Chapter 11

Koji 2nd year (1556 A.D) 5th Month, Wakasa Province, Nochiseyama Castle, Residence of Takeda Clan.

“It’s good weather today right, young master.”

“You’re right, Denza.”

While bathing under the sun on the mansion’s veranda, I sipped the hot water. Recently, the weather has gotten warmer. It’s truly  In spring one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn ^[1] , wait doesn’t it have a different meaning? Whatever. Thinking about that is also troublesome.

I’ve gotten tired of sipping only hot water. I want some barley tea or green tea but currently, they haven’t spread yet. Tea leaves are a luxurious product so it’s not easy for me to get them. Then, I wonder if I can make barley tea or buckwheat tea.

While thinking that, I sit dazedly on the veranda.

After I returned from Kutsuki valley, there has been no movement from both Father and Grandfather. But I heard under the calm water, they did make some movement. Maybe because I’ve arranged for the shogun to support Father, he’s currently on the superior side.

That’s why in the 3rd month, one of the shogun’s retainers, Aoi Shogen came to Wakasa while leading some soldiers. The citizen of Wakasa that adopted a wait-and-see attitude, while looking that a shogun’s vassal brought soldiers here, ended up leaning toward Father. Aoi Shogen, that guy seems to be quite a strategist.

Still, Grandfather and Takeda Nobuyoshi, my uncle, are allied with Awaya and Henmi so Father can’t let his guard down otherwise he might pay the price. Well no matter which side won, I planned to just snatch away the delicious part later.

As for Grandfather, he abandoned Father and went to Shinpoyama castle where Uncle is the castle lord. Thanks to it, there are only me, Father, and Mother in this mansion.

Still, for the clan head to leave this mansion isn’t it just supported by the fact that Father is the rightful head?

“Is Magoinumara-sama here!?”

As I was blankly thinking about that, I heard a man’s voice looking for me from a distance. It’s rare that someone is looking for me, not my father. I shouted ‘I’m here!’ Then, the man that’s been searching for me came to the veranda and kneeled in front of me.

“Saito Yamashiro Kami -sama had died in the battle at the Nagara River. Akechi Jubei-sama and his family have successfully escaped and now they are in Kumakawa!”

“What!?”

Denza is surprised when he hears that. As for me, my feeling is like ‘I’ve been waiting for this!’ I strapped the Wakizashi on my hip and told Denza to ride the horse with me to Kumakawa.

It seems like the man that told me this news is Kouzukenosuke’s subordinate, one of the trained soldiers. I’m relieved since it looks like the soldiers’ training has gone smoothly.

The problem now is how can I get Jubei to be my helper, I mean my vassal? It might not be a problem since we are family but there’s a possibility that Jubei thinks the familial relationship between him is closer to Grandfather than me so I can’t rely on the fact we are family. I can also consider putting Jubei temporarily under Kouzukenosuke.

“Denza, we will hurry!”

“Understood!”

Denza kicks the horse on its side, making the horse neighed and run. The soldiers that looked for me earlier also followed after us. With a horse we should arrive at Kumakawa in 3 hours… no 2 hours should suffice.

Still, finally, the viper of Mino had fallen ^[2] Which means Nobunaga has married Kichou ^[3] and is currently being vigilant for Imagawa in the east and Saito in the north because of the tripartite alliance between Imagawa, Takeda, and Hojo has already formed.

“We’ve arrived!”

Denza rode the horse like wind and finally, we arrived at Kumakawa. I left Denza to take care of the tired horse. Please let the horse take plenty of rest, Denza.

“Jubei-dono! is Jubei-dono here!?”

“I am here!”

I searched the Numata residence without any reserve. Jubei, who heard my voice, appeared in front of me. There are several people behind Jubei. Is that my grandaunt? Then that other woman is probably Jubei’s wife. It seems like Jubei escaped with his whole family.

“I am very delighted to see that you all are safe. Pardon, it was impolite for me to say so. I have heard that Saito Yamashiro Kami-sama died. Is that true?”

“Regrettably, that is true. As an ally of Yamashiro Kami-sama, I am truly embarrassed that I had to escape,” Jubei says with tears in his eyes.

I don’t know what happened between Jubei and Dosan, but just looking at Jubei’s face I can imagine how tight the bond between them was. If I’m not wrong, Jubei should also be a school friend with Dosan’s heir, Yoshitatsu. Jubei must currently feel considerable regret.

