The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 88

Matsunaga Nagayori was sitting at the same table, seemingly having already asked the question once.

Before the bow was finished, Hosokawa Ujitsuna couldn't wait to speak: "If the Echizen Asakura army marches south, can Kubo Genban order his wakasa clan to attack Tsuruga and cut off their retreat?"

Luckily, I had taken the course beforehand, otherwise I probably wouldn't have understood what I was hearing.

Regarding matters of great importance to the nation, Shinzaburo truthfully reported: "Reporting to Lord Ukyo, the rebellion in the eastern half of the country has not yet been quelled. Therefore, the route to Tsuruga is not under my control."

Hosokawa Ujitsuna frowned and asked again, "If we mobilize the soldiers from the Kinai region, can we wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop?"

Shinzaburo looked troubled: "If the eastern part of the narrow pass is covered with dense forests, making it impossible for carriages and horses to pass, it is not a place for military operations. I'm afraid that when the army arrives, the bandits will hide in the wilderness; when the army returns, the bandits will come out again."

Yoshiaki Miyoshi and Nagayori Matsunaga both spoke in support of this claim.

Upon hearing this, Hosokawa Ujitsuna's expression became extremely solemn.

There can only be one general, but two people are vying for the position of commander. So both Hosokawa Harumoto on the other side and Hosokawa Ujitsuna on this side are quite nervous.

Miyoshi Nagayoshi remained calm and slowly asked, "Who is in charge of the eastern half of the country now?"

Shinzaburo explained, "The rebels have elected Takeda Osamu's eldest son as their leader, but based on my observation, the true pillar of the army should be Awaya Ukyosuke."

Then he went on to explain in detail what had happened in the previous few months.

Seeing this, Hosokawa Ujitsuna hurriedly asked, "Is there any opportunity to recruit this person?"

Shinzaburo hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "I dare not make a judgment. I have only heard that this man is resolute, principled, and indifferent to money, so I am afraid he will not be easy to win over."

Yoshiyuki Miyoshi, who was standing nearby, suggested: "If money is useless, why not tempt them with fame and position?"

Hosokawa Ujitsuna immediately nodded: "He can be appointed as the deputy governor of Wakasa. Or at least as the deputy governor of half a province."

Yoshiyuki Miyoshi's lips twitched twice, but he didn't say anything.

Miyoshi Nagayoshi stroked his beard and said slowly, "Let's ask the monk to go and test the waters first, without making any promises about details beforehand."

His words set the tone.

Hosokawa Ujitsuna wisely refrained from arguing and instead changed the subject: "The fact that the Echizen Asakura and the Hokuriku Ikko-ikki have been at odds for fifty years has finally come to an end. My cousin is quite capable."

The so-called younger cousin refers to Hosokawa Harumoto, the former Kanrei who went into exile in Kuchiki-dani. It was he who promoted the reconciliation between Asakura and Honganji.

Miyoshi Nagayoshi clearly understood the meaning of those words and said calmly, "Please rest assured, Lord Hosokawa Ukyo, the agreement to maintain peace with the shogunate this time is only to welcome Lord Hosokawa back to Kyoto, and does not involve anything else."

This means that Hosokawa Ujitsuna can rest assured that the Miyoshi family will not exchange their Kanrei (chief regent) title due to external pressure.

He deliberately let an outsider like Yoshiaki Kubo hear it to make it seem more sincere.

Shinzaburo then realized that today's meeting was probably less about understanding the situation at the Wakasa front and more about conveying the central government's attitude to him.

At this point, Hosokawa Ujitsuna, perhaps feeling awkward, intentionally changed the subject, saying, "Hongan-ji Temple is located in Ishiyama, which is within the Kinai region. Is there any chance to persuade Kennyo Shonin to stop the peace negotiations with Echizen Asakura?"

Yoshiaki Miyoshi shook his head: "I'm afraid it won't be easy. It's precisely because the struggle has been fruitless for fifty years that the Asakura family is eager to change their strategy. Hida and North America are both barren lands. Whether the Echizen army attacks Wakasa or marches west through Omi to Kyoto, they will become enemies of our family."

Hosokawa Ujitsuna frowned and pondered for a while, then sighed, "If we can instigate a conflict between Echizen Asakura and Omi Rokkaku, we can rest easy."

To this, Miyoshi Nagayoshi only said one sentence: "Rokkaku Sakyo is no easy opponent."

