Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 103 In Kyoto, So Happy He Lost Contact

The eleventh year of the Tianzheng era.

After Hideyoshi Hashiba defeated Katsuie Shibata, the Oda clan underwent a new reshuffle.

First, Hideyoshi Hashiba gave Oda Nobutaka's territory in Mino to Ikeda Tsuneoki, while Hideyoshi Hashiba took over Ikeda Tsuneoki's original Settsu territory.

In the Hokuriku region, Niwa Nagahide acquired Echizen Province and Kaga District.

Sasa Narimasa of Etchu did not directly participate in the Battle of Shizugatake because he resisted the Uesugi clan's attack, and he surrendered quickly afterward, thus preserving the territory of Etchu.

Maeda Toshiie, who was the biggest contributor to the Battle of Shizugatake, received the entire province of Noto and two districts of Kaga, while Kanamori Nagachika, who played a minor role, also received the territory of the Kaga district.

After Shibata Katsuie's defeat, Takigawa Kazumasu of Ise also chose to surrender and became a monk to save his life, but his territory was taken over by Oda Nobukatsu.

With that, the Oda clan's internal division of spoils was complete, and Hashiba Hideyoshi became the biggest winner.

All of Oda's senior retainers chose to support Hashiba Hideyoshi, and surrounding forces such as the Mori and Tokugawa also sent envoys to congratulate him and present him with numerous gifts.

Although the Honnoji Incident resulted in the deaths of Oda Nobunaga and his son, the Oda Group still maintained absolute influence over the country.

However, the head of the massive Oda clan became Hideyoshi Hashiba.

At this time, Hideyoshi Hashiba was 47 years old.

Kyoto, an unnamed mansion.

Completely bewildered, Nobuyuki Sanada was led to the door by Masanori Fukushima.

"Lord Fukushima, what's going on?"

"I have come to see Lord Hashiba. What are you doing here?"

Looking at the low houses around him and the bright red lanterns at the entrance, Nobuyuki Sanada swallowed hard. It was hard not to think of things in this kind of place.

Upon entering Kyoto, since he was not familiar with the other retainers of the Oda clan, Sanada Nobuyuki could only first seek out Fukushima Masanori, with whom he had a prior relationship.

As for Mori Nagatoshi, he's in Mino, and as for Takigawa Kazumasu, who knows where he's burning incense and chanting Buddhist prayers.

As if to confirm Sanada Nobuyuki's conjecture, the low wooden door was pushed open, and a woman dressed in bright red walked out of the courtyard and gracefully approached the two of them.

"Isn't this Lord Fukushima? You're late today."

"Oh, this is a new face, but it's alright with Lord Fukushima here."

"Please come in with me." With that, the woman swayed her rounded hips and walked to the front.

Fukushima Masanori kept his eyes glued to the woman's buttocks, following closely behind.

"What are you still standing there for? Come in." After taking a few steps, seeing that Nobuyuki Sanada was still standing there in a daze, Masanori Fukushima couldn't help but wave to Nobuyuki Sanada.

Sanada Nobuyuki belatedly followed. He had been to clubs from later generations many times, but this was his first time visiting one from hundreds of years ago. He couldn't help but feel a little excited.

After passing through the wooden gate and entering a small courtyard, Sanada Nobuyuki followed closely behind Fukushima Masanori in the dim light.

Fukushima Masanori was clearly a regular here. The corridors, which were like a maze in Sanada Nobuyuki's eyes, were led directly into the backyard by Fukushima Masanori, who turned left and right.

"Lord Fukushima, may I ask where this place is?"

Sanada Nobuyuki looked around curiously and noticed that many houses were brightly lit. Through the windows, he could see graceful figures reflected in the candlelight on the curtains.

"You know perfectly well what I'm asking! You're from the J-House!" Fukushima Masanori turned around and curled his lip. "Don't tell me you've never been here before?"

“This is truly my first time here,” Sanada Nobuyuki said hastily.

Fukushima Masanori looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with suspicion, "So what have you been doing in Kyoto these past few days?"

"I just arrived today, so it's inconvenient for me to come see Lord Fukushima right away."

"You wish to see the lord?"

Nobuyuki Sanada nodded vigorously.

"Come with me!" Fukushima Masanori crouched down and tiptoed closer to a house.

A bold idea suddenly popped into Sanada Nobuyuki's mind: Could Hideyoshi Hashiba also be having a team-building event here?

Fortunately, when Fukushima Masanori opened the door, Hashiba Hideyoshi was not inside.

However, the team building activity was indeed real. Four or five samurai were sitting around the room, intently watching a dancer gracefully moving in the middle of the room.

"Come in!" Fukushima Masanori beckoned, and Sanada Nobuyuki quickly followed Fukushima Masanori inside.

Upon hearing someone enter, several pairs of eyes immediately turned towards them.

When they saw an unfamiliar person enter, one of them suddenly changed his expression, immediately stood up, and said in a flustered manner, "Ichimatsu, why did you bring someone in?"

"Don't panic, this is Sanada Genzaburo, he's here to see the lord."

"Come, come, let me introduce you." Fukushima Masanori arranged a seat for Sanada Nobuyuki, then pointed to him and said, "This is Sanada Genzaburo, son of Sanada Awa no Kami, the head of the Sanada family in Shinano."

"Sanada?"

"I heard they recently defeated Tokugawa?"

The people inside immediately began whispering among themselves.

After things quieted down again, Fukushima Masanori introduced everyone in the room to Sanada Nobuyuki one by one.

