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

Chapter 19: Guangyou Returns
Everyone followed the sound and saw that the person speaking in the corridor was none other than Muto Mitsukenori, the lord of Ishiyama Castle in Oi County.

This Mutō Mitsukinori was the head of the Ishiyama Mutō clan, and the Mutō clan, along with the Itsumi clan and the Hongo clan, were known as the three major forces in Oi County.

Although they are mentioned together, the Itami clan is much more powerful than the other two. In addition, the Hongo clan is the shogunate's retainer in Wakasa, and they act low-key and rarely get involved in disputes within the county. Therefore, the only one who can prevent Itami Masaki from dominating Oi County is this Muto Mitsukinori in the corridor. The relationship between the two families is even more tense than that between Awaya Katsuhisa and Kumagai Katsunao mentioned earlier.

Although Mutō Mitsukinori was the lord of the castle and his ancestors were hereditary retainers who followed the Takeda clan from Aki to Wakasa, his qualifications were still shallow compared to Awaya, Itsumi, Naito, Kumagai and others. In addition, due to the suppression of the Itsumi clan, the Mutō clan did not have a high status in Wakasa, so they could only live in the corridor.

Seeing that it was Muto Mitsuhiro who spoke, Itomi Masahiro, who had been silent until then, said sarcastically: "Why, could it be that Sado no Kami has spies in the Asakura family and can know their actions in advance?"

"How did Suruga-no-Kami know? You are right, I do have a channel to know about the actions of the Asakura family." Muto Mitsukinori responded sharply.

"Hmph, then please don't keep us in suspense and tell the master." Yi Jianchangjing didn't expect that this wave would be taken advantage of by Mutou Mitsukenori, and he was very unhappy.

"My lord, I would like to invite you to see someone." Muto Mitsukinori said to Nobushige.

"Who?" Xinzhong nodded curiously.

Muto Mitsuhiro then shouted to someone not far away: "Shinjiurang, come here, the lord is calling for you."

Everyone couldn't help but stretch their heads to look outside the hall out of curiosity, and saw a young samurai trotting to the corridor, whispering a few words to Muto Mitsukenori, then taking off his shoes and walking into the hall. Under the gaze of everyone, he bowed deeply and respectfully to Nobushige.

"The guilty subject Muto Shinjiurō pays homage to the lord."

"Get up." Xinzhong stared at the young warrior in front of him. He saw that his square face had clear contours, his eyes were firm and deep, there was a heroic spirit between his brows, he sat upright, and his whole body exuded an aura of integrity and fearlessness.

"Haha, it's Shinjiro." Itsumi Masahiro sneered, "After the battle of Gozeyama Castle, where did you go to get a high position? Why are you back now?"

That's right, this Muto Shinkuro is Muto Mitsuyu, a senior official of Takeda Nobuyota. He became famous for his battle to capture the lord of Taniyama Castle, Terai Hiromichi, during the siege of Gozeyama Castle. After Takeda Nobuyota surrendered, he disdained Nobuyota's weakness, refused Awaya Mototaka's offer, left the Takeda family to seek another way of life, and has been missing since then.

This person has another identity, that is, he is the younger brother of Mutō Mitsukenori and also a hardliner against the Itomi clan, so he is also disliked by Itomi Masatsugu.

"Suruga-no-kami, there's no need to be so sarcastic. I'm not afraid of my own shadow. I've been in Echizen these days." Muto Mitsuyu glanced at Itsumi Masatsugu and responded unhappily.

Before they had even spoken two words, the two were at loggerheads, and were about to quarrel. Xin Zhong hurriedly intervened, saying, "When facing a powerful enemy, we should unite against the enemy and avoid quarreling with each other. This will only make our loved ones sad and our enemies happy."

As he spoke, Nobushige turned sideways towards Muto Mitsuyu and said kindly, "Shinkuro, my brother mentioned you to me earlier. He said that he regretted not listening to your advice to launch a night attack that day, and ended up being humiliated by Miyagawa-dono and Ukyo Ryo. He hoped that if he could return to the Takeda family one day, he would ask me to make use of you and not let you down again."

