The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 81

However, the following year, he misappropriated all the principal!

The powerful temples and shrines within the territory were in an uproar, angrily denouncing the Takeda family for breaking their promises.

In short, after such absurd farce, it was quite reasonable for Takeda Nobutoyo to be exiled.

How did Matsunaga Nagayori and Kubo Yoshiaki know about these things?

Very simple.

Because Takeda Nobutoyo himself came to Tanba.

Of course, he didn't come with an army. He no longer has an army, only a few dozen servants and guards.

He has come to request assistance, hoping that Matsunaga Nagayori will help him punish his unfilial son and disloyal retainers and restore his position as the governor of Wakasa.

The whole story, from beginning to end, was told by Takeda Nobutoyo himself.

Of course, a different story was used.

He believed that plotting to seize Aki Province was a sign of lofty ambition, while his relatives and retainers were short-sighted. As for embezzling the temples' and shrines' funds, he argued that it was a well-thought-out act to strengthen the temples' authority and suppress the monks' arrogance.

It's almost as if he's saying, "The more people oppose me, the more it proves I'm right."

Incidentally, Takeda Nobutoyo also killed Utsu Naganari, who had previously fled to Wakasa, and brought his head as a token of sincerity.

The changes in the situation were truly dramatic and unpredictable, leaving one bewildered and overwhelmed.

Matsunaga Nagayori felt that the situation was serious and hesitated for a moment. He then wrote a long letter explaining the cause and effect and quickly sent it to Hosokawa Ujitsuna and Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

A few days later, Matsunaga Hisahide arrived from Settsu and conveyed a clear viewpoint: "I never expected that Wakasa-no-Kami would be such an incredibly foolish idiot. But that's precisely why we should try our best to help him get back on his feet."

The meaning is quite obvious.

This guy is an idiot, so we can easily sideline him and seize real power by using his name.

151 Seize the power of knowledge and action

After listening to the arrangements, Matsunaga Nagayori pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

They also asked, "How many reinforcements will we be able to get for this operation?"

Unexpectedly, Matsunaga Hisahide said regretfully, "Izumi, Kawachi, and Kii are in a tense standoff, and the Miyoshi clan probably can't spare many troops. We can only ask the Tanba samurai to fight independently."

"What?!" Matsunaga Nagayori was greatly shocked, but quickly recovered and sighed, "Alright, in that case, I have a request for you to convey to my elder brother."

"Please speak freely." Matsunaga Hisahide smiled kindly. "I will do my best to help make it happen."

"Thank you, elder brother." Matsunaga Nagayori cleared his throat and said righteously, "To restore Takeda Harubu to his rightful place means sending troops to Wakasa and even Tango. My own troops alone cannot do this; we need to mobilize the samurai of the entire Tanba region. However, the people of the country will not obey easily; we must lure them with benefits. Therefore, I request that Hosokawa Ukyo and Miyoshi Chikuzen grant me the authority to take control of Wakasa and Tango."

"Jibu" was an official position held by Takeda Nobutoyo, the governor of Wakasa. Takeda Jibu was none other than Takeda Nobutoyo.

Upon hearing this, Matsunaga Hisahide was slightly taken aback, then turned away, lowered his head, and gave an awkward laugh, seemingly trying to hide his surprise.

Matsunaga Nagayoshi remained calm and composed, reiterating with certainty: "If we have to wait for a reply from afar every time we receive a reward, the Lang faction will be worried and unable to fight to their full potential. Only by seizing the reward at any time can we act flexibly."

Matsunaga Hisahide slowly turned around, his expression very complicated.

He looked at his younger brother with astonishment, as if he didn't recognize him. After a long silence, he nodded and said, "I will definitely find a way to resolve this matter."

Matsunaga Nagayori was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying, "I entrust everything to my elder brother!"

Besides the Matsunaga brothers, there were several other people present at the time.

First were the several hereditary retainers of the Naito family, who were responsible for protecting the family. After several years of selection and promotion, Fukui Shima-no-kami, Kobayashi Hyuga-no-kami, and Sasabe Hakuki-no-kami, among others, stood out and were given important positions. They were overjoyed to hear that Matsunaga Nagayori was actively advocating for the interests of the Tanba people.

Then came Matsunaga Magoroku, the magistrate of Taki District. The boy stared blankly at his uncle and maternal uncle, seemingly not quite understanding the situation.

