Chapter 85

"Father, with this, it's finally half, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

In the eighth year of Tenshō, Date Masamune, who had been exiled to Ezo by Mitsuharu, was dedicating all his efforts to pacifying Ezo.

He either destroyed or subjugated all the Wajin (Japanese) people in the southern part of Ezo, and launched offensives against the Ainu forces in the eastern and western parts of Ezo, bringing them under the control of the Date clan.

He did not attack the tribes that were on good terms with the Tsuda family, but since the number of tribes that were not was overwhelmingly larger, he had already succeeded in bringing the southern half of Ezo under the influence of the Date clan.

He maintained the upper hand in battles against the various Ainu tribes by skillfully utilizing the musket corps, which possessed about 500 guns. To strengthen his control, he demanded that the daughters of the chieftain's family of the subjugated Ainu tribes be offered to him, his brother Masanori, and other clan members as concubines.

He dispatched vassals to each tribe to teach them writing and culture, striving to turn them into combat-ready forces as quickly as possible.

"I think it will take at least a few years, but this time, I will lead a large army to destroy the Tsuda family."

And then, he would seize the unique technologies and knowledge held by the Tsuda family and use them to pacify Japan.

Replacing Oda Nobunaga, Masamune dreamed of taking control of the country.

"But, this cold is unbearable."

"We need to come up with better solutions. I'll have everyone submit their ideas."

Tsuda Mitsuharu did not restrict the actions of those who wished to follow the Date clan into exile in Ezo.

On the contrary, he sent them to Ezo on his navy ships.

He even allowed them to take their weapons, food, and valuables that they had at the time of their surrender.

Thanks to this, the pacification of Ezo was proceeding smoothly, but Masamune was displeased, feeling as if he had been shown mercy.

"You're underestimating us! I will definitely destroy you!"

Masamune, fueled by his hatred for Tsuda Mitsuharu, continued to advance the pacification of Ezo.

"However, my lord, you are quite devious."

"Do I? I'm just fulfilling Masamune's wishes."

"It's hard to tell whether it's truly Masamune's wish or your manipulation."

In the office of Edo Castle, Mitsuharu, Masahide, and Kibei were discussing the treatment of the Date clan.

"The Date clan is a prestigious family. It would be troublesome to destroy them."

Of course, this was a lie from Mitsuharu.

Many daimyo families in the Tohoku region had been destroyed.

When the Tsuda family destroyed a daimyo family, women and children were sent to temples or exiled, but if they surrendered and served the Tsuda family, they could survive, albeit in a reduced state.

Many former vassals tried to regain their territories by communicating with their old lords, leading to frequent internal conflicts, which often resulted in the destruction of both the old vassals and the Tsuda family.

After a few such cycles, the family could never recover.

Even minors and women who led rebellions were executed, and the prestigious families dwindled one by one.

It was not uncommon for entire families to be wiped out, and the news of their suppression was widely circulated in the Tsuda domain, so no one sympathized with them.

In fact, the common people were annoyed by the possibility of being caught up in internal conflicts.

Most of them believed that the Tsuda family's rule was better than that of the old noble families.

"Are you planning to aim for the pacification of Ezo in the future?"

"Of course."

Mitsuharu aimed to control not only Ezo but also Karafuto, Alaska, and Siberia.

While Alaska and Siberia would likely be targets for future generations, they were rich in resources, and Mitsuharu believed it was only natural to aim for their control.

"I want Masamune to work hard on the groundwork."

Masamune, who had lost an eye to smallpox, was called the "One-Eyed Dragon" in Ezo.

While Mitsuharu found this name to be overly dramatic and would have preferred to avoid it, it was fitting for Masamune, who was at the right age for such a nickname.

Masamune seemed eager to quickly pacify Ezo and engage in a decisive battle with the Tsuda family. The actions he was taking in the Ezo pacification campaign were instilling fear in the various Ainu tribes.

According to information from Fuma Kotaro, Masamune was engaging in near-genocidal acts against Ainu tribes that resisted, and even enslaving skilled men and children, and giving women as rewards to his soldiers.

"Tsuda Mitsuharu will not tolerate such atrocities committed by Masamune in Ezo and will impose severe punishment."

Masamune, being Wajin, seemed to view the domination of the Ainu people as a matter of course and looked down on them.

While Mitsuharu understood that ethnic and religious discrimination still existed in his future, he did not consider it unreasonable.

He understood that humans were such creatures.

"Forceful domination will lead to resistance. It's better to win them over with benefits and gradually assimilate them over time."

It would be easier to pacify Ezo by using the pretext of suppressing Masamune's attempts to enslave the Ainu.

