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

Chapter 6 Uninvited Guest

At the foot of Mt. Goze, in the Takeda clan's residence, Takeda Nobutaka, wearing a bright yellow military feather robe, was holding up his wine glass, drinking and chatting happily with Awaya Mototaka, Naito Katsutaka and others.

"The earth moat outside the Honmaru has been almost filled up. If nothing unexpected happens, we can take it down in one fell swoop tomorrow morning." Awaya Mototaka said as if seeking credit. As the leader of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Takeda", who he supports will largely determine who the balance of victory will tilt towards.

"More than 30 years ago, my father fought with Hoshinji-dono (referring to Takeda Motomitsu) for the right to inherit the family heir, but unfortunately he was defeated and was forced to stay in Miyagawa Castle. Thirty years have passed, and I have finally taken over the Takeda Clan Mansion. Tomorrow I will climb the summit of Mount Goze. In this way, I can give my father an explanation."

Takeda Nobutaka's father, Takeda Gento, was the younger brother of Takeda Motomitsu. Their father, Takeda Motonobu, the "leader of the revival" of the Wakasa Takeda clan and the fifth head of the clan, passed the position of family head to the mediocre Takeda Motomitsu out of consideration for the order of seniority. Takeda Gento was sent to Miyagawa Castle and established the Miyagawa Takeda clan.

Since then, Takeda Gento and his son have always coveted the position of family head. In particular, the mediocrity and incompetence of Takeda Motomitsu and Takeda Nobutoyo caused the Wakasa Takeda clan to gradually weaken, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the family's important officials and the people. Many people began to secretly collude with the Miyagawa Takeda family, which also made their ambitions grow.

Before the uprising, two of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Takeda" expressed their willingness to support Takeda Nobutaka openly or secretly, which was the reason why he dared to mobilize all his forces and attack Gozeyama Castle directly.

In just two days, all the warbands outside the Honmaru were conquered, and there were only less than 400 remnants of Takeda Nobutoyo's army left in the city. Takeda Nobutaka and others had every reason to celebrate the victory in advance.

However, the always cautious and cunning Naito Katsutaka was not carried away by the impending victory. He carefully reminded Takeda Nobutaka and Awaya Mototaka:

"Suruga no Kami (Itsumi Masaki) replied that he is willing to remain neutral. This is understandable. After all, their clan has occupied Oi County for nearly a hundred years. As long as they can protect their vested interests, they are willing not to get involved in the internal disputes of the main family. But the one in Mikata Castle (Katsunao Kumagai) also replied that he would not participate in the uprising. I always feel that something is wrong."

"What's wrong with that? Mikata-dono is old, so it's normal that he doesn't dare to take risks. Besides, his troops are concentrated in Mikata County, and he has to guard against the Asakura family who is eyeing him covetously. If he sends his troops to attack Gozeyama Castle and then his home is robbed, the loss will outweigh the gain." Awaya Mototaka thought he knew his old partner well enough, so he persuaded Naito Katsutaka not to worry too much.

But Naito Katsutaka still had doubts. Thinking of the father-in-law and son-in-law relationship between Kumagai Katsunao and Nobushige, he couldn't help but worry: "The prince of Kasumi Castle is not only the son-in-law of Sanfangdian, but also the younger brother of Izu no Kami. Until now, there has been no movement. Don't you think it's strange?"

"You said Xinzhong? That kid has just returned to secular life for less than a month. I'm afraid he hasn't even dealt with the affairs in his territory yet, and he's coming to rescue his brother. Only a fool would be so arrogant. I'll take over the main castle tomorrow, write a letter, give him skills and security, and let them have a taste of what it's like to be a branch family."

Takeda Nobutaka drank the wine in one gulp. When he thought about becoming the new ruler of Wakasa tomorrow, he was inspired to compose a poem:
"Please see, tonight there are no clouds and the starry sky is vast, and the moon is particularly bright on the top of the mountain."

Just as he was reveling in the poetic and picturesque scene he had created, the intrusion of an uninvited guest broke this peaceful and pleasant scene.

As soon as he saw this guy dressed in envoy's attire and with a flag with the family crest "Fan-za Sanba" on his back, Takeda Nobutaka knew that he must be an envoy sent by the family patriarch Naniwa Katsutaka.