Finally, there's Yoshiaki Kubo. He believes it's possible the Matsunaga brothers are just putting on a show for everyone, so he's completely unfazed and even feels a little amused.

Then, they remained inactive, waiting for a response from the rear.

Ten days passed in a flash.

Then Matsunaga Hisahide personally arrived in Tanba again, bringing the latest instructions: Hosokawa Ujitsuna and Miyoshi Nagayoshi agreed to let Matsunaga Nagayori make on-the-spot decisions and act expediently in Wakasa and Tango!

This is amazing.

After the news spread, the entire Tanba, except for the Akai family who had temporarily ceased hostilities and the Hatano family who were stubbornly resisting, was in an uproar.

In addition to the northern part of Amada County and the entire Helu County, there were a large number of small forces, including Yaku, Kirimura, Shiomi, Yokoyama, Shiga, Otsuki, and others, ranging from five or six hundred to one or two hundred, totaling more than three thousand people.

There was also Kawakatsu Tsuguji of Kuwata County, who, upon hearing that he might receive a new land reward, forgot all about mourning his recently deceased father and rallied his troops to prepare for war.

Shinzaburo checked the Kubo family roster and summoned forty samurai, one hundred and fifty foot soldiers, three hundred and sixty unarmored peasant soldiers, and three hundred garrison men.

Matsunaga Nagayori left his nephew, Sonroku, to guard Tanba, while he himself led 3,000 troops into battle. After these years of turmoil, his directly controlled territory had increased, and his mobilization capacity had significantly improved.

Shingoro's younger brother, as the magistrate of Noguchi Village, also temporarily became the reserve captain in charge of one or two hundred men. The villagers were given a lot of old weapons salvaged from the battlefield, which seemed very reliable. They were also known as the former subordinates of "Tanba Zhong Kui" and were regarded as top-notch elites by outsiders.

All told, Matsunaga Nagayori had more than 8,000 men under his command.

This was an innumerable and vast army for the samurai of Wakasa and Tango.

……

During this time, Master Meishu went to Kyoto and told Shinzaburo upon his return: "The imperial court attaches great importance to this matter. If we can successfully quell the rebellion in Wakasa and Tango, it will prove that the Miyoshi family not only occupies the Kinai region, but also has the potential to assume the responsibility of 'peace throughout the land'."

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo was puzzled: "If it's so important, why doesn't Lord Miyoshi Chikuzen-no-kami personally lead the army here?"

Master Mingzhou said, "Izumi, Kawachi, and Kii are all in turmoil, and Lord Kubo, who is staying in Kuchiki Valley, is also interested in making peace. How can he possibly have time to spare right now?"

Shinzaburo shook his head and said, "Then we can let the heir lead the troops."

Master Mingzhou laughed and said, "How can we let our heir lead a battle when the outcome is uncertain?"

Shinzaburo sighed for a moment, then said, "That's true. It's just that by a twist of fate, it created an opportunity for Lord Matsunaga Hōunken."

Master Mingzhou immediately added, "This is also an opportunity for the Tanba samurai."

Shinzaburo couldn't help but wonder, "If I could receive land grants from Wakasa and Tango, which would be the best choice?"

Master Mingzhou replied without hesitation, "Of course it's Kohama Bay in Wakasa Province! Apart from that, it's all barren mountains and bad waters, at most with some fishing."

Shinzaburo shook his head: "Kohama Bay is nice, but I dare not hope for it."

Master Mingzhou replied, "It all depends on human effort. A year ago, I never imagined that the Kubo family could acquire more than fifty villages in Kuwata County."

Shinzaburo remained silent.

Master Mingzhou added, "It's really good that Hosokawa Ukyo helped find Sasaki Hangan as an ancestor. He served as the governor of Wakasa back then. I will spread this kinship around and see if it will be of any use."

Shinzaburo chuckled: "If you make me the guardian of Wakasa for this reason, then regardless of whether he is the real ancestor or not, I will definitely worship him as the real ancestor!"

……

Ultimately, Matsunaga Nagayori, under the pretext of helping Wakasa protect Takeda Nobutoyo's restoration, amassed his army and advanced northward towards Wakasa and Tango.

Autumn is approaching, and given the current mobilization level, troops will have to withdraw to prepare for the busy farming season in at most two months. Sending troops may not yield significant results; it's likely just a show of force.