"Did Your Highness really say that?" Muto Mitsuyuu was quite surprised.

Xin Dian nodded: "Don't look at my brother as a coward and mediocre person, but I still care about you very much. Now that you are back, just stay by my side and rest assured. Our family will never treat you unfairly."

"I understand." Nobushige's words deeply moved Muto Mitsuyuki, and he bowed respectfully to Nobushige.

At this time, he also remembered the important business, so he said to Nobushige: "I went to the Asakura family a few days ago and served as a general under Jirozaemon."

"Look, it turns out he has surrendered to the enemy." Yijian Changjing really seized every opportunity to mock Mutou Mitsuyuki, which was quite aggressive.

Jirozaemon mentioned by Muto Mitsuyu is Asakura Kagetaka, the younger brother of Asakura Takakage and the governor of Ono County. He is one of the "two governors" of the Asakura clan (the other governor of Tsuruga County was once Asakura Soteki and is now his adopted son). He is highly regarded by Asakura Takakage and has a high status in the family. The fact that he can serve as a samurai general under him shows how talented Muto Mitsuyu is.

"Yesterday, I happened to hear in the army that Asakura Dansho (Asakura Takakage) convened two county governors and four magistrates for an assessment and requested that all five counties of Tsuruga, Ono, Nanjo, Imadachi, and Nibu be mobilized.

I felt something was wrong, so I went to inquire about it from many sources, and finally confirmed that the Asakura family was going to attack the main family, so I rushed back to Wakasa overnight. I happened to hear that the lord had summoned everyone to make an assessment, so I came with my brother to report the matter. "

"Echizen has only eight counties in total. Now, except for the three northeastern counties to guard against the Kaga Ikko clan, all the counties have been mobilized. They are trying to destroy Wakasa in one fell swoop!"

"The total stone reserves of these five counties exceed 400,000 stones. If all are mobilized, there will be at least 12,000 troops!"

"Not only that, don't forget that the wealth of the two counties of Tsuruga and Ono cannot be measured by the height of the stone alone. I estimate that the number of troops this time is at least 15,000!"

"Fifteen thousand people!" Itomi Masaki, who had been sarcastic just now, was like a deflated ball at this moment. His words were full of shock and frustration. After all, "if the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached?" Once the Asakura army destroyed the Takeda clan, his independent kingdom in Oi County would be out of the question. How could he not be panicked?

"That's why I concluded that the Asakura Army is ready to kill us this time. An army of more than 10,000 people cannot be forced to retreat by just intimidation." Muto Mitsuyoshi said. Muto Mitsukenori also said, "The only plan now is to give up the fantasy and put ourselves in danger to survive."

"My lord, it seems that I have oversimplified this matter." Yamagata Morinobu apologized for what he had just said: "I am willing to lead the Yamagata cavalry as the vanguard to immediately support Kuniyoshi Castle."

"I understand how you feel," Xinzhong patiently soothed him, "The more aggressive the enemy is, the more we must not act hastily and lose our composure."

After saying this, Xinzhong carefully filtered the information he had obtained so far in his mind, recalling what happened during this period in history, and suddenly an idea came to him:

"Xin Jiulang, you did a good job. Go and rest first. I will talk to you alone after the evaluation. My lords, now that the situation is basically clear, who has a way to defeat the enemy?"

The crowd who were chattering and arguing just now suddenly fell silent until Yunfeng Longxing stood up.

"Your Highness, I think there is nothing wrong with what Lord Yamagata said just now. He just underestimated the determination of the Asakura clan. Since the Asakura clan is serious, we can't take chances and must mobilize all of us immediately."

"We must mobilize the whole territory." Xinzhong nodded. "But my Wakasa has just experienced a civil war. Even if we mobilize all of them, there will be no more than 3,000 people at most. Even with this few people, we have to split them into two groups."