He was referring to Rokkaku Yoshikata, who held the official position of Left Capital Attendant. This guy commanded 20,000 to 30,000 troops in southern Omi, supported Ashikaga Yoshiteru, and did not break ties with the Miyoshi clan. He adopted a flexible approach to gradually expand his sphere of influence, and he was indeed not someone who could be easily instigated.

Miyoshi Yoshiaki added, "If it weren't for Rokkaku Sakyo's skillful maneuvering, which kept my family from finding any weaknesses, we would have already marched into the bountiful province of Omi!"

Hosokawa Ujitsuna lowered his head and sighed.

At first, Shinzaburo thought that this kind of diplomatic topic was not something he should interfere with, so he didn't make a sound.

However, as he listened, he recalled many memories from later generations, and after much thought, he still said, "Please forgive my boldness in speaking out! I have long heard that the Nagao clan of Echigo is skilled in warfare and has a close relationship with the Asakura clan of Echizen. If we can encourage the Nagao clan to advance westward and attack the Ikko-ikki in Hokuriku, the Asakura clan may change their strategy."

Hosokawa Ujitsuna, Miyoshi Yoshioki, and even Matsunaga Nagayori, who were standing nearby, all lowered their heads slightly and remained silent upon hearing this, clearly indicating their disapproval.

Only Miyoshi Nagayoshi, after a moment's thought, said, "Interesting!" and then showed a rare smile.

……

That night, Shinsaburo stayed overnight in a guest room in Diangu City.

The next morning, an urgent report was received that the Asakura family had publicly announced their support for Takeda Yoshitomo to become the head of the family and their opposition to Takeda Nobutoyo continuing to serve as the governor of Wakasa. They had also gathered a small number of troops on the border and were ready to advance at any time!

Meanwhile, there were also rumors that Tango Isshiki, Hatano in Tanba Taki District, and even Akai in Tanba Himeko District, which had just made peace with Matsunaga Nagayori, were all mobilizing troops and making moves, perhaps under the secret encouragement of the Asakura family.

The situation is extremely tense.

But Hosokawa Ujitsuna relaxed instead.

The Asakura family's stance was definitely against the Three Good Deeds, but their specific opposition to the law varied greatly. If the focus was on Wakasa, it meant they valued immediate practical benefits more than the empty fame of Kyoto.

Therefore, Asakura Yoshikage probably won't expend too much effort going south to help Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Hosokawa Harumoto regain their positions.

From a higher perspective, even if the entire Wakasa were lost, it wouldn't have much impact on the overall situation.

However, Yoshiyuki Miyoshi still showed obvious concern.

Perhaps because Wakasa is where he made his name, and he only boasted about it last year, he would become a laughing stock if he lost it too quickly.

The difficulties that Shinzaburo faced were magnified many times over.

He cursed inwardly that Asakura Yoshikage was a bully who preyed on the weak. He controlled more than 20,000 troops in Echizen Province, yet instead of going to Kyoto to fight Miyoshi, he was fixated on Wakasa's petty interests.

Only Miyoshi Nagayoshi's expression remained unchanged as he calmly ordered Matsunaga Nagayori and Kubo Yoshiaki to return immediately.

Matsunaga Nagayori went to Yagi Castle to deal with the unrest in Tanba and Tango. Kubo Yoshiaki went to Wakasa to prepare for the enemy.

Since it involved important military matters, there was no time to lose, so they had to set off immediately.

Before leaving, Miyoshi Yoshioki saw him off at the gate and whispered, "This year, Yamashiro, Yamato, and Kawachi may not be peaceful. If the Asakura army sends a large force into Wakasa, I will do my best to send reinforcements. But if it is only a small force, I can only ask Kubo Genban to handle it."

On the surface, Shinzaburo was extremely grateful, but inwardly he was complaining, "How many people are considered the main army and how many are considered a detachment? You didn't even make it clear. Doesn't this mean that 'the final interpretation right belongs to the official'?"

Of course, rationally speaking, Wakasa Province isn't particularly important to the Miyoshi clan right now. Even Tanba Province can essentially be considered a northwestern buffer zone protecting Kyoto, so Wakasa, as a buffer zone within a buffer zone, would be lucky to receive even a small amount of reinforcements.

On the other hand, with so many retainers and hereditary family members at his disposal, how could Shinzaburo have been chosen to be in charge if the task wasn't so difficult and the rewards so meager?

Hopefully, nothing major will happen in the capital region. Only then can the reinforcements truly be delivered.

165 Wakasa cannot last forever

Several days later, the castle of Koseyama was filled with gloom.

"With Kubo Genban gone, our army is like a house without beams, swaying precariously in a fierce wind, not knowing when it will collapse." Takeda Nobutoyo shook his head sadly, uttering a rather poetic lament, "Will I be driven out of my home by my rebellious son a second time?"