In addition to declaring war on Takeda Yoshitomo, Wakasa's "unfilial son," Matsunaga Nagayori also sent letters to powerful locals in Tango, indicating that he would come to "coordinate."

Previously, when the young Kunio, the head of the Isshiki family in Tango, was in a state of turmoil, Wakasa's guardian, Takeda Nobutoyo, seized the opportunity to enter the Isshiki family's Kasa district and kill Isshiki Yoshiyuki, who was serving as regent. Therefore, Wakasa and Tango must be treated as a single entity.

The combined land and population of those two countries are far less than that of Tanbo, so it's not necessarily impossible to deal with them simultaneously.

The samurai of the Tango Isshiki family were probably quite bewildered. They only wanted to drive away the regent who had angered the public, but they ended up attracting Wakasa's wolf first, and then Tanba's tiger.

With the young lord of the Isshiki family still an infant and unable to govern, and the regent Isshiki Yoshiyuki, who had previously angered the people, having been killed by Takeda Nobutoyo, the family was leaderless. Thus, with Yoshiyuki's son, Isshiki Yoshimichi, in the face of a formidable enemy, surprisingly gained the approval of some local lords and cobbled together a loosely organized force.

However, the Ishigawa clan, whose territory was close to Tanba, believed that Tango had no future and chose to open the gates to welcome Matsunaga Nagayori into the castle. At the same time, they also persuaded their neighbor, the Kawamori clan, to change their allegiance.

In view of this, Matsunaga Nagayori decided to attack the disorganized Tango first, rather than the relatively united Wakasa.

Then the problem is coming.

The pretext for sending troops is to help Wakasa protect Takeda Nobutoyo's rightful place. Is it appropriate for you to attack Tango instead of Wakasa?

Don't worry, there's an explanation.

After all, the Wakasa Takeda clan had previously seized some castles and fortresses in Kasa County, eastern Tango, through deception. Although Takeda Yoshitomo had rebelled and driven away his own father, there was no reason for him to return what he had already obtained.

Therefore, attacking Tango is tantamount to attacking the Wakasa Takeda clan.

No problem.

Hearing that Takeda Yoshitomo of Wakasa was also launching a conscription campaign within his domain, Matsunaga Nagayori dispatched a special task force to enter Wakasa to contain the main force and ensure the safety of the army's flank and rear.

This special operations team was led by Yoshiaki Kubo and co-led by Tsuyoshi Kawakatsu.

152 The distinction between loyalty and treachery

Shinzaburo wasn't too happy to receive this assignment.

Although Wakasa Province is small, it is still a country, and its maximum mobilization capacity is over six thousand. Considering that Takeda Yoshitomo has just rebelled and driven out his father, his power may not be very stable. Let's discount that, but it should still be around four thousand.

His own troops, plus the army of Kawakatsu, numbered less than two thousand.

To play a role in monitoring the enemy means that we must prevent the enemy from attacking Matsunaga Nagayori's rear in Tango, and we must also prevent the enemy army from burning, killing, and looting in Tanba.

If the narrow passage leads to Tango, it runs east-west; if it leads to Tanba, it runs north-south. The two routes are 30 kilometers apart.

Since they are not in the same direction at all, it is obviously impossible to block them all. To achieve a restraining effect, we must either confront the enemy head-on or attack what they must defend.

Completing the strategic mission is not difficult, but no matter which option is chosen, danger is inevitable, and a slight oversight can result in heavy losses.

Moreover, those assigned to contain the enemy might not get any loot.

Matsunaga Nagayori was fully aware of everything. After issuing the order, he personally approached Kubo Yoshiaki and Kawakatsu Tsuguji, bowed respectfully, and said solemnly, "The key to victory or defeat in this battle rests on your shoulders. If you can contain the Wakasa Takeda's forces, we will reward you handsomely!"

Kawakatsu Tsuguji seemed to be quite simple-minded, and was immediately moved by this courteous attitude. He bowed in return and said, "I will do my utmost to fulfill your trust and complete the mission together with Lord Kubo Genban!"

Having no other choice, Shinzaburo could only declare, "I will certainly do my duty to the best of my ability."

