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

Chapter 133 The Monkey's Plot: Kind Face, Dark Heart!

Upon seeing Nobuyuki Sanada, Chihiro Ikeda felt as if she were seeing a family member, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

"Madam, please accept my condolences." Sanada Nobuyuki quickly stepped forward and helped Ikeda Chihiro up.

Chika Ikeda shook her head slightly; she was far from calm.

In a single day, the two men who loved her most in the world both died.

Her husband, Mori Nagayoshi, her father, Ikeda Tsuneoki, and even her brother, Ikeda Gensuke, all perished in the battle. If Asai Chacha from Osaka Castle were here, she would probably be the one who best understands the grief Ikeda Chika is experiencing right now.

Sanada Nobuyuki stood quietly beside Ikeda Sen, watching her silently.

After a while, Ikeda Sen suddenly knelt down before Sanada Nobuyuki and said, “The retainers who escaped from the battlefield all told me that if it weren’t for Lord Sanada risking his life to retrieve our lord’s body, I’m afraid I would never have had the chance to see him again.”

"Although we will be separated by life and death when we meet again, I am still grateful for Lord Sanada's great kindness. I thank you here."

Sanada Nobuyuki quickly reached out and pulled Ikeda Chi up, grasping Ikeda Chi's arm and saying righteously, "Madam, what are you saying? Musashi-no-kami and I are like brothers. How can we just stand by and watch Musashi-no-kami's body be taken by the enemy?"

"It's a pity that the place where Ikeda Kii-no-kami was yesterday was too far from me, otherwise I would have definitely retrieved Kii-no-kami's body as well." With that, Sanada Nobuyuki sighed with regret, his face full of self-reproach.

Seeing Sanada Nobuyuki's expression, Ikeda Chi was also taken aback, not expecting that Sanada Nobuyuki was so deeply devoted to Mori Nagayoshi.

But soon, Chihiro Ikeda's heart was filled with emotion.

"As expected, our lord was right to entrust Xuanfan to Lord Sanada," Ikeda Chi said with great satisfaction.

"You already know, Madam?"

"The retainers have already said that before our lord died, he entrusted Genban to Lord Sanada."

"I heard that our lord also left a will?"

"May I have a look?" Ikeda Chi raised her head.

At that moment, Chiyo Ikeda realized that Nobuyuki Sanada was still holding her hand. Her face immediately turned red, and she quickly broke free and turned away.

Sanada Nobuyuki quickly apologized.

After hesitating for a moment, Nobuyuki Sanada took out the letter and handed it to Chi Ikeda.

Looking at the blood-soaked letter before her, Chihiro Ikeda trembled as she took it, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto the letter, mingling with the blood.

After a long while, Ikeda Chiya turned around and looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with a very complicated expression. "Has Lord Sanada read this letter?"

"I've seen it." Nobuyuki Sanada didn't intend to lie to Chi Ikeda.

And even if I said I hadn't seen it, Ikeda Chi would probably not believe me.

"Lord Sanada, just pretend this suicide note doesn't exist."

"Please, Lord Sanada, do not mention this matter to outsiders. Genban is my only reason for living, and I hope you understand, Lord Sanada." Ikeda Chi suddenly said something that sounded incomprehensible to outsiders.

However, Sanada Nobuyuki understood what Ikeda Sen meant and immediately promised, "I swear in the name of Musashi no Kami that I will never tell anyone about this."

"I believe what Lord Sanada says." After saying that, Ikeda Chi turned around and glanced at Mori Nagayoshi lying on the ground, then slowly closed her eyes.

"What are your plans for the future, Madam?"

Chika Ikeda sighed softly, "Let's bury our lord first, and who knows what will happen after that?"

"Our lord used to say that swords and arrows have no eyes on the battlefield, and it is common for warriors to die in battle."

"Even if my daughter marries a townsman when she grows up, she cannot marry a samurai. He did not want his daughter to suffer such grief."

"If he dies on the battlefield one day, let me return to my hometown and become a peasant woman."

“I didn’t expect this day to come so soon.” Chika Ikeda looked at Nagayoshi Mori on the ground and suddenly felt relieved.

Sanada Nobuyuki couldn't help but say, "I have been entrusted with the dying wish of Musashi no Kami. From now on, I will raise Genban and treat him as my own son."

"Only in this way can we live up to the expectations of Musashi no Kami!" After saying that, Sanada Nobuyuki also looked at Mori Nagayoshi on the ground.

Dude, don't worry, I, Nobuyuki Sanada, always keep my word.

If I say I'll help you take care of orphans and widows, I will definitely take good care of them!
"Lord Sanada, I'm counting on you from now on!" As a daughter of a samurai family, Ikeda Chi was no naive or innocent girl.

