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

Chapter 20 Three people go to danger
Everyone left one after another, leaving only Nobushige, Matsumiya Kiyonaga, Kagawa Morihisa, Kumagata Takanao, Yamagata Morinobu, and Muto Mitsuyuki who had just returned from Echizen in the hall.

"Everyone in this hall is someone I trust." Xinzhong looked around and motioned for everyone to gather around him.

"Xin Jiulang, I'm keeping you here this time because I hope you can do something for me."

"My lord, just give your orders. I will do whatever it takes even if it means death." Muto Mitsuyuu replied, kneeling down.

"I want you to go back to Echizen and meet Jirozaemon."

"What do you mean, my lord? Shinjiurou just risked his life to come back from Echizen to report the news. Wouldn't it be like asking him to die now?" As soon as Nobushige said this, everyone present expressed doubts.

"This time, you are not going back alone. I will go with you."

"What?!" Everyone was stunned and shocked. No one could figure out what Xinzhong was up to.

"My lord, this is not the time to joke." said Morihisa Kagawa.

Nobushige smiled in response and said seriously, "What I am thinking about is not the victory of a battle, but the long-term stability of Wakasa. For this, I must go to Haishan Castle (Asakura Kagetaka's residence) in person this time."

"If you need anything to be done, just tell me. It is unreasonable for a lord of a country to sacrifice himself to join the enemy country. If anything happens to you, Wakasa will be completely finished." Muto Mitsuyu advised respectfully.

"Yes, lord. If there is anything, Xin Jiulang can go. If you are worried, a few of us can go too." Matsumiya Kiyonaga frowned, looking worried.

"I'm the only one who can do this." Time was running out, Xinzhong said to everyone in a serious tone:

"Only if I go can I gain Jirozaemon's trust. If I only send my retainers, he might think it's a trap set by me."

"Lord! What exactly is your plan?!" Everyone was puzzled as to what Xinzhong wanted to do that he actually wanted to use himself as bait.

"I'm going to persuade him to 'betray' Asakura Dansho." Nobushige said calmly, but the people who listened to him looked incredulous.

"Why do you have such an idea? You know Jirozaemon's status in the Asakura family. He is the best among all the members of the family! How could he be willing to betray the main family? To put it bluntly, if you can persuade him to betray, you can also persuade Mr. Soto to betray. But is this possible?"

Kagawa Morihisa never expected that Nobushige would actually want to rebel against Asakura Kagetaka. In his opinion, this was nothing but a foolish dream.

Perhaps it was because blood was thicker than water and they were in tune with each other. At this moment, Yamagata Shengxin did not dissuade him as he had just done. Instead, he cautiously confirmed with his brother, "My lord, are you sure about this?"

"I'm not 100% sure, but it should work."

"What if it doesn't work? Wouldn't you then..." Kagawa Morihisa hesitated to speak, thinking that he shouldn't say anything unlucky, but he also didn't want to see Nobushige taking risks alone.

"Yes, my lord. Although I don't know why you think that you can successfully persuade Jirozaemon to betray Asakura Dansho, it is still a risky move. If there is even a 10% risk, I don't think it's worth the effort." Kumagai Takashige sincerely advised, "As Master Ryuxing said, our family only needs to hold out until the imperial court intervenes. There is really no need to take such a big risk."

"I appreciate your kindness, but I really have to go this time." Xinzhong knew that everyone was worried about his safety, and he felt relieved, but he still firmly insisted on his plan:
"Just think about it, even if the imperial court intervenes this time and we can get through this difficult time, what will happen next? As long as the Asakura family covets our territory, we will never be able to live in peace. They have the strength and ambition to invade our three counties again and again.

Rather than being killed by them slowly cutting my flesh with a knife or boiling a frog in warm water, I might as well take this opportunity to bite off a piece of their flesh. Only when they feel the pain will they not dare to have any improper thoughts about me, Wakasa, for a short period of time. And Jirozaemon is an important part of my plan."

Nobushige's tone was firm and unquestionable. Everyone was also savoring his words in silence: Indeed, even if the court successfully mediates, as long as the Asakura clan's strength is intact, they will still find opportunities to invade Wakasa. They must be taught a lesson to ensure that they dare not easily start a war again.

"My lord, since you have made up your mind, please go ahead and do it." Yamagata Morinobu was the first to break the silence and expressed his support for Nobushige.

Matsumiya Kiyonaga and Kagawa Morihisa saw this and stopped trying to stop him: "Although we are still worried about this, the lord has made up his mind, and we can only agree. We only hope that the lord will be careful on the way and return safely."

"My lord, can you please let me go with you?" Kumagai Takashi requested.

"Too many people and too many eyes." Xinzhong shook his head: "Xin Jiulang will accompany me, you don't have to worry."

"But it will take two or three days to walk from Wakasa to Ono County, and the war is imminent. The Asakura army must be on high alert in guarding the streets of Tango. It will be troublesome for the two of you to encounter wild samurai or peasants who have rebelled. It would be better to take a few more people with you." Kagawa Morihisa also suggested that Nobushige should at least take a few stable men with him.