“What are you saying? Is it not worthy of celebration for you to escape with your life? Ah, are you Grandaunt? I am also delighted to see you well.”

“Magoinumaru. You have gotten so big. You are currently 5 right? You have grown into a splendid boy.”

“Yes!”

Even in this kind of time, Grandaunt didn’t lose her smile. No, maybe it was because of this kind of time. I imitated Grandaunt and nodded with a smile.

After that, I turned to the younger woman, bowed to her, and greeted her, “My name is Magoinumaru”

“My, how polite. I am Jubei’s wife, Hiro.”

We both bowed deeply to each other. The left half of her face is covered in burn marks. Despite that, she’s still beautiful. Maybe because she doesn’t want others to see her face, but she often keeps her head hanging down. It’s also impolite to stare at a woman’s face.

“Ah, Dengo. It’s been a while.”

“Y…You remembered me?”

“Of course.”

I turned to Dengo and patted his big shoulder. Dengo seems to think I’ve forgotten about him but I haven’t. I remembered you, Dengo. But there’s just one person that I haven’t seen before. That person probably noticed that fact as he bowed and started to introduce himself.

“Greeting. I am Jubei’s cousin, Akechi Samanosuke Hidemitsu.”

“I am Takeda Magoinumaru. Pleased to meet you.”

With this, I have confirmed the safety of the Akechi clan. The problem is what I will do next. I have decided to convey what I was unable to convey before to Jubei.

“Jubei-dono, how about we take a walk? Kouzukenosuke, come with us.”

“Of course.”

“As your wish.”

I ordered Denza to take care of Jubei’s relatives’ belongings. They must have felt tired. They need some help to carry things. After all, the whole clan and their vassals have just escaped here. The number of people brought by Jubei is several dozen.

With Kouzukenosuke leading the way, I invited Jubei to the riverbank. As for what we will do here, of course, it’s fishing! After the last time, I went fishing with Kouzukenosuke and Denza. I’ve always wanted revenge! Even Kouzukenosuke gleefully prepared the fishing tools.

“Is Jubei-dono good at fishing?”

“As good as an average person.”

“Then, young master, we don’t need to worry about today’s dinner.”

Jubei and Kouzukenosuke said that while waving the fishing rod. If Kouzukenosuke is good at fishing, then I’m bad at it, while Jubei’s skill is in between us. After that, none of us spoke. As expected I must be the one that breaks the silence.

“Jubei-dono, what do you intend to do in the future?”

“I am ashamed to say that I have yet thought about that yet. But, I carried the fate of my family and vassals on my shoulder. I am thinking that I need to do something,” said Jubei while scratching his head as if he’s embarrassed.

His word ‘I am thinking’ must be a bluff. In reality, he must be lost. After all, he needs to provide for his family, but he currently doesn’t have anything he can do. He and his family became people who didn’t know what to eat or where to go tomorrow. That’s reasonable. I gathered my courage and said, “Then, Jubei-dono, how about you work for me?”

“Do you mean working for the Takeda clan?”

I put down my fishing rod, turned to Jubei, then answered, “No, not for the Takeda clan, but for me, Magoinumaru.”

I stared straight into his eyes to convey my sincerity. I don’t want him to work for the Takeda clan. I want him to work for me. I want to aim for the unity of Wakasa province along with him.

I clearly conveyed that so he doesn’t misunderstand.

“Please cease your joke. Your esteemed father will not allow it. My mother is the younger sister of Takeda Jibusho-sama, the current head of the Takeda clan. Your esteemed father will definitely hold doubt toward me.”

“Just let others run their mouths. I don’t care about that. No matter what others say, I need you, Jubei!”

I let my emotion run wild and ended up dropping my honorific with Jubei ^[4] . I really want Jubei. This time, I passionately conveyed that feeling straight to Jubei. Passion is what moves people’s hearts.

“Jubei-dono, serving young master will not be a mistake. I am able to live lavishly thanks to the young master. If it is the young master, I am sure he will be able to change the Wakasa… no, the whole Kinai region.”

Kouzukenosuke said that. Perhaps he’s trying to soften the atmosphere between me and Jubei. I still didn’t turn my eyes away from Jubei. I sat cross-legged on the ground while keeping my gaze on Jubei, then bowed my head and asked him, “ I beg you, please, help me.”

