Chapter 31

Eiroku 7 (1564) Early January Kōka Province Ika District Shiozuhama Shiozuhama Castle Kuki Masatsuna

"Happy New Year, congratulations."

"Congratulations."

When the old man offered his New Year's greetings, everyone echoed them.

"Congratulations."

I responded, and the New Year's greetings were over. From now on, it would be the old man, Aya Mama, Uncle, and the lords and tax collectors. Then the uncles. A New Year's gathering for the Kuki clan, where those who have completed their coming-of-age ceremony and their wives are present. Only the old man and the tax collector are without wives.

"Last year was a difficult one, wasn't it?"

"But in the end, it wasn't so bad."

Everyone nodded at the words of the two older uncles. Indeed, it wasn't so bad. Etchū became part of the Kuki domain, and Mame-oba-san gave birth to a princess. The princess, named Eizun, is growing up healthy. Naturally, we sent lavish gifts to celebrate.

"Will this year be different? Will there be a war?"

"Well, who knows. Yagorō, Aya is worried."

The old man grinned and turned to me. I'm eating dried hatahata fish right now. It's quite delicious. ... Aya Mama is looking at me. Her gaze is painful; I have to respond. Smile, smile.

"Mother, the Asakura don't seem to have the spare time to get involved with us. If there is a war, it will probably be on a small scale."

The Asakura Sakyō no Suke Norifusa managed to stop the Ikki forces from Kaga at the border. Technically, it was due to the arrival of winter, but the Ikki forces, though in a favorable position, could not claim victory and retreated. During this time, we built forts at Hattori and Kinen Pass. We managed to finish before the snow fell. However, reports from Jubei and others suggest that forts are needed on both sides of Kinen Pass. We will build them when the snow melts.

Most likely, the Asakura and the Ikki forces will fight again this year. Norifusa did not lose, but he did not win. His position in Echizen is still unstable. The Ikki forces will not overlook this. The longer time passes, the more stable Norifusa's position becomes. The Ikki forces will likely launch an attack as soon as the snow melts.

The Ikki followers are a nuisance. They have started causing trouble not only in Echizen but also in Mikawa. It's a showdown between Matsudaira Ieyasu and the Ikki of Mikawa. Hang in there, Ieyasu. If you lose, the Ikki might connect from Mikawa to Owari and Ise's Nagashima. That would be a joke. I don't like you, but I'll support you. ... Can someone change the topic? I'm starting to get a bad attitude.

"Are you not going to pay respects at Kannonji Castle?"

Of all things, Saya. Why do the women in my family make me feel so gloomy?

"This year, I'll send Shinjiro."

"..."

He must want to go home. I feel like sighing.

"If I go, I'll probably be asked to do all sorts of unreasonable things by the Miyoshi. I want to avoid trouble."

"But is it okay to send Shinjiro? At least one of us should go..."

This was said by the wife of the great uncle, but "Stop it," the great uncle interrupted. The men, except for Shunzei, are in agreement. The women... No, not a single one understands.

The new head of the Rokkaku clan was decided at the end of October last year and entered Kannonji Castle in December. The second son of Hosokawa Harumoto, who had come of age, was named Rokkaku Saemon no Kami Akinari and appointed as the governor of Ōmi. His name, Akinari, is said to be a combination of the "Hikari" from Yoshikage and the "Nari" from Masaharu. The position of Saemon no Kami, which was held by Yoshinori, is probably a continuation of that. In other words, Yoshitake was eliminated. He is said to be given a residence in a corner of Kannonji Castle as a form of retirement, but in reality, it is a close to a house arrest with surveillance.

Well, that's fine; I have no complaints. The problem is that the vassals appointed by Yoshikage are accompanying Akinari. Ōdani Hyūbu Fujiyasu, Ichi Kasai Shōshō, and Kawakatsu Shusui. They are supposed to be advisors to the young Akinari, but in reality, they are there to keep the Rokkaku clan under the control of the shogunate. Naturally, the senior vassals of the Rokkaku clan, including the father-in-law of Higashimura, are quite dissatisfied with this.