As the guardian of Wakasa and the nominal commander-in-chief, it's really inappropriate for him to say such negative things so easily.

But for Takeda Nobutoyo, this was just basic practice, nothing compared to the far more outrageous and absurd things he had done before.

Despite suffering a minor injury—his left forearm was bandaged with fine linen and he looked rather weak—he still tried his best to save face for his soldiers, forcing himself to speak: "The intervention of Echizen Asakura was indeed unexpected. It is understandable that we are temporarily outmatched by such a powerful opponent. Rather than lamenting, we should appease the morale and regroup."

Although he still couldn't come up with any good and feasible solutions, at least he behaved more like a human being.

But Takeda Nobutoyo still looked worried: "The Asakura forces of Echizen did not send a large army, but only one or two thousand men into Wakasa, and our army was utterly defeated..."

Masatsugu Itami turned his head away, clutching his injured arm and remaining silent, seemingly too lazy to continue the conversation.

At this moment, Nasa Yamatosuke spoke up: "Lord Jibu need not worry. It is indeed somewhat disadvantageous to lack command in field battles without Kubo Genban, and the Asakura family has sent the Tsuruga-shu, a reserve force that is skilled in battle. But if it is just for defending the castle, it is not too bad."

This pirate leader, who had only recently been recruited into the government, was not well-liked due to his background. However, he had four or five hundred men under his command, and they still possessed considerable fighting power even after arriving on land, making them a force to be reckoned with in Wakasa at present.

“Lord Nezo’s words are not without reason.” Because everyone else was unfriendly to him, Takeda Nobutoyo was relatively polite to Nezo Yamatosuke, giving him a smile, but then frowned and said, “Speaking of defending the castle, I just remembered that the two fortresses we painstakingly captured were easily abandoned. Shouldn’t we hold those who deserted in the face of battle accountable?”

Masatsune Itsumi's face flushed red. He took several deep breaths before gritting his teeth and replying, word by word, "After a setback in the field battle, it's pointless to hold onto two small, weak castles. It's better to concentrate our forces to ensure the safety of Koseyama Castle. You agreed to that, Lord Jibu!"

The last sentence was almost shouted out.

Takeda Nobuyuki was taken aback, blinked, and thought carefully for a long time before realizing he was in the wrong. He looked around and remained silent.

Nasa Yamato changed the subject, pointing east and asking, "The enemy seems to have been standing still for two days. They haven't attacked the city, nor have they shown any signs of withdrawing. What are they thinking?"

Finally hearing something meaningful, Itsuki Masatsugu composed himself, pondered for a moment, and asked doubtfully, "Could it be that they intend to use the waterway to circle around to our rear?"

Yamato Nagasawa immediately denied it: "It's impossible for our people to hide our actions by water. As of yesterday, the Asakura family's ships were still in Tsuruga Port and had not yet set sail."

Yi Jianzhang nodded in agreement, then glanced at his other colleagues: "If someone were to lead a small number of warriors to test the enemy's reaction..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people below began to complain, saying that the troops had suffered heavy losses or were too exhausted to launch an attack.

Itsuki Masakatsu's expression was not good, but as before, he did not refute what everyone said.

Two honest men, who had truly fought hard in the previous battle, were still bruised. One sneered, the other snorted angrily; both were clearly emotional.

Although Itsuki Masatsune himself was also injured, with a thin linen bandage wrapped around his arm, he had no choice but to step in and say a few words to smooth things over.

Upon seeing this, Takeda Nobutoyo seemed to be in high spirits, reciting Chinese poems one moment and singing waka the next, constantly lamenting the capriciousness of fate and the hardships of life.

Nasa Yamatosuke stood by with an ambiguous expression on his face, arms crossed, watching as if he were detached from the situation.

Someone muttered under their breath, "When will Lord Kubo Genban return?"

Another person said dejectedly, "He resides in Tanba, and his territory in Wakasa is limited to the small area of ​​Nada-sho Castle. Now that Echizen Asakura has intervened, will Lord Kubo Genban still resolutely return to Koseyama Castle?"

After a moment of silence, someone else whispered in agreement: "That's right. If it weren't for Lord Kubo Genban, we..."

When Takeda Nobutoyo and Itsumi Masatsuboe heard this, their expressions varied, and neither of them came out to stop the discussion.

