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

Chapter 140 Hideyoshi: Gensaburo, do you want a wife?

Hideyoshi Hashiba is quite busy.

This feeling was even more chaotic than when he heard about the Honnoji Incident at the foot of Takamatsu Castle.

At this moment, he fully experienced the "joy" of his lord Oda Nobunaga back then.

Enemies are everywhere, and after suffering a defeat on one side, they are now asking for help on the other.

He and the allied forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobuo have been locked in a stalemate along the Mino-Owari line for nearly a month, but have made no progress.

Tokugawa Ieyasu deployed his entire defense line so tightly that even though Hashiba Hideyoshi had superior forces, he couldn't do anything to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

While Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still confronting Oda Nobuo in Owari, the Negoro and Saiga factions of Kii launched another major attack on Kishiwada Castle, putting Izumi in grave danger.

To make matters worse, Chosokabe Motochika also captured Sogawa Castle and pacified Sanuki Province. He could cross the sea at any time to attack Harima, Settsu, and other places, threatening Hashiba Hideyoshi's main base.

Under these circumstances, Hideyoshi Hashiba dared not remain in Owari and had no choice but to prepare for a retreat.

Under Hideyoshi Hashiba's orders, the Hashiba army began to retreat in stages, but in some areas they encountered attacks from the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces and suffered considerable losses.

For example, in the battle at Nijōhori Fortress a couple of days ago, if it weren't for the desperate resistance of Kuroda Takataka and others, the defending troops in the fortress would have been completely wiped out.

Even after repelling Oda Nobuo's attack, Niebori Fortress suffered heavy casualties. Hashiba Hideyoshi was in a state of panic, but had no choice but to retreat, as Izumi in the west was on the verge of collapse.

What is the current situation in Mino?

Before leaving, Hideyoshi Hashiba made a point of inquiring about the battle situation in Mino.

Terumasa Ikeda quickly stepped forward and replied, "Lord Hosokawa has already captured Takenaka Castle, and Lord Sanada has also defeated the Toyama Ikki army in Toki County."

"The enemy fortresses in the western Mino area have now been cleared, and Lord Sanada is currently conquering Naegi Castle, Meichi Castle, and other places in the eastern Mino area."

Hideyoshi Hashiba breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this; at least there was some good news.

"Gensaburo has indeed lived up to my expectations, defeating the Toyama Ikki in such a short time."

"In this way, Mino is safe for the time being, and I can return to Osaka with peace of mind."

After saying that, Hideyoshi Hashiba glanced at Terumasa Ikeda again and said, "Two days ago, Genzaburo sent a letter saying that he was planning to take Sen, the daughter of Kii no Kami, as a concubine."

"Is this your sister?"

Terumasa Ikeda was taken aback, but still answered truthfully, "Yes, it is indeed my elder sister."

"But I have never heard of such a thing."

Terumasa Ikeda was somewhat reluctant. If word got out that a woman from his Ikeda family was going to be someone else's concubine, where would the Ikeda family's face be?

However, Terumasa Ikeda was not yet clear about Hideyoshi Hashiba's thoughts, so he tentatively asked, "How will Lord Hashiba respond?"

“It’s rare for Genzaburo to ask me for a favor, so of course I agreed.”

"What, does the Ikeda family have a problem with this?" Hashiba Hideyoshi said in a deep voice.

Terumasa Ikeda quickly waved his hand, "It's all up to Lord Hashiba to decide."

Terumasa Ikeda wasn't stupid; whether he could secure his position as head of the Ikeda family depended entirely on Hideyoshi Hashiba's word.

She's just his older sister. As long as Hideyoshi Hashiba is happy, he wouldn't object even if she married his own mother.

“Mino and Shinano are neighbors, so they can help each other.”

"While I am away from Owari, you and Genzaburo must withstand the pressure and prevent Ieyasu from invading Mino."

Hideyoshi Hashiba was pleased with the marriage alliance between the Ikeda and Sanada families.

He is about to leave Owari. If the Ikeda and Sanada families can support each other, it will also be beneficial to the defense of Mino.

Most importantly, Hideyoshi Hashiba believed that Nobuyuki Sanada's actions were a way to relieve his burdens. Taking Chika Ikeda as a concubine would perfectly sever the relationship between the Ikeda and Mori families.

After the marriage ties between the Ikeda and Mori families were severed, they could only obey Hideyoshi's orders from then on.

Genzaburo, you truly understand my heart!
"Has the Hashiba army retreated?"

Inside Tsumagi Castle, even though Sanada Nobuyuki was prepared, he was still surprised when he heard the news.