“I understand. I, Akechi Jubei Mitsuhide, will sincerely serve you, Magoinumaru-sama. That is why please raise your head.”

Those words take a great weight off my shoulders. I’m glad. With this, a rare and excellent strategist such as Akechi Jubei Mitsuhide and Numata Kouzukenosuke Sukemitsu are now my ally.

Of course, I plan to also employ Jubei’s cousin Akechi Samanosuke and Fujita Dengo as Jubei’s vassal, in other words as my rear vassals.

“I see. Thank you. Please help me.”

“If you do not mind my poor skill, then I shall do so.”

“Uh-huh. I will be direct then. Jubei, Kouzukenosuke, I want the Kuniyoshi Castle that is currently being renovated by Awaya Etchu. How many soldiers are needed to take that castle?”

That’s right. Currently the Kuniyoshi Castle is being renovated by Awaya Etchu Kami to remake it into a strong fortress. This castle is an important point if someone wants to enter Wakasa from Echizen. It’s also close with Tsuruga port. It takes less than 3 hours to walk to Tsuruga port from this castle.

For me to aim for Tsuruga Port, and to defend against invasion from Echizen, I need to get Kuniyoshi Castle. Snatching this castle is no different than ruling the east side of Wakasa.

“If I get this castle, I will give it to you, Jubei. Kouzukenosuke, I’m sorry but please let it slide this time,” I said while bowing my head.

“It is troubling if you easily bow your head toward your vassals, young lord. I also understand that you want me to be inconspicuous while keeping earning money, correct?”

It seems like Kouzukenosuke read my thought. That’s right. I don’t want Kouzukenosuke that carried the secret of shiitake cultivation to take an action that make him stand out.

I want to sell the shiitake mushrooms that Kouzukenosuke cultivated to the entire country via Tsuruga Port. Just Tsuruga, not Obama. With that, I will be able to acquire more money and I plan to use that money to hire soldiers and to enrich the province. A plain land where you can plow rice are rare in Wakasa so I have no choice but to buy rice.

I can also clear out the mountain and create terraced rice fields. No, if I can do that, planting buckwheat is far more efficient than planting rice. But this is also counting one chicken before they hatched. First of all, I need to become Wakasa Shugo ^[5] , the lord of the Wakasa clan.

“Jubei, I still don’t know about war. I don’t understand war, but I can prepare the troops and provisions needed to snatch the Kuniyoshi Castle. Do you have any plans?”

After I asked that, Jubei began to ponder. Kouzukenosuke also looks like he’s thinking. Everyone has long since ignored fishing.

“I can’t give an immediate reply, but I’m sure it will be difficult to take Kuniyoshi Castle using siege tactics. The common practice will be snatching away an empty castle after luring Awaya out. I will need to ask your esteemed father to depart to the frontline for this.”

“I got it. Even without us asking him, Father will probably go to the frontline. Jubei, investigate the interior of the castle and the number of soldiers in it.”

“As your wish.”

“As for you, Kozukenosuke, arrange a residence for Jubei and his people, and work hard to train the soldiers.”

“Understood.”

“We need to do anything to take Kuniyoshi Castle.”

“Yes!”

With this, I, Jubei, and Kouzukenosuke began our plan to conquer the castle, ah no, to conquer the country.

ー ・ ー ・ ー ・ ー ・ ー ・ ー ・ ー

[Current state of affair]

Takeda Magoinumaru – 5 years old (Sengoku era age)

Vassals: Kumagai Naozumi (Denzaemon), Numata Sukemitsu (Kouzukenosuke), Akechi Mitsuhide (Jubei)

Rear Vassals: Akechi Hidemitsu (Samanosuke), Fujita Yukimasa (Dengo)

Equipment: Wakizashi created by Norishige from Etchu

Position : Heir of Wakasa Takeda clan.

Territory: None.

Specialty:Shiitake (From Kumakawa)

Currently Investing: None.

Number of Soldiers: 100

♦

[1] Meaning in spring, the weather is so good that you ended up sleeping in to the point you don’t realize that it’s already dawn. ↵

[2] Another Saito Dosan’s title. ↵

[3] Saito Dosan’s daughter, Oda Nobunaga’s main wife ↵

[4] It’s hard to translate it into English but here, Magoinumaru uses casual Japanese. ↵

[5] Shugo is an official title given by the shogun to a ruler of a province. unlike kami this title have power and is an official position of a ruler. ↵