With Masamune as the evil force oppressing the Ainu, the Tsuda family would be seen as the savior.

The Date clan had not yet attacked the tribes that were on good terms with the Tsuda family, but it was only a matter of time before they requested aid.

This would provide a sufficient pretext for action.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have allowed them to take weapons."

"But, won't the Ainu tribes point this out?"

"I thought they would be satisfied with the Wajin territories in southern Ezo."

Having been in this world for twenty years, Mitsuharu had grown into a typical Sengoku daimyo.

Whether this was good or bad, no one could say.

In the spring of the ninth year of Tenshō, the castle under construction in Ishiyama was nearly complete.

The expanded Ishiyama Hongan-ji, which had been impregnable, was now a fitting new base for the Oda family.

Simultaneously, the construction of a large military port and the development of a large castle town were progressing, and most people already believed that the country was under Nobunaga's control.

Yoshimasa Ashikaga still resided in Yamashiro, but his shōen in Yamashiro amounted to about 50,000 koku.

He could only maintain about 2,000 soldiers at most, and with his rank surpassed by Nobunaga, he had no choice but to continue sending letters to various regions, calling for the destruction of Nobunaga.

All of his movements were reported to Nobunaga by Hosokawa Fujitaka.

"Yoshimasa is quite diligent with his letters."

Nobunaga was somewhat impressed by Yoshimasa's persistence in sending letters to the Uesugi, Mori, Sanada, Ōtomo, Shimazu, Ryūzōji, Chōsokabe, and Date families.

"Lord, is it alright to leave him be?"

Hori Naomasa, who had replaced Hori Hideharu as the chief retainer of the Dewa Oda family, asked Nobunaga with concern.

He was an excellent person and had successfully taken over the role of the renowned Hideharu.

With Murai Sadakatsu busy as the Kyoto shoshidai, Naomasa and other close retainers often assisted Nobunaga.

"I have Fujitaka keep an eye on him to prevent any foolish actions. The responses to his letters are not favorable, either."

None of the daimyo families could spare the resources to send troops to the Kinai region.

Yoshimasa frequently sent letters to Kenshin Uesugi, who was the most likely to respond, but Kenshin had already ceded the headship of his family to Kagekatsu and submitted to the Oda family.

According to reports from Fujitaka, Yoshimasa was extremely upset upon learning this.

"If we attack the west, Yoshimasa will have no one left to send letters to."

Once the Oda family controlled Kyushu, Yoshimasa would be powerless.

The Ashikaga shogunate would lose its purpose, and he would have no choice but to resign as shogun and retire.

Nobunaga planned to keep him in a state of house arrest until then.

"Let him give the position of shogun to Nobutada and spend his days copying sutras."

"Understood. Regarding the western campaign, will it be against the Mori and Shikoku simultaneously?"

"There should be no problem."

"Indeed..."

Naomasa, who had a sense of unease about the Tsuda family, which had gained an unprecedented amount of territory, did not voice his concerns to Nobunaga.

Nobunaga trusted Tsuda Mitsuharu deeply.

Many who had slandered him, suggesting that he was dangerous and should be assassinated or stripped of his territory, had fallen out of favor.

Shibata Katsuie was one such person, and he had been kept in Echizen for a long time.

Although he was granted the entire province of Echizen due to his great achievements, his main tasks were to govern Echizen and monitor the Uesugi family, and he rarely participated in battles, such as the siege of Ishiyama.

Given his confidence in his martial skills, he must have been very dissatisfied.

He had repeatedly requested to participate in campaigns against the Mori and Shikoku, but all of his requests were denied.

Nobunaga told him to "stabilize Echizen and ensure that Kenshin does not move," and while Katsuie was capable and governed Echizen well, the fact that he could not play a leading role in the campaigns against the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions was rumored to be due to the slander against him among the close retainers.

"This time, I will also send Katsuhisa. Let's crush the Mori and Shikoku in one go!"

Nobunaga sent troops to both the Chūgoku and Shikoku regions.

He took overall command from the newly completed Ishiyama Castle, with Oda Nobuharu as the commander of the Shikoku front, supported by Akechi Mitsuhide, Dan Naomasa, Sakuma Nobumori, Ikeda Tsuneoki, Hachisuka Masakatsu, and Matsui Motonobu, totaling over 100,000 men.

From Harima, Oda Nobutada led the campaign, supported by Hashiba Hideyoshi, Takigawa Kazumasu, Tokugawa Nobusada, Mori Yoshinari, Kōriki Kiyonaga, Inaba Masanari, and Hayashi Masahiro, totaling about 80,000 men.

