Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

"My lord, why do you have to let Lord Shengxin go out in person? Let me do this kind of thing." Kagawa Shenghisa, who accompanied Yoshishige on the expedition to Inaba, interrupted.

"The Takeda Castle Lord claims to be from the Wakasa Takeda clan, and has a close relationship with Hoshinji-dono. If my Takeda clan were to come forward to persuade him to surrender, it should be twice as effective with half the effort," Yoshishige explained.

"Morihisa, I appreciate your kindness," Yamagata Morinobu thanked Kagawa Morihisa and nodded to Yoshitaka, "If that's the case, I'll go there. However, I want to know what conditions the lord has given to Yamashiro no Kami in this letter?"

"The conditions are simple. As long as he is willing to open the city and surrender, I will give him the area around Hashimoto Castle in the southern part of Imi County. I just estimated that it is about 4,000 stones." Yoshishige did not hide anything and told everyone directly.

"Please forgive me for speaking frankly," Yoshimi Noritaka, the lord of Enkoji Castle who had just surrendered to the Takeda clan, said to Yoshishige, "The Takedayama Castle Lord was given an additional rank of nearly 7,000 koku for his contribution in capturing Western Tajima. Not only have you reduced his rank, but you have also moved him from Takakusa County to Imi County. I don't think he will necessarily agree."

"I promised Yamana Kingo before that I would exchange the four counties of Insai, including Takakusa County, for his territory in central Tajima. Therefore, I cannot make the decision about the Yamashiro no Kami's residence, Usagi Castle, and his original territory. Moreover, even if I could make the decision, I would not let him stay in peace. It is also necessary to move him to a different place to maintain the family's rule over Inaba."

After hearing Yoshishige's explanation, Yoshimi Nobuyuki nodded thoughtfully, but still worriedly asked, "Then have you ever considered that the Yamashiro no Kami will not agree?"

"This can be considered as a punishment for his reluctance to surrender and his attempt to resist." After saying this, Yoshishige picked up the pen again and wrote another letter to Yamagata Morinobu.

"Brother, if the Yamashiro no Kami agrees to this condition, you will give him this letter."

"What is this?" Yamagata Shengxin reached out to take the letter, but his face was full of confusion.

"This is another promise I made to him," Yoshishige responded, "If he is willing to accept the conditions of transferring Hashimoto Castle, I will give him the status and treatment of a member of the Wakasa Takeda clan."

"Ichimonshu?!" When Yoshishige said this, everyone was shocked. You know, the current Wakasa Takeda clan has a small number of people. The ones who can be truly considered as Ichimonshu are the "retired" Takeda Nobutoyo, Takeda Motomitsu and Takeda Nobumasa who are in Aki, and the only ones left are the father and son Yamagata Hidemasa and Yamagata Morinobu. To be able to obtain the same status as these people is a treatment that not everyone can enjoy.

"Since he is a brother of the temple master and is from the main family, it is reasonable to accept him as a disciple." Yoshishige explained to everyone, "I can see that this person has great abilities, but he was born at the wrong time and did not meet a wise master. If he can be accepted into the main family and trained a little, he can also become a general to defend an area for the main family."

"Since the lord is willing to accept him as a disciple, why not tell him directly instead of using this second letter?" Yamagata Morinobu couldn't help but ask.

"What I want is a willing submission," Yoshishige replied.

"Letting my elder brother come forward represents friendship and respect; promising him 4,000 shi of knowledge and action represents rationality and benefit. I have given him both affection and benefit. If he is a wise man, he will naturally agree to my request. At this time, if you take out the second letter, he will be grateful and willing to submit.

If he is ignorant of the current situation and refuses the conditions I offer, then no matter how powerful this person is, there is no point in winning him over, and there is no need to send him this second letter. What awaits him is only the destruction of the city, his death, and the flow of blood."

"You are worthy of being my lord. We admire you so much!" Before Yamagata Morinobu could speak, Yoshimi Noritaka and other newly surrendered people knelt on the ground, bowed to Yoshishige and praised him.

"Hmph, these guys!" Muto Mitsuyu, the head of the Makai group, looked at them with disdain and couldn't help but muttered, "They are so good at flattery. No wonder the famous Inabayama family has come to this point today."

"Xinjiulang, just say less!" Kagawa Shengjiu gently reminded, "You should know what kind of person the lord is. They can't fool him with just a few words. You should rest assured about this."

"I have nothing to worry about, I just can't stand their faces." Muto Mitsuyu replied.

"As our family becomes stronger, there will be more and more guys like this in the future. You must adapt as soon as possible and never embarrass the lord." Kagawa Morihisa leaned close to Muto Mitsuyu's ear and whispered "education" to him.

"I know. I didn't make that loud a loud noise." Muto Mitsuyu sighed helplessly.

Fortunately, the people of Inaba did not hear the conversation between the two men, and they continued to express their admiration for Yoshishige with a flattering smile.