"Yes, my lord has led most of his troops back to Osaka, leaving only a portion of his forces to garrison the Mino-Owari line."

"Tokugawa Mikawa no Kami has also withdrawn from Komakiyama to Kiyosu Castle. Currently, the Tokugawa clan's general Sakai Tadatsugu is left to guard Komakiyama Castle."

"Lord Oda has returned to Nagashima Island in Ise, and all three parties are currently resting."

A samurai from the Hashiba clan slowly explained the latest battle situation at the front.

The messenger who came to deliver the message also surprised Nobuyuki Sanada; it was none other than Hidenaga Kawajiri.

Kawajiri Hidenaga was the son of Kawajiri Hidetaka, a senior retainer of the Oda clan. After the defeat of the Takeda clan, Kawajiri Hidetaka was granted the province of Kai, but he died at the hands of an uprising not long after.

After escaping Kai, Kawajiri Hidenaga traveled to many places before finally being recommended by Ishida Mitsunari to serve Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Unfortunately, Kai was occupied by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Kawajiri Hidenaga had no chance to inherit Kawajiri Hidetaka's territory. Currently, under Hashiba Hideyoshi, he only receives about 1,000 koku of credit, and his situation is miserable.

As the son of a senior retainer of the Oda clan, it's quite a pity that Sanada Nobuyuki has been reduced to delivering messages.

"Lord Kawajiri, what are your plans regarding the main clan's future actions, Lord Hashiba?"

Kawajiri Hidenaga quickly replied, "My lord has instructed Lord Sanada to make a trip to Osaka after he has taken control of Ena County."

"Furthermore, this is a certificate of official conduct bestowed by the lord. From now on, Ena County will be Lord Sanada's territory."

Hideyoshi Hashiba's letter of appointment is quite interesting. It specifically emphasizes that the territory of Ena County was granted to Nobuyuki Sanada, which is rather intriguing.

Why was it given directly to Sanada Nobuyuki instead of Sanada Masayuki? Was this a special favor from Hashiba Hideyoshi or a deliberate interference in the internal affairs of the Sanada family?
The answer to Sanada Nobuyuki is currently unknown.

"Going to Osaka?" Sanada Nobuyuki asked after carefully putting away the red seal.

"Yes, my lord has made arrangements regarding Lord Sanada's principal wife."

"This is a letter from our lord, please take a look, Lord Sanada." With that, Kawajiri Hidenaga pulled another letter from his robes and handed it to Sanada Nobuyuki. Sanada Nobuyuki unfolded the letter and, sure enough, Hideyoshi's letters were as simple and easy to understand as ever. Just one sentence: "Gensaburo, do you want a wife?"

Of course I want it!

I wonder who Hideyoshi Hashiba will marry. As long as it's not "Monkey Girl" Nobuyuki Sanada, I think I can accept it.

I'm actually kind of looking forward to it.

With this in mind, Sanada Nobuyuki became increasingly eager to attack the Toyama Ikki.

Several thousand troops entered Naegi Castle, and Toyama Tomomasa, who was inside the castle, was unable to resist and had no choice but to agree to the conditions previously proposed by Sanada Nobuyuki.

On the premise of saving the lives of the entire clan, they handed over Miaomu City.

Sanada Nobuyuki also kept his promise and did not prevent Toyama Tomomasa and the others from returning to Mikawa.

Toshikage Toyama of Meiji Castle and Tsunekage Toyama of Kushihara Village were unwilling to leave. In the end, Nobuyuki Sanada offered them their lands, but only on the condition that they submit to the Sanada family.

Left with no other choice, Toshikage Toyama and his companion agreed to the proposal and subsequently handed over the hostages to the Sanada family.

They had a conflict with Mori Nagayoshi, so they chose the Tokugawa clan, hoping to regain their former territory with their support. But now that Ena County had become the territory of the Sanada clan, and given that the Sanada clan was willing to settle their territories peacefully, Toyama Toshikage and the others naturally had no objections.

The Toyama family was originally a vassal state of Mino, but was driven to Mikawa by Mori Nagayoshi. If they hadn't had no other choice, who would have willingly left their homeland to beg for food from the Tokugawa family?

The Sanada family had no foothold in Mino and needed samurai like Toshikage Toyama and Tsunekage Toyama to help them maintain their rule.

As for why Tomomasa Toyama wasn't kept, it's because the Toyama family of Naegi has a great influence in Ena County. If Tomomasa Toyama were kept, the overall strength of the Toyama families would be too great.