"Kuniyoshi Castle has a steep terrain and is easy to defend but difficult to attack; Kurahashi Castle has been in operation for many years and has strong defenses. Both are excellent locations for siege warfare. Your Highness only needs to divide the troops into two groups, coordinate with the troops inside and outside the city, and fight a protracted battle with Isshiki and Asakura to wear down their spirit and wait for changes."

"Wait and see? What do you mean?" Xinzhong asked back.

"I have some connections in Kyoto, so I'd like to go back to Kyoto immediately and ask the court to mediate."

"I remember now. Master Munekatsu can go with you. He is also very close to the shogun and the governor." Nobushige suddenly remembered the promise that Takeda Motomitsu made to him when the father and son talked all night that night:
"Father has some connections in the court and the shogunate. If you need anything, just ask."

"So good."

After saying this, Yunfeng Longxing set off for Hoshin Temple, ready to pick up Takeda Motomitsu to go to Kyoto together.

I see his trust and am grateful to him in my heart. This close friend is always there to help me solve problems at critical moments. I am afraid I will never be able to repay his kindness in this lifetime.

"Since you have no other ideas, please listen to my arrangements." Nobushige said, and stood up and walked to the Wakasa map hanging on the side, pointing to the location of Kurahashi Castle and said:

"Send my handwritten message to Shirai Tamebu. I will personally be in charge of the eastern front to resist the Asakura army soon. He will be the commander of the western front and take full charge of the war against Tango. All of Oi County is mobilized, including Okusa, Hongo and other generals. All troops are to gather at Sudoyama Castle within five days and be led by Suruga no Kami to Kurabashi Castle."

"Ha! I will definitely live up to my mission!" After all, it was a matter of life and death, and Yi Jianchangjing did not dare to be negligent at this moment.

Then, Xinzhong pointed his folding fan towards Sanfang City:

"All the hereditary officials of Yuanfu and Sanfang counties, the outsiders, the nobles, the countrymen, and the general public are mobilized to go to Sanfang City to join them within five days.

I will personally serve as the general commander, Mikado-dono as the military commissioner, Kumagai Heijiro as the deputy general, Yamagata Gennai as the vanguard, and Hirai Jinemon as the small warlord commissioner, and we must ensure that there is enough food and grass."

"Ha! We will obey the Lord's command!" Kumagai Motonao and others hurriedly bowed and responded loudly.

“Everyone!” Nobushige slapped the location of the Takeda clan’s mansion on the map and said solemnly, “Whether the Takeda clan and Wakasa Province can survive this disaster depends entirely on you!”

"Serve the country with loyalty and devotion! How dare you disobey my order!" For a moment, people inside and outside the hall, on and off the corridors, were excited and shouting to the sky.

At this time, a group of attendants who were hiding in the distance and watching the excitement were suddenly startled by this scene. One of them, an old man with wrinkles on his face and white hair, couldn't help but burst into tears and said with emotion: "Since Lord Motonobu, I have served the Takeda family, and I have never seen people so united. The lord may really be the lord of the Takeda family's revival!"

Thanks to Charlotte Fan, Lenin Guiding the Direction, and book friend 1780061904534974464 for their monthly tickets; thanks to Mu Jiangyin, Wu Buji Island, Monkey Flying and other friends for their recommendation votes; thanks to Dashan Mengleyoumeng, Obsession 533, Sequence 0 Wheel of Fortune and other friends for their wonderful comments!

I have good news for you all. This book has just been promoted to the second round of recommendations! If I read it correctly, it should be the only book that is updated once a day. I am not showing off, but I sincerely thank you for your support in creating this "miracle"! Moreover, this book has entered the top ten of the signed new book list. This is all thanks to everyone. Xiongzai would like to thank you all!

I hope everyone will continue to support Xiong Zai in the future. The key is to read more (this is really important), collect and vote. Xiong Zai will also write this book well and live up to everyone's love!

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(End of this chapter)