Unable to resist the persuasion of the crowd, Nobushige finally agreed to take Kumagai Takanao with him, while Makai was left at the Takeda clan's residence for Matsumiya Kiyonaga to use. "I plan to leave tonight. During my absence, the family affairs will be handled by Morihisa, and the military affairs will be entrusted to my brother. Remember, I must not let anyone else know that I am going to Echizen. If anyone asks, just say that I went to various places to inspect the defense."

Nobushige's call of "brother" made Yamagata Morinori feel warm inside. Unlike the heartless Takeda Nobutoyo, he felt more human touch in Nobushige.

"Ha! I obey your command!" Yamagata Morinori assured Nobushige sincerely: "Please rest assured, my lord, I will do my best to protect the country and Jicheng."

"Remember, before I come back, don't take the initiative to attack. Focus on siege warfare. Our army is no match for the Asakura army in a field battle." Nobushige reminded.

After that, he looked at Muto Mitsuyu again and said, "I'm afraid we can't go through Tango Street this time. Are there any other routes?"

"I went back to Wakasa via the mountain road along Nobanyama. It took some time, but it was well hidden." Muto Mitsuyu replied, "Although it is a mountain road, there is a section where you can ride a horse. According to my estimation, it will take at least five days to go back and forth."

"We won't go to the Takeda Clan's mansion on our way back, but will go directly to Mikata Castle to join the army. This should save us some time." Nobushige thought to himself, "In this way, we can return just in time for the army to be assembled. That's great."

"The premise is that nothing goes wrong along the way, and that Jirozaemon won't be delayed for too long." Kagawa Morihisa frowned slightly, still worried about Nobushige's trip.

"Don't worry, with Shinkuro and I here, we will bring our lord back safely." Upon learning that Nobushige agreed to take him to Echizen, Kumagai Takashige was overjoyed.

"That's it," Nobushige heaved a long sigh of relief after everything was arranged, "I'll leave Wakasa to you this time."

"Please rest assured, lord!" Kagawa Morihisa and the other five immediately bowed deeply to Nobushige: "As long as I am here, Takeda is here, and Wakasa is here!"

The sky gradually darkened, the stars and the moon slowly emerged, and the lights of the Takeda Clan House also lit up. As the New Year approached, light snow fell again in Hokuriku. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the last snow in the seventh year of the Tenbun era.

Nobushige, Kumagai Takanao, and Muto Mitsuyu, dressed in businessmen's clothes, quietly left the Kanshoumon on horseback, and embarked on a journey to Echizen under the gaze of Kagawa Morihisa and others.

The mountain road they walked on was roughly divided into two sections. The first section was located at the junction of Omi, Wakasa and Echizen, and the second section was located at the junction of Mino and Echizen. In today's terms, this was a "no man's land" where thieves and wild beasts abounded.

Fortunately, Muto Mitsuyu had explored the area beforehand and was relatively familiar with it, so the group traveled smoothly. Passing through several villages, there were also kind local leaders and villagers who were willing to let them stay overnight, of course, this was also made possible by the "Yongle Tongbao" arrangement.

But as they reached the border of Mino and Echizen, the attitude of the people changed, and few were willing to let them stay overnight. In the end, they had to pay a whole kan of money before a local samurai named Yabei was reluctantly willing to take them in.

That night, perhaps feeling that taking one kan of money was a bit too much, Yabei brought some drinks and side dishes to the three people's residence to entertain them.

Everyone was toasting and having a great time. Yabei would never have imagined that among the three people drinking with him, there was actually a daimyo named Kunimochi.

As the conversation got more interesting, Xinzhong asked tentatively, "Sir, I really can't understand why the people here are so wary of us and don't want us to stay overnight even if we pay them?"

"Don't blame them," Yabei's face was as red as a monkey's butt. He put one hand on Nobushige's shoulder and took the wine cup with the other hand to pour it into his mouth:
"Don't you see where we are? This is Osho County! Echizen is not far to the north.

This was where the fiercest battle between Lai Yigong and Lai Chungong took place. Bandits, thieves, and wild warriors all wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune. There were several villages that were infiltrated by bandits disguised as merchants, and eventually the entire village was slaughtered and burned to ashes.

Tell me, how dare these common people let you stay overnight? You might be let in one moment, and you might be lying in a pool of blood the next moment. "

"Then aren't you afraid that we are bad guys?" Xinzhong asked jokingly.

"I am a lone man. If I am well fed, my whole family will not have to worry. I only have one life, so you can take it if you want... But I always feel that you are not bad people, haha." Yabei said drunkenly.

The Lord Yoriie and Lord Yorijun he mentioned are respectively Toki Yoriie, the current guardian of Mino Province, and his nephew Toki Yorijun. The two sides have been fighting for control of Mino for nearly twenty years.

Up to this point, with the support of the Asakura and Rokkaku clans, Toki Yorizumi controlled parts of the area bordering Mino and Echizen, barely holding off Toki Yoriie's attacks.

However, Nobushige knew that in this protracted battle, neither the uncle nor the nephew Toki would be the final winner. The final victory would belong only to the new shugodashi who had just inherited the Saito clan - Saito Toshimasa.

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(End of this chapter)