As expected, as soon as he saw Takeda Nobutaka, the envoy bowed to the ground and introduced himself: "I am here on the orders of His Highness Munezo (Namba Katsutaka's Buddhist name) to report on the battle of Miyagawa Castle."

"What happened to Miyagawa Castle?" Takeda Nobutaka put down his wine glass and leaned forward unconsciously. "His Highness Nobushige of Kasumi Castle led more than a thousand people to attack Miyagawa Castle. His Highness Souzo was defeated and forced to open the city..." Although it was midwinter, the envoy was sweating profusely. It was unclear whether it was due to fatigue from riding a horse or nervousness and panic.

"Miyagawa Castle was lost?!" As soon as the news came out, there was an uproar in the palace.

"Although the garrison of Miyagawa is less than a hundred people, where did Nobushige get a thousand soldiers?!" Takeda Nobutaka sat on the futon in a daze, totally unable to believe that the Miyagawa Castle, which two generations of his father and son had painstakingly built, was taken down without any effort by that young boy Nobushige.

"Your Highness, now is not the time to be surprised. You must quickly think about the next plan." Naito Katsutaka had long expected that Nobushige would take action, but he did not expect that it would cause such a big wave that put Takeda Nobutaka's big ship at risk of being overturned in an instant.

"Yes, yes! My Lords, tell me what we should do next." Takeda Nobutaka came to his senses and looked at everyone present hesitantly, eagerly hoping to get a good strategy to defeat the enemy.

At this moment, Awaya Mototaka still had doubts about the envoy's words. He asked sternly: "You said that His Highness Nobushige led a thousand people to attack Miyagawa Castle. What was the situation of the battle? How many casualties were there on both sides? Where are they now?"

"This..." The envoy hesitated for a long time. Seeing that he could no longer conceal the truth, he told the truth: "His Highness Zong San chose to open the city without bloodshed in order to protect the soldiers and civilians in the city... His Highness Xinzhong's army should rest in the city for now." The envoy replied.

"Open the city without blood? Haha, I was right. Let me ask you again, if the city was opened without blood, why did His Highness Nobushige need to rest? Why didn't he rush to Goze Mountain to support Izu-no-Kami?"

Awaya Mototaka was unaware of Nobushige's plan, and the envoy's intention to conceal some facts made him even more suspicious of the envoy's words:
"In my opinion, the so-called one thousand men is probably an excuse for Lord Souzo to justify the loss of the city! If there were really one thousand men, Lord Nobushige would have launched a night attack with the Izu-no-kami of Honmaru. Wouldn't our army be attacked from both sides? But the reality is that they stopped advancing after taking Miyagawa Castle. I think this is a strategy of 'encircling Wei to save Zhao'. Your Highness doesn't need to worry, and you must not return to support Miyagawa Castle, otherwise you will fall into the trap."

"That's right. Where can a mere lord like Xiamei City gather a thousand people? This boy must be lying." After listening to Awaya Mototaka's seemingly well-reasoned analysis, many generals in the hall nodded in agreement.

Under the accusations of everyone, the envoy was trembling all over, with beads of sweat the size of beans sliding down his cheeks. He dared not even breathe, let alone utter a word in rebuttal. If he was not careful at this moment, his head would be in danger.

"Indeed, Your Highness, don't lose your rhythm at this time and let the enemy run away." Although he always felt that there were loopholes in the logic, Naito Katsutaka still agreed with some of Awaya Mototaka's analysis, that is, he was against returning to the aid of Miyagawa Castle and should give priority to taking the Honmaru:
"Whether you have a thousand men or not, Your Highness should resolve the battle in Honmaru first. Otherwise, you will be attacked from both sides and have no way to advance or retreat. Once you take down Honmaru and become the lord of Wakasa, you will be able to mobilize forces from all over the country. Why worry about not being able to recapture Miyagawa Castle and conquer Kasumi Castle?"

"You two adults are right." After listening to the analysis of Awaya Mototaka and Naito Katsutaka, Takeda Nobutaka's panicked mind finally calmed down a little. However, when he thought about the occupation of his castle, he decided to end the battle as soon as possible: "The night is long and dreams are many. I really can't wait any longer. Everyone, prepare the troops immediately. I will take Honmaru tonight!"

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(End of this chapter)