"This is Kato Toranosuke."

"This is Kuroda Kichibei."

“That’s Kato Magoroku.”

"The man next to you is Ikeda Sanzaemon."

After their names were called, the others nodded in greeting to Nobuyuki Sanada. Nobuyuki Sanada, however, was completely stunned.

Well, this isn't team building at all, it's just a meeting of the "Eastern Army"!

These men with thick eyebrows and big eyes were all top contenders in the Battle of Sekigahara, and each one was a vanguard.

"Where is our lord?"

After the introduction, Fukushima Masanori quickly asked.

He was late today because of some trivial matters; otherwise, Nobuyuki Sanada wouldn't have been able to find him.

Kato Yoshiaki pointed to the next room, "Where else could it be? At Yoshino Tayu's place."

"Genzaburo, is it? Don't tell anyone about what happened today, especially not in front of Lady Nene, or I won't care whether you're Sanada or not!" Kato Yoshiaki warned.

Nobuyuki Sanada nodded quickly to indicate that he understood.

“This is the most unforgettable place in Kyoto. I’m sure there’s no place like this in Shinano.” It was Kato Kiyomasa who spoke, but although he was asking Sanada Nobuyuki, Kato Kiyomasa’s eyes were fixed on the dancer in front of him.

Sanada Nobuyuki hurriedly replied, "Shinano is a harsh and cold place, naturally far inferior to Kyoto."

"No problem, Ikeda Sanzaemon will cover Genzaburo's expenses for today!"

"I've heard my father mention you before. My brother-in-law, Musashi-no-kami, was able to escape Shinano unscathed thanks to you!"

"Don't be shy, go pick one!"

“These may not be courtesans (geisha), but they are still among the most beautiful women in the area. Today, I’ll show you something new.” Terumasa Ikeda put his arm around Nobuyuki Sanada’s shoulder and then pointed to the seven or eight dancers in the room and said enthusiastically.

Sanada Nobuyuki quickly waved his hand, "I am new here and not good at this, how could I dare to disturb your enjoyment?"

"how?"

"Gensaburo looks down on us?" Kato Kiyomasa stood up abruptly, then quickly stepped forward, grabbed a courtesan, and shoved her into Sanada Nobuyuki's arms.

"I originally had my eye on this one, but I'll give it to you."

Nobuyuki Sanada looked down and, to be honest, Kiyomasa Kato's aesthetic sense was really subpar.

Seeing that he could not refuse, Sanada Nobuyuki had no choice but to say, "Since Lord Kato took a liking to this first, how could I dare to take what belongs to him?"

"I'll just pick one myself." With that, Sanada Nobuyuki quickly pulled the round-faced woman in his arms up and handed her to Kato Kiyomasa.

Kato Kiyomasa smiled slightly; this kid does have some sense.

Sanada Nobuyuki glanced at them and saw that although the courtesans had different appearances and styles, they were all reasonably good-looking.

Sanada Nobuyuki immediately had to complain about Kato Kiyomasa again: with so many beautiful courtesans, why did he have to pick the ugliest one?

Could this guy have some kind of peculiar fetish?

After a quick glance, Sanada Nobuyuki beckoned to a courtesan with her head down in the corner, "You, come here."

The woman being pointed at visibly trembled, but still obediently walked over.

"I've met my lord."

"I call out..."

"Eh?" Nobuyuki Sanada reached out and pulled the woman into his arms. "A name is just a label. You can use this name today, but you might change it tomorrow."

"None of that matters."

Only a naive young man would care about a woman's name; a true veteran would never waste time on such a meaningless thing.

"This is my first time meeting you all. Come, come, let me offer this cup to express my gratitude for your hospitality." Sanada Nobuyuki raised his cup and looked at everyone.

Terumasa Ikeda and the others also raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Fukushima Masanori suddenly looked at Kato Kiyomasa and asked, "Toranosuke, I heard you're leaving Kyoto?"

"Yes." Kato Kiyomasa handed the wine cup to the courtesan in his arms, and then said, "My lord has ordered me to go to Shodoshima to collect stones."

"For the sake of building the city?"

“That’s right.” Kato Kiyomasa nodded. “Besides me, Lord Katagiri and Lord Hosokawa are also in charge of this matter.”

Terumasa Ikeda held a courtesan tightly, kissed her, and said, "I've heard that Osaka Castle will be the first castle in Japan in the future. I really look forward to the day it's built."

"From now on, we will use this city to expand our territory for our lord and defend the name of the Hashiba family!" Kuroda Nagamasa raised his wine cup and said loudly.

The other four also raised their glasses, shouting that they would die for Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami!

After finishing his drink, Fukushima Masanori suddenly remembered that there was someone else there, and quickly turned to look at Sanada Nobuyuki.

Sanada Nobuyuki was seen embracing a courtesan in his arms, his hands moving continuously.

"Sir, stop touching me, have a drink." The courtesan in Sanada Nobuyuki's arms had seductive eyes, a slightly parted mouth, and flushed cheeks as she spoke in a soft voice.

Fukushima Masanori and the others watched in stunned silence, as if they had just entered a new world.

Is this what you mean by not being good at this?

Is this what you call your first time here?

In an instant, the way everyone looked at Nobuyuki Sanada changed.

Sanada Nobuyuki then noticed the gazes around him, looked up, and quickly gave an awkward smile. "Please don't misunderstand, Shinano is not a place with abundant resources, so every family has to do some side business."

"I've also learned some handicrafts in my spare time, please excuse my amateurishness."

(End of this chapter)