Chapter 4

The next day, Noyama Masahiro, following the order of Date Masahiro (who would later change his name), placed the pickled head in a box and finally arrived at Matsuyama Castle, dusty and weary. In fact, the journey from Meikawain to Matsuyama Castle could be completed by even the slowest of samurai in half a day, so the description of being "dusty and weary" was merely for the sake of smooth narrative. Matsuyama Castle, to a certain extent, symbolized Bitchu Province, and it was no exaggeration to say that the wars and history of Bitchu Province were closely tied to Matsuyama Castle.

Matsuyama Castle was built hundreds of years ago by Aki Masahiro, the ancestor of Aki Sadahiro. One could say that the beheading of Aki Sadahiro and his son foreshadowed the fall of the illustrious Konbu Heike clan, the Aki family.

Matsuyama Castle was built on the summit of Ushiyama, hence it was also known as Ushiyama Castle.

Ushiyama, covered with lush natural forests, consists of four peaks from north to south: Daishozan, Tenshin-no-maru, Koshozan, and Maeyama. The ruins of the castle can be found on all the summits, with Tenshin-no-maru, the highest peak, reaching an elevation of 480 meters.

Matsuyama Castle guarded the strategic point between Hoki and Bitchu, and has always been a place of contention for military strategists.

The current guardian of Bitchu, Shō Shigetaka, resided in the main keep on Tenshin-no-maru. As a vassal of a minor daimyo, Noyama Masahiro had no right to meet this powerful figure who controlled half of Bitchu Province. Even meeting the young lord, Shō Takahiro, was quite difficult. However, there are always ways to get around such obstacles. Early in the morning, Noyama Masahiro went to see his longtime friend, Inoue Takashige, who, though not a key vassal of Shō Shigetaka, was a close confidant of the young lord, Shō Takahiro.

Upon hearing the detailed account from his trusted vassal, Shō Takahiro learned about the incident at Kagerō Castle. As the future head of the Shō family, he was well aware of the events at Kagerō Castle, but since it had always been under the control of Nii Minori, there was no opportunity to intervene. He cursed Nii Minori's treachery but was secretly delighted, as he now had a pretext to interfere.

Although the Niki clan of Unshū allowed Shō Shigetaka to rule half of Bitchu Province, they secretly supported Nii Minori's control over Tadotsu and Awa counties, which had long been a source of dissatisfaction. Now, with the Idate family's offer of allegiance, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and there was no reason not to be pleased. He immediately led Noyama Masahiro to Tenshin-no-maru and informed Shō Shigetaka of the details.

Shō Shigetaka also smiled upon hearing the report. Without the Idate family's offer, he would have had no pretext to intervene. Now, with their offer, he had a legitimate reason, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.

He opened the wooden door and knelt at the entrance. Shō Takahiro entered the room and bowed, saying, "Father, if I hadn't seen and heard it with my own eyes and ears, I would never have believed that it was truly Aki Sadahiro's head. For a small castle like Kagerō, Nii Minori actually disregarded years of friendly relations and sent assassins to kill his friend's son. However, this has given us an advantage. Now, the Idate family is at its weakest, and it's the perfect time to send troops to annex them."

Shō Shigetaka gently shook his head and said, "It's not yet time to completely turn against Nii Minori. The Mura family of Kawakami, supported by the Mōri clan, has grown in strength and is eyeing us with suspicion. If they secretly ally with Nii Minori, the Shō family will be directly surrounded by the Mura, Nii, and Ishikawa clans, putting us in a dangerous position."

Shō Takahiro's face tightened at the mention of the Mura family. He knew his father's concerns were valid. The Shō family still maintained a superficial alliance with Nii Minori, and once that facade was broken, they would face the combined forces of the Mura, Nii, and Ishikawa clans. The Ishikawa and Mura families were related by marriage and had always been close.

He bowed again and said, "Father, I was not thorough in my consideration. Please forgive me. If we cannot directly annex the Idate family, we should consider a marriage alliance. I've heard that Idate Masahiro is about 17 or 18 years old, and Princess Sō is almost 16 and ready to be married. I think Idate Masahiro would be a good match."