Kawakatsu Tsuguji had just inherited the family business. He had several younger brothers and sisters, one of whom, named Ojima, married Kubo Shingoro. This guy was decent in his dealings with people, and seemed at least average in military and political matters, except that he was a bit too honest and lacked sufficient vigilance.

The previous generation's Kawakatsu Hirotsugu possessed a certain degree of political acumen. Through his flexible approach, he maintained peace, expanded trade routes, established new cities, and created the largest territory in the family's history.

Although this so-called largest size isn't actually that big.

Despite his inner grumbling, Shinzaburo acted swiftly, arriving at the border of Tanba, Tango, and Wakasa provinces upon receiving orders, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

Unexpectedly, before the scouts sent out to investigate the enemy's situation returned, they received some wonderful news.

That is, Itsumi Masatsune, a senior retainer of Wakasa Takeda and known as the governor of Suruga, the lord of Sodoyama Castle in Oi District, did not respond to Takeda Yoshitomo's call to action. Instead, he suddenly changed his tune, saying that Takeda Yoshitomo's betrayal of his father was unforgivable and that he would follow Matsunaga Nagayori to help Takeda Nobutomo regain his throne.

This guy didn't stand up to support his former master during the previous coup, but only started his uprising after the Miyoshi faction got involved. He really timed it very carefully.

Takeda Yoshitomo could not tolerate such behavior, so he didn't have time to attack Matsunaga Nagayori from both sides or harass Tanba. Instead, he directly gathered his troops and marched towards Soidoyama Castle, surrounding Itsumi Masatsune.

Itsuki Masatsune's forces numbered around five or six hundred, while Takeda Yoshitomo had three or four thousand. However, the location of Soidoyama Castle, nestled against the mountains and beside the river, was quite treacherous and not so easy to capture.

Shinzaburo cautiously sent men to observe for two days. Seeing that Takeda Yoshitomo had launched several attacks and suffered considerable casualties, he concluded that it was definitely not a ruse. He then led his troops north, before turning right and eastward to approach Soidoyama Castle in an attempt to relieve the siege.

Takeda Yoshitomo diverted some of his forces to block the attack, while his main force continued to besiege the city.

During this time, Shinzaburo did his best to investigate the situation in Wakasa Province. From the flags and horse markings, he learned that the person blocking his way was a military general called Naito Echizen-no-kami, a collateral branch of the Takeda family.

Both sides deployed their forces along the Aoba River, which is more than ten meters wide.

After another day of careful observation and probing attacks, Shinzaburo judged that the opposing blocking force numbered only about a thousand and was of average quality, and was not worth fearing.

What needs to be considered is the river in front of us.

The small river, which is only a dozen meters wide, is not difficult to cross, and it is easy to find a bridge.

The problem is that, like Tanba Province, most of Wakasa Province is covered by deep mountains and forests, with only a small, narrow stretch of flat beach along the coast suitable for troop deployment, making it difficult to carry out flanking maneuvers. Moreover, the enemy deliberately chose a narrow pass for their defense, with the ocean to the north and high mountains to the south, the width of which is no more than two kilometers.

With over a thousand men guarding a two-kilometer stretch, it's clearly more than enough. No matter where Shinzaburo chooses to cross the river, the enemy can quickly launch an interception.

That would inevitably turn into a direct, head-on attack.

If you try to cross a river head-on, even a small river of just over ten meters can become a huge problem.

Unarmored rabble would be no match; the only option would be to concentrate fully armed samurai and foot soldiers for a surprise attack. While they might be able to force their way through with brute force, this would inevitably result in heavy losses of elite troops, making it a poor strategy.

But at this point, it seems there is no other way.

……

Seeing that the troops remained stationary, Kawakatsu Tsuguji, the vice-general, was getting anxious. He said to Shinzaburo, "In the entire Wakasa region, there is only Itsumi Suruga-no-kami (Masatsuboe), a loyal retainer who is devoted to his former lord. Now that he is trapped in the castle, even if we launch a frontal assault across the river, we will inevitably suffer losses. We must help him get out of the siege!"

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo shook his head and laughed, "A loyal subject who is loyal to his former master?"

"Doesn't that count?" Kawakatsu Tsuguji answered without much thought, "The lord Takeda Yoshitomo on the other side launched a rebellion, disobeyed his own father, and declared himself the lord of Wakasa. A loyal retainer should oppose such behavior, right?"

Shinzaburo sighed, "But what caused this to happen?"