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

Chapter 119 Sanada Family Motto: Loyalty and honesty are fundamental, and integrity comes first!

Yoriichi Takanashi really couldn't hold back anymore.

When they moved to Echigo, in addition to the members of the Takanashi clan, their retainers also went with them.

In other words, the credit earned by Takanashi Yorichika in the Uesugi family was used not only for military service but also to support his family and pay the salaries of his retainers.

The land of Chikō was barely enough to make ends meet with 2000 koku of grain, and now that Chikō's land has been taken over by the Shinpōda Shigeie family, Takanashi Yorichika is almost forced to borrow money to survive.

Moreover, it's unclear how long the rebellion of the Shigeie family in Shinbata will last, and Yorichika Takanashi really can't wait any longer.

Seeing that there was no future in following the Uesugi family, returning to Shinano and seeking refuge with their "wealthy relatives," the Sanada family, was their only way out.

However, the former territory of the Takanashi clan is now occupied by the Sanada family, and it's not something that Takanashi Yoriichi can take back just by talking.

Yorichika Takanashi understood the difficulty involved, so he hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to try. It wasn't until Koyuki intervened that Yorichika Takanashi decided to give it a shot.

It is said that Sanada Nobuyuki was a loyal and honest man. Oda clan general Mori Nagayoshi praised Sanada Nobuyuki as "the most loyal and righteous man in Shinshu". Even Uesugi Kagekatsu said more than once at home that Sanada Nobuyuki was a "righteous general of Shinshu".

Seeing the expectant look in Takanashi Yorichika's eyes, Sanada Nobuyuki deliberately made a hesitant expression.

When you're feeling sleepy, does someone bring you a pillow?

Sanada Nobuyuki was originally planning to recruit the Takanashi clan, and now that they've come to him of their own accord, isn't that exactly what he wanted?

However, Nobuyuki Sanada naturally wouldn't immediately express his opinion; he had to carefully consider his options.

"This matter...this matter is indeed difficult."

"Besides, the alliance between the Uesugi family and the main family is unbreakable. If we accept Lord Takanashi, the Uesugi family might become dissatisfied with the main family," Sanada Nobuyuki said, feigning difficulty.

"Lord Takanashi's suggestion has put our main family in a difficult position."

After hearing Sanada Nobuyuki's words, Takanashi Yorichika eagerly moved his buttocks forward and said urgently, "No problem, no problem."

"To be honest, although I have served the Uesugi family, I have never had the opportunity to make any contributions."

"Many of the Uesugi family's retainers were quite dissatisfied with Shinano samurai like me."

"Among the Shinano samurai, Suda Sagami-no-kami was entrusted with important responsibilities because he was familiar with the Ikko-shu sect and had close ties with the Hashiba family."

"Iwai Minbu Junior Assistant supported Lord Uesugi and made great contributions during the Otate Rebellion, so he was highly trusted."

"Only I find it difficult to move around at home."

“Now that Zhixing Land has been lost, there is no point in leaving it here. I’m sure Lord Uesugi can understand our family’s predicament,” Takanashi Yorichika quickly explained.

After the Uesugi clan withdrew from Shinano, of the five strongest local lords in northern Shinano, apart from Shimazu Tadanao, the other four families—Imokawa, Iwai, Suda, and Takanashi—followed the Uesugi clan back to Echigo.

Nobuyoshi Iwai had previously supported Kagekatsu Uesugi during the Otate Rebellion and was considered a close confidant of Kagekatsu.

Suda Mitsuchika, leveraging his good relationship with the Ikko-ikki sect, had previously been responsible for organizing the Ikko-ikki uprising in Etchu against the Oda clan. After Honnoji, he was also in charge of overseeing the battle against Sassa Narimasa in Etchu and handling diplomatic liaison with Hashiba Hideyoshi, holding a key position.

Only Yoichika Takanashi and Chika Imokawa fall into the category of being neither loved by their grandmother nor their uncle.

Most importantly, the people of Echigo were quite xenophobic. When these Shinano samurai went to the Uesugi family to obtain official titles, the rewards that should have been given to the Echigo samurai were reduced.

If you are exceptionally capable and have made significant contributions, that's one thing, but if you're just going to be a bystander, it's no wonder that these Echigo samurai, whom even Uesugi Kenshin couldn't subdue, will treat you with any respect.

