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

Chapter 91 Seeking a Job
After exchanging pleasantries with Nobushige, Hosokawa Harumoto shifted the topic to the main reason for inviting the Takeda family to Kyoto - Miyoshi Toshinaga came to Kyoto without an imperial order.

"Akutagawa Castle is my home in Settsu Province, but now it has been forcibly occupied by Miyoshi Toshinaga. Is Wue-dono willing to follow me to attack the rebels?" Hosokawa Harumoto asked anxiously, but in fact he was testing Nobushige to see if he was willing to obey and stand up for him at this time. As for whether to attack Miyoshi Toshinaga, he had to think about it carefully. After all, he and the Miyoshi family were far from a life-or-death situation.

Nobushige was also thinking at this moment that the attack on Miyoshi Toshinaga was one of the reasons for his trip to Kyoto. If he refused hastily, it would probably cause resentment from Hosokawa Harumoto, which would affect his subsequent appointment as the guardian of Wakasa and Tango. Therefore, even though he only had a thousand men, he could only bite the bullet and agree:

"As early as when Wakasa received the imperial edict from the shogun, I knew that Miyoshi Iga no Kami was daring and reckless, so I did my best to recruit troops to go to Kyoto together. As long as Your Highness gives the order, my Takeda army will charge forward and will not hesitate to die."

"Good! You are worthy of being the descendant of Lord Motonobu!" Hosokawa Harumoto was very satisfied with Nobushige's answer, but in order to make sure that Nobushige was not just flattering him perfunctorily, he decided to test it again.

"I have gathered 5,000 troops at Yamazaki Castle, which is located at the border of Settsu and Yamashiro. Soon, I will go to Yamazaki Castle to command the attack on Akutagawa Castle. Tomorrow, Your Highness, can you also mobilize the Takeda army to Yamazaki Castle to serve as our vanguard and launch the attack first?"

"How dare I disobey your orders!" Xinzhong quickly agreed, "Early tomorrow morning, I will personally lead the army to the Yamazaki front. All actions will be subject to your orders!"

"Good! With Wu Weidian's words, I believe we will win this battle!" Hosokawa Harumoto was now relieved about Nobushige. However, he was not happy for long as he was stumped by Nobushige's words.

"However, Your Highness, may I ask, do we really have to go to war with Iga no Kami? Is there no other solution?" Nobushige asked respectfully.

"What do you mean? Are you scared?" Hosokawa Harumoto asked back.

Nobushige shook his head quickly: "Since I am leading the army here, I will not be afraid. Besides, my Takeda clan has just experienced two major battles. The Asakura army of more than 10,000 and the Isshiki army of more than 3,000 were defeated. The morale is high. How can I be afraid of the Miyoshi army that has just arrived?"

"What do you mean by this?" Hosokawa Harumoto continued to ask.

"I don't know much about Kinki, but from what Your Highness said just now, Akutagawa Castle should be close to Yamashiro Province?" Nobushige asked.

Hosokawa Harumoto nodded and said, "That's right. This city is located in Shimakami County, Settsu, adjacent to the southwest of Yamashiro Province."

"It's adjacent to the southwest of Yamashiro Province, so it's actually in the southwest suburbs of Kyoto?"

"That's true. It's precisely because it's close to Kyoto that I have to take it down. Otherwise, it will bring harm to Kyoto over time. A few days ago, Your Highness encountered the Miyoshi Army that fled to Kyoto. You should know what kind of people these wild monkeys from Shikoku are. We must drive them back to Shikoku as soon as possible."

"But Your Highness, have you ever thought about this? Two thousand five hundred troops is not a small number. Even if Your Highness has twice the number of troops as Iga no Kami, plus the thousand troops of my Takeda family, it will not be possible to win in a short time. By then, if the war lasts for a long time and the flames of war spread everywhere, do you think Kyoto can be spared from the war? If Kyoto is destroyed, what is the point of driving the Miyoshi army back to Shikoku?"

Hosokawa Harumoto had thought about what Nobushige said. He was also worried that the Miyoshi Army would cause chaos in Kyoto, so he was reluctant to take action. But the more he was reluctant to take action, the more the Miyoshi Army thought that they were afraid of them, and then they became more arrogant, harassing villages everywhere, and even wandering to Kyoto to rob and mess up Kinki.