Nobuyuki Sanada didn't want the Toyama family to join forces and cause trouble again right after he left Mino.

Therefore, it is relatively reasonable to send the strong Naegi Toyama family back to Mikawa, while keeping the weaker Akichi Toyama family and Kushihara Toyama family.

When the time comes, we will bring Iwamura Castle and Naegi Castle, the two core castles of Ena County, under our direct control. We won't have to worry about Toyama Toshikage and Toyama Tsunekage causing any trouble.

From then on, the Toyama uprising in Ena County was completely quelled.

However, how to govern this territory became a headache for Nobuyuki Sanada, because Ena County was really too "useless".

Ena County is located in the mountainous region of eastern Mino, bordering Chikuma and Ina counties of Shinano to the north, and Mikawa, which is controlled by the Tokugawa family, to the east.

The territory is mostly surrounded by mountains, with few flat areas. Only along the Kiso River near Naegi Castle are there a few flat, continuous stretches of land.

The Kiso River flows past Naegi Castle, bringing ample water to Ena County.

The problem is that the water flow of the Kiso River is too high, leading to frequent natural disasters.

Once there is heavy rain, the Kiso River overflows its banks, flooding farmland and leading to poor harvests and famine.

The Yuanshan family had also built river embankments to prevent the river from overflowing, but another natural disaster also continued to affect this place: earthquakes.

Even the Yuanshan family couldn't afford to build very sturdy river embankments. Often, just a few years after their completion, an earthquake would collapse them. This was followed by torrential rains, floods, destroyed farmland, famine, poor harvests, and poverty.
This vicious cycle makes governing Huina County extremely difficult.

"This is a hot potato." Sanada Nobuyuki was completely convinced after learning the details of Ena County from Kagami Motonari.

So, was it a reward or a punishment that Hideyoshi Hashiba bestowed upon me in Ena County?

Kagami Motomasa and Sanada Nobuyuki stood side by side on the top of Naegi Castle, suppressing a smile as they comforted each other, "At least the scenery at Naegi Castle is quite nice."

"Shinjiro is joking. I'm not in the mood to appreciate the scenery right now."

“Ena County was plundered by the Kiso clan the year before last, and last year it was attacked by the Musashi governor. This year it is the Toyama uprising.”

"Everything is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt!" Sanada Nobuyuki couldn't understand how such a dilapidated place could be served by so many people in turn.

After expressing his feelings, Sanada Nobuyuki suddenly turned to Kagami Motonari and asked, "Jinjiro, would you be willing to help me?"

Kagami Motomasa's abilities during the Toyama uprising were recognized by Sanada Nobuyuki, who then extended an olive branch to him.

The Sanada family knew nothing about Ena County. Sanada Nobuyuki urgently needed the help of a capable local samurai. He couldn't rely solely on Toshikage Toyama, who had surrendered. He needed two of his own.

The atmosphere between the two gradually became tense.

After much deliberation, Masaharu Kagami shook his head.

"Lord Sanada, I admire your character, but it is precisely because I am also a person of great righteousness that I cannot betray my master."

"I hope Sanada-sama understands."

Although Kagami Motomasa greatly admires Sanada Nobuyuki, and the Sanada family is certainly in a much better position than the Mori family, which has just suffered losses.

However, Kagami Motomasa was unwilling to leave the Mori family during their most difficult time, as this would not align with his sense of morality.

Seeing that Kagami Motomasa had said so, Sanada Nobuyuki stopped pressuring it, forcing things wouldn't work.

"However, I am aware of Lord Sanada's concerns, so I will humbly recommend someone."

"Who?" Nobuyuki Sanada asked anxiously.

　The Naegi Toyama family in history: During the Edo period, the Naegi Toyama family became the lords of the Naegi Domain.

　　Because of frequent natural disasters and epidemics in its territory, the Miaomu Domain has always been extremely poor and has long relied on borrowing money to make ends meet.

　　Not only did he withhold his retainers' wages, but he also constantly borrowed money from other nearby domains.

　　Before the Meiji Restoration, the Naegi Domain had accumulated a huge debt of nearly 20 taels.

　　To repay the debt, the generals of the Naegi Domain sold everything they could. Temples and castles were demolished and sold as building materials, as were Buddhist statues and scriptures.

　　The feudal lords and monks were dismissed and sent back to farming, but they received no severance pay whatsoever, as the government simply could not afford it.

　　After the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures, this area of ​​Ena County became Naegi Prefecture.

　　However, due to its extreme poverty, it was unable to operate independently and requested to be abolished and merged into the neighboring Gifu Prefecture four months later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)