"How many Shinano samurai in the Uesugi family are in a similar situation to Lord Takanashi?" Sanada Nobuyuki suddenly asked.

Yoriichiro Takanashi wasn't particularly cunning, and since he needed her help, he had no choice but to honestly reply, "A lot."

"I am familiar with dozens of samurai, including fierce generals from Shinshu such as Imogawa Echizen-no-kami."

Sanada Nobuyuki knew about Imokawa Chikamasa; he had dealt with him when Mori Nagayoshi was still in Shinano.

At that time, Imokawa Chika was organizing an uprising against Morinaga Yoshiyuki in Shinano, and Sanada Nobuyuki had also fought against him.

"So, are these people willing to return to Shinano and join the main clan?"

“If the Sanada family can make a promise, especially a guarantee related to the territory, I believe that many Shinano samurai who are unhappy with their lives under the Uesugi family will be tempted.”

Nobuyuki Sanada reached out and kept tapping the table, making Yoriichika Takanashi's mood fluctuate wildly.

After a long while, Sanada Nobuyuki finally stood up and said, "Now that Lord Takanashi is here, let's complete Lord Uesugi's task first."

“Nakano Castle has readily available stone and timber, enough to repair the temple.”

"I will set off for Kasugayama Castle immediately. If Lord Uesugi does not object, then Lord Takanashi's joining the main family will not be a problem."

Nobuyuki Sanada's calm tone made Yorichika Takanashi sound very confident.

"I am truly moved that I have to trouble Lord Sanada to make this trip for my own sake," said Yoriichi Takanashi with a look of excitement.

Dude, you're overthinking it. I went to Echigo to complete the task assigned by Hideyoshi.

As for you, it was just something I did on the side.

That evening, Sanada Nobuyuki arranged for Takanashi Yorichika to stay in the castle town of Nakano Castle. Rows of houses had been built there, so it would be fine to make do with the place.

The next morning, after briefly explaining the temple restoration to Kasuga no Mototada, Sanada Nobuyuki set off for Kasugayama Castle.

When Sanada Nobushige heard about it, he also wanted to go, but Sanada Nobuyuki kept him there on the grounds of establishing the Red Army. He only took Suzuki Kotaro and a few servants with him.

Since they weren't in a hurry and took the main roads along the way, and were delayed by routine questioning at the checkpoints at the entrance to Echigo, it took Sanada Nobuyuki three days to reach Kasugayama Castle.

During this meeting with Uesugi Kagekatsu, Sanada Nobuyuki noticed that Uesugi Kagekatsu was not in a good mental state.

Uesugi Kagekatsu sat listlessly in the main seat. Although he greeted Sanada Nobuyuki warmly, one could still see the weariness in the latter's eyes.

"Lord Uesugi seems to have something on his mind."

"Is it because of Shinfada?" Sanada Nobuyuki was clearly asking a rhetorical question.

Being exposed in person is something only Uesugi Kagekatsu would do; if it were Takeda Shingen, he probably would have drawn his sword on the spot.

"I didn't expect that even you, Genzaburo, would find out about this. It's true what they say, bad news travels fast, even if good news doesn't go out first."

"I've heard that Genzaburo is now a fifth-rank official and the head of Hyogo Prefecture. I haven't had a chance to congratulate him until now. Congratulations!" Uesugi Kagekatsu said weakly.

Sanada Nobuyuki paused for a moment, then stood up abruptly. Under the astonished gazes of Uesugi Kagekatsu and the group of servants, Sanada Nobuyuki rushed over and grabbed Uesugi Kagekatsu's hand.

"Lord Uesugi, you are the son of Lord Kenshin, and the heir to the great banner of righteousness in Echigo."

"Has the outcome of a single battle truly disheartened Lord Uesugi?"

"It's just a little hardship, I hope you can cheer up, Lord Uesugi!" Sanada Nobuyuki said excitedly, his eyes red.

Uesugi Kagekatsu was taken aback by Sanada Nobuyuki's sudden move, but he immediately showed a relieved expression and said with emotion, "Gensaburo, I never expected that you came to Echigo in person just to comfort the main family."

"Your words have made me feel much better." Uesugi Kagekatsu held Sanada Nobuyuki's hand tightly, his eyes also reddening.

Uesugi Kagekatsu never expected that when he suffered a crushing defeat and his confidence was shaken, it would be Sanada Nobuyuki who would come all the way from Shinano to comfort him.

