

The Horiguchi territory was completely occupied, but Kumano was spared from becoming an enemy due to Masahide's negotiations. With the post-conflict management of Yamada County in Iga, the current situation was being maintained.

"The territory has expanded, but it needs development."

Without kinship or blood ties, the new territory needed clear incentives to be smoothly governed by the Shinchi family. This was how the Shinchi family had strengthened its control over Ise-Shima by integrating intermediate layers like local samurai.

"Will next year be peaceful? Will it end with just development and training?"

"I can't guarantee that."

Hikaru, with a sigh, ordered the development of the newly acquired territory.

"Lord... I am the busiest one..."

While his responsibilities increased, Taisei was again the busiest person in the Shinchi territory, working on the development of the new territory.