She understood that without anyone's protection, she and her two children would have a hard time surviving in this chaotic world.

In particular, her son had not yet inherited Mori Nagayoshi's territory.

Just as Nobuyuki Sanada was about to say something more, footsteps sounded behind him again.

"Lord Sanada, so you've been here all along!"

"My lord requests your presence." Katagiri Katsumoto approached, and upon seeing Ikeda Chiya behind him, he quickly bowed.

Sanada Nobuyuki gave Ikeda Chiyoshi a reassuring look, then followed Katagiri Katsumoto away.

Watching Sanada Nobuyuki's retreating figure, Ikeda Chi sighed and knelt down beside Mori Nagayoshi. "My lord, Lord Sanada is indeed a man I can entrust with my duties."

"He truly deserves the title of 'Loyal and Righteous Xinzhou'."

On his way to meet Hideyoshi Hashiba, Nobuyuki Sanada felt a little flustered.

The military council had already ended, but Hideyoshi summoned him privately; there must be something he couldn't say in public.

Considering what just happened, the answer is obvious.

Katagiri Katsumoto kept looking back as he walked, and when he saw Sanada Nobuyuki's solemn expression, he quickly whispered, "Don't worry, Lord Sanada, the lord is in a very good mood right now."

Seeing that Katagiri Katsumoto had misunderstood, Sanada Nobuyuki didn't point it out and quickly returned the smile.

Soon, Nobuyuki Sanada entered the palace of Rakuda Castle.

"Genzaburo, come here quickly!"

In private, Hideyoshi Hashiba did not address Nobuyuki Sanada by his official title of Hyogo-no-kami, which was a sign of closeness.

"Master Yushiba, what are your orders?"

Hideyoshi Hashiba's smile remained unchanged as he pointed to a pile of boxes in the room and said, "These are all the family treasures that Musashi-no-kami possessed during his lifetime. In his last words, Musashi-no-kami bequeathed all of these things to me."

"Look, this contains tea sets, and over there are calligraphy and paintings."

"So, which one are you going to pick?"

Looking at the room full of things, Sanada Nobuyuki sighed inwardly. Mori Nagayoshi had only just died, and Hashiba Hideyoshi was already starting this?
Indeed, in the late Sengoku period of Japan, the only thing a samurai had to do was to outlive Hideyoshi.

“These items are extremely precious. Musashi-no-kami gifted them to Lord Hashiba precisely because he did not want these treasures to be buried forever.”

"Only a hero like Lord Hashiba deserves to possess these treasures. How could I possibly be worthy of receiving them?" Sanada Nobuyuki said with a look of trepidation.

Hideyoshi Hashiba said dismissively, "Just choose what I tell you to choose. What, are you going to disobey my orders?"

After several months apart, Hideyoshi Hashiba had become even more domineering than before. Seeing that he could not refuse, Nobuyuki Sanada could only say, "I am a rough man, and I prefer weapons to elegant things."

"Musashi's garrison wields a legendary spear, devoid of human bones; his mount, Hyakudan Black, is no ordinary creature either."

"Musashi-no-kami died a heroic death for Lord Hashiba, and I am willing to follow in his footsteps. From now on, I will also take Musashi-no-kami as my role model and serve Lord Hashiba to the death!" Sanada Nobuyuki knelt on the ground and pressed his head to the floor.

Hideyoshi Hashiba's lips curled into a slight smile; he liked people who knew how to read the room.

Hideyoshi Hashiba casually picked up a teacup and examined it, then remarked inadvertently, "I heard that Musashi no Kami once had a will in Genzaburo's possession?"

coming.

Sanada Nobuyuki remained lying on the ground, answering without raising his head, "That is true, but the letter was lost on the battlefield of Nagakute."

"Is that so?"

"what!"

"That's a real shame." Hideyoshi Toshiba casually tossed the tea set aside. What Mori Nagayoshi considered a treasure was nothing more than an ordinary item to him, with few worthy of his attention.

If this pile of stuff were placed in Osaka, it wouldn't even qualify as a tea party.

"Genzaburo!"

"ha!"

"Keep your head up."

"Ha!" Sanada Nobuyuki quickly raised his head, not flinching at Hashiba Hideyoshi's gaze.

Hideyoshi Hashiba stared intently at Nobuyuki Sanada for a while before suddenly forcing a smile.

"You're a smart person; I could tell from the first time I met you."

"My favorite people are intelligent people."

"Since Musashi-no-kami has asked you to take good care of his wife, then take them back to Shinano."

Nobuyuki Sanada immediately nodded in agreement.