Unable to bear it any longer, Hosokawa Harumoto summoned important officials such as Miyoshi Masanaga, Hatano Hidetada, and Kizawa Nagamasa to Yamazaki Castle, preparing to use force to intimidate Miyoshi Toshinaga and demand that he give up. As for Nobushige's 1,000 Takeda troops, Hosokawa Harumoto had no intention of letting them attack Akutagawa Castle, and letting Nobushige lead them there was just to boost momentum.

However, Nobushige broke the window paper, leaving Hosokawa Harumoto at a loss as to what to do. Should he continue to deceive him, saying that he had made up his mind and decided to fight to the death with the Miyoshi army; or should he reveal his true thoughts and seek the opinion of this rising star?
After thinking it over, Hosokawa Harumoto finally chose a compromising approach: "Your Highness, what you said does make some sense. In that case, does Your Highness have a good plan to help me force the Miyoshi army back to Shikoku without resorting to force?" "I am not talented, but I do have a plan," Nobushige replied.

"I'd like to hear the details." Hosokawa Harumoto responded eagerly.

"Your Highness, the troops you have assembled this time are nothing more than the reinforcements of Miyoshi Sozo, Kizawa Sakyo Ryo and Hatano Bizen no Kami?" Nobushige asked.

Hosokawa Harumoto nodded: "Yes, it is mainly due to the military strength of these three important ministers in the family."

"But as far as I know, Miyoshi Sozo and Kisawa Sakyo Ryo have always been at odds with Miyoshi Iga-no-kami. Miyoshi Sozo, in particular, is still occupying the old territory of Iga-no-kami's father. If you send these two to attack Akutagawa Castle, I'm afraid it will arouse Iga-no-kami's resentment and further stimulate the fighting spirit of Miyoshi's army. In this case, a fierce battle is inevitable."

After hearing what Nobushige said, Hosokawa Harumoto nodded slightly and said with deep conviction: "Your Highness's reminder, this is indeed possible. May I ask if Your Highness has any good plan to prevent Kyoto from suffering from the war and to make the Miyoshi Army retreat back to Shikoku?"

"At this time, Your Highness needs to take two steps. First, do not use force against Iga no Kami, but use coercion. Moreover, this coercion cannot rely on the military power in Your Highness's hands, but you must try to win over neutral forces outside the region to speak for Your Highness. Only in this way can you increase Iga no Kami's fear without triggering his fighting spirit."

"Your Highness, what are you referring to...neutral forces outside the region?" asked Hosokawa Harumoto.

"Omi's Rokkaku Dansho is a good candidate," Nobushige analyzed. "The Rokkaku family has no connection with the Miyoshi family, and they are powerful daimyo in the Kinki area. As long as they are willing to send troops to the front line, this strategy will be half successful."

"What about the other half?" asked Hosokawa Harumoto.

"That is the second step of the two-step plan. Invite neutral people from outside the region to Akutagawa Castle. Taking advantage of the momentum of the Rokkaku family's dispatch of troops, persuade Iga no Kami to withdraw. By doing this, I believe that the Miyoshi army will retreat without a fight. Not only that, they will also reconcile with Your Highness."

"But where can we find a neutral person from outside the region? Who would dare to risk his life in Akutagawa Castle at this critical moment?" Hosokawa Harumoto was in trouble again.

"Ahem," Xinzhong coughed at this moment: "I am not talented, but I am willing to lead this trip for Gongfang and Guan."

"Your Highness, are you really willing?!" Hosokawa Harumoto was very excited. "If you are willing to come forward, it will definitely work!"

"As long as the officials and the governor need me, I will do my best to help them even if it means death. However, there is a prerequisite to accomplish this task," Xinzhong responded.

"Your Highness, just tell me what the conditions are, and I will do my best to fulfill them!" Hosokawa Harumoto promised.

"As the saying goes, 'If the name is not right, then the words will not flow' and 'One should not meddle in matters that are not within his jurisdiction'. I need an identity granted by the government. Without a suitable position, I am afraid I will not be able to accomplish anything." Xinzhong responded with a smile.

(End of this chapter)