"Tarō, you've finally grown up," Shō Shigetaka said, pleased with his son's suggestion. He smiled and continued, "The Idate family is extremely weak, and Nii Minori is eager to annex them. If we form a marriage alliance, it will essentially make them our vassals. If Princess Sō bears a child, they will rely on us even more, becoming our ally. We can then use Kagerō Castle's strategic position to contain Nii Minori and focus on dealing with the increasingly aggressive Mura family."

"Yes, Father, I understand," Shō Takahiro said, raising his eyebrows. He immediately thought of the internal and external threats facing the Shō family. Despite their apparent power, the main family, the Niki clan, was in decline, and the Mura family, supported by the Mōri clan, was pressing them with the help of the Ishikawa clan. They needed to suppress the superficially allied Nii Minori to free up resources to deal with the Mura family's greed for the Sarukake Castle.

"Let the Mura family's envoy enter," Shō Shigetaka said, and they allowed Noyama Masahiro to come in.

Noyama Masahiro did not hesitate. He bowed deeply and respectfully presented the letter of surrender: "I, Noyama Masahiro, a vassal of the Idate family, pay my respects to the guardian of Bitchu... " As he spoke, he began to recount the Idate family's tragic story, wailing in a voice that was even more unpleasant than a pig's squeal, echoing through Tenshin-no-maru.

Shō Shigetaka and Shō Takahiro exchanged glances, never expecting that Noyama Masahiro, known as a notable figure in Tadotsu, would behave in such a manner. They felt a sense of disdain, thinking that if this was the quality of his vassals, his lord must not be much of a challenge. Controlling Idate Masahiro would make Kagerō Castle easy to take, but they were slightly concerned about whether he could withstand Nii Minori's invasion. However, seeing Aki Sadahiro's head somewhat reassured them.

Seeing that Noyama Masahiro had finally paused his crying, Shō Shigetaka immediately turned to the main topic: "Well, in principle, we agree to the Idate family's subordination to us. Now, let's discuss the specifics. Based on your current situation, we have carefully considered and can agree, but Idate Fujisaburō must marry our princess and become our son-in-law."

Upon hearing Shō Shigetaka's response, Noyama Masahiro knew that the Idate family was at its weakest and could be destroyed at any moment. Marrying the Shō family's princess as his main wife was not something he could refuse. He immediately bowed and said, "Your subordinate can fully agree to this. The princess will be made the main wife, and any children will be immediately made the heir."

Shō Shigetaka and Shō Takahiro exchanged glances again, further disdaining Noyama Masahiro. Shō Shigetaka smiled lightly and said, "Let Takahiro handle this matter."

As Noyama Masahiro walked out of the dark and oppressive Matsuyama Castle, he looked up at the four interconnected castles amidst the falling cherry blossoms and sneered, muttering, "The Shō family doesn't seem so powerful after all. One day, our Idate family will become the lords of Matsuyama Castle."

Thinking of the current state of the Idate family, Noyama Masahiro sighed with worry and did not speak further, hurrying back to Meikawain with the Shō family's response.

In Kagerō Castle, Nii Minori's expression grew increasingly grave. Since Aki Sadahiro's departure, there had been no news, and his mood worsened. He muttered to himself, "Don't mess things up. Aki should be able to accomplish this, he should be able to."

At that moment, a young samurai stumbled into the main keep, none other than Aki Sadahiro's son-in-law, Yamauchi Shigemasa. As soon as he entered, he knelt and gasped, "My lord, something terrible has happened! My father-in-law, my father-in-law, has been killed."

"What?" Nii Minori jumped up and shouted, "Who killed him? What happened?" He knew that things had gone wrong, and Aki Sadahiro had been killed.

Yamauchi Shigemasa wiped away his tears and said, "Last night, my father-in-law took about twenty to thirty clan samurai out, but no one knew where they were going. This morning, a disheveled samurai returned and reported that my father-in-law and my brother were killed by Idate Fujisaburō. My lord, please avenge my father-in-law."

Just as Yamauchi Shigemasa was about to continue, a samurai rushed in and handed Nii Minori a letter.

Nii Minori quickly read the contents of the letter and almost fainted. The letter revealed that the Idate family had brought Aki Sadahiro's head and offered their allegiance to Matsuyama Castle.

The fire at Kagerō Castle, the sudden death of Idate Nobuhiro, the severe injury of Idate Masahiro, Aki Sadahiro's head, and the Idate family's allegiance to Matsuyama Castle were like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, causing the seemingly calm situation in Bitchu Province to explode.

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**End of Chapter**