"Nagato no Kami, how about you go with Lord Shengxin?" Yoshishige looked at Yoshimi Noritaka who was kneeling in the front.

Ji saw that Fan Long had just escaped a disaster in Daozhu City not long ago. When he heard that Yi Zhong asked him to go with them to persuade them to surrender, he couldn't help feeling a little scared. He hesitated for a long time, and finally, under Yi Zhong's stern gaze, he reluctantly nodded and agreed.

"You are an old retainer of the Yamana family. You must have many old acquaintances in Tottori Castle. I can rest assured that you can accompany Lord Shengxin into the city." After saying this, Yoshishige walked up to Yoshimi Noritaka, squatted down, patted his shoulder, and said respectfully: "I can only ask you to do this!"

"Thank you for your trust, my lord. I will do my best to help you!" With Yoshishige's "encouragement", Yoshimi Nobuyuki was both nervous and excited. Thinking that he would gain Yoshishige's trust and be valued, he hurriedly expressed his position to him solemnly.

"Very good," Yoshishige patted his shoulder again, slowly stood up, and said to the Inaba people in front of him: "From now on, you will be my Takeda family's vassal. I hope you can be like Nagato no Mamoru, rushing to the front when encountering problems and doing your best to serve the main family. Naturally, I will not let you down!"

"Serve the country with all my heart and soul and swear allegiance until death!" Not only the Inaba people, but also the retainers of the Takeda clan on the side knelt on the ground and expressed their loyalty to Yoshishige.

The next morning, under the guidance of Yoshimi Noritaka and escorted by more than a dozen samurai, Yamagata Morinobu entered the well-fortified Tottori Castle.

Takeda Kuninobu attached great importance to the arrival of Yamagata Morinobu. He specially ordered people to clean up the wide room of Honmaru Palace, and sat down in the palace in advance, quietly but nervously waiting for the arrival of Yamagata Morinobu, his nominal "nephew".

After a while, Yamagata Morinobu and Yoshimi Noritaka arrived at the palace under the guidance of Xiaoxing. Seeing that Takeda Kuninobu had already been waiting in the palace, Yamagata Morinobu and the other man hurriedly saluted him.

"Hoshinji-dono and I are brothers, and you and I are family. There's no need to be so formal." Takeda Kuninobu greeted Yamagata Morinobu cordially.

"Thank you, sir." Yamagata Shengxin stood up and winked at Yoshimi Noritaka beside him. The latter understood and greeted, "Yamashiro no Kami, long time no see."

Although they were both family elders of the Inaba Yamana clan, Yoshimi Noritaka was, after all, a hereditary retainer, and his status was higher than that of a "guest general" like Takeda Kuninobu, so there was still a sense of condescension in his words.

"Nagato-no-Kami, how have you been? The last time we met, we were both ministers in Tenjinyama Castle. Less than half a month has passed, and you and I have each served our own masters." Takeda Kuninobu sensed his domineering attitude and deliberately teased him.

"This..." Yoshimi Nobuyuki was immediately embarrassed by Takeda Kuninobu's words, but due to the current situation, he had to swallow his anger and speak in a slightly more respectful tone: "Today I am here with Lord Shengxin to peacefully resolve the issue of Tottori Castle."

"A peaceful solution? I want to hear how it can be solved peacefully."

Takeda Kuninobu's response was somewhat unexpected to Yamagata Morinobu. From this, it can be inferred that he did not show his determination to defend Tottori Castle to the death, which also created room for negotiation for both sides.

This is indeed the case. Although the Takeda Kuninobu clan had "settled" in Inaba for about forty or fifty years, their foundation was not solid compared to the local powerful families who had been there for more than a hundred years, and they had always been alienated and despised by these local powerful families.

In order to check and balance the important hereditary retainers in the family, the previous Inaba Yamana clan intentionally cultivated the "Inaba Takeda clan", which quickly improved its status in Inaba, but also caused disgust and dissatisfaction among other retainers. The successive heads of the Inaba Yamana clan cleverly used the contradictions between the two to maintain their authority in Inaba.

However, although the "Inaba Takeda clan" was given enough attention and greater power, in the eyes of the Inaba Yamana clan, this family was still an "outsider" and existed as a "guest general". They could be used as a sharp sword in their hands, but could not be mentioned in the same breath as the hereditary ministers.

This is why, after conquering Western Tajima, Yamana Makoto praised Takeda Kuninobu and rewarded him generously, but after the defeat at Yakami Castle, he scolded him and regarded him as worthless.

Because in the eyes of Yamana Makoto, even if Takeda Kuninobu was very capable, he was still a "guest general" after all, or to put it cruelly, a dog he kept. Therefore, he did not need to take into account his family power and face like he did with his hereditary ministers, but could treat him without scruples, which is the so-called "use him like a penny, and discard him like a worn-out shoe".

