Chapter 1

I found myself in a small body, surrounded by people in kimonos and speaking in an old-fashioned manner. No matter how many times I thought about it, the memories gradually aligned, and I realized that I had been reborn as the child of the Mita family, the lords of Oume Katsunuma Castle!

The Mita family, you say! The Mita family! Only hardcore Sengoku enthusiasts would know about them. They don't even appear in "Nobunaga's Ambition"! And my father's name is Mita Danjou Shousuke Masahide. But most people wouldn't know that, right?

The Mita family was a key vassal of the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi clan and the lord of Katsunuma Castle in Musashi Province (present-day Oume City, Tokyo). However, they were swept away by the tides of the times, and after bowing to the Hojo of Odawara, they joined their ranks. But when Nagao Kagekatsu, also known as Uesugi Kenshin, invaded the Kanto region and attacked Odawara, they switched allegiances to Uesugi Kenshin, either due to pressure or some pent-up resentment.

They were like bats, you know. Historically, even Uesugi Kenshin couldn't capture Odawara Castle and had to retreat. Later, due to various factors, they were targeted and destroyed by the lord of Takayama Castle, Hojo Ujiteru.

Oh, how could a small local power with only mountains stand against the mighty Hojo of Odawara! You might say, "Why not side with the Hojo instead of Uesugi Kenshin?" But to the north, the Mito family, under the Mita family's protection, had their castle easily captured by the Uesugi. Moreover, at that time, the Uesugi were led by an incompetent predecessor, not the formidable Kenshin. Compared to that, Kenshin's destructive power is SSS level!

I can't afford to make such a powerful enemy! You might say, "Just bow to the Hojo and apologize when Kenshin returns," but that's impossible. Hojo Ujiteru, the lord of Takayama Castle, was the son-in-law of the Oshika family, who was once the guardian of Musashi Province. His influence overlaps with ours.

Moreover, Hojo Ujiteru was after the forest resources in the upper Tama River. Even if we bowed, it would be impossible! Plus, I'm the fourth son, and from what I hear from the vassals, I'm just an extra, so no one in the upper echelons would listen to me!

If things continue like this, we're headed straight for destruction. To make matters worse, in 1561, we abandoned Katsunuma Castle and moved to the mountain fortress of Shinagaki Castle, but in 1563, we were betrayed by our vassals and the castle fell.

At that time, my family fled, but my father escaped to the Takeda. He had connections with one of the key vassals and tried to serve Shingen, but he was branded as useless and either died of frustration or was killed in a garrison hunt.

My older brothers fled to Ota Sanrakusai at Iwatsuki Castle, but Sanrakusai was expelled and defected to the Hojo, so they were captured and killed. My third brother managed to escape but committed suicide in Izu in 1572.

From what I know, Mita Danjou Shousuke Masahide didn't have a fourth son, so I must be an irregularity. According to the stories I remember, his granddaughter, Fuehime, was hidden after the fall of the castle but was discovered by her enemy, Ujiteru, and became his concubine. She was later killed by Ujiteru's wife, Hiza, the daughter of Oshika Sadahisa.

The child in my sister's womb has a high chance of being that princess. Moreover, this year is 1547. Last year, in 1546, the combined forces of the Uesugi of Oshu, the Uesugi of Kanto, and the Koga Shogun Ashikaga were defeated by the Hojo with only about 10,000 troops. It was a complete rout.

As a result, Oshika Sadahisa quickly submitted to the Hojo, but my father is still indecisive. From what I hear, in the Daiei era (1524), he once joined the Hojo, but after the Hojo's poor performance in the Kawagoe battle, he defected. That difference might have led to the final outcome. Once betrayed, trust is hard to regain. He should just bow down, but his pride is getting in the way.

Moreover, our family claims to be descendants of the famous Heishiro Masakado, and they don't want to bow to the Hojo, who are descendants of Masakado's enemy, Heizei Shigemori.

However, if we do nothing, we will be destroyed in about fifteen years. I need to think of a way to change this. The only option is to actively attack and destroy the Hojo. For that, I need guns and gunpowder, and preferably the oil from Echigo, known as stinky water. Also, the limestone in Okutama can be used to make cement to fortify Shinagaki Castle. But that requires money. The gold mines in Kurokawa, Kai, and Tamba are under Takeda control, and the Komanoza gold mine in Musashi Province hasn't been discovered yet, and it's in the domain of the Saitama clan. There are no gold mines!

But there is coal. The Tokyo Coal Mine was along the Nari River, and it's untouched now. Maybe I can start mining there.

At five years old, I can't do much, so I need to focus on studying.

And so, my Sengoku era began. I don't know if I can change history, but I have to try.

I corrected "Tamagun" to "Tasegun" based on the information that Fuehime was Masahide's granddaughter.