As expected of the samurai I admired, he truly values ​​loyalty and righteousness.

"Not long ago, I heard that the Hashiba family seemed to intend to have the Sanada family sever ties with the main family, but Lord Hyogo sternly rejected Hashiba Chikuzen-no-kami's proposal." "Yes, I heard that too. It is said that Lord Sanada even threatened to kill himself in order to maintain the alliance with the main family."

As Sanada Nobuyuki and Uesugi Kagekatsu admired each other, the servants in the palace began to chatter amongst themselves.

They had followed Uesugi Kagekatsu for a long time, and the samurai most praised by Uesugi Kagekatsu was Sanada Nobuyuki. Today, they finally met him in person, and in this situation, they couldn't help but sigh that his reputation was well-deserved.

Sanada Nobuyuki was also puzzled. Who spread these rumors?
When did I threaten to kill myself?

I'd better not find out who started this rumor, otherwise I'll definitely have to thank them in person.

When these messages reached Uesugi Kagekatsu's ears, they only made Sanada Nobuyuki's image in Uesugi Kagekatsu's mind even more lofty. Well done!
At this moment, Uesugi Kagekatsu looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with the same gaze he would give Naoe Kanetsugu as he would look at his helmet, his eyes filled with nothing but love.

"Where is Naoe-sama?"

"Why haven't I seen him today?" Feeling a little flustered by Uesugi Kagekatsu's gaze, Sanada Nobuyuki quickly changed the subject, as many samurai enjoyed fencing these days.

Uesugi Kagekatsu also came to his senses, and lowered his head to wipe the corner of his eye with his sleeve. "Yamashiro-no-kami is currently resisting Niihata Shigeie. In the past few days, Echigo has lost a lot of territory, which is really worrying."

"Does Shigeie Niiwa have such fighting power?" Nobuyuki Sanada immediately asked curiously.

Shinbata Shigeie is essentially just a local lord from Echigo. Even if the Uesugi clan is weak right now, surely they can handle Shinbata Shigeie without any problem?
Uesugi Kagekatsu shook his head helplessly. "Gensaburo, you don't know this, but Shigeie Shinbata has the support of Ashina and Date. Otherwise, why would our main family be afraid of him?"

The Shinbata Rebellion was caused by the Otate Rebellion.

At that time, the Uesugi clan was embroiled in internal strife, and Date and Ashina formed an alliance to attack Echigo.

Shigeie Shinpata single-handedly held off the Ashina Date coalition, protecting Uesugi Kagekatsu's rear.

However, after Uesugi Kagekatsu won the Otate Rebellion, he did not reward Shinbata Shigeie, who had made great contributions in resisting the Date-Ashina coalition, but instead granted a large number of territories belonging to Uesugi Kagetora's retainers to his own confidants.

Uesugi Kagekatsu's favoritism greatly displeased Shigeie Niihata.

Without me backing up Uesugi Kagekatsu to hold off Date and Ashina, could you have taken control of the Uesugi clan so easily?
Fine, if that's the case, then I'll just rebel!
Seeing this, Ashina Moritaka and Date Terumune also changed their minds and began to support Shigeie Shinpata.

Because the Date clan was still fighting the Soma clan, they were unable to send troops directly, but they did provide a large amount of food and weapons.

Ashina Moritaka even dispatched his retainer Kanegami Moribi to garrison Tsugawa Castle and move into Echigo-Akadani Castle, providing direct assistance to Shinbata Shigeie.

At that time, Shibata Katsuie was launching a major offensive against Etchu. Uesugi Kagekatsu had no choice but to send Honjo Shigenaga and Irobe Nagatomo of the Yangbei Army to quell the rebellion, while he himself went to Etchu to resist Shibata Katsuie.

After barely holding out until the Honnoji Incident, the Hojo clan launched a major offensive against Shinano, forcing Uesugi Kagekatsu to retreat south to defend against the Hojo clan.

After the Hojo army withdrew, Uesugi Kagekatsu was unable to launch a large-scale attack due to food shortages, and the campaign dragged on until August of this year. He finally managed to assemble a large army, only to suffer a crushing defeat at the Hosei Bridge, incurring heavy losses.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shigeie Niihata seized a large area of ​​territory, which greatly distressed Uesugi Kagekatsu, as these areas were all high-yield agricultural regions in Echigo.

Moreover, the rebellion of Shigeie Niihata directly divided Echigo in two, cutting it in half. In the long run, this will greatly affect the Uesugi family's rule over Echigo.

