In the 18th year of Tenmon (1549 AD) May, a subtle tension continued in Tanabe. The "father-son estrangement" between the Tanabe Shinden family and the Negoro Hachino family, or more specifically, between Shinden Kichimatsu and Shinden Masahiro, had occurred.
The incident began when Shinden Masahiro suddenly returned to Tanabe in March. Under Kichimatsu's leadership, Tanabe was rapidly reforming, expanding farmland, and initiating a crop rotation of rice, wheat, and soybeans to boost production. However, Masahiro immediately halted these efforts upon his return.
"I am the head of the Shinden family. What have you been doing without my knowledge? Restore everything to its original state!"
Kichimatsu was exasperated by this demand. He had not acted arbitrarily; he had regularly informed Masahiro of the reforms through letters. If Masahiro had wanted to stop the reforms, he could have done so a year earlier. If he truly considered himself the head of the family, why had he not acted sooner?
"Wait, Masahiro. Kichimatsu has worked hard for the people of Tanabe and has made it prosperous. He should be praised, not blamed."
"Father, be silent. This is my decision as the head of the family."
Kichimatsu watched the argument between his grandfather and father with a cold gaze. It was not impossible to revert to the old ways, but doing so would return Tanabe to a poor and trembling village. Did the man before him not see the expressions of the people? The land value had increased rapidly, and the number of vassals had grown. They were on the verge of becoming as powerful as Hachino. Did he not understand how valuable this would be for the southern region, which needed to secure its rear?
(The primitive anxiety of losing influence. There was a second-generation CEO who was troubled by the founding president's constant interference in management, but this must be how he felt...)
"Father, are you saying that you are willing for Tanabe to become poor again?"
"Hmph, what are you talking about? If a child can do it, why can't I?"
Kichimatsu thought, "I see. So the man before me is jealous of a mere four-year-old child." In the Shinden family, his grandfather, Masahiro, held the most influence. After taking over the Negoro Hachino family, the head and his eldest son moved from Tanabe to Negoro. Kichimatsu, finally free from his father, had tried to exert his influence as the head in both Shinden and Hachino. However, reality was different. During this time, Tanabe had grown rapidly.
(Imagine a rural subsidiary absorbing the urban headquarters, and the subsidiary's president becoming the vice president of the headquarters. However, there are still executives and managers at the headquarters, and the president is absent. If the vice president makes all the decisions and gives orders, the existing executives and managers will naturally be dissatisfied.)
"If so, shouldn't you first make Negoro prosperous?"
"What? Are you defying me, Kichimatsu!"
Masahiro shouted. A normal child would have shrunk and trembled at this, but Kichimatsu, with a mental age of eighty, did not even flinch, and a sneer even appeared on his face.
"Father, aren't you the castellan of Negoro? Shouldn't you first consolidate Negoro? As you can see, Tanabe is well-organized under my leadership. Please do not worry."
(The Southern family probably did not help with the "place-making" within Negoro. As an adult, he should have done it himself. If he acted so arrogantly as the head, it was natural to receive backlash.)
"No! The head of the Shinden family is me! Kichimatsu, you will come to Negoro. Tanabe will be left to Father."
Kichimatsu's sharp voice was answered by a loud voice from outside the council room. Kichimatsu, still glaring at Masahiro, gave orders to Kiyosuke.
"Restrain Father's entourage. We have severed ties with Negoro. From today, Shinden will be completely independent from Hachino! Inform the people of Tanabe. We are at war with Negoro!"
"Grandfather, if you wish to leave Tanabe, do so quickly. No matter what decision you make, I will not hold a grudge."
Kichimatsu declared this, stood up, and left unilaterally. The suddenness of his decision left Masahiro and Masahiro's father, Masahiro, stunned.
"My lord, what will you do?"
"Hmm. This is a letter from Shinden Kichimatsu, the head of the Shinden family. Read it."
The head of the Southern family, Southern Harumasa, said this and handed over a paper written in regular script. Emesu Shigenori, the chief retainer, respectfully received the letter, read it, and sighed.
"This... We should also hear Masahiro's side of the story."
