Chapter 38

【Kudoki Family】

Kudoki Minbu Shousuke Sadatsuna - Grandfather of Yigorou Masatsuna

Kudoki Kurando Noritsuna - Great-uncle of Yigorou Masatsuna

Kudoki Ayumi - Mother of Yigorou Masatsuna

Kudoki Koyoru - Wife of Yigorou Masatsuna

Hidetsugu Goemon Yukichika - Vassal of the Kudoki family, hereditary retainer, member of the council

Kurono Jushiro Kagehisa - Vassal of the Kudoki family, leader of the Eight Gates

Otsu Hachizaemon Kanetoshi - Vassal of the Kudoki family, former vassal of the Rokkaku family, Otsu Magistrate

Tsukahara Kohishiji - Swordsman of the Shintou-ryu, teaches swordsmanship at the Kudoki residence

Matsubara Heiwa - Disciple of Tsukahara Kohishiji

Kudou Kusaemon - Disciple of Tsukahara Kohishiji

【Rokkaku Family】

Rokkaku Sakyo Daifu Teruyori - Head of the Rokkaku family, adopted son of the Rokkaku family, biological son of Hosokawa Harumoto

Kumai Mimasaka-no-kami Hidemasa - Vassal of the Rokkaku family, Otsu Magistrate

【Miura Family】

Miura Shuri Daifu Masahiro - Former head of the Miura family

Miura Mimasaka-no-kami Masahide - Head of the Miura family, son of Togawa Issai, adopted into the Miura family

Miura Buzen-no-kami Masahisa - Brother of Masahiro, uncle of Masahide

Anzai Settsu-no-kami Fuyuyasu - Brother of Masahiro, uncle of Masahide

Matsunaga Danjou Tadayoshi - Vassal of the Miura family

【Ashikaga Family】

Ashikaga Yoshiaki - 13th Shogun, died in the Eiroku Incident

Ichijo-in Kakukei - Brother of Yoshiaki, historical 15th Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki

Ashikaga Yoshitada - Cousin of Yoshiaki, historical 14th Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitada

【Hatakeyama Family】

Hatakeyama Shuri-no-suke Takahiro - Head of the Hatakeyama family, guardian of Kii and Kawachi

【Hongan-ji】

Kennyo - 11th head of Hongan-ji

【Imperial Court】

Meme Noronori - Aunt of Yigorou Masatsuna

Shunrei Naishinnou - Daughter of Meme Noronori, father is Emperor Ogimachi, married to Ichi-no-miya Naoki of the Konoe family

Eiroku 9 (1566) - Early January, Ika-gun, Shiozuhama, Shiozuhama Castle, Kudoki Masatsuna

A letter came from Aunt Meme. It expressed gratitude for the successful completion of Shunrei Naishinnou's wedding and the various financial and material assistance received from the Kudoki family. It did not mention anything about Echizen, Mount Hiei, or Kita. However, at the end of the letter, it was written, "Please do not overexert yourself." This must be about the burning of Mount Hiei.

Letters were sent to the main families of the court, nobles, and samurai regarding the burning of Mount Hiei, from the north in the Mutsu region to the south in the Shimazu region. These letters criticized Mount Hiei for its corruption, failing to protect the nation while greedily seeking secular profits. It stated that Mount Hiei had lost its original purpose and should be destroyed to make the monks of the country reconsider the true meaning of Buddhism and how they should live.

Of course, the aim was not just to defend this action but also to criticize the Ikko-ikki and Hongan-ji. It was a warning that if they continued their actions, they would be destroyed without complaint. The court did not openly criticize, as the corruption of Mount Hiei was a concern even for the court, and there were criticisms of Hongan-ji for being neither samurai nor monks. Moreover, the Kudoki family was a reliable presence for the court. At most, the court would say, as Aunt Meme did, "Don't overexert yourself."

Prince Eishin, the Tendai chief abbot, apparently complained to the emperor about the Kudoki's injustice, but was instead asked to return to secular life. Last year, I sent a large amount of dried shiitake mushrooms, clear sake, soap, sugar, salt, kelp, seafood, raw silk, silk fabrics, ceramics, and lacquerware. The effect was immediate. When he asked for funds for the palace renovation, I donated 1,000 kan. For the court, the Kudoki were more beneficial than the Buddha.

The reactions from the samurai were mixed. Oda Nobunaga replied that he was impressed and felt refreshed, and wanted to meet. Uesugi Terutora also sent a similar response. They were struggling with the Ikko-ikki. Unexpectedly, a letter also came from Matsunaga Hisahide. The Kudoki and Miura had an unfriendly relationship, but he was struggling against temples and shrines in Nara and felt a sense of kinship with me. He wrote that he wanted to get along better in the future.

