Chapter 86

Lake Fujihira, formed by the confluence of the Uragawa and Komakawa rivers, has always been a contested area due to the fertile land along its shores and its ease of irrigation. Before the rise of the Rō family, the eastern shore of Lake Fujihira was divided from south to north by the Wada, Taku, and Nagakura families; the western shore was divided by the Fujiwara and Kogi families.

Today, the sun was shining brightly, and the recent drizzle had brought nourishment to the surrounding flowers and plants, which were now competing for beauty in the clear weather. Masahiro, under the strict protection of 40 men in cloaks and 20 samurai, arrived at a flat area in the Taku family's territory on the eastern shore of Lake Fujihira. The 20 samurai were rōnin from the newly conquered territory who, after the fall of their respective lords, had requested to join Masahiro's army. Since their abilities and loyalty had not yet been tested, they were temporarily treated as regular foot soldiers. Even so, these samurai were already grateful to Masahiro.

The one who came to greet Masahiro was Daishi Chihito, whom he had met a few days ago. "Ha ha ha, Lord Masahiro, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Hehe, I encountered a small problem on the way, which delayed me. Please forgive me, Lord Daishi and all the other lords," Masahiro said with a slight smile. After all, it was risky to enter another powerful family's territory, so he had been cautious throughout the journey.

"Oh? Was the problem resolved? Do you need any help from our family? This time, the young lord has brought dozens of elite samurai," Daishi Chihito asked with immediate concern upon hearing about Masahiro's trouble.

"Just a few Nameko bandits, they've been dealt with," Masahiro replied.

"That's good. This time, we are here to discuss how to deal with the Nameko, who are the lackeys of the Saji family. Please, Lord Masahiro, the other lords have been waiting for a long time," Daishi Chihito said immediately.

"Alright, Lord Daishi, please lead the way," Masahiro bowed slightly to Daishi Chihito and then walked towards the temporary military tent set up in the center of the flat area. The troops behind him stopped and encamped about fifty meters away from the tent. According to the agreement, the tent was guarded by neutral samurai from the Hukko family, and the troops brought by each family could only stand guard outside the tent at a distance of several dozen meters. Masahiro quickly scanned the troops of each family and was surprised to find that more than 200 troops had gathered on this small flat area.

Entering the tent, Masahiro found three people kneeling at three wooden tables. The southern side was empty, clearly reserved for him. On the eastern side was a young man in his twenties, who was likely the young lord of the Hukko family, Hukko Masahiro. It was said that this man had a pedophilic tendency, especially towards young girls, and Taku Sakura was a good example. Masahiro inwardly cursed him as a pervert. On the northern side was a middle-aged man with a missing left hand, who was likely the one-armed Taku, Taku Hikoyoshi. On the western side was an old man with white hair, who looked to be nearly 60 years old, the head of the Nagakura family, Nagakura Hikoyasu. Despite his age, he was still full of vigor, which amazed Masahiro. As he entered the tent, Masahiro clearly felt three different gazes from the others, indicating that they were also scrutinizing him.

"Apologies, lords, I was delayed due to an attack by the Nameko bandits. Please forgive me," Masahiro bowed slightly and said first.

"Hehehe, no problem, no problem," Hukko Masahiro, the host of the meeting, responded first. "I believe this is the first time the lords have met Lord Masahiro, and I didn't expect him to be so young." Following Hukko Masahiro's lead, the other two also showed friendliness. Even Taku Hikoyoshi, who had suffered a loss, smiled and acted as if he and Masahiro were old friends.

After a brief period of getting acquainted, everyone knelt down. Hukko Masahiro straightened his posture and said solemnly, "Lords, the Saji family has ambitions to dominate the eastern part of Matsura. As the guardian of eastern Matsura, the Hukko family will not stand idly by." Any powerful family preparing to attack another would find a grand and righteous reason. "At the same time, the Saji family has also threatened the interests of each of you. I ask that you all work together to punish the Saji family." After speaking, Hukko Masahiro subtly signaled to Daishi Chihito, who immediately stood up and walked out of the tent.

Soon, under Daishi Chihito's lead, four samurai without weapons approached the group, each holding a wooden box. "Lords," Hukko Masahiro said, "this is Seto ware, a gift from the Hukko family. I hope you will accept it." As Hukko Masahiro introduced the gift, the four samurai opened the boxes, revealing white porcelain bowls inside. Masahiro carefully examined the porcelain bowl in the box, which was the best he had seen since arriving here. Compared to the few porcelain bowls in the Rō family's manor, these could be considered fine pieces. Of course, if judged by modern standards, such porcelain bowls would not even meet the criteria for sale.

However, the other two were quite fond of the gift. Porcelain was a valuable item at the time, and a single piece could sell for over 30 kan. To deceive the others, Masahiro also pretended to be pleasantly surprised. Hukko Masahiro, who had been secretly observing everyone's reactions, smiled inwardly. With sufficient benefits, he was confident that these powerful families would join the Hukko family's cause. "Saji family, you will pay for this. This time, our family will reclaim what we have lost, with interest."

"Hehe, lords, in addition to this, 200 koku of rice to aid each family is already on its way," Hukko Masahiro continued, seeing that the effect was about right. "After the mission is accomplished, the Hukko family will provide each family with an additional 200 koku of rice and 10 fine swords."

"Sigh," even Masahiro was moved this time. The Hukko family was indeed a wealthy family. Just the 10 fine swords, for example, were not something to be taken lightly. While the Rō family had recently captured over a hundred swords in battle, these were the result of generations of effort by powerful families. The Hukko family was now casually giving away what some smaller powerful families had spent half a lifetime accumulating. Moreover, the total value of the other supplies exceeded 100 kan. No wonder the Tawara family received so much rice in exchange for copper mines with the Hukko family. Thinking about this, Masahiro even considered restarting trade with the Hukko family for copper mines.

"Lord, what do you expect us to do?" the experienced Nagakura Hikoyasu asked.

"Hehe, Lord Hikoyasu, you are indeed straightforward. Our family expects each of you to mobilize at least 100 troops, form a joint army, and first attack the Nameko, the lackeys of the Saji family. Then, form a threat to the Saji family's flank, while our family will lead a joint army of over a dozen powerful families to attack the Saji family head-on," Hukko Masahiro explained the entire strategy. He was not worried about the strategy being leaked, as the Hukko family had prepared a more ruthless plan.

"Sigh," Masahiro took a deep breath again. A joint army of over a dozen powerful families would be on a scale of over a thousand people, which could be considered a major campaign, not just a small skirmish of a few hundred people. Masahiro was once again impressed by the other party's grand plans and influence. When would the Rō family be able to command such power?

"The Taku family will follow the orders of the Hukko family," Taku Hikoyoshi, who had clearly received instructions from the Hukko family beforehand, spoke first. Seeing his smug expression, it was likely that he had received many benefits and promises from the Hukko family. Hearing Taku Hikoyoshi's statement, Nagakura Hikoyasu's eyebrows twitched, clearly realizing the implications.

"The Rō family is also willing to contribute a small effort," Masahiro spoke up before Nagakura Hikoyasu could hesitate. Since he would eventually join the other side, it was better to be straightforward and leave a good impression.

"The Nagakura family is also willing to serve," seeing Masahiro's agreement, Nagakura Hikoyasu made his decision.

"Ha ha ha, good!" Hukko Masahiro laughed heartily, "Then I entrust this to you all. The Hukko family will definitely keep its promise."

"We are willing to serve the lord," everyone bowed and said.

Finally, Hukko Masahiro, with a satisfied smile, left with the protection of over 30 samurai. Watching the other party's retreating figure