From Tajima, Oda Nobuharu led the campaign, supported by Azai Nagamasa, Shibata Katsuie, Maeda Toshiie, Sassa Narimasa, Uesugi Kagekatsu, Shigetaka Naomasa, Oda Nobutada, Morikuni Katsunaga, and Kuroda Nagamasa, totaling about 80,000 men.

Katsuie, once again, was not given a leading role.

This was because his deputy, Azai Nagamasa, was capable and functioning well.

The navy was also mobilized in large numbers, with Kuki Yoshitaka as the commander.

The Tsuda family also sent 20,000 men, led by their heir, Nobuteru, with Horioki Mōsuke, Yamaji Katsutoshi, and Shimazu Kiyohisa in command.

This was also a consideration from Nobunaga for his son-in-law, who had just come of age.

As a samurai, one could not be taken seriously without military achievements.

"I'll show the Tosa people my resolve to Nobunaga!"

Chōsokabe Motochika, who had unified Tosa and extended his influence to Iyo, Awa, and Sanuki, was in an alliance with the Oda family.

However, Nobunaga put a stop to Chōsokabe's unification of Shikoku.

Motochika's wife was from the Saitō family of Mino, and she was related to Nobunaga's wife, Nōhime, and was the sister of Saitō Toshimitsu, a key retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide.

Nobunaga offered to grant Motochika Tosa and Awa in return for his cooperation.

This was a consideration for Mitsuhide, who was a key retainer, and Motochika agreed to the negotiations, but he ultimately rejected the offer.

"Mitsuhide, I leave it to you. You can grant him Tosa alone."

"Understood!"

There was such an exchange between Mitsuhide and Nobunaga, and the Shikoku expeditionary force quickly advanced to Shikoku after securing Awaji Island.

"If he had accepted the terms, he would have had two provinces..."

"Indeed. But, some people might not understand or accept it until they are defeated."

On the ship heading to Shikoku, Mitsuhide was venting his frustrations to the young Nobuteru.

"It's pitiful that people have to die to reach that understanding."

"Many of them are dreaming of the benefits that would come from Chōsokabe's unification of Shikoku. Even with two provinces, there would be those who are dissatisfied."

"You have a good understanding for someone so young."

"Perhaps I'm just as twisted as my father."

Mitsuhide and Mitsuhide were close because Nobuteru's younger brother, Jirō, had come of age as Nobushige, and Mitsuhide had served as his hatamoto. Mitsuhide's fourth daughter was also to marry him.

Because of this connection, Mitsuhide had come to greet Nobuteru and discuss plans.

"I expect the resistance in Shikoku to be fierce."

Motochika, who had successfully defeated the weakened Sannomiya Nagahide and Shinohara Nagafusa, now led the former Sannomiya vassals.

They had seen the Sannomiya clan fall one by one in battles against the Oda family and feared the same fate, so they followed Motochika.

Sannomiya vassals such as Tōka Masahide, Kaikawa Yoshishige, and Kōno Chikasada joined the Chōsokabe army, bringing the total to nearly 40,000 men, according to Mitsuhide's intelligence.

"The resistance will be fierce, but they are not unbeatable."

Mitsuhide, known as a capable person within the Oda family, was confident of victory.

"I will ask the Tsuda family to control Tosa with a separate force."

Mitsuhide's Shikoku control army landed in Sanuki and quickly defeated the Sannomiya and Chōsokabe vassals, capturing their strongholds.

Motochika, leading a large army of 40,000 men, resisted, but the moment he was dragged out of Tosa, his defeat was certain.

"I feel like a burglar, but I apologize."

"Lord, in war, winning is what matters."

"That's true, but..."

"Lord, you should be happy that you have an easier task."

"I don't think that's right..."

The 20,000-strong separate force, led by Nobuteru and aboard the Tsuda navy's fleet, landed in Tosa, which had little defensive force.

They captured the main stronghold, Uwajima Castle, and took Motochika's family as hostages.

The Chōsokabe navy was also present, but it was easily scattered by the large Tsuda navy fleet and its cannons.

The news of the rapid capture of Tosa spread quickly to Motochika, and it soon reached his vassals, causing the Chōsokabe army to collapse in the midst of the battle.

After suffering many casualties, Motochika surrendered to Mitsuhide and was finally granted Tosa alone.

At the same time, Shikoku was divided, with Iyo going to Oda Nobuharu, Awa to Ikeda Tsuneoki and Hachisuka Masakatsu, and Sanuki to Mitsuhide.

Awaji became a direct domain of the Oda family, with Sugaya Nagatoki as the steward.

On the other front in the Chūgoku region, the two armies