Regarding the handling of Mino, Nobuyuki Sanada had already guessed Hideyoshi Hashiba's thoughts.

The Ikeda and Mori families are the core forces controlling Mino. Mori Nagayoshi is the son-in-law of Ikeda Tsuneoki. If Mori Nagayoshi's son, Genban, succeeds him, the relationship between the two families will remain close.

Hideyoshi Hashiba wanted a Mino family that would obey his will, so he had to dissolve the marriage alliance between the Ikeda and Mori families. Naturally, Mori Nagayoshi's son, Genban, could not remain in Mino.

"In addition, uprisings broke out in Iwamura, Naegi, Meichi and other places, and it seems that Tokugawa also sent reinforcements into Ena County."

"Musashi is dead, and the Mori clan's foot soldiers have suffered heavy casualties, so they are temporarily unable to pacify this place."

"How many people did you bring this time?" Hideyoshi Hashiba suddenly changed the subject.

Sanada Nobuyuki quickly replied, "200 mounted soldiers and more than 1000 foot soldiers."

"In that case, the Toyama family is in your hands."

"Once you defeat Tokugawa and his men, Ena County will be yours."

This is the benefit of being obedient; Sanada Nobuyuki immediately understood what Hashiba Hideyoshi meant.

"Please rest assured, Lord Hashiba, with the Sanada family here, the eastern Mino counties will never fall into the hands of the Tokugawa!"

"Awa... Oh wait, what is the Imperial Physician doing now?"

"My father is currently overseeing operations in Ueda Castle."

“The Hojo clan is attacking Ueno and Shimotsuke, and Father needs to be on guard against them,” Sanada Nobuyuki added.

Hideyoshi Hashiba was well aware of the situation in Kanto, and daimyo such as Satake had repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the alliance between Tokugawa and Hojo to him.

However, Hideyoshi Hashiba is truly too busy to deal with the Kanto region right now.

"I have already conveyed the request to the Uesugi clan to send troops, and the Sanada clan will also be sent into battle at that time."

"The Kanto region must not fall into the hands of the Hojo."

"what!"

The alliance between Tokugawa and Hojo changed the entire situation in the eastern region. As long as the Sanada family did not side with Tokugawa, they could help alleviate some of the pressure on him.

Although the Sanada clan is not strong at present, if the Uesugi clan of Echigo is added, even if they cannot defeat the Hojo clan, they can still slow down the Hojo clan's expansion.

There are now rumors that the Hojo clan will send troops to join the Oda-Tokugawa alliance after defeating the Satake coalition. Although Hideyoshi Hashiba does not know if this is true or not, he dares not gamble.

The encirclement targeting him is already giving him a headache. He can't handle Tokugawa Ieyasu alone, and if the Hojo clan joins in, his situation will be even more difficult.

"As for Tokugawa, with me here, you need not worry."

"Yes!"

Hideyoshi Hashiba said that Nobuyuki Sanada responded.

In just a few words, Hideyoshi Hashiba had already conveyed his demands to the Sanada family.

The meaning behind his words was clear: Tokugawa was to be handed over to him, while the Sanada family would need to join forces with the Uesugi family to curb the expansion of the Hojo family.

Although Sanada Nobuyuki wanted to say that asking him to fight the Hojo was giving him too much credit, he didn't dare to refuse.

Everything the Sanada family has now is thanks to Hideyoshi Hashiba. No matter what orders Hideyoshi Hashiba gives, the Sanada family must obey them.

"Lord Hashiba, rest assured, the Sanada family has been loyal to you since our first trip to Kyoto!"

"Through fire and water, no matter what!"

"Hahahaha!" Hideyoshi Hashiba was very satisfied with Sanada Nobuyuki's attitude and quickly helped him up from the ground. "Gensaburo, I understand the loyalty of the Sanada family."

"Rest assured, I, Hideyoshi, will never mistreat the Sanada family."

Hideyoshi Hashiba was serious. The Sanada family had indeed demonstrated its value, and most importantly, the Sanada family had irreconcilable conflicts with the Tokugawa and Hojo clans.

The Tokugawa clan wanted Shinano, but the Sanada clan seized it; the Hojo clan wanted Ueno, but the Sanada clan also controlled Ueno.

Last year, the Sanada family, together with Hojo Takahiro and others, launched the Ueno Uprising, effectively carving out a piece of flesh from the Hojo family.

Through a series of events, the Sanada family proved to Hideyoshi the value of their united front tactics.

Most importantly, the Sanada family is so obedient.

Which leader wouldn't like a capable and obedient subordinate?
　Thank you to the readers "MinghuangLC", "L Summer", "Maybe I'm Lazy" and "Visitor017" for their generous donations.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)