The Rokkaku clan does not have the power to deal with the Miyoshi. The people of the Rokkaku clan understand this best. A riot demanding a debt relief order occurred in the Rokkaku domain in November last year. The domain was more exhausted than expected due to the attack on Mino. Yoshikage planted a bomb in the Rokkaku clan. There's no way I can go there to pay respects. Even the uncles don't want to go.

"This year seems to have seen many changes in leadership."

"Because the big ones changed. Rokkaku, Takeda."

"Indeed, that's true. ... The new head of the Takeda, Shingen, is sixteen, no, seventeen years old. Whether he can stop the momentum of the Uesugi clan..."

Everyone nodded at the uncles' conversation. I'm half grateful for the change of topic, but the other half...

Takeda Shingen died at the end of last year. His successor, the fourth son, Katsuyori, has taken over and changed his name to Nobutora. Good for you, now you're part of the Takeda. Shinano, except for the Suwa district, has mostly become part of the Uesugi's sphere of influence or has broken away from the Takeda, so Shingen's death was one of disappointment. He suffered from fever, cough, phlegm, and chest pain, so it seems the cause of death was pneumonia.

But, Shingen, please don't say things like "If the Kuki had not advised the Uesugi" or "I was done in by the Kuki's young master" before you die. I think it's probably delirium from the fever, but it's a nuisance. There are rumors that Shingen died of frustration due to the Kuki. It's said that your son, Katsuyori, or Nobutora, is shouting that he will take revenge on the Kuki someday. I'm not going there, and you shouldn't come here. The hatahata is delicious. The clam soup is also good.

"The defeat at Kawanakajima changed everything. War is scary."

"As the retired lord says, Shunzei, remember this well. It is absolutely forbidden to let your guard down on the battlefield."

"Yes, Father. I will remember it well."

Shunzei is being reprimanded by Shinden. The incident where Goroemon shouted at him has become quite famous in the Kuki clan. Shinden and the other fathers came to apologize to me.

"By the way, I heard that the court has offered you a position again?"

"I declined, Shinden."

"I've been wondering, why don't you accept it?"

"The court offered me the position of Shōgoi no Ge, Right Middle Captain of the Imperial Guard. That would place me above the Rokkaku. I don't want to cause trouble."

Someone let out a sigh.

In the end, it comes down to this. The Kuki are upstarts. Everyone has some kind of unpleasant feeling towards the Kuki. The court has been persistent in offering positions, but so far, they have only offered the rank of Shōgoi no Ge. It would be quite uninteresting for someone like Yoshitake. Accepting it would lead to conflict, which is obvious. I have always declined for this reason. The courtiers do not understand this. ... There are too many gloomy topics. I'm starting to feel that this year will be difficult.

Eiroku 7 (1564) Mid-February Kōka Province Ika District Shiozuhama Shiozuhama Castle Kuki Masatsuna

After the New Year, in early January, an offer of alliance came from Owari's Oda Nobunaga. The messenger was Oda Saburōgorō Nobuhiro, Nobunaga's half-brother, who once rebelled against him. We have an enemy to the north, the Asakura. I said that even if we form an alliance, it won't be very useful, but he said it's fine. It seems they want us to attract some of the Ichi's forces. The Matsudaira of Mikawa are completely useless as allies due to the Ikki. The Kuki are a substitute for them. We decided to form a loose alliance with the Oda, cooperating within our limits. He was pleased when I mentioned building a castle in Imahama. Don't misunderstand, this castle is not for war; it's to make Imahama prosperous. I asked the military strategist to draw up plans. We have castles at Hattori and Kinen Pass, so I thought it might be too much, but Jubei, Hanbei, and Ueno no Suke seemed excited. Maybe building castles is fun. I'm thinking about learning it too.