The letter described the "father-son quarrel" in the Tanabe Shinden family. The father, who had been active in Negoro as the castellan of Hachino Castle, returned to find Tanabe changed and became furious, demanding everything be restored to its original state. However, Tanabe was now thriving in agriculture and fishing, and the lives of the peasants were becoming more prosperous. It was impossible to revert to the old ways, leading to a rupture. However, this was not a conflict with Hachino but merely a disagreement within the Shinden family, and external intervention was unnecessary. As a precaution, he had also informed Negoro and Ishikawa Castle of the events. He offered 300 koku of rice to Mihoku Castle and 100 koku each to the elders of Negoro and Ishikawa Castle.
The content of the letter was summarized as such. However, the date was surprising. The events described had occurred four days ago, but no report had yet come from Negoro.
"Shinden Kichimatsu, you say. Left-saburou (Ishikawa Takahiro) was very concerned about him, but he is indeed quick. No report has come from Negoro yet. This concise and clear letter, and the careful groundwork and consideration. It's not something the rough Masahiro could have come up with. It must be the work of the prodigy that Left-saburou liked."
"Indeed. I heard that Tanabe had a great harvest of over 7,000 koku last year. They sent a new sake made from millet for the New Year, and it was quite good."
"No, Shinden Kichimatsu. Compared to Masahiro, who needed my support to take over the family, this man has brilliantly taken control of Tanabe. It's clear who is more capable."
"Negoro Hachino is a vassal of my lord. Shinden is a vassal of Hachino, even if a secondary vassal, still a vassal of my lord, is he not?"
"But Shinden has cut ties with his father. He says he will not oppose Hachino, but in reality, he is independent. In other words, he is now in a state of independence, not a vassal of anyone. If I make him my direct vassal and give him Tanabe and the surrounding area, Shinden will be on par with or even surpass Hachino."
"Then, will you support Tanabe in this matter?"
Southern Harumasa stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and shook his head.
"No, I will not support either side. As the letter states, it is an internal matter of the Shinden family. Besides, I should also hear Masahiro's side of the story, just to be safe."
He then smiled sardonically.
"Whether the parent devours the child or the child devours the parent, it is a matter of survival."
New Shinden Masahiro, who had been kicked out of the Tanabe mansion and returned to Negoro, gritted his teeth upon learning that Kichimatsu had already taken the initiative. The letter detailing the events had even reached the elders of Negoro, not to mention the main figures of the Southern family. Kichimatsu had sent a ship from Tanabe's port to Nobeoka and then dispatched swift messengers from there.
"It's decided! Disinheritance!"
In response to his wife's concern, Masahiro spat out this decision and immediately prepared for battle. However, the elders of Negoro, Higashizawa Shigetaka and Kudarikake Tomemasa, opposed this. They argued that it was an internal matter of the Shinden family and that it would be inappropriate for Negoro Hachino to intervene. They suggested that the issue should be resolved through a father-son dialogue.
"Negoro is a castle of the Hachino family. Kichimatsu has severed ties with Masahiro but has stated that he will not oppose the Hachino family, which is led by his brother. There is no need to mobilize the people of Negoro."
"Lord Castellan, Shigetaka's words are reasonable. Besides, there are rumors that Tanabe is thriving and that the lord and Ishikawa Left-saburou are concerned. It would be best if the matter is resolved within the Shinden family."
In this era, the daimyo were essentially representatives of the local lords. The Takeda family of Kai and the Nagao family of Echigo were collections of local lords, each holding their own land and gathering under powerful leaders. The same applied to the Southern family, where families like Hachino and Shinden were independent local lords who submitted to Southern Harumasa.
"Why should the Hachino family send troops for another family's father-son quarrel?"
Kichimatsu had confined the issue to a "family matter" to prevent external intervention. By limiting it to the Shinden family, Kichimatsu, who held the power, had the upper hand. After all, Masahiro had no base of his own.
New Shinden Masahiro gritted his teeth, his face turning red and black.
(=ãÏã=): That's terrible! Does Kichimatsu have no familial affection? Poor Masahiro.
(ÂŽã»âã»`): Actually, this kind of thing was common in the Sengoku period, like in the Takeda family. From Kichimatsu's perspective, with a mental age of eighty, his father had become unnecessary.
(=ãÏã=): But I think this will make the Southern family wary of him.
(ÂŽã»âã»`): That's a future development. However, in modern society as well, being "used" means being "underestimated." Such people do not rise to a certain level. Being "respected" has a different meaning.
(=ãÏã=): There it is, the management consultant explanation.
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* The third volume of my modern fantasy "Dungeon Busters" will be released in June. I would be happy if you could read it.