During the meeting in Tenjinyama Castle a few days ago, after being scolded and insulted by Yamana Masimichi in public, Takeda Kuninobu was thinking in his heart, now that the dead tree of the Inaba Yamana clan is about to collapse, why should he continue to allow him to humiliate him?

At that time, he had already decided to break away from the Inaba Yamana clan, so he proposed that Yamana Masamichi leave Inaba and go to Izumo. He would rely on his military power and the strong city of Tottori to strive to gain a piece of land in Inaba Province, which would be controlled by the Wakasa Takeda clan in the future.

Therefore, when he learned that Yoshishige had sent Yamagata Morinobu and others to negotiate peace, he did not follow the advice of Kanno Castle lord Kanno Nyudo and refuse them entry. Instead, he sent away these people who were loyal to the Inaba Yamana clan and met with the two men in a small group with two or three trusted confidants.

At this time, facing Takeda Kuninobu's attitude of "everything can be discussed", Yamagata Morinobu did not say anything more and went straight to the point with the first letter given by Yoshishige.

"Mr. Yamashiro, this is a handwritten letter from my master, in which he gives me many instructions and asks me to hand it to you personally." As he said this, Yamagata Shengxin handed the letter to the young man who was waiting on the side.

The young man handed the letter respectfully to Takeda Kuninobu, who quickly took out the letter and looked at it carefully. After a while, he slowly folded the letter and put it back into the envelope with a serious expression on his face.

"Lord Sheng Xin, do you know the contents of the letter?" asked Takeda Kuninobu.

Yamagata Shengxin shook his head and pretended not to know: "This is a private letter from the lord to you. We don't know the content."

"I see..." Takeda Kuninobu frowned and looked worried. After a long while, he muttered to himself, "This really gives me a difficult problem."

"Excuse me, sir. What did our lord say in the letter that puts you in such a difficult position?" Yamagata Shengxin asked curiously.

"In the letter, Takeiden said that he was willing to grant me the area of ​​Hashimoto Castle in the southern part of Imi County, with a salary of 4,000 koku." Takeda Kuninobu was telling the truth, but there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his words: "But Nagato no Kami should know that when I was in Ushio Castle, I was only 7,000 koku. I'm afraid that the conditions he offered are too harsh."

"Things are different now," Yoshimi Noriyuki began to persuade him earnestly, "Under the current situation, it's already very good to be able to keep 4,000 koku in Yimei County. Look at me, I was reduced by 1,000 koku just because I opened the city one day late. You are now defending the city to the death and seeking help everywhere. To be able to obtain such conditions, Wuweidian has done its best."

After hearing what Yoshimi Noritaka said, Takeda Kuninobu was certainly unhappy, but the situation was stronger than the person. What else could he do except be angry? The tragedy of the Mikami clan in Dotake Castle was right in front of him. Although he had the strong city of Tottori and 500 soldiers in the city, how long could he resist the more than 6,000 ferocious Takeda troops outside the city?

"Lord Morinobu, could you please ask for instructions from Muei-den on my behalf? I am willing to hand over Tottori Castle, but hope to return to Ushio Castle. For this, I am willing to accept the 4,000-koku salary." Takeda Kuninobu pleaded with Yamagata Morinobu with difficulty.

"Yamashiro no Kami, what is written in the letter is the bottom line of our family." Yamagata Morinobu bowed and replied respectfully, "To be honest, the Takakusa County where Ushio Castle is located is reserved for the Tajima Yamana family. You should also know that Yamana Kingo's army has arrived at the gates of Ushio Castle."

"It seems that you have already figured out how to divide Inaba." Takeda Kuninobu muttered disappointedly.

"That's right. This time, our family has mobilized all the troops in the country to conquer the entire Inaba. Please look at the situation clearly, 4,000 koku may not be much, but from now on, we can get rid of the status of 'guest general' and be on an equal footing with the people of Inaba and even the retainers of our family. This is also a good thing."

Yamagata Morinobu's words really touched Takeda Kuninobu: "Yes, if we drive away the Inaba Yamana clan, I will be the same as these Inaba people. I can serve under the Wakasa Takeda clan on an equal footing. This is indeed the fulfillment of the long-cherished wish of the 'Inaba Takeda clan'."

"In that case, I am willing to accept the condition." Under the soft and hard offensives of Yamagata Morinobu and Yoshimi Noritaka, Takeda Kuninobu, the most powerful general in Inaba, finally agreed to the conditions proposed by Yoshishige, that is, to open the city of Tottori without bloodshed in exchange for Hashimoto Tomoyuki, the 4,000-koku general.

"We deeply admire your decision, sir." Yamagata Shengxing bowed respectfully to Takeda Kuninobu.

"In the future, I will thank you both for your support." Takeda Kuninobu responded respectfully.

"But sir, I just heard that there is a lord of Luye Castle in the city who seems to be very wary of the visit of the main family and is unwilling to negotiate with the main family?" Yamagata Shengxin changed the subject and his tone became cold. (End of this chapter)