Thinking about it, the Kudoki had never directly fought the Miura. It was just that Yoshiaki was making a fuss about the Kudoki fighting the Miura. A letter also came from Matsudaira, filled with anger and resentment towards the Ikko-ikki. He wrote that he would destroy all temples after suppressing the uprising. Good luck, future Ieyasu. You might not be able to conquer the country, but you can become a great daimyo by suppressing the uprising.

Those who did not respond included Takeda, Imagawa, Hojo, Miura, Nishina, Mori, Ouchi, Ryuzoji, and Shimazu. Takeda, Imagawa, and Hojo ignored it. They were anti-Kudoki, anti-Uesugi, and anti-Oda. Takeda, in particular, had vassals who defected to the Kudoki and must be furious. Hojo had shrunk to parts of Izu, Sagami, and southern Musashi, and parts of western Shimousa, with about 400,000 koku. His sons who were adopted into the Oishi and Fujita families were rejected. This must have made him angry, but at least they weren't killed. The other daimyo were just watching the situation.

Rokkaku Teruyori apparently called the Kudoki "Buddhist enemies" and made a fuss. In addition, Otsu defected to the Kudoki. "It's war, we'll make the Buddhist enemies of the Kudoki understand," he apparently shouted, but no one took him seriously. According to my father-in-law's letter, he was advised by people around him to make the Rokkaku family's territory in southern Omi their own, and he shouted, "I'm different from the Kudoki!"

Everyone is so foolish, I can't help but be amazed. Finally, Komai Mimasaka-no-kami also gave up on the Rokkaku and joined the Kudoki. Only I and Otsu Hachizaemon, who mediated, know about this. There are many powerful vassals of the Rokkaku in that area, like Aoki and Shintou, so it would be bad if it became known. For now, I've told him to just provide information about the Rokkaku's internal affairs.

According to Komai Mimasaka-no-kami, the monks of Mount Hiei are gathering at Kan'on-ji Castle. They are now completely enemies. In fact, I wonder if they could be even more foolish. I feel that the more foolish they are, the more people will defect to the Kudoki. Wait, are they actually useful to the Kudoki? Perhaps they are valuable allies?

The importance of the castle in Sakamoto has increased. The military strategist was delighted when I ordered the construction of the castle. Building a castle is apparently a form of self-expression and is enjoyable. We immediately started discussing what kind of castle to build. I'm looking forward to the completion of the castle. The castle in Shiozuhama is almost complete. It will probably be finished by the time we invade Wakasa. The town is bustling, and they have made it possible to sail directly from the castle to Lake Biwa. They have also created a moat using the water from Lake Biwa, so it might be quite solid despite being a flatland castle.

Kuden Kennyo of Hongan-ji reportedly threw things and raged, according to Kagehisa. "The Kudoki boy, does he think he can lecture me?" he apparently shouted. This guy, despite being a monk, apparently dislikes being lectured. He won't become a good monk with that attitude. Throwing things, are you a child? I will eventually correct his rotten nature. I will make him say, "I will not involve myself in the secular world again, I will change my nature," and he will become a good monk.

The situation of the Ikko-ikki in Echizen is dire, or rather, it is a situation that the Kudoki could only wish for. The leaders of this uprising are monks sent from Kaga by Hongan-ji, but they have been squeezing taxes out of Echizen. Why are monks so greedy? Of course, there is a reason, to defeat the Kudoki. However, the taxes on the Kudoki's territory in Echizen are 40% for the public and 60% for the people, which is quite cheap. It's understandable that the farmers in Echizen are dissatisfied.

It seems that there was actual infighting during the battle. This has made the monks from Kaga quite angry with the farmers in Echizen. The farmers in Echizen also have strong resentment towards the Kaga uprising forces and Hongan-ji. They are directing their anger and dissatisfaction at each other. For now, the monks from Kaga are suppressing them with their authority, but it will eventually explode. It will be impossible for them to unite and attack the Kudoki.

This year, I will hold a grand festival in Tsuruga. I need to find something suitable. Fireworks don't exist in this world yet. Do they exist in China? If they do, I will buy them. If the technology to make them exists, I will introduce it. Even if it's not possible this year, I will use fireworks from next year. I want people to be happy seeing beautiful fireworks and feel that peace has come. If they think about joining the Kudoki after seeing them, that would be even better.

The invasion of Echizen will be postponed, and the first priority is the invasion of Wakasa. If we delay any further, we might be overtaken by the Hatano family of Tamba. The invasion will take place from late March to early June. This period is the time between the start of the rice planting season and the actual planting. Neither the Ikko-ikki nor other daimyo can move. With the Tamba region united against the Miura, Wakasa has become a blank territory. Even if I invade, the Miura cannot complain. The Miura probably won't be able to send troops for a while. Although we managed to end the war with the Hatakeyama on a favorable note last year, we didn't win. The truth is that both sides were exhausted and withdrew their troops.

