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

Chapter 84: Peace Becomes Peace

"stop."

A loud and penetrating shout came from not far away. Shinohara Sayobe turned his head and looked behind him, only to see Nobushige riding a horse, accompanied by Yamamoto Shigeyuki and Yamagata Morinobu, strolling up to him.

"Yahachiro, how come you can't even handle such a small matter?" Yamagata Morinobu blamed.

Kuchiki Hidemitsu quickly bowed and apologized: "I am incompetent, please forgive me, my lord and all the gentlemen."

Yamagata Morinobu waved his hand and asked him to stand aside, then rode his horse forward a few steps and said to Shinohara Sayobe in a condescending manner: "The man behind me is the head of the Wakasa Takeda clan, Takeda Izu no Kami Nobuoshi. You can talk to him if you have anything to say."

"The head of the Wakasa Takeda clan?" Shinohara Sayobe looked Nobushige up and down, thinking that he was the guardian of a country after all, so he should give him some face. He slightly straightened his attitude and said to Nobushige in a calm tone: "Please forgive me for speaking frankly, this is a private matter between me and this master, and Your Highness Izu no Kami really has no need to interfere."

After saying this, Shinohara Sayobe ordered a group of Miyoshi warriors to clear the road so that the Takeda army could pass.

But Xinshizhong had no intention of leaving. He got off his horse, walked in front of Shinohara Sakibei, glanced at Takeno Joou in the crowd, and felt that he was looking at him with almost pleading eyes, and his heart was moved.

"Lord Shinohara, right? There is one thing you may need to make clear. This is not a private matter between you and this master." Nobushige's tone was also very easy-going, and he tried his best to give Shinohara Sayobe enough face.

"What do you mean?" Shinohara Sayobe asked with a frown.

"This Master Takeno Joou is from the Wakasa Takeda clan. Please give me some face, sir." Nobushige replied, "His grandfather Takeda Nakakiyo and my father Takeda Nobuhisa were both from the Wakasa Takeda clan. Although they later moved to Sakai Port, they are undoubtedly from the Wakasa Takeda clan."

"Really?" Shinohara Sayobei ​​turned around and glared at Takeno Joou, then asked unwillingly, "Your Highness, are you sure that this merchant is a member of the Wakasa Takeda clan?"

After receiving another affirmative reply from Nobushige, he finally ordered his men to release Takeno Joou. He had never expected that a merchant from a humble family would suddenly become a descendant of a famous samurai family, but now that things had come to this, what else could he say? He couldn't turn against the Takeda family for such a small matter.

"Lord Shinohara is indeed seriously injured." Nobushige looked at Shinohara Sakichibei's injuries with concern, and said to Takeno Shoou in a reproachful manner: "Shoou, you really did something wrong this time. You must pay for the medical expenses."

"Yes, yes." Wu Ye Shao'ou nodded like a chicken pecking at rice and said, "Fifty kan, I will send someone to deliver it to Master Shinohara's residence later. I beg you to forgive me."

"Hmph, well, since Izu-no-kami has pleaded for you, let's forget about it. Be careful next time." Shinohara Sayobe was no fool. Seeing that Xinzhong had handed over a ladder, he naturally took advantage of the situation. He waved his hand and said, "I'm not a money-grubber. Ten kan will be enough. Your Highness Izu-no-kami, do you think this is okay?"

"Lord Shinohara is so magnanimous, I admire you very much." Xin Dian nodded and bowed to Shinohara Sayobei.

"Let's go, don't block Takeda Izu-no-kami's way!" Shinohara Sayobei ​​immediately called upon the samurai and foot soldiers beside him and left in a swagger.

"Everyone disperse!" Morinobu Yamagata and Hidemitsu Kuchiki drove away the crowd of onlookers and cleared a path for the Takeda army to advance.

"Your Highness Izu no Kami, it was really thanks to you just now." Seeing the samurai of the Miyoshi family go away, Takeno Joo breathed a sigh of relief, walked quickly up to Nobushige, and said with great gratitude.