Only Nasa Yamato-suke spoke with unwavering conviction: "You're all mistaken! If no powerful enemy had appeared, Lord Kubo Genban might have rested at Tanba's house for a while longer. Now that Echizen Asakura has intervened, he will surely come to us as soon as possible!"

……

Given that the situation in Wakasa might be tense and that reinforcements from the Miyoshi family wouldn't arrive anytime soon, Shinzaburo was granted temporary command authority over Kawakatsu Tsuguji, essentially becoming the new commander.

Of course, the Kawakatsu family is highly independent and may not necessarily obey orders obediently. They need to be driven by personal reputation, kinship, and potential benefits.

Upon returning to Sangtian County from Diangu City, a mobilization was immediately launched.

When he led his army to Nada-sho Castle on the border of Tanba and Wakasa, he learned that Takeda Nobutoyo and others had suffered a defeat in field battles, losing to a resistance army supported by Asakura's elite troops, and had abandoned the two strongholds they had acquired the previous year, retreating to Koseyama Castle.

There is nothing wrong with this strategy.

Shinzaburo feared the enemy would employ a strategy of besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, so he dared not advance rashly and could only strengthen reconnaissance and proceed cautiously step by step.

However, they did not encounter any military intelligence along the way.

Upon arriving at Koseyama Castle, they discovered that the enemy troops had remained stationary for a long time, about seven or eight kilometers to the east, and they wondered what they were thinking.

We can't worry about that now, let's get into the city first.

As Shinzaburo stepped inside, everyone seemed to have found their pillar of support, and their morale improved.

But many people started complaining privately about their teammates not being supportive.

Takeda Nobutoyo had never really trusted Itsumi Masatsune, while Itsumi Masatsune considered Takeda Nobutoyo difficult to communicate with. Among the lower-ranking lords, there were also frequent instances of one criticizing another for being reckless and impulsive, and the other criticizing the first for being cowardly and timid.

Shinzaburo could only try to appease them for the time being.

It's impossible to demoralize one's own people like Takeda Nobutoyo did.

However, unlike Itsuki Masatsune, he did not stop at offering words of comfort, but instead inquired carefully about the course of the previous battle.

Of course, not everyone's words are worth listening to.

Based on past impressions, Yamato Nagasuke is the most trustworthy, and Masataka Itsumi's words can also be taken into consideration as long as they are not deliberately distorted. Other samurai like Kunitada Hongo and Takamori Murai are also relatively reliable.

After combining everyone's accounts with his own intelligence, Shinzaburo learned that the Asakura clan had not launched a large-scale mobilization, but had only sent a small number of Tsuruga troops to participate in the battle, estimated to be between one thousand and five hundred. Meanwhile, Takeda Yoshitomo's rebel army had suffered repeated defeats and its strength had greatly diminished, with its total size estimated to be far less than two thousand.

In contrast, Takeda Nobutoyo's forces greatly improved after recapturing Koseyama Castle and recruiting Nasa Yamatosuke, and their morale was also quite good, so they chose to engage in battle in the open field.

Unexpectedly, the fighting power of the more than 1,000 men of the Asakura family was extremely strong, and the Wakasa army of the same number was completely unable to resist them.

Seeing the situation was dire, Itsumi Masatsune shouted that they had to retreat, and Takeda Nobutoyo, in a panic, agreed. They then fled all the way back to Koseyama Castle, abandoning two outposts and the supplies stored there.

Fortunately, the enemy did not pursue them fiercely, so the casualties were not too serious.

After learning what had happened, Shinzaburo concluded: "The situation is extremely unfavorable. Abandoning the two small towns to survive is the best course of action."

Yi Jianchangjing didn't say a word, nor did he show any expression; he simply raised his head with a reserved air.

Takeda Nobutoyo appeared somewhat displeased.

But then Shinzaburo added, "However, it would be very unwise to decide to engage in open battle without understanding the situation of the Asakura army."

Everyone remained silent, as if each had their own responsibility.

There's actually something else I didn't say.

The real problem is that no one can take over after I'm gone. Takeda Nobutoyo is nominally the head of the clan, but he's completely incompetent and his reputation is ruined. Itsumi Masatsune's position and qualifications are barely enough, and he lacks the decisiveness to back it up. As for Nasa Yamatosuke, a former pirate, if he didn't actually provide valuable fighting strength, he'd probably still be being looked down upon.

This chaotic state was exactly what Shinzaburo wanted to see.

Not only are we pleased to see this, but to some extent, previous actions have deliberately fueled the situation. Some conceivable improvement measures have not yet been implemented.

After all, if the people of Koseyama Castle can solve problems independently, why should they need an outsider like you to interfere?