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

Chapter 70 Amanohashidate

Seeing this, Xinzhong immediately ordered his men to drag him away and said, "When he wakes up, let him end his life on his own. Don't bother with him any more."

Looking at Yan Yongchunxin being dragged away, the several Tango people who were kneeling in the hall were silent, with beads of sweat the size of beans sliding down their heads.

"Where is Sugi Ukyo Ryo?" Nobushige suddenly asked.

"I am here, I am here." A middle-aged warrior with bald hair crawled forward twice and came to the center of the hall. He raised his head and replied with a smile: "I am Sugi Sosuke, and I greet my lord."

"Ukyo Ryo, I heard that 'Amanohashidate' is in your territory?" Nobushige asked.

The so-called "Amanohashidate" is a natural landscape located in Tango-Miyazu Bay. In fact, it is a sandbar formed by crustal movement on the sea. According to legend, if people stand on the higher hills at both ends of the sandbar, stand with their backs to the sandbar and look down from under their legs, they will see the sandbar like a bridge extending diagonally to the sky, hence the name.

In the early Edo period, it was called one of the "Three Views of Japan" along with Miyajima (now Itsukushima) in Aki and Matsushima in Mutsu, and the name has continued to this day, which shows how beautiful the scenery is.

"My lord, that's right. Amanohashidate is within my territory." Sugi Sosuke nodded vigorously. "If you want to see it, I'm always here for you."

"That's not necessary. I'm just asking out of curiosity." Nobushige acted indifferent and said calmly, "You can also see the beautiful scenery of Miyazu Castle south of Amanohashidate, right?"

When Nobushige mentioned Miyazu Castle, Sugi Sosuke immediately became alert: Miyazu Castle was the residence of Ogura Genbanyoshi, who was captured by the Takeda army during the Battle of Kurabashi, and his territory was taken by Nobushige. What was he hinting at by mentioning Amanohashidate and Miyazu Castle at this time?

Sugi Sosuke was indeed a "savvy man" who had been playing both sides in Tango for decades. With his brain spinning rapidly, he quickly came to a conclusion and then replied to Nobushige respectfully:
"My lord, please forgive me for speaking frankly, but the view of Miyazu Castle is not as clear as that of my Sugi family's Kumano Castle. My castle is surrounded by mountains and the sea, and you can not only see the beautiful scenery of Amanohashidate from afar, but also enjoy the birdsong and flowers in the forest. Even in winter like now, it is still covered in silver and the scenery is charming. It is definitely a scenic spot that is not inferior to others. If you like, you can take this castle and Amanohashidate together."

"I'm so sorry." Nobushige pretended to be modest and said, "This Kumano Castle is an important place for your Sugi family. How can I take away someone's love?"

"My lord, Tango is yours from now on. It would be my honor to have you choose any city or piece of land. I am so happy. Besides, the Imakumano Castle was built to guard against Nobunaga Harunobu. Now that His Highness has dealt with him, we naturally have nothing to worry about. It is only natural that we offer this city to you, my lord."

"Well... I will obey your command." Xinzhong nodded with a smile, but he was very disdainful in his heart:

"They say that Imakumano Castle was built to guard against Nobunaga Harunobu. Haha, it was actually built to resist the attack of Takeda Motonobu. As Nobunaga Harunobu's 'neighbors', the two of them fought side by side on the Tango frontline many times over the years.

Now that they have seen what happened to Yan Yongchunxin, they must be worried about following in his footsteps, so they are willing to hand over the city, right?
But this old guy knows the situation and saved me a lot of trouble. I will let him go for now. Without the present Kumano Castle, his home castle Hiokihama will have no natural defenses. I hope he won't dare to cause trouble again in the future."

Seeing that Nobushige was quite satisfied, Sugi Sosuke felt relieved. In order to further gain Nobushige's trust, he made a bold decision:

"My lord, I also know that Wakasa has been harassed by Tango pirates for many years and has suffered terribly. Most of these pirate lairs are now concentrated on the Tango Peninsula. I am willing to offer Hiokihama for the army to anchor ships and eliminate the pirates."

"Oh? My Lord is willing to give up the castle? I am really surprised." Nobushige pretended to be surprised, but in fact he knew that those pirates could live in peace on Tango Peninsula until today, Sugi Sosuke probably got a lot of benefits. Now he took the initiative to offer the castle, firstly, he hoped to use his sword to silence the pirates, and secondly, he wanted to further show his loyalty to Nobushige. After all, Tango was just settled, and whoever surrendered first would get more benefits.

Although Xinzhong was somewhat disgusted with his behavior, he had done his job well after all. In addition, in order to win people's hearts, he decided to return the favor and give him a huge reward.

"Ukyo Ryo really puts the overall situation first, and his loyalty is commendable. In that case, I will accept the Higashihama Castle." Nobushige said, and stood up and walked to the prince, helped Sugi Sosuke, who was still in a state of anxiety, to his feet, pulled him aside and sat him down, and asked kindly:
"How much knowledge and practice do you have now, my Lord?"

"I am now a 2,000-koku official," Sugi Sosuke replied. He knew in his heart that Nobushige was going to "reward" him.

"I would like to give you the 3,000-koku territory from Tanabe Castle to Ouchi-sho as compensation. What do you think?"

"Three thousand shi, a direct increase of 50%!"

"Giving the Isshiki clan only 1,800 koku!"

"Yes, the lord is really generous. He has increased his salary by 1,000 shi!"

In an instant, the whole hall was in an uproar. People had different reactions to Xinzhong's decision. Some nodded in support, some opened their mouths in surprise, some frowned with doubt, but most of them took a wait-and-see attitude, wanting to see what Xinzhong was up to.

"This... I am deeply terrified. How could I have deserved such an honor?" Sugi Sosuke kowtowed like crazy, but he felt helpless in his heart: his original territory was in the western part of Tango, far away from the Takeda clan's sphere of influence. He did not expect that Nobushige's "reward" to him was to move him to the eastern part of Tango, which was surrounded by the Takeda clan's territory. From now on, every move he made would be under Nobushige's control, and he was afraid that he would have a hard time making a name for himself.

"Haha, don't be so modest." Nobushige patted Sugi Sosuke on the shoulder, then turned sideways and said to everyone in the hall: "As long as what you do is beneficial to the overall situation and to the Takeda clan, I, Nobushige, will definitely reward you generously."

"We, your subjects, will remember that we will serve our lords with all our heart and soul, please rest assured!" All the retainers of the Takeda clan bowed down one after another.

"My lord, I am also willing to hand over my city to the army to suppress the bandits!" Suddenly, the lord of Narizoji Castle, Goro Hachiro, crawled up to Nobushige and smiled.

"My Yoshizawa Castle is close to Tajima, and I am willing to hand it over to you so that you can guard against an attack from the Yamana clan!"

"And I, my castle guards the pass leading to Tamba, am willing to hand it over to you, my lord!"

The Tango people who were kneeling before His Highness changed their cowardly silence and rushed to Nobushige's side, vying with each other to recommend their own castles and territories. Even the usually calm Yunfeng Longxing couldn't help laughing at this scene: "Hikogoro, oh, Hikogoro, you're really something!"

Everyone, please stop criticizing me. I can only update two chapters a day. I have tried my best. Think about it, who would not want to make money? I can't fool you with the word count. Thank you for your enthusiasm!

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(End of this chapter)