"Master Shaoou, you don't have to be polite. After all, we are a family, so there is no need to be so formal." Xinzhong smiled and said, "I am grateful that Your Highness still remembers our Wuye clan. On behalf of my grandfather and father, I am very grateful." Wuye Shaoou gave Xinzhong a great gift.

"In the past few years, our main family was weak and we were not able to take good care of our branch families. Please forgive us, Master. Now that our main family has recovered a little, if you need any help in the future, please feel free to come to me. I will do my best to help you."

Hearing what Nobushige said, Takeno Joou felt warm in his heart. He had never thought that he would be recognized by the Wakasa Takeda clan and return to his ancestral home. He was deeply moved: "I am grateful for your kindness, Your Highness. I have been traveling between Kyoto and Sakai for many years. I have some family background and connections. Whether it is money or things, if the master needs them, just come to me and I will never refuse."

"Thank you very much, Master." Xinzhong was secretly delighted. The famous wealthy merchant, tea lover, and cultural figure in the Warring States Period had established a good relationship with him. Things in the future would surely go much more smoothly.

After saying that, Nobushige ordered his men to send the injured Lu Chi on the ground to the hospital, and dispatched four foot soldiers to escort Takeno Shao's carriage back to his residence. The not-so-small riot ended there.

"Let's go to Higashitoin!" Nobushige mounted his horse and waved his whip. The Takeda army continued to march southward in a mighty manner. The people on both sides who were watching the fun, those of high status bowed and those of low status knelt on the ground. Their expressions and behaviors were different, but they all showed admiration and respect for the Takeda clan.

"I never thought that Takeda Izu-no-kami could resolve a dispute like this." Odate Changxing said with emotion, his eyes full of approval.

"Yes, just now my son thought that the two sides were going to fight on the streets of Kyoto." Seeing the crowd dispersed, Odate Harumitsu breathed a sigh of relief: "Anyone who is a little smart can see that after the mediation of the Takeda family, Takeno Joou retained his face, and the samurai of the Miyoshi family got the benefit, so both sides are happy."

"Not only that, this Izu no Kami also took the opportunity to establish a relationship with Master Shaoou. He will definitely have many more conveniences and benefits in Kyoto in the future." Otate Changxing nodded slightly, "It is rare that the strong do not bully the weak, and the majority do not oppress the minority. If we can win him over to the shogunate, why worry about the revival of the shogunate?"

Turning his gaze back to the teahouse in Higashi-Dōin, Rokkaku Sadanari had now been informed in detail by his retainers of the scene that took place on Karasuma Street.

"Interesting." Rokkaku Sadanori smiled slightly, "It seems that Takeda Izu-no-kami is not only swift and resolute, but also good at winning people's hearts."

"How do you know he's winning people's hearts?" Rokkaku Yoshitaka couldn't understand why Rokkaku Sadanari gave Nobushige such a high evaluation, and he couldn't help but feel jealous: "They are just a dozen samurai and foot soldiers, they should just chase them away. He wasted so much time, I think he doesn't respect our Rokkaku family enough."

"Confused." Rokkaku Sadarai rolled his eyes at Rokkaku Yoshihide and said unhappily:

"If it is really as you said, wouldn't it anger the Miyoshi family? How will the shogun and the kanrei deal with it? Doing this now, although it seems too humble and even a bit weak, it earns a good reputation. Not only has it won the hearts of the people of Kyoto, but it has also gained the favor of a group of cultural people represented by Takeno Joou. It's really a good deal."

"Father has already praised this man so highly before even meeting him. I'd like to see if this guy is all show and no substance." Rokkaku Yoshitaka snorted coldly.

"Then we'll wait and see." Rokukaku stood up, stretched, and walked out of the teahouse, saying to himself, "It's almost time, follow me to the courtyard to welcome you."

My dear friends, Xiong Zai has been very busy recently, but the novel may be more daily-oriented here. We can’t just keep fighting and killing all the time. The protagonist also needs to lay the foundation for the subsequent rise, so please understand.

But Xiongzai is indeed writing seriously and hard, and there is no water in the work. Xiongzai has read everyone's opinions and will try his best to make this story more interesting. Thank you everyone!

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(End of this chapter)