In March, we will send trading ships north from Etchū. These are ships owned by the Kuki family. We want to go to Tsugaru Peninsula's Jusan-nada first, not Ezo. We will bring textiles, alcohol, grains, and tea. In return, we will get kelp and other marine products. The results will be seen at the end of this year. I'm looking forward to it.

Trade with Ming China also seems possible. According to the merchant, Chinese ships are coming to Iwami Mihonoseki. It seems that the rapid rise of the Amako was due to the profits from this trade. The annual customs revenue exceeded 5,000 kan, which surprised me. No one taught us this in school. The merchant is heading to Mihonoseki now. If all goes well, we might have a deal by summer. I was daydreaming when Goroemon entered the room.

"Lord."

"What is it, Goroemon?"

"Just now, three men came to the Kuki family, saying they want to serve us."

"Hmm, do you know them?"

"No, I have no acquaintance with them."

Goroemon shook his head. So they're not from Ōmi. Still, three? ... Could they be vassals of the Takeda of Wakasa? Maybe their family was destroyed by the Naitō invasion, or they fled out of frustration.

"Where are they from?"

"That's a bit strange."

"Strange?"

"Yes."

I looked at Goroemon's face again. Indeed, he looked puzzled. Not Takeda? Are they from a dangerous background? Could they be from the Miyoshi?

"They were originally vassals of the Takeda."

"I see."

So, they are from the Takeda after all.

"They lost their land and have no prospects, so they left the Takeda."

"Left the Takeda?"

If that's the case, they must have left before the Naitō invasion of Wakasa, quite a while ago.

"They are named Sanada Danjō Tadayuki, Shimokata Shichirō Masahiro, and Ashida Shirozaemon Nobutaka."

I couldn't help but look at Goroemon's face. Takeda? What kind of joke is this?

"Lord?"

"Ah, yes."

"Those men have brought over two hundred vassals, including women and children."

"Two hundred?"

It seems they are serious. They must have brought their entire family.

"Will you meet them?"

"... I suppose I have to."

"Then, perhaps tomorrow?"

"... No, I'll meet them now. Bring the three here."

"Shall I prepare?"

"No need, bring them here as they are."

Goroemon was surprised, but when I said "Hurry up," he hurried out of the room.

Sanada, Shimokata, Ashida. They said they lost their land. So, did they not defect to the Uesugi? Or were they unable to defect? For the Shinano kokujin who lost their land, Sanada, Shimokata, and Ashida, who were tools of the Takeda, were not forgivable.

They might have had no place in the Takeda clan either. With Shingen's death, they might have given up on the Takeda... Katsuyori, or Nobutora, is not highly regarded. Or did they have a conflict over the succession? Given his young age, it's quite possible. The opposition might be his uncle, Shōshōkaku Takeda Nobutsuna.

It's a good move to take them in. I don't know much about Shimokata, but Sanada and Ashida are fine. Sanada is a good omen, and Ashida is a moderate one. Taking them in will become a reputation. There's a possibility that people from Shinano and Kai will come to the Kuki to serve. The Kuki are short of talent. I'll hire them with pleasure. But first, I'll be kind. The Kuki are reliable; I want them to think that. Don't jump at the opportunity right away.

Eiroku 7 (1564) Mid-February Kōka Province Ika District Shiozuhama Shiozuhama Castle Sanada Tadayuki

"I am Sanada Danjō Tadayuki, and I have taken the name Ittōsai after shaving my head."

"I am Shimokata Shichirō Masahiro."

"I am Ashida Shirozaemon Nobutaka."

"Ah, I am Kuki Yagorō Masatsuna. I appreciate you coming to the Kuki."

In front of me stood a young samurai. This is Kuki Yagorō? He is not particularly tall. His features are not particularly distinctive. He is an ordinary man.

The sound of gunfire could be heard. The sound