The shogun will be decided soon. The Miura are apparently in contact with Ashikaga Yoshitada of the Hoshina family, but what will happen... In historical fact, the Miura experienced internal division. It is necessary to watch this situation. ...Could it be that Matsunaga Hisahide approached me for this reason? Is there already a sign of internal division? I will have Kagehisa confirm this urgently.

Tsukahara Kohishiji of the Shintou-ryu said he wants to return to his hometown. Thinking about it, he has been teaching Shintou-ryu in the Kudoki family for over ten years. There is only gratitude. Two of his three disciples, Matsubara Heiwa and Kudou Kusaemon, decided to stay in the Kudoki family. Both have married in the Kudoki family and intend to settle here. I built dojos in the towns below Shizuyama Castle and Shiozuhama Castle. I formally employed the two as Kudoki family vassals and entrusted them with the dojos. I made it possible for townspeople and farmers to join. If Shintou-ryu spreads in Omi, it will be a way to repay his kindness.

However, I am curious about what will happen to the Shin-yen-ryu in this world. In historical fact, Uesugi Shingen was a vassal of the Nagano family in Kozuke, and after the Nagano family was destroyed, he worked to spread the Shin-yen-ryu. In this world, the Nagano family in Kozuke is thriving and doesn't seem to be destroyed anytime soon. Does that mean there is no Yagyu-ryu or no swordless technique? I don't understand.

Tsukahara Kohishiji said he wants to take three Kudoki vassals with him to his hometown: Kanda Masahiro, Takekoshi Genta, and Matsunaga Kogenta. They seem to be quite talented. He wants to let them train a bit more and then grant them licenses in front of the great god of Kashima. I said it was fine, but he said he would retire from the Kudoki family, so I told him it wasn't necessary. I gave them a farewell gift as training expenses. It's good to think of it as skill acquisition. They were all crying.

It was a mistake to focus too much on making money and neglect skill acquisition. I ordered my vassals, including the kokujin, to check if there were any paths they wanted to pursue other than being samurai. About fifteen people said they wanted to pursue medicine, painting, Noh, or tea ceremony. They were all fourth or fifth sons who couldn't inherit the family. They probably want to test themselves. I decided to support them financially so they could pursue their desired paths. It would be nice if people thought I was not just focused on making money but also cared about such things.

Recently, Koyoru has been more proactive. She seems to want a child. My father-in-law is apparently urging her to have a child. The relationship between the Kudoki and Rokkaku has become suspicious, and my father-in-law is worried that if there is no child, divorce is a possibility. I told Koyoru that even if she separates from the Rokkaku, she won't leave the Kudoki...

Koyoru was once sent back, so she is understandably anxious. Should I write a letter to my father-in-law? That even if there is no child, there will be no divorce. However, if there is no child and no divorce, my father-in-law might suspect that I am in league with the Kudoki. ...Perhaps I can use this to bring Hira to my side. But if it fails, it will destroy Hira. A child is urgently needed, but it's a matter of luck...

Eiroku 9 (1566) - Mid-February, Omi Province, Takashima District, Yasui River Village, Shizuyama Castle, Kudoki Noritsuna

"Brother, how are you feeling?"

My brother, who was lying down, gave a faint smile when he saw me.

"Not bad. This futon is a monster. It makes you reluctant to get up."

"I was surprised. You've been bedridden for ten days, haven't you?"

Brother glanced at Ayumi and scolded her, "I told you not to say anything."

"That's not possible."

"Did you tell Yigorou?"

Ayumi shook her head, "No."

"There was no need to tell him."

"Brother!"

"Don't worry, Kurando. I'm not going to die yet. I can feel that my time is coming, but it's still a long way off."

Brother laughed and then coughed. I tried to rub his back, but he waved me off.

"Perfect timing, I have something I want to ask you two."

"If you wish, I will listen."

"Is it alright for me to be here, father-in-law?"

"It's fine. It's just something I thought about while sleeping. You can think of it as an old man's idle musings."

"Understood."

"The Kudoki have grown. From a small domain of 8,000 koku in Kudoki Valley, we now have over 400,000 koku, including parts of northern Omi and Echizen. It's been less than ten years since Yigorou's first battle. Looking back, it's a terrifying rate of expansion."

"Indeed."

I nodded, and Ayumi nodded as well.

"Why is that? Do you think Yigorou is a military genius?"

Brother looked at me with a smile. It