After hearing Uesugi Kagekatsu's explanation, Sanada Nobuyuki finally understood the Uesugi family's predicament.

No wonder the Uesugi clan remained inactive after the Otate Rebellion; it turns out they truly lacked the resources for external expansion.

“Since Date and Ashina are able to support Shigeie Niihata in his rebellion in Echigo, why doesn’t Lord Uesugi try to find a way to do the same within their territory?” Sanada Nobuyuki suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Kagekatsu's eyes lit up.

Yup!

Slapping his thigh, Uesugi Kagekatsu grabbed Sanada Nobuyuki's hand again, "Gensaburo, you've really been a great help."

“There is indeed discord within the Ashina family. If we can stir up conflict within the Ashina family, they will have no energy to deal with Echigo matters.”

"In this way, our family can focus on dealing with Shigeie Shinbata alone!"

Uesugi Kagekatsu found the idea increasingly plausible, and it was only because Naoe Kanetsugu wasn't around that he was ready to take action.

With Sanada Nobuyuki's reminder and advice, Uesugi Kagekatsu's mood immediately improved.

Sanada Nobuyuki then took the opportunity to speak up, "By the way, a couple of days ago, the head of the Takanashi clan, Takanashi Nakamatsu, visited me and heard that the Takanashi clan was in a difficult situation."

“Yes.” Uesugi Kagekatsu was in a good mood at the moment and started talking. “In fact, our family owes a debt to these people of Shinano Province.”

"But the situation in Echigo is dire now, and our family really has no other choice."

After learning about the situation in Echigo, Sanada Nobuyuki understood that Uesugi Kagekatsu was indeed in a difficult situation.

"I wonder if the Sanada family would be willing to accept these Shinano samurai who have lost their territory?" Uesugi Kagekatsu suddenly asked.

Sanada Nobuyuki understood that although Uesugi Kagekatsu was an honest man, he was definitely not stupid.

Upon hearing Sanada Nobuyuki mention Takanashi Yorichika, he immediately understood why Sanada Nobuyuki had come.

Sanada Nobuyuki simply laid it all out on the spot: "To be honest, I came here for this very reason."

"After these people left Shinano, large tracts of territory were left unmanaged, which caused our family a great headache."

“Since the Uesugi family is currently unable to settle these people, and leaving them in Echigo is a potential problem, it would be better to let them return to Shinano. Our family is willing to provide them with land for their own use.”

Uesugi Kagekatsu hesitated for a moment, then said solemnly, "Please, Sanada family, do not mistreat them."

"It was my fault, Kagekatsu, that I failed. I can't blame anyone else. But we were lord and servant after all, so I hope the Sanada family will properly settle these Shinano samurai."

"Lord Uesugi, please rest assured, our clan is short of manpower, and we will certainly not treat them unfairly."

"As long as Lord Uesugi doesn't mind."

Uesugi Kagekatsu looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with gratitude. "Gensaburo, you are truly an honest person. You even informed the main family about something like this in advance."

"The Sanada family is truly a reliable ally," Uesugi Kagekatsu remarked sincerely.

The Sanada family could have easily done this in secret, since Uesugi Kagekatsu wouldn't have bothered with these people anyway.

However, Sanada Nobuyuki was still willing to give advance notice, which was also to save face for Uesugi Kagekatsu.

Otherwise, if word got out, people would think that Uesugi Kagekatsu couldn't even control his own retainers.

"Pass on my order: if any samurai are willing to return to Shinano and serve the Sanada family, they may come directly to me. I will not stop them," Uesugi Kagekatsu instructed Yubi beside him.

"what!"

After conveniently resolving the issues with Yorichika Takanashi and the others, Nobuyuki Sanada finally got down to business.

"Lord Uesugi, what are your thoughts on Hashiba Chikuzen-no-kami?"

　Yubi: A person responsible for drafting orders and documents for daimyo or samurai, similar to a full-time secretary.

　　Because the writing standards for formal documents and orders are very strict, and they must be written in Chinese characters, not all daimyo and samurai can write Chinese characters fluently and correctly.

　　Typically, monks or retainers within the territory who are proficient in Chinese characters would be chosen to serve as the scribes.

　　So if you were to travel back to the Sengoku period of Japan, the best job option would be to become a daimyo's assistant, as it's safe and offers a high salary.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)